Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all my followers and favorites and comments, especiallly BananaLlama6! Everyone should totally go and read Forever And On, an Odesta story by the fabonious BananaLlama6! Without further ado, here's the next chapter. (I hope I wrote enough)
DISCLAIMER:I don't own Hunger Games, it belongs to Suzanne Collins
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Chapter Two: Little Mr. Odair
Johanna's POV
I whirl around quickly and without even the patter or small barefoot feet on asphalt, Antoine is gone.
It's almost like he disappeared into the air, like he was just a figment of my imagination. Slightly disappointed, but not at all unnerved, I slowly walk down the wood bridge that curves over a small moat that leads to the door. The place is elegant, but there's no flowers or cute little cobblestone paths, just the bridge and lush green grass that's sprinkled with saltwater instead of dew. The home is obviously not abandoned, but it looks almost untouched like a quiet and still museum would. I start to have second thoughts about ringing the doorbell.
I came to District 4 for one reason. Not because I love to swim or the feeling of the sand and shells in between my toes, because I feel it's my duty.
Over the six years since the war, I've kept on touch with Katniss, Peeta, Beetee, and others through letter and each one of them have sent kind replies. I've met Katniss and Peeta's children, their daughter Ruella and their son Patrick, and I've helped Beetee with some electronically benefiting movements in 3. The main problem here is, I didn't just send letters to those three. About thirty six unanswered letters have left my house and been supposedly delivered to this house but I've gotten no response from Annie Cresta-Odair. At first I thought she just didn't like me, but I don't think that anyone else has heard from her either and I knew that Finnick would want me to check up on her.
The plan is simple. I'll stay in 4 for about two weeks or so just to make sure that Annie and her son, Torrence, are okay and then I'll leave and go about my life. It's sort of my way of repaying Finnick for all he'd done for me over the years. I take a deep breath and press my pointer finger to a smooth blue sapphire stone that makes up the doorbell button. I hear a few muffled voices and footsteps coming my way. The door flies open and standing there is the girl that I've held mixed feelings for a long time and she's looking better than ever.
Annie's sea green eyes shoot open and a small yelp escapes her lips. Her red hair falls around her forearms in gentle fashion and she's wearing a pastel blue sundress with roses on it. Blue hearts are painted on her nails and her feet are propped up by simple blue sandals. She's just as lovely as she was always described by Finnick.
"Johanna!" She yelps.
"Hi there, Crazy." I smirk.
"What are you doing here?!" Annie leans up against the door like it's the only thing that keeps her from hitting the ground below.
"It's an interesting story actually.
Why haven't you returned any of my letters?" I tuck a stray strand of dark hair back.
Annie looks back into the house as she tries to avoid my gaze. She bites her lip and twirls her hair in between her fingers as I stand there unamused. I'm about to open my mouth and snap at her but her mumbling stops me.
"I figured you wouldn't want to hear back from me."
"If I was the one sending the letters it means I do want to hear back from you. That's kinda how mail works, Crazy." I realize that last remark was a little insensitive but I quickly brush that off.
"It's just that we've never been the best of friends, Johanna. Why do you have a suitcase?" She asks.
"Because I'm moving in for a bit." I wink and smile before pushing past the woman at the door and walking into the grand foyer, leaving her standing flabbergasted in the doorway.
There's a giant staircase that goes up the left of the home when you first walk in and on the right there's two other large doorways which lead to the living room and kitchen respectively. The door shuts and Annie pads over next to me rather quietly. Pictures of her and Torrence litter the grand hall along with a creative sea border that sits against the beach murals on the walls that must've been painted by Peeta, the glorious skies and waves tell me so. I can hear the TV echoing from the other room and can tell that little Mr. Odair is having a "Sharky Explores the Ocean" marathon. It's a cutesy little animated movie series about a shark that has adventures with a sea urchin, a dolphin, and a killer whale. I don't like it, but apparently it's appealing to Torrence. All in all, the main hall of the palace is pretty nice.
Before Annie can tell me otherwise, I throw my axe and my suitcase on the shiny hardwood floor and make my way into the living room. It's a spacious area with a lovely beach-print couch, wicker side tables, and a large Capitol style television that rests on rows of shelves that are cramped tight with shells, rocks, and jars of sand from the beach. The beach murals have not left the walls and there's a large glass window that allows you to look out at the beach and ocean, not everyone can have that as a backyard.
"Hey kid!" I holler as I walk further into the room.
"Auntie Johanna?!" Torrence cries. "What you doing here?!"
"I'm gonna stay here with you and your mom for a little while, help you break into civilization which is something I'm guessing you've missed out on for the past couple years." I sit down in an armchair near the couch.
"I'm only six!"
"That's my point."
Soon enough Annie runs in, she looks pretty overwhelmed but I just glance over at her calmly and smile fake sweetness. She's been a better mother than I've expected her to be, Torrence has pretty good vocabulary and motor skills for a six year old, but I bet she still breaks down a lot. It makes me wonder if I should mention Finnick. If his son doesn't know the story of his father it could make for some pretty awkward or tear-filled times so I decide to keep it all under wraps until Annie gives me a signal.
"Wait, wait Johanna. Why do you think you need to come here and help out?" The red haired woman rubs her temple as she sits on the couch next to her son.
"I've been sending letters here for about six years, as I've already told you, and I haven't gotten one response. Katniss told me you've sent letters back to her and I wanted to see how you were doing and if you just plain hated me or didn't feel like talking or whatever." I explain.
"Well we're fine..."
"You've been living in isolation!"
"This isn't true!" Annie negotiates. "I've taken Torrence to the stores, the docks, on boat rides, everywhere in 4!"
I glance at the little boy who's turning his head back and forth like he's watching a tennis game as his mother and I argue. I didn't want to have to do this, but it appears I have no choice. I decide to drag Torrence into the conversation.
"Torrence have you ever been to school?"
"No." He responds while ringing his small hands.
I look up at a nervous Annie with a hard and menacing look on my face.
"I can teach him all his father wanted him to know..." She chokes.
"What did Finnick want him to know?" Torrence looks genuinely confused now and Annie clearly wilts as I step over the line and flat out mention her deceased husband's name.
"How to fish, to paddle a boat, to use his old trident..." Crazy attempts to say in between sharp intakes of breath. I'm amazed as her son wraps his arms around her and whispers something in her ear. Annie wipes her teary eyes and aside that, she seems okay again. We all see a lot of Finnick in Torrence.
"Do you have his old trident?" I inquire.
"It's in the attic." Annie says.
"One more question." I stand up. "Where's my room? I'm not sleeping on the couch."
Torrence shares a glance with his mother before he stands up and offers to lead me to a guest room.
He doesn't laugh when I request his father's old bed so I just snort and decide to go along with it. After we stop and get my suitcases from the foyer, Torrence leads me up the grand stairway into the upstairs of the house and it's fun watching the small boy toddle along in front of me. We pass by a door that supposedly leads to Annie's room and then past another that has bubble letter stickers that spell out her sons name. Down the hallway we go and I have to be careful not to step on the kid.
"Here." He pipes up and barely reaches the doorknob to unveil my new living quarters. I have to help him push the barrier back though.
I'm taken aback by how nice of a room it is. I get a nice spacious bathroom next door down with a window that pours in sunlight, which I can easily fix with blinds, along with an armoire and a nice brown bed that lacks an overload of throw pillows. It's simple and I don't mind considering that I'll only be staying for a short while anyway. My axe will sit beside the bed so I'll have east access to it and I'll stuff the few clothes I packed into the armoire later but for right now, I just want to sit, relax, and think out my decision a bit more thoroughly.
"You like it, Auntie?" A childish voice asks from next to me. I forgot Torrence was in here.
"I'm fine Finn- I mean Torrence!" I quickly recover.
"Ok. Mama does it all the time." The green eyed boy looks down. His normal childish accent makes him hard to understand but I get what he's saying.
"Does it upset you?" My eyes gaze away from the boy to the window.
"No...I wanna be like my Daddy."
"Your well on your way, little fella." For the first time I actually say something nice. Not in a sarcastic type of way, a sincere and beautifully tragic way. So tragic I feel like I'm in one of those characters on a mushy Capitol soap opera.
"Thanks Auntie..." Before I have any time to react, Torrence throws himself at me and hugs me tight.
I slowly sink into him, just like I'd practiced with Antoine, and blink away a bit of moisture in my eyes, I can't cry in front of the son of Finnick Odair. Time fades into longer matter as we just sit there, until we seemingly fade into nothing, our crouched silhouettes against the sea which ripples behind us.
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I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Do you like Torrence and did I write him in the manner that a six year old speaks? PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU READ. CHANCES ARE I WILL STRONGLY DISLIKE YOU IF YOU DO NOT REVIEW. That's something I can't express enough... Talk to you all soon! ~PurpleKittyFangirl