CHAPTER 7
"No luck, Odair?" Haymitch shouted as Finnick climbed down the chopper, its motor still whirring fast.
"No. The other stylists are hard to convince. Although they feel sorry for the kids, they never really have the nerve to fight the Capitol."
"Then not everyone is like me." They heard Cinna as they entered the headquarters. Finnick grinned and shook his hand. "But we do have good news here in this side of Panem." Cinna winked.
"What?" Finnick asked the two men.
Haymitch chugged down the spirit on his flask and then shivered. "You'll see."
They led Finnick towards the clinic and into a crowded corridor where soldiers, doctors, and nurses alike gather to take a peek inside a well-lit room.
"What's going on?" Finnick asked again.
And with some sparkle of hope in his eyes, Cinna replied: "The mockingjay is awake."
Finally. Finnick thought.
As they were able to finally enter the room, with Haymitch still grumbling and scolding some rebels, Katniss Everdeen was laying wide awake—and grinning—holding Peeta's hand.
"Finnick…" she said hoarsely as she saw him enter. She tried to sit up straight but Finnick gestured for her not to.
"Save the energy, mockingjay." He grinned. "We've still got plenty of raids to finish, you know."
Katniss nodded. They heard Haymitch dispatching the crowds of onlookers, hiccupping in the process.
"How much alcohol did he finish?" Katniss whispered to Peeta.
"Not much, actually." Peeta grinned beside her. "Just his usual."
Katniss looked back at Finnick who was not looking better himself. Didn't he find Annie? No one even bothered to tell her yet of what happened in the raid... She knew she had to ask. Annie was also much of a priority like Peeta.
"Annie..." Katniss barely whispered.
Finnick looked up and gave a small smile. "She's here."
Katniss noticed that Finnick didn't bother to elaborate more. Instead, she felt Peeta's hand squeeze hers, as if telling that something still had gone wrong.
"She'd be fine." Katniss whispered again. Finnick nodded and sat on the other chair next to her end table.
"Everyone will be. Soon." Cinna said standing at the end of her bed and patted her left foot.
"If only there's more of this." Haymitch complained, staring at his now empty flask. "'Gotta ask down stairs in the kitchens." Haymitch left the room but tripped on his way out. And before anyone else could even react, Haymitch Abernathy slammed, face down, on the floor and started snoring.
Peeta rolled his eyes. "For the love of..."
"Nothing changed, huh?" Katniss giggled lightly. Peeta was about to rise from his own chair beside Katniss's bed when Cinna held up a hand.
"Let me. I need to go upstairs and call on Octavia, anyway. I'll tell Heavensbee to get some soldiers for Haymitch." And with a final nod to Peeta and Finnick, and a peck on the cheek for Katniss, Cinna exited himself from the room.
"I thought he looked normal when he fetched me from the chopper." Finnick wondered.
"He can never look that normal." Peeta chuckled.
"Chopper?" Katniss caught the word. Finnick had been out and about, endlessly working for the rebels. "You've been going somewhere, Finnick?"
Finnick stretched on his chair and ruffled his already messy hair. "Just from the Capitol."
"The Capitol?" Katniss's eyes widened. "That's suicide, Odair."
"Say we drop the surname calling, Everdeen? Saying my first name could make it sound like you actually care about me."
"He's been gathering more rebels, Katniss." Peeta reassured her.
"But in the Capitol? After we attacked the prison chambers?"
"They can't capture me. Not yet, anyway." Finnick explained.
"The girls of Panem will wonder about his whereabouts if that happened." Peeta continued.
Finnick snorted.
"Well it's true." Katniss realized. Finnick shook his head at the two of them. A little while later, two soldiers saluted the three of them and finally carried away the still snoring Haymitch on the doorway. But Peeta only started to explain to Katniss about the bombing of the prison chambers when they heard a small voice talking animatedly and heading towards their room.
"... I'm telling you, Annie, you will like my sister. She also has a long smooth hair—although hers is sleek black. Did I also tell you before that she was the one who gave me my goat, Lady? How I wish I got her back... but we do have some pretty livestock here, don't we, Annie? I also have to tell Katniss about the nets you made from those vines in the garden. I think she'll find those interesting. And the fish, Annie! The one we asked for second helpings? Katniss would like one of those too... Oh, here we are."
Primrose Everdeen and Annie Cresta appeared on the doorway, hand-in-hand. Prim smiled widely as she led Annie inside the room and introduced her to her sister.
"Annie, this is my sister, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss, this is Annie." Prim jumped on the bed and curved herself beside Katniss.
Peeta assisted Katniss to sit down properly—to get a better look at Annie. She smiled and murmured a small hello. But what struck Katniss the most was how normal Annie looked like. In fact, she was breathtakingly beautiful—like Finnick himself. Although unlike Finnick, whose looks went by with the words of seduction, lust and aggressiveness, Annie was someone whom Katniss could only call innocently beautiful. Annie didn't look like the hysterical young woman from the reaping nor was she screaming this time. Instead, Annie Cresta also smiled back at her—sweet and child-like... as if Katniss was the most interesting thing in the room.
Finnick didn't stand up from his chair but Katniss noticed from the corner of her eye that Finnick was looking at Annie with such an intense gaze that it made her feel something inside her—longing. Longing to hold on to Peeta, to see Gale, to rebuild District 12 and start anew.
Annie was still smiling down curiously at her it made Katniss uncomfortable. She heard Finnick chuckle from his chair. Peeta stroked Katniss's hair and grinned.
"I think she takes a liking to you." Peeta murmured. Prim scooted nearer to her sister and held her other hand.
"She's pretty isn't she?" Prim asked. Katniss nodded.
"We did the garden this morning. But when she saw the pond nearby, I couldn't keep her out of the water. I just finished drying her up before we went here." Prim giggled as she told Finnick and the others.
"You could never really keep her out of the water. It's where she lives." Finnick chuckled again. He stood up and gently took hold of Annie's hand. She looked at him and smiled, unknowing of the world around her; unknowing about his betrayal earlier on.
"I think we'd better go, Annie." He told her; his face hardened a little as he felt another pang of guilt. But he lightly tucked strands of her hair on her ear as if touching her would let him know he was forgiven. He nodded to Peeta and Katniss. "Thanks for watching her, Prim—as always."
The small girl smiled as she rested her head in Katniss's shoulder. "She's my favourite playmate."
"Johanna wouldn't like to hear that." Finnick winked at her. He bid another farewell to them then led Annie out of the clinic room.
They were walking silently in the corridor where few nurses and doctors waved and greeted him hello. And every time someone did, Annie would cling to his arms tightly, the placidness gone from her face. Finnick would reassure her by stroking her thumb with his own then she would relax.
"You want to go back to our room and take a rest?" He asked her as they neared the elevator. He knew she wouldn't reply. Annie rarely talks except in her sleep or when she's having her nightmares. But Finnick always felt the need to ask her and not simply let her do whatever he wanted her to do.
They were only about to reach the next corridor when someone already caught Finnick's eye. He stopped abruptly on his track and Annie slightly collided to him. She looked up at him, puzzled, her warm brown eyes studying him carefully. But Finnick didn't even notice her gaze as he was intently eying the man in the brown coat and pants.
S. Uno smiled and moved his way towards them.
Finnick sighed. He gripped onto Annie's hand and felt her gripping his hands too. He finally looked back at her and saw that she was one again afraid. Did S. Uno remind Annie of the Capitol doctors who experimented on her? Of the Peacekeepers who beat her until she lay unconscious on the floor?
"Finnick." S. Uno said. He offered a hand to Finnick—in which he unwillingly took—and gave a small nod to Annie.
"I told you I don't want to do it." Finnick said firmly.
"I know." S. Uno nodded sympathetically. "That's why I thought you needed to know more about my capabilities."
"Why?"
"Because I think she cannot also wait to get back to you."
So I know most of us have already read "Mockingjay" and finally know about the Finnick and Annie's relationship. But I'd still go on and continue whatever I have started (since I didd this fanfic pre-Mockingjay days) here. There are only a few more chapters left, anyway. So enjoy! :))
Thanks to all the reviews!