Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! I do not own Mockingjay, any direct quotes will be in italics.

Ch. 16

"Peeta!" Delly says in her overly excited voice. I hadn't heard much of that voice while in my room. It was constantly me telling her why I shouldn't love Katniss and her speaking back with a level calm voice about why I should at least feel something for her. I admired Delly. I heard she lost her father in the bombings a couple days back, she was stronger than what anybody saw in her.

Her enthusiasm hid things that take awhile to uncover. Delly Cartwright was a better person than I could ever become. Sure, she had a couple extra pounds and her face always had a couple zits on it and her hair could be styled in better ways, but that didn't matter. Delly Cartwright was slowly turning me, into me again. At least she'd be here to brave this lunch with me.

"It's so nice to see you out…and about." She says, trying to put a positive spin on this. All the others look worried as if I'd transform into a giant mutt and attack them. I couldn't put it past them I had already done that before.

"What's with the fancy bracelets?" says Johanna, who other than Delly was composed the fastest. She had seen almost everything I had seen in the Capitol. She had experienced torture almost as bad as mine. Nothing could phase Johanna, not even a crazy guy walking free.

"I'm not quite trustworthy yet. I can't even sit here with out permission." I say, my voice soaking in annoyance.

"Sure he can sit here. We're old friends." Says Johanna. I remember the weekly 'meetings' that we had and Annie was there too. We never talked much, but we were there for each other, that does something, creates a bond that can't be broken. I could not say a word to Johanna for the rest of my life and yet we would still be connected.

I take a seat when my guards give me approval. "Peeta and I had adjoining cells in the Capitol." Says Johanna, "We're familiar with each other's screams." The sentence might make un-tortured people flinch because it's so blunt, but it's the cold hard truth. I could tell you if it was Johanna screaming from miles away, I heard her each and every day.

The sentence makes Annie leave reality, which was normal. Whenever Johanna and I ventured to tell her the truth she would cover her ears like she is doing now, close her eyes, and forget everything else. It was just Annie, in her mind, trying to control the demons.

I hadn't seen Finnick and Annie together, but he did look like he loved her. I felt like I should be the one to protect Annie though. A small part of me wants to go over to her and comfort her as Finnick does now, but something stops me. The others don't know how close Johanna, Annie, and I really are, and I want to keep it that way. Some part of me that they don't have to know. The information was mine and they didn't need to know it.

It's an awkward silence as we wait for Annie to come back to our world. Katniss avoids my eyes at all costs and Delly looks nervous as she searches for something to say. Gale has kicked back in his chair, he doesn't look happy, but I'm not sure if he ever really does.

Slowly, carefully, Annie comes back to us. It's really actually selfish for us wanting her to be in our world all the time. It must be nicer in her world or else she wouldn't keep going back there. I wish I had another world to go to; maybe then I wouldn't be so lost. We call Annie the crazy one, but maybe we are for trying to conform to the world around us.

"Annie, did you know it was Peeta who decorated your wedding cake? Back home, his family ran the bakery and he did all the icing." Delly's voice is happy as if she didn't just witness the world of a crazy person.

Annie moves her head carefully to look at me. She really was beautiful. Her brown hair fell on her shoulders carefully and her bright eyes matched her tan face, she was pretty with out really even trying.

"Thank you, Peeta. It was beautiful." Her words are chosen carefully as if her own voice could take her back into her world.

"My pleasure, Annie," I say. I could imagine a life with her. It was all too easy. We could be crazy together and our children would be the ones to take care of us more than us taking care of them, but it would be okay because there would be love. It would be hard at times, but we would have each other. She was already taken though by a man that loved her, it was clear. But it bothered me that I couldn't have her.

Finnick says something to Annie that I miss and they begin to get up, "Good seeing you, Peeta." Says Finnick. Finnick is a good guy, I remember it. He is strong and caring, but something about him rubs me the wrong way. I can't trust him. Not with Annie, he doesn't understand what she's been through, not one bit.

"You be nice to her, Finnick. Or might try to take her away from you." I say, in all perfect honesty.

"Oh, Peeta. Don't make me sorry I restarted your heart." He flashes his winning smile at the table and then leaves with Annie by his side.

Guys, I love Finnick. He is truly one of the best characters in this series next to Peeta. He is so, amazingly awesome and I love him. That is all.

Don't forget to REVIEW on the way out! Thanks! ~boywithbreadlover