"It's getting late." That sounded more like a question than a statement.
Finnick nodded. "Yeah."
"Why haven't they turned the lights out yet, then?" Finally, he understood Annie's worry. Thirteen wasn't the type of place to ignore its own rules. "Are the hall lights on?" Maybe it was just their apartment.
He got up to try the door. Locked. That shouldn't make his heart race; Thirteen always locked their doors at night. Or maybe it was just his and Annie's – he'd never thought to ask anyone else. Finnick wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that question. "I'll turn off our light. We'll be able to see if the hall's is still on." Thank goodness Annie was still thinking for the two of them. He'd never managed to puzzle out how he'd survived his first nineteen years without her.
Finnick found himself so caught up in his thoughts that he jumped when the room went black. "Don't worry. You're fine." The sliver of orange-tinged light that shone through from the hall allowed him to just make out her figure. "At least it's not just us."
"Yeah. No idea what that could mean, though. If they were worried about anything happening, they would have sent us to the bomb shelters."
"Nothing to be worried about, Finnick."
"Did I say I was worried?"
"Do you think I can't read your mind?" He could hear Annie's smile. "We'll wait. Either something'll happen or it won't. Nothing we can do about it."
She's right. No reason to be anxious. Better yet…
He checked that she hadn't moved from where she sat, cross-legged on the mattress, before collapsing next to her. Like everything in Thirteen, the bed was designed more for utility than comfort, and was certainly nothing like the down-soft mattress they had in Four, but the aching back he'd have in the morning was more than worth her laughter and half-hearted scolding.
By his estimation, it was two hours later that a knock came at the door. Knowing he couldn't answer, Finnick nudged Annie awake and waited for the door to open. "A boat of refugees from Four arrived this evening. If you would like to see them, I'll lead you to the processing center."
Processing center. It didn't sound human. "Give us a moment to get dressed, and we'll be right down." He nodded along with Annie's words.
They pulled on some clothes, and a few minutes later, he and Annie were following a half-step behind the petite officer. Finnick should know the woman's name – he's certain he's seen her before, but he'll blame it on being a little groggy at one in the morning. Funny, before coming to Thirteen, he had never had a problem staying up late or getting up early. This place must be getting to him. Or perhaps married life was already starting to change him. Finnick rather liked the thought of that.
"I didn't think District Thirteen was near the coast," he said, trying to make conversation and snag some extra information. It wasn't a necessary habit here the way it had been in the Capitol, but old habits die hard.
She looked over her shoulder at him. "Close enough that we monitor the coastline, but not close enough that you're going to be able to take a dip anytime soon." Was that a real smile from a Thirteen officer? Who would've thought they knew how.
The corridors were empty, and only a few flickering lights kept their small party company. He'd never been into this area of Thirteen before. Or perhaps he had – those first days in the district, when he was still certain he'd lost Annie –
No. He couldn't dwell on those times right now. It was enough to note that he didn't remember his first few days in the district very well. Still, he found himself squeezing Annie's hand that little bit tighter, and she returned the gesture.
He would definitely have remembered being in this room. The ceiling was even higher than that of the hangar, and so large that a hovercraft could easily get lost in a corner somewhere. And it was full. Finnick had assumed that she'd meant a fishing boat full of people, maybe twenty at the most. No, this had to have been one of the tankers that brought in goods from the other coastal districts, because there were hundreds of people milling about. He recognized a few faces – not in any real sense, he certainly couldn't put a name to the faces, but he knew he must have seen them a few times in the market or while watching the Reaping.
Annie tightened her grip on his hand, enough that he wondered if she'd broken the skin. He looked to her, then out at the crowd to see what she'd spotted, and suddenly, it was as if he was ten years old again.
His father would always be a big man. Finnick had wondered, for a while, if maybe it had just been his childhood impression, if every child thought their father was huge, but Mac Odair had to be a good six and a half feet tall and close to two hundred and fifty pounds. Not that that was so different from Finnick himself, but seeing him now, after all these years…
Annie, as always, brought him back to the real world. "We can go back if you want, talk to him some other day," she whispered, just audible above the low din of the room.
When he didn't respond, she started pulling him toward the exit. He would either have to let go of her hand or leave, and that wasn't much of a choice at all. The instant he stepped out of the room, Finnick felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Thanks," he said.
Annie shrugged. "You've got years to figure out what you want to do with your dad. No reason to rush anything." She glanced to either side of them, and her face broke out into a naughty grin, like a child left alone with the cookie jar. "And, we're unsupervised in an area of Thirteen that they've never let us anywhere near. There's nothing to stop us from doing a little exploring before we head back."
Someday, he was going to learn how to say no to these plans of hers. But, as she said, he had years to figure that out. For tonight, it was easier to just be dragged along.
A/N: Written using the Tumblr prompt "Finnick's parents are taken to District 13 with other people from District 4 during the rebellion." I'm sorry that I've gotten so bad about including these prompts – I'll make a point of being better about it going forward. Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you think of any/all of these little ficlets.