Annie's Story

Chapter nineteen

'Finnick!' I scream while tears start rolling down my face. He stares at me, like he hadn't realized yet that I was here. 'Ann... Annie?' He stutters. I stand up and walk towards him with slow steps. His arms open widely and he pulls me into them. Holding me tightly he starts to cry, just like me. 'Annie is this real?' He whispers. 'It is.' I whisper back while I enjoy his arms around me. Five years, five long years of not seeing him at all. They are over, here he is. I am in his arms, the only place where I've always wanted to be. Home. There we stand, it feels like five minutes. Crying in each others arms. It's like nothing else exists. Only the two of us. I love him, I love him so much. Slowly we let go of each other, Finnick signs that there are other people in the room and I nod. I turn my head and look at Felix while wiping my tears of my face. 'Sorry.' I apologize to him while I walk back to my chair and sit down. He stares at me, not knowing what to say. Finnick sits down in the chair in front of me, next to Preona. 'I assume you guys er... Know each other?' Felix asks me. 'Yes, we do. We haven't seen each other in five years.' I tell him. He nods and looks away, clearly feeling uncomfortable. 'So, I already know your name, but who are you?' Finnick asks Felix while looking at him. 'Felix. Felix Anderson.' He says while he shrugs. 'Okay, Felix and Annie, I'm your mentor, Finnick Odair, and I'll make sure you will feel alright in the Arena. I'll do anything to let both of you survive as long as possible.' He says honestly. 'This must be a hard day for you, so I assume you eat something and go to bed after that.' We both nod. I'm not hungry, not at all. I will eat tomorrow, enough time for eating later.

I'm in my room, it looks incredibly pretty. But I don't care, I don't care about the beauty of the Capitol. Slowly I lay myself down on the bed. It makes me want to sleep right away. Now I feel how tired I am and how exhausting this day has been. It's been killing me. I yawn and grab one of the pillows into my arms. 'Annie?' I hear a voice say from behind the door. 'Come in.' I say immediately when I recognize Finnick's voice. He enters the room and sees me lying on the bed. He blushes and I quickly sit down. 'Err... Hi?' I say awkwardly. 'Did you volunteer?' He asks right away. 'No, I didn't, I got Reaped.' I say softly. Finnick sits down next to me. 'I'm so sorry.' He says while he touches my cheek with his hand. 'You couldn't help it. It's not your fault.' I whisper. 'I know, but still. I don't want you to be here, no matter how much I want to be with you. You shouldn't be here, you should be at home, living your life.' I look into his blue eyes. 'At home would have been just as terrible. I wasn't going to volunteer so my mother would have killed me.' I tell him. 'Have you found someone else?' Finnick asks while he blushes and turns his head away. I frown. 'Someone else? What do you mean?' He looks at me again. 'I mean, do you still love me?' I don't even doubt about it when I place my lips on his. He answers my kiss and puts his arms around me. Then he lets go. 'A mentor shouldn't kiss his tribute.' He says feeling ashamed. 'I'm not a tribute, I'm still the same girl as I was before.' He nods. 'I know, that's why I love you.' He lies down on the bed and so do I. 'You've become even more beautiful than before. Instead of mermaid, I'll call you angel now. My angel.' I blush and grab his hand. 'I love you Finnick.' I say. 'I love you too Annie.'