Shades of Gold and Blue | Finnick Odair

Twenty One

TW: Mentions of violence and use of strong language.

I was in paradise – truly – I couldn't think of anything I would rather do or somewhere I would rather be. If I got told that these were my last few minutes on earth, I would be perfectly content knowing that I was already in heaven.

My body relaxed against the heat of the sand as my fingertips trailed through the soft grains at my side. The sun was scorching, so much so that I think if my Ama was here she would have dragged me back to the house in fear of freckles emerging on my skin. As it stood, Ama wasn't here and I would delight in nothing more than going home and scandalising everyone with an abundance of freckles adorning my face. They'd become all the rage in no time at all.

Annie had called to the house in the early morning and had invited me to come to the beach with her. She had been the most talkative I had ever seen her today and I was thrilled that she was becoming comfortable enough with me to spend time alone. I had never met anyone quite so pure as Annie Cresta – she had an aura around her which was so kind and sweet that you couldn't help but want to keep her safe at any cost. If I hadn't have seen her games I would have been confused as to how she made it out of the arena, I don't think Annie would hurt a fly never mind another person.

I look at her and hold in a laugh as I watch her trying to count the seagulls flying above us. She keeps frowning as they cross over each other and confuse her counting, causing her to have to start all over again, "Annie, what on earth are you doing?"

She sighs and sits up as she gives up her counting, "My Papa used to say that if you saw a colony of seagulls and it was an even number, a good thing would happen, but if the colony was an odd number, a bad thing would happen."

Annie looks down the beach to where Finnick is sitting with Ervie, Bianca and Nerissa. He had come over to say hello when we had first arrived at the beach but only stayed for a minute or two before joining his friends again. Nerissa had been very cosy with him again, making me think that they might be a little more than friends but before I can ask Annie about the two of them, she looks back, scoops up a few heaps of sand and buries her feet underneath the mound as she looks over to me uncertain, "I think it was an odd number but I wanted to check."

I forget what we had been talking about for a moment before I see her glance back up at the birds above us. I look up at the seagulls myself but find it hard to count them too, "Don't worry Annie, any bad thing can be fixed."

She smiles sweetly, "You're like a little ray of sunshine Cassia – that's exactly the type of thing someone would say who's never had a bad thing happen to them in their life." And with that she lies down again onto the sand with a content smile on her face.

I frown as Annie's words pull on a deep chord of guilt within me – that Annie had seen bad things, horrible things and held no grudges against me despite it being my family's fault.

Before I can dwell on the thought too much, my communicuff rings out making me jump and I see my mother's image staring at me from the face of the watch. I turn to Annie, "It's just my Mother, Annie. Will you be alright by yourself if I go and talk to her quickly, I'll just go along the beach a little way and Finnick is there too."

"I'm fine," she says closing her eyes and nestling her head into the sand a little, "Don't rush, I'm sure your mother is missing you."

I smile and give Annie's hand a squeeze as I get up and walk towards the tall grass at the rear of the beach. I find a shaded spot to sit underneath the cover of a tall tree and click on my communicuff to answer my Mother's call.