He meant everything to her. Three years later and she'd still do anything to keep him safe, sacrifice everything to protect him- even if that meant keeping him at an arm's length.
She was the one person who truly knew him. The one person he'd choos...
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— — —
A tremor consumed Finnick's leg, his knee never staying still long enough to not make a small thump in the floor. They'd just landed in District 13— without Peia.
And Haymitch had informed him just moments ago that Sawyer, Rhett, Lily, Mags, and Annie had escaped mere minutes after Katniss shot her bow through the forcefield of the arena. It had always been the plan to get her family out in order to make sure they were safe from Snow. And Plutarch had stayed true to his word. He'd gotten them out in time.
Peia's family was safe; they just didn't know that she wasn't. They'd arrived earlier that morning with the hope they'd be reunited with their daughter and sister by nightfall. They had no idea that she wasn't with them and that the Peacemakers had gotten to her first. They had no idea that the plan had gone horribly wrong and the only people to make it out had been him and Katniss.
Finnick's eyes were captivated by a small divot in the steel floor, unable to focus on anything else around him. He'd hardly said a word since Katniss had been sedated by Plutarch, the sight entirely too much for him. He'd lost the one person he truly loved and he hadn't been able to do anything about it.
That killed him.
But so had Katniss. He'd lost Peia and she'd lost Peeta. The people they loved most in this world had been ripped away from them, taken hostage by the Capitol. And there was nothing they could do about it.
He lifted his head as the loading ramp lowered, a dull hum reverberating through the jet. It was gradual, the steel door finally coming to a stop on the concrete floors of the cargo bay. As he stood, the cracks in his heart only splintered, branching farther down.
Sawyer, Rhett, and Lily stood at the foot of the jet, eyes full of hope. That sight alone was enough to make him want to break down. Not only were they her family, but they'd become his as well. They'd been the only people to actually accept him for him.
Haymitch exited down the ramp first, followed by Plutarch. The two of them nodded at the Winterton's before ultimately going to retrieve the medical staff. Katniss still needed to be looked at and taken to the hospital wing.
Sawyer's eyes locked onto Finnick's, his expression instinctively faltering. One look and he knew. One look and he knew his baby girl wasn't on the jet with him.
Rhett took a step forward as Finnick stepped down onto the concrete. "Where is she? Where's Cass?"
Finnick couldn't do a single thing other than shake his head, eyes welling up with tears.
Rhett's eyes went round, shock flooding through him. "Finnick, where is she? Where's Peia?"
"Rhett," Lily began, her voice breaking.
"No." He interjected, anger crossing his face. He took the remaining steps to Finnick, his voice dripping with hostility. "Tell me you didn't leave her in there."
