~My Songbird~

Chapter 4

As punishment for cheating in the games, Ana was forced to move to a random district.  She was told she would have to train as a peacekeeper if she ever wanted to be welcomed back to the capitol, however, she knew she could never go back to that life.  Regardless, she still had to leave.  She had bribed her way into being sent to District 12, hoping to find her song bird.

As she waited for the train to start, she anxiously started to play with her fingers.  She was excited and nervous at the same time.  She was broken out of her thoughts when someone called her name.

"Senjanus?!"  Ana's jaw dropped.  The man just chuckled in response.

"Yeah so as it turns out, the capitol doesn't love when you sneak into the arena to say goodbye to a friend, or when you throw chairs".  Ana giggled in response. 

"Well it's nice to have a familiar face with me on the journey", she smiled.

It was a long ride, to say the least.  Ana was grateful that she had Senjanus to talk to.  Their conversations made the trip much more bearable.

As time went on, Ana had fallen asleep.  She only had woken up when she heard the sounds of screeching.

The train had finally come to a stop.

Instantly, her face lit up.  She rose to her feet and quickly grabbed her duffle bag, grinning as she eagerly ran off the train.   She waited for Senjanus to catch up before they started to ask around for directions.  She also made sure to ask about any known information about Lucy Gray.

A couple hours went by, and Ana had found herself going in circles, finding that there was nothing truly helpful in finding Lucy.

That was until she heard someone singing.  The voice was unfamiliar, however the melody she had heard before. 

She turned around and her eyes lit up.  'That must be The Covey'.  She thought to herself.

She slowly walked up to the performers, who stopped in their tracks when they saw the woman.

They recognized the girl from the big screen at the reaping.  "Oh my!  You must be Ana!", a tall woman exclaimed, setting down her bass.  "I'm Barb Azure, Lucy Grays cousin.  Oh she's going to be so excited to see you!"

Ana gave her a wide smile as she was surrounded in a firm hug.  "Oh but it must be a surprise!  She's performing tonite' at the hob.  You should surprise her there!"

The blonde chuckled in response.  "Of course!  I'll need some directions though, I've been a lost cause all day", she explained.

A young girl ran up to her, suffocating her in a hug.  "Oh!  Lucy wouldn't stop talking about you!  I swear every day it's always "Ana this~ Ana that~ finally we can get some quiet now that you're here", she joked.  Barb rose a brow at her.

The girl looked at her, confused, before her eyes widened.  "Oh yeah!  How rude of me, forgot to introduce m'self.  I'm Maude Ivory!", she declared, holding her hand out theatrically for Ana to shake.

Ana smiled in response, introducing herself in return.  "Well, I should get going, gotta bring my A game if i'm going to be surprising her!"

Just as Ana was about to leave, Barb immediately cut her off.  "Wait a minute now!  Where are you staying?"

Ana stopped dead in her tracks.  'Oh shit, how did i not plan this out', she thought to herself.  She chuckled nervously.

"Right! Uh that's actually a great question!  I'm sure there is like an inn somewhere!"

Barb just gawked at her in response.

"This is district 12.  The closest thing we got to an inn would be under the broken down bridge.  You can stay with us.  The Covey would love to have you!  Lucy's out and about anyways!  She's performing at the elementary school."

Ana placed her hand on her heart, her eyes lighting up.  "Really?  I don't want to be a bother!". Barb nodded enthusiastically, assuring her that it would be in everyone's best interest.

Hesitantly, Ana accepted, albeit a bit nervous as she happens to be a people pleaser.  She thinks she's intruding on their personal lives.

Little does she know, The Covey is all about chosen family.

Five pm had finally come around, and Ana found herself getting ready in Barb's room.  Maude was helping her fix her hair while the older cousin picked out an outfit for her.

"Aw you look precious!  I can't wait till Lucy sees you!" Barb gushed.

Ana smiled as they began to walk over to the hob, her expression widening as Maude linked her arm around her own.  "You're pretty!  I'm so happy you and Lucy found each other."

"Aww, thank you!  I'm very happy too.  And it's even better knowing she has such an amazing family!"  She thanked Barb Azure as she held the door open for her.

She sat near the front, awaiting the performance.

Her breath hitched as Lucy Gray herself slowly made her way to the stage.  She did an elegant little twirl as she strode in effortlessly.  She took someone's flask and took a long lasting sip before setting it down.

It was around then when she started to play the familiar chords of "Nothing You Can Take From Me".  The song that originally brought her into the capitols heart.

As she continued singing, she locked eyes with Ana.  They widened and she paused for a moment, unable to comprehend the sight in front of her.   A shocked expression quickly turned into an ecstatic one as she resumed her song, not breaking eye contact once.

As the last notes of the song played, the hob erupted in applause, with Ana rising to her feet to join in the standing ovation.  Her head turned to the right as she saw a sprinting Lucy Gray make her way to the girl.

She yelped before giggling as Lucy practically jumped into her arms.

"Oh my god!  What are you doing here?!" Lucy asked, her voice shaking with shock and pure happiness. 

Before responding, Ana eagerly connected their lips, earning a sigh.  Once they released, Lucy buried her head in the crook of Ana's neck.  She shut her eyes as happy tears fell.

Ana smiled affectionately, her hold of the girl not faltering.  "I was sent away for cheating.  They said i'd have to train as a peacekeeper if i ever wanted to go back which- fuck that.  I'll stay here forever then.  Had to bribe the lady into letting me go here", she rushed out. 

Lucy let her drop her back to her feet, her arms still around her neck as she rose to her tips.  She rested their foreheads together.

"All that... for me?" She asked, surprised.  She hugged the woman, now full on crying.  She had missed her so much, and the fact that Ana risked her life and her status for her meant everything.

"Of course, my love.  I want to be with you.  And now we are finally free to be together.  I want to spend my life with you, I don't care where that life is, as long as it's with you".  Ana had to blink away a few of her own tears while saying this. 

"Oh~ I love you so much," Lucy cried.  "I never want to be separated from you again."

Ana placed her hands around the girls waist, smiling down at her.  "And we never will be.  I love you too.  We will never have to leave each other.  I'll always find my way back to you". 

Lucy grinned back up at her.  "And I to you," she whispered before connecting their lips again.