Dead in the Water | An Odesta Fanfic

Chapter Forty-One

The afternoon sun was dancing across the ocean water, sparkling and shimmering with every movement of the waves. Annie kept her eyes fixed on the shore, watching as each wave washed up on the sand, only to pull away again and get lost in the endless ocean. She had done this a hundred times before, looking through the window and keeping an eye on her brothers as they played on the shore.

Even if she couldn't quite see them, Annie knew they were there. She could hear Kai's laughter in the distance, his voice shouting across the beach to where Eric was chasing seagulls. Every afternoon was the same, running down to the shore to catch the last of the sunlight. The boys always finished their chores first – their beds were always made in a hurry and their side of the room was never quite clean – but Annie watched them from the window as she finished her own. As soon as she was done, Annie would join them. She wasn't too old to enjoy splashing around in the water with her brothers, feeling the warm sand under her feet, and laughing as if nothing else in the world really mattered.

A tiny bark pulled Annie back into reality. Her arms were still dripping with water, but it was water from the sink in Mags' kitchen. Annie looked down to find that she was halfway through washing a pile of dishes on the counter. Her brothers were nowhere to be seen, but Kai's laughter still lingered in the room. A few more barks came from the floor, where a puppy's curly fur was brushing up against her legs. Annie reached for a towel to dry her hands and she bent down to pet him.

"Hey Sammy." she said quietly, scratching him behind the ears. "How did you get in here?"

Sammy just wagged his tail. He was dressed in a tiny red sweater to keep out the cold weather that was chilling all of district 4, and there was a collar around his neck. That was new. Annie picked it up to get a closer look. It had a shiny and silver medal at the center, with big letters that spelled out SALMON.

"Finnick Odair!" she shouted. He had to be in the house somewhere. "What do you have this dog wearing?"

She could hear Finnick's laugh from the living room. Annie sighed, scooping Sammy up in her arms and marching out of the kitchen to find him.

He was standing by the door with Mags, grinning at Annie as she came inside. "Do you like his new sweater?"

"You know I'm not talking about the sweater." Annie said. "Where did this collar come from?"

"I made it. Bay helped a little, and it took a few days." said Finnick. "Worth it, though."

"This poor dog does not deserve a name like Salmon."

"Too late, Cresta. It's official now. He has a collar and everything."

Annie looked at the name tag again, shaking her head. "I'll just have to make him a new one then."

Sammy wrestled out of her grip and jumped to the floor. He hadn't been with them for very long, but he was already growing, no longer the tiny puppy that Finnick had brought home with him. He ran for the door and started scratching at it and whining back to be let out.

"Did you take him for a walk yet?" she asked.

"No." said Finnick. "I was trying, but he doesn't want to go anywhere without you. I swear, I try to walk into town and he just pulls me this way instead."

Finnick was reaching for the door handle when Mags stopped them.

"So the dog gets a coat and you don't?" Mags said. "Absolutely not. It's getting cold outside."

She dug through a closet by the door as Annie and Finnick both protested.

"It's not that bad, Mags –"