Finnick and Annie

A Decoy

I'd been sedated a fair share of times in my life, especially throughout the weeks after I was "rescued" from the arena. Though I preferred it to my torturous reality, there was something unnerving about it. It wasn't as quiet as one might hope. When I was under I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness. At times I'd be mildly aware of voice around me, sometimes I'd be immersed in a dream, but the frustrating part was that it was hard to tell which was which.

I was completely gone. My world was dark and quiet and peaceful, that is until Katniss decided to wake me. Never. Wake. Me. When. Drugged. I was startled and terrified and I felt my heart beating out of my chest when she started shaking my shoulders. "What¾"

"Finnick!" she sighed. "Finally."

"What is the matter with you?" I asked, pulling my pillow over my head. "Let a man sleep."

"No, wake up. It's important."

"It better be really fucking good," I snapped.

"They're rescuing them."

Now, she probably could have used a little more context or perhaps I was still too dazed from my drug induced sleep, because I just stared at her in absolute confusion. She groaned and rolled her eyes. "They're rescuing Peeta and Annie."

A million thoughts and emotions crossed my mind. Mostly Fear. So much could have gone wrong. The Capitol was not easy to attack; it would have been almost impossible to get in and out of there unnoticed. Not only was I sure that they would fail to rescue them both, I knew whoever had gone on that mission would probably suffer as well. I craved my rope more than ever.

"They're going to die," I mumbled, brokenhearted. "I'll never see Annie again."

"No... don't say that."

"They're going to die," I said again, but then I realized. I wasn't afraid so much as relieved. Of course I wanted to see Annie again, I wanted it more than I'd ever wanted anything in my life. I wanted to feel her warm skin against mine and her soft lips against my own. I dreamed of getting one last glimpse of her beautiful green eyes and I longed to hear her laugh and see her smile. But more than anything, I wanted Annie to be okay.

I missed Annie, but I was used to missing Annie. What had been eating at me for weeks and making my life a living hell was the thought of her suffering. The smile wiped clean off her face and her melodic laugh replaced by bloodcurdling screams. I knew the Capitol's cruelty better than anyone and it dismayed me to think of what she was going through.

"Don't you see, Katniss, this will decide things. One way or the other. By the end of the day, they'll either be dead or with us." Preferably with us, I thought. "It's... it's more than we could hope for!"

Katniss seemed to be thinking about that when Haymitch pulled back the curtain. "We still need post-bombing footage. If you're up for the job of course. If we can get it in the next few hours, Beetee can air it leading up to the rescue, and maybe keep the Capitol's attention elsewhere."

"Yes, a distraction," I smiled. "A decoy of sorts."

"What we really need is something so riveting that even President Snow won't be able to tear himself away. Got anything like that?"

I smiled to myself. He had no idea. In that moment I really wished I had my notebook with me. I had page after page of Capitol dirt all written down there, waiting for a moment like this. But I remembered enough.