"What if he changes his mind?" I ask Johanna, my voice just above a whisper. She shakes her head, pinning my fishtail braid in a bun.
"He won't. I can guarantee it," she promises. I look at her worriedly. "Del, he's crazy about you. He loves you more than anything. You know that."
"Of course," I nod. I gesture to my dress. "Do you think he'll like the dress?"
"He'll love it. You want to know why?" she asks. I nod.
"Because you're the one wearing it."
I smile slightly, examining my reflection. I wear a white mermaid-style dress with a wide V-neck, and the straps rest on the edge of my shoulders. Silver gladiator sandals cover my feet. I wear Finnick's necklace, as well as a few other pieces of pearl and shell jewelry. A crown of shells rests on my head just above my Victor's crown. My eyes are outlined in silver and black, and my lips are covered in a soft, shimmery pink.
"I found something you might be interested in," Johanna says. She pulls something out of her pocket, placing it around my neck. I gasp, my eyes widening at the sight of it. A white gold open cross necklace with a small wrapping around the intersection.
"I-I thought he was buried in this," I whisper, touching it softly.
"Turns out, he left it in his room," Johanna says gently. "I found it when I was looking for something for you to wear. I wanted something that would remind you of your family."
"Hayden lent me this to wear into the arena," I murmur, studying it.
"He would want you to wear it now," Johanna smiles. I hug her tightly, murmuring out my gratitude. "Now let's go get you married!"
I laugh with her, and the two of us leave the room. Johanna wishes me luck before taking Gale's arm, the two of them walking the aisle. I stand in front of the double doors, trying to control my breathing. In Four, the bride's father or another male relation will give her away. There are also several bridesmaids and groomsmen.
In Five, the bride gives herself away unless there is a man she especially wants to do the job. There is only the maid of honor and the best man. We incorporated those traditions in our District Four wedding.
The doors swing open, and everything falls into place the second my eyes find Finnick's. He looks absolutely amazing, dressed in a black tuxedo with his hair styled perfectly. A few strings of shells also hang from his neck. He has a huge a smile on his face, and I swear I see tears in his eyes. When I reach him and his hands close around mine, I know there was never any reason to be nervous.
"You look beautiful," he whispers, his eyes shining with joy.
"Thanks," I whisper back, blushing slightly. "You know, I love that suit."
He chuckles softly, pressing a gentle kiss to my hand. I vaguely hear the singing of a traditional District Four song, instead preferring to focus solely on Finnick. Finally, a net woven from grass is placed over us, and I can hardly contain my excitement. This is happening. This is really happening.
Rather than going on about things neither of us really care about, we get straight to the vows. As in District Five, the bride goes first. So I try to forget everyone is watching by keeping my eyes locked on Finnick.
"There are so many things I could say," I tell him, "so many ways I could start. So I'm just going to start from the beginning. When I first met you, I was terrified. I had just won the Games, and I didn't know what to do or what was coming. You warned me of what would happen, and I didn't believe something like that would happen to me. Then, a few years later, we met again.
