Finnick and Annie

Saying Goodbye

I heard my name being called, but I didn't react. I kept telling myself that I should move, that I needed to go up to stage, but my body stayed put. I didn't notice myself start to shake so I clenched my fists and tried to take deep breaths.

"Finnick Odair? Where are you?" asked Gertie, scanning the crowd. Everybody seemed to be staring at me, they all whispered and talked, but their voices seemed like a low mumbling in my head. Then somebody shoved me. I turned around and saw Robert, who had his hand on my back.

"Go on, Finnick. Good luck, man."

I took two deep breaths and stepped forward. I made my way towards the stage and tried to hide my fear as best as I could. The entire country was watching, and I didn't want them to think I was scared. I stood at the front of the stage and stared at the crowd blankly. I saw my mother crying, hugging my father. He looked at me, and he seemed to be crying as well. Then my eyes shifted and I spotted Annie in the crowd. While everybody around her moved and whispered, she stood still and stared at me. Her face was void of emotion, she just watched me.

"Finnick," snapped Gertie, "I said, shake hands." I looked at her and then at Serena, and I took her hand. She gripped mine tightly, and I could feel they were sweaty. Was she nervous?

"Alright, alright. All back to your business," she addressed the crowd. "Time to go, you two."

She put a hand on each of our shoulder and steered us to the rooms were we would wait to say our goodbyes. I looked around and realized that it was the same one where I had been three years before, except this time it was I sitting on the couch waiting for my loved ones. A couple minutes went by before my mother burst through the door. She ran to my side me and hugged me tightly. She was crying, but I could see she was trying to stay strong for my sake.

"Finnick..." she whispered, defeated. "My baby... n-no..."

"It's alright, Mom," I whispered, "I love you." My voice was calm, I should have been crying, and I felt like crying, but the tears just wouldn't come.

My father, who had been watching from a distance, came to our side and hugged us both. "Finnick, don't give up. Whatever you do you will fight, understood? You're strong, and charming. You can get sponsors; you need to find a trident. They won't know what hit them." He kissed my head, and I felt a hot tear on my skin. I had never seen my father cry before.

"I won't give up, I promise," I said reassuringly. "Dad, Mom... you have to take care of Annie, alright? Promise you will. You know her mother hates her, Mom... she loves you so much. I think she hits her, I saw a bruise on her arm the other day and she wouldn't tell me what had happened. She has no other friends..."

Thinking of Annie finally pushed me over the edge. It finally hit me. I would probably die and my family would be miserable, and nobody else would care. I would just be the next kid to die at the games.

"I love you so much," I whispered and hugged both my parents tightly. "Thank you for being so great with me... you're the best parents ever."

My mother and father cried and hugged me, and we just stayed there until a peacekeeper burst into the room and told us our time was up. My mother refused to let go, so my father had to pry her away from me. They walked out of the room and the peacekeeper closed the door.

I grabbed one of the pillows and hugged it to my chest, and tried to keep my calm. The door opened again, and I looked up to see Annie. She closed the door walked over to my side. She sighed and hugged me tightly, and I hugged her.

"Finnick, you have to win," she said. She stared at me intently and her voice cracked when she spoke. "You can't let them hurt you. You can't die!"

"I don't want to die, Annie," I said, "but they're all big and strong and I'm just fourteen!"

"You don't look fourteen. Finnick, you're at least as strong as a sixteen year old. Remember the victor last year? She was scrawny, intelligence is very important as well!"

"You know I'm going to try to get back but if I don't, Annie—"

"Don't say it—"

"Annie, if I don't come back... it was a pleasure being your friend. You don't need anybody, you're the strongest girl I've ever met, and one day you're going to leave your house and be happy."

She sobbed and hugged me again. She wiped away a tear from my cheek and then kissed it..

"You're strong, Finnick. I love you, ok? You're the best friend I could have ever asked for. I will see you soon. You can't leave me. You can win..."

"Time up, Miss," said the peacekeeper that stood by the door the entire time watching us.

"Wear this as your token," she said, and slipped something into my hand, and then she turned around and left. I opened my palm and looked at my token. It was a bracelet, of the ones she made, but besides the seashells, it had pretty, blue stones.

"Thank you, Annie," I whispered, but she was already alone.