Finnick and Annie

I'm Here (Annie's POV)

Living with Finnick was a rollercoaster. When he was home, we got to live a life I'd spent years dreaming about. Waking up by his side, going for early-morning walks on the Victor's Village beach, making dinner with his mother—all a stark contrast to the weeks he spent away.

While my PTSD was a constant struggle, I began to feel settled in my new home. When Finnick was around, I could be completely normal for days without getting triggered by a loud noise or a bad nightmare. But when he was in the Capitol... Mrs. Cresta tried to help, but there was nothing she could do for me, especially since she was in her own personal hell as well. Knowing what really went on in those trips was hard on us both.

Finnick tried to act strong, of course. He was even convincing at times. But no matter how much I knew he was struggling, he always brought the focus back to me. Maybe he felt responsible for making sure I was fine, or maybe he have was using my issues as a distraction from his. But no matter how long he was gone, or how badly he felt, he was always there for me when I needed him. It made me sad that he wouldn't let me do the same.

I was waiting at the train station one night. He'd been gone for two weeks. He was so busy that we barely had a chance to talk on the phone while he was away.

It felt eerily quiet in District 4. It was a chilly night, and the streets were empty; it was just me and a flickering streetlight to keep me company. Marina didn't usually wait at the station for him; he had begged us both to stop bothering, given how often he had to travel, but I knew he was glad to have someone there.

When the train finally pulled into the station, it was almost midnight. I was half asleep and nearly freezing, but it was worth it as long as he had a friendly face waiting for him.

He looked tired. There were dark bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess, but as soon as he noticed me his face lit up with a smile.

I ran to him and he crushed me with a hug. His warm body felt incredible against my cold skin.

"I'm so glad to see you, but why are you out here so late? God, you must be freezing." He took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"I needed to see you," I whispered.

He nodded and held me tighter. "I missed you, Anne."

I smiled. "Let's go home."

We walked through the empty streets hand in hand, since there was nobody around to see us.

"How was your trip?" I asked, which was a really stupid thing to do.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said. He never wanted to talk about it.

"Alright," I sighed.

"How's Mom?" he asked.

"She's alright," I said. "Though she still won't get out of bed much."

Finnick's eyes were full of sadness. His mother had been very sick lately, though nobody could figure out what was wrong with her. She was just very weak, and she refused to eat. I knew it was all in her mind... I knew the feeling. Marina would talk to me sometimes, and I could sense how depressed she really was. She missed Percy, and it killed her to see her son being sold like livestock.

We arrived at his house, and he dropped his bags near the door. "I'll be right up, ok?" he said and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. I nodded, went to my room to change into my pajamas, then waited on his bed. I flipped through TV channels, but there was nothing on except replays of the games and a few Capitol gossip channels, filled with pictures of Finnick and his most recent "client" kissing.

I slammed my finger of the off button and pulled the covers over my head.

I tried to think of anything but his strong hands guiding her by the waist into a that night club—but the image was burned into my eyes. And if that small a gesture hurt that much, I prayed they didn't have any footage of what went on inside.