Waves Breaking Over Rocks Part 2

Chapter 11

Annie

This is it, then, I think as I slip into the Arena clothes. They are sort of like a wetsuit, which, with luck, will prove to our advantage. Just thinking about the Arena makes me shiver.

"Annie, what's wrong? Aren't you excited?" Louis asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

"Alright, tributes! Get into your tubes! 5 minutes to go!" I can't, I can't, I can't.

The door bursts open and my Finnick rushes in like he knew exactly what I needed. He gave me a hug and a quick kiss before saying goodbye and rushing off to his room once again.

I turn on Louis.

"If you tell anyone of this, I will make sure that you are banished from the Capitol!"

I step into my glass tube and say goodbye to humanity. Images flash before my eyes of blood and death, of my memories in the Arena.

"Goodbye, Lewis..."

"Bye, Annie."

The tube starts going up, up, up, and I slowly go face my death.

The Sun, like the lights in my interviews all those years ago, is the first thing that I notice. Then I hear the waves. As my eyes get used to the light, I see a jungle and an island in the middle with the Cornucopia. I am completely surrounded by water, and I see that some of the other tributes are starting to panic. It can't be this easy.

I search the tributes desperately, trying to find Finnick. Finally, I spot him a few tributes away from me, but he can't see me.

"Finnick! Over here!"

He turns around, relieved. At that moment, the countdown begins. Swim, swim, swim, I think. I need to swim. I should be terrified, but really, I just feel numb, like my mind is done with feeling things. I suppose I should prefer it this way.

"Five!"

"Four!"

I get in position to jump as I hear the countdown. I have to survive this, for Finnick and Cora and Arnav because they're all counting on me back home.

"Three!"

"Two!"

Oh wait, Cora and Arnav are dead...

"One!" I hesitate, thinking of the awful day when I found out about their death, but I snap back to reality and jump off the platform, into the salty water.

Swim, swim, swim...

Finally, I reach the Cornucopia, and only Finnick is there with me.

I hug him quickly and go to get our weapons. I pick up a knife and try to look for food or backpacks, but I find nothing. The others are quickly coming to the Cornucopia, including Katniss.

"Annie, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, Finnick." By now, Katniss was coming closer to us, scouting the weapons for a bow.

"Go and rescue Peeta." Peeta? Is he supposed to be our ally? Finnick could see the confusion in my face because he reassured me immediately.

"Please, don't question it." He pleads. I jump in the water and swim to Peeta, who is frozen on his platform.

"Peeta! Jump!" For some strange reason, he trusts me, and he jumps in. I quickly grab his arms because you can tell from his movements that he doesn't know how to swim.

I carry him onto the island, ending tired from his heavy body. The first thing he does is kiss Katniss, and Finnick uses that moment to hold me under the pretense of whispering something:

"Annie, they are our allies and we have to help them at all costs, but if it means that saving them will endanger you, don't even think about it." Finally, he lets go, takes my hand, and starts running towards the jungle, with Katniss and Peeta trailing after us.

The Games have begun.

We run deep into the jungle, not stopping until we are sure no one is after us. Finally, we sit down to rest.

I look at my hand, the one holding the knife, and think: Wow, how low have I sunk that I'm now carrying a weapon like it was nothing? Intending to kill?

As if reading my thoughts, Finnick:

"There is a difference between carrying a weapon for fun and carrying a weapon for survival. You've done nothing wrong."

Then the realization struck me: I'm going to have to kill someone.

"I- I can't kill anyone, Finnick! Not again!" I try not to cry. I can't, I can't, I can't. I have to be strong for Finnick and our future children. Imaginary children that we will never have, but children nonetheless. It's better to look forward to a lie than to dwell on past truths.

"I will make sure you won't hav-"

"Oh, really?! You can't kill anyone?! Remind me again why we are allied with them, Peeta?" The words sting and hurt my heart, but I know she is right. I wouldn't have allied with myself, either.

A wave of calm rushes over me and, all too late, I find out why. I try to stop it, but it's too late. I'm gone.

"Come on, Annie! Push!" Cora tells me, looking at me proudly.

Finnick is holding my hand and I realize I'm squeezing it, hard.

"It's almost out!" Someone says. I realize I'm in our room, back home, but it's full of machinery and people in white coats that I know to be doctors. They are all yelling senseless things at me as I struggle to do what they ask.

Suddenly, I get a burst of pain from my stomach. It isn't terrible, at first, but then it progresses into a horrible pain. Cora is reassuring me that everything will turn out alright.

After a while of reassuring words, pain, and a lot of pushing, I hear the small cries of a baby.

I finally relax. The pain is gone. Finnick looks so happy, oh, so happy, like he doesn't have a care in the world.

A nurse puts my baby in my arms and I suddenly feel that I'm complete. I have everything. I have Finnick. I have Cora. I have my little boy.

"Seadon. We'll call him Seadon."

"Seadon? Like my middle name?" Finnick asks, amused. I remember when we agreed that I would be the one to name the baby if it was a boy. Seadon. I love that name.

All of that fades away and I'm back in the horrors of the Arena. I am lying on the ground and its broad daylight. I hear arguing coming from my left and I turn to look at the people.

"I'm telling you! She hasn't been the same since her Games, but that doesn't make her any less a person! I thought someone like you would understand!" When Finnick sees me, he stops talking at once. Katniss and Peeta stare at me like I'm an alien, but I'm too used to those looks by now to be hurt.

"Come on. Let's get going." I say, trying to forget the way Katniss looked at me. I get up and start walking away, but I'm shortly followed by the rest. Finnick catches up to me and takes my hand, but I don't let him for long. I just want to be alone right now.

"Are you ok, Annie?" He asks, sad that I didn't let him hold my hand. I'm mad at him, though. He chose our allies without me. And, what's worse, our allies think I'm deadweight.

I long for what I saw while I was Away, for that little baby in my arms and Finnick by my side.

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