Masked Enemies

Chapter 13

Katniss

I wake up to the sounds of beeping and footsteps. I am in a hospital. A small one, by the looks of it. Perhaps it was a military hospital.

Hospital. Military. Where was I? As I ponder this, a figure walks in. She is a medic. She looks at me, concerned.

"Ms. Everdeen. You've suffered a concussion. You'll be hospitalized for a week or so." the doctor pauses. "Would you like to see your mother?" I nod, and she leaves the room.

My mother, her face sunken and hollow as if she had lost something dear to her, walked in. She smiled sadly at me and kissed my forehead. She whispers my name as if it was acid. If my mother was here, where was my sister?

"Prim." I ask her. My mom winces like the name hurts her..

"Prim." I ask again, this time a little bit louder. "Prim. Where is she? Why has she not come to see me?" I demand angrily.

My mother shakes her head and leaves the room. I don't understand. Was Prim ill as well? Where was she? Had I upset my mother? Questions buzz through my head as I lie in my bed, not even knowing my own name.

Another figure enters, this time a tall man with a sturdy figure. His hair and skin are both bronze, and he looks handsome. He must have a girlfriend. Or possibly a wife. He looks old enough.

"The doctors asked me to tell you everything." he told me. "So let's start from the beginning." he takes a deep breath.

"Your name is Katniss Everdeen. And my name is Finnick Odair. You are a victor of the Hunger Games, a cruel game set up by the man we're trying to kill, Coriolanus Snow." Finnick tells me everything, and most of what I know comes flying back to me.

Even after Finnick is done telling me what I have done, questions still remain. So I ask them, because he tells me to.

"Prim. Peeta. Gale." I tell him. I only ask him three words, but I want my story to be complete. Finnick understands. His eyes well up with tears as he explains to me their fate.

"Gale is alive, but injured. As for Prim and Peeta... Katniss, I'm sorry. They didn't make it out alive. I'm so sorry." he says, his voice practically radiating sympathy.

I don't know why, but his tone triggered me. Perhaps it was the heat of the last few days, or perhaps I just thought he was lying. I tear out my IV in rage. Finnick backs away. I start to scream.

"I DON'T NEED YOUR SYMPATHY! GET OUT OF MY ROOM! NOW!" I scream at him. He looks momentarily shocked, and then his expression changes to hurt. After a second, it hardens again. He nods and leaves.

I exhale. Panting, I rip our every single saline tube attached to my body and wander around the hospital in a daze. I pass rooms with sleeping people, and I pass rooms with people screaming in pain. Finally, I find a room with the same bronze-haired man I yelled at before. I wanted to apologize, but something about his expression told me he wasn't in the mood for apologies. I wasn't, either. I couldn't even remember his name. Frank? Nick? It's not like I really cared.

I pass a room with a man sleeping. Or at least, I think he was sleeping. Maybe he was dead. But what did I care? My sister was dead. So was the boy I loved. Peeta. The boy with the bread.

I walked straight into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was tangled and sticking up in places. My face was bruised and battered, covered in burns that were scabbing over. My expression was fierce. That must have been what scared the guy that talked to me so much. As I stood there, hating him, his life story came rushing back to me.

Finnick Odair. Victor of the 65th Hunger Games. His favorite weapon was a trident. Forced Capitol prostitute. Married to Annie Cresta. I saved his life. I saved him from the mutts, and he saved me from the fire. He lost his family in the Quarter Quell.

The Quarter Quell... during the Quell, I had fallen in love with Finnick Odair. But then he had gotten married. I stopped loving him. Then I saved him from the mutts, and I fell in love with him again, but this time, I hadn't realized.

I had treated the man I loved like he was dirt on the ground. Hot tears streamed down my face. I wanted to stand there and cry, but those were the only tears I could muster up.

I had to apologize to Finnick. Remorse washed over me as I remember seeing the hurt in his eyes when I had yelled at him.

I turned on the tap, scooped up water in my hands, and splashed it on my face. I let out a tiny, oh!, as the cool water trickled down my face and onto my neck. How long had it been since I had taken a shower? I self-consciously scrape the dirt out of my fingernails and wash my hands in the sink. I look into the mirror again and see the showers. I needed to use those sometime.

I leave the bathroom and go in search of Odair. When I pass his room, I casually and discreetly sneak a glance into the room. Finnick is lying in his bed, blankets covering his body. I slowly and quietly walk into the room.

"Finnick..." I whisper.

Finnick opens his eyes, rolls over, and glares at me. "What do you want?"

I realize he must've heard this line so many times, but I say it again. "I'm sorry."

Finnick stayed silent. He stared at me.

"I just wanted to tell you that because I've been an absolute horrible person and if you don't forgive me it's not-" Finnick stopped me.

"Katniss, stop. I know it's not your fault. You've just suffered horrible losses, and I don't blame you for being a bit... short-tempered, to say the least." He smiled. I laughed. He laughed. His laugh was light and airy, like summer rain on my face. It spread warmth throughout me, and made my insides tingle.

Just then the door opened and the doctor came in. "Mr. Odair, Ms. Everdeen, you are needed in the Estate. They'll show you the way once you get there." the doctor told us, and then she hastily left.

"Cool. Let's go!" Finnick said as he happily bounded out the door. I put a hand in front of his stomach, and caught him.

"Maybe some pants?" I asked him.

Finnick looked down at himself, apparently just taking in the fact that he had been wearing a paper gown all this time. He grinned that same devilish grin I had fallen in love with and ripped of his gown, leaving him in just his underwear.

"Why? Do you find this..." he struck an extremely provocative pose. "...distracting?"

I laughed and blushed. "I'm only human, Odair." I force him back into his hospital gown. "Now, let's leave."

Again, really sorry about the bad writing at the beginning. It really does get better, I promise!

Thanks, CO