Skimming Stars (Hunger Games fan fic)

Chapter seven

 Hello litte chipmonks. Sorry it took so long. I have been sooooooo buisy. I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Comment, vote. You know the drill.

Emily XXXX 

The water laps around my feet. Even with the waves the water is crystal clear and I can see every pebble in the silver moonlight .Unlike the stars, which are invisible, I can see it clearly.  I look around. The shore is about three steps behind me. After the shore all I can see is flat sand all the way in to the darkness.  The bottom of the, what I presume to be, lake is covered in stones. They are all smooth oval shapes and are light grey. I bend down and pick one up. I turn it over and over in my hand. I pull back my hand just about to skim it when I see a ripple in the water. I look across the bay and see Finnick. I walk up to him. He is holding what I presume to be one of the perfect shaped rocks in the middle of both his hands. All of a sudden it starts to glow. His fingers turn red as the light shines through them. He opens his hands. White light glows so brightly I can feel the heat on my face. He grins at me and pulls it back in one hand and skims it across the almost still water. It bounces away ten times and then sinks. It light up the water as it falls until I can see it resting on a smooth sandy lake bed.

Finnick turns around suddenly as if he heard something. I turn to look but all I can see is the darkness. I squint trying to see whatever he is watching. He turns to me panicked pushing me deeper and deeper until we are stood waist deep in water.

“Swim” he commands me urgently, pushing me hard. I begin to swim, past the shining stone and towards the darkness. I turn and look over my shoulder just in time to see Finnick standing alone on the beach. His hair flies madly everywhere like there is a colossal wind around him. Then he is engulfed in a swirling black vortex. I open my mouth to scream but find it filling with water. Something has grabbed my leg and is pulling my under water. Down, down, down. The last thing I see is the glowing stone being shattered.

                                                                      *

 I stare over the capitol. Below me I can see a mass of lights. I press my head against the cool glass of the living room window as my breath steams it up; pulling my blanket around me tighter.

“Are you alright?”

I jump consequently falling of the window ledge and into a heap on the floor. Finnick laughs. I get up and brush myself down, picking up my blanket and wrapping it around me again. He sits opposite me on the other side of the window ledge still smiling.

 “No I’m not alright.” I reply.

“Why not?”

“I’ll give you thee guesses” I say sarcastically.

“Ok, stupid question” says Finnick untying his shoe laces and pulling his jacket off. He has obviously been out. I don’t mention it. Finnick and I have an unspoken agreement not to dwell on where Finnick goes at night in the capitol.  

“There’s something else wrong” says Finnick, concerned.

“I’m fine”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not lying” I lie.

“Nightmare?”

I nod. Why can Finnick read my face so well?  It’s so frustrating sometimes.

“And?”

I close my eyes and lean my head on the cold glass.

“I’m trapped. I’m trapped and I don’t like it”

 “Everybody’s trapped.” Finnick whispers. He means more than he says. I know that the capitol have probably bugged the room or something but it doesn’t matter. In two words he has probably said more than I could in a thesis. Everybody’s trapped somehow. Not just the tributes, the victors and the children and every parent in Panem. Even the people in the capitol, even if they don’t know it. I am only trapped physically. Finnick can go where he wants within reason and do what he wants and yet he is so much more trapped than me. So much more lost.  

I think back to my dream. 

“I miss the stars,” I sigh “you can’t see them here; too much light. When I was younger I used to think that all the stars were dead people.”

“I know,”

“Mum and dad are up there somewhere”

“Mine to?”

“Off course”

Finnick looks up at the dark night sky smiling but then shivers.

“Tributes” he mumbled under his breath. “You should get some sleep” he says to me.

“Can’t”

“You should get some rest”

“Won’t”

“God, you’re like a three year old”

I stick my tongue out at him. “If I’m three that makes you only five”

“I could settle for being five. Everything was simple when I was five”

“I can’t remember when I was three”

“What about five”

“Nope”

“You don’t remember your fifth birthday?” Finnick asked in disbelief.

I shake my head.

“Really?”

“Not a clue”

“You threw food at me because you didn’t want me to come but your mother invited me anyway, probably coz mum and her wanted to chat”

I laugh “really?”

“Really”

We sit in silence for a bit. I try to stop myself but I yawn. Finnick yawns as well.

“It must be about three, I think we need to attempt to go to bed if we stand a chance tomorrow” Finnick says slightly more seriously.

“Ok” I say getting up.

We walk down the corridor to my door. I open it.

“Annie” Finnick whispers after me as I step through the door. I turn around thinking he wants to say something; instead he steps after me and gives me a hug. I burry my head in his chest.

“Finnick,” I whisper in to his t-shirt. “I’m scared” this is the first time I have properly admitted this to anyone including myself. Part of me wants him to comfort me and tell me it is all going to be ok; another part of me knows that even if he did I would know it was a lie. Instead he dose the best thing possible in this situation. He tells the truth.

“So am I”