𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫

TWENTY-SEVEN

xxvii. Annie Cresta

"Finnick, you have a visitor."

The words that left the nurse's lips gave Finnick a sense of relief he hadn't felt weeks. His eyes couldn't help but shoot up in sure excitement, though his lips were left straight and monotonous. The knot between his fingers that he'd been fiddling with the past hour was now deemed motionless on the palm of his hand, as his attention faced the newcomer completely.

"Who is it?" he asked, his voice coarse and tired from the long hours of silence that plagued the room.

With that, the door was opened wider to reveal the bright red hair that belonged to a special girl that held a particular place in his heart, one that was special and completely untouched. Annie Cresta stood at the door with a small, noticeable smile on the corner of her lips.

Seeing Finnick after many lonely days felt so unbelievably refreshing. Though what she saw was not the same Finnick she knew weeks ago, but one that instead looked strikingly similar to a shattered gem, one that lost its sparkle and shine. The Golden Boy who lost everything that made him feel golden. Never did she imagine finding this broken version of him normal in any way. And yet, she found herself accustomed to the slight frown of his lips, and the slight burns that lined his fingers.

But to Finnick, Annie looked better than he had ever remembered. It could've been the fact that human contact had become foreign to him during his time in District Thirteen. Everyone looked better than the monster he saw in the mirror. Or maybe it was the fact that Annie somehow found her footing while everyone else got lost in all the chaos of the 75th Hunger Games. Either way, none of it mattered but the smile that formed on his lips at the sight of her face.

"Hi, Finnick." She held her hand in front of her small body as she went into the room, the nurse shut the door behind her. Her eyes shut tightly, a slight smile on her lips as she walked to stand beside his bed. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

The floor Finnick and Annie walked through were nearly empty, as their footsteps left a slight echo against the gray walls. It was lunchtime, and the two of them sacrificed their midday meal to walk alongside each other, while the rest of the district ate collectively in the dining hall. Food meant nothing to Finnick the moment he realized he'd be eating alone for weeks on end.

A gray sweater adorned his shoulders, reaching just below his hips, to protect his bare, uncovered skin from the cool air that pumped through the District Thirteen vents. Though it didn't manage to cover his bare legs that undoubtedly stood out from the Thirteen attire of an all gray jumpsuit, which Annie wore so comfortably beside him. He didn't care, however, for the strange glances that went his way as he focused purely on the once bubbly girl that stood beside him.

"How's everything been going Annie? Especially stuck with Ace, I'd assume you just got tired of him and came to me." Annie let out a breathy laugh that lasted only for a moment as she listened to his deep and croaky voice. Her arm was hooked around his own, feeling comfortable from his touch and the warm sweater that covered his arm.