𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐫

THIRTY-THREE

xxxiii. Conversations

Finnick sat on the cold floor with his knees to his chest and head buried between. The hum of the fluorescent lights above rang loudly in his ears, though he preferred it over the sound of Aurora's voice, which had faded away just moments before. His tears had thankfully stopped its flow, though the lingering guilt in his chest hadn't yet subsided.

In between his fingers was the grey piece of rope, that of which he found solace in the blisters and burns that remained on his fingers after hours and hours of twisting knots. It wasn't much, but it was relieving to feel a sliver of physical pain, even if he knew it was only a small fraction of what Aurora was going through.

Suddenly, the sounds of distant footsteps caused his fingers to freeze as he peaked his head above his grey trousers. By the rough shuffling, he could immediately tell who it was.

From around the corner emerged Ace once again, distraught hidden behind his stiff facial features.

"Jesus Christ Finnick," he grumbled under his breath as he moved over to where he stood. "Annie and I were worried when you left."

Finnick begrudgingly lifted his head to rest his chin on his knees. His eyes were heavy as he looked up at Ace. "Did she say anything else?"

"Not much, thankfully," he muttered the last part as he leaned against the concrete wall. "She riled them up good. Practically everyone was out of their seats yelling. Good thing you left. I know you would've said something stupid."

"Where's Annie?" Finnick wondered, missing the girl's fiery red hair.

"I sent her to her room before I went looking for you. She was in shock," he sighed, looking down at the floor with a somber expression. "It's been so long since we've seen her. I never expected it would be this bad."

Finnick scooted up, resting his back fully on the wall as he remembered her face. The purple bruises that were subtly hidden under her chin, as if they wanted him to see it. The coldness behind her eyes when she stared into the camera. The thin piece of rope that hung from her neck.

"She was wearing the necklace," Finnick mumbled as Ace's attention peaked. "Zale's necklace."

"Really?" he mumbled in response, scratching the patch of stubble on his chin that had grown in the last few stressful days. His eyes wandered to the ceiling as he continued. "The Capitol never passes up the opportunity to put on a show. Even in the midst of war. I always thought it was a stupid sob story."

Before Finnick could respond, another pair of footsteps neared their spot in the hall. He began to stand from his spot, waiting for a worker to pass by. But to his surprise, it was Katniss.

"There you are, Finnick," she panted slightly, tired as though she'd been wandering the halls for a while now. "President Coin wants to meet with us."