Odesta One Shots

Song for Someone

I suggest listening to "Song for Someone" by U2 while reading this, but it's not a requirement.

I'm laying in a sewer with about six or seven other people. Peeta is handcuffed, Katniss is keeping watch, and as much as I love her, I'm not sure I always trust her to be able to reason with Peeta. They all treat him like he's something less than human. What Snow did to him was less than human, but he is not. If you're going to treat him like a mutt, he's going to very well act like a mutt. So treat him like a human and he'll get better. It never seemed that complicated to me.

I pretended to be asleep but I couldn't sleep; hadn't really been sleeping for the past few days. So I do what I always do when I can't sleep. I think of Annie.

"Aren't you supposed to help us?" Her voice was clear and calm; her hands unwavering on both sides of her. She smoothes her dress down and looks at me. Aiden had requested help and I yelled at both of them; telling them I can't help either of them. She had followed me back to my room and was standing in the doorway. I turn away from her. "Listen," she says. "I get that you're too good for this. I get that mentoring tributes who are probably going to die no matter what you do must be beneath you. But you've been in there. Only you know what it's like. So you can either help us, or when we both die, it will be your fault."

I can tell she's going to be relentless. I just shake my head. She crosses the room and sits on the end of the bed. She puts a hand on my shoulder. "I know this isn't easy for you. But you need to help us. It's going to make it worse if you just let us die without doing anything."

"Here's the thing," I say, turning to her. She's beautiful. She's small but she doesn't look weak and she has long red hair that curls around her shoulders in waves and these bright green eyes that I know can practically see right through me. "If I do nothing, I can act like nothing even happened. But as soon as I try to help you, the blame is on me. If you die, it's my fault."

She looks at me and I know I'm screwed. "Wouldn't you rather try?"

Finnick sighs and thrusts his hand into his pocket. In there is the picture of Annie he always keeps with him. He had to sneak it in by shoving it in his sock, because he was unreasonably afraid they would take it away from him like they would have in The Games.

"Ann," he says gently. She has that faraway look on her face and he knows she's not here. All of a sudden she comes back and she rests her head on his shoulder.

"Is this real?" she says suddenly.

"Yeah," he says, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"How do I know?"

He looks over at her. "You can always ask me."

"How will I know you're real?"

"Look at my eyes."

He takes the picture out of his pocket, knowing that doing so might make known to the others that he's awake. Katniss might make him take the next watch. He wouldn't mind. He wasn't planning on sleeping tonight anyway.

There are whispers coming from the sewers and all of a sudden they all jump into action. Finnick shoves the photo into his back pocket and grabs his trident. He thinks of Annie the whole time. Annie in her wedding dress. Annie when she laughs. Annie when she first wakes up in the morning. He's here for her. He's here for her and for all the others and even though he might die, at least she will be free.

There are these horrible lizard mutts and Finnick closes his eyes and tries not to think of their skin; of the smell. Annie. Annie. Annie. There are more and more and he can no longer count how many of the team is still alive and Katniss is scrambling up the ladder. There are too many of them and they're closing in on me. "Finnick!" she screams and it's Katniss but I can only hear Annie. Annie when she first escaped the arena. Annie when she saw me after she was rescued from the Capitol. Annie when she's pulled from nightmares and her only comfort is me. I'm not going to be there for her anymore. Annie, I'm sorry. There's pain ripping through me, but I barely notice because all I can think of is Annie.