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ACT IV
CHAPTER LVII
the everlasting torment
WITH DIFFICUTLY THANA manages to keep going again, puffy eyes observing the jungle around her. Her stumble slightly lessens with her steps, and in her mind only one thing: finding Johanna. She had to be alive, they promised each other to see each other again. But god knows what happened in the night, and with how easily Thana lost Latif and Peter, there could be a small chance her darling friend didn't make it through the night.
Unbeknownst to Thana, Johanna is terrified of the fate of her friend as well. Especially since the careers ambushed them without Thana and the others nearby. Finnick notices of course, he too is concerned about the girl from 9 that so easily slipped into his heart. But he keeps himself strong for the girl from 7 that receives odd looks from Katniss as she keeps looking around herself ever since they started to walk towards the beach.
"What is up with her?" Katniss asks Peeta, he knows Johanna better than she does and asking Finnick would raise too much suspicion and unanswered questions.
Peeta shrugs, "my guess would be Thana," he smiles sadly at the girl from 7, "to be honest I expected them to be together from the start on."
"The girl from 9?" Katniss shakes her head momentarily, "I only really saw them together in the elevator." Thoughts of the night sneaking up at the young girl.
Peeta laughs softly, "that is because you are obvious to it," a grimace on his face, "of course, Thana would follow Latif. But Thana and Johanna are quite inseparable, every victor knows that. Haymitch told me even, and you know how he is."
"I hadn't realized," Katniss smiles at Peeta, "must be hard to be separated from your friend."
On the other hand, Thana is still searching for both water and Johanna to survive. The loneliness creeping up on her again with every step in whatever direction she chooses. She does hear birds which means something. There must be water nearby.
"THANA!!" The girl looks up, her eyes lighting up as she recognizes the voice to be of Johanna. "THANA!!"
"Johanna!" Thana answers excitedly, not hearing the undertone, "where are you??"
"Thana!!" Zahra screams out, and immediately Thana starts to run. "Thana!!"
"Zahra, I am coming!" Panic rises in the girl's chest, looking wildly around herself, "Zahra!"
"Help!" her mother's voice echoes through the trees. "Thana!! HELP!!"
"Mom?!" sobs form in Thana's throat, "MOM!!"
"ANNIE!!" Finnick's voice enters Thana's ears now. "ANNIE!!"
"FINNICK!!!" Thana screams frantically as she tries to block out Latif's screams, "FINNICK!!!" The girl spins around, "you're gone Lati," she mumbles as she keeps straining her ears in hopes of hearing Finnick again.
"THANA?!" Confusion can be heard, and Thana runs towards his voice, because Latif is dead, she saw so herself. "Thana! Are you alive?"
"Finnick, oh my god!!" Thana passes a few trees and, in the distance, sees Finnick standing with someone beside him. "Finnick!! I am so happy to see you!"
"Thana!" Finnick sweeps the girl from the ground, "for a second we thought you were a jabberjay as well."
"Jabberjay's?" Thana's puffy eyes turn tired, "how did they get these screams?"
All around the three they hear screams calling either Finnick, Thana or Katniss. Thana recognizes them all, Annie, Primrose, Katniss's mother, and her own: her father, mother, Zahra, Sadiya and her children, Rohan and lastily Carita.
"We--- we don't know," Katniss says as tears stream down her face, feeling a little better know that at least one of the screams they heard is alive. And just like that the girls start to run after a panicking Finnick screaming Annie.
"Oh, fuck," Thana says sobbing, "what if they did something to them?" Panic reappears in her body like a ticking bomb ready to explode.
"We need to get to the others," Katniss shouts to the two older victors, "we need to get out!"
"Latif, mom, Zahra, dad, Sadiya, the little ones," Thana mumbles under her breath as she follows the others, "Rohan... Carita..." a small pause, "Johanna!" she frantically looks at Finnick, "Johanna! Is Johanna... is she okay?" Her eyes pleading for a simple yes, her eyes pleading to be able to fall into the girl's arms and feel safe for the first time in this awful arena. Her heart speeds up, thoughts swirling about what could've happened in the night.
Finnick nods to the girl, "she is with the others," after that he pushes his fingers against his ears again, blocking out most of the noise. Both girls copy him as they look up seeing so many jabberjay's singing their gut-wrenching songs of the screams of their loved ones.
They follow Katniss, move around the trees, and try to pay no attention to the loud voices all around them. Voices that seem to get louder with every step they take, and a small part of Thana wishes to see them. Wishes to see that they are actually okay.
...
As the three follow back the steps taken by Katniss and Finnick, they walk right into a force field. Tears of despair fall down Thana's cheeks. As she takes her pocket watch out, she feels the questionable looks upon herself. A quarter past 4. As she shows the others, she can feel their despair growing. Unsure of the actual meaning, even Thana picked up the importance of time in this arena.
"You are gone," Thana whispers as tears keep falling, "you are dead. I am so sorry Latif. I am so sorry Jack." The girl sits down against the barrier. Still trying to block out the screams.
Next to her, she feels Katniss frantically make contact with somebody on the other side of the invisible barrier between them. On the other side of Thana, Finnick lets himself fall, sitting next to the girl from 9.
Thana slowly rests her head on his shoulder, trying not to think about it all. Trying to focus on Finnick's and her own wild heartbeats and short breaths. Finnick lays his head upon hers. Still keeping his ears closed as he closes his eyes to block everything out, except the girl besides him.
The two adults feel like they are back in their teenage states. There they sit, the boy from 4 and the girl from 9, shaking and sobbing as the jabberjay's keep on screaming with the voices of everyone they care about.
In an act of solidarity, Thana links her arm with Katniss's who looks up at her in shock. Only to be met by blurry eyes with tears streaming down her cheeks. She smiles softly at Thana in thanks before leaning against the girl just like Finnick does.