Chapter 17
Finnick Pov.
I feel really, really, really bad lying to Annie again. I can tell she doesn't believe me, she just forces herself to accept my lies. That makes me feel worse. I know that one of the most important things to Annie is trust and I know she feels like she can't trust me. I don't know what I'm going to do, I want her to believe me. I know what I have to do though, when the rebels kill Snow like we planned, I can tell her everything. I know she won't take it well, but I know she'll realize that I didn't want to lie to her and that I can be honest. I don't know how to keep hiding things from her, I know I have to but I want to tell her everything. She wakes up and hugs me.
"You okay?" I ask.
"I can't just hug you for the heck of it?" she asks, smiling a little.
"No, of course you can. I love your hugs." I tell her. "Thanks for, trusting me."
"Of course I trust you, it's not easy, but there's only one thing you hide from me," two things, I think to myself. "And the reason you hide it from me is so that I don't get killed."
"Thanks for being so understanding. I felt bad because I thought you were gonna have a huge outburst on me." I tell her and she laughs a little.
"I've learned that it's better to enjoy our time together while we can, and try our hardest to avoid all arguments." she says, "even though you're very difficult sometimes."
"I'm difficult? Really?" I ask sarcastically and smirk.
"Yea, yea, I know we're both difficult. But you're worth it."
"You're worth it too." I say. We hear a knock on the door. "I'm sorry, we can't get to the door right now, leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can, thanks, goodbye!"
Annie laughs.
"It's Pearl, the interviews are tonight! Now stop being so rude Finnick Odair and answer the door!" Pearl yells and Annie laughs harder. Times like this reassures me that she's not gone.
I open the door, "Yesss." I smile too innocently.
"Here are your outfits for tonight." she hands me the matching suit and dress, "Be on time this year please."
"That was one time!" I look back at Annie, "You're late one time and she doesn't let it go." I point to Pearl.
"Manners! Pointing is rude!" she yells. I burst into laughter and so does Annie. She closes the door on my face.
I open it back up and yell in Pearl's voice, "Manners Pearl! Manners!"
She turns around and gives me a mean look that makes me laugh more.
"You're always finding ways to make me laugh." Annie smiles.
"Well, one of my favorite things to hear is your laugh." I smile at her and her cheeks turn pink from blushing.
"I hate when you make me blush," she rolls her eyes. "It's embarrassing."
"I think it's cute." I tell her.
"Now you're just trying to make me blush." she smiles, her face goes serious and I know she's going to say or ask something that's not a joke. "Finn, what would one of us do if we lost the other?"
"Annie, I promise you won't lose me." I promise her.
"Finn, you can't promise things like that. You don't know what's going to happen in a day, a week, a month, a year. You never know." she says, unconvinced.
"You can't lose someone, as long as you hold on to pieces of them, and keep your memories, you'll be okay." I tell her, I know she thinks about this stuff a lot because she's afraid of losing me.
"Memories wouldn't keep me going if I lost you, nothing would. I'd just, stare into blank space, and cry, and scream. I wouldn't have anything or anybody." she tears up.
"Annie, you can't worry about this stuff, you just have to live in the moment and not worry about the future." I try to explain.
"I know, it's just that, my biggest fear isn't my flashbacks, or the arena, or even Snow. My biggest fear is losing you. And that's what haunts my nightmares every night and makes me wake up screaming." She tells me.
"That's my biggest fear too, and you and I both know that there's no way to conquer it."
"We just have to live in the moment." she repeats what I said earlier.
"Yea, exactly."
"I know that even if we leave each other, we'll always find each other, we'll always be reunited. No matter what."
"No matter what."
We hug and end up falling back asleep in each other's arms on accident since we woke up kind of early. There's banging on the door and we know it's time for the interviews. I go in the bathroom and get dressed. I get some snacks for Annie and I, since we haven't ate today. When I see her, she's wearing a similar dress to her interview dress from her games. This one is one shoulder though, with jewels on the strap. It's blue with sea green sparkles and green fabric at the bottom. It's long and flowy, and makes her look even more beautiful than usual. And it matches her dress perfectly.
"That's probably my favorite dress yet." I tell her.
"Mine too." she smiles as she looks down at it.
"And it matches my suit, see, I have green at the bottom too." I show her my pant legs.
Without me having to ask her she ties my tie perfectly. She does it for me every year now. We go and watch the interviews. I feel guilty saying this, but I don't pay attention when the tributes from four come on. Then Katniss comes on. I have to admit, she looks good. Not as good as Annie of course, but a close second.
The crowd is cheering incredibly loud when she comes on. Caesar asks her a question and she doesn't hear him so she says, "what?" The crowd laughs.
"I think someone's a little nervous. Ah ha ha ha." Caesar chuckles. "I said that was quite an entrance you made at the tribute parade. What were your thoughts on that?"
"Well, I was just hoping, that I wouldn't, burn to death." She makes the crowd laugh more even though she probably doesn't mean to.
"I have to say Katniss, when you got out of that chariot my heart stopped. Did any of you, experience this as well?" Caesar asks as the crowd cheers in agreement. "My heart stopped."
She smiles and I recognize that style of smile, the fake kind, "So did mine."
They laugh more. "Were the flames real?" Caesar asks.
"Yes, in fact I'm wearing them tonight. Would you like to see?" she asks.
The crowd yells yes, and cheers. "Whoa, Whoa, whoa, is it safe?" Caesar asks and then laughs.
She giggles, "yes." she twirls and the bottoms of her dress has flames and it's very pretty. It makes her seem pretty, but dangerous. Just like a flame itself. She stops twirling and sits back down.
"I have one last question for you," Caesar says, "Your sister that you volunteered for at the reaping, did she come to say goodbye to you?"
Katniss's face looks like she just saw a ghost, she puts on a mask almost, that hides her emotions. I wish I could do this like her. "Yes, she did." she says, completely emotionlessly, like some kind of robot.
"She did, and what did you say to her in the end?" he asks.
"I said that I, would try to win. That I would try to win for her." she tells him, her mask getting weaker.
"Of course you did, and try you will." he stands her up and lifts her hand in the air, "Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire!"
The crowd goes crazy and she walks off stage as fast as possible as if she was afraid they would ask her to talk more.
Peeta then comes on, I remember the rebels plan. He's going to tell everyone that he is in love with her. He goes up on the stage.
They talk and Peeta makes himself seem funny and charming, that was my angle too. Caesar then asks him, "So Peeta, are there any special girls back home?"
"No, no not really." he smiles.
"Oh, I don't believe it for a second! Handsome lad like you, Peeta, tell us." He pushes him to answer.
"Well, uh, there is this one girl that I've had a crush on forever," Caesar let's out a sigh and the crowd is all at the edge of their seat, Annie even looks interested. "But I don't think she actually, noticed me until the reaping."
"Well, I'll tell you what Peeta, you go out there, and you win this thing, and then she'll have to go out with you. Am I right folks?" the crowd screams in agreement with Caesar.
"No, I don't think winning is going to help in my case at all," he starts.
"And why not?" Caesar asks.
Peeta sighs, takes a deep breath and says, "because she came here with me."
Annie's mouth drops. I grin because I saw the whole thing coming, I will admit, he does know how to make the crowd melt though.
"So that's some bad luck." Caesar says.
"Yea, it is." Peeta agrees.
"Well I wish you the best of luck," Caesar and Peeta stand up and they shake hands. "Peeta Mellark."
He walks off stage. I go backstage and when we get back to the tribute living quarters Katniss pushes Peeta into a plant vase. I laugh so hard it's not even funny. Annie laughs too. We go upstairs.
"Why did she do that?" she asks.
"She probably doesn't want to seem weak." I tell her, guessing at Katniss's reason for pushing Peeta.
"I'm tired, even though we slept the whole day." Annie yawns.
"Yea me too," I go in Annie's room, "I'm going to bed."
We fall asleep as I hold her in my arms.