FORTY
KATNISS, ARE YOU THERE?
His hands were blistered and calloused from endless hours of tying and untying the length of rope he'd been given. His eyes were tired and dull from sleep plagued with nightmares. His throat dry and hoarse from hours of screaming Talia's name.
Little did he know that right at that moment, as he looked up at the glass that only offered him his own sombre reflection, she was on the other side, watching him intently.
The staff kept telling him she was alive, but for some reason he wouldn't let himself believe it. He had seen her lying there on the ground when the hovercraft picked him up, bleeding from her leg badly.
The doctors told him she lived, she'd had a poisonous infection in her leg, but they nursed her back from it all. He asked for proof and they couldn't provide.
On the other side of the glass, Talia had her forehead pressed to it, she wishes she could simply slip into the room and hug him, and then kiss him and tell him how much she loved him and needed him, but it just wasn't happening. Kalvin, Finnick's daily nurse, was here to so his checks, to ask him questions and check him over.
Finnick puts down the rope when Kalvin enters, his eyes suddenly alert and ready. Kalvin gives him a soft smile and pulls up the stool beside the bed like usual.
"How are you feeling today, Finnick?"
"Better," He said the same everyday.
"Good...Have you eaten today?"
"Every meal," He said that everyday too.
"And how has the rope been?"
"Excellent," And that too.
"And do you understand that...That you're suffering with some emotional distress?"
Finnick shrugs, as always.
"Do you know that Talia Riverthorn is alive and well?"
Finnick gulps. Usually he says no immediately, then starts shouting her name, roaring. Today, was different. He picked the rope up in his hand and tied a new knot into it.
"Finnick?" Kalvin asks, a hint of hope in his voice.
"Talia Riverthorn is alive and well," Finnick says, as he undoes the rope. Kalvin looks up at the glass, he can only imagine the look on Talia's face right now.
"That's correct, she is," Kalvin says, "Do you know where she is?"
"District 13," Finnick nods, eyes fixated on the rope.
"And who is she to you?"
"My tribute, my victor, my love," Finnick's voice is so soft and calm, so unlike it has been previously.
Talia's eyes couldn't hold back their tears any longer, and they couldn't stop the spilling once they'd started. Kalvin finishes up with Finnick and once he's out Talia throws her arms round him, hugging him tightly. Kalvin laughs, a hearty, relieved laugh, hugging her back.
"Was all that real? Or did I dream it?" She asks, wiping her eyes as she pulls away from the hug.
"Completely real, Talia, I'm so happy with how far he's come today," He says, "I'd suggest a few more days of not seeing him, just so I can ensure this isn't a one off, but I think you'll be seeing him in person before you know it,"
Talia smiles, her hand reaches up to the pearl on her neck and she squeezes it softly. Finally, she would have Finnick back.
That evening, Talia and her team were talking about how they could infiltrate the Capitol, Bobby was running through hacking techniques that himself and Beetee had been working on over the last few days. Just as the door of the room opens the TV turns on with the Capitol sigil and anthem.
"Everyone, come quickly," Its Jim. He'd not turned up to the meeting. The group rush after him and are lead to the large District 13 electrics room where screens and buttons filled the room. President Coin was listening to Plutarch's ramblings while watching the Capitol Broadcast of Peeta Mellark and Caesar Flickerman yet again.
"What is it?" Talia asks, walking right up to Coin.
"Finally, we're going to try to intercept the Capitol broadcast with some of Katniss' recent shoot," Plutarch says, "We asked Jim to fetch Bobby, not everyone, but..."
He gets distracted by Beetee and Bobby tapping away on their computers. Finally, they break through, playing the edited clips of Katniss and her crew. Images of District 8 and District 12 pour onto the screen, alongside Katniss singing The Hanging Tree.
It flickers back and forth between the propo and Peeta, who apparently could hear and see it too. He begins to scream for her, for Katniss. The girl on fire rushes into the control room, tears on her cheeks, Gale following closely behind her.
Talia can't imagine the pain. Katniss watches with her hand over her mouth, stunned into silence. Talia wishes she were close enough with Katniss to be able to pull the girl into a hug, but she knew it wasn't her place.
The screen's cut back to Peeta, who yells out that the Capitol are coming, that they're going to do what they did to 12 to 13. The camera falls and screams can be heard. Before a shower of blood coats the camera lens. Katniss screams, her eyes bursting with tears.
"What the hell was that?!" Coin yells, looking furious.
"A warning," Talia says, stepping forwards. Coin turns to her with a frown.
"What?"
"Did you not hear him? He said the Capitol are coming here, to bomb us, like they did 12!" Talia yells, her hands shaking at her sides, balled into fists.
Coin looks at Katniss, who was nodding, before turning to Plutarch.
"Get the alarms sounded for an air raid, everyone needs to be in the bunkers within 20 minutes!" Coin calls. One button press is all it takes for a wailing sound to spread through the underground floors of District 13.
"Katniss, you need to get to the bunkers, now," Talia says, pulling the girl up from the floor, she shakes her shoulders, "I know it hurts, but you're strong, you're the Mockingjay, just keep pushing on,"
Gale has already taken off, so Talia helps Katniss rush towards the basement levels, where the concrete and metal was thicker and built to last during air raids.
The stairs are crowded with people, all of them running as fast as they can towards the bunker. Katniss kept her eyes active, scanning for Prim and her mother. Talia's mind was racing with thoughts of Finnick- was he safe?
Katniss was still shaking with the shock of the broadcast. Talia grabbed her hand and squeezed- hard. Katniss gave her a sorrowful look. The girls had never been best friends, and never would be, but they were familiar with each others pain. That was enough.
Finally they reach the bunker, guarded by heavy concrete and metal doors that were blaring with sirens. Talia and Katniss enter and immediately Katniss begins searching for Prim and her mother. Talia hangs back, her team were safe, all of them apparently holding the interrupted meeting in the corner.
She ignores Rossan's hand gesture to join, and instead takes a leaf from Katniss's book. She begins searching the bunk beds for Finnick. As she turns along another row of beds she sees Katniss leave her mother behind and begin running towards the entrance.
Prim was missing.
Talia takes off running after Katniss, calling for her. Before she can leave the bunker, arms grab her and pull her backwards.
"You're not chasing her,"
She scrambles out of the arms and watches as Rossan and Jim step in front of her, blocking the way.
"Prim is missing," Talia says, her eyes filled with evident worry.
From her left a familiar face appears and she softens slightly.
"Kalvin," She says, "Is Finnick okay?"
"He's settled down here..." Kalvin says, "He's a little stressed out about the noise,"
"You're under obligation to attend this meeting," Jim sneers, interrupting and Talia sends him a warning glare.
"You all seem to be forgetting that the only reason I'm here, doing this stupid rebellion stuff is because Finnick is the most important thing to me, and his life means more to me than anything else," Talia says, "He comes before anything else, including me, its about time you started to understand that,"
"If you carry on along this path, Coin will take Finnick away from you, she will destroy you," Jim hisses, "So I suggest you attend the meeting,"
Rossan places a hand on Talia's arm and she snatches it away from him.
"Don't touch me," She scowls, before turning around and walking back into the centre of the bunker, shoving past Jamie Kilen who had been the person to stop her exiting.
Just as she takes her seat on the edge of a bunk bed she see's Katniss, Prim and Gale just about make it into the bunker before the large gates were closed off, and she watches as they hug each other tightly. Talia longed to have her family back, to see her parents, to laugh with her brothers, to play with her nephew. How she desperately wanted Finnick to be a part of it all.
She hoped that soon it would be her reality again.
______________
This was written months ago.
Like this was written in March. This book was last updated in February. I'm sorry. But this book, its important to me, and I thought I was going blindly wrong with the direction it was going. Now I've realised what path this story needs to take.
~cupidlies❤️