Finnick- Watching Her Break

Theme 3 - Broken

She was reaped. Her name pulled out. Annie Cresta. At that time, she was just another tribute. I had seen her around, known of her. But I never knew her. I was her mentor. She was a tribute who would most likley die. That was what I saw when I met her for the first time, as she walked up onto the stage, looking scared but confident. Just another tribute.

I never thought she would creep up on me like she did. Playing with my emotions, toying with my affections. She reminded me of myself in some ways. A hopeless romantic. Flirty. All those kinds of things. But I didn't realise. I didn't realise the feelings until I saw her standing on the metal plate, ready to run into the bloodbath. I didn't know until then.

Because that was the momment I, Finnick Odair realised my feelings for Annie Cresta. Before then, it had just been a few tentative and stolen kisses. She stole them from me and for both of us it was just something akin to a holiday romance. Sweet while it lasted but destined to end. But seeing her in the Hunger Games, watching her sleep at night and hearing her whisper my name in the arena changed eveything I felt.

She crept up on me. Surprised me. Changed me.

But that girl, the one I knew before the games started, the cheeky and innocent girl is now gone. She was shattered, disapearing when the blood first appeared on her hands. Watching her fall over the edge, over a rocky cliff she could never return from. Falling into the darkness of insanity. And I couldn't do a thing. The arena had changed her and she was no longer Annie. She was damaged and something different.

She was broken into thousands of pieces.

Broken. Shattered.

Broken.

But she survived and once again I felt her in my arms. Our feelings were the same now, both on equal levels. She was different but still, she felt the same love for me. The love I now felt for her.

"Finnick." Hearing her whisper my name when she ran into my arms, our reunion upon her return from the arena, made me feel real joy for the first time in my life. However, as happy as I was to have her back, I couldn't escape the fact that she was fragile. Crazy. Broken. And I would have to hide my love for her, to protect her from what no one protected me from. The games don't end with the arena. Even as a victor, you are still a piece on a chess board. I couldn't openly admit my love for her.

But I would still do my best in those stolen momments we continued to share.
The best to heal. To mend the pieces of her heart and mind.

To fix what was broken.

Broken.