Finnick

It was confusing, disorienting, and frightening. Before, there had always been a way to escape, but not this time. Not if the others had a chance of surviving. I knew this was it, but I wasn't ready for the pain. After all I had witnessed, I thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

I was wrong.

I hadn't anticipated the burning agony flowing through my veins. I couldn't feel anything besides the pain. I remember floating, everything being stripped away from me with agonizing lashes against my skin. Everything, but her.

Annie.

That was my last thought before the pain took over.

Everything hurt. The pain was there; I wasn't sure if it would ever go away, but it seemed like a glass wall had been put it and my mind, which was fine with me. The pain seemed distant, as if coming from far away, so I decided to stay away from the wall in my mind. I didn't want the glass to break. I didn't want to feel the torture again.

As I floated toward the surface of consciousness, pieces of memories came back to me, like images moving behind my closed eyes.

Peeta pressing his handcuffs into his chafing wrists.

Gale pushing Katniss up the ladder.

The lizard muttations, and their cold, menacing stares.

I shivered internally. I was dead. Really, truly dead. Now I didn't want to open my eyes, afraid of what I might see. I tried to use my senses and get a feel of where I could possibly be, but I couldn't feel a thing. Something was missing. Something important.

I'd rather be in the capitol with the ladies and their secrets than open my eyes. If I opened my eyes, this would be real. And I was afraid that the big gaping hole inside me would rip me apart for good. I didn't know why it was there, but I had a feeling that whatever I saw when I opened my eyes would fill me in.

I told myself to be a man, and that Finnick Odair would never be such a wimp. Crap.

I opened my eyes slowly, squinting at the bright light, ready to shut them again if I had to. I blinked twice, my eyes adjusting to the change. Then, my eyebrows pressed together in confusion. All I saw around me was white and light. It wasn't exactly peaceful, but I wasn't frightened.

I was lying down, so I tried to stand even though I still couldn't feel the floor, or anything else for that matter. I closed my eyes again, but not because I was scared. I imagined I was underwater, where I was always safe and confident. I remembered the way I used to swim deep in the ocean, and how I would use the pressure of the water to push myself into a standing position. I would gaze up at the surface of the water as the early morning sunlight playfully danced on its tips. Opening my eyes, I sadly shook away the blissful memory but found that I could stand up in this way.

Further away, I saw a flickering movement. I couldn't tell how far it was because, like in the ocean, it was impossible to judge distance in the vast pool of white.

The instant my eyes made contact with the movement, I felt myself get dragged forward by an invisible wind. The pain I had buried intensified, threatening to break the glass wall in my mind. The infinite whiteness changed to blinding and confusing colors, with dizzying motions all around me. My hands flew to the sides of my head and I heard myself yelling, the pain more acute with each dizzying moment.

As quickly as it had started, everything came to a sudden stop. I took deep breaths, trying to slow my racing heart, but what I saw next took my breath away.

I was in a large and familiar building, the smell of stale and not-so-fresh food in the air. How could I even smell anything? I dismissed the thought and continued to look around. The tables were full of people in boring and uniform clothing, chatting quietly under murmured breaths. I looked to my right, seeing a young man glance at his wrist, peering at something written in ink. I could make out something that resembled a schedule. Memories of District Thirteen surfaced in my mind as I realized where I was.

Everyone was looking down at their small portions of food or talking to their neighbor. My face was open in dumbfounded shock, but nobody seemed to notice me. Everyone but one person, who was staring straight at me.

The gaping hole in my chest was filled with bittersweet shock as my last thought came back to me and clicked, giving a name to the image before me, the missing piece of myself that I could never truly forget.

Annie.

*Update: I combined the Preface and Chapter One into one longer chapter-Old readers, don't be confused:)*

End of the Chappy one:) PLEASE let me know what you guys think. Suggestions accepted.

Now that I've described it a little more, I can get to the fun Finnick and Annie stuff.

R & R Pleaseeeeee!

[My first FINNIFIC (Finnick Fanfiction? See what I did there? Hehe.)]

~ Just an ordinary girl :D