All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.
~Ellen Glasgow

~A Life Changing Situation~

Finnick

When I got back to 4, I made it up to her. Yolanda had made me stay behind in the Capitol for another few days. We slept together several times during it all. And it made me feel sick. The day Annie left, I could see how sad she looked. So when I got back to 4, I made it up to her.

When I got back and saw Annie, she didn't kiss me first. Instead, she slapped me. Then she kissed me. I didn't even stop her to ask why she slapped me. We made love again, and I told her that I would always love her. She smiled, and the tears glistened in her eyes again. We held each other afterwards, and our breathing turned back to normal. And at that moment, we didn't talk. Instead we explored each other's body. Touched every bruise, blemish, and scar. Annie had three scars on her back shoulder. She had gotten it from a cat that strolled around near her house. She tried picking it up, and it attacked.

When my fingers skimmed it, she giggled. She had a lot of ticklish spots. Under her arms, in the nape of her neck, her abdomen, the sides of her stomach, the back of her shoulders, and behind her ears. She also had a bruise on her hip. She got this from falling over, when she was just 13. Her hip connected with a sharp rock. Then above her womanhood, there was a faint scar. She explained to me, her voice a lot softer now, that when she was young, she was attacked by a fully grown man. He had wanted her, and he had grabbed her and tried to hurt her. But she got away.

When I touched that, her eyes closed, and she let out a deep sigh. I let it just rest there for a while. Then she went on her exploration. She found my birthmark, that was the shape of a fish on my upper back. She found the network of scars I had on lower back. I got all of these from the Games. On my chest, I had a light pink mark. This had come from a lady from the Capitol who had punched me, complaining that I didn't truly love her. She was small, but her punch was big.

After all of this, we went swimming. Then to Mags house for dinner.

Annie

Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. And as this happened, the love me and Finnick had bloomed. There were many nights when we stayed up laughing at nothing. Just looking at each other and laughing. We were silly like that. Other nights were full of heavy desires. When we wanted each other badly. We made love, and I felt special knowing I was Finnick's only true lover.

We went into the new year happily, and we seemed to slip away from the harsh reality that was Panem. Finnick wasn't being requested to the Capitol too often. He turned 20 early in the year, and we spent his birthday with Mags, who was happy he made it through another year. Life was fine and dandy. I hadn't broken down about anything. I never thought about Matthew's death. It had backed away into the shadows of my mind. And I was fine. Until…

"The 71st Reaping is in a week," Mags said grimly.

I learned to get use to Finnick being gone. He went off for two weeks for the 71st Games. A 14 year old boy and 17 year old girl had been reaped. Mags left too, and I was alone. But I coped. I read, swam, and even cooked. I watched the Games. I watched them interview every kid. Then watched the Capitol stick them into an arena. I wasn't rooting of course. That would be horrible. I looked away at all of the gruesome parts, trying not to go mad. And the winner was Johanna Mason. A girl from District 7. No one had been expecting her to win because she had come off so feeble at the Games. But she was vicious and strong.

Finnick came home, upset. I learned also that after the Games, when he returned, he was very bitter. He made himself coffee and plopped down on the couch.

"It was awful," he mumbled, gulping down his coffee.

The next year came, meaning the 72nd Hunger Games. The winner was a boy from District 2. He had put up a good fight with the other Career tributes. It was pretty brutal.

Then came the 73rd Hunger Games came by. The winner this time was a girl from District 1. She was crazy. There was a wild look in her eyes, like she craved blood. Like she enjoyed the idea of murder.

Finnick came home this year, and when he saw me, he grabbed me and held me close. I never asked why he did so, but in the night he told me he was tired. The Games were wearing him down.

When the 74th Hunger Games came, the atmosphere seemed to shift. I expected something different this year. This year, everyone's eyes were on the star-crossed lovers from District 12. The girl had volunteered for her 12-year old sister. It was quite moving. She was called the girl on fire. It was a brutal fight. This one I was more eager to watch however. There was something interesting about the girl and the boy. They seemed like they could do something amazing in their life.

It was very life changing, when the winners were announced: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

Author's Note: Small chapter with big cliff hanger.