You Are My Sunshine // A Finnick Fanfic

Chapter Sixteen - Healing

A Year After 70th Annual Hunger Games

I stood on the stage, looking out to the massive crowd of District 12, the pictures of Alice and Cage on separate screens. Their families stand in front of them, both crying and it took everything in me not to cry with them. I hated having to do this Victory Tour, but it was good for the families of the kids I had murdered. I had already made amends with Tobias's mother, not that we talked after our last conversation on her porch.

It was so dark in 12, the sun was shining bright in the cloudless blue sky yet it still felt off, like out of no where it would begin to downpour. And it was a ruined mess, everything was all over the place and a mess and the people all looked so sad. I wished I could have done more for them, seeing people like this made my blood boil. This was how Cage and Alice lived.

I latched onto the microphone stand tightly, trying to hide my trembling hands from the people. To look stronger then I felt maybe. I took a deep breath and blinked away my tears before I began.

"Hi." My voice croaked and I already felt stupid. I was just about to talk about Cage and Alice and how they died for me to live and the first thing I say is hi? They don't need to hate me, I already hate myself. "I... uh..."

I looked deeply into the picture of Cage, his deep amber eyes burning into my soul and instantly I saw them lifeless and grey. His skin flashed to look pale as ice and his lips blue like the ocean. I closed my eyes harshly, the tears pouring out of my eyes even though I tried to hide them. I looked back to the crowd before I looked back up to the families holding each other.

Cage's family was bigger then Alice's, looking like he had five other siblings that seemed to be older them him while Alice only had one who looked younger. They stared at me and I took another breath, knowing that I didn't just have to do this for myself but I had to do it for them.

"I remember when I first met Cage." I started, making the mother burst out into a sob while her husband held her close. His siblings were stronger, never looking away from me. "I was training and I slipped on a bar swinging exercise. My back slammed into the platform and I lost my breath. He came over to me and helped me get it back. I will never forget that kindness that he showed me, even though we were supposed to be against each other."

"And Alice..." I said, turning to look at the other family. "She was so quiet and innocent, always hiding but still practicing her skills. She was so kind to me, and her last efforts were to save her friend. I don't think anyone could be more heroic then that." The family nodded their thanks for my words and I turned back to look at Cage's family.

"While my time with Alice was short, my time with Cage was more, and I built a strong friendship with him." I told the family, feeling myself sweat heavily even though it wasn't hot. "He was so smart and so brave. I couldn't have asked for a better ally. A better friend. I wish I could have saved him, I wish that it hadn't gone the way that it did, but I will never forget him or his sacrifice. Both Cage and Alice were heroes and I will always see them to be so."

I backed away from the mic, the whole crowd silent but I said what I wanted to say and now I wanted off this stage. I walked back, my bare feet brushing against the old wooden floors of the platform. Casimir tried to talk to me but I pushed him away, walking off to the bathroom to collect myself.

I burst through the door, walking over to the sink and turning on the faucet, splashing my face with some cold water. The tears came streaming down my face and my chest tightened after all of it was over and I could process. Then, there was a knock on the door.

"Reef?" I turned to look at Finnick poking his head through the door, walking inside when I smiled to him the best I could. "Hey."

"Hey." I said back, wrapping my arms around his torso as he took me in his arms, resting his chin on my head. The tears really started coming as more images of the deaths of both Alice and Cage started flashing through my brain, then came Tobias and Xena and Arlen, and Cadogan, and Lucia, and the District Eight kids.