The Forgotten Days

▬▬ 𝟏𝟏 ∙ 𝝖❙𝗺𝝾𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲

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˚✩ ⋆｡ ✩┊ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 ┊✦ ˚ · .

▬▬ 11 ∙ 𝙰𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚂𝚊𝚏𝚎

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THE FUNNY thing about time is that it likes to do the opposite of what you want; at least, it seems that way. It inches forward - each second like a minute, each minute an hour - at the exact moment you need it to fly by quickly. But it feels like I've only been staring at my clock, picking at my blanket, and mulling over every little memory I have with Annie for an hour, when it's been nearly eight. I must have dozed off at some point because it's lighter than I remembered.

The sun peeks out and the sky erupts in cracks of crimson. The action has passed already, the floor empty of its usual morning excitement. I unfold from my hunched position, stretching my back. Slipping off the bed, I leave the room, but something on my table catches my eye. A bright yellow square of paper, stuck on one end and flipped up on the other. I peel it off and read the words, the black ink swarming before my exhausted eyes.

Check my room before they clean it out. Look for your name on a piece of paper.
Annie

My eyes snap up and I strain to hear the Avoxes clearing out Annie's room. I drop the note on the table, racing out of my room and down the hallway.

"Wait!" I cry to the Avoxes who are inside Annie's room and removing any remaining items. I skid to a stop, breathless. "Wait..." The Avox girl looks at me, surprised that I've spoken to them - it's against the rules, after all. My eyes fall on a piece of folded paper in her hands, my name written in purple ink. "That's for me, she told me it's for me. Can I see it, please?"

I see the uncertainty in her eyes, conveying what her words can't, but she slips the paper into my hands and turns away. A wave of relief crashes over me, and I unfold the paper, greeted with a page full of Annie's simple writing. As I look over the first few lines, I'm confused by what this is. But it's clear soon enough.

It's a goodbye letter.

Dear Cory,
I wish I didn't have to write this, but I am. I'm sorry. I know I have Caspian to protect me in the arena, but really, what are my odds?

I stop reading for a second, unable to believe the words on the paper. They're real, I know, but it's hard to fathom. It pains me to cast my eyes down at the page and continue reading, seeing that Annie's almost given up all hope of winning. She promised she would try, I think desperately. She has to try.

I guess I'm trying to say thank you. Thank you for being my mentor, as much as it killed you inside. I know that when I'm in there, you and Finn will do your best to keep us alive. And if I die...

I close my eyes, willing myself to not think of Annie, pale from blood loss, being shipped back to 4 in a coffin.

And if I die... I'll know you tried your best.
But I have more to thank you for than just this past week. So thank you even more for being my best friend since we were young. It's been years since we first met, hasn't it? The years have flown by, the Games stealing the last few. I've watched you grow up, and you watched me do the same. I won't forget the best moments – and the bad ones too, as rare as they are – for as long as I live, however long that ends up being. You've always been like that younger sister I've never had.

I smile tearfully, remembering the great times we shared, by the beach, during sleepovers, and even at school. You've been like an older sister to me, too, Annie. I'm proud to call you that.