Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 19

His eyes were searching as soon as he woke up. But he couldn't see her.

He saw Katniss and Beetee, both lying unconscious. Katniss being held down by metal cuffs.

Finnick sat up immediately, hoping there were other beds around, but he couldn't see any.

He couldn't see Taiya, or Johanna, or Peeta.

He couldn't see her.

The pain began to ripple through him, a pain no painkiller could help. It started in his heart and spread to his toes as his breath caught in his lungs.

She wasn't here.

Finnick looked down to see a bandage wrapped around his arm and thigh. They'd patched up the slice Taiya had made in his arm as well as where Enobaria had stabbed him.

That's when a thought dawned on him.

When Taiya left the arena the last time, she was notoriously violent. Perhaps they were keeping her separate from Katniss? Either as a punishment for trying to kill her earlier, or to keep everyone safe from her violent manic episodes.

Maybe she was on this hovercraft after all. And this ray of hope helped Finnick lift himself off the table and onto his feet. He had to find out for himself.

He could hear voices behind the first door he came across and pressed the open button, allowing the door to quickly swing open revealing Haymitch and Plutarch inside.

"Hey Peacock," Haymitch smiled softly. "You're looking much prettier today."

"You can thank Plutarch for that," Finnick snarked as he limped into the room. "You know I was asked to kill you for that right? Tay is going to have your head for the fog," he warned Plutarch. "Where about's is she? Is she ok?"

That's when Plutarch and Haymitch exchanged a look. And that look was everything Finnick needed to know for his heart to plummet into his stomach. She wasn't here.

"Finnick..." Haymitch started towards him but Finnick stumbled back.

"Where is she?" he choked out.

"Her tracker was still in," Plutarch answered when Haymitch refused to. "There was no time. She's in the Capitol. They got her, Peeta and Johanna."

"No," Finnick breathed, his legs giving out, leaving him to clasp onto the edge of the table for support. "You left her there?"

"You need to eat," Plutarch gestured towards a plate of food at the end of the table. "Eat and then I'll answer your questions."

Finnick didn't even have the energy to argue. He raced towards the end of the table and shoved some bread into his mouth before looking up at Plutarch expectantly. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"Taiya still had her tracker in. She and Peeta were attacked by Brutus and it pushed them outside of the recovery zone. They were too far away to get to. I'm sorry Finnick."

"She can't be in the Capitol," Finnick shook his head frantically. "She's terrified of it. I promised her, I promised her she wouldn't end up back there. She didn't want to do this in the first place. You have to go back for her. Go back!"

"Finnick, we can't," Haymitch sighed.

"We can't let any of you back near the Capitol," Plutarch explained. "There's a victor's purge. The districts are rebelling. Any victors from the rebelling districts are being rounded up. You can't go back."

"Oh my god! They're going to kill her!" Finnick's eyes widened.

"They won't kill her," Plutarch shook his head. "Snow likes her. She's valuable. An asset. She'll be kept alive."