Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
012. you've opened my heart ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
ATLAS DIDN'T LET GO OF ESTHER THE ENTIRE WAY BACK TO THE BEACH. He was scared as though the moment he'd let go of the blonde, she'd disappear just as everyone else seemingly had in his short life. Atlas faced enough loss and grief, so when he told Esther that he couldn't think of the person he was to be without her, he spoke the truth. It may have been sudden, considering it had only been days since meeting each other—becoming allies—there was this unmistakable spark between them.
Esther wanted to ask what he heard. The blonde teenager guessed what her brother heard, continuously worried for him alongside Atlas. Yet, the state of Atlas left him unable to talk about it without breaking down, and Esther didn't want Atlas to show his vulnerability to the Capitol more than he already had. She knew that Atlas was already beating himself up about letting the momentary weakness he felt be shown to the public—Esther could see it in the brunette's eyes. So she didn't push, nor did she ask.
They made it to the beach, everyone being distraught from what occurred. Atlas and Esther stayed beside each other, still standing as the rest sat down. Johanna went to gather fresh water for Katniss, Finnick and Atlas. Katniss and Peeta sat in silence together with Beetee and Finnick separating himself from everyone, sitting in the ocean for comfort. It was a habit that Esther picked up on Finnick—whenever he was dealing with the trauma the games left him with, she'd always find him by the water of their home. Esther sadly inhaled at the sight of her brother, tightening her grip against Atlas's hand.
The boy saw the girl's gaze being glued on her brother, reassuringly squeezing her hand. Esther peered at Atlas, a frown contorting on her face. Despite Atlas not saying any words, nothing had to be said for Esther to understand what the boy was trying to say. She smiled thankfully at Atlas, returning the boy's squeeze. "I'll be back, okay?" Atlas glanced at Finnick sitting in the water, slowly nodding his head. Esther passed him a smile full of gratitude before walking and sitting beside Finnick.
She sat amongst the nurturing waves, feeling a sense of relaxation swarm through her being at the familiarity of it all. To have the water crashing down on her softly made her smile warmly. Yet, Finnick didn't have the same expression as Esther, instead holding a faint and distant tint in his green hue eyes. They were tangled in a moment of silence before Esther spoke first. "The water reminds me of home." Finnick didn't meet her gaze. "Annie's okay, you know? She's safe back at home, and so is Mags." Esther hesitated, "And ... you know, I'm okay, too." Then Finnick glanced at the girl. "I know the Jabberjays sounded like me. The way you said my name after—the way you grabbed me—that's how I know."
