ROOFTOP - finnick odair

chapter three

"and i somehow missed
the meaning of love that is real
and it compliments
my scars that will never heal"

~

Caterina's POV:

I wake up and I don't feel right.

My body feels heavy but somehow I manage to sit up. It takes me a minute to remember what happened yesterday. I went to bed last night thinking that the pit in my stomach would go away, but it's still here, only now it feels like it's consuming me. Something deep in my gut tells me that I should've gone.

I hear hushed voices from outside my room. Feeling shivers down my back as I slip out from under the covers, I grab a sweatshirt and pull it over me. But just as I'm about to open the door, the voices get louder so I pause.

"You can't just tell her that," Finnick says, his voice tight with frustration. I wonder why Finnick is here in my room.

"Well what am I supposed to tell her then? I can't just— I can't just not tell her," Winter responds sharply.

She continues after pausing to take a deep breath. "How do you think she's even gonna handle it? I mean, she's stronger than most people and has minimal feelings for most things, so—"

Finnick cuts her off. "God, you people are so ignorant! I know how it feels and I know that there is no possible way to tell somebody this news."

I muster up the courage to walk out, both of their eyes trail over to me, but neither of them say anything.

"What is it?" I ask, my heart beating against my chest.

"Cat," Finnick starts, as if he's warning me for what's about to come, only to be interrupted by Winter.

"Your parents," she says. "President Snow— he... well, you see, they—"

"They're gone, Cat."

Right after the words leave his mouth, I'm gone. The air in my lungs seem to disappear. I don't know how to breathe anymore, the pain is too real that it's physical.

My cheeks are hot, stained with salty tears and I can feel more pouring out but I don't bother to stop them. Finnick's face is stricken with sadness, grief, maybe even anger. Winter is just standing there, unable to move. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. Instead, a sob racks my body, making me so weak inside that I need to let myself fall to the ground.

"Cat? Listen to me. Listen," Finnick's voice is warm and safe, but I can barely hear him.

"You're gonna get through this, okay? I promise. I promise," he says into my ear, caressing the side of my face and holding me tight. His touch barely brings me comfort. I don't even know if anything will ever be able to. But I know it's all that is being done for now, so I let myself be weak. I let myself have another minute of weakness, then I attempt to dry my tears and release from Finnick's grasp.

"My sister," I finally manage to say, breathing in and out rapidly. "I need to see her. I need to see her now, I need to—"

Finnick grabs me and holds my wrists tightly. "Hey, hey, okay. Okay. We'll get you to see her."

"I— I can't—" I stammer, not even able to form a coherent sentence. My heart is racing against my chest again. Then I feel everything drain out of me, coming to the realization of something. I push Finnick's arms away and freeze like a statue.