Haymitch stood, head down, hands cupped in front of him as the empty coffin was lowered into the ground. Soft music drifting through the room. Effie and Katniss stood beside him. Annie just across the way. Everyone was crying.
Finnick had been a friend to many people, and Haymitch had been a very lucky man to know him. He was kind hearted, strong, brave and overall just a wonderful person. It was a shame to loose one of the best - and so young… but that’s war for you.
The music drifted away and so did the people. Until it was just himself and Annie left. Slowly he made his way over, laying a soft hand on the girls shoulder. There were no words, sorry wasn’t enough for a loss like this… he knew the pain of loosing someone you love. Bowing his head a little, he pecked her on the cheek, gave her shoulder a small squeeze and left.
She needed time.
Everyone did.
Annie had felt numb throughout the whole ceremony. The coffin was empty, so who could guarantee her that Finnick was really dead? There was no body, no proof of death other than the words of his so called friends, for whom he had died. Maybe he was somewhere out there? Maybe?
He isn’t in it, he isn’t in it, he isn’t in it. The words played over and over in her mind, as she watched the coffin being lowered into the ground, heard the distant voice of someone speaking, and other than that didn’t notice much of her surrounding. A few days ago, they had celebrated their wedding. They had exchanged vows to be by each other’s side until their last breath. Had his last breath really come that soon?
When Haymitch touched her shoulder and kissed her cheek, is pulled Annie out of her daze and she realized that everyone had already left. As the other victor followed the others, Annie stayed behind for a little longer, just to avoid talking to anyone. She waiting until the spectators were out of sight, and went back to her quarters, where Finnick’s clothes still rested among the laundry, where some of the wedding cake was still stored in the fridge and where his wedding gift to Annie rested on her nightstand. It was as if he would return home in a minute, only that he would not. Looking around, Annie fled the enclosing walls of her new home and wandered the corridors without a specific destination, because movement helped her keep control of herself.
