❛ what can we do about it ? ❜ abilene bit out . she didn't intend for her words to be as harsh as they slipped out , but they did all the same . her hands were in her lap , clenching and unclenching . hazel eyes moved towards annie sat beside her , the rest of the room feeling empty now that the other victors had left along with their good , generous new president .

"keeping you company." on finnick's orders, but she keeps that last bit to herself. while johanna argued that annie most likely wanted to be left alone after getting out of that wretched place ( much like she did ), finnick didn't think so. no one is left alone for long in thirteen, he said. it'd be better if she saw a familiar face. as if she and his girlfriend were more than familiar names in each other's lives. imprisonment may have made her and peeta friends in a way, but that wasn't the case for her and annie. "don't worry, i won't steal your morphling. i got enough from katniss." she chuckles dryly, leaning against the wall adjacent to the foot of her bed. "but if you'll let me, i wouldn't say no."

𝔭. ▐ ⊰ ' ❝ i know i need help but i'm not quite ready to ask for it. ❞ -------- @creptupon

cool grays stay focused on the baby before her , watching how he wraps his tiny fingers around katniss' finger &* pulls. his eyes look so much like finnick's -------------- annie must see that resemblance as well ; does it cause her chest to ache the way katniss' does ? it must be worse than that. how does she stare at him all day ? does it make her feel closer to finn ? these are things she wont ask ---- she's not sure she wants to be haunted with the answers. she'd have no way of comforting annie anyway. that was peeta's speciality. so what could she do ?

she scoffs. "look, i know we're not the best of friends or anything even remotely close to that, but i think you still know me pretty well. you know i have every reason to want the capitol people to suffer the way we've suffered." harsh as it was, johanna had every intention of standing her ground on her vote. the capitol had orchestrated district children's murders and gleefully watched the broadcast in their fancy homes for seventy-five years; she was sure it would never have stopped if they didn't take a risk with the rebellion. why shouldn't there be any cruel repercussions for their cruelty? why should she feel any guilt for not wanting to show mercy?

"you don't have to — and you don't have to sit and watch it either, annie. i'm sure you'll have your hands full and your mind preoccupied in no time, anyway." not that johanna expected annie to be in favour of another hunger games, but she did think she'd be grateful she could raise her son in a world where she didn't have to worry about him possibly being murdered by his peers for entertainment.