Secrets of the Sea | Finnick Odair

- chapter 7 -

CORDELIA

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present the winner of the 65th Hunger Games, Finnick Odair!"

Hearing those words had been a dream.

Finnick had won, and he was coming home.

Even from Finnick's room, she could hear his parent's joy. His mother's sobs of relief. It felt only second to her own. She could remember the group hug so tight that Finnick's father had to push away from it. The girls had stayed in each other's grasp, tears flowed freely and their comfort was shared.

That was two days ago now.

Because he hadn't been very injured, he hadn't needed as much recovery time. All he had to do was the victor interview with Ceaser and he could return home. Finnick had even brought up how excited he was to come home.

His train would be arriving any minute now. Cordelia stood with his parents, his mother had braided her hair for her. It wasn't as good as Finnick's was, but it never would be. Nothing would ever beat Finnick. She fiddled with the strands that had fallen loose, attempting to brush them back behind her ears but giving up when they returned to her face.

There were cameras everywhere, ready to capture every moment of the young victor's return. When the train pulled in it was like everyone went crazy. Cheering so loud Cordelia almost covered her ears, but when she saw Finnick she just froze. He stared back at her. It was as though nothing else existed, nothing else mattered. They were together again.

Tears welled in her eyes and maybe they did in Finnick's too. If they did she couldn't tell. Cordelia wiped hers away, careful to not cry on Finnick's cardigan. It was folded and tucked into her arms, protecting it from the amount of people everywhere. If she'd known it would be so busy she would've just left it at home and given it to him later. But she promised to give it back once he returned. And now he had.

The cameras forced the crowd of District Four that had gathered to stay back, and the peacekeepers present kept a watchful eye over everything. But the space between him and them was left open, allowing for a smooth reunion. His parents were right beside her, eagerly awaiting their son's return. They were practically standing with open arms. So why did it feel as though they were the only two people there?

Instead of his parents, Finnick's gaze was directly on Cordelia. He didn't blink. As if doing so meant she would disappear. He was only a few steps away from her when he slowed.

"Delia..." Her name was nothing more than a whisper, but it meant everything.

"Finn." She breathed out in response, smiling up at the boy.

In two large steps, he was in front of her and his strong arms pulled her into his chest. Despite it being just like every other hug they'd ever had, this one felt different. No, it was different. Finnick had survived the Hunger Games. He was now a victor. He was alive. That meant more to Cordelia than she had ever realized before. Sure, training was dangerous but he'd never been deathly injured. There was never a chance he might die.

Cordelia tightened her grip. She could feel Finnick doing the same.

...

˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙

...

After their hug, Finnick hugged his parents, there were some tears courtesy of his mother. There had been somewhat of a small interview with Finnick once the family hug was over, where he just expressed his excitement to be at home, and just as soon as the cameras had been set up, they were gone.

It felt like a waste to set all that up for such a small amount of footage, but all that mattered was that it was all over. Finnick was home and they could go back to how life was before.