Stay with me? [Finnick Odair]

111

༻❁༺
Chapter one hundred and eleven
༻❁༺

The next morning, I wake to a knock at my door. Finnick and Mae are still asleep, it's barely dawn and there's someone at my door. I groan, peeling the soft blankets from my skin and padding my way across the floor to the wooden door of my room. My eyes catch sight of the books that are strewn across the floor. My first instinct is to quickly put them away, but then I remind myself of the person waiting at the door and I put my hand on the handle. Opening the door, I see Cosmo standing there with a soft smile on his face.

He has a large bag with him, one that has an array of makeup brushes poking out the little pockets. I realise that today must be the day of the execution. Coin has sent Cosmo to remake me into something beautiful.

"Morning, Sparrow," he jokes, stepping into the room. I close the door behind him and he turns back to me, seeing the glare on my face, he nods and promptly sets his makeup bag down on a dresser. "Okay, not funny. I get it."

I sigh, combing a hand through my knitted hair. "Sorry, I guess my humour isn't exactly what it was," I mumble, sitting down on the couch that is pressed up against the window. Cosmo joins me, draping his arm over the back of the couch, he takes his other hand and runs his fingers across my jaw gently; turning my head to face him and carefully inspecting my disfigured skin. "I guess it's time for you to make me look pretty," I say, only half joking, and Cosmo's lips twitch upwards but I can see the sadness behind the browns of his eyes as he moves from the couch to grab his makeup bag.

"I guess you wouldn't believe me if I said you already are pretty," he says to me. I feel like coming from anyone else that would be a cutting remark, but coming from Cosmo all I can do is laugh.

"You know me so well," I reply, making him chuckle at me.

"I'm thinking... brown," he mumbles to himself, combing through whatever makeup supplies he managed to salvage. I laugh, rolling my eyes at the obvious remark, and then Cosmo quickly gets to work on making me presentable for the cameras. He quickly applies a light layer of natural coloured eyeshadow, making a smoky effect on my eyelid, and then applies some nude lipstick and a light brushing of highlighter powder on my cheekbones before moving onto my hair. He gives it a quick cut, making sure the ends are even before styling it. He plaits my hair along the edge of where it was shaved, bringing it back and curling it around the half bun situated at the back of my head; he carefully pulls out thin strands of my hair to frame my face and then curls the ends at the back of my head to give it that 'natural wave' look — at least, that's what he tells me as he works his magic.

Once I'm all made up, he takes my Sparrow suit from the closet and I'm allowed to go into the bathroom to change.

I step out of the bathroom, completely changed, and when he sees how I look in his outfit he looks like he's about to cry. I don't think I've ever seen Cosmo cry, so I don't know how to react when I see tears threatening to spill over his cheeks.

"That's exactly how I imagined you would look wearing the suit," he whispers, moving closer to me and carefully tugging at the sleeves; looking over his masterpiece. "I just never imagined you would look this... fierce," he adds, his voice cracking as he speaks, then carefully grabbing a cloth from his bag and dabbing his eyes — making sure not to wipe away or smudge his own makeup. "Oh, I'm sorry for getting so emotional. I'm just remembering the fifteen-year-old girl who thought she would never make an impression."

I laugh, shaking my head as I looked down at my outfit. I've worn it before now, but this is the moment I realise just how Cosmo envisioned me the moment he met me. The fierce leader of the rebellion. He knew it would happen, even years before it actually happened, he chose me to be the Sparrow because he knew how I would be able to change Panem. Even if it was just me — and not me acting as Katniss' right hand woman — he knew I could handle it.

"Look where I am now," I say with a laugh, sitting back down on the couch and smiling towards Cosmo. He joins me and we both fall into a silence as Cosmo tries to fix his makeup. There are so many things I want to say to him in this moment, I want to thank him for everything he's ever done for me, for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself, but none of the words seem to surface. So, I lean my head on his shoulder. He chuckles, wrapping his arm around me, and we both sit in a comfortable silence for a few moments.

"Oh," Cosmo says after a while. I lift my head up and he digs in his makeup bag. "I forgot. I found this a while ago, I've been waiting for the right time to return it to you," he mumbles while digging in the front pocket of the bag, digging around the different brushes and such, he then pulls something out and hands it to me. I look down to his open palm. Seeing the small chain necklace shining back at me, I can't help but laugh as I take it in my hands.

My thumb runs across the small bird charm, my lips pulling themselves into an absentminded smile as I stare down at it. Just seeing that familiar small bird brings back all the memories that I have linked to this necklace over the years. The reaping, when I received the necklace from Annie, the first time it ever made an impact on my life, and then everything else after — the tribute parade, the outfit that I wore for the interviews in the Quarter Quell — everything comes rushing back to me. All those moments that were centred around this tiny symbol was what led to me being one of the faces of the rebellion.

It's strange to think something so small could lead to something so spectacular.

I can't help imagining what would've happened if I hadn't received this necklace from Annie. Maybe I would be leading a normal life in Thirteen with Finnick right now, living as the normal husband and wife — well, as normal as one can get in this day and age. Maybe I wouldn't have even become a soldier, never been made to go on the mission that led to today, and maybe I would've never met Parker... which means Finnick might have died in those sewers if I didn't become friends with Parker. The small, seemingly meaningless gesture of Annie handing me this necklace is what made all of this happen...

She's the reason I became the Sparrow.