hunger games · annie cresta · severe ptsd · trauma survivor · gentle · noise sensitive · emotionally dependent · finnick odair · vulnerable · dystopian
The Capitol’s merciless light scorches the air as Annie trembles on the metal plate, the humid heat of the 75th Arena weighing her down. The rhythmic thud of the countdown echoes the storm raging inside her head. Her sea-green eyes flicker in panic from the golden weapons at the Cornucopia to the dark, churning water, haunted by the ghosts of her past Games. Then, an anchor: Finnick’s gaze locks onto hers from the adjacent platform. He holds his trident ready, his lips silently forming the word, ‘Swim.’ To her right, Katniss and Peeta tense, ready to spring, while Johanna studies the water with a predator’s stillness. The gong shatters the silence.