I wake up and I bury myself beneath the sheets even further. It's cold. The air is frigid, and the new houses heater is broken. I guess we can go to X's house for some heat. Ever since I won the games, he's accepted our family back into his life. I get up and push Hanna over. She falls off the bed, and quickly sprawls to her feet. "What the hell, Adonis!" she shouts in a groggy confusion.
"Let's go to X's house," I tell her and she agrees. We get dressed, and I go to wake up Aries and Dad. They both decide to go over in a while, so just Hanna and I leave to X's. Hanna and I have been a couple ever since I had returned from the games. When interviews with Capital reporters started, I used Hanna as my cover. I had too. President Scar told me too. I wasn't supposed to show any feelings for Martha. Do I regret disrespecting Martha like this? Of course. I haven't really talked much about her since the interview in the Capital three months ago on the Victory Tour.
I hated it. I felt as if the tour were meant to torture me. So I could see all the faces of the family's whose children I killed, or died protecting me. Roxy's family was extended, and I never looked into the eyes of any of them. I did say a word about Roxy though. I told everyone that their children are all smart and resourceful, not just that but kind. I did the same in District 4. I told them that Crystal and Gammic were a team until the end. Not only did they think of each other, they also helped me out. Especially Crystal. She was the most generous person I've met.
I knock on X's door, and it takes a while before the door opens to show an older woman. Most likely around X's age. She leaves angrily, and I can tell that he had just had his way with her. I've done it to other girls too, but I kept it a secret from Hanna. When I walk inside, I call out for him. "Hey, X. It's me, Adonis, and Hanna!"
"I'll be right down, I'm getting dressed!" he yells back. We sit down in his kitchen, and Hanna starts to cook something for all of us. When he comes down he tells me about the girl who had just left. Apparently she was an old friend of his. She also didn't like being lied too. Then again, I don't think any girl would like a promised relationship only to be dumped after being used. That's my brother, I laugh to myself.
There's a knock on the door, and X leaves to open it. When he comes back, he comes back with Enobaria. An old victor from before the last rebellion. Apparently she's been in more than one Hunger Game, voluntarily. She's old, maybe around 80 but she's still fit enough to survive another games if she could. Here in the District 2 Victor's Village, there is a training facility for the Victors only. X and I go there a lot. Enobaria is a very wise woman, she was Destinique and X's mentor. She has razor-sharp teeth implanted into her mouth to commemorate the way she won. Just like I did, she ripped out the throat of another tribute.
About a month ago, X, Enobaria, and some other Hunger Games veterans convinced me to do the same. So I had the ends of my teeth adorned with stainless steel points. "Hello, Enobaria," I say.
"Hello, Adonis. How are the teeth?" she laughs.
"They're doing fine." Most girls are scared of the teeth, but they eventually get used to it. Plus it's not like I'm biting them when I kiss them.
"Enobaria, do you know what today is?" X asks excitedly. Enobaria nods.
"They are revealing the card of the Quarter Quell, today. They're having a showing of the reveal at the Justice Building,all of us are going to be there." Enobaria answers him. For some reason I'm just as excited as they are for this. I'm not going to ly, but I have grown a more twisted sense of humor since I had returned.
Hanna serves everyone food, and eventually Aries and Dad get here. We all laugh and have fun, and this really is the first time we acted like everything was okay, but was there ever a reason that everything wasn't okay. Aries and I rarely ever go out of the district anymore. We already have most of the food we ever needed. I've told my Dad that he doesn't ever have to work again, but he still works at the hospital. Aries and I still go out, but it's mainly just to walk around the mountains.
We would still go out of the fence just for fresher air, but since I got back from my Victory tour, they fences had been electrified beyond me. I can no longer grip the fence without feeling anything. Plus the only way to go over it would be to climb, and that wouldn't very pleasant on account of the spikes on it. President Scar made sure to have a crack down here.
The rest of the day before the showing of the reveal, Hanna and I make a trip to the top of the mountain. It was the first place she and I ever got to "know" each other. Ever since then, its been our favorite place to get to "know" each other. Every time we go up there she just loves to remind me that I was never in love with Martha, and that I was always in love with her. I always confirm it. When you tell a lie for so long it actually becomes the truth. I've said that I never had feeling for Martha so many times, that I already started to forget about her and the way she made me feel. Whatever that felt like
I ly down, and Hanna rest her head on my chest. We watch the clouds go by, and she talks about how happy she is with me. I agree with her, and she kisses me. It's better than it was when I first got back.
We return down the mountain and walk to the Justice Building. They are setting up for the reveal, and I see that seats are set up. I let Hanna go with her family, and I go with X, Aries, and Dad. "Where did you to go?" Aries asks me.
"Up to the mountains for some...fresh air." We both laugh because he knows what that means.
"How long are you going to be with her? You don't even like her." He asks quietly.
"When I get bored of getting to know her," I say and we laugh again. "Besides, we're not even a couple. I get to know other girls." He nods and then the screen starts to play the ceremony in the Capital. President Scar stands over a podium addressing the crowd and the districts. He reminds us that in the first quarter quell each district was to elect its two tributes. In the second one, the district had to give twice the number of tributes. Finally the third one was when two victors from each district returned to the arena for a second time around. That's when the rebellion started. Now were at the fourth quarter quell. Destinique sits down next to me, and she tells me to brace myself because this theme will put the kids I'm mentoring through hell. It's true. The kids will be in the arena along with a twist. I can't imagine doing any of the before said Quarter Quells.
A boy in a white robe goes up to him and Scar takes the card. He opens it, and I can see that some of the old Victors look excited. "On the one-hundreth anniversery, as a reminder to the rebels that they will be forced to remember and relive the damage they've caused, each district will elect four tributes, two female, two male, from the existing pool of victors."
My heart stops and I grab the closet thing next to me, which is Destinique's hand. She's tensed up just as much as me. I look around and see faces that accepted it. They have to elect four tributes from the pool of victors, and who is more capable than the younger kids. X, Destinique, and I.