The muscles in my arms and shoulders screamed at me as I pulled back the axe and swung it down again. The blade cut through the wood cleanly, leaving two halves. The smell of wet wood filled my nostrils and I sighed, closing my eyes, letting the scent clear my mind. The forest was silent, aside from the continuing sound of axes cutting through wood. There were at least ten other District 7 workers lined up next to me, all of their muscles straining at the hard labour. Don't get me wrong, compared to other districts, like 12, we have it easy. Great in fact. Not quite Capitol, but it wasn't awful. And we weren't starving.
The sudden song of a Mockingjay pierced through the silence and I looked up into the green foliage, trying to spot the beautiful bird. I found it on a branch nearby. It appeared to be observing our work and I frowned slightly. The Capitol had created these creatures by mating jabberjays and mockingbirds. I didn't trust them. I didn't trust anything manufactured by the Capitol. I observed the bird further, and my dislike deepened. Not only did the Capitol create this bird, but Katniss Everdeen seemed to have adopted it as her token. The Girl on Fire, I thought bitterly.
"Five minutes!" The Peacekeeper overseeing the chopping of the wood barked. His voice was harsh and I grimaced. I hated the Peacekeepers just as much as I hated the Capitol… and Katniss Everdeen. With a sigh of relief, I dropped the axe with a loud clump, and stood up straight, groaning as my back complained. I stretched and flicked my brown hair off of my slick forehead. I was sweating in places I never thought you could sweat from. I felt disgusting.
As I gathered up my chopped wood, I reflected on how grateful I was that I had been handling an axe my entire life. I knew that if I hadn't, I would be finding this work extremely challenging. District 7… we are the district of lumber, which we provide for the Capitol. Without my skills to wield an axe, I would never have won the 71st Hunger Games and for that, I am grateful.
The people around me started walking in line, back to the lumber mills, holding their piles of cut wood. I stepped into place, ignoring the wide berth everyone else gave me. Ever since winning the Games, people treated me differently. It was to be expected, but it still got on my nerves. Ahead, two Peacekeepers led us to the mills and we walked in silence. One wrong move and the Peacekeepers would have our throats.
"Mason!" I looked up to see a Peacekeeper glaring down at me. I realised I'd stopped walking and I bit my lip, staring defiantly back at the evil man. I couldn't see his eyes as they were covered by a black visor. Peacekeepers wore traditional white helmets, with a matching white uniform. By his side a baton was strapped and I eyed it warily. I've seen them use it before. It doesn't happen often in District 7 but I've seen what happens in other districts. Although, I doubt they would attack a former Victor. Too much outrage from the Capitol.
"Yes?" I asked. We stared at each other for a moment more. I was aware of other people watching but I wasn't going to back down. No way.
"Get back in line," the Peacekeeper said finally, turning back around to bark more orders. I let out a breath and tried to calm my pounding heart. Getting back in line, I was eager to be rid of the wood so I could head back home to the Victor's Village. After winning the Games, Victor's had a special place to live. The houses were considerably nicer than the rest of District 7 but it was lonely. Not many people from District 7 win the Hunger Games. I also had no family left to live with me so I was on my own most of the time. Loneliness was the only reason I went to work chopping wood. Being a Victor meant I was stupidly rich and I didn't have to do what every other person in District 7 did every day. I only chose to go to work as a distraction.
After discarding the wood, I headed back into town with the others. It was a relief to exit the forest's hairline and see the smoke of chimney's in the distance. I've had enough of green for today. I walked through town and shivered as the sun started to go down, a chilling breeze drafting through the alleyways. At every turn, at least two Peacekeepers kept guard, their batons at the ready. I kept walking with my head down. I didn't want an unwelcome run in. All I wanted was a hot shower and a good night sleep.
I hurried past homes with their lights still on, warmth emanating from the doorways. I passed the bakery and the gorgeous smell of fresh bread wafted into my nostrils and my stomach growled almost embarrassingly. Why did the Victor's Village have to be on the very edge of District 7?
After another ten minutes of walking, arms wrapped around my torso and struggling against the sudden wind that had picked up, I finally reached the outskirts of town which held the gate that led to the Victor's Village. The large, iron gate creaked loudly when I pushed it open and I winced at the noise. It was similar to that of a nail being scratched against a chalkboard. I stood for a second, at the border of the village and once again, marvelled at the luxury of it all. There were six, large mansions on either side of me, being twelve in total, with a water fountain in the middle of the village that was constantly spouting water. It was intricate in design and I appreciated the amount of work it would have taken to create such a thing. However, I found the constant water flowing from it a waste. Why couldn't they save that water and give it to the districts that needed it?
Shaking my head, I went to the front door of my house and opened it. It was dark and gloomy, the silence reverberating in my head. The longer I stood there, the more my heart sunk and the loneliness really set in. I sighed and went in, flipping on the lights. That brightened the place up a bit and I went into the lounge. My eyes immediately set on the large TV screen adorned on the wall. Every room in this house had a TV in it. Compliments from the Capitol. Without really thinking about it, I flipped the screen on. There were no channels, only what the Capitol chose to let you see. Right now, they were replaying Katniss Everdeen's win of the latest Hunger Games, the 74th. The two victor's had been doing the Victory Tour where they stopped at every district to give their condolences. It had been showing on TV for the past year. I was getting sick of seeing Katniss Everdeen's overly happy face. I scowled at the screen as the brunette and that stupid boy, Peeta Mellark, held hands. They were being interviewed by Caesar Flickerman (his hair was blue this time).
"I couldn't imagine a life without him-" Katniss was saying with her sickly sweet smile and those puppy dog eyes. I refrained the urge to throw up.
"For God's sake!" I yelled at the screen. "It's been almost a year since they won! Give it a fucking break!" I wanted to punch something but I settled for throwing a pillow at the wall. "Such bullshit." I walked to the kitchen and pulled out some bread from the pantry, and chewed on it. It wasn't particularly fresh but I was too lazy to buy some more. Against my better judgement, I went and sat back down in front of the TV, cursing the Capitol some more. I turned the volume up and settled back into the cushions, feeling my muscles relax.
"I'm going to be so sore tomorrow," I muttered.
"Capitol announcement," the TV suddenly screeched out and I turned my attention to the screen. Caesar Flickerman appeared, this time his hair was dyed purple and he had a giant grin on his face. My stomach sank. Whatever news the Capitol thought was good, never was for the rest of us.
"Good evening Districts of Panem," cheers and claps sounded from the Capitol audience behind him. "Tonight is a very exciting night!"
"Sure," I scoffed picking at my nails. God I needed a shower.
"As you all know, it's the 75th Annual Hunger Games this year!" More cheers. "Which means, drum roll please," there was a drum roll and I rolled my eyes. "…the Third Quarter Quell!" My eyes widened and my stomach dropped completely. The bread I was chewing on fell in my lap, forgotten.
"Shit…" I whispered. The audience on the TV was going wild, much like my heart was right now. The Third Quarter Quell… who knows what they would have cooked up for this. The thought of it brought dread and I closed my eyes, trying to control my breathing.
"It's okay. You'll be mentoring as usual, that's all," I told myself. Because I was a Victor, every annual Hunger Games I had to mentor the two tributes that came from my district. I hated it. It was the worst feeling in the world to get to know these kids, only to have them die later on. It made you feel responsible. I could completely understand why Haymitch from District 12 indulged himself on alcohol. If only I could find a way to forget everything like that. With a sigh, I switched the TV off and stood up, making my way upstairs to the bathroom. I decided to have a bath. I ran the hot water and sat in it, feeling my muscles ache. It felt incredible though, to have all the sweat and dirt wash off of me. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
"Stop thinking Johanna, it won't help anything," I murmured and sank lower into the bath, letting the hot water wash over my face. I came back up and grabbed a sponge, slowly dragging it across my skin. I scrubbed at my arms and examined the many scars adorning them. All marks from the Hunger Games. In my mind's eye, I watched myself throw the deadly axe at the last remaining tribute. It buried in his back and he fell forward, his eyes unseeing. I gasped and closed my own eyes, tears building at the back of them.
"Fuck them," I sobbed. "I will get the Capitol back. They will know the pain they've caused," I vowed.
I stayed in the bath until the water ran cold and my skin turned wrinkly. I heaved myself out of the tub and drained the dirty water, wrapping a towel around myself. I glimpsed at myself in the mirror and was shocked at how empty and sore my eyes looked.
"Jesus," I muttered touching my face, hardly believing that the person I was looking at was me. My brown hair was plastered against my face, and I dropped my towel, looking at how skinny I was. My collar bones and ribs were protruding out and I swallowed, touching myself gently. "I look like a ghost." I shook my head and gathered up my towel again, drying my hair and walking into my bedroom. It was my favourite room out of the entire house. It was large, and comfortable and the bed was to die for. I collapsed onto the sheets and felt weariness over take me.
The last thought I had was of Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire.