Disclaimer - not my characters. Just playing with the chsracters that have been hainting me since my re-read.
In the Beginning
"On the seventy-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol" Snow continues "The male and female tributes will be reaped from the existing pool of victor's families"
Icy wind bites at me as I dart out of the house and into the cold winter night. I don't know how but I find myself in the kitchen of our old house. It smells musty and abandoned – as if our family hadn't been here in years. Had it really only been a few months since I left the arena, sure my family was as safe as they could ever be? Full bellies for the first time in years, a roof that didn't leak, hot showers at the turn of a knob..I had let my guard down, even after my visit from Snow.
Hours pass in frozen silence. If tears could drown a person, I'd be dead by now. Every time I felt like the hot tears would stop coming, my throat closed and my eyed welled again. I know, without any doubts, that this Quarter Quell announcement is punishment to me. The Girl on Fire that sparked rebellions across some districts. I laugh bitterly. And my shoulders slump. My fire has been stamped out, doused in the sorrow my soul feels. Because of my stunt with the berries, making Hunger Games history as 1 of 2 victors, Prim is going to the arena. A picture of Prim, sleeping next to Lady when she first came home, comes to mind. I know the games will destroy her if she makes it home. I gnaw at my lip, something clawing at my brain begging to be acknowledged How can I keep Prim alive in the arena knowing she will never be able to take a life? That missing piece of information is knocking, just begging to be let in
Gale. It hits me like a ton of bricks. While he is not really my cousin, everyone in the Capitol believes he isHe's too old to go into the Games but his brother's Vick and Rory are not. I slam my fist against the counter, angry at Haymitch and Effie for deciding to label Gale as family, putting a target on the Hawthorne's back.
I hear my name in the distance. It sounds like Peeta. I decide to ignore him. I shouldn't. I know I would find comfort in his arms. It's been awkward since the engagement but I can't think of that now. I tug at my braid impatiently. I have to get a plan together before it's too late. We could run. We could escape into the woods and live out of the eye of the Capitol. The image of the red haired Avox comes to mind without permission. If we were ever caught, it'd be certain death for me.
I wonder how long I've been gone. Prim will probably start getting worried soon. Prim! I've been so caught up in my own sorrow that I've left her to deal with this alone. I should go back. My brain knows I should. My heart knows I should. But my feet won't budge. And all of the sudden, the tears begin again. I feel overwhelmed and sick to my stomach. Somewhere in the Capitol I know Snow is smiling. He finally found a way to clip the wings of the Mockingjay that mocked him so mercilessly.
I gambled when I decided to defy the rules of the Games, betting recklessly but instinctively knowing that they would rather have 2 Victor's than none. And I was right. Maybe that's why this hurts so much. Every fiber in my being is screaming at me. If Prim somehow manages to win the Quarter Quell - she'll be broken like me. The girl who cried over a small wormy cat would never emotionally survive the trauma of killing a human. If she dies in that arena - I die with her.
Snow has won.