Chapter One: A Year's Aftermath

Liana gasped as she woke up, curled up tight in a ball on her bed. She let out a loud scream as the memories came rushing back to her. She was in the arena, there was no firewood, and she was dying. Marble was going to kill her. He was after her, because she fought back. She showed him that she wasn't as weak as everyone originally thought. "No! No! Don't kill me!" Liana screamed over and over, crying as she kicked out in her bed. Sweat had formed on her brow as she continued, in a frenzy after her nightmare.

Suddenly, though, there were strong arms wrapped around her small body. Liana kicked and struggled for another moment, before relaxing against the person who was now beside her. She rested her head on his bare chest, and wasn't fazed as she realized who it was. Finnick Odair, her new neighbor. He often kept his windows open, and one of the downsides was that he could hear most things going on in the Victor's Village. That meant that for the past year, Finnick has heard Liana's screaming. Though instead of complaining, he was there for her. He knew Liana kept her door unlocked, and would rush inside to comfort her when he heard her wake up so frantically. They were close, since he was her mentor for the arena just last year.

Finnick stroked Liana's bright red hair as she sniffled, her tears stopping. "I-I'm sorry, Finnick," She responded softly once she came back to her senses.

"It's no problem, Lee. I get it, I really do," Finnick told her, not moving just yet. He just stayed there with her. Because he knew how she felt. He knew that the nightmares she had to deal with were probably similar to his in that they both were about the arenas they had to endure.

It was surprising to Liana that these people here cared about her. Finnick came by when she had nightmares, Mags acted like a mother to her, and then the sister she hadn't spoken to in three years. Then, of course, her best friend, Cressida, who had won the 69th Hunger Games. Liana shivered a bit at those words. The Hunger Games.

Every year, two poor souls from each district were forced into an arena, where they would fight until there was one person left. It was a sick and twisted way to keep them all in line, courtesy of the Capitol. The winner, or Victor, got riches for life, moved into a house in the Victor's village, and earned their district a year's worth of rations. It seemed pretty awesome, right? But then you were stuck mentoring the other tributes for the rest of your life, or at least until someone with the same gender in your district wins after you. The Victors were left with nightmares, and mental scars from their experiences. It was a sick trade-off.

"I just don't know how we'll get through it this year," Liana whispered, nearly silent. She hardly ever spoke loudly anymore. When she did, it was in public where she was forced to act okay. It was completely awful, but she was dealing with it in her own way.

Every single one of the victors had their way of dealing with the memories. People from District Six often got their hands on a heavy medicine called morphine. Some others turned to alcohol or just sleeping when they could. Some victors went a little insane, like Annie. Some others seemed perfectly okay, though they were mostly from Districts One and Two.

There was a silence that lasted what seemed forever, until Finnick spoke up, making Liana jump a bit in surprise. "Just take it one step at a time. Don't look at everything we have to do, but rather, that first thing. We find out who our tributes our tomorrow. That's what we need to focus on, all right? I'll help you through the rest," Finnick explained, kissing her temple once before standing up from where he was sitting.

"All right," Liana responded, biting on her lower lip. "I think I'm going to visit Cressida today."

"Well, I'll be over at Annie's with Mags if you need one of us. Okay?" Finnick asked, raising one of his eyebrows in slight concern.

"I will," Liana replied before Finnick left the room. She could hear the front door downstairs open and then shut a few seconds later. That meant that Finnick had left the house. Liana waited for a moment before deciding to get ready for the day. She made the bed and then stepped into the bathroom that was connected to her room.

The bathroom itself was large, even larger than her old bedroom back at her parents' house. Liana sighed a bit as she thought about it. She hadn't spoken to her parents since the big argument right after she won. Her dad wouldn't let her back inside the house. It was an awful argument that day, that left Liana crying at her sister's place. She remembered exactly what they had called her. A murderer. They said she killed that last boy in cold blood. They would rather a dead innocent daughter than a living murderer.

Liana peeled her pajamas off, not wanting to think about the topic for very long. It hurt so bad to think about it, and so she just tried to pretend it never happened. They didn't think those things about her. They couldn't. Liana was still their youngest daughter. They had to love her.

Stepping into the shower, Liana let the hot water run down her back. It soaked her red hair, plastering it to the back of her neck. Showers were a time for Liana to forget reality, to just relax and pretend all the awful things had never happened to her or her friends. She never wanted to leave that save haven. In the shower, the Hunger Games didn't exist. Neither did starvation, death, violence. None of it. It was just the warm water and the thought of safety. Liana shut her eyes at the thought, content in that moment.

She swung it in a curving arch, and the boy tried to duck. But he was too late, and the blade swung right into his temple. His blood spurted on Liana, covering her with the blame of his death.

"No!" She screamed, gasping and coming out of her reverie. She let out a single sob as she clutched the wall of the shower, gasping as she tried to calm herself. But she couldn't. That image was burned into her memory, something she'll never forget or get over. "No."

Liana shut off the water and stepped out, wrapping a black towel around herself. She held it with one hand as she stepped back out into her bedroom to grab some clothes for the day. She was left in a sort of stupor, moving slowly like a zombie. She just stared ahead, trying not to cry. I just killed him, Liana thought, I killed him so I could live.

The gray t-shirt was comfortable and silky against Liana's skin. The black shorts showed off enough of her legs so she wouldn't sweat a lot, but it wasn't revealing. They were just as comfortable. Liana glanced down at her leg, right where the sword had once rested. She ran her fingertips over the spot. There was no mark from it. It should have scarred, but the Capitol erased any memory of the Games from her physical appearance. Even though Liana had just gotten her figure back a couple of months ago. But there was one thing they couldn't erase, even with time. The mental scars left on each victor. Nobody forgot who they killed, or their arena they had to survive. Nobody came out the same person they went in as. That was just what happened in an event as tragic as the Hunger Games.

Liana slipped on a small locket that was her token last year. It was silver and when you opened it, there was glass inside the heart. Behind the glass, was a small bit of sand. A bit of home wherever she went.

Liana was ready as she walked down the stairs, grabbing a biscuit off of the counter. She had gotten some the previous evening at the town square. They were very flaky and had many herbs and seaweed that made it delicious. It was something she'd grown up with, and so she would always love those biscuits. Liana took a small bite of one as she walked out of her house, and down the street. The sun felt great on her damp hair, warming her arms and legs. She could hear the ocean to her left, and could hear the laughter where the beach was. So many kids went down to the beach after and before school. Liana and Annie had as kids. She remembered the details.

The large house of her friend appeared in front of Liana soon enough. Cressida Borman won when she was eighteen years old. Five years later, and she is just as immature as before. That was what made the two girls such close friends. That despite the three-year age gap, they could still act the same and connect with each other. It was nice having a friend who understood her completely. Liana knocked on the door, and she could hear loud stomping inside.

"I told you already, I don't want-Oh, hi, Lee, I thought you were someone else," Cressida began to yell, though calmed down as she saw who it was.

Liana didn't question her friend's behavior, knowing about the temper she gained after the arena. "Hi, Cress. Do you want to go down to the beach today?" She asked, tilting her head to the side a bit.

"Yeah! You wanna invite Kenton?" Cressida asked, smiling a bit more at the thought. She loved the beach.

"Of course!" Liana giggled, shaking her head. When she was with Cressida and Kenton, all of her worries just seemed to go away for a moment. Kenton was Cressida's cousin, and was a year younger than Liana, being eighteen years old. He wasn't a victor, but Liana was so glad. He had too bright a personality, and she didn't want the arena to ruin that.

"Okay, let's go then," Her friend smiled, stepping out of her house and closing the door. She wore jean shorts and a red tank top that was obviously worn. Her black hair hung around her shoulders in large curls. Cressida's blue eyes were sharp and held her emotions inside them. Any of her friends were used to this, but few could actually pick out how Cressida was feeling. Sadly, Liana just was not one of them. She was terrible with emotions, and probably always would be. Kenton, however, seemed to pick out anyone's emotions so easily. He knew exactly what they were feeling.

Soon enough, the two girls had begun walking out of the Victor's Village, and down towards where Kenton's house would be. He still lived with his parents, having not found a girlfriend yet to occupy his time. They lived on the poorer side of the district, but that didn't bother the two victors. Instead, that made them want to help him and his family even more. But Kenton always refused, saying that they were fine where they were.

"So, Liana, how are you feeling? I mean, about being a mentor this year?" Cressida asked, glancing over at her friend.

Normally, Liana hated questions like that. But she would open up to her closest friend. She shrugged a bit, her emotions hard to decipher. She was scared, yet a bit excited, and somehow dreaded the experience all at once. "I'm not sure. I mean, I don't want two lives in my hands. Especially if I could know them," She responded, looking out at the town square. It was busy, full of chattering people. There were carts where people were selling things like fish, or even jewelry. This was the busiest and more lively place in District Four, and Liana absolutely loved it.

"Yeah, I can understand that. I mean, I knew Annie when I mentored her. I didn't know you, but from what your sister said, I could tell you were related to her," Cressida explained, turning her head away and looking ahead as well. They maneuvered expertly through the crowds, as they'd done this every other day. The two usually got Kenton and did something all together. Go to the square, one of their houses, or more commonly, the beach.

Cressida had been both of the Cresta sisters' mentor. Annie should have mentored Liana, but she was mentally incapable to. Well, the Capitol didn't officially say it, but Cressida could tell that Annie couldn't mentor. So for three years straight, Cressida volunteered to take over Annie's role. That was how she met Liana. At first, they didn't get along at all. It was awful. But it was a tough goodbye before the arena. It was an even larger reunion.

Liana smiled a bit as a memory came to her mind, and she glanced over at Cressida. "Do you remember that dinner after the interviews? Where I got so mad at you that I-"

"-threw that glass of orange juice at me? Yeah, I remember," Cressida finished with a laugh, shaking her head. "I was so mad. But that was when I thought you had a chance. You know, because you could stand up for yourself, you had spunk. I hit a nerve with you, and it was the wrong thing to say, but it gave me a burst of confidence in you."

"Really? Throwing a glass of orange juice? In that case, I'll do it more often," Liana joked in reply. Her red hair fell into her eyes a bit, and she brushed it away calmly.

"No, no, that's not necessary," Cressida responded with a laugh, walking up to a small house. She knocked on the door, and a boy around Liana's age answered. He had black hair that sometimes fell into his bright green eyes. He was a bit taller than Liana and Cressida both. Kenton. "Hi, Kent, do you want to go down to the beach with us?"

"Yeah, I was about to head down there soon anyway," Kenton said with a small laugh. "How are you doing, Lee?"

Liana shrugged with a small smile on her face. "Pretty good, actually." So with that, the three of them began their walk down to the beach, which encircled the southern side of the district. It was huge, and the sand and water were absolutely beautiful together.

When they got to the beach, it had begun getting less crowded. It was time for the kids to go back for lunch, so only adults and teenagers were left there. The sun was warming up the sand, making it hurt a bit on Liana's feet. But she was so used to it, that she didn't comment on it once. Instead, she ran out into the middle of it, plopping down in a laying position on the ground, staring up at the bright blue sky. Soon, Kenton and Cressida had joined her.

"This is great," Kenton blurted out after a moment of long and content silence.

"It really is," Cressida added, a small smile already on her face. Liana knew that she must be pretty happy. Cressida only really smiled around Kenton and Liana.

"I just want to lay here forever," Liana commented, smiling in perfect content. She forgot about the arena, and being a victor and murderer.

"I don't want to go to the Reaping tomorrow," Kenton murmured. It was his last year, but he still had three younger brothers to worry about. His older brother is perfectly safe from the name calling, and even has a wife and a little daughter. Liana worried about his family, they had four kids to worry about now, and at least one other in five years. What if one of the kids got picked?

Cressida's smile had disappeared at the Reaping being mentioned. She hated it, and always will. "Don't worry, everyone will be safe. There are so many people here in Four."

"I know, I just can't help but worry," Kenton responded. "But let's not think about it."

So they didn't. The two victors and one citizen simply laid in the sand for hours. They left each other to their own thoughts, and each were perfectly fine with it. Nobody worried about bad thoughts, as with each other, they were just content.

Hi! This is the author! So, this was basically to show the connection between a few people, to get background knowledge on the main character, you know. I'm thinking this will eventually be a Gloss/OC story, but don't worry, it will have much more than romance in this fic. I know where I want to go with this. I haven't written the other chapters out yet, but I have a vague idea for some, okay? Well, I really hope you enjoyed this! I would love to hear your thoughts, ideas, criticism, anything! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time I write!