It has been 2 months after Alyne's death. The first month was agonizing, every thing I looked at seemed to remind me of her. Finally my dear dad, seeing my pain, asked for a week off from his job and took me out on a week-long camping trip, just me and him. We got back two days ago. I'll admit, I feel a lot better, I can breath now. Daytona has recovered as well. The silver necklace has not once left my neck. I am now back to my old routine. On week days I go to school. Do homework. Go hunting with dad, or sometimes alone when he has to work overtime. Help mom gather herbs and plants for meals.
On weekends, I get up early to go hunting. After I come back and have breakfast, I go to the Training Center and train until it gets dark. You can never be too prepared. After I am done, I usually either hang out with my friends or go home and watch an old Hunger Games video.
Tonight, after a long day of wrestling, axe throwing, sword-fighting and Archery, I settle down in my bed to watch my favorite Hunger Games movie, the 50th. Most of my friends have the 74th games as their favorite. If you ask them thier favorite Victor,they would usually either say Katniss or Peeta Mellark,because they gave us freedom. But if you ask me, I would say Haymitch Abernathy, because without him Katniss and Peeta would not have survived to give us that freedom. Even at a early age, Haymitch had fascinated me. His intelligence impressed me, as did his skill with knives. He is now happily married to Effie Trinket, who used to be the District 12 Escort. I have seen him around town, sometimes when I was trading some of my spare kills at the Hob and he was buying liquor or other things, and sometimes walking in the meadow with his wife or some of the Mellarks. He seemed content, happy even. Nothing compared to the drunk falling off the stage in the 74th reaping video.
Daytona teases me sometimes about it. "Ooh,"She'll say,in the most annoying voice,"You like Victor Abernathy."
Gross. That's not even close to what it is. In fact, the thought bothers me more that it probably should.
After the video, I turn off the TV and get ready for bed.
I crawl into my bed,hair still wet from the shower, and close my eyes.
You need to be well rested for tomorrow.
That thought pops into my head suddenly,unintentionally.
Hmm,weird.
Today is Sunday, so after hunting and breakfast, I go off to train before the week-end ends. I decide to dedicate all of today to bomb science. You never know when that might come in handy. I study several different kinds of explosives. I practice de-activating bombs, re-activating landmines, and emptying Grenades of their explosive powder. Fortunately they have "Practice" bombs, which instead of blowing you up into a million pieces, only spray out a red liquid everywhere when it is unsuccessfully handled.
Today, i manage to get away with only "blowing up myself" two times with a landmine, and once with a bomb.
Since my mom always hates it when I track things throughout the house, I rid myself or the red liquid in one if the Center's showers. I use a change of clothes that I keep in my locker there.
After saying good-bye to my friends, I head home. When I get there, there is a note taped to the door.
Your father and I are going to gather some things out in the forest.
We should come home soon after you do.
Love,Mom
After reading it, I fold it up and stick it into my back pocket. I walk to a bush lining the house and reach into it, pulling out a key wedged between two of the branches. I make my way back to the door.
Just as the key touches the door knob, an enormous explosion goes off. The ground begins to shake as I whirl around, my hands going to cover my ears. I spot a dark mushroom cloud in the distance. By now the ground is shaking so hard that I fall to the ground. The bomb was fairly small, and far out in the woods enough that it would not effect the town.
The woods ... No.
I look back up to the cloud in utter terror. Slowly,my muscles slack,and I slump against the door. Because I know.
I know that a bomb that was not meant to hurt anybody landed deep in the woods.
I know that my parents chose the wrong day to do something they don't usually do together.
I know that I will never see my parents alive again.
So I do the only thing I really can. I wait for a peacekeeper to come and confirm what I already know.