Chapter 4
"Where am I?", I say loudly. I'm standing on a platform, like the ones in the Arena. I look around and I see that the other platforms are filled with the rest of the Elites. "No, this isn't happening again!", I yell out as an explosion rings out. "Sestra!", I yell out seeing the same image I saw that day when she exploded. I see Persia running towards the Cornucopia, just like Excalibar, and Kessie and everyone else. I stay completely still. I see Persia, until Caston is running up to her with a spear in his hand. I close my eyes and when I open them, I'm sitting next to Persia and she's asking me to sing to her, and I am. Her eyes are closed and she's dead. I close my eyes, and I open them. I see Exalibar on the floor with a sword in his chest, and I close my eyes again, and I relive the spear landing in him. I relive all the horrors I lived in those days in the arena.
I finally wake up screaming. This time I expect to see Akiliya or my parents or maybe even Arslo to come in through the door and tell me everything is fine. But it isn't. And they don't. I get up and take a shower. I get dressed and this afternoon I have to get ready to sing the Capital Anthem. I walk to the dining hall which is empty and I eat a small meal. When I'm done I walk to the elevator and go to the top floor. I find a ledge and sit. The sun has already risen, so I missed out on getting this intense feeling of loving memories. I'm sitting, and I hear a noise from the greenhouse, it was a falling pot.
Deja vu, I think to myself, "Is anyone there!", I yell out. Nothing. I turn back to the ledge and I hear a purr. It was a cat and it had big, brown eyes just like Derma. It even had light brown fur like Derma's hair. I call it over and it obliges. I pick it up, and walk over to the ledge to sit. The cat gets scared and it gets closer to me. "It's okay, the forcefields are to powerful to let us fall, we'll just bounce right back up here.", it calms it a little. "What are you doing up here little fella?", I ask and it meows as a response. "You know you remind me a lot of one of my old friends, Derma. I think you would of liked her, you two look a lot a like.", I begin to talk to it and it purrs and meows. "Look at me I'm talking to a cat. You know what? You've earned yourself a name, how about Veronica!", it licks it's paws, and I take it as a yes. "Well, I wish you the best of luck Veronica, but I have to go!", I realize it's almost time for me to get ready.
I rush downstairs and I meet Posiden at the elevator. He gives me the suit and I'm sent on my way.
Later on, I wait backstage where I will preform and I think about all that I've gone through to get here to this spot in the Capital. I should be defending the Hunger Games Winner with all my friends, not be the winner and have no friends. I can hear Caesar cheer out, "Give a round of applause for our Champion, Echo Ivy, who shall be singing the Panem Anthem!", the curtains pull apart and I walk onto the spotlight and I begin to sing the anthem. Halfway throught the first verse, I look at the faces in the crowd, and I see the faces of the Elites. I feel disappointed in myself and I stop. People look around confused. The illusion of seeing my friends with their faces filled with disapproval out in the audience shook me. I think of Juno, and a song that she taught me from District 12..
"Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your eyes
And when they open, the sun will rise
Here it's safe, and here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet–
–and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away
Here it's safe, and here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet–
– and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
Here is the place where I love you."
I don't hear applause for awhile and I close my eyes to escape the boos of the crowd before they even come. I've disappointed Akiliya for sure. What if President snow decides to do to me what he did to that poor girl from District 9. I keep them closed tight and then I hear one person clapping and then another, then whistling, my name being hollered, and finally the whole audience is going ballistic. I walk over to the chair where I shall sit and be interviewed. On my way I wave to the crowd, blow kisses here and there, until I plop down on the chair that looks like it belongs to a king.
"Now. Let's begin!", Ceaser Flickerman states.
"Echo, that was quite a performance you gave us just now.", he tells me. This man is something different. He has a bright red tuxedo on. His eye make up is very dramatic, it's a really dark shade of purplish red. His hair is slicked back and is the same color as his apperal.
"Thank you, I did my best.", I answer his complement.
"You're welcome! Now tell us about life after winning."
"There's not much to tell, it's been easier. The money makes killing my friends a lot more easier to handle!", I say on accident. I didn't mean to back sass him, but the crowd laughs, and I just think that what I said was true yet these horrible people are laughing.
"Well, I'm glad it makes it easier for you. Anything else new!". I tell the whole country of Panem what has gone on in my life and after a while he tells me, "Well, we have a surprise for you! There has been some major collecting all over the Districts and in the memory of you and your friends here are the new Elites of Panem!". A curtain opens from the opposite of us, and revealed to me are all the faces I remember. The angry eyes have been tamed. All these kids are the ones who stared at me with so much intensity. "First of all we are going to talk to all of you, and my friend here Echo will help me interview you all. Now the Elites of District 1 come on down!", he says and they come while the crowd cheers. The boy is happy to be here, but the girl keeps his eyes on me. "Now what are you names?", the girl and boy answer and the boy is Ash and the girl is Nicolette War! This is Crimson's sister.
District 2 comes up and this one practically knocks the air out of me, I was so surprised. Morson and Carmenella. District 3 relatives of Nessa and Darwin. District 4, Jareda's brother, Antony, and Caston's best friend, Rosie. District 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, all relatives or really close friend to those tributes who were in the arena with me. District 11 were the ones that didn't know their tributes. When it came to District 12 it scared me. This was the boy who informed me on Junos' mother's death. It was Juno's brother! The girl was Jenten's girlfriend and wow! She stared daggers at me the whole time she was on the stage with me."You are all free to go on back, we still need some air time with Echo!", they leave to the seats that all the tributes sat in six months ago.
"Echo, you have grown up a lot since the games, and it's good to talk to you again!", he tells me.
"I have, and thank you Caesar it's good to talk to you two."
"That song? Where is it from? Where did you learn it?"
"The song is something Juno from District 12 taught me. She wasn't the best of singers but I was able to learn it, and share it with everyone here."
"That's amazing! Is there anything you would like to say anything to the people of District 12?"
I turn towards a camera and answer, "Thank you for raising such amazing people!"
"The things you said in District 2! You're really brave to do that. Those people could have torn you to pieces!", he says gasping right after, and the audience laughs.
"I don't care much about mean-spirited people. I was raised to believe that if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Hi, District 2!", I wave.
"Those are some strong feelings you have!", he says, and the audience laughs even more.
"Yes, did you know that District 2 has a law that consists of killing Mockingjays or Jabberjays on sight!", I say remembering something Persia told me when I first sang to her. Caesar looks confused. "Can you believe that. Big strong people, going out and killing sweet innocent birds that don't do anything, but sing beautiful music. It's like my relationship with the Capital, of course making me the mockingjay. Or better yet the jabberjay!"
"That makes sense!", he laughs and so does the crowd. "We'll that's all for today, say good-bye to the new Elites and to Echo Ivy the winner of the 55th Hunger Games!".
I walk back to the elevator and the rest of the Elites follow. I'm stuck in a room with a bunch of kids who hate me for the death of their friends and family. I'm so glad that I'm going back home...wait...they hate me there, too.
The next morning, I have to get prepped, just in case I dirtied myself over night. Today is the day of a big feast/party in the President's Mansion. Everyone who mattered in the 55th Hunger Games is going to be there. That means my stylist and my sponsers. Even the Elites are going to be there. They are probably getting prepped right now as well. Later that day, I'm sent on some sort of high class chariot tot the front of the Mansion. Once the door of the chariot is opened for me, there is flashes of bright lights and people of the Capital are cheering. I walk down a strip a red carpet and people taking pictures line it. I'm hurried to the inside, and there I see my stylist, Tigris, my Escort, Seran leaves to go talk to her friends. Akiliya takes Tessa to introduce the sponsers to her. Many of the Capital women ask me to dance and I oblige them from time to time, but when I realize I'm hungry, I go to find food. Not only do I find food but rows of it every where.
Tables are covered in delicious looking food and drinks. It all looks so delicious. I take a small piece of everything and by the time I'm full, I haven't even gotten halfway through the first table. I stop and go to sit down. Everything is going amazingly. I haven't had this much fun in a real long time. I never thought I could ever have this much fun. I feel tired from dancing and eating. I'm actually smiling, and then I hear the chairs to my side move. I look over and I see that it's Carmen and Morson. "Hello, Echo!", Carmenella yells over the loud music.
"Hello you two!", I say and we start to talk. I love the fact that they don't even mention Excalibar and Persia. I really don't need them in my head now. After hours of tyalking and eating, I feel a tap on my shoulder. It's Tessa and her hair is done beautifully, and she's just as stunning in her pink dress. She asks to dance, and I take her by the hand to the middle of the dancefloor. We start to dance slowly to the slow music, and people soon start to move to let the people with cameras take pictures of the Jabberjay dancing with a mockingbird.
It starts to get late and I'm escorted out of the mansion. I'm taken out to the train station and there I'm sent to my room in the train to sleep. The train starts to move again and I can't wait to see what awaits me at home. But of course, nothing but heart ache.
I just need to stand in front of my own District and give them the food they need to survive another year. The next afternoon, we arrive home and I'm instantly thrown onto the stage in front of the Justice Building, and everyone is gathered watching. Behind me they bring in huge crates of food for everyone to indulge in. I announce that families may come to get their food and that they all deserve it.
After the ceremony is over, no one, but Tessa, comes to say "Good job on the Victory Tour!", after all Clair is still missing, and if I asked any of my old friends if they knew where she went, they would just ignore me. I walk back to the house in Victor's Village, and there, again is no one. I sit on the couch in the room with the television and it still re-runs my tour, and occasionally the faces of Clair and Quinn that they are still on the loose. Later that night, it gets lonely, so I go out for a walk back to my old house. I get back to that part of District 7 and the lights are on in all the houses, filled with happy families enjoying the gift I won for them. I finally reach my house which is the only one that was cold, lifeless, and empty.
I decide to pay my older brother a visit, after all we haven't talked since the day I arrived back in District 7. I find his house, and I hear a baby crying, and laughing and cheering. I go up to the window and see my family there, plus a new addition. Arslo, and his wife, Chloe, had a baby girl. Leo is on the floor playing with her. My parents sit at the table eating watching the two play. Arslo and Chloe also watch. Leo has gotten bigger, and I hear him laugh for the first time, I wonder if has started talking. The last time I saw him was about a month ago when he was late for school. He usually leaves earlier to avoid me, well I think that's why. I work up the nerve to go up to the door to knock, and when I do I hear all noise stop, and then the noise of the locks being open and finally the door opening.
Chloe is shocked but she still manages to say hello, and to congradulate me on a Victory Tour well done. Arslo stands up and walks to the door. "What are you doing here?", he whispers to me angrily.
"I'm here to spend time with my family, which by the way left me alone at home, and to meet my niece that I never knew I had.", I say loud enough for all of them to hear.
"Well, nobody invited you, now did they!", he shouts.
"I'll let myself in then!", I shout and pass right by him. I sit down on the floor next to Leo, who gets up to sit down somewhere else, and play with my niece. "What's her name?", I ask for anyone to answer me.
"None of your business!", Arslo shouts, but Chloe stops him.
"What a pretty name?", I say sarcastically and I carry the baby. She stares at me, because she's never seen me before, and by the way Arslo talks to me, he planned on her never meeting me at all. She starts to giggle after a while, and I start notice some features that make her look like Brazilia. Her hair is dark brown, her eyes are brown, and her little cheeks look like Brazilia. I hand the baby to my mom, so she sees my face and I say, "It was nice to meet her...but I have to go now, being alone can't be done with other people, so I'll just go back home!", Arslo pushes the door wide open for me to leave. Both my parents keep their heads down to avoid my gaze. I walk out and Arslo follows me.
"I told you to never come here, ever!", he shouts.
"Sorry, but I promise to never ever see my family ever again! Tell Mom and Dad and Leo that if they want they can go back to the old house and stay there. Just come take their stuff.", I tell him, still loud enough for them to hear me.
"You're not about to kick them out of the...", he says while he puts a hand on my shoulder. I interupt his sentence by pulling out the knife I got from the Capital and holding it to his neck.
"Don't ever touch me like that!", I shout holding it closer to his throat. He stops, and I continue, "I'm not kicking them out, they want to leave.", I put the knife back and I leave him there stunned at the capabilities of the Echo he hasn't meet at all. The Echo who killed his friends, and stands alone with no one behind him. I get back to the house and go straight to sleep thinking about how alone I am now, and to think I actually felt happy. The fact that I thought that my family would accept me after a few performances in the Districts and the Capital.
When I wake up the next morning, the house is empty of all the stuff that my parents owned.