*** George in District 11, and she greets the Victory Tour in an extravagant fashion ;) ***

CHAPTEREIGHT.

George followed the crowd; Louis had her hand in his, and his two sisters were rushing ahead of them. The rest of the family had come by later that night, including a Father, two sisters and an older brother. George had apologised for her intrusion, but news of the peacekeeper had reached the ears of most District 11 workers. The men in uniforms were now very strict and it was bearing down hard on the citizens, though they accepted their treatment and simply thanked George for saving an eight year old boy from being beaten to death in the public quarter.

It was through the public quarter they walked now. The family stuck together, and Louis told George sadly that it was a victory tour.

"Victory Tour?" George repeated.

"If Rue had won," Louis was quiet. "Then she'd be on the tour."

George nodded. So the winner of the Hunger Games was paraded around the twelve districts? An awful way to remind the people of Panem that they had no control over themselves or their children, dead or alive. A stage was set up, and on the stage were a number of people. Though two of them were at the forefront. George watched the little family push to the front, though she remained in the middle of the crowd, hidden by people who kept patting her shoulder. The family had been through so much already, by protecting their other child she'd gained a status throughout the District.

The people on stage were talking. About Rue! George pushed forward slightly, and then a man next to her whistled a strange tune. Four notes, it was distinctive and lovely. George looked at him, and realised men in white were pushing through the crowd towards her. She braced herself for the attack, but they grabbed the man who'd whistled. Looking around, she noticed the crowd were saluting the girl on the stage. Who was she?

The crying family were huddled together at the front, as the two teens were escorted off of the stage. George watched as the whistler was taken onto the stage. She frowned, confused. What were they-?

The girl from before stumbled onto the veranda, and George watched a gun placed at the base of the man's skull. Before she could stop it, she felt the shot shudder through her.

"No!" she whispered, pushing forward through the crowd.

The other girl was being dragged back inside, and George pushed forward, as she heard two anguished cries. What now?

One of Louis' sisters, being pulled up the stairs. An elderly woman, as well. What was wrong with these people?

A gun was lowered to the girl's head, ignoring the screams and cries of her Mother. George pushed forward, creating an impossibly hard bubble over the girl. The bullet ricocheted off of the shield and hit the firer in the arm. The man stumbled back, crying out in pain. George scrambled onto the stage, the bubble disappeared and she pushed the child off of the stage and into the crowd, who immediately swallowed her up.

"Shit!" she shouted, as a sharp pain blossomed in her right thigh.

They'd shot her! She disappeared, causing gasps from the crowd who hadn't believed the stories told about the weird invisible girl in the orchard. She stumbled down the stage, and bumped into a couple of men, who had the sense to grip her and pass her through the crowd.

Hundreds of dark hands gripped her invisible arms, and pulled her through the mass of bodies. She was reunited with Louis on the other side, and the boy dragged her limping form past some peacekeepers and out of the crowd. He pulled her behind a tree, where she appeared, gasping and reaching for her bleeding leg. She gripped it tightly, gritting her teeth against the pain. If she cried out now, both she and the boy would die.

She hastily unbuckled her belt, but her red fingers were slippery, and she had to get Louis to take it off. The boy did so, his small hands shaking slightly. She fastened it tightly around the top of her leg. She breathed deeply through her nose and out through her mouth, trying not to cry.

Finally, Louis' Father appeared, and picked her up like she weighed nothing. The man carried her swiftly and silently to their home, where she was sat on a mattress, still gripping her leg. Thandi appeared a few seconds later, with the children, carrying some bandages a neighbour had given her. She also fetched some tweezers from a small drawer.

"Roll her over, and hold her down," she instructed her husband and oldest son.

"What-?" George felt herself be flipped over by the husband, who then pinned down her legs, while the son gripped her arms tightly.

"Here," Louis' younger sister placed a roll of toughened leather between her teeth. "Bite on this, go on."

George did so, and saw that the tweezers were being held in the fire, and now were glowing hot. She felt her trouser-leg being ripped open, and then something sharp poking her wound.

She jolted up, but the weight on her legs and arms held her down. She bit down painfully hard on the bit, burying her face in the mattress as the bullet was swiftly removed from her leg. Hot blood began to pour down her leg.

Bandages were swiftly and expertly applied, and George was finally allowed to roll over. She examined the bullet critically.

"Ouch," she mumbled, causing Louis to giggle. "How's your daughter?"

"She's perfectly fine, thank you," Thandi smiled. "And the old lady, Thresh's Grandmother, she's shaken, but no wounds."

"Good," George didn't know who Thresh was, but she was glad anyway. "I wish I'd saved the whistler."

"He was a brave man," Thandi said slowly. "But foolish. His actions almost caused the death of another of my children. I will not let the Capitol take another of them."

Her children were looking at her with wide eyes. Her husband kissed her cheek, and George smiled. Such a wonderfully brave family, in the midst of all this turmoil. She resolved to meet with her own family once she returned to the Republic. She hadn't seen them in years. Apparently her brother was an Einherjer now. She smiled, though it was a small, sad smile.

*** Ah, a glimpse into the past of our Invisible Valkyrja! But other than that, Next Chapter we see Paulina and Joe try to escape District 12, heading North… But we all know what District lies North of 12… Do they know where they're headed?***