The knife hit me in the head. How many times am I going to keep getting cut in the head? I notice that Erik's leg is wrapped, the cloth has blood stains on the outside. Maybe he got into a fight with Carter. He's really desperate to win, he attempts to run after me.
I grab the knife he threw at me and throw it at him, it scrapes past his ear. "Damn it," I mumble to myself. I grab another knife off of my belt and throw it at him and it misses again. I get up and start to run towards him. He pushes me on the ground and tries to stab me in the face.
"Come on, don't you want your fans to see your new look," Erik says.
I was tired of everyone commenting on my looks, on me being weak, on my skills, on everything! The more he talked about it, the madder I was getting.
"You don't know anything about me," I say to him.
"Your're Finnick Odair, you're the pet of the Capitol and you almost won the Hunger Games."
I had had enough of this and the furry was raging through me. I kicked him off of me, grabbed my trident and put my foot on his stomach so he couldn't move.
"You're right," I say pointing my trident at his stomach, "but you were wrong about one thing," I say as I slowly put my trident through his stomach. "I won the Hunger Games."
The cannon went off a few seconds later.
I did it! I just won! I couldn't believe it.
I run back a few feet and watch as the hovercraft picks up his body. The same voice from the beginning of the games announces something again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the victor of the 65th Hunger Games."
I look up and see another hovercraft coming down from the sky and it picks me up. Inside the hovercraft a lady tells me congratulations. I just nod, there is nothing to congratulate me on. I killed people to get out of the arena!
No one says anymore on the rest of the way to The Capitol, I just sit in silence thinking about my life the past few weeks. I just wanted to go home and forget what happened, but I knew I could never forget.
When we arrive at The Capitol one of the first people to greet me is Mags. I run up to her and give her one of the largest hugs ever. "I am so sorry you went through that," Mags said. "You helped keep me alive, thank you," I tell her.
A few seconds later people escort me to get ready for an interview with Caesar and it feels like the games are starting again. During my interview we talk about all the sponsor gifts and how I am now the youngest person to win the games.
After my interview I stand in front of the entire Capitol. President Snow takes the Victor's crown and places it on my head. "Congratulations," he says. "Thank you," I reply back even though deep down I am not happy about anything that has went on.
The crowd cheers after he places the crown on my head. How can they cheer? How can they celebrate? How can they remotely be happy about any of this? I continue to play the flirting act, it seems to help keep me alive.
After the ceremony Mags meets me and we are escorted down to the train to return home. "What happens next," I ask her. Mags closes her eyes and a single tear falls from her face, "enjoy your next year while you can."
"Why just next year?"
"You're fourteen now, so you are too young to mentor, same for age fifteen, too young," she says, "but once you turn sixteen, you'll be dragged out of your home and get to relive the horrors of the games every year for the rest of your life."
"What will happen now, surely they will want to interfer with my life somehow."
Mags shakes her head, "I don't know Finnick, I don't know."
I walk over to the window and look out and see The Capitol gets smaller and smaller as we get further away. "How did you handle this part," I ask Mags.
"I didn't, I still get the nightmares to this day."
That's what I was afraid to hear. The nightmares, reliving the games in my sleep every single night with no one to talk about it with because they wouldn't understand.
"You know Finnick, I never had a hard time getting sponsors for you," Mags said.
"I appreciate that you got sponsors for me," I tell her. She smiles back at me.
I go to my room on the train and look at myself in the mirror. I looked so thin, I barely recognized myself. I went back into the room Mags was in and asked her if I could have some food. She handed me and orange and told me to sit down and relax.
The rest of the trip didn't take long we arrive faster to District 4 than we had arrived at The Capitol. I got off the train and was escorted to the Justice Building. I stood in front of the entire district. I smiled and waved at the crowd.
I kept looking for my family and then I saw them. My mom, dad, and Sarah all cheering me on. I smiled back at them.
Seeing my family made me happy, I knew I was home safe and sound. I knew that I could live and enjoy my life for a little while. I knew that I could stop the act for a little while. Most of all, I knew I would never have to enter the area ever again.
Or so I thought.
