The Next Day

By the time we return to District 7 I'm so ready to get back to Pine and Mother it hurts. But I'm not allowed to see them after Dinner. We're going to have a finished celebration by my saying hello to the people at the front of the Justice Building and then going inside for a lavish (well, by District standards,) party. I have to wear another outfit this time one that Aquaria sent that is in my drawers.

"Alright," Johanna says knocking on my door. "We're going to get ready inside the Mayor's House."

I nod and she leaves. Taking the clothes bag out of my drawer I slip out of the bedroom, happy to leave. When I get off the train some cameras are there but not as manyas before, thank goodness. Ilis and my Prep Team isn't here. It's just me and Johanna left from the Victory Tour.

"Where is my room?" I ask when we're safely inside the mansion.

She points down the hall. "Up the stairs and to the left. Try to be ready within the hour. The guests are already arriving. I'll be down the hall if you need me, but try not to."

With that she walks off to go see if the rest of our District's Victors have arrived, since they're all invited. Walking up the marble steps I realize how nice the mayor's house is, but how... un-Capitol it looks. They furnish the halls and everything except the Mayor's families bedrooms. They get to bring everything they want, but they'll only be Mayor for a while- they can't stay here for one hundred years.

Turning the knob the room is much more inviting then the Training Center rooms. A canopy bed with turned down covers and a vanity already stocked with the make-up my Stylist has planned for me.

Shedding my clothes, I shower off, dry myself and unzip the bag while holding my towel up.

It's a long gown again, but the top is a sea-green velvet and the skirt is sheer over tulle that slowly sinks to the floor and makes me look like a human waterfall below the hips. It looks a lot like District Four, which I hate.

But I put it on and put my hair up in a bun and open the small round box Aquaria also sent. Inside is my Victor Crown. I grimace looking at it but put it on, refusing to look in the mirror, even when I put on make-up. Blindly I put on the blue and green eye shadow, pale pink blush, and lip-gloss. By the end I've just poked two diamond earrings into my eyes (Aquaria apparently had my ears pierced while I was in recovery,) when someone knocks.

"Come in!" I call, standing up and smoothing down my dress.

Johanna steps in, her outfit more like her- a long silver dress with edgy patterns on it and a stiff collar. "Alright, their ready."

I nod, take a breath and follow her down. She leads me outside until Mayor Jegger joins us and they stay inside as I'm led out onto the stage. I smile and it's the only District I really feel relieved to see everyone. Familiar faces grin at me and I actually find myself enjoying everything.

Little kids cheer, and I know while it's mostly because I won and got them Parcel Day, I like to think it's because they like me. It's much different than Districts One, Two, Four, and Eleven. I actually don't feel bad.

Timmer's family is an honorary guest at the party, so they stand behind me. While I'm guessing they might not be happy about the whole thing, I didn't hack him in the head, so they hopefully don't hold anything against me.

After a few minutes the Peacekeepers lead us inside. There are District officials and visiting Capitol citizens. You tell who's who by the outrageous clothes or cotton suits held together with steel buttons, not gold.

Striker is there, humming, and tapping his cane to the violin music. I greet him with a hug and he croaks something about my dress and I thank him, assuming it was a compliment. He nods, and resumes his little song.

"You look nice," I turn around to Alona who's smiling warmly.

"Oh, thank you," I respond my eyes flitting to her hand where she messing with her thumb nail. Like always, she seems here for a moment before her expression takes a dreamy look and her gaze floats off to a corner where she seems to see something we never can.

Walking off without another word, I sigh. Will I end up like this? Day-dreaming to escape everything. Part of me doesn't think it's a horrible idea.

Multiple people greet me, some I know, some I don't, all very kind and warm.

I try to talk to the Victors more, I know them better. Nyla and Balsam talk to me more before we eat. I never happen to see Rasp or Johanna that much. Axel takes enough time to insult my clothes, the crown especially, saying that "Aquaria has always been an idiot. Tress for forty years."

By the time Dinner is over I'm so sick of Capitol food I want to toss the chicken filled with raspberry flavored liquid across the room. I really just want normal food now- mashed potatoes, toast, broccoli anything that doesn't have the look to it of the Capitol.

I never want to go back there.

2 Month Later

Winter is it's harshest right now, piling more and more snow up on all of us. Lumber production has stopped and now just the factories that make paper and furniture are still operating.

All the mills that cut down the wood are closed and the workers are now on paper duty. It's always like this during the winter when the trees are too dry to produce good wood. They get nice and strong in the spring and summer to be cut down then and in fall. Plus the axes get brittle from the cold and happen to break more often.

This the only time when the people of District Seven are allowed their twelve branches to get themselves through the winter.

Me and Pine are out in the backyard chopping up more wood. We don't need to chop it anymore, we have enough money to buy a wood factory. But it's still nice to do. Sometimes she'll carry the wood into town and give as extra to the homeless, or those who don't have the strength to cut their branches down.

Splitting the log, I breath a plume of white air into the frost and pile up my little bundle, with Pine carrying it inside. Mother adds one of the pieces to the fire and stokes it while I warm my hands.

"Nyla came over a bit ago, she wanted you help with Alona and Striker. Says their still sick," Mother said when I sat up from warming myself up.

I nod. "Okay. I'll be back in a bit."

"Alright," she replies as I open the front door.

Recently lots of people have been sick here in District Seven. More than normal, and it's steadily progressing in the amount of those ill. Doctors can't keep up, and most of them are getting sick too.

Only a few seconds after I've knocked on Nyla's door she sighs a breath of relief. "Good, your here. Rasp just got sick and I need to help him. Can you get Alona and Striker some soup. They've been refusing to eat it, but they need to."

"Sure," I reply, tossing my scarf hat and mittens onto a chair and hanging up my jacket.

They've been keeping Alona, Striker, and Rasp all here so that they can keep en eye on them. I'm not sure who'll get the sickness next but I sure hope it isn't me.

Cutting up a few pieces of chicken, I toss them into a pot along with carrots and potatoes and let it simmer before adding some herbs.

The sound of the door opening and slamming shut makes me jumping. Peeking around the corner I see Balsam and Johanna and Axel all walking in. Johanna's appearance makes my eyebrows rise.

Her eyes are bloodshot and she's stumbling when she walks. Her skin is paler than normal and her hair is all frazzled, her clothes a mess.

"Come on, Johanna, your sick, just admit it," Balsam says while they three all walk past me and my mentor takes a seat at the table.

"Shut up, I told you I'm fine," Johanna snaps. Her voice sounds like her nose is stuffed. She makes a face for a moment before ripping her sweater up to her face and sneezing.

"See? Nyla! Nyla! Johanna's sick too!" Balsam shouts around the corner while Johanna grabs a quickly-rottening orange from a bowl and tosses it at Balsam's head.

Balsam gives her a look, the orange barely making her head move. "You can't even throw."

"I'll throw an axe right in your neck if you call me sick again!" Johanna responds fiercely.

"If Splinter wants to get sick, let her," Axel mutters from over by the stove.

He sticks a spoon into the soup and pulls out a great helping of the vegetables and swallows, thinking.

I lightly shove him again, and sticks the spoon in my hand, opening the fridge. "Needs salt."

I consider it for a moment before dipping my own utensil in and sipping it. He's right.

"I don't think it needs anything," I say, stirring it, staring down at the stew.

"Liar," he says with a grin.

When he's not looking I add a dash before pouring my concoction into two bowls and padding up the steps. Walking into one room Alona is asleep- well almost. She has dozens of tissues dotting her bed as well glasses of water on her bedside table and clothes strewn across the room. Antibiotics clutter up one of the dressers and the blinds are shut tightly. Setting the bowls down on the vanity I open the blinds to a scene of snowflakes falling. Shoving some of the tissues away, I grab a bowl of soup and wait for her notice me.

Her curls are still perfect, amazingly, just all scattered across the pillow around her face, looking a golden halo on her head. She looks me for a moment and then looks over at corner and shakily raises an arm, pointing.

"The rocks are falling."

I nod, spooning a helping of soup into her mouth after she's finished talking. I wait for amoment and have to tell her multiple times to swallow before she listens.

"Jace isn't moving," she says and then as I'm trying to give e her more soup she starts crying. "Jace isn't moving..."

I have no idea what she's talking about but use a fresh tissue to dry up tissues but they just keep moving.

"Jace is safe, Jace is safe, Alona," I whisper hoping to stop the tears from flooding into her eyes again.

"No he's not!" she shouts. This is the first time I've heard her talk above her normally small voice. "He's not moving! Why won't he move?"

I can't coax her to eat more soup so I just give up on it and tuck her arms under the covers, sweep all the tissues into the trash and empty most of the water into the sink, leaving only one fresh cup of the stuff.

I finally hum our District song as I pile the dirty clothes into a felt bin by the closet until I hear soft little whispers from her bed and glance over, finding the blue-eyed girl asleep.

Picking up the soup, I walk out and set her bowl on the shelf by the stairs. Heading into Strikers room I find it clean with him coughing. He actually cooperates eating half the bowl before he closes his mouth and refuses to take any more soup. I have him drink a sip of water, which he does before fading into another coughing fit.

Nyla comes in the room and pours a spoonful of antibiotics, shaking his small arm slightly, trying to get his attention when I leave.

I'm happy to leave saying goodbye to everyone. They say bye as well and I rush home closing the door well behind me. One thing is stuck in my mind though.

It's two months until the Hunger Games, and almost every Victor here is sick.

How was that chapter?

What do you think Alona was talking about? I also want to know what you guys think all the Victors being sick is going to mean for mentoring next year?

PLEASE REVEIW! I saw people have been reading my story but I really want to hear from everyone!

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I may stop the story if I don't hear from anyone, because I don't see much point in continuing if no wants to let me know how they feel about it.

So, please PLEASE review! Tell who is your favorite Victor, who you want to see more, everything! Next chapter is the Reaping! If I get four reviews I will post it tonight!

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~Meghan