Author's Note: Thanks to BreeBree12345 (Glad you did!) and xBildenxSiexLachelnx (Your review made my day yesterday!) for reviewing! I own nothing of the Hunger Games you recognize. Only two more chapters of this story and then there will be a sequel.
Chapter XIII- Recovery
I think I sob for five minutes straight before I manage to pull myself together. By then the mutts are gone and a hovercraft is already filling the sky as we are announced the winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games. We stumbled down from the Cornucopia and I pause to glance at Katniss and Peeta. Their hands are linked, even in death, and a gold pin gleams on Katniss' jacket. I carefully unpin it, remembering that she has a little sister. At least now Primrose Everdeen will have something to remember Katniss by. I climbed on one ladder on the hovercraft, Cato the other. We were both frozen and lifted up into the machine where we were split up. Cato was taken by a doctor and I was left alone until we arrived at the Capitol. There waiting for me were Beetee, Wiress, and Sunflower. I threw myself into Sunflower's arms first and she hugged me back tight. "I knew you could do it," she whispered in my ear and then squeezed me tighter. "I'm sorry you had to lose so much though." And I did lose a lot. I lost my friends, I lost my restful nights, but most of all I lost my innocence to the bloodthirsty whims of the Capitol.
Beetee hugged me next. "Nicely done young lady," he said out loud. Then he hugged me again and whispered, "It'll hurt for a while but it will get better." Wiress hugged me last and she didn't say anything, just held me as I clung to her until I was ready to let go. Then I was whisked off to Jaralaine and my triplet prep team who greeted me with squeals of delight. Jaralaine hugged me instead of squealing and mumbled something about me being too thin and needing enhancement.
Sunflower who heard glared at Jaralaine and snapped, "No." That was the end of that. I was cleaned up, given fresh clothes, and then allowed to eat. My portions were being strictly controlled but I was just glad to eat real food and listen to Beetee, Wiress, and Sunflower talk about things besides the games. Soon my eyelids drooped and I was led off to my room by a compassionate Wiress. I sank into bed and instantly drifted off to sleep.
Cato was strangling me. I screamed but the only ones who heard were Finch and Clove who tackled the red haired girl and began skinning her alive. Marvel was laughing at us both when Glimmer came out of nowhere to tackling him, calling him and monster. His spear tore through her stomach and I screamed. I woke up screaming and crying. Sunflower rushed into my room and held my hand in hers, stroking the hair out of my face as I cried. Finally I calmed down and she kissed me on the forehead before she left.
Finch was lifting the nightlock berries to her mouth. "Don't!" I screamed and she stared at me. "They're poisonous!" Her eyes widened with horror and she was about to throw them aside when Clove arrived and shoved them into her mouth. Finch foamed at the mouth and writhed before dying and then Clove moved on to me, hacking away at my limbs with her knives. This time my wailing woke Beetee who sat with me and held my hand, promising that the dreams would pass eventually. He waited until after I was asleep before leaving.
Glimmer was standing next to me at the edge of the lake and we were giggling about something. Cato, Clove, and Marvel were still out from the tracker jacker venom and mumbling in their sleep. That was when Thresh came. A looming dark shadow rose above us and he snatched Glimmer by the throat. We both screamed as he forced her head under, drowning her. I had woken Wiress this time. She sat down without saying a word and pulled her knitting out of the bag she had brought. I drifted off the sleep with the sound of her knitting needles clicking in my ears and finally managed to sleep the rest the night away. The recap was the next evening.