In my dreams there is the girl from District 12. She is running through the woods, curly blonde hair flying out behind heR. She is holding the axe that I took from her. I run after her. We dodge around trees and rocks until we come to a cliff. She turns to face me. "YOU KILLED ME" she drops the axe as her head snaps to the side. Her neck is broken. Her body arches over and she falls back over the cliff. Then I am her. I fall down and down. My body, or hers kits the bottom and I am jolted awake gasping.
I sit up and put my head in my hands. My first kill. My first of many. For the last few days I have been visited by all of them. The girl from 12. I have seen her neck snap countless times. The girl from 2, who's hands were melted away by the acidic lake and she begged for me to kill her. I have seen things from her eyes in my dreams. The sick girl from 11. She made me cut my hair to get away after she tried to turn me into an avox. I dream about it being the other way round, where she is massacred by me and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Then Forest. I see the final fight played out again and again, but our roles are reversed. I see his face bringing down an axe before I jolt awake.
I don't know have victors carry on. And now I have to go away today for the victory tour.
I finally get out of bed and pad downstairs in some silk slippers. In a few hours, my escort, camera team, stylist and prep team will be here to ready me for the beginning of the victory tour. Me and Hunter always had a tradition on the beginning of the victory tour, no matter who the victor was. We'd go to the bakery and buy a cupcake each. Then we'd climb up to our tree house and eat the cupcakes whilst talking about last year's games. Hunter told me, when he was 12, nearly 6 months before he was reaped, that he thought that one day, me or him would win the games. I told him to stop being silly. He laughed and said he could just picture it. Then we finished our cupcakes and went back to throwing axes at the opposite trees. But I always remembered what he said. I knew it was crazy, but when he was reaped I hoped that maybe, he was right, and he would come home. Buy he didn't.
When he died, out cousin Ethan went a little crazy. He was 18, but had been knocked out the day before the reaping by a falling branch and he was still unconscious in the hospital. He woke up two days before the games. We told him and he went a little crazy. He could have volunteered, and probably won too. But he couldn't. He slowly became more and more of a rebel. He got yelled at by peacekeepers time and time again. Once I had to talk them out of shooting him. It worked until one day, he went even crazier. He tried to blow up the justice building.
We were all kept in our houses for 2 days. I went to the square when they finally said we could continue work. And hanging off the stocks was his bloody mangled body. I ran up to him and undid the straps. He was strong but small, and I was strong so I carried him home. His mom, my aunty, disappeared soon after. No one knows what happened to her. But me and mum always used to say if they have no proof, then she's not dead. She's a fighter. And if she's alive, my only living relative.
I finally stop daydreaming and go upstairs to get ready to go to the bakery. I pull on some black trousers, a white long sleeved top and a waistcoat over the top. I go into the dining room to get my new boots that Blight and Charlie bought me for my birthday. I finally go outside and see that the world is covered in a thick blanket of frost and ice. I slide my way towards town. The bakery is open, and the baker greets me as I buy two iced cupcakes. I begin to head towards my tree house but something catches my eye. A small boy, who looks like Hunter is curled up on the aide walk. His lips are blue and he is shivering. He has pale skin and is paper thin, like he might snap any second. He tries to get up but falls back down again. He tries three times before he accepts the ininevitable and curls up in a ball. I do the only logical thing to me. I run to him.
He looks at me with big green eyes as I approach. I crouch down next to him. "Hey" I say in a soft voice. "Are you okay?". He shakes his head. "I... I was trying to steal some food for my new baby sister. But but the shops were opening and they caught me and I fell and I can't get up. I'm too weak". I look around at the shops in the square. Some of them are watching me carefully. I turn back to him. "Okay lie here for a few minutes. I'll be back in a second". I run around, buying milk and baby clothes and rolls and some little rainbow sweets. I go back to the boy. I give him my purchases. I think about the cupcakes in my pocket and hand him one. "What's your name?". He looks up at me with big eyes. "Leo. My little sister is called Katie. Thank you". He gives me a small hug and runs to the poorest section of town. I finally go to my tree house. I eat the cupcake and I finally get home with a few minutes to spare.
I have just got home when someone knocks on the door. I open it and Puff runs at me and throws her arms around me. "Johanna! How are you doing? I've missed you! The capitol loves you dear". I force a laugh and hug her back. I don't get chance to answer before my stylist and prep team come in. They are followed by Blight and Charlie, as well as the elderly victor Ryan. I haven't seen any of them for weeks.
My stylist drags me upstairs and throws some clothes at me. He still hates me for ripping his dress in the interviews. The prep team push me down onto a chair and do my hair and a little makeup. I don't pay attention to snatches given me to wear. This journey is just going to be a big blur of clothes food and ceremonies. And fallen tributes.
Puff finally calls me down and I wait by the door for the signal that Casaer is ready. Finally something in Puffs pocket beeps and she opens the door and pushes me out.
There is a camera waiting outside and Puff pushes me towards it. I can hear the crowd in the Capitol cheering. Cadaver calls put "Hello Johanna. We all look forward to seeing you on your victory tour". I wave towards the camera and reply "Thank you Casaer. I look forward to seeing you too". He laughs and says "See you in a few weeks Johanna". I wave again and then the square is dark and I can let out a breathe I didn't realise I was holding. Puff pushes me towards the house and tells me to get whatever I want to take. I only grab my black combat boots that Charlie and Blight gave me for ny birthday. I try to grab mine and Hunters axes but puff screams at me that I can't take them, I'll give the train attendants a heart attack, all that boring stuff. She makes me put them back in my house. They finally- FINALLY- take me to the station. I pose for a million pictures before I am pushed onto the train. Past Forests room and into my room. I throw my boots onto the floor and flop onto the bed. I am asleep in minutes.
Sorry for the slow update. I've been kinda dead for a bit and I still am but I've been sitting in bed writing this on my tablet. I hope you all had a good Christmas if you celebrate it and if not I hope you had a good day anyways. Hopefully I will be able to update loads more -my new year's resolution- but I'm taking loads of exam this year :( Hope you had a good Christmas, and you have a good new year!- Skywitch xo
