Later that night, Quaid and I lay on our bed together, doing nothing. Fire and Ice's words continued to haunt me. His voice, his appearance, his orders put me in a spin. Jetta's death was a warning. I visibly shiver at his words. They tickle my ears and wrap around my brain. His voice was so cunning, so manipulative, so…odd. He could have had me under his control in minutes. His voice reminded me of Ragac; if he told me Quaid or Jace were against me, I would have been after them. Quaid wraps his arm around my shaking body and pulls me close to him.
"It's alright, Jada." He whispers, as if afraid to wake up the whole apartment. "Shh. Everything will be alright. I'm here, and you will no longer be hurt by the Capitol." His hands push my hair behind my ears and he kisses my forehead. His hands travel down my arms and rest on my stomach.
"I hope you're right." I say back, putting my hand on his. "I don't want to be hurt anymore. I want to go home."
In the dim lighting, I can see Quaid smile. "We will be going home. I asked Shimmer to set up the train so we can all go home. We leave tomorrow. I also booked Pace's train, so he and his family can go home."
I curl up next to Quaid and close my eyes. No matter how much I try to forget, I can't get Jetta's final moments out of my head. Her green eyes filled with terror as the needle contacted her skin. When the injection was in her body, her eyes began to flutter shut, getting a final look at the world around her before she left. As if I didn't already have terrors from my Hunger Games, President Rector kills my baby sister. I can't call him out; he's too well liked and I might get ridiculed. Jetta was killed in front of me, just as if she was in the Games.
Quaid strokes my hair until my world fades into sleep.
I am sitting on Diamond Dancer's back, ready to ride the new horse. I haven't ridden her since we got her, so I didn't know what to expect. Not every horse I ride is smooth and peaceful like Locomotion. I nudge Diamond forward, making her leave my property in District 10 and move to the spring. She begins to canter, until I kick her harder and she starts to move in a gallop.
The wind flows through my hair and I am only focusing on the trail in front of me. Nothing can take me down from my good mood of riding my horse. My hands are gripped on her mane and I let out sounds of approval. My leg muscles are put to the test to hold onto her sides without falling off. Diamond Dancer moves faster than Locomotion, and I quickly adjust. My fingers are entangled in her mane and I force her to make a sharp left. We are on the trail to the spring.
I push her to go faster, as if Careers are chasing me to the spring. She follows my orders, speeding up and galloping to the point of exhaustion. She continues to move though, being completely unnerved by my orders to move. My father was right; he only bought Diamond Dancer for her speed. She was faster than all the horses on the market. Luckily he snatched her up before anyone else could. The spring is within my view and I slow Diamond down to a trot so she can catch her much needed breath.
Mockingjays and other birds sing their songs as we reach the spring. I completely stop her and dismount. She lets out a neigh of happiness as she makes her way to the water. She leans her muzzle in to the chilly water and begins to take gulps of the water. I laugh to myself at the silly horse and I lay on the ground. The tips of the trees touch the sky, pointing to the clouds. Lightning electrifies the dark clouds, telling me I should go home. I should be no where near the spring when a storm is coming on.
Something keeps me to the ground. A hand is placed on my wrist. I follow the hand to its owner. My eyes are locked onto the girl's green eyes and blond hair. My heart skips a beat and I suddenly remember this girl. Jetta is by my side, just like the good days back in 10 before I was a tribute. She never left my side, but I was pulled from her. "Jetta!" I exclaim and sit up. She smiles a shy smile and wraps her arms around me.
I held her in a tight embrace and I didn't let go. I squeezed her body and let tears of happiness fall. I look her over and I didn't see any puncture marks on her skin. She looks as if the injection never entered her body. She pulled away from my embrace and stared into my eyes. I will miss those green eyes that I have been envious of for years. "I miss you, Jada." She croaks, wiping my tears away.
"I miss you too, Jetta." I reply, still in shock. "I know who ordered you to…die. Do you remember Pace Caywood?" She nods slightly. "He ordered your death under an anagram. He needed you to die in order to see his family again." Her eyes begin to fill with fresh tears as I say these words. She looks completely unfazed as I say the story.
"At least he saw his family again." She replied. There she goes again, seeing the good in everything. "I want to tell you that your daughter will be fine when she is born." She gestures to my stomach. Is this why she's here? Thunder cracked overhead and she cowered into my body, just like always.
"What about my son?" I ask. She lets her smile drop and her eyes begin to dim.
"He…he won't make it." She replies after moments of silence. The realization hits me before I realize it. She grabs my hand tightly, not wanting to let go. "But your daughter will be healthy and happy. I don't think she ever gets Reaped. None of your children will." Can she see in the future?
"Thank you Jetta." I say in a tear clogged voice. "Thank you for visiting me." I pull her into a hug as lightning begins to strike. When I look up, she's gone. She left in thin air and I may never see her again.
Rain begins to fall quickly and in groups. The ground I am sitting on gets drenched in the water. I stand up and grab Diamond Dancer for home.
I awake to find Quaid still by my side, holding onto me. He looks like he hasn't let go of me all night. His eyes lock onto mine and I know what we are doing today: going home to District 1 after countless weeks in the Capitol. His hands refuse to let go of me. We just lay in the bed for hours before we move or do anything.
The dream with Jetta got me to pack and get ready for 1. Even though it might have been a figment of my imagination, I still take her words about my son to heart. He may or may not make it, but I can't let that stop me. My daughter will be healthy and happy and not hurt by anything the Capitol does. She will not be Reaped or become a victor. Despite her wishes of doing so, she will not do it under my word.
Quaid led me to the train station, ready to say farewell to this city. Pace and his family arrive shortly after we do, but the train isn't ready quite yet. We have to wait an allotted fifteen minutes before we can leave this city. I catch a glimpse of the past victor and his brother. They look so much alike, I can't keep my eyes off of them. I can't help but smile; his brother clings to him much like Jetta clung to me. Pace catches my eye and lets a smile creep on his face. I leave Quaid for a moment and go to the boy from 3.
"I'm happy that you got your family back." I say, truth dripping from my words.
"I'm sorry I had to kill Jetta in order to do so." His hazel eyes drop to the floor in shame. I see Pace have remorse for Jetta. I don't blame him; he only did what he was told.
"Pace, Fire and Ice told me that you lost your family because of an incident." I start, trying not to look at Pace. "What did you do to lose your family?" A moment of fear crosses my heart. What could he have done to lose his whole family?
He wipes tears from his eyes and looks at me, despite avoiding his gaze. "Well, the Capitol wanted to use me for pleasure. They do that with real attractive victors, you know? Well, I did it for a while, but I wanted to stop. I already had the money and the life of a victor, and I wanted to be with my family. President Rector hid my family away until I repaid him."
"And his payment was my sister's death." I finished. He nodded and a clear liquid filled my eyes. I thought Pace was arrogant and selfish. There is so much more to a victor than it seems. He lost the people important to him, all because of what the president wanted to do. We will never escape the clutches of our president and our Capitol and the Games. We all have something new to fear.
Pace pulls me in for a hug. That was the last thing I thought he'd ever do. He held onto me tightly, keeping me close to his body. Tears fell onto my shoulder and he began to shake with the sadness. My grip tightened on him and tried to calm him. It wasn't long until I started to weep with him. I knew how sorry he was for killing my baby sister. He wanted my forgiveness for hurting me and putting my children in danger. He wanted a friendship to ensue, I could feel it radiate off of his body. I didn't want to let go of Pace, for the reason of that I finally forgive him. My shoulder was soaked with his tears of remorse and I had to let him go.
He looks to me and wipes my tears away. "We should call each other when we both get home. Have fun in District One." I smile a genuine smile to him.
"Thank you, Pace." I reply. "Have a good time with your family. Pervis looks so much like you." We exchange laughs and I turn to see my train has arrived.
"Bye, Jada." He says one last time. He places a hand on my stomach, feeling for my children. "What are you going to name them?" Only one thought entered my mind as he asked the question. And that thought was spoken aloud: "I'll know when I see them."
…
Quaid and I are on the train for the final time until the next Hunger Games. We sit in silence as the train speeds to home. We will move into the Victor Village home and live a comfortable life with our children. However, we know that our lives can't be planned out that way. Quaid's fingers lock with mine as trees zip by and we come closer and closer to our new home.
The silence was broken when Quaid spoke up. "Are you friends with Pace now?" He smiles and he makes me smile.
"Yes, you could say that." I reply, looking into his emerald orbs. "He seemed very sorry for Jetta's death. If he had a choice, he wouldn't have done it." Quaid nods at my words and lets out a sigh.
"He didn't have a choice." He says the truth.
Quaid was right. The want for his family took him over and he wanted nothing more than to see them again. He needed to see them, and he needed to take Jetta's life in order to do so.
"I wish I could have saved her." I mutter. "I wish I could tell her how sorry I am." Quaid's eyes flicker and he stands up.
"I'll be right back." He walks from the main compartment into the entertainment compartment. He leaves me alone and I am faced with silence.
My mind continues to wonder from place to place. In a way, I didn't want to leave the Capitol. Despite the horror they placed on me, they respected me. Sure, it was only for winning the Hunger Games, but they still had the respect for me. Demetria seemed to respect me the most, coming from a district that she personally loved. All the Capitol citizens who helped me find Jetta must have had a deep respect for me. From the victors and the citizens, they always will share a bond, no matter how old or forgotten; they share a respective bond and a personal bond.
My thoughts stop completely when Quaid comes back with paper and a pencil. He places the utensils in front of me. "Write a letter to Jetta." He explains. "When we get home, we will burn it, going up to wherever Jetta is. She will receive your letter and never feel separate from you again."
I didn't question him. I picked up the pencil and began to write my letter. Dear Jetta…
A/N: As much as I hate to say it, Panem's Victors is drawing to a close. The next chapter will be the end, and I don't want it to end. There will always be loose ends needing tied up, but I can't always tie up those ties. There will be constant questions, like 'Were their children ever Reaped?' or 'Does Jada ever go back to Ten to see her family?' But, you know, stories always leave you hanging.
I want to thank everyone who reviewed and liked this story. It means so much to me and I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it. With this story completed, I can focus all my time to Death All Around and my other works. Thank you all so much! :)