AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter actually got written a few hours after posting the last one, around 5:30AM, which is usually my best time to write. Anyways, Katniss' stop in District 2 is one of the darkest chapters in this story given some of the things she learns and the things that go down. Wallace and Winter were more than just tributes, but there's no need to spoil it.
Happy Reading!

CHAPTER 25: Blood on the Stone

Despite them being her enemies as well during the games, Katniss felt about the same for the tributes of District 2 as she did for the ones from District 1. She was more intrigued by the types of victors that had surfaced from this district. Most notably, she wondered how she would handle Clove Kazera, who was still considered quite the wild little thing. She normally took sedatives, although carried extra needles on her person for those around her to use on her if she went ballistic again. Katniss wondered if she would see that for herself or if she'd be calm when guests showed up.

Winter and Wallace were slightly more personal to Katniss, particularly the former due to her being the last tribute to stand between her and victory. District 2 always seemed to be slightly stronger than District 1, but neither one had very many pushover tributes, all things considering. All in all, she was intrigued by what the relationship between most and least loyal districts to the Capitol would be upon her arrival, particularly as she reached that podium.

For the moment though, Katniss was lying in bed, soundly asleep. Her dreams were not necessarily pleasant, but she didn't wake up in a cold sweat this time either from a vivid traumatic memory or anything. Instead, she got up rather uneventfully and went to find Cinna. As soon as she was dressed for the day, she could get some breakfast and maybe slip a game of Red Maiden or Wicked Grace in with Haymitch before they pulled into District 2.

Katniss was much more satisfied with today's outfit than the one before. She was dressed very sharply with a blue coat and tan slacks, almost like a decorated soldier. She did look forward to when she could put her hair back down from the tight military-styled bun that Cinna had styled it into, but her own appearance was not really something Katniss took very much into consideration. Clothes were clothes and her hair could be styled or unstyled at her whim, essentially. She simply respected Cinna enough to cooperate with all the hard work he had put into the designs he made for her. Haymitch was right about that as well—play the Capitol's game for two weeks, and then it was over—at least until the next Hunger Games came around and she returned to the Capitol as a mentor. She'd worry about that when the time came. After her sojourn in the arena, she had a tendency to live day by day, to keep her stress levels down (especially considering how easily they went up otherwise).

"How far are we from '2, Effie?" Katniss asked her escort as she glanced around in anticipation for Haymitch. Effie smiled as she glanced over Katniss as she walked in, nodding her approval of Katniss' appearance.

"Less than an hour;" she replied, "I have your speech written and ready as well!"

"Thanks," Katniss nodded appreciatively. While she hoped Haymitch would get his lazy ass out of bed at least 5 minutes before the stop, she also took this alone time as time to ruminate. She remembered a year ago, when victor Clove Kazera came through her district and gave a speech in memoriam of her sister Primrose and her secret admirer Peeta Mellark. She wished she could have gotten to know him—his personality was one that greatly counterbalanced her own. Perhaps he could have brought some stability to her life, which she knew, despite her current composure, was a mess. What had she done with herself after winning the games besides drink and play card games? She still hunted every now and again, but that was because old habits died hard. She knew in her heart that she was an emotional wreck from losing her sister even 18 months after it had happened.

Her mind was briefly taken off of these subjects as Haymitch showed up for a few card games to take Katniss' mind off of her many concerns both regarding this district and regarding her everyday life, but because of the timing, they only got a few games in before the train pulled into the District 2 stop.

A horrifying surge of guilt washed cleanly over Katniss as she approached the podium though. Winter and Wallace, her two strongest enemies, had not been alone in their race for the games. She glanced out over the crowds to see two stages with large holographic images of Winter and Wallace. In front of Wallace's face was a young woman holding a baby. That man had been old enough to father a child. Katniss gritted her teeth to keep from racking herself with the guilt of realizing that she had slain that child's father. She diverted her eyes to the next focal point to take her mind away from it, but instead she saw a dour-looking young man with his hands in front of him. Her lower lips trembled as she noticed a glint from one of his hands—a wedding ring. It had to be. Katniss' own age made it easy for her to forget that these were not children that had been reaped or volunteered for the arena this year. These were adults who had thought they were long past the games. Winter had a husband. Wallace had a wife and child. Katniss realized that she was the one who tore both of these fledgling families apart 6 months ago, and now she was forced to face them.

It took the entirety of her willpower not to break down on the spot. She knew that she had faltered enough that some of the more observant people in the crowds probably realized she was close to losing it. Luckily for her, she stayed composed for the entirety of her speech, but shortly after being dismissed to the justice building she cried out, throwing herself into a corner and curling into a ball, rocking back and forth.

"I killed them… I did that to them… they're gone because of me… I tore them apart… I killed them… I did that to them… they're gone because of me… I tore them apart…" she was trembling, repeating these words over and over as the horrifying reality of what she had done finally sunk in and hit home. Tarin and Titania had given her a false sense of security. Both of them were the same age as their District 2 counterparts, but both of them had been single. It had never occurred to Katniss that not everyone over 21 was still single until now. She knew what it was like to lose a parent; and could only image how horrible it must be to lose one's spouse.

"It was me… It was me… It was me… It was me…"

Vivid recollections of the final night in the arena flashed through Katniss' mind. Her hands clenched into fists, as if clutching a pair of daggers, and remembering vividly that she was the last person alive to see Winter—and she was the one that laid the blow that killed her. She glanced down at her hands and saw blood dripping from them, and gasped in horror. Her nightmares were literal right now.

She sprung up when she heard the door open, and practically threw her arms into the body of the one who had stepped in. To her relief, it was Haymitch, who actually looked genuinely uncomfortable as well seeing Katniss in such a frenzied state. He had barely opened his mouth to ask what was going on when Katniss's own mouth moved, answering the question right away.

"I killed them… I did that to them… they're gone because of me… I tore them apart…"

Haymitch remained frozen for a moment as he contemplated Katniss' words.

"Shit… I've got nothing. No one else ever had to kill married tributes…" He thought to himself. He didn't know why that hit her so hard as opposed to killing someone's brother sister, son, or daughter, but he had no intention of arguing against Katniss' case. He held the trembling victor close, who had begun weeping uncontrollably into his chest.

The evening feast was no better. In fact, one single event made it a lot worse for Katniss. She had retreated to a corner out of sight and out of mind, but that did not stop a certain angry-faced woman and a baby from approaching her. Katniss tensed up immediately, expecting the verbal lashing of a lifetime. She even cringed as if expecting a physical blow, but instead, she simply took out a folded sheet of paper and slammed it on Katniss' table before walking away and muttering "I have nothing to say". Hesitantly, Katniss sniffed it, wondering if it was a trap. Fortunately for her body, there was nothing physically harmful about the page. Unfortunately for her mental and emotional well-being, the image on the paper was probably the most terrifying thing she could have received.

A freakishly accurate depiction of Katniss herself graced the bulk of the image, dressed in her tribute uniform from the games. On her face was a wicked grin, her right hand raised as if in a display of power, but most noticeably, it was dripping with blood. The artist, Camilla Stone, had signed the image, as a hint that she had actually drawn it herself (and was Wallace's wife), but the real kicker that broke Katniss that evening was the caption at the top of the page.

"Blood doesn't wash off, Katniss Everdeen."