ARTIFACT 110568 NOTES:
Personal diary of Gaylord Parthenia, Victor of the 22nd Annual Hunger Games, from District Twelve.
Detailing the events of the blight of 0024, from late April to early July, in Twelve.
Only several entries are still legibile; others have faded too much to be read clearly.
Recovered from the attic of Haymitch Abernathy's house in the Victor's Village after the Mockingjay Rebellion.
Under loan to the National Museum of History by the Everdeen-Mellark family.
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THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO:
Lord Parthenia
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April 29th
Eris gave me this journal after my Victory Tour. I was seeing Soya in the garden and Miriam on my couch and Mama in the bed every day. She knew I wouldn't let her call the doctor, so she gave me a bunch of stuff to try to help me figure it out on my own. I didn't use any of them, of course, but now I'm stuck alone in this house, and people are starting to die outside. So I guess, I don't have anything better to do but write about it.
They call it the rubigine-vastante. Plants are all dead. Eris called me about it before they announced it to the whole District, and she ordered me enough food to last me a month, all stacked up in the empty cellar. I didn't get it, but I get it now, because people are always hungry in the Seam, but not this hungry. Never this hungry.
People are saying we're all going to die. No trains have come for a week. They say we're not important enough. Maybe they're right. We're just District Twelve after all. Maybe they're right, and I'm finally going to die. Fought so hard, and I'm going to die at eighteen years old. I'm going to die in this big house I got by cutting open two necks while it rained. Maybe that's what I deserve, in the end.
Still, I hope we don't all die. If I go, I go, but there's a few people here that deserve to stay around longer than me.
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March 3rd
Eris was supposed to visit next week, but she says the Capitol won't let her come, with the blight. Says it isn't safe for her here. It isn't safe for her there, either.
I'm mad. I drank too much, broke a mirror. The bugs probably heard. I don't care. People are saying we're all going to die anyway, so what's the matter? It's just glass, and we're all going to die.
I saw Miriam again, laying on my couch, bleeding all over it, her eyes open wide. Threw the empty whiskey bottle at her and she went away, but the couch is all stained again. Don't think I'm going to get another one until this is all done, if I make it, if I don't die. I really don't want to die, not again, not after all this.
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March 11th
The girl from the Seam that cleans my house was crying when she came this morning. Said her baby brother's not doing well, already, and it's only been a few weeks, not even a month since the trains stopped coming. I haven't left my house this month, because I can't go out there, I don't know what they'd ask of me out there, so I stay here. They can't ask me too much, but they might, and I can't help them all. My cellar already looks too empty, even though I still have cans stacked up high against the wall.
I gave her money, a lot more money than usual, and a couple cans of green beans, because she was crying so hard, and because she's a nice girl. I don't think the money will do much for her, but hopefully the green beans will help. It has to help. It's the only thing I've got.
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March 23rd
Only a few more days of food left. I've been trying to ration, but I've drank up all my whiskey and there's nothing else I can do but eat. Only a few more cans, I'm trying to stretch them so I don't have to go out and find food like everyone else screaming for help out there. But it hurts, my head hurts, there's no whiskey, and they're in every corner.
I see Miriam everywhere, everywhere, on every ceiling and wall, every floor tile and chair leg. She's everywhere. I hope she starves first, I hope she leaves me alone before the rest of us die.
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May 1st
They've started sending kids past the fence. Peacekeepers cut a little hole in the side, where no one would look, and they've been getting kids to go hunt for them and bring back food. Some of the Peacekeepers even going themselves, there's nothing else to do. You know it's bad when the white suits start breaking the law like that. Everyone's just desperate.
I don't have any cans left, so I told the Head Peacekeeper to send me some of the meat they catch in the woods. Evil, dirty really, to take meat when I live in this miniature mansion, and hundreds of children are starving on the streets of the Seam. Still, I told him to send it, because I won't die, not yet. They can't take me, not while Miriam is watching me from every side. I killed her, and she still watches me. I just...don't want to die.
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May 10th
Had to fire the girl from the Seam. Started stealing things from the house. I was okay with it at first, she had to eat somehow, so I was okay with it until she took Mama's wedding band. That was too far. I can't let her take Mama's things, so I fired her. She cried a lot, screamed a little. I gave her a box of the things I don't need for her to sell at the Hob and told her not to come back.
It'll get dusty here soon, like the old house they made me sell. Don't know who lives there now, don't care. They're sleeping in a bed where a woman chose to die and leave her son. I understand it, but I don't like it. Miss her a lot. Keep seeing her, when I get hungry, really hungry. Keep seeing her all the time.
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May 30th
Made one squirrel stretch four whole days. Sucked the bones for hours. Love bones, now. Better than nothing. Better than dying like the kids in the Seam. I'm not a kid in the Seam anymore. I get squirrels, I suck their bones, I live in a castle and I'm alive. I won't die, I never will. I see them all the time but I'm alive and they're not, and I get a whole squirrel to myself. They won't ever get that again.
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June 12th
I went through the hole in the fence myself, to find something to eat, because the Peacekeepers are keeping the meat for themselves now. Almost fell into a pit trap where I would've broken my leg. Got out fine, found some berries I can eat, and took them home.
Cried all night. Had to walk through the Seam to get there. Saw the people everywhere. Dead people. They were right. We're all dying, all of us. Wish we had the parcels still. Wish I'd won a year later. Wish I'd never won at all.
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June 25th
Dreamed Mama killed me when she decided to die, so I'd go with her too. Liked the dream. Liked being dead with her, in her arms, bleeding out in her arms while she died.
I'm staying alive but not many other people are, I don't think. I don't go to the Seam or the Hob anymore, so I don't know who's left, if there's even any food out there at all. I might be the only person left alive. I might be the only person alive in the whole wide world, things are so still and silent, and I have to find my own food like a dog. Digging in the dirt and shit. Just as dehumanizing as when Miriam and I licked the gravy out of the sponsor cannisters like animals. I can find wild berries and roots around the Village, at least. Locked up the gates so the Seam kids can't get any. I won't make it if they take them from me. Won't make it if they keep taking everything from me. Already got everything taken from me. I'll keep the berries.
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July 3rd
They're still doing the Games. Don't know how. Thought they'd call them off at the last minute. Lots of kids died this year. Don't wanna see how small the crowd in the square's gonna be this year. Don't want see it, don't wanna see how many people have died. Don't want to watch two more kids get cut up, like the two last year that didn't last a minute. Don't wanna watch it. Don't wanna watch more death. Please no. Should've cancelled it. Still doing the Games, we're all dying, we're all barely alive.
I get to see Eris, at least. Get to see her. That's the only thing that matters, only reason I'm alive, only reason I haven't curled up in the bed like Mama. I'll get strong for Eris, put on my smile, and be the Lord she knows. I need my best friend again. I'll live just to see Eris. Don't know what I'll do after, but for now, I'll live until she's gone.
Then maybe I'll curl up in bed like Mama and wait to die. Who knows. I don't. I don't know anything anymore, just the taste of animal bones. Curling up in the bed like Mama did, when she left me to die, it sounds nice. Sounds real nice.
A/N: There we have our last prologue! This one wasn't super long, but I hope it wrapped up the intro of this story by showing the true devastation of the poorest places in Panem while also letting us get even more of a glimpse into Lord's life. Hopefully y'all enjoyed it, and you're ready for the rest of the story.
Also, to the person who asked if each chapter is going to be unconventional: no, they won't! I'm going to be turning to regular 1st person POVs once intros start, I just wanted to try out some exciting formats for the prologues to make them more interesting. But this is the last weirdly formatted one, at least for a while.
Now onto the thing y'all wanted to see, the cast list! Everyone is up on the blog at wh24hg . weebly . com, but I'll put the list here as well so y'all can see it more easily.
I got over 50 submissions, which is an insane number that I didn't expect. There was extreme interest in this story, so not everyone could get in, and I got several great tributes I didn't have room for on this cast. I just chose who I thought I would enjoy writing most out of the subs I got, and who fit into this verse the best. Feel free to reach out to me if your tribute didn't make it in, and I can explain why they weren't chosen. Also, I didn't list submitters here or on the blog, but I'm not keeping them a secret, so feel free to discuss your kids! Just didn't feel like it was ~aesthetically pleasing~ to list them either place. Anyways. No one probably read this and went straight to the list; can't blame you. Here we go!
Tributes of the 24th Annual Hunger Games
District 1 Female: Ametrine Margaritum, 18
District 1 Male: Regulus Aurelian, 18
District 2 Female: Octavia Gabbro, 17
District 2 Male: Mordred Solberg, 18
District 3 Female: Echo Huxley, 16
District 3 Male: Delano Orelias, 17
District 4 Female: Plana Cortes, 18
District 4 Male: Atlas Perdanez, 18
District 5 Female: Eden Malrouz, 12
District 5 Male: Solenor Salazar, 17
District 6 Female: Jenny Piston, 17
District 6 Male: Nassir Slade, 17
District 7 Female: Leah Godwin, 18
District 7 Male: Baron Avdija, 18
District 8 Female: Isadora Delaine, 16
District 8 Male: Karma Nightingale, 18
District 9 Female: Amaranth Harrow, 18
District 9 Male: Bram Overholt III, 18
District 10 Female: Azrael Methusael, 18
District 10 Male: Sheol Osorio, 18
District 11 Female: Blanche Noir, 12
District 11 Tribute: Maddox Zamorano, 18
District 12 Female: Scarlette Tavva, 18
District 12 Male: Oliver Teague, 17
There we go! Sorry again to those who didn't make it, and congratulations to the 20 submitters (including myself with Plana lol) that made it in. This story is going to be amazing, I can just feel it, and this cast is very strong, so I can't wait to get into it. Hope y'all are ready for the ride of a lifetime!
Until Next Time,
Tracee