Chapter 60:

Astrid Vadim, District Eight, Age 13

Victor of the 135th Hunger Games

Two more.

Only two more tributes standing in her way of getting out of here alive. She's so ready to get out of here and away from the putrid smell that comes from the bogs bubbling up hot water all around her. The steam from the hot water has kept her hidden for the most part, except for three times. One she was able to run away from. One she talked into thinking she was just 'a scared thirteen year old' until they found her knife at their throat. And the third…Astrid shakes her head, still able to hear the screams from the girl she left to be attacked by mutts that crawled out of the bogs and dragged her in.

But now isn't the time to worry about those she killed. Or rather, worrying about the fact that she isn't feeling more from their deaths. Shouldn't she…? But then again, what was murder when she already spent years on the streets and have seen so many terrible things.

No, all Astrid cares about is getting out of this hell.

She scans the steamy field in front of her, knife held in front of her, gripped tightly in the rubber suit she wears. She pauses for a moment to stare down at the thermal suit again, still amazed that someone actually sponsored it to her. It had taken a bit to figure out just what it meant, but after one brave test of sticking her hand in a bog and feeling only a slight hint of the heat, she understood just how valuable of an item it is.

A rustling of stone has her head snapping up, just in time to avoid a punch from the girl from Seven. Not much older than Astrid, the girl has a desperate look in her eyes, clearly just as ready to end it as Astrid is. She keeps trying to throw punches and Astrid does her best to keep darting around her, reminded of the times she had to stay out of the grasps of shopkeepers she stole food from. She tries swinging her knife at the girl, but she dodges it before punching Astrid's hand, forcing her fingers to open and drop the knife. The girl kicks the knife and Astrid throws herself after it, just barely missing it before it slides into a nearby bog, sinking in and dissolving right away.

Astrid rolls over as the girl tries to kick her in the face, scrambling to her feet and feeling a rage in her that she hasn't felt in years. Not since she was kicked out onto the streets. "Really?" Astrid asks as she glares over at her opponent, getting a glare back. "The fight wasn't already balanced in your favor against someone who's thirteen that you had to take away her knife?"

"I'm not going to lose!" The girl lets out a scream as she runs towards Astrid, grabbing onto her shoulders and trying to force her towards the bog. Astrid quickly grabs onto the girl's shoulders and digs her feet into the ground, trying to stop her from pushing her in, but her feet slide on the loose stones.

"I'm not losing either!" Astrid yells back, spitting in the girl's face before trying to kick out at her. Her foot hits her thigh, making her falter but she catches herself before she can fall in.

Astrid doesn't see the boy from Ten running over until it's too late and he pushes both of them, sending them falling towards the bog. The girl screams as Astrid stares up at the smug look on his face as he watches them fall. There's a loud splash as they hit the water and Astrid's ears are filled with shrill screams as she cringes, waiting for the pain to hit her.

Yet there's nothing. No heat, nothing like the sizzling noise from next to her as the girl from Seven is dissolved by the heat. The screams stop and Astrid freezes, floating on her back as the boy walks closer to the edge, staring down at them with a look of victory.

Boom.

The boy starts laughing before looking up at the sky and yelling, "I won!"

I don't think so.

Astrid slowly shifts her legs down into the water, able to reach the bottom of it. Just as the boy is starting to look back down, face full of confusion that there hasn't been an announcement yet that he's the victor, Astrid pushes herself forward. She grabs the boy's ankle and yanks hard, causing him to lose his balance and fall right into the bog.

"No!" He shouts just before splashing into the water, screaming immediately.

Astrid pulls herself out of the water collapsing to her knees, hearing the screams from the boy has his flesh is melted away in the bubbling hot spring, turning the crystal blue water crimson red. Yet she can't look away from the boy who nearly killed her. He would have killed her if not for the thermal suit sponsored to her days ago…

Boom.

She lets out her own scream at the cannon, letting out all the anguish and pain and fear of the past twelve days. She did it. Astrid Vadim, youngest of her Games. No, she's no longer just the youngest. She's the victor of her Games.

She starts laughing as she pays attention to the voice announcing in the arena, unable to stop herself. "…The victor of the 135th Hunger Games, Astrid Vadim!"

Who would have ever predicted that she would end up as the victor? No one in District Eight had believed that the thirteen year old orphan girl living on the streets would make it past the bloodbath. Yet she did. No one back home was rooting for her, there was no one left to wish for her to make it home alive. But it doesn't matter to Astrid. She did it. She won.

She had thought no one in the Capitol was rooting for her. It had seemed that way from the start during the chariot rides. But one person was rooting for her…someone sent her the thermal suit that just saved her life. Astrid stares down at her hands, covered in the thin blue material. She would be dead right now if she didn't have that suit to protect her from the extreme heat that was enough to melt away flesh and bone. The boy from Ten would be the victor and his family back home would be cheering for him. Instead, they're probably cursing Astrid. But she doesn't care. She won, fair and square.

Well…not quite fair. But the Games aren't fair. People win by the advantages given to them. Astrid had every disadvantage at the start of the Games but she deserved this one advantage. She doesn't know who would actually care enough about her to buy what must have been the most expensive item in the arena. But she knows one thing.

She'll never be able to repay whoever saved her life.

And there we have Astrid! Another repeat from the Legacy prologues, but I doubt any of us remember those at this point (I sure don't).

Yeah keeping up regular updates didn't happen lol I just always forget about this story. And I am definitely not posting 15 updates by the anniversary on the 14th when I still have nine more to write lol. So I'm just going to change that goal to being done by the new year.

So see you hopefully soon when we get back to back career victors (but not from the same District).