Trigger warning: Serious PTSD and suicide
Alec Towers, District 1
"Oh, wicked world,
Just think what could have been,"
Vampire Weekend, Jerusalem, New York, Berlin
My name is Hannah Towers. My husband's name is Luncan Towers. One week ago, our son Alec was reaped for the Hunger Games. Now he's coming home.
The train carrying our boy is pulling into the station right now. I can barely contain myself as I see the doors slide open. And there he is. Alec. He's still alive.
Unable to contain myself, I burst out of the crowd of people and run to my son, wrapping him in a massive hug. He doesn't resist, but as I ran to him, I saw something flicker in his eyes, something that tells me that my beautiful son will never be the same.
Back in our house, Alec takes a second to walk in the door. I can see the emotion on his face as he takes a good look at the inside of the home he never thought he'd see again. A small tear trickles down his face, and it's all I can do to keep my own back.
Dinner was, in a word, awkward. Alec froze up at the sight of the meat, and when Luncan brought out the knives, he actually jumped. Luncan quickly put them away, but it was still hard. Now I'm standing in the kitchen, trying to do the dishes, but I can't stop thinking about Alec. Should I talk to him? Would that make him feel better? I decide that I should try. I knock on his bedroom door, one small part of me hoping that he'll open the door looking just like the boy he was before he left. But no one responds. I knock again.
"Alec?" I ask. Still nothing. Taking a deep breath, I open the door, and almost throw up as soon as I see what's inside.
Alec's body is hanging by a rope around his neck from his ceiling fan. A toppled chair lies in the air beneath his feet. My son hanged himself. He ended his own life, the memories of the Games too much for him to bear. The weight of the unfairness threatens to crush me, but as I stare at his bloated body, I swear that I won't let him go unavenged. I will end the Hunger Games, even if it costs me my life.
There's the second victor! Obviously, Alec won't be making any future appearances, but you might want to remember Hannah Towers. This one was pretty short, seeing as I didn't really need to do much with Alec, but next chapter we get a victor you might remember from 40th Hunger Games. I won't say who it is, but he was one of my personal favorites.