"The Fall"

A/N: I wanted to give everyone pre-games POVs that felt important to their character development, and is it so happened Julie was the only one that felt she needed her goodbyes to be written. So, short chapter here, which means a quick update.

~And I'm free

Free falling~

Julie Novum, 14. District Three.

Julie's world seemed to be diving down in a tailspin. She had never exactly been soaring high, out of view of any worldly issues. No, every moment of her life had seemed a brawl to the top, a constant struggle as she climbed higher and higher, attempting to rise above the life she had been dealt. That only made the fall that much more painful. She knew what the ground felt like when you slipped and could do nothing but brace for the impact. It seemed to her that falling was all she had been doing recently.

Steel, Lucy, and Willoughby had come first. Their goodbyes were awkward. Sure, they were friends, but more out of necessity than anything else. There weren't many out there that could keep up with Julie, and so she tended to have slim pickings for friends. Steel was a decent enough guy, annoying for sure, but Willoughby was downright frustrating. Lucy was the only one she'd call a real friend. They kept it brief and optimistic at least, saying they were sure she'd be back in no time. Too stubborn to die, Willoughby had said. She decided she liked the sound of that.

Then her family entered the room, and she was back to falling.

"You shouldn't have cried, everyone's gonna think you're a wimp now." Her little brother Briggs was the first in the room, and came prepared with a snarky insult.

Her old brother Gaia was the next to speak up, reserved and high-strung as ever. "I tried to tell you that you needed to dress prim and proper. A lady always has to be steadfast and dignified, not emotional."

"Any other advice?" Julie murmured as her parents came into the room.

"Nothing that you haven't already ignored a thousand times before," her father said gruffly. None of them so much as bothered to sit down across from her, looking down at where she sat with disapproving, disinterested glances.

"Well, maybe my brother will have some new advice for me," she muttered.

"That boy is no brother of yours," her mom said, a sharp edge to her voice. "He's certainly not a child of mine."

"And I'm not either apparently," Julie bit back. "Maybe I'm more like Dalton than you know."

"Don't say that," Gaia said. "He's a monster. You're nothing like him."

"I guess we'll find out soon," Julie said, and her voice shook with the rest of her body as the words rang out. She remembered little of her brother, but she had seen the replays of his Games. Was Dalton like her before the Games? Would she turn into a monster in the arena? She would be meeting him soon for the first time since he left for the arena, what would he be like? The uncertainty was frightening, but a little thrilling too, she had to admit. Even if he was the monster he seemed to be, he was the only person that would maybe understand her. The way that she felt strangled by her family, and so horribly out of place; he had escaped it all.

Still though, that grin on his face as he stabbed a knife into the back of his ally's neck right after she had killed for him? That image was impossible to shake. Even if Dalton was her brother, and her mentor on top of it, part of her still chilled at the thought of meeting him. But where could there ever be excitement without fear?

The rest of their time together went by quietly. Nobody had much of anything to say, but it still felt wrong for any of them to leave early. They may have been her blood, but she wasn't a Novum, not really. They wore the typical District Three beliefs on their sleeves, while she wore her heart on her's. Her family was so focused on stifling and burying anything true or real, when all she wanted to do was climb to the tallest rooftop in all of the district and shout out her truth so that the whole world could hear it. Her faded pink hair and the splint on her arm were proof of that belief. The climb and the fall.

She was relieved when their time ended early. They all wished her well and told her they loved her, and she returned the gesture, even if she did it emptily. It struck her as she sat alone in the room just how empty all her goodbyes felt. Maybe that was because it wasn't goodbye. If it wasn't goodbye, but just until next time, then what reason would there be to be emotional about it? That was a nice thought, but she wasn't naive enough to believe it.

Julie wondered if goodbyes always felt so hollow. She was used to feeling alone. Even when she was surrounded by people, people she called friends even, it still felt like she was all by herself. There was nobody to understand her, or keep up with her dreams, or understand that she wanted more out of life than District Three could offer. Nobody else seemed to look up at those towering walls and want so badly, more than anything else, to be able to climb them. And even if they did dream about that, they didn't want it like her.

Lucy's mom had once told her she had wanderlust, that she wanted to see the world. Julie thought it was more. It was like only part of her had been born in District Three, and the other half of her was out there, constantly pulling her, leaving her feeling incomplete, unwhole. Maybe that would explain it. How could she ever feel anything but lonely when a part of her was always missing?

She wasn't aware she was crying until the door creaked open, and the mayor and his wife, Lucy's parents, stepped into the room. Julie looked up at them, unable to front any sort of emotion besides the genuine confusion and surprise she felt. Her eyes were still damp, threatening to spill over.

The mayor stood by the door, while Mrs. Markov calmly sat down across from Julie. The woman handed her a handkerchief, which Julie used to quickly wipe away her tears before handing it back.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting any more visitors." Julie sniffled.

"I didn't mean to surprise you," she said softly. "If you want to be alone—"

"It's okay," Julie said. "I don't mind."

She nodded her head. "I feel. . . terrible, watching you get reaped. I can't think of anybody who deserves it less, and I know it may not mean much, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry."

"If you can't think of anybody who deserves it less, you need to meet some more people." That should have been a bitter thought, but Julie cracked a smile.

She returned the smile. "I mean it, you've been a good friend to Lucy. A role model."

"I don't know about that." Julie held up her splinted hand, still recovering from its recent break. "Some role model I am."

"I never said you were perfect." She smiled, an amused glint in her eye. "A bit wild, sure. Lord knows Lucy is as well. But you're a good person, Julie, and that's all that really matters."

Julie shifted in her seat. "You really mean that?"

She reached across and took hold of Julie's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You're kind, and empathetic, and unafraid of your emotions. No matter what happens, nobody can take that away from you."

Julie swallowed a lump in her throat. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Could. . . could you do me a favor?"

"Of course," she said.

"Could you stay with me until it's time to go?" Julie asked, a slight quiver in her voice. "I don't want to be alone."

It was ten more minutes before the Peacekeepers came for Julie and escorted her out of the Justice Building, and to the train that would finally take her out of the district that had caged her in for so long. She was still scared, but she felt just a little bit less lonely. And maybe that could be enough.

A/N: Like I said, short chapter, but hopefully you enjoyed! Next one will be the first half of the train rides, and will be a good bit longer, because I love writing pre-games stuff. Hoping to start burning through the pre-games at a good pace, so expect some more updates soon!

Trivia(1 point): Is cereal a soup?