The Seventieth Hunger Games chapter 7
Hey guys! So, if this is Chapter Seven. I'm hoping to get this out fairly soon for you guys. We'll see if I do. Let's start the chapter.
Lily's POV:
I can't believe this. I actually won. I held a hand to the bleeding gash in my side as the hovercraft appeared overhead and a ladder dropped down. I struggled to my feet and stepped onto the ladder. The electric current freezes me in place and I'm pulled up into the hovercraft. The door closed behind me and the electric current releases me. Two Capital attendants pull me to my feet and I'm taken to a sterile, white room and told to lay down on a table. Then, a doctor in a white coat lifts my shirt enough to see the slash. I felt a needle being pushed into my skin and then everything went numb. I somehow recognize that the doctor is stitching up my slash. I tried to keep my eyes open for when we land, but I found myself drifting off to sleep. Eventually, I stopped fighting it and let my eyes droop shut.
When I wake up, I'm in a different room. Just as pristine and white, but less of a hospital room and more of a bedroom feel. That's when I realize that I'm naked. Wonderful. I sat up and looked down at my side. Both the stitches and any trace of a scar from the slash, are both gone. My fingernails were filed into perfect ovals. I pulled my hair over my shoulder and looked at the shiny, dark blonde waves. My hair was like silk and had actually gotten longer since the arena. It fell to the very bottom of my back now. My skin was as soft as a baby's. I noticed the clothes laid out at the foot of the bed. It's what all the tribute wore in the arena. Of course they'd make me wear that to see my team again.
I got dressed quickly and the wall slid open into a door. I stepped out into a hallway that appeared to have no doors. Though, the room I was in didn't look like it had a door either, until the door opened. I glanced down the hall to my left and saw nothing, but turned when I heard someone call me name. I turned and saw Effie, Haymitch, and Tigris waiting in a big chamber at the end of the hall. I started walking to them, slowly first and then I broke into a run.
When I reached them, I hugged Tigris first.
"I knew you could do it," she whispered.
I smiled and let go of her, turning to Haymitch. Our relationship wasn't the best, but he smiled and held out his hand, which I shook.
"You did a good job," Haymitch said.
"Thanks," I replied.
I turned to a teary-eyed Effie and hugged her.
"I'm so proud of you," Effie said.
I pulled away. "Thank you."
"Alright, go with Tigris now. She has to get you ready," Effie said.
I nodded. Tigris took my hand and led me down a few passages and to an elevator that led to the lobby of the Training Center. Then it's up to the twelfth floor. I'm still in awe that I'm even here right now. I did it. I actually did it.
As soon as the elevator doors open, My prep team swarms around me. I can't really tell what they're saying but I know they're happy to see me. I'm glad to see them too. But, I mean, I'm happy to see anyone that's not another tribute in the arena.
After eating, Tigris disappeared while the prep team did their job. They handled the shower settings and then started on my hair, makeup, and nails. They were all talking so fast, I couldn't make out what they were saying, so I just smiled and nodded, actually happy to be here right now.
When they were done, Tigris re-entered the room, holding a burgundy dress. She slipped it over my head and I looked in the mirror. The dress was beautiful. Strapless, with a velvet burgundy bodice and the skirt was the same color and it reached all the way to the floor, swirling around my feet when I turned.
"It's beautiful," I said.
Tigris smiled. "Don't forget the shoes."
Lauria helps me into a pair of black wedge heels.
"There. Now you're ready," Tigris said.
We take the elevator to the level where we trained. It's customary for the victor and his or her support team to rise from beneath the stage. First the prep team, then the escort, the stylist, the mentor, and then the victor. We wait under the stage where there's a fairly cozy waiting room with a large metal plate in the middle to lift us each onto the stage.
Finally, I can hear Caesar Flickerman greeting the audience. The audience claps as the prep team is lifted onto the stage, followed by Effie, then Tigris, who receives applause of her own. Then it's Haymitch, and finally, it's my turn.
As I rise onto the stage, I'm nearly blinded by the lights and the audience erupts into applause and cheering. I regain my senses enough to step off the platform and walk towards the victor's chair, smiling. Caesar greets me with a handshake and says a few more things, more to the audience than to me, and then it's time to watch the highlights. I tried to keep my face calm through it all. First, they show the pre-arena events, then the actual games. They show all of Mal's death. I shift slightly in my seat, but I didn't give them much of a reaction. Of course, they had to show my kiss with Ethan, before he led the Careers away from me. Finally, it's the final battle between me and Zarah and it's over. Then the anthem starts playing and we rise and President Snow himself walks onto the stage, followed by a small girl carrying the crown on a cushion. I keep my face in a small smile and Snow sets the crown on my head. Snow is smiling, but his eyes held indifference, like he had other places he'd rather be. Trust me, buddy. I'd rather be other places than here too. I smile and wave to the audience until Caesar bids them goodnight after reminding them to tune in for the final interview tomorrow.
I'm whisked away to the president's mansion for the Victory Banquet after that. There's not all that much time to eat, because of the people basically elbowing each other out of the way to get a picture of the new Victor. I just keep smiling for pictures and waving at people.
I'm happy when we're finally taken back to the twelfth floor of the training center. Haymitch told me to get some sleep, but… You know me. I don't do what I'm told. So instead, I went back up to the roof to watch the sun peaking over the horizon. I stay there for a while, until I felt a tap on my shoulder. Surprisingly, I didn't jump. I didn't even turn around. I kept my eyes on the sunrise.
"Go away, Haymitch. I'm not going to bed," I said.
"I see you haven't changed."
The voice wasn't Haymitch's but I definitely knew it. I whirled around to face Finnick. He's got a smile on his face and opened his arms to me. I stepped forward and hugged him, my only real Capital friend.
"You did it," Finnick whispered.
It was then that I realized that Zarah and Grover were his tributes. I pulled away and looked at him.
"I'm sorry about Zarah and Grover," I said. Finnick chuckled.
"It's okay. They were jerks. I honestly didn't want them to win," Finnick said. I smiled.
I turned around and looked back at the sunrise, while Finnick moved to stand next to me.
"You get to go home soon," Finnick said.
"Yeah. I still can't believe I'm even here right now," I said.
"I'm not surprised. There was always something about you. I knew you could do it." Neither of us said anything for a while.
"I'm sorry about your friend," Finnick finally said.
"What?"
"That girl, Mal, that died. She was your friend, wasn't she?"
"Oh, yeah. Thanks."
"If I ask about your district partner kissing you, are you going to yell at me?" I glanced at him.
"No."
"So, what was that about?"
"I have no idea."
"Were you together?"
"God, no. Maybe he had feelings for me, but I had no idea. He never showed it. I guess, I'll never know now."
"That's sad. But he obviously cared enough to sacrifice himself for you."
"You're not helping."
"Sorry."
Neither of us said anything for another long while.
"You know, you probably should sleep. You have your interview and stuff tomorrow. You don't want to be tired, trust me," Finnick finally said.
I smiled. "I know. You're right. It's good to see you again, Finnick."
"You too. I hope I can see you again before you leave for 12."
"I hope so too."
I walked over to the door and glanced back at him. He was smiling and watching me go. I smiled back at him and left.
The next morning, I was woken by Effie knocking loudly on my door, and then I have only a few minutes to eat something before my prep team appears. I don't even have to say anything. They just keep going on about the attention they got last night. I just let them talk.
My hair is braided into a warrior braid over my shoulder and my makeup is fierce with dramatic black eyeliner and shining ocean blue eyeshadow. My lips are kept a nude color so as not to take attention away from my eyes. I look beautiful and fierce.
Then Tigris comes in with my dress. It's black and strapless with blue, gold, and green jewels over the bodice, sewn to look like peacock feathers. The sheer layers flowed around me, while the silk underdress kept me covered. My shoes are gold gladiator sandals that almost reached my knees. I turned around to face Tigris when it was almost time to go. She held up something on a gold chain. My locket.
"How did you get that?"
"They found it amongst your clothes from the arena. I thought you might want it back," Tigris said with a smile.
I let her fasten it around my neck. It went perfectly with my outfit. I turned back to her.
"Thank you."
Tigris nodded. "Of course. Now go. You're going to be late.
The interview was held down the hall in the sitting room. Most of the space had been cleared and the victor's chair was now in the middle of the room, as well as another chair for Caesar. Caesar gave me a hug when I entered the room.
"Congratulations, my dear. You look stunning. How are you?" Caesar asked.
"I'm happy to be standing here, Caesar," I answered honestly.
"And we're all happy that you're here."
I sat somewhat stiffly in the victor's chair and crossed my ankles, trying not to look too uncomfortable. Caesar takes his seat and someone counts backward from five. Then we broadcasting to the entire country. No pressure, right? I love Caesar. He tries to make it less awkward and it works. Teasing, and joking. Most of my smiles are actually genuine.
"Now, if we talk about the moment of when Malerie's death for a moment," Caesar said. "What were your thoughts in the moment that you lost her?" I thought for a moment.
"That I was alone," I answered. "That I'd just lost my only friend in this entire thing. That…. There's no one to help me now."
"But then Ethan, your district partner forged an alliance with you. What was that like?"
"Uh, surprising. Ethan had been… very cold to me throughout the training. I didn't know what to think when he came to me."
"I see. Well, now, let's talk about what had all the audience in tears, including myself, that kiss and then he ran to save you. What was that like?"
"It was…. Strange. Like I said, he'd been very cold to me up until then and so, to think he'd had feelings for me the whole time… I- I just wish I could ask him why he never told me. I owe him a debt that I can never pay."
Caesar put his hand over his heart and had to take a moment.
"That's beautiful, my dear. I do wish we could leave it with that, but I must ask you about the final battle. What was going through your mind right then?"
I took a moment to answer and frowned slightly. "I just knew that if I could get through one more thing, I could go home. But…. Can I be honest with you, Caesar?"
"Of course."
"I had hoped that it would come down to be and Zarah from the moment that I watched her kill Mal. I wanted to be able to kill her, just like she killed my friend. And, Caesar, I'm not a violent person. But... I wanted to make Zarah pay for killing Mal, even if I died trying."
"That…. Has got to be the bravest thing I have ever heard, and I've been doing this a long time, my dear. You truly deserve your title."
"Thank you, Caesar."
Caesar signed off and then we were done. Everyone's laughing and crying. I just wanted to get out of that room. I walked to Haymitch.
"How did I do?" I asked.
"Great. You're actually good at this," Haymitch said.
I smiled and left the room.
There was nothing to get from my room. My locket was the only thing I had and it was already fastened around my neck. But I wasn't quite ready to leave and Effie had come to get me yet. So, where else would I go when I have some time to kill. I went to the roof.
The bright sun was high overhead. It was almost noon. I leaned against the ledge and looked over the city one more time. This is the first time I've been up here in the daytime and this is the last time I'll be here. It's interesting. I heard the door open behind me and turned. Who else could it be but Finnick? I smiled when I saw him and he did the same. I turned around as he walked over to me.
"You're still here," Finnick said.
"Not for long. We have to leave in a few minutes, but I thought maybe if I came up here, you'd show up. You have all these times before," I said.
"Well, I thought maybe you'd be up here and I wanted to say goodbye."
I nodded. I stepped forward at the same time that Finnick hugged me. I hugged him back until he leaned back and looked at me.
"Your hair's lighter now. More golden," Finnick commented.
"Yeah, well, it was sunny in the arena," I said. I sighed. "I should go, before Effie has a heart attack wondering where I am."
Finnick nodded. "Maybe I can see you on the victory tour."
"I hope so. I'm glad I got to meet you, Finnick."
"You too. Goodbye, Lily."
"Goodbye."
I stepped away from him and left the roof.
After saying goodbye to Tigris, a car with tinted windows drives us through the Capital streets. Even through the dark windows, I can still hear people cheering once and a while.
We reach the train, and almost immediately, the windows go completely dark as we go through a long tunnel. I'm glad Effie is here to accompany Haymitch and me back. We still butt heads a lot and an entire train ride with only him would probably end up with one of us dead.
After dinner and watching the replays of the interviews, I went back to my room and changed out on my gown and into a simple purple skirt that went to my knees along with a black shirt with short sleeves. I wash off the makeup and let my long hair out of its braid. It fell in tight waves down my back.
After stopping for fuel, we reached District 12 before sunset. I prepared myself for the cameras as I stood with Haymitch at the train door. The door slid open and we stepped out into the crowd. The flashing cameras were nearly blinding, but they back off after a couple of minutes. Haymitch disappeared into the crowd. As the sea of cameras parted, a short, ashy blonde boy appeared directly in front of me. Peeta.
I knelt down onto my knees as Peeta ran forward and leaped into my arms, clinging to me.
"You came back!" Peeta cried into my hair. Tears of happiness started to fall from my eyes.
"I promised you I would, didn't I?"
I pulled away and looked at his tear-stained little face.
"Come on, Peeta. Let's go home. It's time to face Mom and Dad."
Peeta was the only one of my family that met me at the train stop. That means I have to face my parents just on my own with no crowds and after the speech I made in my interview before the games, this could get ugly.
As soon as Peeta and I stepped inside the bakery, my other two brothers swarmed me and hugged me. I smiled and hugged them back. But I let go of them when my parents stepped into the room, a cold expression on both of their faces. I looked at all of my brothers.
"Boys, why don't you go play. Mom, Dad, and I need to talk alone, alright?" I told them.
They nodded and ran outside. I faced my parents.
"Mom. Dad," I greeted them.
"You're back," Mom said. Her voice was that steely calm that told me she was really angry. I expected that.
"Yeah, I'm back," I replied.
"So, you'll be moving into the Victor's village, then?" Dad asked.
"Yes."
I barely had time to duck before Mom grabbed a plate and threw it at my head. I dived to the side before it hit me. I'd expected her to throw something. I stood up straight again and met with my mother's angry red face.
"What were you thinking? You humiliated us on live TV in that interview? How could you?" Mother hissed.
"I only told the truth. You don't care about me. Neither of you do. You only see me as a ticket to a better life someday, if I pretend to be someone I'm not. I'm done with you," I said.
Mother slapped me across the face. I turned my face back to her and pushed her away from me. She stumbled back a bit, but kept her balance.
"You ungrateful little brat. You'll be who we want you to be, or you'll be out on the streets," Mother said. I smiled at her.
"No, Mother. You can't threaten to throw me out anymore. I have my own house, in the Victor's village no less. I'll be living there, while you're left in this stupid bakery to rot."
"Don't make me laugh, girl. You know you won't leave the brothers you love so much. If you walk out that door, you'll never see them again," Mother said with a dry laugh.
"No, I won't be leaving them. I'll be taking them with me. I've seen the bruises on my brother's faces. I know you've been hitting them. All I have to do is go to the Mayor and ask for custody of my brothers. I'm sure with a substantial bribe of my Victor money, he won't refuse."
"You can't take my sons away from me. They need parents. You're a child. You can't handle three boys," Mother argued.
"You're no mother. You're just an evil bitch," I spat.
I turned for the door and barely missed being hit with a pot that sailed past my head and hit the wall. I opened the door and looked back at my furious mother.
"Go to hell," I hissed.
I stepped out the door and shut it.
I found my brothers just by the front step. They all looked up at me when I walked over to them. I knelt down to their level.
"Now, boys. I'm going to be moving to the Victor's village and Mother and Father are not coming with me. In fact, I probably won't talk to them again. However, each of you have the option of coming with me, or staying here. I will be fine either way. But it's your choice. All of you. You're all old enough to make the decision. Vincent, you'll be fifteen in two months. Will, you've just turned thirteen. And Peeta, dear Peeta, even at twelve, you can choose where you want to stay. But sadly, you must choose now," I told them.
"Will we get to see Mom and Dad?" Vincent asked.
"I'm sure you can once in a while. I won't, but you can," I answered.
"I want to go with you," Peeta said. "Mom hates me anyway. I'm going with you." I smiled.
"Okay, Peeta. Vincent, Will, what about you?" Vincent and Will looked at each other. I thought they were going to decide to say, but they looked back at me and said, "We're going with you too."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah. I think we'll be happier with you than with Mom and Dad. I think Mom might be losing it," Vincent said.
"Plus, if we don't have to work in the bakery, I won't get as many burns on my hands," Will added.
I laughed and hugged my brothers.
"Come on, boys. Let's get out of here before Mother turns on you too," I said.
Okay, guys. That's it for this chapter. Tell me what you thought in the reviews. I'll be updating soon. Also, in case you were wondering, if there was an actress that I would match to Lily, it would probably be Abigail Breslin. So, if you want to know what I think Lily would look like, Google Abigail Breslin. Okay, that's all I wanted to say. Bye guys, - Lily