Disclaimer: If I didn't own the Hunger Games at the beginning of the story, I doubt that I would own it now. Just saying.
So close...
We have now had two Victors besides myself. A girl, who was sixteen years old, won about seven years ago, and last year a boy, seventeen years old. I'm still the youngest victor. Well, when you take in consideration how old I was when I won. I'm almost fifty now. Quill and I are still friends, though we seem to have grown apart throughout the years.
His son was born shortly after the twenty-fifth Hunger Games; the boy's name is Cedar. He lived through the Reaping without being picked. I held my breath each year, just like I did with Quill. Cedar is twenty-five now. There is a new president also. President Snow. He seems even more snakelike and evil then President Heat, who died shortly after the twenty-forth Hunger Games.
Things have changed. We have a new escort, Bellina. She is annoying, but I figure that all of the escorts are. Fortinbras is still the stylist unfortunately. His fashion sense hasn't really improved in the past years. He now has assistants though. They decided that the stylist needed help in making the tributes beautiful.
Some of the other older tributes have died, but Siliana and Mags are still alive. Even some younger than me couldn't take the pressure and resorted to most unsavory methods. I haven't heard from my father sense he sent the mockingjay.
The second Quarter Quell ended a few months ago. So far, they are exactly what my uncle said them to be. The first we had to choose who we wanted to be entered. That was not pretty. Many distraught parents. Many fights, many grudges made that hold until this day. They chose one strong one; and one weak one. That way the strong one had a way to make it back. I felt sorry for the girl. They chose her because they knew she would lose. She was born paralyzed from the waist down.
The second there was twice the entries. I had to see twice the tributes die under my hand. It seemed to me that the arena that they put them in was punishment enough, but no. Poison was a factor that knocked off most of my tributes, and most of the others as well.
Today the victor of the second Quarter Quell, Haymitch, his name is, is coming to District 9. I left my door unlocked. Maybe he will just walk in. The house still isn't bugged, and the meetings between Victors are still private. I look at the wall of Victors I have in my room. Each I have gotten signed. Another is about to be added to my collection.
I hear the door creak open. It can only be one person. I walk out of my bedroom, and to the stairs. On the first floor I have a cabinet with pictures from the Games that aren't signed. I see the boy standing there, looking at the picture of Glitch. My mouth tilts to a smile as some of my happiest memories are revived.
The boy is fairly tall, with brown hair. He is fairly muscular, but not some total beast, like Tannor or Ethan. He won by outsmarting the others though. I slowly creep down the stairs, careful not to make a sound. I come up right behind the boy. I only reach up to his shoulder, but I manage to whisper up into his ear, "What cha' looking at?"
The boy jumped and looked at me standing there for a minute. Then turned angry. "Don't you know not to sneak up on people?" He said in an arrogant tone. He had used this as his interviewing angle. I always hated that angle…
I waved him off. "It is certainly all right to do so in your own home. And cut it with the arrogance. You're not on camera, and you definitely didn't fool me with that imprudent act. Ever heard of respecting your elders?" He looked at me with suspicion.
"Ok. So what do you want?" he says. Rude much. I glare at him for a moment, but then calm myself down. I open a drawer and grab a picture of him sitting by the edge of the force field. I choose that picture because I liked the rebellious act. I had been looking to see if anyone would try to cheat the games. He was the first to do something major on the scale of defiance.
"Sign. Write a comment about the Capitol. Don't worry, they won't see it. District 12 seems to have a rebellious streak going on. Siliana won the first Games, you know. She refused to be picked off of the stage. She just sat there for three days, until she collapsed of fatigue and they hauled her off." I remember Siliana's Game. She was still one of my friends. She didn't make it a habit to hang out with me, but she did so on occasions. She was getting old now. Then again, I can say the same for myself.
The boy signs, and writes a very insulting comment about the Capitol. Even though this kid seems to act like he owns the world, you have to respect his courage. Or would it be stupidity? My story about his Mentor didn't seem to affect him. Must have already heard it, even though the Capitol tries to make sure those sort of things don't keep circling around. "So, you are the youngest person to win the Hunger Games?" he picks up a picture of Glitch and me sitting in a tree.
I figure that this question will lead up to another. Or maybe he is pathetically trying to create a conversation. "Yeah. Sorry, but your district didn't make it past the first hour that year. I had friends to help me with my Victory. That's the only reason I won." I look down remorsefully. That seemed to spark an interest in him.
"They helped you win? I don't think I've heard the stories of the 11th Games." he looked as if he couldn't believe it. I wouldn't blame him. On the television, they would show recapping of the Games. The 11th was never one on there. Then again, District 12 doesn't get electricity that much from what I hear. And people don't really help anyone but themselves in the Games now. Most wouldn't believe what happened during my Games, except those who saw it.
"Yeah. They did things like fixing an infected arm, keeping me from falling, etcetera. The last two were me and the boy from my district. He committed suicide to make sure that I got home safely. I had to apologize to his family." He glances at me with a look of pity. But he seems to quickly recover.
"Speaking of things long in the past, did they happen to mention what the Quarter Quells were when they invented the Games?" Um…things long in the past? That wasn't insulting at all. I suppose this was the question that he was trying to lead up to though, since it really wasn't related to what I was talking about.
"No. They were secret. Not available to the public." He looks down; disappointment spread on his face. I could tell he was probably asking all the Victors that question. "But I know what they are." He leaned forward, as if to get more information. I think I'm going to see how long it takes for him to realize that he is going to need to ask politely for the information. It was fun to play games with people and mess with their heads. Wow…I haven't really noticed how immature I am until this point.
"I don't really care how you got the information," Well isn't that kind of you to say, but shouldn't you learn about the past in order to understand the future? "But, can I ask what the future Quells are going to be? Please?" Now that I knew. The letter was still clear in my mind, while other events were hazy. I wasn't so sure I should share my information; it wasn't exactly the most pleasant things you have ever heard. I decide against my better judgment.
"'The Third Quarter Quell: To remind the Districts that the Rebellion chose to put their children at risk, this Game will consist of children from the ages of six to twelve. Each will have their names entered once.'" It wasn't pleasant. But neither were most of them. It was basically simulating a first reaping for all.
He looked at me wide-eyed in terror and disgust. "They really aren't going to make such young children fight. They can't do that. Can they?" He shakes his head in disbelief. "Six?" He repeats, as if I had lied to him about the age. I almost wish that I had.
"They can do whatever they want, at least until someone has the guts to overthrow them. I had a feeling you might try and do something, but you didn't. I've been watching the Games long before you were born, and know that not many ever defy as you did. Oh well, just hope you don't live for the Fourth Quarter Quell. That is an unsavory one." 101, it was my lifelong goal to die before I reach that age. I shouldn't worry; I probably would achieve that objective.
He looked at me for further information. Once again, he realized he was going to have to probe for answers. "What is the Quell theme of that one?" I roll my eyes. What is wrong with society today? They are getting more and more rude. Oh well, no use in asking him to say please.
"'The Fourth Quarter Quell: To remind the Districts that even their strongest can't defeat the Capitol, the Victor's will compete once again. Their names will be selected, and one female and one male victor from each District will compete.' Or something along those lines." They put that one later, so that each district would have a chance to pull together enough Victors. At the rate we were going, it seemed that they would.
He stares at me as if I'm crazy now. "How can you talk so regularly about this? Don't you notice that they are destroying things?" His tone hurts. He must have believed my point of the Capitol being able to do whatever they want. He just can't seem to accept it.
I shrug. "Of course I do. You forget, I'm old. I've had about fifty years for that reality to soak in. You get used to the fact after a while. At least I have the sense to keep sane and have not become a drug-addict or alcoholic. I've seen some of the Victors resort to that, and they don't even know as much as I do." He shakes his head in doubt. He walks over to a wooden perch that was carved for me by Rush. The mockingjay was still there. They lived surprisingly long for birds.
"Your bird, it's a mockingjay, right?" He looks to me for answers. I nod. "It's old. I think. The feathers are grayed. How old is it?" I count back the years in my head real fast before answering.
"About twenty-seven years old. Give or take a lot of years." The boy doesn't laugh at the last part I said, he seems to be pondering on the first part.
"How does it live so long?" It took a while for me myself to answer that question. But I finally found a reasonable explanation about ten years ago.
"Why do humans live so long? We have weapons and technology superior than other species. We can kill easier, therefore defending ourselves easier, in return living longer. The mockingjay is the same way. It has superior adaptations to other species. It can defend itself, it can heal itself, and it doesn't get injured as easily in the first place." Haymitch nodded slowly, as if processing all that I just said.
"Does it bite?" I can't help but grin at the childish question. I shake my head no.
He held out his fingers, and when he discovered that I told the truth and the bird didn't bite, he started to stroke it. It started to sing Hayven's lullaby in return. My mouth twitched, as if uncertain whether to become a smile or a frown.
"Why do you have a mockingjay?" The question was asked innocently enough. I could probably make up some lie to satisfy his curiosity. I hesitate, then again, the place isn't bugged, and the boy hates the Capitol. So what the heck?
"It was a signal, from my father. To tell me he was safe." Such a short explanation for such a complex event. But, it was bond to lead to more questions.
"Safe from what? Where could he even go so he couldn't tell you in person?" Do the questions never end? Seriously, can't the kid try to work things out for himself?
"Safe from the Capitol. He went to District 13. To aid any hope of a Rebellion. It lives, or at least is trying to. I would have gone with him, but I had to continue to mentor the others." A flash of memories come back to me. Memories that I want to push away, but after a while I have learned that there is no use in trying.
He starred in shock. I was starting to wonder if that was the only ways he could react to what I was saying. "District 13? Rebellion?" Why does he keep questioning everything I say? It really isn't that unbelievable.
"Yeah. I'm not crazy. It is true. Don't go around telling anybody. And don't try to run away and go there. My dad told me there would be a time, I just had to recognize when that time was. And that time has yet to come." I hope that was true. I had been waiting, but nothing happened out of the ordinary yet.
I think back to my Victory Tour. Before Haymitch could say any more, I said "One more thing, get out of my house." Back during my Victory Tour, Rush had first said that. All the others that were Victors after the Third Hunger Games had done the same thing. I was finally let in on what the big deal was in District 1, where I was told that Rush, the anti-social freak, much like myself, had pushed out all the Victors that came to his home.
He looked at me like I was crazy. "Why does everyone say that?"
I grinned. "Thank Rush. He started the tradition. And you better follow it." He shrugged his shoulders in agreement, and left. He didn't say goodbye. But why bother? I would get to see him next Games.
I wasn't surprised when the Peacekeepers came to my house and installed the bugs. They did so a few months after my visit with Haymitch. When I asked them about the meetings with the Victors, and questioned that wasn't it supposed to be private, they said that they had decided to stop that. There were starting to become more and more Victors, the trips would become too time-consuming. Yeah, because everyone is going to believe that.
Haymitch was the last that I got to sign my pictures. He was the last person that I knew for certain that I could trust. I knew that the other pictures were no longer safe. I went to my room and removed them all from the walls. The next two days I spent carefully taking them out of there frames. I laid them one on top of the other, with a thin sheet of tissue paper between each. I crawled under my bed and brought out a box. I placed the pictures in, locked the box, and shoved it back under my bed. I buried the key. While I couldn't let the Capitol find out, I also couldn't forget.
Haha, sorry if I messed up Haymitch's personality, but I try. Sort of. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Only one left! Yay! Review, please! I still want to play Katniss! Or Foxface, but I look nothing like her. Hehe. Ok... um... yeah.