CH 16: Home

The train pulls out of the station as it zooms back to District 5. We will be there

By 8 tomorrow, and I finally can hug Sadie and my mother.

I eat dinner with everyone else and Raina is over the moon because the last victor from 5 was Haradale, and she one the 13th Hunger Games. Braten won the 10th Hunger Games, so I'm an exciting thing to Raina, who hardly gets a winning tribute.

Braten is drinking a huge bottle of whisky and I think I know why. Shane.

Braten must think he failed to keep Shane alive. By the time dessert comes Braten is very drunk. "How did Shane die?" I ask. Braten drops his bottle and it shatters to the floor, Haradale knocks her wine over and Raina drops her spoon in her pudding.

Haradale sighs and says, "He...He, I'm sorry it's just to horrid. If you want to know I'll show you.

She helps Braten into the media room as we all sit down. I sit next to Haradale and Raina. She skips through the tape of my games to Shane. He has a big red pack and an axe. He is going into the plains section and finds a fox

Hole that is well covered.

He wakes up the next day as the sun rises. I woke up about an hour after he did that day. He wonders around the plains looking for food and comes into a clearing with the two from 1. He throws his axe and it finds the boy from 1's leg. He chicks a spear at the same time as the girl and they both enter his chest.

Haradale turns the TV off. I hug Haradale and she hugs me back wiping a year from her and my eyes. Raina is dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Braten is dead drunk, passed out on his couch. It's now night and tomorrow I will be home.

I help Haradale put Braten in bed and she tells me I should try to sleep.

I fall asleep faster than I first thought but I begin to wish I didn't fall asleep at all.

I have a nightmare about all the dead tributes chasing me with all their injuries still on them. They look like zombies. I'm chased through the arena by Valina, with the hole in her neck and her eyes, all lost of color.

They all chase me to the water where they crawl I me and tackle me to the ground and drag me to the water.

They drag me into the water and drown me i struggle and scream.

I wake up and I'm pretty sure I was actually screaming because Haradale comes in my room.

"Are you ok? she asks. "I'm fine, just a nightmare". "Yeah you'll get those a lot, that why Braten drinks, to dull the memories of his games. What was it about?"

I explain to her my nightmare and after in done she hugs me and tells me to try and sleep if she I can.

"Haradale, how do you get over your dreams?" I ask. "I take a small, but very strong pill that was made in the capital for dreamless sleep".

She replies. " But, did you get addicted like other victors?" I ask. "No, other Victors take them once everyday, causing addiction, I take them once a week." She replies. "Can I try them?" I ask. "Not yet, once your 16".

Great. I turn 16 on the same day the victory tour arrives in 12.

I fall back asleep with no dreams at all and think about District 5 and how on 6 months I'll be heading off to the other Districts on my victory tour.

I wake up and jump out of bed and into the shower.

After the shower I go down the hall to the dining cart. I enter and find everyone is already there. Raina is sitting down sipping coffee to her right, sits Braten who is at the end of the table and is still recovering from his hang over. Haradale sits on his right eating sausage and bacon with orange juice.

I sit down next to Haradale and say good morning to everyone and fill my plate with eggs, bacon, toast and sausage and eat.

After we are done we go to the boarding cart, which has couches next to the door.

We sit on the couches for 15 minutes until we pull into the District 5 station.

The doors open and we are greeted by a huge crowd of at least 150 people, immediately I spot my mom standing next to Rein and Sadie is on Rein's shoulders waving at me. I walk down being cheered by the citizens of District 5. I hug my mother and Sadie then hug Rein. "Thank you for watching her and my mother". I whisper. "It was the least I could do" she whispers back.

1 week later:

I wake up in my room, in our new home in Victors Village.

4 of the 12 houses are occupied. 1 by me, 1 by Haradale, 1 by Braten and 1 by a woman in her 40's, named Quinoa.

In 23 years District 5 has won 4 games. I sometimes wonder if District 5's Victors Village will ever be completely full. Doubtful. No victor has died of age yet but soon some will and then their house is empty, ready for the next Victor who wins it.

I stare out the window that view down the large hill Victors Village is located and look down at District 5's biggest city. I think of how my victory has kept them all well fed. This is the only thing I like about my victory, feeding the citizens of my district for the whole year.

I don't like to think about how in 6 months I have to go to each district and give a victory speech where the people pretend to enjoy me, but really they want me dead and wish their tribute was standing on that stage. Not me.