Haymitch:
It's Midnight right now and I'm downing a bottle of alcohol. It's so cliché of me to be drowning my sorrows in a bottle but its just what I do. It's what I've done since I lost Lily and Bridget. Its just too hard to quit.
Bridget is asleep in her room. I can hear her soft snores so I decide to take a walk. I throw on a light jacket and a pair of old jeans. I step out into the brisk night air. It's a little chilly at night in Twelve, even if it's summer.
I stumble through the streets until I reach the square. I still remember the time before Cray was head Peacekeeper. There were stalks and lynching posts strewn around. There used to be shackles to hold the guilty down. It makes me sick thinking of all the times we would have to take a miner friend or a relative to Marie Everdeen. It got better when Cray arrived. Kids now have no idea how lucky they are and how much they get away with.
I wait in the square for a while. I'm not sure what I'm waiting for exactly but nothing happens so I get up and walk back to the Victor's Village. I guess I should get some sleep before the dreaded reaping ceremony later on.
Bridget:
My alarm blares from the clock beside my bed. I use my palm to slap the button so that the incessant beeping stop. It's not even like I had a good nights sleep with nightmares about the games.
I drag myself out of my sheets and quickly get ready. I pull on a pair of boots and grab my game bag. I hurry out the door and get to the square in no time. I quickly buy two loaves of bread and stuff them in my bag. I speed walk across the meadow and duck under the fence. I jog the rest of the way to Willow and my meeting place in the woods.
"Took ya long enough." Willow snickers as she flicks her dark hair off her shoulder.
"I got some bread though. Freshly baked too." I smile at her.
We go and sit down in a patch of grass. I pull out the two loaves of bread and cut off two slices from one and place the rest of the loaf with the spare into Willow's bag. Willow takes out a small slab of butter from her game bag and takes my knife from me. She spreads a small amount of butter on the bread slices and hands one to me. We tuck into our small breakfast.
"My mom made tea." Willow tells me as she pulls out a thermos and two cups. She pours it then hands me one.
I sip the tea and munch on the toast as I enjoy the company of my best friend. We talk about anything and everything excluding the forthcoming games and reaping. We talk and laugh and reminisce so much that we eventually run out of things to talk about.
After a brief silence Willow speaks up. "Shall we hunt some before we have to go back?"
"Sure." I reply simply so we gather our stuff and head off.
Willow pulls out her bow and I pull out my hunting knife. We walk for a while before we spot something we haven't seen in almost two years. A deer. I quickly signal Willow to use her bow but quietly so she lifts her bow with the arrow poised. She quickly lets the arrow fly and it lands right in the neck of the deer.
After we have killed the deer I take one of my larger knives and cut the deer into chunks so that it's easier to haul back to the district. Once we have that all done, we lug the chunks to the hole in the fence by the butchers. We slide under and haggle with Rooba to get the right price for it. When she hands over the money I give Willow all of it even though she is reluctant at first.
My best friend and I hug from there and part ways. I'll meet her back in front of the justice building at 2pm. My mind wanders to what will happen today and before I know it I'm back in front of my house.
I quietly head upstairs and take a quick bath. When I'm done I pull out a floral strapless summer dress that has a navy blue background and pink and white flowers. I slip the dress on and slide my feet into a pair of wedges with navy blue straps. I dry and curl my hair and put on natural makeup. I put my belongings into a woven purse with a dark brown leather woven cross body strap.
I go downstairs to where my dad is waiting for me. He gets up without a word but I notice that his eyes are a little bloodshot which means he was up drinking last night. Honestly I don't blame him though. I also notice that he's wearing a white button down shirt and khaki slacks with brown loafers.
My dad and I walk in silence to the justice building. We give each other a small smile and a nod before parting ways so Haymitch goes on stage and I sign in for the reaping. I find Willow in the crowd of our age group and catch up to her. As everyone files in and the mayor starts his speech I give my friend a warm smile and she gives me an encouraging one before our gaze goes back to Effie.
"...May the odds be ever in your favor." She smiles before tottering over to the girls bowl. "Ladies first."
As Effie's hand dips into the bowl I swear everything goes into slow motion. It seems like minutes before her hand is back out with a single slip of paper in it. It feels like hours as she unfolds the paper and it feels like days before she puts her lips to the microphone.
"Bridget Abernathy."
I don't respond by crying or screaming. I did see it coming anyway. I keep a straight face as I slide by a gaping Willow. Peacekeepers surround be as I walk toward the stage were it seems that Haymitch sits in a daze. I don't look at anything in particular as I get that numb feeling again. It's just like Summer's games, I just feel numb.
Effie struts over the boy's bowl and quickly picks out a name. "Ash Elkwood."
I recognize the name. He's a seam boy for sure because there are quite a few seam boys with the name Ash. I recognize his name from school because he used to sit by me in History of Panem. I do know that he's worried but trying not to show it from his expression. If I were him I'd be more worried about how my parents were going to cope with 4 other children of which 3 are under 7 years old.
Effie closes the ceremony and Ash and I are lead into a room in the justice building. I know that Haymitch won't visit me but I'm hoping someone besides Willow will. I wait for about five minutes in silence before the door creaks open.
"You knew." The voice whispers and I look up into the puffy red seam grey eyes of my best friend. "That's why you said it was better to be safe than sorry."
"I did. The president doesn't give you several threats for nothing." I choke out as my throat tightens.
"I'm so sorry." Willow sobs as she runs to me and we hug each other tightly. Neither of us say anything for a while.
"It's not like anything could have prevented it. I'm going to miss you though." I smile. It's better not to tell her that I'm not planning on returning unless there is a miracle.
"I'll miss you too but we'll see each other when you get home." She says firmly as though she's trying to convince herself
"We will." I smile. "I love you. You're my best friend and always have been. I don't think I've deserved a friend like you but I'm so lucky I had you."
"Don't talk like that. You're acting like you won't make it home and I'm going to be without a best friend. But I love you too." She sniffles and we hug one more time before the doors open and Willow is whisked away.
I sit on one of the soft velvet couches as I wait. I know my eyes are red but I wipe under my eyes so that my makeup doesn't smudge. When the doors open again I see two people I wasn't expecting.
"Peeta? Madge?" I question the two people in front of me as they give me a sad smile.
"I know we weren't very close to you but we still considered you our friend." Peeta tells me.
"Thank you." I whisper as I embrace the two kind people at the same time.
"I wish there was more we could do. You accepted me as a friend when I got closer to Willow and I can't thank you enough." Madge smiles a grateful smile.
"Any friend of Willow is a friend of mine. Just promise me you'll look after her." I plead with the two.
"Of course." The breathe out simultaneously.
"Thank you." I tell them with tears in my eyes.
Once again the door creaks open and a Peacekeeper comes in and forces the two people out. I'm then lead out by a familiar redheaded Peacekeeper. He smiles sadly at me and I give a pathetic smile back.
The Peacekeepers lead myself and Ash into a car and as Darius starts to shut the door he whispers faintly. "I'm sorry."
I let one tear roll down my cheek before I wipe under my eyes again. My dad, Effie, Ash, and I say nothing during the quick car ride to the train station. The silence doesn't break as we get onto the Capitol train and I place myself in front of the TV in the main car. I have to make sure that Preston is okay.
District 11's reaping goes by quickly and I'm relieved that no one I know has been reaped from that district. My relief is short lived though when a familiar voice cuts off their District escort as they started to close the reapings.
"I volunteer as tribute." The voice says and I see the shock and confusion on the faces of all the victors and I'm positive my reaction is mirrored.
As the person climbs the steps to replace one of the tributes there is only one thought running through my mind.
What the hell have you done Peyton?
A/N So this is it until I start the sequel.
Thank you to everyone who has read and commented!
Thank you so so much for sticking with me while I had a very unorthodox updating method and thank you for taking the time to read and enjoy this story and I hope you know how much that means to me.
Love you all!
See at the sequel :)