JOTHAM VELASQUEZ

DISTRICT TEN VICTOR (53RD GAMES)

The vast pastures of District Ten seemed almost alien to Jotham.

He'd spent his entire life here, yet staring out the windows of the train, watching as the fields that he called home rolled by, he felt an eerie sense of unfamiliarity, as though his time away had stripped him of his past self. He no longer felt like he belonged here, among the citizens of Ten. How could he? He was a murderer, and for his crimes he'd been rewarded with endless wealth that not even the richest lords of the land in Ten could ever comprehend.

It felt like a curse, the Capitol stretching its ever-lingering tentacles to further deprive him of his old life. He would never again have to step out into the pastures or work in the meat factories, in fact, the Victors' Village was so far removed from the hardships of Ten, he was no better than the Peacekeepers and Capitol officials who resided in their gated neighbourhoods closed off to the rest of the normal world.

Jotham let out a small sigh as the train began to slow to a halt, the familiar steel arches of the train station in Austin coming into view. He was, at long last, back home, though he couldn't imagine how on earth he was supposed to enjoy his homecoming given all that he had done, and all that awaited him in the future.

The train let out a sharp whistle and the doors flung open. Jotham stood up, his legs wobbly and trembling as he mustered the courage to face the crowd that had gathered for him. Mare placed a protective hand on his shoulder, grinning wickedly in spite of the deep scars and bruises that dotted her face. Jotham didn't know what had befallen upon her in those Capitolite dungeons, Mare had refused to tell him, but it certainly hadn't been pretty. Jotham stepped off the train, inhaling the pungent yet oddly comforting stench of District Ten. He stood on the edge of the platform, gazing out as a huge crowd rivalling that of the Reapings themselves let out an almighty cheer. He blinked, giving them an uncertain smile as thunderous applause boomed and echoed across the packed station, hordes of excited citizens craning their necks to have a peek at their newest celebrity. A mariachi band began to triumphantly play an assortment of celebratory songs, some of which Jotham noted hadn't been played in years due to the unforgivable nature of life in Ten. As he marched through the crowd, people began to tip their hats to him in a typical District Ten salute, some reaching out to pat him on the back, wide grins on their faces. Jotham scanned the crowd, unnerved by the spotlight that had been glowered upon him, trying to search for a family in particular.

There they were, at the back of the crowd, the only ones who weren't smiling. A tall, dark-skinned woman in a long, flowing green dress, a small baby cradled in her arms. The woman stared blankly ahead, as though not a single decibel of noise had registered in her head. Jotham waded his way through the crowd over to them, ignoring John and Mare's shouts that it wasn't a good idea. Soon, he was standing face-to-face with Heather Fawn, Evie's mother, and Evie's baby daughter Viscera. Heather didn't even react to his presence. Her eyes were hollow, empty, devoid of any emotions. She looked broken, destroyed, as though she'd died with Evie during that awful Bloodbath. The rest of the District were still celebrating, as though they'd already forgotten Evie, cast her aside as just some unfortunate mishap. As though she didn't matter. But whenever a tribute returned home to their District from the Hunger Games, they were always accompanied by a wooden coffin that bore the lifeless remains of their District partner.

"I-I'm sorry about Evie," Jotham told her, his heart filling with sympathy as Viscera began to cry.

"There was nothing you could've done," Heather murmured, her voice barely an audible whisper into the wind.

"I'll come over to help take care of Viscera whenever I can," Jotham promised her. "And if you need anything, I'll pay for it. It's the least I owe Evie."

For the first time, Heather's eyes shifted and she met his eyes, a quizzical look on her face. "Why would you do that? You weren't allies."

"But Evie was still my District partner. And she didn't deserve to die," Jotham told her.

Heather's lips twitched ever so slightly, the faintest clue of a smile. "Thank you, Jotham. You are better than most of the people here. Congratulations on your Victory."

Jotham shook her hand and turned to return to his entourage, who were in the midst of a conversation with a woman in her thirties with sleek black hair and eyes that sparkled with joy. This was Lexi Lopes, District Ten's mayor. She turned to him as he approached, beaming with delight. "Jotham! So glad to see you," she gushed, wrapping him in a crunching hug. "Come, I'll show you your new home in the Victors' Village. Your family are already there waiting for you!"

Jotham's eyes widened. "Family?" Fear began to grow in his chest as the thought of Abi waiting in a cellar in his house with a knife tucked in her pocket loomed in his mind.

"The Ortiz family, they're already there!" Lexi clarified.

Jotham heaved a huge sigh of relief, though this was short-lived. As they exited the station, they were almost immediately greeted by the unwelcome sight of a scowling, murderous Abi Velasquez. She emerged from behind a group of young women, her face clouded with rage as she marched towards him, head held high in arrogant defiance of the joyous mood in District Ten. Her fists were balled and Jotham knew she was ready to pick a fight with him.

But Jotham didn't flinch. He'd been hardened by his experience in the Hunger Games. And now, flanked by Mare, John and Ringo, accompanied by Lexi and surrounded by the adoring masses, he felt more confident than ever that he could, at long last, stand up to his wicked older sister.

"You were supposed to die in the Games," she murmured coldly. "This wasn't part of the plan."

Jotham narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

A smirk spread across her face. "Go figure. I see you're the latest celebrity, huh? Well, I suppose that means as your sole surviving family member, I get a cut of your wealth."

"No," Jotham said evenly. "And if you actually thought I would ever agree to that, maybe you're the idiot, Abi."

Abi chuckled mirthlessly. She took a step closer, sizing Jotham up. "You think you're so high and mighty now that you've survived your little ordeal, huh? I don't care how much security you've got under your belt, I'm still in control of your pathetic life. I've got the Peacekeepers here wrapped around my little finger, and-" She stuck a finger at his chest, her eyes glistening with devilish delight. "-there's nothing you can do about that."

"Listen here, you dipshit," Mare snarled, brushing Jotham aside and grabbing Abi by the scruff of her neck. Abi yelped in protest, but Mare's nostrils flared in rage as she pulled Abi closer to her, until their faces were almost touching. Abi grew silent. Not even she would dare to taunt Mare Trybull while the ferocious Victor had the upper hand. "If you so much as even think about touching Jotham, I will make sure you suffer the most painful death a citizen of Panem has ever had the misfortune to experience. And trust me, I am the Hunger Games' second most prolific killer. You don't even faze me in the slightest."

"And frankly, her usefulness has run its course," a voice from behind her declared.

Jotham turned just in time to see a squadron of Peacekeepers snatch Abi away from Mare and handcuff her. Abi's head swirled around, a bewildered look casting itself upon her face. "What? But-"

Now, it was Jotham's turn to smirk. He held up a folder that Gwen had given him, courtesy of someone by the name of Dawn, apparently, filled to the brim with evidence and transcripts that proved Abi's guilt in Mel's murder. He'd sent it by post to Lexi before leaving the Capitol, and the mayor of Ten had gladly spread the word of Abi's guilt.

He was honestly surprised that Abi was unaware of this, but perhaps she'd been too stuck up in her own little bubble to care.

"You are, quite simply, insufferable to work with," another Peacekeeper remarked as he dragged her into a small black vehicle. "And with Jotham now a Victor, it's probably better to stick with him instead of you. Face it, Miss Velasquez, you're old news."

As the vehicle sped off, Jotham saw a middle-aged woman and a younger man let out a whoop of jubilation. He recognised them to be Jackal Samson and Josie Singh, two popular figures within District Ten's chess scene and, according to John, prominent rebels. They flashed him a knowing look, before slinking back into the crowds, disappearing from view.

Lexi led him to the Victors' Village, where sure enough, his foster parents were waiting for him. They practically tackled him to the ground, tears streaming down their cheeks as they welcomed him home. Jotham too, was crying.

Through it all, he decided he was just grateful to be back with those he truly loved once again.

A/N: Never mind, there's going to be four epilogue parts in total (matches the number of prologues) but Jotham is back in District Ten, and the next time we see him (or any other character), several in-story months will have passed.