Tomaz Wellflower, 12: Victor of the 72nd Hunger Games


I got no sleep last night. None. I literally just stared at the ceiling for eight hours until the sun came up. After my conversation with Lucian, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'm being watched. The thought that there are probably cameras that are focused on me right now The only good thing about this morning is that I'm going home today. I never thought that I would miss District 5, but after nearly three weeks away, I miss it more than anything. It's not that I miss my parents or anything, I just want to be anywhere but the Capitol. Anywhere would be better than this disgusting city. Hell, even the arena is better than this place. At least there I didn't have to deal with any Capitolites, a majority of which are just unbearable.

After a quick shower, I change into a plain white t-shirt and tan shorts and leave my bedroom for the last time. Hal and Ion are sitting in the living room, waiting for me. I notice that neither Diana nor Leandros are present. I'm tempted to ask where they are, but saying Diana's name out loud seems to summon her. I'm not going to speak her into existence now.

"You ready to go?" Hal asks.

"I've been ready for a long time," I say.

"So have I," Hal says. "C'mon, they're waiting for us downstairs."

Hal, Ion, and I enter the elevator and take it down to the garage level. When the doors open again, we're all surrounded by peacekeepers. They usher us into a truck and we're driven down to the train station as part of a caravan. The drive to the station is a short one, but as we get closer to our destination, we begin to slow down. I look out of the window and see a sea of grotesque-looking people of all sorts of unnatural shapes and colors. They're all gathering around our truck, straining to get a glimpse of me. They're screaming my name and some are even banging on the truck like a bunch of wild animals. Just looking at them makes me want to vomit. None of them know about the hell I went through as a part of their sick game. Even if they did know, they probably wouldn't care. They're so caught up in the nonexistent honor and glory that comes with the Hunger Games. They're all fucking brainless. I can't wait to get out of this place.

The truck eventually comes to a stop next to the train. The doors open to a cacophony of Capitolite voices and camera flashes. I hear my name called more times than ever before in my life, with people shoving things in my face begging me for my autograph. After a few moments of shoving things out of my face, Hal and Ion rush me into the train. The Capitolites crowd around the doors as they slide shut, calling my name and snapping more pictures. I can still hear the commotion after the doors are fully closed. As the train pulls away, the sounds of the Capitol finally begin to fade away. The train speeds past the mountains, finally blocking the Capitol from view.

"We should be back in District 5 by tonight," Ion says.

"Good. I just want to be home." These past few weeks have been nothing short of a nightmare. From the days leading up to the Games, the Games themself, to the moments after, everything has been terrible. Nothing could've prepared me for the things I would be put through in the Hunger Games. Nothing at all.

I go down the narrow hallway and into my bedroom. I sit on my bed and stare out of the window as the train zooms through the mountainous landscape that dominates the area outside of the Capitol. I don't know how long I am staring out of the window, but I am pulled away by the sound of the door opening. Hal steps into the bedroom and takes a seat on the sofa by the window.

"You probably already know what I'm going to ask you," he says.

"Is it about what Lucian said to me?" Hal nods in anticipation of an answer. But I can't give it to him. I still think that everyone is overreacting, but I'm not going to act like the Capitol hasn't punished people for even smaller matters. They're probably still watching me right now. Telling the truth is too much of a risk now. If I speak on it, I'll probably be arrested and turned into an Avox or worse. "I can't talk about it."

"Why not?" I know Hal is concerned, but I thought he would get the memo. Unless I have a deathwish, I can't talk about my conversation with Lucian.

"I just can't," I say.

"But why, Tomaz?" Hal asks again. "Why don't you want to tell me?"

"I just can't tell you right now." I can almost see the gears turning in Hal's head. He's finally starting to make the connection between my private conversation with Lucian and my refusal to speak about it. He's beginning to understand that there could be serious consequences for all of us if I tell him anything. His expression suddenly changes. I can see the fear brimming up in his eyes. I think he fully understands it now. I still have all intentions to tell him eventually, but now is not the time.

"Oh," Hal says. "Well, I'm sorry for asking. If you need me I'll be in the living room."

Hal gets up and leaves my bedroom, shutting the door on the way out. I find myself staring out of the window again, watching as the mountains gradually get smaller in height and become more sparse. We're nowhere near the Capitol now, but I don't know how close we are to District 5. I do know that we aren't that close yet. There's too much grass on the ground. District 5 is in the middle of a desert, and this looks nothing like a desert. I lay down and stare up at the ceiling. My eyelids feel heavy. After staying up all night last night, the exhaustion finally becomes too much. I close my eyes and let myself drift away.

"Tomaz!"

The voice is faint, but still frantic.

"Tomaz!"

It sounds familiar too.

"Tomaz, wake up!"

My eyes flutter open. I'm immediately blinded by the bright sunlight. I turn away from the sun that shines directly above and look around. I'm laying on the soft, muddy ground with ridiculously tall trees directly above me. I hear the water of a river flowing to my left.

"Tomaz, you need to get up!"

I hear the voice loud and clear now, and I recognize who it is. I sit up and my eyes meet Isaak's. He's in a panic, but why? We were safe just a minute ago.

But then the badgers come.

Isaak and I run like we've never run before. We speed through the forest of giant trees until we reach the Cornucopia. They're pushing us into the FInale. That explains the badgers, the chase, the clearing, the tree line, the silver horn, the spear…

The spear.

The bullet.

The spear from the District 4 boy.

The bullet from the peacekeeper's gun.

The spear soaring through the air.

The bullet soaring through the air.

The spear lodging itself in Isaak.

The bullet lodging itself in Isaac

Isaak's body dropping to the ground.

Isaac's body dropping to the pavement.

Isaak's cannon firing.

Isaac's last breath.

Isaak's death.

Isaac's death.

I wake up in a cold sweat. My heart is racing and my breath is shallow. My entire body is trembling. I look around and notice that I can hardly see anything. My bedroom is coated in darkness. The moon in the night sky only provides a sliver of light. The room is eerily quiet. Too quiet. I need to get out of here. I get out of bed and walk over to the door. When I open it, the light from the hallway pours into the room. My newly illuminated surroundings put me somewhat at ease, but the shock of the dream still lingers. I walk out into the living room, where Hal said he would be. However, it has to have been several hours since he left my bedroom seeing that it is now late at night. There's no way that Hal would sit around in one spot for that long.

"Nice to see you again, Tomaz." I stand corrected. Lo and behold, Hal is sitting on the couch in the living room along with Ion. "We should be at the train station any minute now."

"Good. I'm ready to be home," I say.

"We know you are," Hal says. "But some things will be different."

"I figured," I say.

"We'll be there to help you every step of the way." I can trust that Hal will actually help me. If there's one thing I've learned about him, it's that he always keeps his word.

The train begins to slow down as we approach the train station. It pulls in slowly before coming to a stop. I can already hear the people chattering outside, but I don't dread seeing the people of District 5 like I do the people of the Capitol. At least they look and act normal. The doors of the train open, and I'm greeted by what looks like at least half of District 5 cheering for me. A smile slowly creeps up on my face as I step out of the train. Unlike the Capitol, there are barely any cameras and no one is trying to grab me or get my autograph. For a moment, everything feels okay.

Then my parents show up. They shove their way through the crowd and up to me. The smile on my face disappeared just as quickly as it came. They have smiles plastered on their face, obviously feigning their excitement to see me. I can't believe they have the audacity to act like they ever actually loved me.

"My boy!" my father says. He steps up and throws his arms around me. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"We're so proud of you, Tomaz." I roll my eyes at my mother's terrible acting. Neither one of my parents would have cared if I died in that arena. But now that I'm a Victor, they think that they can just leech off of me. I'm not letting that happen.

"Quit the act," I say. "You're not fooling anyone."

"What are you talking about, Tomaz?" my mother says. "This is no act."

She can't be serious. After all those years of treating me like absolute shit and blaming me for Isaac's death, they think they can just brush that off like it never happened? What makes them think that they deserve anything that I get for winning? I can't fathom the audacity of the two of them.

"Yes it is. You never loved me after Isaac was killed. You have done nothing for me that would warrant you getting any of my benefits." All of the pent-up frustration from the past three weeks has found its rightful target. "I found people who actually appreciated me, which is something you have never done. I can't even consider you family anymore. So I guess this is goodbye. Good luck with the rest of your lives."

Before they can utter another word, I push my way through the crowd and out of sight of my parents. I keep pushing until I'm out of the crowd. I walk out of the trains station and into District 5. I don't know where I'm going, but as long as I don't see my parents again, that's fine with me.


Hey guys, I'm back with the third prologue, and Tomaz is finally home! I did reference a few things from No Way Out in this chapter, but don't expect it to be a recurring theme. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed!

In other news, I have received a few more subs which is great. If you plan on subbing, remember that you have until January 8th to get them in. I look forward to reading each of y'all's forms.

Also this is probably my last update of 2020, so I wish you all a Happy New Year. Hopefully 2021 is a little bit better.

Until next time,

Ty