The Price of Fame and Fortune (Hunger Games)

4

I stayed for a couple of hours still clinging to the tree after Johanna had left. I couldn't make sense of what I'd just witnessed. She can't love me. Maybe she fears truely being alone. Why shut me out if she loves me?. Or refuse to touch and comfort me in anyway?...I just don't understand what's going on it that messed up head of hers. 

As I stared below me I suddenly felt my stomach drop in panic and guilt. "Trent".

It fell from my lips instantly and within seconds I was climbing down and racing back towards Victors Village like my life depended on it. 

I ran until I stood between our two houses and bent over trying to regain my breath. With a major influx of air I straightened up and turned to his house only to falter slightly. There he sat, perched on the steps of his father's mansion. Cigarette in hand and a raised eyebrow at me. "Wanna help me forge the year I was born on my birth certificate?".

I smirked back at him and rolled my eyes. Always the rebel. Trent is more the type of kid to steal for the 'thrill' rather than actually needing something. I huffed as I sat beside him and clicked my tongue. "Did you give one to Johanna, then?".

He chuckled sadly and rose his hands up in mock defence. Before looking at me pointedly. "The psycho came out of her house screaming with an axe raised. What would you have me do, Vicks?".

I giggled and bumped his shoulder. "I'd have told her to go buy her own". 

He turned the packet to me and on any other given day I'd say no. But I'm probably going to die within the next month anyways. So, I didn't hesitate before lighting one up.

He sighed and rolled his head back, staring at the sky. "I've never seen her like that".

I bit my lip and shrugged. "Believe it or not but same".

He shook his head as if the sky had personally wronged him before inhaling and exhaling out a cloud of smoke. "Old man said he might sober up for me".

I couldn't help but snort in amusement. "Might, I hate to break it to you Trent. But I don't think Blights gone one day sober in his entire life".

He smirked and pointed a finger at me. "Aye! Now that's not true. You're forgetting that New-Years where he stayed sober and ate ten cans of beans".

I erupted into laughter. "Fucking hell I forgot about that!. His brains probably so fried it's all he'll have you doing to prepare for the games".

His smile turned dark and he muttered out. "Yeah, probably".

I sighed and closed my eyes. "I didn't mean it like that".

I saw him nod out the corner of my eye. "Yeah, I know. But it's not like I'm trained. How many Victors do you think trained their children out of fear of losing them?".

And just like that we went from casual to all business. I bit my lip and stared down at my dirt covered trainers. "Hard to say. Districts One and Two for sure though. They have those academies over there".

It was a lie though. It always seemed too good to be true that none of us were reaped. And yet how odd Snow wanted all of Panem to know everything about us. Famous but what for?!?. My mother's smart and I think it's why she trained me out of fear. It never made any sense. I know she's also 'friends' with a lot of other Victors besides Blight. I don't doubt they tell eachother all this stuff. Therefore I think the majority of our competitors will be.

Not that she'd ever tell me about her friends. But to have friends you have to talk to them. I've seen promos of her in the Capitol amongst other Victor's. It always irked me that she'd bother to be friends with them but then ignore me completely.

But Trent on the other hand was never forced to train like me. Blight was always too high or drunk to parent him let alone train him. I sniffed and turned to him with a determined look. "Tomorrow you come and train with Johanna and I. You can even use my old axe. Granted, you'll have to sharpen it bu-".

He gave me a deadpan look. "You're kidding me right?".

I felt my head tip in confusion. "Well, what else is there?".

I could tell it from the sharp look away from me. And from the tears threatening to spill before he stamped out his cigarette angrily. I grasped his arm in fear. "You can't just give up, Trent!".

He shook his head and stared me down. "I'm not giving up Vic. I'm just n-not going to play".

More confusion washed over me. "Not going to play?".

He nodded in excitement. "Exactly!. I'm not just a piece they can screw around and play with. I'm not playing their games!".

I tore my gaze up to the sky in frustration. "So what?. You're just going to sacrifice yourself in the bloodbath!?!".

He bit his lip and shook his head. "No, I'm not an idiot".

I gave him a pointed look and he scoffed. "I'm just not going to kill anyone. I don't even think I have it in me. But I'm great at climbing and can steal anything". He shrugged. "People have won with less skills then that".

I felt myself instantly drawn to this crazy insane idea. I loved it. I know I can't kill. Surely, I can't. I've built myself up to be the exact opposite of my mother. And if my mother's an axe wielding murderer then I don't want to be that. If I'm going to die in that arena then I want to die sane and normal. 

I stuck my pinky out. And instantly Trent's eyes widened. It was sacred to us, a pact between two lonely souls with nothing but each other to lean on in life. Something neither of us had broken since the ages of six and ten. I stared into his eyes that the citizens of the Capitol always praised and uttered something that I never expected to. "We don't play!".

He smirked and with a wink he wrapped his pinky around mine holding it tight. "We don't play!".