One Last Game -Haymitch Abernathy-

Chapter 43

Amelia Sawyer won the 67th Hunger Games by a miracle. She was a poor girl from District 12. Her father was a coal miner. His name was Aaron. Her mother was a mystery. She died in childbirth due to a series of complications. Aaron never spoke about her, and Amelia had no memory of who she was. She had a younger brother. He was thirteen when he died. He loved flowers.

In her last eligible year, Amelia's name was picked for the 67th Hunger Games. Tyler was reaped as well. It was his second year. He was the same age as her brother.

They were allies till the very end. Together they set fires in snowy areas to lure people into fighting. It worked for a while. Then it didn't. Tyler was killed a week into the games. Amelia never recovered. She felt the guilt for years.

Amelia killed Georgia by pushing her into freezing water. She then killed Augustus on the mountain top. It was by a miracle. The girl had figured out the avalanche pattern. Successfully using the Capitol's technology against them. That enraged them. President Snow was furious with her.

But Amelia was considered desirable. She was young and beautiful. Or beautiful by the Capitol's standards. She was a Victor and Capitol favorite. President Snow gave her a choice. Be used as a Capitol pawn or face the consequences. She ignored his warning. All she wanted to do was see her family again. The games were not easy on her. She wanted to return home.

When Amelia returned home, her world was forever changed. Her family was dead. Snow had them killed for declining his offer. She found them in the kitchen—one gunshot to the head for each of them. That changed her. Amelia vowed to never love again.

She worked at the Capitol for a few weeks every year. Helping train new Tributes, only to watch them die. It was torture.

Haymitch worked alongside her. When they returned to the Victors' Village, they would see each other on occasion. Haymitch would hide away in his house. Amelia decided early on to take care of him. It gave her a purpose. 

Her love for Haymitch snuck up on her. It was unexpected, but there was no going back once she realized it was there. She fell quickly and without fail. Love is scary. It was a dangerous feeling. Something that couldn't be trusted. It made her weak and vulnerable. Amelia loved Haymitch. That much was true. She loved him unconditionally.

Her favorite color was purple. She loved flowers. Every morning, she made tea. She would venture around District 12 or visit Haymitch. She would see Peeta. His family owned a bakery. It always smelled good. His family was kind to her. Sometimes, he would paint. Katniss liked to hunt. She was an excellent hunter. Her weapon of choice was a bow. They were her friends, some of her only friends. Effie and Cinna could be considered friends as well, but Amelia was never good at making friends.

Katniss had a sister. Her name was Prim. She was kind. Katniss volunteered for her at the 74th Hunter Games. It was noble. Katniss's mother stitched her arm once. It hurt. It was the same day a Peacekeeper beat Gale at the whipping post. Gale was Katniss's friend. She didn't know much about him, but he always treated her with respect.

Many of them lived in the Victors' Village. It was a place for winners, but Amelia never felt like a winner. She won her games, but it wasn't a victory. She lost so much more than she gained. She lost her family. She lost part of her soul.

Amelia tried to remember her life, but the use of Tracker Jacker venom made it hard. She wasn't sure what she had forgotten first. It was slow. The early memories of her life began to grow foggy before fading entirely. She started to forget the faces of her dead family. Their voices were next. Then their names.

After that, her mind couldn't be trusted. It was full of forgotten memories. They were replaced with fear. With pain.

From there, the line of reality began to thin. Every night, Amelia would go through her entire life. Every detail of her life was important, and she did her best to remember all of it. But each night, the memories changed, and she began to forget more and more. Small details would become lost.

Amelia could feel herself slipping away. She wished she would. Every night, she willed herself to let go, but she never did. Her body continued to fight. The girl wished it wouldn't. Dying seemed easier than the pain she faced each day.

The Capitol seemed to be growing frustrated. Amelia could hear muffled conversations occasionally by Peacekeepers. She heard that Katniss was helping District 13 fight back. Amelia learned that there was a District 13. She thought it was destroyed in the war.

She was glad they were fighting back. It gave her hope. There was a war going on somewhere. Amelia wasn't sure where anymore. She never left the building, and it wasn't as if they gave her regular updates. The only person who seemed to leave was Peeta. They were using him from propaganda footage. It was Snow's way of trying to weaken Katniss. It didn't seem to be working. She was aiding in the rebellion.

The Tracker Jacker venom was making it harder to remember all the reasons there was a rebellion. Each day she lost another part of herself.  Amelia slowly forgot who she was. The people in her life became nothing but a forgotten memory. All she knew was the pain she endured every day. The memories from the Quarter Quell never changed. They left those untouched.

She knew Katniss. She knew she had a duty to protect her. Someone had told her to, but she didn't remember who. She remembered Haymitch. He was supposed to save them. He didn't. Amelia knew she loved him, but the memories of him were jumbled. They were lost.

She repeated their names like a prayer in the start. Each time it seemed the list would grow shorter. Now, she could hardly remember there was a list.

"How long do you think we've been here?"

Amelia thought about Johanna's question. "Years."

Johanna laughed faintly. "I'd say three months."

"Feels like longer." It felt like forever. Their fingers were intertwined, but they didn't look at each other. Most of the time, they would lay together in silence for hours. 

The cell door slid open. Amelia closed her eyes. "Get her up." Two Peacekeepers yanked her off the ground. Their hands were ripped apart. Johanna watched as they dragged the girl down out of the room. There was nothing she could do to stop them.

This was how it went every day. Amelia was used to the pattern. They always started with her. The group carried her down the hallway and into the next room. There was a chain hanging from the ceiling. They cuffed her to it. Amelia's head fell forward. She didn't have the strength to keep it up.

A bucket of water was thrown on her. It was freezing, causing her body to tremble. "Tell me," the man spoke. "Did the Mockingjay plan the rebellion? Did she know?" Sometimes they would ask her ridiculous questions. Other times, they would skip right to the torture. In the beginning, Amelia would make crude comments to them. That didn't last long. The man held the prong in his hand. "Nothing to say?" She didn't move. "Let's see if you'll squeal this time." He jabbed the electric prong into her side. Amelia's body began to convulse, and a scream tore through her throat.