𝒜fterglow ୨୧ katniss everdeen

i. ( thrown back to the wolves )

[001] thrown back to the wolves
❛ AFTERGLOW ❜

BEATRICE'S HAIR WHIRLED in the wind as she sat on one of the many hills in District Nine. This particular one overlooked a golden field of grain. Dawn slowly approached, leaving soft beams of sunlight on Beatrice's skin. She bathed in the glow, appreciating the moment of peace.

She closed her eyes and felt the breeze in her hair. Whenever she did this, she always imagined that she was a bird flying high in the sky. Free from the destruction and chaos which was the human race.

The girl sighed and opened her eyes. She decided it was time to get back home. She didn't want her sister to worry when she woke up to an empty home.

Beatrice took the short walk on the cobblestone streets back to the victors village where she resided. She was grateful but also resented living there. She was glad her and her sister didn't have to live in a house the size of a shoebox and live off the money they made plowing fields. But on the other hand, it made her sick to see kids starving while she got to live lavishly. She shook the thoughts from her head as she opened the door to her home.

"Maeve, I'm home! Where are you?" Beatrice called out into the house.

"In the kitchen, Bea!" Maeve called back. Beatrice made her way towards the voice, the smell of freshly baked bread getting stronger the closer she got. It was no surprise this is what her sister decided to bake, they did live in the district of grain after all.

"How was your walk?" Maeve asked kindly.

"It was nice. Peaceful." Beatrice answered with a smile. Maeve smiled back, happy that her sister finally found a glimpse of tranquility in her life full of misery. Beatrice was finally making progress to get back to the person she was before the wrath of the games had gotten to her.

"I made way too much bread. why don't you go give some to Thatch?" Maeve asked her sister. Beatrice simply nodded, scooped up the bread, and walked out of the house. She crossed the middle of the victors village to get to the other side where Thatch lived.

Beatrice didn't knock at the door, just waltzed in to the house and strolled around until she found Thatch. She found the older man sitting in one of his aged rocking chairs, asleep, with a newspaper resting on his chest.

Beatrice decided to let him sleep a bit longer. She walked towards the conjoined kitchen and started to slice the loaf of bread. She then put four pieces in the toaster for the both of them. The toaster dinging is what finally woke Thatch up.

"When did I give you a key to my house, little girl?" Thatch asked as he rubbed the sleep away from his eyes.

"Since you never lock the door, old man." Beatrice remarked with a sly grin on her face. The older man just chuckled and sat down at the table. Once Beatrice was finished putting jam on the freshly toasted bread, she sat down across from Thatch and slid him a plate with two slices on it. He told her to tell Maeve thank you for him and started to eat.

In between bites he spoke, "Did you hear that they're announcing the quarter quell later today?"

Beatrice's eyes widened, "Holy shit, that's today? I totally forgot." Beatrice was very much not excited to find out what would happen to the kids she was going to mentor. Mentoring in general was terrible, but she could imagine the horror of doing it durning a quell.

"Yes, in about a thirty minutes actually." Thatch said with a bouncing leg. She could tell he was having the same kind of thoughts she was. Except he had already mentored a quarter quell, the year Haymitch Abernathy won. That year the twist was having double the amount of tributes. Losing two of your tributes was already extremely difficult, she could never imagine losing four.

Just a minute later, she heard a knock on the door. Beatrice went up to get it and it was Vaughn, the only other District Nine victor, and her sister.

"We came so we could watch the announcement together." Maeve said with a tight smile. Beatrice could tell she was trying to hold it together for all the victor's sakes.

They all sat down and talked mindlessly until the television came on automatically. The face of President Snow appeared before the four of them and they all grumbled a bit. The anthem played before president snow started to speak.

"On the twenty-fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their own violence, all the districts had to hold elections and vote for the tributes who represent them."

Beatrice couldn't imagine what those kids felt like. To be betrayed by their own district. Who would she have even voted for? The strongest? A person she hated? Someone random?

"On the fiftieth anniversary, as a reminder that two rebel died for every capitol citizen, all the districts sent twice as many tributes as usual."

Haymitch's year. She couldn't imagine having the odds stacked again you that much and still be able to win. It was quite the feat.

"And now we come to our third vassalage of twenty-five," the president paused dramatically, probably to gain more suspense for his loyal Capitol viewers. Beatrice could just imagine them on the edge of their seats. A boy in a white suit handed him an envelope, Snow took it and slowly opened it. "We celebrate this quarter quell as a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capitol. In this game, both male and female tributes of each district are to be reaped from the existing pool of victors."

Silence was the only thing heard in the home. Beatrice's mind simply could not comprehend what she just heard. She just stared at the place where President Snow was just broadcasted. It felt like her mind drew a blank and a slow tear made its way down her face.

The thing that woke up Beatrice from her inattention was Vaughn throwing his glass at the TV screen, effectively breaking it. Thatch put his head in his hands. Beatrice quickly stood up and her legs carried her to the front door as fast as they could go. She could hear the three of them calling her name but she ignored it.

She sprinted for as long as she could. She didn't know where she was going but she wanted to get as far away from any people. Tears blurred her vision as she ran through the grain fields. Once she was tired, she sat down in the middle of one.

There were a million thoughts running through her head but one stood out in particular; there was no other female District Nine victor. Beatrice was going back into the arena.