The Victor from District 10

Chapter 15 - The victors from District 12

We have dinner and sleep in Johanna's apartment in the victors' building. We're woken up by a phone call. We look at each other, confused. If it had been someone warning me that I'd have to offer my "services", they probably wouldn't have called here... Unless they know I'm with Johanna. I don't let laziness get the better of me, so I get out of bed and answer the phone.

"I hope you two haven't forgotten that you're still mentors." I hear the voice of Venus, my stylist. I sigh with relief that it's her.

"We'll be right there!" I say, hanging up the phone.

I go back to the bedroom, Johanna is still lying down. She opens her eyes when she hears movement and, in the hoarse voice of someone who has just woken her up, asks me, "Who was it?"

"My stylist." I reply. "Come on, our tributes still need us."

I approach the bed and kiss her forehead, then grab one of her arms and pull Johanna out of bed.

The day of the Games comes. Like last year, I go to the room where the mentors gather to watch the Games and follow what their tributes are doing in the arena. I sit next to Johanna, holding hands with her. The countdown ends and the massacre begins.

The bloodbath begins. First the girl from District 3 dies, then the boy from District 5, then the two tributes from District 7 are killed, followed by the girl from my district. Johanna leaves the room and I follow her.

"There's no reason for me to stay here." she says. "Better this way than waiting for days knowing that they're probably going to die."

I hold her arm, preventing her from leaving.

"Well, you still have me here." I say, trying to convince her not to leave immediately.

I can see that she seems to be thinking about what to do.

"And we can still follow the two of tributes from 12." I say, even though I use this to convince Johanna, I also felt that these two, especially the girl, are going to be something to talk about.

She nods. "Okay. I'll stay."

My hand, which was on hers arm, goes down to her hand and holds it. "Good."

She comes close to me, her lips almost touching my ear. "On the condition that we repeat what we did last night."

I feel a shiver run through my body. I crack a mischievous smile. "I expect nothing less." I kiss her on the lips.

On the eighth day of the Games the male tribute from my district dies. If it wasn't for Johanna, I would go straight home at this moment, but this is our chance to be close to each other, so the two of us decide to stay in the Capitol. As we no longer have the obligation to be mentors since all the tributes from 7 and 10 have died, the two of us spend the rest of the days of the Games in the victors' building, dividing our time between the two apartments.

In these days of living with Johanna I realize certain things. Behind that mask of a cold, angry and distant person, there's an extremely affectionate and protective girl; although she doesn't like to show affection publicly (nothing more than quick kisses), she's the opposite whenever we're together. Whenever we get the chance we're touching each other, whether it's when we're cuddling (Johanna makes a point of always sleeping cuddled up to me as a big spoon, my back against her chest, her nose against the back of my neck), when we're sitting at the dinner table eating we're either holding hands or sitting so close that I'm practically on her lap, taking a shower together (which often ends up in sex), or when we're watching a bit of TV and she lets me lie between her legs, hugging me from behind. She never says the three magic words.

At first it bothers me, I feel insecure that maybe she doesn't love me, but she constantly ends up showing me she does love me through other gestures. Johanna is afraid to say the words out loud, afraid of making that feeling real, as she probably did with the people she loved who were killed at Snow's behest.

We're cuddled up together watching TV when something happens in the Games. There are three tributes left, the boy from 2 and the two from 12. The boy from 2 has just died, eaten by the dog-shaped monsters.

"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourthHunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winnermay be allowed," the voice announces from inside the arena. "Good luck and may the odds be everin your favor."

The previous decision to allow two victors has just been revoked. Johanna and I get so lost in a conversation between us about the two tributes from 12 that we almost don't realize what they are both trying to do.

The girl, Katniss, holds poisonous berries in her hand. She distributes the berries between her and the boy from 12, Peeta Mellark.

"On the count of three?" the girl says.

Johanna and I look at each other, knowing what she's thinking of doing.

The boy kisses her. "The count of three," he says. "Hold them out. I want everyone to see,"

"One. Two. Three!" the two are about to eat the berries when a voice interrupts them.

"Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you — the tributes of District Twelve!"

I turn off the TV in disbelief.

"I can't believe they did it." Johanna says. "That's not good. At least not for both of them."

I turn around to sit facing her. "What do you think about the two of them? About the romance they've created?"

Johanna laughs cynically. "I think they're great actors. At least the boy. And you?"

I think before answering. "He seems to genuinely like her, Jo."

"What about her?" Johanna asks.

"She's harder to understand." I say, trying to analyze the girl. "I feel that on some level she cares about him, but perhaps not in a romantic way. Not the way it was televised."

Two victors will certainly change things. The question is: how will things change from now on?