Wilted Roses ; The Hunger Games

XIX. the ghost of what could have been

SIX MONTHS SINCE Rose had came out of that arena victorious, six months since Rose lost the only thing she cared about in the games, six months since her mother was found hung above her bed. White rose petals scattered beneath her body as it swayed in the faint winds of the creaked open window besides her, which was president Snows way of personally telling Rose she must behave. That left just Rose and Willow alone, as much as Rose tried to reconnect with her sister, Willow couldn't stand being near her. Instead of seeing the caring big sister that would die for her, she saw the dangerous big sister that would kill for her which scared her. Every time Rose saw Willow leave the room when seeing she was in it or locking her bedroom door whenever Rose was home it tore her heart into billions of pieces.

     Though neither of them could stand even being near their new house, even though their mother never even set foot in it they simply didn't feel safe there. So they had unofficially moved into Finnick's house in victors village. It was much more homey than their house right across the street, it was decorated with various paintings and fishnets which made her feel more at home than ever. Amara occasionally hung around Finnick's house as well and it almost felt like Willow and Rose had constructed their own little family with the four of them. Finnick, Amara and Rose could all bond over their shared trauma of the games and Willow simply adored the two, having known Finnick since she was little.

Rose felt a comfort in being around people who understood exactly what she was going through, the nightmares where she would relive every moment of the games, how she could see Connor and her mothers hanging bodies every time she closed her eyes, the episodes where she imagines blood on her hands, the blood of those she cares for specifically, the terror of being left in the dark. Amara understood her episodes much better than Finnick, having gone through similar experiences with her own district partner.

     With the victory tour rapidly approaching, everybody in the house was on edge. For Rose, the nightmares have gotten worse, her episodes only became more frequent. She wanted to escape her pain, just run away from everything chaining her back down to the games. But the longer she was in Four, it would only get worse. She was now a mentor and when reaping day comes around again, she will have to watch as two kids die until her supervision. She didn't understand how some mentors did it with such ease, she was months away from even having to think about her tributes and she was already dreading it.

"I'm going to take a walk down the beach, Willow, would you like to come with?" Rose asked to the crowded room as she looked at Willow with eager eyes though she avoided eye contact at all costs. Rose remembered the night her mother died, she was so upset she didn't eat anything for a week as well as exploding at Rose every chance she got.

She shook her head simply, Rose sighed in defeat as she headed out the door, the cold air hitting her like a brick as the first snow fell on the grass. Though the beach looked pretty as ever this time of year.

She strolled down the street, she could never get used to the walk down to the beach from Victors Village. The air simply didn't have the same freshness as it once did. She passed the house she was supposed to live in every day, and every time she could hardly bear the sight of it. Her breath gets caught in her throat and tears bubble in her eyes, she could feel the ghost of what could have been haunting the hallways, strolling through the untouched maze of luxury.

Rose wrapped her thick coat around herself uncomfortably as she avoided looking at the manor that felt like it was staring her down, it was scolding her for giving it an eternity of emptiness. The Victors Village of District Four wasn't the most populated, only four victors actually occupying the houses. Most of them were eerily quiet as they tried their best to stay out of the public eye, though once another victor from their district was crowned they faded off into the distance, discarded by The Capital like yesterdays news as another victor was shoved into their spotlight.