The 25th Hunger Games

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Sariel and I spent the train ride curled up against each other by one of the windows. I buried my head in his shoulder as he toyed the ends of my hair. We talked about whatever as we watched the sun set. I wondered if this was going to be our entire relationship, or if this was just his idea of taking it slow. However it turned out, I knew I would be happy.

"So yeah, only child. My parents are...supportive. It's not like I had a choice about this career, but they were really glad when I won the Games."

I nodded into him. "You volunteered, right? That was the first year I was eligible." I hardly remembered what really happened, just that someone really young was originally picked. Sariel had saved his life.

"Yeah, I did. Top of the class at the Academy," he added, not sounding all that proud of it now. A girl had volunteered with him, I knew. She was probably the same, top of the class. That was what everyone expected to happen. I was sure someone would've done it for me if it hadn't been for the unusual circumstances of the Quarter Quell.

That's all over, I thought to myself. What does that matter now? But of course, this was where it was most important. I was going to face these people. I was going to have to look at them, have to smile at them and live with them, knowing they would rather have me dead.

"I bet you were like a lot of them, then," I said, not meaning to leave Sariel hanging.

"Except that I made it," he said. "A lot of them think they can, think all of the training makes them something special, and then they die." He sounded bitter, but also sad underneath of that. He didn't just know their stories, he lived them. He watched them train and tried to help them, but he just couldn't.

"Do you wish you hadn't volunteered? Had just avoided the Games altogether?" Like I had thought I did in the arena.

He shrugged, and I felt his shoulders move under my head. "Crappy things were going to happen either way. Great things would've happened either way, too." He planted a kiss on my head at that line.

I laughed, but told him, "Wrong answer. You were supposed to say that without them, you wouldn't have met your soul mate, and more importantly, saved your soul mate's life."

There was a moment of silence after that. "I can't see if you rolled your eyes or not."

"Can you see that we're almost home?" he asked, motioning out the window.

I couldn't, but I left that to the fact that he had done this more times than I had. I sat up a little, knowing I needed to be camera ready once again. Still, I felt glued to my spot. "Wouldn't life be easier if we could live on this train?" I whined.

"Forever in between our two lives, together to wander or do nothing at all, no responsibilities." His eyes were closed now, like he was off living this dream.

"You just read my mind," I whispered. I kissed his cheek, smooth and strong with the smell of after-shave, before getting up to cross carts. I ended up in the cart that should've been my room if I had spent any time there. I had to dig through my closet and pick out my own outfit, which I hoped would be alright. I wanted to pretend I didn't care what the cameras saw, but the Capitol had beat me. I really did want to look my best.

I came back out of the cart grinning, though there were all kinds of nerves underneath. Sariel smiled back, giving me a simple nod of approval. "Let's get ready," he advised as the train gradually started slowing down. We both headed towards the door that would open in a minute. "Victors first." He motioned for me to step in front of him.