Auburn Stars (A Hunger Games Fanfiction)

Chapter Three

"Finnick!" I gush as he spins me around. As I am put down, I hardly have to to breath before Johanna is ruffling my hair and Annie is stroking my hand possessively.

"How are you?" Johanna asks, looking down at me. I nod my head happily. "Planning exactly what she wants for her birthday," Axel joked, greeting everyone from behind me as well.

I shrug as if it's nothing, because it is. I knew what I wanted I couldn't get, and that was Axel himself. Mags appears and kisses both mine and Axel's cheeks before moving on to Woof, Cecelia and Hana.

These are my best friends. This is what draws me away from the vodka and morphling. Finnick, Annie and Johanna, my older siblings and best friends.

Across the room sits Celeste Pollum, District 6, and Orien Alabaster, from 11. They were both quiet, but their hands were wide awake with American Sign language. I am looked at briefly, to which Celeste nodes briefly, and Orien actually stands and comes towards me.

Hanaberi approaches Celeste. They are best friends being so close in age. Celeste won the 67th when she was fifteen, and Hanaberi won the 66th when she was 15.

I search for Avalona Perret from 6 most of all when Orien reaches me. Those two are best friends despite being from different districts, kind of like Uncle Haymitch and Uncle Chaff.

"I wrote a new one the other day!" Orien says excitedly. She knows I like to sing and often plays alongside me. "Same," I say quietly. "Mine is called 'Missing Numbers', what about yours?"

"Calling."

"Let's hear it then?"

I loved singing, but now wasn't the right time. In stead, my gaze caught the sight of the girl from District Twelve walking past with the boy. She spots me staring, and I raise my hand cautiously and wave.

Returning a smile, and the boy giving a wave they too are swept into separate rooms. "It's a little sad huh?" Avalona, or Ava says from behind me. "How she volunteered for her sister, it was really cool."

I look at Ava and nod, but then remember what happened in Orien's district. "Little girl," I say to her, and she looks down at me before realising what I had meant.

Sighing heavily, she took a seat on the couch with Ava. "Yeah, her name's Rue. Such a cutie. She finds my hair fascinating since hardly anyone from District 11 is blonde. Kept touching it on the train."

I looked around the remake centre at my fellow mentors. There are those who have been her twice as long as I have, Woof, Cecelia, Mags especially. Old Aunty Nadine from 11, just slightly younger than Aunty Mags, and then Aunty Seeder.

The 69th, the games I had won, were right after Axel's, the 68th. The 16 year old, now 22 year old Axel was intelligent, but also ridiculously agile. Equipped with a sword he was unstoppable and killed 3 tributes in the arena.

Before him was Celeste from 6, who is mute and killed using everything but sharp objects. To be honest that scared me, especially when she beat a Volunteer from 2 to death with a heavy metal club.

Hanaberi from my district I had grown up watching from afar. A worker from the rug and curtain factory. Because of this she knew a lot of knots and trapped two in the arena, killing them with a long sword as they hung limp afterwards.

Hana was 15. Annie won the year after me, the 70th. Finnick was clearly in pain watching her in that arena, as she was so sweet.

Then Orien won, then Ava and lastly was … Raiden.

Raiden is from my District. After his victory tour he was admitted to a capitol hospital because he was sick, mentally, and needed an artificial arm, but I was quite aware that he would not want one.

Raiden was one of Axel's best friends despite the age difference. They worked in the same area in District 8, which was packing and loading. I guess that's what made both Axel and Raiden strong enough to become Victors.

Unfortunately, Raiden and Axel were in a trio of friends which included Dane, who was the same age as me and worked in packing and loading. When Axel left for the games everyone knew we had a chance.

We won, and I've never seen the trio happier…but then Dane was reaped the year after…the year I went in. Dane Stanley and Azaylan Starfire, Tributes for the 69th Hunger Games from District eight.

Only one of us came out, and it was made clear who that was in the first hour; because I killed Dane myself.

"Azaylan!" Their shrill voices could not be mistaken. I mustered up the biggest smile I could as my lovely set of cutlery stylists embraced me.

"Your hair!"

"Still so red!"

"How's our voice doing?"

"You are so lovely!"

I am dragged away from everyone and into the rooms that are for stylists to meet with their tributes. I am seated on the large blue seat in front of the table, and Jordi and Miele take the seats beside me.

Immediately I'm confused, because the seat across from us is empty. "Cupcake?" I vaguely ask.

"Oh that awful thing?" They say. 'We got rid of that, what a mistake we made!"

"Of course that was not a choice of their own." This voice is new. It's calm and more appealing than any capitol one. I shuffle in my seat to face this man.

"It nice to finally meet you, I'm Cinna, District 12's stylist."

~

Anyone like Young Justice?...o.O i love it, and I started a fanfic about Green Lantern's Protogé Emerald Star, who is split between her love for Robin and her love for Klarion, but yeah, check it out :) Hope you enjoyed!