A Victor's Ally - The 73rd Hunger Games (Fanfiction)

two

"We love you so much, and we know you'll do us proud, no matter what happens." My mom embraced me in a hug, my dad following close behind. I had never been particularly close with my parents, but I still loved them. I respected them for taking care of us when times were hard. They deserved to live a better life, but they had always put us first.

"Take care of Kit for me, please. And don't let her watch if..." I couldn't finish my sentence. I didn't want my baby sister watching some psycho Career chop my head off during the Bloodbath. My parents simply nodded, too emotional to respond.

I pulled them in for one last hug, thanking them for everything they had done. We said our goodbyes before the Peacekeepers pulled them away.

Kit came running in next, throwing her arms around me, her blond curls flying into my face. "This is my entire fault, Juliet. I shouldn't have let you take all that tesserae for me." Her face was red and scrunched up, making me feel guilty for leaving her. Not that it was my fault, but still.

"No, it's not. You're not allowed to blame yourself, Kit. I need you to stay strong for me. Do you think you can do that?" Kit nodded in response, wiping away a few stray tears from her cheeks. Reaching behind her neck, she unclasped the locket that she always wore and placed it in my hand.

Fresh tears forming in my eye. Kit had been saving up money for as long as I could remember and was finally able to buy the necklace earlier this year. Since then, she never took it off. I didn't even both to argue, I just slid the locket around my neck, knowing it would be the perfect token. I pulled her into a hug for the rest of our time, wordlessly communicating what couldn't be said.

--

I entered the train Hilda prodding me along. "Come along now dearies, there's so much we need to go over before we get to the Capital." She babbled aimlessly about things like the Capital fashions, food, and interests.

I snorted in disbelief. Why in the world should I care about what this season's popular color is? Our time spent at the Capital is basically fattening us up and preparing us to be slaughtered. Luke managed to physically make it out alive, but he would be trapped inside his mind for the rest of his life. I would try to do the same, but I wasn't sure if it was even worth it.

Barrick came through the fancy sliding train door with a drink in his hand, sloshing around and ruining the luxurious carpet. I pretended not to notice, but in my mind, I made a mental note not to bother trying to get advice from him. Almost all of the older victors had resorted to some type of alcohol or drug to get through the years, and Barrick definitely wasn't an exception.

"Nice of you to finally show up," Hilda sneered at Barrick. My eyebrows rose immediately. Maybe I had judged Hilda too soon; she obviously had some sass in her. "Where's my precious Lukey?"

Nevermind.

Luke followed Barrick through the door, looking as if he was ready to throw up.

"Lukey," Hilda's voice was sweet, but suddenly turned sour when she mentioned the older victor's name, "Barrick, meet this year's tributes from District 9. Juliet Breyer and Atlas Lennox."

Barrick seemed taken aback by Atlas' bulkiness. He knew as well as I did that he was definitely a real contender. The drunk then moved onto me and looked me up and down, giving me a drunken nod of approval.

"Don't get your hopes up, kids. They won't let District 9 win two years in a row." He took another swig of his drink, earning a scolding from Hilda, but neither our escort nor Luke made any move to contradict that statement.

"I'll leave you dearies alone with your mentors now. Barrick, play nice." Hilda took her leave, adjusting her puffy, pale orange hair on the way out. As soon as she was out of sight and the sliding door between the train cars had shut, Barrick pushed past us, heading to the opposite end of the train.