𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐎𝐝𝐝𝐬¹

XIII. Not so welcome

°•°•[Not so welcome]•°•°

JULIA WAS EXCITED to come home while she was in the arena. She wanted to see all of her friends again. Thought of being back home, of seeing her friends, of winning for them, that was what was pushing Julia forward when she just wanted to die. But once she was back, redhead realized that, even though she was welcomed by her District dearly, that all of her friends now look at her with fear in their eyes, even in her sister's.

When Julia came back in Three that evening, citizens cheered for her, happy for her, happy to have a victor once again. Her friends waited for her, and hugged her. It almost felt like old times, but fear and accusations in their eyes were obvious to Julia. She raised them, she stole and fought for them, she won for them, she killed for them, she became a monster for them. There was nothing she wouldn't do for them, and they hate and fear her now because she did that, for them or for anyone else. It hurt her. It hurt her so fucking much. 

She, on the other hand, hated Xavier because he didn't something he wasn't supposed to and made her a bigger monster than necessary. He made her friends turn on her. But he's my friend too, and the only one that doesn't hate me. 

The worst thing was that she had to work for Snow to protect the same kids that couldn't bear to look at her. Julia wanted to scream and kick and cry, but what use would it be? She wouldn't achive anything by doing so. 

When she entered her new house with Amber, she saw it was already cleaned up and their stuff were in it. 

"Me, Alice and Io bave done this," explained Amber. "Do you like it?"

"Od course I do, Amber, it's wonderful."

The house had the ground floor and two more. Julia chose a free room on the first floor for herself. The orphans have already taken up bitts of hers and others victors' houses. The only one they haven't invaded was Xander's, and he was always high on morphling so that was fair. At least one thing is. Julia noticed that there was much less orphans now than there was before she left. "Where is everyone?"  

"They left or died. I don't know why they left, they wouldn't tell. But we made you chocolate cake," Amber said. "Do you want it?"

Julia nodded, shaking her thoughts of. "Of course I do."

The orphans came into her house and cut cake. At first, nobody let Julia do anything, or even get near the knife, but after she proved that she was the only one that can use a knife, they let her. Redhead noticed that Alice, one of her first friends, now watched her with suspicion from the corner. 

Julia wondered if the same thing would be happening to Mike if he won and was here instead of her, and realized it probably would. She tried to remember how it was when Xavier won. Everyone was scared of him but Julia, whom still saw the boy he was before the Games. She soon realized nobody was the same after them ever again, nor she will ever be. They change, most times on the worse.

The laughter of the orphans filled the room. The only ones whom were not laughing were Io, Julia and Alice, each of them sitting in their own corner. Io missed Mike and secretly wished that he won, not Julia, even though she was his friend. After he couldn't take looking at her anymore, he got up and exited the house. 

Julia watched him go, knowing what was he thinking. She didn't judge him, just the opposite. If she was in his place, if he had gone in the Games with Amber and won, she would want it to be other way around. 

Redhead looked at a clock on the wall. "Okay, guys, time to sleep!" she yelled. "It's getting late!"

Kids complained among themselves in quiet whispers, but they didn't say anything to Julia's face. Redhead was annoyed by that, but she also didn't say anything.