District 12's First Victor

Chapter 19 - Thorne

Hey there! It's me again! Today I present to you, the final full chapter of District 12's First Victor! Wow... I have been writing this for over a year and now I'm practically done! But anyway, I hope you like this chapter - admittedly I'm not sure if I am or not... But I think I like it... Anyway, enough from me. Enjoy :)

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I bolt awake and look around. My room is empty. There are no careers here to kill me. It was just another stupid nightmare. I open my eyes and notice sunlight streaming into my room through the open window. I slept longer than I thought… I just lie in bed for a few moments, listening to the birds singing as they sit in the trees outside. Beneath their song, I can hear the sounds of someone moving around downstairs. That's strange. I'm the only one who lives here.

I slowly walk down the stairs and enter the kitchen to find my mum busy cooking something.

"Mum?" I say, breaking the silence, "What are you doing here?"

She turns at the sound of my voice and smiles at me.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she says with a smile, "I'm just making you some breakfast. Are you hungry?"

At that moment, my stomach growls and I realise how hungry I am. I didn’t end up having anything to eat before bed last night.

"Yeah, thanks," I reply and take a seat at the dining table.

She joins me soon after, carrying a cup of mint tea and a plate of pancakes.

We eat in silence but I can see my mum is watching me nervously.

"I heard you screaming this morning…" she finally says. "Are you okay?"

I sigh and look up at her. What am I supposed to say? Yes, I'm fine? But I'm not fine.

"Yeah, I guess," I decide on saying, "I get nightmares about the games. Killing people isn't easy…"

She nods knowingly, although I doubt she has ever experienced anything of the like.

"Did you hear about Georgina's dad?" she asks and I nod in response, glad for the change of subject.

"Yeah," I reply, "I went over to their house yesterday after missing them at the train station. She said to tell dad she was sorry that she was angry at him. They realise now that it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know the peacekeepers were going to be there."

"That's okay, we understand that they would be angry," she says.

After we finish eating mum stands up, ready to leave.

"I have to go," she says, "but if you want me at any time, just come over. Our old house is surprisingly close."

"Thanks for breakfast," I say and give her a quick hug before she leaves.

I head back upstairs to get changed. I have to go see Thorne today because I'm not sure I understand what happened while I was in the arena… Well, when I escaped the arena and spent time with him.

There is so much to choose from in my new, walk-in wardrobe. They definitely filled it with anything I could ever wear. Eventually, I decide on black pants, the most casual t-shirt I can find and a warm, fancy jacket. There is nothing really casual in here. I must remember to go buy some casual clothes rather than all this fancy, expensive, Capitol-like stuff. I slip on my boots before heading out.

Once I arrive in front of Thorne's house, I hesitate on the front step. I'm actually really nervous about this, though I'm not entirely sure why. There is nothing to be afraid of, right? I quickly knock on the door before I can have any more second thoughts and the door opens almost immediately. My eyes lock into Thorne's and he immediately smiles at me.

"Hey, Anya," he says shyly.

"Hey," I breath.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he suggests and I nod. "Okay, I'll just tell my mum where I'm going."

He disappears back into the house and I am left standing in the doorway. He quickly returns, wearing a warm jacket and winter boots.

"Let's go," he says and leads the way out onto the street, closing the door behind him.

"So…" I say as we walk onto the meadow. No one ever comes here. It is too close to the fence, I guess, for most people's liking. It gives us a place to talk where we wont be disturbed at least.

"You're wondering about what happened in the games, right?" he asks and I nod in response, blushing.

"Well," he replies, smiling at my discomfort, "I, for one, meant everything and anything I said to you in that time. Maybe I only acted on it because I thought you would die in there, and I couldn’t bear for you to die without knowing how I really feel about you. Of course, I knew that if you did win, it might be really really awkward between us but I guess I can live with that. We could go back to how it was before the games, if you really wanted. You know, like not talking at all."

He looks like he wants to go on but I stop him.

"No," I say, "of course I still want to talk to you and be friends with you. I just don't know if I can feel the same way about you. Even if I can, I don’t know if I will be able to be a good girlfriend or whatever. I am pretty high maintenance, thanks to the games."

He laughs which causes me to smile.

"That's okay," he says eventually, "I don’t mind. Just so long as I get to spend time with you."

"Okay…" I whisper and he pulls me into his arms and we just stand there, wrapped in each others arms. I wish it could last forever.

***

For the first time since I won the games, I didn’t wake up screaming this morning. Ever since our walk yesterday, I have not been able to get Thorne out of my head. I think it may be a sign that I like him back. It's only been a day and I'm already bored. I know I have to pick a hobby at some point but I'm not sure what that will be yet, since it has to be legal. My mum suggested I try drawing so that's what I'm doing now, sitting in the meadow, drawing. I'm not even sure what it is yet but I suppose I will work it out.

"Hey,"

I smile and turn to see Thorne looking over my shoulder.

"What's that you're drawing?" he asks and I look down at my work.

"I'm not entirely sure," I reply, frowning, "what do you think?"

He looks at it for a moment, a thoughtful look crossing his face before smiling.

"I think it's you and me, down by the lake, when we were little," he says eventually.

I look down at my drawing again and see that he's right. I can see two figures inside the hut, playing something while two men stand outside, talking.

"Even then we were inseparable!" he laughs and I can't help but grin.

"Thank-you" I say, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between us.

"For what?" he asks, curious.

"Since our walk yesterday, I haven't been waking to nightmares…" I explain, "because I can't stop thinking of you."

He smiles gently.

"Well, you're welcome," he says, the gap between us slowly closing.

"So if I said I love you…" he starts again after a brief pause, "would you be able to say you love me back?"

I hesitate only for a moment before whispering:

"Yes."