What happens when a district 3 drop dead gorgeous girl, who also happens to have a genius IQ, is reaped for the 73rd annual hunger games. The same games that took her twin brother a year ago.
She's never had an issue with getting her hands a bit di...
I must've passed out, because when I woke up, I was no longer in the arena.
An arena I really didn't think I'd ever manage to escape.
Of course I wish Clove were here with me, like we'd planned, but part of me is still relieved I made it out alive. Does that make me a terrible person.
I felt an extreme sensation of guilt for being here without her.
Checking my surroundings, I was on a bed in a bedroom. I was back in the training facility.
"Hello?" I say, my voice course, as if I hadn't spoken in days. I spoke with a level of unsureness of what I should do and what was going on.
I did win, right? This isn't heaven? It wasn't all a dream? Because if it was a dream, then that'd mean I have to go into the arena again. And I don't think I could do all that again.
Now I'm getting more anxious and get out of bed.
I instinctively look down to my leg, which was miraculously healed.
Now I was really beginning to question everything. I was in that arena a minute ago. I'd been stabbed and was fearing death from an infection.
So how is it that I'm looking down at my leg and it is completely healed. Had I been sedated while they fixed my leg, or was I ever really in the Games at all?
I felt like I was going crazy. How could they heal my leg so flawlessly, not even leaving a mark. Maybe I just didn't know the Capitol's true capabilities. Yeah that must be it.
I brush off my feelings of paranoia and head for the door. But when I reach out for the doorknob, I notice something that spooks me far more than my leg.
"What?" I whisper to myself.
My hand. It looked different. In perfect condition. No bumps, no calluses, and no scar that I'd gotten from working back in district 3.
I quickly put my hand under my shirt to feel the skin on my back.
It was smooth. No scars from the whipping I'd received in 3.
"No, no, no, no" I mutter, as a run the smooth skin.
I know I should've been happy the be rid of bad memories, but I wasn't.
All these reminders of who I was before the games. Gone. It's like I wasn't even me anymore.
My leg didn't feel like mine. My hands, my back, my skin. Hell, my whole body didn't feel like mine.
It was like nothing had happened. The whipping, the Games. The Capitol had tried to erase the sins it committed against me. But I still remember.
I quickly open the door and run out of the room.
"Hello! Someone better tell me right now what is going on!" I yell.
A second later, Beetee runs over to me, followed by Celene.
He comes up to me unsurely and I hug him, tears finally coming out of my eyes.
"I won, right? I'm not dreaming? Not dead?" I ask, half-joking.
He pats my back during our hug. "Yeah, Toni. You won. We're so proud of you. And I'm sorry about Clove" he says, tearing up a bit as well.
We pull out of the hug, and I sniffle and wipe my eyes, returning his kind words with a "thank you".
I hesitantly hug Celene next.
"Congratulations sweetheart. You earned this" she praises me.
"Thanks guys. How long have I been out?" I ask.
"Bout a week" Beetee responds.
I nod and think of what to say next. "So my leg..."
"Right, healed perfectly, right? You'd never even know it'd been bad before. The Capitol's good with these things" Celene says.
"Yeah, I can tell. My whole body seems pretty much scar free" I say.
"Do you know if they get rid of like... tattoos and stuff?" I ask, because of my back tattoo.
"Oh, Toni I'm so sorry. I tried convincing them to let you keep it, but they removed it" he says.
Now even my way of remembering my dead brother was gone.
I nod, trying to play it off. But I can't contain it anymore and start full on crying, sitting down on the ground.
"Oh, sweetie. It's gonna be okay" Celene says assuringly, rubbing my back as I cried.
"I'm sorry" I apologize for the crying and rub my eyes to stop. "Yeah, I'm fine" I say, smiling at them.
Suddenly, people start coming into the room. It was Chastise, my designer, and a few of her helpers.
"Anna! There you are, darling. What did I tell you? I knew you could win!" she says, walking up to me with her arms wide open.
I awkwardly accept the hug. "Thanks" is all I say before pulling out of it.
"Well come on then, let's get you ready for Caesar" she says, dragging me with her.
I look to Beetee.
"I'll talk to you later" he says. I nod.
Chastise brings me back to my original makeup station, from what felt like just days before.
"I was watching your games, and let me tell you, you are a very smart girl, Anna. Very resourceful. You've got a good brain back there behind that beautiful face" she compliments.
"Thank you" I say.
"Now I wanted your dress to say 'No more little girl. I am a powerful victor!', which you are" she says.
"Come on girls, bring it in" she encourages her helpers, who bring in a beautiful dark green dress with a high slit.
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Dark green like the color of Clove's eyes, which I'll never be able to look into again.
"Now I just think the color is so powerful. Don't you? And then obviously I included that slit to show off your lovely legs. And— oh dear, you're crying" she says.
I didn't even notice the tears falling from my eyes until she mentioned it. I've been crying so much since I've been back, and I really need to stop.
"Oh, sorry" I say, sniffling and wiping my eyes to stop.
"Tears of joy, I hope" she says, awkwardly.
I chuckle while wiping my eyes. "Yes, Chastise. I love the dress, it's beautiful" I say.
She smiles.
"It is isn't it? Much better than that see-through trash we had you in for your interview. But you needed sponsors then. Don't need them now" she says.
