The Price of Champions and Crowns (Hunger Games)

8

District Seven doesn't feel like home anymore.

Its the first time in my life that I've considered perhaps was it ever?.

Because when I was among those trees, on that beach and in those arms...that was what home felt like.

A feeling I've never been able to find since I left the arena. Since I left him.

Its been six months and my life feels completely different despite only living a few feet from my old house. As soon as the train had touched down in district seven I'd been welcomed by the entire district. The pride and excitment was almost unbearable. But I completly understand. Becuase of me they won't have to worry about feeding their families for an entire year. The prize of the winning district. 

My house is just as big and identical as my mothers. And I think for a sense of comfort I've made the master bedroom on the first floor my room. The same room I had in Johanna's house. The first few weeks I explored the top floor of my mansion. To try and see what Johanna finds so fascinating up there. But its nothing but beautiful rooms with crystal chandeliers...nothing you won't find on the first floor.

And thats another thing...Johanna. I haven't spoken to her, at all. Have I been avoiding her the second I officially packed up all my stuff and dumped it in the mansion next door? Of course I have.

It wasn't as liberating as I felt it would be. It wasn't at all what I thought it'd be. I always thought on my twenty-fifth year I'd pack my stuff and walk away from her while she shows some miraculous sense of empathy and beggs me to stay.

But they were only dreams. Dreams of a silly little girl who believed that maybe Johanna Mason loves her. A question I still don't know the answer to. She still trains everyday though at the crack of dawn, now she just does it alone.

After three months of planning and decorating the house to how I liked, I found myself with an unbearble amount of time. Liam was right, victors aren't permitted to work and life is now utterly mundane.

Rich and glamorous for sure, but still mandane. I tried on fifty beautiful ball gowns on Tuesday for just something to do. That's literally how I spent my day from nine to ten at night. Tried dancing, singing, reading, painting but nothings worked.

So I've gone back to my old routine from before I was reaped of sitting in trees all day. Before the games I'd sit in a tree and wait. Wait for my friends to finish work or wait for Trent to emerge from a drug induced sleep. But now I sit and I wait, only I don't know what I'm even waiting for anymore.

Every victor needs a 'talent'. Like a hobbie so they have something to talk about in interviews or so I guess they don't seem lazy. I told Caesar mine is climbing. And its not a lie, its literally all I do. Somedays I'm in designer dresses or other days simple singlet and shorts but it doesn't matter. I'm in a tree not matter what.

Which is why I'm currently hanging upside down with my arms reaching towards the ground, stretching with a sigh of relief. Maybe this is peace. The sun on my face and for a split second I forget who I am and my mermories too. I'm simply like the branches around me. Hanging in the wind with the sun busking on me.

I stay like that for what seems like a lifetime. Until theres no more sun and reality starts to creep in. Reminding me of the horrors of the arena and what I've lost. I guess that means its time to go inside before I freeze to death.

When I finally make it to my mansion its pitch black and there, right on my porch steps is Johanna.  I pause and blink once or twice just to double check she's real. Definatly her. I tusk. "You've got the wrong house".

She raises her head slowly and I'm met with identical blue eyes. Some might even say pretty eyes. I watched her take a drag of a cigeratte deliberatly slow. Before she exhaled and stretched out on my steps like she owned them. "You look like shit, Victoria".

I scoffed. Of course she's here to insult me. Months of no contact and not so much as a hello. I sighed and tried not to gritt my teeth in annoyance. "Well, that does tend to happen when one kills another".

And then she laughed. No, she cackled. "Oh come on. You don't care about them. Trent, possibly but the others? Oh sweetheart you have no idea what guilt is. That's why you spend all day in trees, so you can feel something. Has it worked, yet?".

I shrugged and stared her down hard. "Why sweetheart didn't neglecting your daughter help with yours?". She flinched and I smirked. Good. "Now, get the fuck off my porch".

I tried to step around her but she was suprisingly quick and agile enough to block me. I rose my eyebrows in suprise, noticing how close she was to my face. "Tomorrow's the first day of the tour".

oh. To be honest I don't even know what day of the week it is let alone when the stupid Victory Tour is. I gulped. I thought she had completely ignored me but she's watched me enough to know I'm a complete mess at the moment. No drugs and alcohol but, still fucked up. I nodded. "Noted". She's so unnerving.

She eyed me up and down before before she clicked her tongue in what I'd say is disappointment  mixed with other emotions I couldn't read. She then waltzed off my porch like she'd never even been here. 

And I was left standing with a pit growing in my stomach. The Victory Tour...

I now have to go to all those Districts and face the victors whose children I killed.

Okay, let's hope I'm able to make it out of this alive.