The Hunger Games- Prim's Story

Chapter 26

A hovercraft materializes above me and a ladder drops.  I climb up quickly, only slightly unnerved by how the ladder sways in the breeze. The door closes behind me and I sink to my knees gratefully. Finally, I'm out. I never thought I'd get out, but finally, here I am. An Avox I recognize from the penthouse beckons me to a pristine hospital room. There's a mirror on the wall and my reflection shocks me. My hair is matted, my eyes wild, and I've lost so much weight, I'm skin and bone. My cheeks are hollow and I see the dents the acid made in my face. Little dents that will not be easily fixed. The Avox gives me some sort of shot before I pass out. 

I wake up and look around. I'm in a different place than where I went to sleep. Or am I? The room glows with a soft yellow light. There's no mirror and no windows or doors that I can see. It smells like antiseptic, which reminds me of helping my mother back at home. I look at my left arm and see several tubes attached. If I pay very close attention, I can feel them pumping fluids into me. But I don't have time to pay attention right now. I look at my other hand and move it tentatively. Then, I pull out the tubes and try to get up. A wide band around my waist stops me. It angers me knowing I'm being confined to my bed. I lay back down angrily and realize I haven't felt emotions as extreme as now for a long time. It makes me uncomfortable.

A wall opens and the Avox walks in, carrying a tray of food. I have so many questions, but I don't ask her. She couldn't tell me if she wanted to. She sets the tray of food on my thighs and presses a button on the side of my bed that raises me up to a sitting position. She leaves and I look at the plate. Clear soup broth, some apple sauce, a small piece of bread, and a glass of water. I stare at it grouchily. I wanted Capitol food. Shouldn't I get a better homecoming dinner? I just survived the Hunger Games. Still, I eat the apple sauce and the piece of bread. I drink the water slowly out of the glass, but some still spill down my front. I dab it with a napkin, wondering how many days it's been since I drank out of a glass. And not just a glass, a Capitol glass. The kind that looks so fragile, you think that it'll collapse with one gentle touch. 

I close my eyes and try to imagine District Twelve. Not that I could ever forget. Mother, Lady, Buttercup, and Katniss. My Katniss! She'll be so happy to see me. I'm sure of it. And I'll get my own house in Victor's Village! And all the money I could ever want. The concerning thought of Haymitch being my only neighbor crosses my mind but I push it away. Haymitch will probably be waiting for us. Me. Haymitch will probably be waiting for me. And Effie too, she's probably preparing a banquet for me. And I bet District Twelve is in chaos, trying to prepare for the homecoming celebrations. The last one was almost thirty years ago. I drift off to sleep as I feel a piercing in my arm.

I wake, eat, and sleep on and off for some amount of time. I don't know how long, but I'm enjoying the rest as it comes. Finally, I wake up and nothing is plugged into my arms. The restraint has been lifted off my waist and I can move freely again. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and try to stand up. I'm wobbly for a few seconds until I finally steady myself. At the end of my bed, I see clothes I wore in the Arena. I grin, happy for a bit of normalcy. Or at least what I've gotten used to. I'm dressed in less than a minute and I take a good look at the wall. There's a door here somewhere. I step forward and the wall opens. 

I walk into the hall calling, "Haymitch! Haymitch?" I hear a shrill voice call my name and hear the clacking of high heels on the tile as Effie runs over to me, arms out, ready for a hug. She grabs me and pulls me close to her. I try to squirm out of her grasp and finally she gets the message and lets me go. She digs her long fingernails into my arm and brings me to a large chamber at the end of the hall where I see Haymitch and Cinna waiting for me. 

Haymitch looks me up and down critically and says, "I didn't think you'd be the one to make it out." 

I glare at him and say, "I'm very happy to see you too."

He glares at me but doesn't say anything when Cinna pulls me close and hugs me. I guess not everyone is very happy about my return. I guess they'll have to get used to it because now I'm here to stay. "Go on with Cinna. He'll get you ready." Haymitch says. I nod and walk behind Cinna as he leads me through multiple hallways, and into an elevator that goes into the lobby of the training center. We go through another elevator to the twelfth floor. Cinna doesn't say anything and I don't either. I'm busy taking it all in. I never thought I'd see this place again. I feel some sort of pride. I was the one that got to come back. The little one. The one no one ever thought would have a chance at winning. 

Venia, Flavius, and Octavia engulf me and I can't get them off of me, so I stand, stiff as a board until they let go. They're talking a mile a minute and making my head spin. We sit down for a real meal, finally, with roast beef,  peas, and soft, beautiful rolls. Like the kind Peeta brought us from the bakery, but better. The portions are strictly controlled, and when I ask for another roll, I don't get it. When we finish eating, which takes longer than it should have since everybody else had seconds, I'm led by Venia, Flavius, and Octavia to my room. 

"They did a full body polish on you," Flavius says, and they all begin to work. They tell me exactly the settings for the shower and leave me alone. I still end up getting all the water in my face and my ears. I look in the mirror and see my wet hair and skinny body and almost laugh. I look like a thin drowned rat. I wrap myself in a towel and they begin to work on my hair, nails, and makeup. They talk endlessly about the Games and how surprising it all was. I engage animatedly in their chatter, listening to exactly what they were doing when they found out I won- right down to the minute. 

When they finish, Cinna comes in with a simple yellow dress. It's beautiful, with softly glowing fabric that sways around when I move. I'm in small leather flats with a tiny bow on the toe. My hair is let loose, blonde, and shiny, with small muted gold hair clips pulling the hair out of my face. The only makeup I have is necessary to make sure I don't look too pale on camera, not even the little bit of lipstick Octavia snuck on before my last interview. All I have coating my nails are clear polish. At a closer look at my face, the dents the acid made in my skin have been filled. I don't know how the doctors managed that, but I'm glad those ugly dents are gone from my pretty face.

I look young. Like the small little girl I was before the Games. Maybe even younger, ten years old. It irritates me, and I think Cinna senses this because he says, "I thought you needed to regain your little girl look." I look at him, trying to read his expression, but he has no emotion on his face.

We take the elevator up to where we trained, so we can rise up to the stage. Prep team first, then the escort, then the stylist, the mentor, and finally, the victor. Haymitch touches my shoulder and I jump. Half my mind is still in the Games. I glare at Haymitch for startling me and he glares back. "Hug for luck?" He asks gruffly and I cautiously hug him. He begins to talk quietly. "You better be that nice little girl the Capitol likes, understand?"

I panic for a second and ask, "Am I in trouble?" 

"No, the Capitol loves you. They live for things like what you did to that boy." 

"What boy?" I ask, challenging him. I know exactly what boy he's talking about.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He answers gruffly and leads me to a metal circle. I refuse to feel any sort of remorse. I didn't feel guilty when I killed him and I don't feel guilty now. I did what I had to do to survive and anybody in my situation would have done the same. I feel calm as I wait for the plate to lift onto the stage. The crowd already loves me, what's to be nervous about? The video? I can handle it. It's not like I haven't lived it.