A Tale of a Boy and His Flower

The quarter quell

Part 2: catching fire

"Amaryllis!" my dad called from downstairs. "You're going to miss it!" 

"Coming!" I called back from my room. I ran down the stairs and joined him on the couch. The third quarter quell would be announced today. 

"Any idea of what it could be?" he asked as Snow appeared on screen and pulled out a card. I shrugged. 

"Who knows," I said, "last time it was double tributes so it's probably something similar." It had been four years since my mothers death, and my mentor's death. I have never forgotten the pain I experienced that day. 

Zach moved on eventually, Haymitch barely blinked an eye and continued in his addiction, Finnick didn't know her well so he spent most of his time helping me. But i never moved on. Everyday i woke up and was reminded she was dead. 

My dad and I struggled after my mothers death. I blamed myself and he was trying to make me feel like it wasn't my fault but we both knew it was. In the end we quit speaking to each other.  It wasn't until the victory tour for Johanna Mason (the winner of the 71st games) arrived that we began to mend our relationship.  

Since then we have gotten close. Almost as close as we were before my games. But i should've known our peace wouldn't last together. 

Because of what had happened Finnick agreed that we should wait until things cooled off to have our marriage. We were planning to do it soon, but because of the latest winners Peeta and Katniss, Snow had been furious. 

There have even been a small uprising in my district in the factories. I heard District 11 had completely rebelled. The District's were mad, the Victor's were mad, it felt like the Dark Ages were returning. 

"Now on the 75th anniversary of our defeat of the rebellion, we celebrate the third quarter quell as a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of the Capital." Snow looked into the camera. "The male and female tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool victors in each district." 

I sat there unmoving.  I felt my dad's eyes on me. I was the only female victor of District 10. 

I would be going back into the arena. 

I stood up and headed for the door. My breathing was becoming uneven. 

"Amaryllis-" I heard my dad call out and I opened the door and headed into the street. He called after me as I began walking very fast out of the victors village. I turned around and saw Zach on his door step. I immediately bolted away. 

I didn't stop running until I felt so out of breath I couldn't breathe. I hadn't realized where I had run until I fell to the ground on my knees. 

Jase and my mom's grave. 

We had buried them next to each other behind our old farm house. I used to visit here often but I hadn't in a while. 

I was glad for once Jase had died. He would never have to feel the pain I had felt. He would never have to reenter the arena and kill. His death was peaceful compared to the death I will face in the arena. 

I opened my locket. I hadn't taken it off since I had returned from my games. It still held the picture of me and Jase. But instead of an empty frame on the other side, it was a picture of me and Finnick. 

We were young in the photo. I was only seventeen and he was twenty. That was four years ago. It was taken a few days before Snow had killed Rain and my mom. 

I wrapped my arms around my knees and brought them to my chest. I stared at the grave of my brother and my mom. My dad would lose all of his family if I didn't return. But i knew I never could. 

Finnick was my life. If I returned Finnick wouldn't. I would rather be dead than live knowing Finnick was gone because of me. 

"Thought I would find you here." Zach said. 

"Go away Zach." I said. "I want to enjoy my last seconds of so-called "peace" before I enter that arena again. He sighed and took a seat next to me. 

"I still remember when you hugged me for the first time." Zach said reminiscing. "You had just returned from your games," he chuckled. "you were so small and young then." He glanced over at me. "Now you're twenty one , but deep down you're still the little girl who never got to grow up." 

"Well you're not so young either." I said, "might want to get sober before we get in the arena." 

He stretched his back. 

"It's been a few decades since I wore those cow outfits the stylists give us." he said. Somehow that makes me laugh. 

"What games did you even win?" I asked. 

"52nd."

"Dang, you're really old." He pretended to be offended. 

"I'm forty one." he said, "I'm older than most people in the District. I take age as a compliment." I shake my head with a smile. Zach was always the one who would make me feel better. 

"Wait," I said doing the math, "you were twenty nine, during my games?" I was shocked he had been so young. He scoffed. 

"Don't act so shocked that I wasn't the old man you thought." 

*** 

"Let's start with the girls, shall we?" Sal says enthusiastically. She eyes me and then looks down at the singular slip of paper. She pretends to shuffle around in the bowl before plucking the white piece of paper. 

"The female tribute of District 10, Amaryllis GreenShire." I step forward in my place. No one claps. They simply stare. 

"Now for the boys!" she says with a smile. This time she doesn't bother with the theatrics and just grabs the singular piece of paper. 

"The male tribute of District 10, Zach Felcher." he took his place next to me. 

"I present the tributes of District 10: Zach Felcher and Amaryllis GreenShire." 

No one spoke, no one clapped. But a single man whistled. It was the whistle Katniss had done in the arena. Before I knew it many people held up three fingers in salute. The peacekeepers immediately pulled their weapons out and headed into the crowd. 

The camera had been shut off and I looked at Zach panicked. I felt peacekeepers grab my arm and start pulling me away from the crowd. 

"I didn't get to say goodbye!" I protested. I saw my dad in the crowd. He was standing towards the front. 

"New rules." the guard replied gruffly. I heard my dad shout my name before I was pulled behind doors and shoved onto the train.