THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

14 ~ the homecoming

When the train arrived back in District 4, it looked as though the entire district was there.

Hundreds of people were standing outside of the platform, cheering Carolina's name as she exited the train. Carolina stumbled back when she first left the train, remembering vividly the flashbacks of the crowds in the Capitol, but she quickly recovered. 

They weren't the made-up citizens of the Capitol. They were home. 

She searched the crowd for her family. That was all that mattered to her at that moment. She wanted to hug them again. Kiss them. Cry to them. She wanted to be with them again. 

 But before she could spot them, Peacekeepers surrounded her, blocking her view of everyone. Carolina panicked at the sudden change of scenery, but when she saw Finnick and Reef's faces peeking through between the suits, her heart rate settled slightly.

Carolina was then taken directly to her new house in the Victor's Village. 

It was a house on the water, over four times the size of the house she grew up in. The house had enough bedrooms for her entire family and a few guests, and the living room alone was the size of the house she grew up in, complete with a large couch and working television.

Reef and Finnick guided her through the house as Peacekeepers guarded each entryway. They showed her her new bedroom and a room dedicated to music with a grand piano at the center of it. 

She was then led to a study. Carolina stopped at the doorway at the smell. It was sickly sweet and so potent that it gave her a headache. When she finally looked up to find the source of the sound, she saw that on the desk, there was a large bouquet of white roses. 

Carolina didn't think much of it, but the sight had Finnick turning as white as a ghost, and Reef quickly escorting her to the backyard.

Just the sight of the yard gave Carolina a warm feeling.

The back of the house held a yard large enough for her mother to start a garden full of all of her favorite plants, and a dock for her father to catch fish floated in the sea. It was easy to imagine Charlie running around the yard with a bright smile on his face.

The thought of her family had her heart skipping in anticipation. 

In a matter of hours, she would be with her family again.

Carolina spent the rest of the house tour anxiously jumping from one foot to the other, ignoring Reef's words. She knew would be living in that house from then on, so she figured she would learn the layout of it eventually. 

When Reef and Finnick finished and the Peacekeepers finally left, Carolina sprinted out of the house.

Her eyes lit up and her pace quickened when her childhood home came into sight. She stopped at the door for a moment to catch her breath and brace herself. 

After a brief moment, she slowly turned the handle and pushed open the door.

"Mom?" Carolina asked. "Dad?"

The second she stepped into the house, she was almost knocked over by someone running into her. 

Carolina's mind flashed to Sicily throwing her to the ground in the arena. Her breath hitched as she started panicking at the touch, pushing the person away forcefully.

"Lina?" Charlie looked up at her and took a step back. "What– what did I do?

Carolina gasped, and immediately, tears started washing down her face. She rushed to hug her little brother. 

"Charlie, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Charlie hugged Carolina back tightly. His head pressed up against the crook of her neck, and she could feel tears falling down his face as well.