𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊— in which Kassian Heyord returned from his victory in the hunger games was a total Disaster. He had entered his district, with a sunken look on his face, his eyes shallow, not looking at anyone else exept his hands, as he tried to scrape away the nonexistant 'dirt' from his freshly cleaned skin, as if they were covered with some unknown substance, that he just couldnt get rid off. Kassian was brave, everyone knew that. He was well known in district nine, always one step ahead of everyone else, and always trying to help people that needed it, even though he couldnt even keep his own feet on the ground, or provide regular food on the table for his younger siblings. He had a kind heart, one that everyone seemed to gravitate for— untill his name was called from the scrappy platform in the center of their district, noone stepped forward for him, and his kindness seemed to be a waste of time, so at fifteen years old Kassian Heyord was forced into the Hunger games, where in a few weeks he would come out battered and bloody, and nothing like himself.
The first time, May Lee went to see him, was barely even a day after his return, she was exited, happy that her bestfriend had finnally returned home after weeks of constant nerves and fear that she would loose him. Kassian had been sitting on his new bed in the victors village, the sheets were shiny, and fresh. His back was facing May Lee, hunched over with his eyes focused on the wall, and his fingers gripping the edge of the bed.
"Kass?" Her voice was small, and she wasnt even sure he could hear her, if it werent for the startled flinch in his shoulders. She took a carefull step forward, the floorboards letting out a soft creek beneath her.
"Dont." He said firmly, his voice quivering. May lee stopped going towards him, her eyebrows scrunching in confusion. "Please leave."
"What?" Her voice came out fragile, but Kassian didnt take any kindness to hurting her feelings, if anything he only began harsher.
"Get out." He told her, his shoulders tensing, as he waited for the soft creek of the floor that signaled she had left, but it never came.
"Kassian, I dont understand." For aslong as May Lee knew her and Kassian had been joint at the hip, never leaving eachothers sides, they had spent almost every moment together since they were seven years old. She couldnt remember if she had done anything to envoke so much anger in Kassian, atleast not towards her.
"Leave—"
"No!" She cut him off, "im not leaving you, your my best friend—"
Kassian grabbed onto the ceramic pot on his bedside table, and launched it at the wall beside May Lee's head, he jumped to his feet, "Get the fuck out!"
May Lee froze, her eyes glancing between Kassian and the shattered pot by her feet, before she turned away from him and rushed down the stairs. For a moment there was a flash of regret in Kassians eyes, but he made no move to go after May Lee, instead he slammed the door to his room, the loud echoe rung throughout victors village as May Lee fled from Kassian. There was nothing either of them could do to save eachother, no matter how hard either of them tried, Kassian would always be putting her in danger, a constant warning that if he had one foot out of line then she would pay the price for it, and May Lee would never be the sweet innocent girl that she should have been, she was angry, angry at the world and the capital, for taking her best friend away from her.
𝖪𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗂𝖺𝗇 𝖧𝖾𝗒𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝗐𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝖻𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾𝖽－he couldnt be there to protect them, and soon every last peice of him would be ripped away, just so he could be a pawn in the capital's games untill his very last breath. He was frusturated and angry, desperatly wanting things to be diffrent, he was promised freedom, that he could live in peace after he won his games. There was a pillow of snow covering district nine by the time Kassian had arrived back from his victory tour, the snow crunched beneath his feet as he made his way back to his new house, his mentor trailed behind him, a bottle of booze sticking out from his jacket pocket.
"Harvey? Mills?" Kassian called through the house as the door creaked open, he frowned as he noticed a smeared line of blood on the floor. "Harvey?" He called out again, not bothering to shut the door as he stepped over the patches of blood. His throat felt dry, as if he couldnt breath. "Mills?" At the end of the corridor there was a puddle of blood leading into a closed door, and infront if it, floating, was a small white rose. Kassian's heart was banging against his chest, his feet splashed through the blood, rushing towards the door as he banged on it. "Mill?!" He shouted, despertatly trying to get the door knob to move, but it had been locked on the inside, and there was no way of getting in the room. "Harvey?"
Kassian slammed his body against the door, and after a few hard pushes he broke through. Kassians breath caught in his throat, as he saw what was hidden behind the doors. His two younger siblings laid on the floor, soaked in their own blood, as the gashes in their stomache pooled onto the floor. Kassian sunk onto his knees unable to hold himself any longer, as he grabbed onto his siblings bodies, bringing them into his arms as he cried. "No! Please not them." Harvest and Mill were just children, not even old enough for the reaping untill a few years and yet they had been reaped by snow himself.
"Kassian?" A voice called out from the door, but Kassian made no move to get up from his siblings bodies, his sobs echoing through the house, as his mentor froze at the door. "Kass—"
"Please, Daniel, do something." Kassian cried, his body shaking, "bring them back!"
"Kass— I cant." Daniel grabbed onto Kassian shoulders hoisting him off the floor. "Come on."
"Im not leaving them." He told him, but Daniel ignored him, pulling him out of the house so he couldnt see his siblings berated bodies any longer, and placed him in the cold snow by his doorstep. Daniel went back into the house, grabbing Harvest's body and carried it out of the house, then he went back in for mill before he laid the two of them side by side.
Kassian felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest, he had lost everything in just a few mere months, and now he was alone, he didnt have anything to keep fighting for anymore, and all he wanted to do was die. Kassian could admit it, he didnt want to keep going, he couldnt. He couldnt be saved, and he knew that. Daniel gave him a soft look before he sat beside him and brought him into his arms, holding onto Kassian as if he was trying to give him any kind of support.
Kassian wasnt sure how he found himself in the part of district nine where he grew up, it was the dirtiest part of the district, but it was the only place where they could afford— Kassian froze infront of one of the houses door's, there was a bucket of wheat on one of the worn down chairs, probally collected from the fields during a shift of the few people that lived there. Kassian didnt know why he was here, he swore to himself that he wouldnt ever come back, that it was better to just stay away, but before he could turn and flee before anyone saw him, the door infront of him flung open with a heavy bang, before a boy froze, glancing over Kassian.
"Kassian? What are you doing here?"
Kassian stuffed his hands in his pockets, and shrugged, "I was just stopping by."
"Well May Lee's still in the fields, she wont be back till dark— if you wanted to see her." The boy told him, a certain harshness coming through in his voice.
"Oh thanks, but I'll probally just see her some other time then." Kassian lied, licking his lips as he went to turn around.
"Will you?" The boy stopped him, raising an eyebrow, "Dont fuck with me, Kass. I know damn well that you and May havent talked in almost a year."
"Rylen—" Kassian tried, but Rylen shook his head.
"Dont. Im sorry about your siblings,I really am." Said Rylen, "I know its hard, and we'd never ask you to just push through it and act like it didnt happen, becuase it did. But we were a family, and you dont get to just walk out on us like that."
"Its for the best, you have to understand."
"If thats what you think, then leave, why do you keep coming back?" Rylen grabbed ahold of the wheat basket that was resting on the chair, and tucked his work gloves into the waistband of his pants. He shoved past Kassian, knocking his shoulder against his. "Goodbye Kassian."
