❝FIRE ON FIRE WOULD NORMALLY
KILL US, BUT THIS MUCH DESIRE,
TOGETHER WE'RE WINNERS❞
in which a girl from district 4
meets a boy from district 2
during the 74th annual
hunger games.
[the hunge...
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BEFORE LILIA BOARDED the train that would take her back to District 4, she wandered through the halls of the Tribute Center one last time. The victor interviews and ceremonies the past few days had given her a taste of how her life would be from here on out. Everywhere she turned, Capitol citizens wanted to congratulate her, to touch her, to ask her about her time in the Games.
But now, all she wanted was to return home.
"Lilia!" a woman with bright green hair shouted, catching her attention. "Can we get a picture?"
"Of course," Lilia answered with a soft smile, nodding toward the woman and her son.
The pair stepped forward eagerly, handing a camera to someone nearby. The boy, who couldn't have been older than eight, held a small notebook to his chest with excitement.
"You're my favorite!" he blurted out. "You did so good in the Games!"
Lilia's smile widened, though a familiar discomfort tugged at her insides.
He was too young to be watching that.
"Thank you," she said softly, bending down to his level. "I'm glad you think so. What's your name?"
"Rowan," the boy replied, his grip on the notebook tightening. "Can I have your autograph, too?"
"Absolutely, Rowan." Lilia took the notebook and the pen that he handed her, and signed her name. "There you go."
"Thank you so much," the mother beamed. "You don't know how much this means to us. Rowan talks about you all the time."
"Oh, is that right?" Lilia replied, sending a glance at the boy, who blushed in embarrassment. "Thank you."
At the interaction, more people from the Capitol began to notice her presence, and soon a small crowd had gathered around her.
"Lilia! Over here!" a teenage girl called. "Can I get a picture too?"
"And me!" shouted another.
"Can you sign this?" someone else asked, holding out a photo of Lilia from her victor interview.
Lilia nodded, moving through the crowd, posing for pictures, and signing autographs. She made sure each interaction was genuine, although she couldn't ignore the pain that came with being a victor. They saw her as a hero, a survivor, but only Lilia knew what she had to go through to be here.
"Thank you, everyone," she said to the crowd, waving goodbye. "You're all so wonderful."
As she turned to leave, she spotted Selene, her Capitol attendant, waiting by a sleek black car parked on the side of the street. Selene was dressed, as always, in an extravagant outfit, her hair a light shade of lavender. Her eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Lilia, and she waved her over with a smile.
