JaDine Oneshots & Drabbles

The Victor (Hunger Games AU)

Nadine and James are 16 here. :)

Nadine's POV

"James..." I called to my best friend. He didn't respond.

"James..." I called again.

Nothing, still.

I sighed as I watch him. He was just gazing at the sky but his eyes were glazed, unseeing.

He changed. When he came back, it was as if he was a stranger.

He was never the same after the game.

I have never seen someone so defeated. And it hurts to see James like this. I can barely recognize him.

It was ironic that they call him a 'Victor.' It was as if he had lost himself. But still, I'm thankful that he is here; that he was able to fulfill his promise; that he was able to return to me.

I let out another sigh and lie down by where he sat. We were up the hill away from the lumber site. We always go here to play when we were little. It was a special place to the two of us.

"Can you tell me about it?" I asked as I too, looked at the sky.

"I told you I don't wanna talk about the game, Nadine!" He said, his tone harsh.

I wasn't perturbed. "I wanna know about how Jack found that fox..." I clarified. "You couldn't tell me before..." I said softly. Jack, James's little brother, had found a fox a day before the Reaping. He had told me about his brother's new pet just as we were walking towards the plaza for the event. He was very excited as he talked. Knowing him, I knew he wanted to distract both of us even just a little before the hour of dread started.

He wasn't able to tell me the story for a long time, as his name was picked. The last thing he told me before he left for the capitol was his promise of returning.

James was silent for a moment, and then he started talking.

"Well, Jack went with me down by the river that day. I was hoping I could catch trout since they were in season. But we couldn't really spot even one--"

I let out a little laugh at this. I saw his lips tug a little upward.

"But then Jack suddenly started shouting saying he saw one. I was surprised since his voice seems so far away. I realized then that he was already about ten yards away from me. I called to him, but he was following the fish, it seems. He kept shouting for me to hurry up before it can get away."

I smiled as I imagined everything clearly. Jack, though tall for his age, really acts his age.

"I started running towards him but then the next thing I know, he was gone. I panicked, thinking he fell in the water and you know how deep the river gets downstream."

I sat up at this, looking at James. "Did he fell?" I asked.

"Nah, but he slipped and it was hilarious." He said, finally smiling. "Half of him, and I mean only the left side; left limbs, left side of the head--was covered in mud and the other side was spotless."

I laughed at the image. I would have love to see that. Jack is as good as my younger brother as the three of us have grown up together.

"I laughed so hard." James continued, looking more and more like the James I knew. "I laughed harder because he was glaring at me. I helped him up and we then noticed that there was a berry bush down there. So, we gave up on the trout and started collecting berries instead. That was where Jack found him. He was hiding in the bush. He's still a baby. I think he got separated from his mom, or his mom was caught by a hunter. Anyway, we took the fox home, and now he never leaves Jack's side." He finished, sounding fond.

"He's just like you when we were little." I told him, smiling.

His smile faltered. "I guess so." He said softly, looking somber once more.

I frowned, but continued relentlessly. "He's almost your height, too." I commented. I just wanted to distract him somehow, to make him think about happier things instead of the horrors he had just escaped... physically, at least.

"Yeah, he's up to my chin now..." He trailed off. "And he's only twel--" He trailed off. I was panicking inside. This was another thing. Jack is twelve years old now. He was now eligible for the Reaping, and James can't protect him now. As a victor, he is stripped of the right to volunteer for his little brother.

I'm losing him once more.

"He's very proud of you..." I tried to say. "He kept saying he wanted to be like---"

"NO!" He suddenly burst out. I was so surprise. He clutched at his head and closed his eyes, as if he was in pain. He kept shaking his head.

"No! He can't be like me! Jack... they can't take him away! They can't make him like me! I... I'm a... murderer. He can't--" James kept saying over and over.

I hugged him, but he pushed me away instantly. "No, Nadine... I'm not... I'm not the James you know.. I... I don't even know who I am anymore."

I felt my tears flowing through my face. It's so painful to see him like that; to see him so broken.

I placed my arms around him again, holding on firmly. This time, he didn't fight much.

"You are James... Nothing's changed." I try to say. He kept shaking his head.

"You are... you are James. Jack's brother; my best friend. You're still our James." I told him sincerely. And slowly he stopped moving.

"James..." I called to him but he didn't respond. I broke away to look at him. I lost him again.

"James..." I called once more. But he wasn't speaking anymore. Once again, he was looking up the sky, eyes glazed and unseeing.

END