Greater Flames: Book 2 of Greater Games [A Hunger Games Fanfic]

Chapter 1

The house is still and quiet when I open my bedroom door and step into the hall. I wiggle my toes in the furry white carpet and silently tiptoe down the stairs. I mean, real stairs - two-floor houses were unheard of for my family until two years ago, when my sister won the Hunger Games.

Technically, she didn't even win. The Gamemakers didn't realize that arena had some quirky equipment mined underneath the arena. They didn't know up until the stuff blew. The Gamemakers had to evacuate the arena and rescue the remaining five tributes.

Still, my sister, Amber, is treated like a victor. We live in Victor Village, and we were given half the money that a real victor would have been given. She had a Victory Tour. And she's still being interviewed, even now, two years later.

While my sister was in the Hunger Games, life was hell for me back here at District 5. She was the one that worked a job at the fruit stand, even if nobody could afford her goods. While she was in the arena, I found myself roaming the polluted streets in search of a paying job. Unfortunately, nobody really wanted to employ a frail twelve-year-old girl with hardly any experience, except for animal-care.

I strengthened myself up, because I still was uncertain about my sister's return. If she didn't come back, I would have to support myself and my mother, who was in a rather bad state. I started going to the Bin, the black market of District 5 that sits in a building right near one of the most successful power plants. Our Head Peacekeeper doesn't really care about the Bin, and as long as he's fine with it, the other Peacekeepers are, too. But we still don't bother them.

The Bin helped, thankfully. My family had a mule named Pumpkin, but she had a crippled leg. Since nobody would buy her, me and my mother were lucky when she gave birth to a beautiful colt the day after Amber went into the arena. The colt, Cobalt, didn't have any glaring flaw like Pumpkin's crippled leg, so I sold him at an auction at the Bin. He earned us a good deal of money.

When Amber returned, my mother was ecstatic. Things got so much better; we were given more money and we moved to Victor's Village to be neighbors with Nerine, Amber's mentor, and one other victor named Gray. He won the 56th Hunger Games.

Then Amber went on the Victory Tour. When she came home, everything was back to normal, except for the interviews.

I realize that my sister isn't in the house. She must be out hunting. She does that every other morning now. I think it must be some notion that food is always short and she has to, has to hunt. She must have developed it in the Games.

I put on my black windbreaker and slip into my old leather hiking boots. I feel something warm and furry rub against my leg. It's Holly, my pet cat. Holly was a gift to Amber from her Hunger Games sweetheart, Felix, from District 2. I'm not really sure what's up between Amber and Felix. Whenever Amber talks about him, she sort of gets all breathy. Even though she's nineteen years old now, Amber acts like she's the sixteen-year-old that she was when she met Felix whenever somebody mentions his name.

I lean over a scratch Holly's ears. "Hey, girl," I say. I scoop her up into my arms and tickle her tummy. Then I put her on the staircase and walk out the front door.

The cool, spring breeze hits me softly and I inhale it. Here in Victor Village, the air is actually fresh. As you start to walk away from Victor's Village, you find that the air gradually starts to get more muggy and unclean. And not to mention the power plants that stand all over the district.

I head right over to the district fence. I climb up a tree and relax on a comfy tree limb, watching the forest tree line. This is one of my favorite places. Here in this little field, the air isn't polluted. It's one of the few places with real grass and trees, besides Victor Village. And its peaceful and a nice place to forget about the stress in your life.