The Two Volunteers: Unplanned

Chapter One

THIS IS THE SEQUEL. THE FIRST ONE IS ON MY PAGE. (:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gale Hawthorne was a brave person...." 

"Gale Hawthorne didn't deserve to die, he should have come home...." 

"Gale Hawthorne was different than most, and he made me better...."

"Gale would be a lot better at writing a speech about my corpse than I am at writing about his...." 

I have things on my mind, filling my thoughts with things that no one should have to go through. As if the memories and nightmares aren't enough, I have had to relive everything on the Victory Tour. Rue's family was the first I saw, I read my little speech that Effie wrote because Haymitch had to remind me that my words had an effect on my mother and sister, Madge, and now I can add Peeta to the list of people who could be hurt by me because of my smart mouth. Rue's family stared at me in disbelief, all those kids were expecting something different. They were expecting me to say something about their sister and their daughter that was from the heart and note from a note card. There was something in their eyes too, it's nothing I could explain at the moment, but it was pressing. But the speeches that I had to force out, seeing the people I killed or watched die, those things were not the worse that I saw the past two weeks. 

Every district is ordered before they Victor arrives that they are to smile, clap, and cheer for the winner after the speech they give and the flowers have been received. I know because every year we have to listen to our mayor explain the procedure, and when it is televised for the nation to watch they are always acting happy to see the Victor. But during this tour, nothing. No clapping, no cheering, no smiling, even if it was all fake there still wasn't any of it. Blank stares, when they should have clapped they became even more stiff in there spot, and when they were told to leave and go home, no one moved. I wouldn't be surprised if they are still there today. 

But the time we reached the Capitol, I was so tired of the tour. I was tired of the people, I was tired of the acting, and I almost welcomed the Capitol because at least there I wouldn't have to stare back into the eyes of the families of the kids I murdered. But then I remembered these are the people who cheered while I stayed by my best friend until the moment he took his last breath. 

Gale has been on my mind a lot the past two weeks, every time I see new families I wonder if he had any interaction with the tribute. During the Games when we were separated, during training, before the interview, etc. My nightmares are filled with him, dying a new death every time I close my eyes. So my prep team has been working extra hard to keep the tiredness from showing up on my face because I am only getting maybe 3 hours a night if I am lucky. 

But the Capitol offered better food,  Hospitality over the train, and these people were a lot more excited for us to be there. Not that I wanted to be there in the first place but that's besides the point. President Snow made his appearance in my private quarters the first night I got there. He said he simply wanted to talk so I was asked to go to a separate room. I am no fool, I knew that he wasn't here to chit chat about the Games or the Tour, and he definitely wasn't here to to talk about what a great job I am doing. I know this because I have caused issues that he hasn't addressed, and that is what he was there to do. 

He told me that the Capitol people felt offended that I put the blame on them, more the government than the citizens. And apparently that isn't something they take lightly here. He said the Districts have been talking about my interview that second day out of the arena and it has created, what he describes as a spark. The Districts have been unsettled since the interview so I suppose that's what I had seen in many of them. He threatened me that night too, that the interview I would have the following day would have to work and that I would have to show the country I was on the Capitol's side. Again, being played in their Games once more. It's not like I did any of this on purpose, up until that single interview I hadn't spoken a word.