THE 68TH HUNGER GAMES - Book 1: Tribute

Chapter 26 - Heading Home

“fifteen minutes to station A of District 8,” murmurs the robotic voice of the train official over the intercom.

About a couple of days before I left the Capitol, I was signed to Klieo’s label. We recorded my new single which is expected to be released in a few weeks. Klieo has planned a concert for me in the Capitol and says that half of the profits will go to fund District 8’s infrastructure. I don’t believe a word of it, but I might as well proceed with the concert since it’ll help keep District 8 relevant and most likely help the next tribute.

I stare out the train window; mindlessly admiring the beautiful surroundings. I don’t exactly look my best at the moment, dressed in a baggy knitted sweater and a black pair of jeans. My hair is a mess since I haven’t put any care into my appearance in a while.

“Hey,” a male voice says from behind me. I turn around and scan my neat cabin and see Mark Lillian standing at the doorway.

“Oh, hi,” I smile half-heartedly.

“Excited to be going back home?” he asks.

“No, not really,” I sigh, “I mean, Gina would be happy to see me, but what about everyone else? They probably hate me.”

“And why’s that?” he says while taking a seat right beside me.

“Well… I should’ve taken better care of Ferdinand,” I say, “And what about the victory tour? I’ll have to visit every other district and make speeches about how much I hated every other tribute.”

“You know, I was exactly like you when I first left my games. I was afraid to go back to District 8.”

I sigh and rest my head on the cold glass of the window.

“Stop beating yourself up about this, because you were put in the Hunger Games and forced to kill other children against your own will. You either had to kill or be killed,” he says while resting his hand on my shoulder.

I turn to him and look right into his eyes, hoping that I could find any truth in this. “My mother,” I say, “she was taken away and was turned into an avox.”

Mark looks at me bleakly and sighs. “Your mother,” he begins, “I remember what happened.”

I look up at him, searching for some sign of recollection of my mother in his eyes.

“It was during the year I was in my Hunger Games. I was reaped as the male tribute for District 8 in the 60th Hunger Games. Your mother was sort of against it all and she sort of started a small rebellion against it. Of course I was only eighteen at the time. Your mother was about twenty eight,” Mark Lillian says emotionally, “I knew your mother because she was friends with my mother. Anyway, I remember the day I was reaped. She began a protest against the whole system. Your sister; Gina, was only ten at the time. Before I got on that Capitol train, I saw your mother being taken away by peace keepers. When I won my games and returned, your mother had vanished from the face of the earth.”