Hope In Our Eyes #GoldStarAwards2017Winner

Tears (Mackenzie)

I'm so sorry, tributes! I messed up the order of the chapters. This chapter in Mackenzie's POV was supposed to come before the one in Aspen's POV, so here it is anyway. You must be really pissed and confused. Once again, my apologies. Here, you can throw some potatoes at me.

The peacekeepers continue to drag me down a few hallways until they shove me into a room and slam the door loudly behind me. As soon as they let go of me I collapse to the ground in tears. I find myself turning the heart charm on my necklace over and over in my shaking fingers when the door bursts open and Devin runs in. I quickly stand up and run into his open arms. After a couple of seconds we pull away and Devin takes my face in his hands.

"Mackenzie, you have to come home" He says with tears streaming down his face.

"I can't" I say, avoiding his gaze.

"Don't say that. Yes you can!"

"Devin, I can't!" I practically yell in his face.

He jerks back and looks at me with a stunned look on his face. "Mackenzie, I-" He starts to say.

"Devin you don't understand!" I yell, cutting him off. "I am going to die ok? You're just making it harder! Just accept it already! Please just-"But I drop what I'm about to say when he crashes his lips onto mine.

He then slowly pulls away with the saddest look on his face. "J-just try, okay?" He whispers.I just nod and he embraces me again as the door slams open and a peacekeeper walks in.

"Out. Now." He says to Devin.

I start to sob uncontrollably as I grip onto him, but he's obviously stronger than me and easily removes my arms from around him. The peacekeeper, clearly annoyed, grabs Devin and literally drags him out the door.

"Mackenzie!" Devin yells on his way out. "The necklace! Wear it! I love you!"

"I love you!" I scream as I get my last look at my boyfriend. A few minutes later the door creaks open again and my litter sister Isabelle and my grandma walk in.

"Mackenzie!" Isabelle yells while running to me "Hi baby girl" I say as I hug her.

She pulls away and looks at me confused. "Grandma says you have to go on a trip?"

I sigh "Yes baby, I'm going on a trip"

"When will you be back?" She asks with tears in her eyes

"I don't know baby, I might not come back"

"But you have to!" She cries hysterically.

"I know baby just, If I don't, please remember that I love you and be a good girl for Grandma okay?"

I hug her once more, and then my grandma before a peace keeper comes and takes them away from me.

I'm quickly taken to a shiny red car that drops me off at the train station as my district partner River gets out of his car. As we walk towards the train that will take us to the Capitol it's complete and utter madness. Knoxy rushes us around scurrying through the crowds of people while cameras and microphones are being shoved in our faces. Finally we make it to the train and the doors swiftly close behind us. We turn around and see a middle aged women and an older man standing in front of us. They step towards us while Knoxy's heels chick as she walks off to her room mumbling something about her makeup. The women extends her hand to me and I take it. "Hi honey" She says while her beautiful blue eyes stare into mine.

"I'm Kalia and I'll be your mentor. I won the Twenty-seventh Hunger Games."

"I'm Mackenzie," I say and she pulls me in an embrace.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you" She whispers into my ear and I just can't take it anymore.

I burst into tears the second times, getting weird looks from River, Kalia, and River's mentor Ethan, and run into a bedroom off to the side, slamming the door behind me.

I sit there at the window staring out at the district that was once my home until there's a knock on the door. I ignore it and Knoxy's voice comes through the door.

"Mackenzie dear! It's time for supper!"

"I'm not hungry!" I yell with a voice raspy from crying.I sit there for what feels like forever as our train leaves District 8 and swiftly travel through District 11 and District 6 on our way to the Capitol. A few hours later I order a sandwich from an avox standing nearby and he quickly brings it to me. I devour it and then decided I should start getting ready for bed. I take a quick shower using some weird blueberry scented something or other and slip on a lavender nightgown. I climb into the bed playing with my necklace and thinking about Devin before the nightmares consume me.