Based off The Hunger Games; Against All Odds.

Chapter 14

After hours of crying, Cecile and Fir trying to consol me, I finally stopped. I took a bath and just sat there. Clark's ceremony would be tomorrow, and I didn't think I was ready for it. Our district wasn't the richest, but it wasn't as poor as District 11 or 12. We had food on the table and clean clothes. Plus we had a vehicle, because every lumberjack was required to have one. Now we had more money then we could ever wish for. I would have been happy to have the money, the nice home, and the immunity. But I wasn't, because I lost the person I loved most. I didn't want to let go.

I slowly walked down the staircase into the kitchen. The table was set and Evie was hovering over the stove. My family sat at the kitchen table, chatting mildly until I walked in. It was complete silence. They just all looked at me with worrying eyes.

"Era- If you need to talk." Derrick said. I looked at him with my eyes full of anger. I pulled out the chair and sat down, ignoring what they had to say. Evie gave me a bowl full of stew and some warm seasame seed bread. Each district had a certain bread, ours was a dark loaf with seasame and parsley on top. I used to put melted cheese on top when I was little, and Chism made fun of me for it. I pressed the loaf to my nose, breathing in its warm scent. It reminded me of the days where I climbed the old tree outside of our house. I finished eating and got up, without asking. I ran into my room and opened the box of my belongings and grabbed my burlap sack. I put  I filled it with an old watch, my throwing axe, the woven net, my cedar brush, a bottle of water and some crackers.I grabbed my leather jacket and put it on. I was ready to spend the night in the woods. 

I locked my bedroom door silently and climbed out the window. I was on the roof, which was as high as the tree I fell out of in the arena. I landed without harm, which was a relief. I felt like I was in the arena again, running from the Cornucopia. I ran into the forest behind our new house and found the tallest tree. I climbed the whole way to the top and looked over around our District. The lights were bright in the town square. and in the very far distance, I could see the Capitol lights. They were extremley small and far away, but bright. I sat there and cried for a while, not wanting to leave the tree. I looked back at my house, where the lights in my room turned on. The lock on my door was busted and Evie was looking around frantically for me. I felt sorrowed at the sight of it. She was sobbing on my bed, and I couldn't help but go back.

I sipped the water as I slowly walked back to my home. I ran my fingers along the pine needles as I walked, wishing that they had the same effect as they used to. Now they had memories of the fake Capitol trees in the arena. I slipped into the house and saw the house in a chaos. No soul downstairs, and every door and curtain was opened. Of course. A frantic search. I walked into the kitchen and put a kettle on the burner. I looked through the shelf of books in our new sitting room and grabbed the most interesting one, and sat down in the rocking chair next to the fire, sipping my tea. Evie ran down the stairs, a phone to her ear.

"Oh Aloe! I found her! Thank god! I'll call you right back!" she said full of tears. Her emerald green eyes were crystalized in soft drops of liquid. "Where the hell have you been?" she yelled at me, hugging me tightly.

"We thought... we thought we lost you." Derrick said from behind Evie. I wasn't gone that long, was I? I realized that indeed, I was out there for longer than I thought. I don't reply to Evie or Derrick, and they understand.

In the morning, I slowly awake to the soft chirping of birds. The sun began to beam down onto the pale sheets of my bed. I took a shower, savoring the hot water. I put on the nicest formal thing I could find, which was a black dress. I took one look into the mirror and mentally prepared myself for the next couple of hours. I walked with Chism down to the cemetary where only a few people were. Clark's body laid there in the casket. I flinched at the sign of his pale, cold, lifeless body.

"Erabelle, we can go home if you want." Chism said. I looked up at him, my eyes full of hurt. He grasped my hand as we walked over to the casket. He glimmered in the sunlight. His cocoa brown hair was now dull and faded. His skin a pale white, and his perfect lips a light purple. The tears began to stream down my face as I touched his hand. I placed a kiss on his cheek and collapsed. I don't know how long I passed out for, but when I woke up I was home. I wanted to scream. I didn't want that to happen. Now I knew I would never see that beautiful face again, he was truely gone. I didn't say anything though. I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried.

After a month of not speaking, I stop trying to.

After six months, I sort of forgot how to.

And as those seven months pass, the Victory Tour comes around. Each night, I experience the same thing. Memorie filled nightmares, tearing at the flesh of my soul. I close my eyes as I kiss Evie and Derrick goodbye, not wanting to leave. I would be back in a matter of a few weeks, but it felt I would be gone much longer. I walk slowly to town square, the shops and markets filled with people. Hungry lumberjacks on their lunch break, small children trading milk and cheese for bread, and even the old baker, Stefan, seems more generous today. Like every normal Sunday afternoon.

I board the train with Aymellie and Aloe. Johanna's mother became extremley ill, and Johanna wanted to stay back home with her. Our first stop was District 8, since it was closest. Our district was one of the biggest in Panem, and so we had to drive two days to get there. It was a cloudy, building filled District, with factories and grey smoke everywhere. The arid smell of smoke was disgusting, and so was the feeling in my stomach. The faces of Maggie's family were raw and swollen, like they have been crying for the entire seven months since Maggie died. They looked up at me with disgust as I sat there speechless. Aloe talked for me, thanking the district and trying to make me seem as innocent as possible. He did the same thing for every district, but I paid attention to the faces of each person whos child I personally murdered.

We arrived in District 4, our last stop. The bright blue skies and sandy beaches were a mix of good and bad memories. The sound of the waves breaking against rocks reminded me too much of the horrible wave they flooded the arena with. I looked deeply into the crowds, searching for my mother or father. I only saw Barbel's grandmother, crying while holding his younger sister. Lily's side only had her father and her older sister who looked just like her. I regretted killing them because they had such a nice attitude towards me, they accepted me. As we boarded the train to go home, I caught a glimpse of her. It had to be my mother, she looked just like me. Her dark tangled hair and sea green eyes stared into my face as we drove past the beach. She was alone, sitting on a rock watching the train go by. I pounded on the window in attempt to get her attention, but no movement caught her blank stare. I thought intently and one distrubing thought crossed my mind.

There needs to be a way I can change things.