Becoming Adamant [#1]

Chapter 42 - Payback

As the conversation has died down, a few hours pass by and Dess shows up to tell me that the train is almost in District 7. A part of me is squealing inside of me because now I finally know who I am. I’m the girl that didn’t let the freaking Capitol use her as a toy. I’m Sylvia Mason, the victor that didn’t bow to the President’s wishes…sort of speak. I may sound a little smug saying this…well, hell yeah, I’m smug. I’m supposed to be. At least now I’m more or less coming home for good. God, I just can’t wait!

I make my way to the window as I try my best to look forward, watching and waiting for the famous tree-line to form in the horizon. That’s the only thing I’m wanting to see at this moment: my home, the trees in which I’ve spent my childhood, the place where I’ve cut down trees with my father and played around with my little brother. The place where my mother would yell at me…and Axel would listen to my complaints afterwards. I know Axel is no longer there, but the memories are still there and I can actually live with it.

I’ve clearly misbehaved to the Capitol once. That’s why Axel is no longer with me, but I’ve turned to accept that he’s gone. Not that I misbehaved, but he’s gone and I’m okay. I still have my family and that’s the best support I could possibly have. But still, it would be even better to live ascertained that there would be no more victims. The thing is: I know way better than to think that and hope for it. There are always victims. If it’s not my family, it’s someone else’s, or it’s the tributes that go to the Games every year. No matter what, there will always be victims.

As I snap out of my thoughts, that’s when I finally see it! My home! That beautiful tree-line forming just the way I know it to: in a tight-line from the tracks to the horizon and I can see the green color dominate on top. Just the way I see it when I’ve sat on the highest tree of the District. I feel my heart pumping even harder for this moment. Finally, I’m coming home! I’m getting away from the freak-show known as the Capitol and I’m coming back to normality, sort of.

Behind me I hear the door open. “Almost there, Mason…” Dess says as he walks up to me. Clearly he’s been fixing on his appearance. Right now his background as a Capitol-man just shines through his appearance. I nod a little too excited as he approaches me and I can hear him chuckle lightly. “I think this is the only time where I’ve seen you this happy about something.” James then mentions as he just stands there next to me. The train is now slowing down. “Why do you think that is, brainless?” I ask him stating the obvious.

“Okay, fair enough, Mason, fair enough.” James surrenders as the train is slowing even more down and now coming to a complete halt. “At last…” I find myself saying quietly to myself as we’re standing completely still and I hear the door of the train open. Finally, I get to go off this train and not come back until the Games start. The attention will be directed at someone else but me. I mean, of course I will feel for the tributes. I was there once, at the age of 14, so I should know better than anyone. Still, I’m relieved I won’t be in front of the camera anymore.

Still, there’s something else that enters my mind as alarming when I get off the train: the sky. The sky above me looks threatening. At any point it threatens to send pouring rain down on us. My usual confident self turns aware of that and of something else. I don’t even know what it is, but something definitely feels different here. I look over at Dess to see if he notices, but if he does, he’s not showing it. He just looks at me with a wary look.

When I’m on the transport to the Mayor’s building, I still feel this unease as I notice people are looking at me in a certain way. I’m headed for the stage all of a sudden and I feel my palms are sweaty. Not because of the humid air, because the rain will come at some point, but because I can feel my heart is pounding. What the hell is going on? As the Mayor stands there and gives me his hand, I see it even clearer than before. There’s something about the Mayor as well. He has that same look as everybody else.