Hunt and Chase

A Toast

An unbearable stark white light met my eyes the next time I opened them. Leaving the arena was fuzzy, I had been pulled into the hovercraft and stuck with a needle. I assumed I had gone through the reconstructive surgery that all Victors do. My tracker had been removed from my arm, the nasty wound from the mountain lion had been pieced back together, and any other wounds had been taken care of as if they were never there.
I gripped Amaris' token, regret shooting through my heart as I hadn't taken Chases.

"Ah, you're awake," a cheery voice said as the door of the room opened. A redheaded girl with a bob cut and a nurse's uniform on entered the room. She carried a tray of steaming food into the room. She removed the IV from my arm and pulled out the bed tray, setting the food in front of me.

My senses were met with a steaming bowl of stew, the savory smell of beef, bacon, and mushrooms. Next to the bowl was as a silver spoon, slices of toasted, smooth crust Capital bread, and a tall glass of clean, crisp water. My brain battled between savoring my meal and wolfing it down as I ate.

Once I was finished, the nurse ran the last few tests on me, blood pressure, and things like that, nothing serious. The room then descended. "We're getting close," the nurse said before taking the tray and leaving me to my lonesome. I was in no rush to go back to the Capitol, I was in no rush to go anywhere at all.

I slipped out of bed, my knees falling weak on my weight. I reluctantly slipped on the provided olive green T-shirt, black pants, and a pair of soft insoles shoes. I left the medical room to see the craft neatly settle its self on a landing pad, the same red circle donned with the Capital crest as I had seen in the dim light of that early morning so long ago.

I trudged down the landing ramp, shielding my eyes from the offensive sun. My eyes came into focus on two figures standing in the beating light. One figure rushed towards me and enveloped me in a smothering hug. Sobs racked the body-hugging me, her platinum hair reflecting the light. "I'm sorry," was all Vera said to me at that moment.

I was escorted to the Victors suite, which had been erected when the Capital had been rebuilt, the room an overall soft cream color with enchanting navy blue accents.

The prep team bombarded me at the door with congratulations and handshakes before Vera dismissed them, seeing as I was horribly uncomfortable. She escorts me to my room and sat me down.

"We'll talk about everything that's going to happen in the next few days in a bit ok? Right now we need to make sure that you're in a headspace to process all of that," she said, I nodded my head slowly.

"I will give you this though," she reaches for a plain white box on the bedside table and laid it in my hands. I carefully pulled the lid away to see Chase's ornate locket nestled snuggly in a piece of cotton.

I stared at it in amazement, tears decorating the locket. "How did you get this?" I choked out, looking up the Vera.
"The president elected to honor her last wish, and all those tributes that made them in the Games, others were given to living family to have proper burials. Chase had no living family, in all honesty, you're her only living family. Her ashes are being stored in a secure location and I'll take you to spread them as soon as you're ready," she answered.
"Although there are a few matters to attend to first so, I promise after the Victory Speech," she says.
I questioned no further.

I follow Vera's instructions and take my time in a warm bath, choosing to soak in ginger, lavender, and honeysuckle, Chase's favorite. The sound of low stings hummed in the background to help me keep my mind from wandering, I'm not sure I could bear any silence.

I shaved my face and brushed my teeth, unable to stand the almost full beard that had grown along my jawline. I slipped into a comfortable pair of cotton boxers and pants, blowing out the candles Vera had lit around the master bathroom and exiting.