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AVALON ALMOST FORGOT what it was like to sleep without having to keep a weapon beside you. Though it didn't come easy to her, she woke up with her head leaning against the window of the train car she was riding in. After she was officially crowned victor, all she wanted to do was go home and see her family again.
They were the only thing pushing her to keep going in the Games. Before she was put into the arena, she didn't think she was ever going to see them again; but here she was, on the way back home.
Home. It was a place that she thought she'd never see again. While she was excited to be back where she grew up, part of her didn't want to go back, as it was only a reminder of what happened to Oliver in the games; something she'd never forget.
A gentle tap on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see who was standing beside her. Finnick smiled down at the girl, who returned the smile and patted the seat next to her. The boy sat down and fidgeted with his hands. "It's good to see you again," he informed Avalon.
She smiled and turned her head to look at the boy sitting beside her. "It's good to see you again, too," she replied, looking to the ground. "I honestly didn't think I was going to."
"I did. I knew you were going to win." He looked out the window. "How do you feel?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. He had been through this before as well.
"Awful," Avalon replied with honesty. "Am I supposed to feel this bad? I get to go home, yet I feel the worst I have ever felt in my life." She sighed, dropping her head against the window once more.
Finnick nodded slightly, moving his head so that his vision was now focused on Avalon, who was gazing out the window. "I did," he told her. "I'm not sure if you're supposed to, but I did." Avalon's head lifted from the window and for a second, her eyes met his. But in that split second, he saw just how much the Games had affected her life.
Avalon shook her head and glanced to the floor. "This sucks." Finnick nodded his head in agreement, though the girl couldn't see it. "Will it always be like this?"
"Not always," he said reassuringly. "Sometimes, you'll wake up and forget the games even happened in the first place. Then, other times, you'll wake up in the middle of the night and that will be the only thing you can think about." He spoke from his own experience with the games and what came after. "It's sick."
Avalon simply nodded, zoning out as she got lost in her thoughts. Just having someone's presence was comforting for her, though she didn't exactly realize it. The ride back to District 4 was otherwise uneventful, and she only continued to stare out of the window the rest of the ride back.
Before she knew it, Sadira was practically bouncing into the room, informing Avalon and Dinnick that they had made it to the Victor's Village in District 4. A sudden wave of nerves overcame Avalon. She thought coming home would be comforting, but she only felt nervous. What was everyone going to think of her? Of what happened to Oliver?
Finnick shook her out of the thoughts, extending his arm towards the door of the train car. She slowly made her way to it, opening it and breathing in the salty air outside. When her foot hit the platform, the nerves she previously felt banished from her body. This is where she wanted to be the entire time she was at the Capitol. She had missed the salty air and the sounds of waves crashing in the distance.
A gasp coming from in front of her made the girl lift her head, and she met eyes with her mother, whose cheeks were stained with tears. Avalon immediately started walking towards her. She hadn't expected to cry, but she couldn't help it. Tears streamed down her face at the sight of her family and her home.
She and her mother met in the middle. Avalon gripped her mother's shoulder tightly, intending to never let go again. She felt another pair of arms wrap around her, then another at her waist. She dropped her head onto her mother's shoulder as she let herself cry in her family's arms. This is home.
As much as she wanted to stay wrapped up in her family's arms for the rest of eternity, she knew there was stuff to be done, so she slowly pulled away. "I missed you guys," she told the group, who all nodded in response.
"We missed you more, Avalon," her father responded, patting her shoulder. "Come on. We'll show you the new house. Everything's already moved." He nodded his head to the left, where Avalon nodded and started walking. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder to say goodbye to Sadira and Finnick, but she noticed that they had already left. She shrugged and continued to follow her family.
Making her way up the steps of the house, she almost lost her breath. The house she lived in before the Games was small, simple, and plain. She was used to sharing a room with Quinn, and having barely enough space for a living room. This house was bigger than she could have ever thought, and she could only imagine what the inside would look like.
Her father led her inside the house and into the kitchen, where dinner was already prepared on a table for the family. Avalon walked over to a plate to see what had been cooked. Chicken and rice, with a a side of veggies: her favorite.
"Wow, thank you, Mother," she said in amazement. "Even though the food at the Capitol was amazing, I've missed your cooking," she said while pulling out a chair and sitting down, her family following.
"I had figured that you would be hungry," her mother responded, blowing on the food before taking a bite. She simply sat and stared at her daughter, thanking the God above that her baby was able to come home. Avalon noticed, and gave her mom a small smile before going back to eating. She never thought something as small as a dinner with her family would be considered a luxury.
Quinn hesitated eating her food, only staring at the ground. Avalon had never stopped to think that maybe her family had been just as affected by the games as she had been. Her family's world had also seemed to stop. Her family also longed to see her again. Her family stayed up every night and prayed she would make it out of the Games alive.
"You okay, Quinn?" Avalon stopped eating her food to talk to her little sister, who didn't respond. "I missed you, you know." No response. Avalon figures it might take some time for Quinn to come out her shell, so she just looked back to her food and continued eating.
The rest of dinner was eaten in silence, as the family was soaking up Avalon's presence, and Avalon had never been happier.
