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Hours passed. Athena desperately banged on the heavy steel door that enslaved her in the torturous cell in attempt to escape.
Days passed. Athena's once-pristine white outfit was gradually becoming more grimy and familiar, and her stomach receiving barely enough food became the new normal.
Weeks passed. Athena had watched Enobaria be discharged by the Capitol, seen Johanna's head shaven to make her electric-shock torture easier, heard Peeta's screams from the adjacent room; wave after wave of tracker-jacker venom rushing over the boy, engulfing him in doubts about his previous unconditional love for Katniss. The Capitol was yet to persecute Athena like the others, but the television hung in the corner replaying her original games over and over again was torturing her mind in a different way. Seeing Clementine's and Acacia's wide-eyed faces achieved the probable hopes of Snow: thrusting flashbacks of all types upon the District 8 victor.
A month had passed. Athena's hopes of escaping were discarded after the 10th time of watching Clementine's unjust death. The memory of Peeta's fate on his District 8 stop (in the 74th victory tour) circulated around her mind when watching Flint's evil content over another kill. Now, Athena knew the boy in the cell next to hers was nothing like Clementine's murderer. Before the Capitol had thrown their methods of agony over the three, Peeta had been an unlikely victor: with only selflessness and care replacing what should be either constant guilt or bloodthirst.
The only victor left in the centre with hope and the will to resist the derisive grasp of the peacekeepers was Johanna, and her mundane screeches of effort were the sound to snap Athena out of her pondering over Peeta. The woman from 8 hadn't been dragged out of her cell yet, so the only things indicating to her what was happening were the others' screams and the small slit in her cage door.
She abruptly changed her gaze to the same mocking television, which was now displaying Acacia's death in the process of its never-ending game loop. As expected, the woman was transported mentally through the TV and into the bitter arena: Clementine and Acacia in front of her, discussing life in their home Districts.
"I loved my District," Acacia was explaining, "Trees, lakes, animals, and everyone was so caring."
"11 had its ups and downs," Clementine joined in, "I had lots of kind friends, but the work was so exhausting and the weather was harsh."
"Was it hot?"
"Very."
"Guys I think we should settle here for a while. We've walked far enough and I can't see any enemies." Athena cut in, pointing over to a small cave, which was hardly lit, and dug into below ground level.
"I'll go ahead and put all our stuff in there, how about you two go find food?" Acacia suggested, beginning to drag behind her their rucksacks, weapons, and coats into the cave's mysterious darkness.
