Scarlet.

IV

"District 12."

Our initial destination is District 12, which marks the starting point of the victory tour. The tour then proceeds in descending order, moving from District 12 to District 1, with the Capitol as the final stop. The victor's district is intentionally saved for the end; I guess we spent about a day and a half on the train, I'm not sure exactly because I've been unconscious most of the time. I've only gotten out of my bed to drink and to throw up.

On my last trip to the dining waggon, Lauren refused to let me drink, stating that we would be reaching District 12 in approximately two hours, which she believed would allow me to sober up. She forced me to sit down and called Fayette, who gave me a weird green pill. I suppose it was to counteract the effects of alcohol in my body. I'm now resting my head on the table with my eyes closed. Lauren might keep me under surveillance, but she won't keep me conscious.

I hear many footsteps, and when I look up, I see a group of avox women setting up a huge feast in front of me. The smell makes me feel sick, so I put my face on my arms again, attempting to sleep. However, everyone is set on keeping me awake this time. Lauren practically forces the food into my mouth, and Lyme sits beside me, giving me a severe look until I finally give up.

The celebration in District 12 won't be very special; we'll probably just have dinner with the mayor and his inner circle and make a quick appearance at the district's plaza, where we'll read a speech that Lauren had prepared for us; there's not much to see or do there, as it's the poorest district in Panem. In the other districts, we'll have to participate in parades. I prefer having a celebration like the one waiting for us in District 12 because I don't feel like socialising much and I hate crowded places.

I stand up to stretch my legs and walk to the window, observing a dense forest covered in snow. It looks solemn, but there's something in the atmosphere that doesn't quite fit, as if an ancient secret lies there. The temperature inside the train is warm and pleasant, but my bones will freeze once I step outside of here.

"You alright?" Cato asks, appearing behind me. "I haven't seen you since yesterday."

"I'm fine," I reply. "I just want to go back home, that's all."

"It's going to be a long road." He speaks in such a calm manner that it makes me want to tear his face apart. How could he be good with all of this?

"It won't stop," I assert, moving away from the window. "We'll be on this train forever."

He appears confused. I have no idea whether he's pretending to be clueless or if he hasn't realized that we'll never escape the games. Even after the victory tour ends, we'll keep coming back every year as mentors. Cameras will be on us for the rest of our lives, and there's nothing we can do about it. I suppose we have to pretend to be friends, although I don't believe we truly are.

Once again, I have to state the obvious, just like last year when I felt the need to scream that our alliance wouldn't get us very far and that he was being an idiot; ironically, I had been wrong about that, as it was our strange dynamic that had kept both of us alive in the arena.

"Alright, everybody gather round," Brutus says, entering the wagon. "We need to discuss strategies."

According to the other victors, we couldn't replicate the star-crossed lovers' act from District Twelve's tributes because it wouldn't appear genuine, and even the Capitol residents wouldn't be convinced. I objected, as they seemed to have fallen for it after the last interview, but all of the mentors, and even Lauren, shake their heads in disagreement.

"I'll rip the bandage off, kid," Enobaria interjects. "They don't see you as people; you're nothing more than soulless killers to them; all of us victors from the career districts are. You're killing machines, not lovesick teenagers, no matter how hard Cato tried to persuade Caesar during the last interview. It didn't work like we thought it would."