A Victor's Secret

three

Chapter 3 – Luke

I woke up to a pounding on my door. The sudden sound made my blood run cold and I squeezed my eyes shut, breathing in deeply. I was home, in District Nine. Not the arena.

The sheets were twisted tightly around my legs, a sign that I had probably been having a nightmare. They had reached a peak when Juliet was in the arena, but in the past month they had finally started to lessen. I didn't think they would ever completely go away, but there were a few nights a week I could actually sleep.

The pounding started back up again, reminding me why I had woken up. Groaning, I rolled off the side of the bed, making my way down the staircase that was much larger than necessary. Sleep still clouded my vision and I was too tired to even think about what was on the other side of my door in the middle of the night.

Suddenly, I felt much more awake when I opened the door. Kit was standing on my porch, hand raised in a fist as she prepared to knock again. Hanging limply from her arm was Juliet, her hair falling in curtains around her face as she mumbled incoherently to herself.

"I found her..." The thirteen-year-old sniffled as she pleaded with me. Her face was blotchy from crying and she thrust Juliet out in front of her. "I can't bring her home like this."

The smell of booze that I had familiarized with Barrick slapped me in the face. I grimaced, taking Juliet into my arms. She lifted her head, eyes glossy and unfocused.

"No! No, no..." The small girl thrashed against me, pushing hard against my chest. I sighed, holding her tighter.

"I'll sort it out, Kit."

The younger girl nodded jerkily, dropping Juliet's bad onto the porch. We both winced as the sound of a bottle clattered against the cement. Kit's face turned angry and she stomped away, back down the pathway and across the street.

"No, no!" Juliet thrashed faster as Kit walked away. I pulled her backwards, shutting the door and turning on the nearest light.

"Get off me!" She twisted harshly, stronger than I thought she would be in her state. She fell to the floor with a loud thud and began crawling across the rug.

"What is wrong with you?" I shouted angrily, reaching down to pick her off the floor. She kicked out roughly and I pulled back in pain.

"Stop hurting me! I need...I need Luke." She gasped, her head falling to the floor as sobs began to rack her body.

I bent down in front of her, trying not to be hurt by the way she flinched away. "I'm right here."

Juliet looked up at my words, her mouth parting as she tried to focus her eyes. "Oh. Oh. There you are." She slurred, reaching up a hand to pat my cheek. "Please, don't let him hurt me."

"Come on, you're freezing." I put an arm under her knees, lifting her up bridal style and carrying her up the steps. She wasn't as frail as she had been when she first came out of the arena, but she was nowhere near as healthy as she was a year ago. Her head lulled to the side and she continued to mumble something I couldn't understand. I had dealt with drunk Barrick enough times after my Games to know the best ways to help, but it felt different with her. It made me angrier.

"Mmm...don't feel so good." She tried to lift her head up, but she only got halfway before she gave up, letting her neck fall back over my arm. I grimaced but changed direction to the bathroom rather than the bed. Gently, I lowered her to the ground and she crawled over to the toilet. She had barely reached it before she began heaving up whatever she had consumed.