A blanket of stars falls over the dark cape of the Capitol, shining in comparison to the rest of Panem. Illuminated by neon lights, the city welcomes me as the train gradually slows down and pulls to a screeching halt in the middle of the deserted station. I can hear workers shouting and the slamming of doors, filling the air.
Slowly, I pull my mask over my head and stand up, walking towards the train door. I teach for the handle and my hand hovers over it.
I'm shaking.
I can't breath.
I'm transported to the day of the reaping, my reaping where I stood in the hot, dusty square of District 12 among a crowd of 16 year olds. The mayor reached into the bowl and pulled out a single strip of paper. Into the microphone, he read my name. I thought that day was the beginning of my nightmare.
I remember being chained and stuffed into a cattle train, held in the city zoo, and then entering the arena.
I remember the sickness, the death, the hunger that took place in the beating heart of the Capitol.
And no one stepped in to stop it.
Did I do the right thing? Was it clever of me to come back here?
Before I stay on this train forever, I watch my hands hastily open the cold latch on the door and I watch my feet step back into the arena.
The station has been renovated since the last time I was here and blue light fills the emptiness. A frozen breeze rushes past me and my teeth chatter uncontrollably.
Following the signs, I lead myself down a maze of deserted corridors and walking up the stairs and out of the station, the streets of the city come into view.
White stone buildings greet me and the flashing neon lights are blinding. Even though it's late at night, people rush past me and the turns of the streets swallows them up. They're all dressed in luridly coloured clothes- bright yellows, greens and oranges and their faces are curiously painted with heavy makeup. Was this the norm?
I stroll along the Capitol streets, hurriedly looking for the shop I need. I make sure not to go towards the centre of the Capitol, where I presume he lives.
Even though my mask is on, I still feel like everyone knows who I am. What if they remember me?
My feet are sore from what feels like hours of walking and my eyelids feel heavy. There's a scratching dryness in my throat and my stomach grows with anger.
At the end of an abandoned alleyway, I come across what I was looking for.
My legs pick up speed, my heart hammers in my chest and my breath catches in my throat.
This nightmare has just begun.
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Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for your patience and talking the time to read this.
Thank you for the votes too, not only is it a great way of allowing writers to gain recognition, it really makes my day and it's a reminder of why I love writing, especially when I lose motivation and stop feeling like myself.
Most of the earlier chapters have now been edited. School has been quite busy but I managed to get on top of things which means that I have more time to write :)
I was thinking of making a playlist for this so if you associate any songs with book, please comment them.
Bye for now!
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The Ballad of Lucy Gray
Fanfiction"Was she alive, dead, a ghost who haunted the wilderness? Perhaps no one would ever really know." ~Suzanne Collins. After Lucy Gray Baird leaves the safety of District 12 behind to live the rest of her remaining days out in the wilderness, the vict...
