Pregnant in the Games

Chapter 7: The Aftermath

I walked out to the dining room table and sat down. I kept my gaze down, not wanting to face Talon right now. When I worked up the nerve to look at him, I looked up. To my surprise, I couldn't find Talon at the table. He was no where to be seen.

"Where's Talon?" I asked in alarm, looking at Katniss. She looked down at her food. She didn't want to answer the question.

"He hasn't gotten out of bed yet this morning," Haymitch replied.

"But he's usually the first to get up," I said, putting my fork down on the table. I had lost interest in my food.

"Wait, Willow," Someone called behind me. Portia, I think. I ignored the calls and went over to Talon's room. I knocked on the door a few times, waiting for a reply. I didn't get one.

"Talon, are you in here?" I asked. Again, I heard no reply. I waited for a few moments, hoping that he was just waking up and he would say something in a second. No words came.

I put my ear to the door of his room, listening for any sounds within. At first, I didn't hear anything. Then I heard a creaking noise. I recognized this noise well. It was the noise of someone shifting in a bed. So he's just ignoring me. I opened up the door of his room, ready to scream and yell again. But at the sight, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Talon sat on the bed, with his back leaning against the headboard. A blanket covered his legs. He looked at me with shallow eyes. He looked exhausted. They were very red, like he had been crying all night. A sharp pain arrived in my chest. What had happened? Are these tears my fault? Had I really hurt him that bad? Why would he be crying just because I'm angry at him?

Maybe he's crying because he lied last night. When he said that he thought we were just friends, did he really mean it? Was he just lying to protect himself? Did he really have feelings for me? Were these tears because I rejected him?

"Talon..." I whispered, walking up to the bed. I sat down beside him and put my legs under the blanket too. He didn't say anything to me. He didn't even look at me. I stared at him, willing for his red eyes to go away. I wanted his happy eyes to come back. The sparkling eyes that always saw the best of every situation. The eyes that squinted when he smiled. His eyes were always happy. It seemed strange to see him like this now, so sad. I didn't know that such a happy person could be capable of such sadness.

"Talon, what's going on?" I asked.

He turned his face to me. "My mom died."

My jaw dropped. "What happened?"

"The Capitol killed her."

No. It couldn't be true. Talon hadn't done anything. His mom probably didn't do anything. Why would they kill her?

"I don't know why they did it. I just got the news late last night. About two hours after...everything."

"How do you know that the Capitol killed her? Maybe it was just an accident..."

"No, it wasn't. They hung her in the Town Square. No one knows why they did it. She hadn't committed any crimes, as far as they know. No one has seen her at the Hob. She hasn't crawled underneath the fence. My mom abides by the rules. Probably more than anyone else in District 12. She had grown up in District 4. There, no one broke rules. Everyone did exactly what you were supposed to do. Mom wouldn't have started to break the rules now," Talon's voice broke. He couldn't speak anymore, too overcome with emotion. Tears ran down his cheeks. I engulfed him into a hug, holding on tight, crying right along with him. Too many tears had been shed since last night.

Luke's POV

I approached the door of the District 12 suite, my heart pounding in my chest. I was so excited I could barely take it. Usually, family or friends aren't allowed to go see the tributes before the Games. But I had come here as a sponsor. I had managed to convince one of the Peacekeepers to put me on a train to the Capitol. Now, with what money I have saved up, I'm going to shower Willow with treasures while she's in the Games. Never will hunger or thirst take her life. She will never live a moment without comfort. In these Games, she will experience more pleasure then she had back home.