Our Punishment | The Hunger Games

prologue

EMERALD BLACK COULD NOT BREATHE. President Snow's mansion continued to enclose the victor as the chatter of Capitol citizens buzzed through Emerald's ear like a pesky gnat on a hot summer's day. She could feel all of the air swiftly leaving her lungs as she shoved through the crowd of exuberant and over-dressed people.

Her small frame did nothing compared to the women in heels and burly men, though it didn't stop the victor as she attempted to elbow her way through the crowd.

Emerald scanned over the room in an attempt to secure her father's location, or maybe even another victor from District One who could pass on the information that she was leaving due to an onset illness that the Capitol's doctors liked to call claustrophobia.

As Emerald continued her search for any sight of a familiar face, her vision slowly contorted in nonsensical shapes, making her stumble over a woman, who Emerald could've sworn was dressed like a peacock.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, putting her arms on the woman's shoulders to stabilize herself. Though, the girl didn't hear what the woman said next as the suddenly loud room dropped in volume.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here we have it, the winner of the sixty-seventh Hunger Games, Emerald Black."

Claudis' voice echoed in the back of her mind as Emerald's mind blurred as she tightly grasped onto the woman in a slight hope to stabilize herself.

Even when she finally gained stability she looked down on the blood that coated her hands.

Stop.

When Emerald looked up she hoped so badly to be back at the party.

However, her mind continued to warp the nonsensical shapes as the lights got brighter and brighter, almost appearing like snow.

"No," she muttered. "No, no, no, no, no."

Though her mind wouldn't release her just yet.

Soon enough the blood spread to her blond hair and slowly trickled down her face. The arena closed in on itself, the snow falling off the mountains as she and her only remaining ally, the boy from two, ran. Their bodies carried them at rapid speed as the game makers grew antsy for the long-awaited finale.

As her body continued to carry her down the mountain, her legs gave out with an unexpected snap. Emerald's body began barrelling through the blanket of white snow down the mountain.

No. She wanted to scream so badly though her lungs wouldn't allow it as she continued her descent. She felt like she was being smothered with each roll as her head lapped over the cold, and bitter snow.

As her body picked up speed, she felt one of her swords unclip from her belt. She internally cursed knowing she was known only down to a shoto sword that she dual-wielded. Emerald was basically defenseless.

She could only hear the snow closing in on her and her allies screams in the distance as his fate appeared the same as hers. And then she heard it. A cannon. She knew it had to be the boy from three.

Only Apollo and I are left.

Only Apollo and I are left.

Only Apollo and I are left.

The thought repeated in her head until she finally hit the foot of the mountain, her body slamming into the golden cornucopia.

No. No. No. No,

I can't kill him. It wasn't meant to end like this.

However, as Apollo's body also joined her beside the cornucopia, Emerald didn't hesitate to pull the shoto sword off of her belt. The boy was so much stronger than her, and still had a belt full of knives strapped within his jacket.