Searching for a Myth

An Unexpected Visitor

Poppy's POV:

Violet, Andrew, and the rest of the gang left a couple minutes after we all sadly stared at Basil for a few minutes. I'm now alone, trying hard to think of something to say, and finally come up with it.

"Basil," I look at the younger girl's sleeping face. "Merry Christmas. We all got a lot of nice presents from the Mega Squad, and yours are up here against the wall." I think for a moment, then take them all up in one grasp, laying them all out on Basil's covers. "Now you'll see them when you wake up. I really like the flowers Lavina sent you. And the bracelet from Amber; it reminds me of our friendship.

"Basil, please get better; we miss you. I guess you don't realize how much you love someone until when they're not around anymore."

I unclench my fist, nails bitten raw from nervousness. Basil only lays there silently, barely breathing as I try hard not to tear up at the sight of her. Sighing, I straighten my back and turn to leave when a voice interrupts me.

"Happy fourteenth birthday," Alma Coin stands by the doorway, a cheeky smile on her face. "January the Seventeenth, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's correct. How'd you know?" I ask.

"Your friends told me," she shrugs nonchalantly. "Anyway, here's your gift." 

I unwrap the crispy paper to reveal a silver charm bracelet with ten tiny golden hearts dangling from the edges, my jaw dropping to the floor when I realize that each heart has the name of every friend I met along the journey here.

"You like it?" Alma asks, the slightest hint of the color red across her cheeks.

"Do I like it?" I repeat, still shocked. "Alma, this is one of the best presents I got in my whole life. Thank you."

Her hazel eyes seem to sparkle. "Well, you seemed really upset when I first saw you and you kind of looked like you needed something to cheer you up, so I decided to give this to you. You also had a super nice voice when you sang that song.

"Okay, I said that mushy stuff." she sighs with relief. "Do you want to watch the sunset?"

"Watch the sunset?"

"Yeah." A smile slides across Alma's lips. "It's fun to see all those pretty colors, so why not?"

"I never got to in Twelve," I purse my lips. "the sky was always this dim, grayish tone that suggested that something grim was about to happen. I secretly couldn't stand looking at it." I start walking.

"What are you doing?" she demands.

"Uh," I blink three times before answering. "watching the sunset?"

"You don't do it at the boring window, silly!" the girl chuckles. "Come with me to the staircase. We'll go all the way to the top of the roof."

"What's life like here?" I question.

"Okay." she twiddles with a curly strand of hair. "We get a fair share of food, enjoy hanging out with friends, and do some training. What about in District Twelve?"

"Harsh. Everyone lived in fear, hoping they'd survive up to nineteen years old without getting reaped every summer. And even if you weren't chosen, there's still a huge chance that you could die in a ming accident like most people, or starving."

"Ouch."

"Yeah." A sigh escapes my lips. "I never thought Hazel's name would be pulled out of the bowl. I mean, one out of hundreds, and we never signed up for tesserae."

"I also lost someone to the Capitol." Alma's head droops a centimeter. "My dog."

At first I'm about to snort or ask her if she's joking, but then I see the serious expression on her face. "What happened to it?"

"I got Myrtle as a Christmas gift from Andrew. He was super adorable, only a puppy with a soft, fluffy coat and tiny little paws. Everyone who knew him, even the grumpy shooting teacher, loved the critter. Myrtle was always full of love and energy, yapping at my heels as he followed me around, and licking Andrew's face wet 'cause he had an addiction for potato chips at that time.

"I was walking him around the woods. I was only eight at that time, and naive as ever, so I accidentally crossed into an area that Thirteen didn't own. I saw some pretty flowers, and ran over to them to pick some for Andrew and the others. Then, I noticed how dark it was getting so I turned back in home's direction.

"That was when the chaos started. A chipmunk had been jumping and leaping from branch to branch, trying to get our attention. Well, it succeeded; Myrtle ran straight after the creature faster than a train, and of course, I had to follow him. I must have run miles when I heard a voice yell, 'Whoever's hiding in there, show yourself! We'll take you to the Capitol.'"

"Quickly ducking behind a tree, I waited for a good ten minutes. I didn't hear anything, so I thought the Peacekeeper was gone. As quietly as possible, I ran as fast as I could before slamming into a medic who was searching for me.

"I don't know what clearly happened," Alma's hazel orbs meet my green ones. "But when I was on this same rooftop, staring at the forest I'd just been in, I heard Myrtle's whimper and a gunshot firing with such menace it could have penetrated my heart. Then, silence."

"Oh." We both turn away and look at the gentle, lulling pastures below. It now seems very normal for everyone to seem all nice and friendly when you first meet them, but deep down inside, they hide at least one sad story.

"Um." Alma says, cutting into the almost eternal silence. "Okay if we go inside now? It's getting pretty chilly."

"Of course," I nod, taking one last glance at the glowing landscape set before me.

Chapter by Ruler-of-Fandoms