HUMANITY'S FAULTS, f. odair

014. a new era on the rise

( 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚'𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒔 ).
fourteen.『 a new era on the rise 』

      𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒, nothing changed. Everyone went on with life in Panem, as if the lives of families were completely changed. Always fearful. The little hope in the districts was that maybe one day, one of their own would come back from the terrible games that seem to go on for weeks. And Indie... Indie couldn't help but envy them. She longed to remain fearful. Fearful that one day she would be picked as a tribute. But no. She had no reason to fear anymore. For she had been a tribute. And it had been the worst thing in the world. Returning to her sister had been the best feeling she had ever known. But knowing that her sister now had to live with her, a girl stained red, covered in blood and still not completely free of the games... was terrible.

Somehow, she had fallen into a schedule though, living with the other Victors made it easy to find her place. She didn't have to get to know anyone because she already knew everyone. She didn't have worry any longer about what they would be eating, or whether she would have to go out and find a job for after school, at least until she had graduated a year ago, Katherine saying that even though they didn't need the money from her working that she education was still important. Indie didn't mind, it felt like a piece of her old life, even with the stares.

The worst part though, was when the Huger Games rolled around. They had cut back to two mentors, and because she had been the newest victor she was sent to mentor. She had had a breakdown on the way back after that first time, coming back with two less people than they had been sent with, and thankfully Jasper, the other mentor that had been sent was understanding about it and managed to calm her down. It was the worst part of being a victor. Compared to the restless nights, or the times she'd feel like there was someone stalking her, waiting to kill her. The worst part was watching the children go through the same thing. But when she had gotten back from that first train ride back, she had felt a change in her. It seemed like now, she was truly a victor.

When she was younger, she had always wondered why the victors in her particular district were such recluses, sticking to themselves like a different breed. It's because they were. They were tainted, in their own ways perhaps, but tainted at the same. They had shed blood, fighting for their lives, earned scars that were covered by fancy outfits when ever the cameras turned on, they were the ones who never got a good nights sleep because they felt as if they closed their eyes for even a second, something would come to kill them.

They didn't realize that someone would come knocking.

Being a victor of now nearly four years, Indie had had her share of parties. Of talking with Capitol citizens. Of sitting for interviews to check in and see how she was, in which she would lie and try not to grimace, as the first time she did it Stephanie has warned her of the dangers that would come should she do anything that President Snow, and his beady snake like eyes wished. She had met other victors from other Districts, knowing them not amazing well, but well enough to know little bits about them.