The Reaper | F. Odair

Thirty-six

The next things to happen were quick and dull.

Katniss avoided being trialed, instead being practically outlawed and banished to what remained of District 12. Haymitch found himself going with her out of choice.

Beetee and Johanna remained in the Capitol, working with the new Government.

Finnick found himself on a cane, heading back to District 4 alone.

Peeta remained in the Capitol to stay under the care of Dr Aurelius.

And Aaron found herself on the first train to District 10, despite Dr Aurelius's demands to continue treating her and helping her.

Aaron after getting off of the train found herself walking through what remained of District 10. Parts of it gone, parts untouched, a mix of people working normally or those reconstructing what was there. Her eyes wandered the dirt and gravel roads, avoiding the few looks of people who seemed to recognize her. She dragged her feet every other step, that dead feeling never leaving. Then she found herself outside the house she hadn't seen in almost three years now. How old was she now? She had left for the games after turning twenty-one -- what month was it? She was twenty-four now it seemed.
Her eyes lingered on the door handle as she recalled leaving some more. She had flirted with the Peacekeepers, keeping up that act just in case cameras were around. She watched her mother at the Reaping for the first time ever scream out to her and beg for her to come home from a crowd and not an isolated room.

Her fingers tightened on the knob and she turned it, being met with an old musty smell of dust and new forming mold. She took a step in, the floors creaking with the door as she shut it behind her. She didn't kick her shoes off before going over and immediately laying down on the couch, her head hitting the leather immediately as she stared ahead at the dusty fireplace.

How could a home feel so empty?

From there it became blank days. Some days Aaron found herself staring on the couch all day doing nothing, staring off as for once in her life she didn't hear anything scream at her. Others she'd go and walk, find an occasional bench and people watch. She avoided seeing the graves still.

Days turned into weeks. Every few weeks, Aaron found mail from Dr Aurelius, asking how she was doing, checking in on her symptoms, anything he possibly could. She threw them in a pile to look at later.

Weeks turned into months.

Aaron on month four found herself with a bottle of vodka her father once owned. She'd drowned herself in just about half of it before hearing the letter box on her door go again. She groaned and wobbled onto her feet, sluggishly going over and reaching down. She expected to see Dr Aurelius's name, but to her surprise she instead found Katniss had written her.

        Aaron,

    Peeta came to District 12. Haymitch and I are no longer the only ones here in Victors Village, so I guess it's a bit less lonely here. I came home from hunting and there he was, planting flowers in front of my house. Primroses.
    As much as we once hated each other, I hope you're okay. I keep getting letters from Dr Aurelius, I try to ignore them, but I opened one the other day and he mentioned you went back to District 10 alone. I'm not sure what you plan on doing, but I hope whatever you do, it's your choice.
I wanted to tell you, Haymitch was in District 10 the other week, he said he didn't see you though, something on not wanting to upset you. He went to your dads grave, said he left a flask at the grave with 'A.S' or something engraved into the bottom of it. Said he also put fresh flowers on your moms grave. It turns out the people of 10 made her the grave, did you know?
I've gotten the occasional letter from Finnick too, he's in 4. He talks about you a lot, but he's scared of hurting you, and that Dr Aurelius has warned him not to talk about you... Anyways...
I hope we can meet someday, meet and not be ready to slice each other's throats open. Peeta and I have been doing fine so far, we're tempted to write a book on the experiences, the three of us I mean. We want to write about the games. I'd love your thoughts on it.