there's one thing about games,
once you're a player, there's no
way out. you're trapped.
-
in which the youngest victor in history comes back to compete in the quarter quell, coming out of a decades worth of hiding.
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KATNISS SCREECHED obnoxiously loud at the sound of a feminine voice screaming her name. My ears felt as if blood were soon to drip out of them at the sound of her screams. I didn't know what was louder: The sound of Katniss screaming or the distant voice screaming her name. Her brown hair tangled as she ran towards the voice. The rest of us got up and ran behind her, trying to stop her from the obvious trick the game makers were trying to play. Katniss shot an arrow at one of the birds flying by and the screaming immediately stopped.
"Katniss! Wait!" Finnick yelled one last time as Katniss calmed down, quitting her sprints, "You okay?"
"You can't fall for everything the game makers put in here," I sternly said, but the next sound made my ears turn.
"AMERIA! AMERIA! HELP!"
My heart fell to my stomach as chills ate at my spine... That voice— I'd almost forgotten what it sounded like. The slight rasp, the softness— Even if he was screaming...
Alexie.
Riffian looked at me in concern quickly, his hands going to my wrists, "Ameria— No."
I couldn't hear anything but the familiar voice that was screaming my name. I widened my eyes as Alexie began screaming Riffian's name, too. His eyes widened like mine, causing him to go weak. I fell to my knees and put my hands on my ears, trying to block out the voice, "Alexie?! Alexie!"
"Annie!" Finnick yelled, running towards the voices as well. I shoved my hand into the dirt as I heard Katniss running towards him, and his their words made my heart fall.
"It's just a jabber jay! It's not her!" Katniss yelled, but Finnick's next words were enough to make me take a run for it.
"How do you think they got that sound?! Jabber jays copy!"
That made my heart fall even lower.
Where did they get his voice from?
There's no videos of him screaming like that.
Is he there?
Is he somehow alive?
He can't be... Because.. Because...
I killed him.
"Alexie!" I yelled, running free. The way I sprinted seemed as if me running was between life and death. I ran quickly, taking giant steps and cried as I continued yelling out his name.
"AMERIA! WHY'D YOU DO THIS TO ME? WHY'D YOU KILL ME?"
I stopped running as I fell still, feeling Finnick run into my back. He must've been running after me and bumped into me at my sudden stop. I felt frozen... I had blamed myself for what seemed like a century for Alexie's death— Those words he shouted were nothing compared to what I had said to myself. Comparing those words to my own internal thoughts was like comparing the size of an ant to an elephant... Yet somehow it stung more than anything.
