Post by Millie Cartwright on Apr 16, 2014 0:33:18 GMT -6
Millie brushed a cobweb from her long red hair as she silently moved thorough disgustingly familiar hallways. A little over half a year ago this building had housed two dozen young children unaware of the events that would soon follow.
She skirted between overturned sunning chairs by the empty poolside. It had been hard enough to get away from the cameras long enough to sneak up here unnoticed. They usually locked the training complex down during the brief time period between the months people still had the game fresh in their mind and the three months before the reaping when the officials began their planning. Thankfully some survival skills never quite go rusty and she had been able to scale the wall from a neighboring tree.
"No," Millie thought to herself as he slowly pushed the familiar library door open, "not even the career tributes really knew what they were signing up for."
The door seemed much heavier than she remembered and in the define silence she considered the possibility that it had been weighted with her guilt.
Millie made her way over to a small alcove almost invisible behind a bookshelf in a unused corner of the room. As she peered inside the darkness seemed to cling onto every surface keeping her from making out anything that could have given her comfort. Mechanically she moved to the center of the room where she knew a small three legged stool stood. Her hand reached into the darkness almost of its own accord and flipped a small switch.
The lava lamp sprang to life basking the room in a strange orange glow. The light splashed over motivational posters of cats and an empty box that contained the crumbs of some old stale baked goods.
As she glanced around the room she was overcome with a wracking guilt. She took a deep breath to center herself. If she let herself be consumed by the darkness they would win.
THEY already thought they had won.
The orange glow crept across a large dry erase board littered with doodles and "strategy". In the center in big block letters it read "No One Dies!" The blood pounded through the veins in her head as she clenched her hands tight drawing blood from her palms.
"Why couldn't you just follow the fucking strategy?!" She yelled at the message in front of her, daring it to respond.
She sat down on one of the deflated bean bag chairs and reached her hand underneath scared to find what she already knew was there.
Her hand slowly slid out grasping a small card. On the cover was what she assumed had been her attempt at drawing a party scene complete with cake and balloons with the simple message, "Together" written in colored crayon. As she opened it a small slip of paper fluttered to the ground.
She couldn't bring herself to read the inside of the victory card. She was sure she had written some sappy and overly wordy message to the Accord about how together they had overcome the odds. She reached down to pick up the slip of paper that had landed on the ground. This is what she had come for.
No one remembers the past they remember History.
The past is filled with contestants.
History is for the victors.
She glanced down at the glossy scrap in her hand and five faces smiled back. Five children graced the face of this photo underneath a make shift banner that read "The Primrose Accord". The last good memory they had shared was this group photo Millie had bullied them into with her obnoxious brand of kindness and enthusiasm.
Jaden.
David.
Mallorie.
...Kimber.
There had only been Millie for the last seven months but she was no longer alone. The Primrose Accord. What it stood for. Could not be extinguished so long as they lived on through her.
The children in that frozen instant may not be remembered by history. History was written by the victors.
But Millie had been victorious and she had been thinking about doing a little writing.
She slid the photo in her back pocket and made her way back to the lights of the city. A smile she thought she had long ago lost crept across her face as a fire burned inside of her that he hadn't had stoked since that first day in the arena.
Somehow she knew she wouldn't be comfortable in that suite the Capitol had provided for her any longer. Maybe she should do something to fill her time and keep her occupied. The smile was no longer creeping as it overtook her face in ernest.
She whistled an oddly cheerful tune to herself, "I wonder if the game maker had started looking for mentors..."
Millie Smiled.
She skirted between overturned sunning chairs by the empty poolside. It had been hard enough to get away from the cameras long enough to sneak up here unnoticed. They usually locked the training complex down during the brief time period between the months people still had the game fresh in their mind and the three months before the reaping when the officials began their planning. Thankfully some survival skills never quite go rusty and she had been able to scale the wall from a neighboring tree.
"No," Millie thought to herself as he slowly pushed the familiar library door open, "not even the career tributes really knew what they were signing up for."
The door seemed much heavier than she remembered and in the define silence she considered the possibility that it had been weighted with her guilt.
Millie made her way over to a small alcove almost invisible behind a bookshelf in a unused corner of the room. As she peered inside the darkness seemed to cling onto every surface keeping her from making out anything that could have given her comfort. Mechanically she moved to the center of the room where she knew a small three legged stool stood. Her hand reached into the darkness almost of its own accord and flipped a small switch.
The lava lamp sprang to life basking the room in a strange orange glow. The light splashed over motivational posters of cats and an empty box that contained the crumbs of some old stale baked goods.
As she glanced around the room she was overcome with a wracking guilt. She took a deep breath to center herself. If she let herself be consumed by the darkness they would win.
THEY already thought they had won.
The orange glow crept across a large dry erase board littered with doodles and "strategy". In the center in big block letters it read "No One Dies!" The blood pounded through the veins in her head as she clenched her hands tight drawing blood from her palms.
"Why couldn't you just follow the fucking strategy?!" She yelled at the message in front of her, daring it to respond.
She sat down on one of the deflated bean bag chairs and reached her hand underneath scared to find what she already knew was there.
Her hand slowly slid out grasping a small card. On the cover was what she assumed had been her attempt at drawing a party scene complete with cake and balloons with the simple message, "Together" written in colored crayon. As she opened it a small slip of paper fluttered to the ground.
She couldn't bring herself to read the inside of the victory card. She was sure she had written some sappy and overly wordy message to the Accord about how together they had overcome the odds. She reached down to pick up the slip of paper that had landed on the ground. This is what she had come for.
No one remembers the past they remember History.
The past is filled with contestants.
History is for the victors.
She glanced down at the glossy scrap in her hand and five faces smiled back. Five children graced the face of this photo underneath a make shift banner that read "The Primrose Accord". The last good memory they had shared was this group photo Millie had bullied them into with her obnoxious brand of kindness and enthusiasm.
Jaden.
David.
Mallorie.
...Kimber.
There had only been Millie for the last seven months but she was no longer alone. The Primrose Accord. What it stood for. Could not be extinguished so long as they lived on through her.
The children in that frozen instant may not be remembered by history. History was written by the victors.
But Millie had been victorious and she had been thinking about doing a little writing.
She slid the photo in her back pocket and made her way back to the lights of the city. A smile she thought she had long ago lost crept across her face as a fire burned inside of her that he hadn't had stoked since that first day in the arena.
Somehow she knew she wouldn't be comfortable in that suite the Capitol had provided for her any longer. Maybe she should do something to fill her time and keep her occupied. The smile was no longer creeping as it overtook her face in ernest.
She whistled an oddly cheerful tune to herself, "I wonder if the game maker had started looking for mentors..."
Millie Smiled.