"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the Victor of the 71st annual Hunger Games!"

A sixteen year old axe wielding girl, covered in blood, bruises, and cuts stands over the slain body of a fallen tribute.

Johanna Mason. District Seven.

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The citizens of the Capitol cheered. Loudly. They were craning their necks in an attempt to get a glance at their newest Victor. After all, these Victors were something like celebrities around there.

Johanna sat inside the covered chariot, somber face hidden by the tinted window. The Capitolites were banging at the window, trying to see her up close for the first time since being removed from the arean. Johanna wanted nothing to do with them.

The chariot was slowing to a stop. Within moments, Johanna was going to have to leave the safety of the chariot and be escorted backstage so she could have her Victory Interview with Ceasar.

"Remember to smile."

She looked up at the man who said that to her, face grim. It was Blight, the drunken former Victor from District Seven, and Johanna's mentor. She'd hated every moment she had to spend with him, as she had a hard time understanding why he chose to be drunk most of the time.

"I don't have to impress anybody anymore." She snarled, "I don't have to fake anything, these people don't need to think that I like them. As a matter of fact, why don't I just tell them to shove their affections up President Snow's -"

"Johanna stop!" Blight was clearly upset with her. She didn't want to shut up, but the chariot stopped and the door was about to open. Blight leaned in towards her. Close enough that she could smell the alcohol on his lips when he whispered, "They own you now. Do what they say if you don't want to spend the rest of your life miserable."

Johanna only shrugged at him with her careless attitude, as if his words weren't making sense. With that, the door opened and Johanna met the Capitol citizens with a death glare. They only seemed to cheer louder.

She knew she was never going to understand their logic.

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There was nothing but endless miles of trees as the train rode through at it's superb speed. Johanna stood in the back, leaning against the railing as she watched the trees pass.

Finally, she was going home. She never wanted to have to leave District Seven again, after what she had just been through. But the Games were her life now, she knew that. She'd be called out of the Capitol many times, not just for the games.

She was still shaken from the visit she'd had with President Snow the night before she left. "You're a beautiful young lady, Miss Mason." He'd said to her, "I'm sure the people of the Capitol would love you. Consider making use of these assets, why don't you?"

What was any of that supposed to mean anyway? Making use of her assets? Johanna wanted to just forget about the whole trip, about the people she ruthlessly murdered, about the people who cheered her name when she did...

District Seven. Home. They had arrived.

Johanna found herself quickly making her way to the front of the train, so that she could exit. There were already people outside, she couldn't make out who it was, but she could see and hear the people of her District.

At least this cheering wasn't the obnoxious kind. It was actually something she would embrace. When she smiled, it wasn't going to be forced or fake. She had never been happier to be anywhere else before.

The door opened, and the cheering increased, as the smiling Victor stepped out onto the platform along with her mentor. The pair waved. It appeared as if most of the District had shown up to welcome her home. They were proud of her, the first female Victor from District Seven. Not only that, but the entire District was going to get food and supplies for the entire year. For one year, nobody in her home was going to starve, and that was all thanks to her. She did this for them... and it felt good.

Her eyes scanned the large crowd of faces. She saw some of her old classmates. Some of her old co-workers. Her neighbors. Her mother, her father, her brothers, her best friend Ryker.

But there was one face missing. The most important one to her. The one that kept her going through the games. The face she thought of when she felt like giving up. Why weren't they here? Johanna's heart dropped at the realization that they hadn't shown up. Her smile... faded.

This must be what heart break feels like.