{Stumbling} upon madness [Jason + Helen]

H E L L e n S u m m i t

I never liked going into the square but since the seventieth games, I’d rather avoid it all costs.

It’s never the same, never will be. The atmosphere is different in the house, nobody else notices it as strongly as I do but that’s because I spend most of my time in the house. I am told my family is swarmed by people of District Seven, just because of the dead girl. None of us deserve such celebrations; we are allowed one of our own to be swiped away. Many from Seven have fallen, three fell alongside Stella and I never see such attention for them. Never have I seen the names of the other boys and girls float around in this house, what makes Stella so special? Soon she’ll just be another name, another loser to the lottery of death. Another soul the Capitol has harvested. Another lifeless body sent back home in a box. It’s been two years; my family has to get over it. Now.

But they don’t. Another games has transpired since and the District Seven has welcomed more tributes home in wooden caskets yet the girl’s name still floats around the house and District, it’s a burden. Just because we’re one of the biggest families, Stella has been celebrated as a dead celebrity. She was none of that, she was just my cousin.

Nobody in my family should be granted a celebrity status; they’re all fucked up as me in their own right. My sister is a wreck who ended up in a coma, just because of Stella’s death and I am sure there is a cousin who was dumped at our doorstep. We’re all just throw-aways that the Capitol is slowly disposing of and soon I will be tipped away like the rest of them. I know my writer has their eraser ready to scrub away at the pages.

I don’t fear the games, death isn’t something I fear but I don’t think my writer has plans for me to be reaped, the arena life is too action packed for their capabilities and they have other ways of destroying me. If they wanted me in that arena, they’d have had me prepared and not mentally and physically injured as I am now. No, it won’t be my name in front of the Summit surname that is pulled from that glass bowl next. There are so many others to be plucked away from our family. It’s about time we have a cull…it’ll make the house quieter. It’s not like anyone from my family would win, District Seven grows trees, not victors.

"I - I wasn't thinking we go there anyway," At least he agrees with my request, for I cannot stand bumping into any of the mourners or any of my family members that have decided to sign autographs due to their fame of being related to a dead girl. But where else could we possibly go in this damned District? He doesn’t want to stay in the woods any longer and well, the only over option is to the square…

"We can go to a place where no one will be around, where it's just the two of us,” Just the two of us. Oh no. He’s not like one of those types of guys is he…

I can run away now, free myself from whatever dreaded action is likely to come. I can fight my writer’s ink; I can run before I allow it to dry out on the pages. This isn’t going to happen, no I am not that type of girl.

Erupting through my ribcage, my heart tries to free the boney prison as if it doesn’t wanted to endure whatever events are to come and instead would rather ditch my body. The palm on my only begins to perspire as sweat floods across it. No, this can’t be. He doesn’t seem like one of those guys…

"Not here obviously, I spent enough time in the woods." Bursting through my lips, a heavy sigh of relief floats off into the air. His words help extinguish the nerves that were ready to attack my body. He’s not like one of those guys.

Walking right beside him, my eyes would scan Jason for a while as we continue to walk, I’d be quite curious on where he has planned for us to go. If not the square or the woods, where? Clasping hold of the end of my arm, my curiosity would take over me. ”Where is this place then?” As blunt as the knives in my cutlery door, I’d fire the question at him.