another year | district six train [91st]

[gamemaker ☢️ ivan korsch]

FLYNN GARNER
YEAR OF THE 91st

It is not something to be immune to, to become numb to the moment when I watch it on the big television. These emotions, the attachment to an annual ’project’ is not something I am going to throw away except I cannot let it consume me. This is the rest of my life now, standing on this stage like I am right now. Looking down on all my peers, the people I have bumped into in the school hallways. Their siblings, their cousins, my siblings and my cousins. It is going to happen every year, and soon those faces will be so much younger than me. My friend’s children, my future nieces, and nephews.

It is not a matter of getting used to it but rather just learning to cope with it.

Now it is another year, I am seventeen years old, one year deep into an early medical college course and I am going to learn to cope. There are going to be two kids, two hopefuls that Teddy and I are going to mentor. One might lose. Two might lose. But I am going to cope. That is how it is going to be. Another year, another two strangers…

”Quinn Garner.”

Garner is a common surname; it must be a coincidence. There is another Quinn Garner in District Six that is not the child of my dad’s brother. There is another Quinn Garner in District Six who is a complete stranger. There is another Quinn Garner in District Six…

Standing on the stage, all I can do is plant my eyes on the crowd as they begin to shuffle, revealing exactly who I hoped it not to be. They have taken one of my closest friends and now a cousin? I have done nothing wrong; I have gone by the book. Do they not want me at the college? I could make a scene right now, in front of the dozens of cameras and thousands of watchers but it will be no help to Quinn.

All I can do is watch her walk the same route that I did four years ago, the only difference is that I did voluntarily. Then I look at the crowd of adults, my parents, aunt, and uncle are all stood together. Consoling one and other, their sights will set on me now. It is all me, Cousin Flynn.

I ball my fists, shifting my sights between the key figures in this, including the escort and Teddy. What exactly am I meant to do? I have failed six kids and now I am being set up to fail my own family.

It is not fair.

Tears capture my cheeks; I rub my eyes with a tightening fist. My whole body is tensing as a creeping meltdown is begging to be released.

But not right now, I will embarrass myself, Quinn, and my own family. Crumbling in front of the whole world is not going to bring Quinn any kind of hope. I just need to hold it in, maybe save it for the train ride.

It is not long before the formalities of the reaping are over, and we are already boarding the train. I have left so many questions from others unanswered. How do I feel about having my own family in the Hunger Games? I am not the first victor, and I will not be the last. Yet the historic figures are really not in our favour.

I stand in the doorway of the carriage, waiting for Quinn to be finally freed from the justice building. I have not waited around to speak to my aunt and uncle, I do not want to face the wrath and I do not want to make promises. It is the only way I will not disappoint them. When Quinn finally climbs up the steps, I grab her by the wrist and pull her from the paparazzi and into the dining carriage where the first introductions are always made.

”I am so sorry Quinn. I will try my best to do everything I can but you are going to have to help me too.” I will soak my pillow with tears tonight, for now I need to keep them contained within. Quinn can’t see that I am afraid, she will need all the confidence I have left.

[kap]

Quinn Garner. Her name echoed across the District Square, and when she reached the stage, her eyes first went out to the crowd, and then to Flynn, trying to gauge what sort of reaction he was having to all of this. She didn't know how she wanted him to react. Maybe there wasn't one particular thing she wanted him to feel. If anything, she just hoped she wouldn't disappoint him. Quinn had always looked up to her cousin, but never knew if anything she did ever stood out to him in return. She just hoped that if he noticed anything about her, it wasn't anything bad.

Her tears had started to flow when she saw the crowd, so she was sure that when her gaze landed on Flynn, he'd seen the tears, too. It wasn't a good look or a good first impression for her to be leaving on people. It made her seem weak. She wasn't weak, though. She was scared. At least, she didn't think of herself as weak. Surely she wasn't.

Quinn had never been all that physically tough, but mentally and emotionally, she knew she would end up pulling herself together sooner rather than later. She took a deep breath, did her best to stop the crying and calm herself, and followed as she was led to the Justice Building.

She said her goodbyes to her family in the Justice Building in a way that she knew she could die happily with in case she didn't make it home. She hugged them. She spoke to them kindly and without all the negative thoughts spilling into her words. She assured them that she would do her best to come home like Flynn had.

When the Peacekeepers led her to the train, she did as they told her to. Quinn boarded, and was immediately pulled aside by Flynn.

Perhaps Quinn was a bit lucky, at least having a familiar face to be near her during her time before the Hunger Games. Or, perhaps it would just make it that much harder. Only time would tell.

”I am so sorry Quinn. I will try my best to do everything I can but you are going to have to help me too.” Flynn's words were apologetic and had an urge to reassure Quinn at the same time. All the while, there was also that slight plead for her to help him as well, and she understood that.

"It's not your fault," Quinn insisted. "You didn't pick my name out of that bowl."

She paused for a moment to stop the tears from flowing again.

"Just tell me what you need me to do. We can get through this. I'll do my best for you."

She held her arms out for a moment as if asking for a hug, but didn't wait for a response. She quickly wrapped her arms around her cousin for a moment, releasing him quickly thereafter so that she didn't get too emotional beyond where she already was.

When Quinn realized they weren't alone in the train car any longer, she looked around for a second to determine her surroundings. Mentors and tributes, gathered together for their train ride to the Capitol: this was all becoming so real now.

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531 words