[ic contact] seven devils all around me

[maredementis]

"Hi, this is Annie Cresta. I'm sorry I'm away. Please leave a message so I can get back to you."

[ text / voice / video / messages in bottles / open ]

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[maredementis]

[It makes sense. Sacrifice makes sense. Every year we take two of your children to kill or ruin. Annie nods unseen, biting her nail.]

I understand.

I was...sixteen when the Capitol Reaped me. Every year they take two of us to fight in the Hunger Games. The boy my year was Niall. Niall Strand. He volunteered because his father made him. He was a good person.

The first day--a girl. Amethyst. She tried to kill me. And he saved my life, but he died. And that's when I went mad, I think.

The Arena flooded and I was the best swimmer, so I killed everyone that was left.

So I won. And Victor has to mentor. Every year they gave me someone and they always, always died, Alex. Last year his name was Kite.

[The one benefit of Strela is that it allows Annie to be this calm. It's all distant and before.]

I never get to save any of them. But I want to save you. [Now her voice does crack again.] I didn't give up on him and I won't--I won't give up. If you need me. I want to save--I wanted them all to come home so much. I won't give up. I promise.

[unsoldiered]

[He nods, swallowing hard. He understands. It's so fucked up--her story, the situation, everything--but he understands. He should be more horrified that that's his reaction. But he's too tired to dwell on that. Just like he was too tired to dwell on the men in body suits that he killed.

... Regardless. Annie shouldn't have had to kill people. He feels like he's exempt, but he probably isn't. No one should have to take a life. His flaw was that he deserved to suffer for what he'd done to his brother. Maybe he could tell himself the town wasn't his fault, that their demise was imminent. But not his little brother. Not the person he was supposed to protect.

Brothers are supposed to protect their siblings, no matter what.

The thought makes him sad, and he blinks away the sting of tears.]

.... Thanks.

I'll keep trying. It's hard sometimes, but I will.

[He's starting to build reasons to live. Slowly but surely. It's a drastic turn for the man who was curled up in his room for days, lighting old memories on fire, forgetting food and opting to sleep far too long into the day. Even if it's not for himself, he's still finding reasons to get up and leave his room.

Now he just needs to regain his strength to do just that.]

We probably can't do as much as we wish we could, but... we have to try to save whatever we can and keep ourselves going. To... make up for the past.

[maredementis]

[Annie is so relieved. Alex understands, doesn't question. She knows talking about the Games is wrong here, it upsets people, but Alex deserves to know--and just maybe she deserves to own her pain. Her guilt.]

I just wanted them all to go home.

[Haymitch drinks. Johanna got hard. Finnick laughs. But Annie had never gotten jaded and that's why everyone thinks of her as the more damaged Victor--she can't let them go. Can't ever whisper lies about the Bloodbath and kill them quick, although with beautiful fifteen-year-old Fiona she had almost done that. But she always says: stay alive. Stay alive. I'll find you sponsors if you just please, please stay alive.

Kite let the District 3 boy kill him and it nearly killed Annie to see the peaceful calm that went over his face, like: yes. You. I'll save you for now.

Annie sent District 3 money last year and Cato broke Raydar's neck anyway.]

We can go home. All of us. Let's go home.

[unsoldiered]

[Heh. He runs his hand across his face, frowning.

Annie, he didn't have a home. Not anymore.

But everyone here who had one deserved to find theirs again.]

Yeah... I want you to be able to go home, Annie.

I want everyone here to be able to go home.