𓏲 . SURVIVAL GAME . .៹♡
                                                   CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
                                                   ─── THE DISTRICT

A gentle breeze blew across the square, blowing a little ash into the sky and fluttering past Velren's black eyes. He tried not to step on any stones. Only they weren't stones, but skulls.

Every body he passed were remains of the lovely people who lived there. Their blackened skulls and burnt flesh reminded him that there were deaths in the Hunger Games, even if they weren't chosen as tribute or even given the chance to be one. There will always be death, Velren thought as he passed the spot where a bakery must have stood. There was little left of it but a melted lump where the oven used to be.

He saw that they had paid close attention to the destruction of the Justice Building, obliterating it until all that was left were soot-blackened piles of rubble and a destroyed district. Velren pressed the back of his hand to his trembling mouth as he came across another pile of skulls, and forced himself not to vomit.

"I'm fine, fine, I'm fine," he mumbled quietly to himself as he passed by where the apothecary was located and realized that the village of the victors had been spared from annihilation. Why, he did not know.

The ground beneath his feet suddenly changed from skulls and debris to cobblestones and scattered sand from the beach to the left of his and a few other victor's houses. A tear rolled down Velren's cheek as he stopped at the house where his best friend had once lived. Then he walked on.

The house where he and his siblings had lived for years was right next to it. It was very tall and stood out from the other houses with its brick façade.

Velren stood still for a second. He wanted to go inside but somehow couldn't get his legs to cooperate. He sighed as he took out his key and unlocked the front door. He threw the key away without much thought before he looked around. Everything seemed untouched. Clean. Still as a ghost.

Inside, Velren stopped at a closet and grabbed a leather bag, which he slung over his shoulder. He pulled on a light jacket and a pair of his old boots, which were more comfortable than the boots District Fourteen provided him. Velren went upstairs to his bedroom and rummaged through his drawers to pull out some of his favorite sweaters, t-shirts, and socks.

Velren walked around his bed and opened the drawer of his bedside table to see a photo of himself on the beach with his twin sister and younger brother. He immediately started crying when he saw his twin sister.

After he had put it in his bag, he went back downstairs and only now discovered the photos on the large cupboard in the hallway. The cupboard contained photos of all their happiest moments.

For no reason at all, his palms suddenly became sweaty. A strange feeling crept up his back to the back of his neck. Carefully, he entered the living room and let his gaze wander over the wide open space. Tidy. Everything was in its place. There was no noise that had alarmed him, but then what?

His nose twitched. It was a smell of roses and blood. From the vase of dried flowers on the table next to the sofa, he spotted a white splash of color. Carefully, he moved closer. There, half concealed by its preserved sisters, was a white rose.

He had no idea how they had gotten into the house. He realized they had been there recently because the rose was still alive and fragrant, not a day old. They were here. He reached for the vase and threw the rose on the floor, touching it only by the stem.

Others would have thought it was just any ordinary flower. But he knew immediately that it was more than that. It was clear to him that this flower was a promise of revenge. And if his grandfather and great-uncle wanted to play dirty, then he would do that too.

He was destined to become one of the symbols of the revolution - the Phoenix.

━━ AUTHORS NOTE

Here is once again a chapter. Sorry it took so long for the update. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Please, don't forget to vote and share if , and if you want, comment too ! I'd really appreciate it <3

Thank you for reading this far.

Until next time, much love to you all!