GWYNETH ANDERSON stood by that familiar terrace once again - every day, for more a year, she had been standing by it, watching the sun rise and set, and stars litter the dark blue sky.

She sighed - she felt like an outsider on the terrace attached to her room on the hoverhouse. The scenery was so beautiful, so peaceful, so calming - yet it reminded her of how she was so out of place in this perfect fragment of the world compared to what the world really was.

Something was different in the air that November day - it was Gwyneth's fifteenth birthday. The cool wind blew into her face - yet she didn't feel uncomfortable facing the wind anymore. It no longer reminded her of the brutality of the Games or anything associated with that. 

To Gwyneth, the Games had faded to become only a memory. She smiled looking at the sun set over the terrace where she had spent most of her nights, finding some inner peace knowing how the neighborhood was slowly but surely, if not quickly, returning to normal. And blossoming into an even better society.

The wind blew her hair behind her standing silhouette, framing the face of the young girl who was forced to mature too fast. Gwyneth could hear voices talking in that hallway - and she wondered if any of those conversations were about her. Before she could even process anything, a hand flew onto the terrace and pulled Gwyneth back into the warmth of her room, and with a flurry, a blindfold settled around her eyes and the familiar arms of her friends led her downstairs and into the lobby.

The familiar sounds of Happy Birthday circled the hall as the blindfold was pulled off. Gwyneth was touched. In that crowd that surrounded her, she could make out lots of familiar faces. Her friends, her family.

But at that moment, all that was in her field of vision was the girl dressed in a blue checkered vest and white skirt - a bit taller than Gwyneth herself. "Natalia!" she called out, rushing to her seventeen-year-old friend whom she hadn't seen in so long. "It's been a while!" 

Natalia stroked the younger girl's head before pulling her into a tight hug. "-and you're doing as good as ever!" 

Natalia was now one of the more important officials in Byrok - Gwyneth was really proud of her friend and what she had achieved.

They hadn't seen each other in person since Natalia Riggs left the Adelaide Woods more than a year ago - yet they had kept in touch through calls and messages. Gwyneth's home country was a free one now - Byrok no longer ruled over the Adelaide Woods, and communication with the outside world was now allowed. 

Natalia pulled away from the hug, handing her a present. "Don't open it till later," she laughed, and Gwyneth chuckled. "You think I would?" 

Gwyneth's stylist, Emma, and Cadence's stylist, Ophelia, were there too. 

Cadence's stylist.

It pained Gwyneth to think that Cadence and Rylie weren't there - they had been in a traffic accident when they were travelling in a taxi. Cadence had made it - she was still in a hospital recovering from her injuries - but Rylie hadn't. And this time, there wasn't any more technology to bring him back. 

The group silently grieved for Rylie - and Gwyneth could only think of how he had passed. He had just started to accept and open up to her - treat her like a friend - yet he was gone with the wind once again. And she couldn't do anything about it.

Cadence had clenched her fists when she found out about Rylie's death. It pained Gwyneth, really, to see the thirteen-year-old who had become more than a friend, perhaps a younger sister to herself, in this state.

She had tried to comfort Cadence, yet she knew nothing could help her accept the loss of Rylie. She almost couldn't bear seeing the smile on Cadence's face slowly fade away.

Gwyneth walked around the room as people hugged, cried, wished her a happy year ahead, and congratulated her for turning fifteen, but she couldn't focus on them and what they were saying.

The fanciness of her birthday party seemed to overwhelm her. Her lobby was transformed into an extravagant setup with banners and ribbons strung everywhere, and her eyes widened. She felt trapped.

The guests continued to talk to her, yet she just bitterly nodded and said thank you before heading back to the comfortable corner where Zoey and Kunboss sat. 

They stood up holding hands as Gwyneth approached, nearly in tears. "What happened?" asked Kunboss worriedly. In the past year, he had become more protective over Gwyneth and Zoey - the almost-sixteen-year-old had grown to be more gentlemanly. 

Kunboss Bailey treated Gwyneth as a sister, perhaps a twin. They understood everything about each other, maybe even better than they did themselves. They knew a lot even without talking, and Kunboss understood what she was going through without her saying anything to him. He knew something was wrong. And he most definitely knew what it was.

"Nothing," Gwyneth replied solemnly. She smiled thinking of all their memories together as a group, and though Kunboss frowned at her, he did nothing but extend his arms. And as Gwyneth buried her head in Kunboss' waiting shoulder, a pang of guilt once again rushed through her veins.

- GWYNETH -

Everything felt so different. Everything reminded me of the Games. The wet, humid smell of the air. The cramped environment. The fancily decorated lobby. Even the stars in the night sky. It all felt like a trap.

It was so much like that interview room, where I was forced to act like a heartless monster. Someone who didn't care about killing even the youngest of people, even my best friends. People irreplaceable to me.

I screamed into Kunboss' shoulder. I broke down. The mutts. The hallucinations. Everything felt so.. real. 

But when they stroked my back over and over again, I felt some peace restored. But that wasn't the case. I thought the nightmares were over. 

Was this just another arena, another Hunger Games? Would people be taken away from me once again? Would I play a part in that? Or would I just stand there watching, looking at them die and leave?

I lifted my head, my cheeks damp with tears, only to realize that my friends were all huddled closer. Eunice, Charlotte, Laine, Zoey, Kunboss, and even Aiden. 

"We're here for you," whispered Zoey. And they held up a sign which made me cry tears of happiness. 

No matter what happens, we will always be by your side. You're stronger than you think. Happy 15th birthday, Gwyneth. 

When I once again stood on that all-too-familiar terrace looking at the night sky, this time with my friends by my side, I saw that the constant reminder of the Games wasn't too bad after all.

It reminded us that we went through the Games together. And we will surely be able to persevere, and face harder, longer obstacles together too.

And that was when I realized one thing. 

We thought we were complete before the Hunger Games. But when we made our venture into them, we sunk deep, perhaps maybe even too deep. Everything changed for the worse. Blood spilled everywhere, tears fell to the ground as we watched our own friends drop dead in front of us with our own eyes. 

But when the curtains drew open once again and the bloodshed and cruelty cleared up, we finally realized that the Games made us who we were today. We got a second chance to show our unity. The Games were more than a cruelty, more than a slaughterhouse. Most of all, they were a life lesson, something that taught me to treat life like I do now.

The Games were never a cage, never something to trap us. Byrok was just the one moving the pieces, letting us learn we had to make sacrifices to break free.

And so we are. We are free once again, and that's because the Games helped us do so. 

The Games are a memory. The Games are a reminder that we once went through hardships together. And we will not forget the Games, not ever. Because they aren't harming us. Not now, and definitely not ever again.

No one is perfect. We won't be hiding the scars from the Games anymore. Because they are part of us now.

A flicker of a smile finds itself on my face, and I look into each of my friends' genuine, sincere eyes. 

Everything won't return to normal ever again. But there's no need for that, because we finally are complete. After all we've been through.

THE END.

to be continued in volume four - fleeting decisions