The End

They were sitting in a peacekeeper car with an escort of cars surrounding them. The day before President Snow had sent a few to the apartment to gather their items for their new home. Klark was anxious and her fingers kept picking at her shirt. She didn’t trust Snow. For all she knew they were headed to a trap. She looked over at Leksa who was watching out the window, her face’s expression neutral but her body language telling Klark just how nervous she was about them being transported with an escort.

The car’s walkie buzzed and then they heard a gruff voice. “Almost there Alpha 9, about 15 minutes left.” The peacekeeper in the passenger side picked up the walkie and pressed the button. “Thank you Oscar 3. Copy.” He put the walkie talkie back down. The peacekeepers had been rough with their things and she hoped everything had made it okay.

Klark sighed and reached over, grabbing Leksa’s hand. Their intertwined hand fell between them on the seat. Leksa looked over at Klark and shot her a curious look. Klark shrugged and smiled at her. They were getting ready to put the games behind them and move on. Whatever fear they held, was sure to be destroyed in the next few years.

Leksa scooted over to be beside Klark as they approached their new home. She looked out the window and felt rather insulted. President Snow had built them a small home. The outside was painted white and the door sat in the middle of the front. Two windows lined each side of the door, showing what little light he had put into the house. Snow even put up a white picket fence, as if mocking her for wanting a normal life with Klark after the Games.

The car stopped and the pair shuffled out. A peacekeeper put his arm on Leksa’s shoulder to gain her attention. She shrugged his hand off, momentarily glaring at him. His face paled slightly.

“Snow said to give you these after we had arrived. Enjoy your victor's home.” A slight laugh was on the peacekeepers tone as he said that. Leksa lunged forward at him but Klark stepped in front of her in a hug.

“Let it go.” Klark whispered to Leksa. She felt Leksa sigh into her and they stepped back together. She grabbed what the peacekeeper held out. Her swords from the games and her throwing knives. Her face became hot as she grabbed them. Her expression became stone as she cooly said “Tell President Snow thank you for me.” She turned and headed past the fence, not looking to see if the peacekeepers were leaving. She opened the door and shuffled inside, hearing Klark close it behind her. Leksa dropped the weapons on the hardwood floor, her breath becoming erratic.

She would never be free of this. Why was he taunting her? Why was he mocking her? All she did was her duty to the Capitol. She played his stupid game and won. According to his rules she was now told she would have the rest of her life to herself. She rushed through the house, needing to find the back door. Needing to get outside, everything suddenly becoming too much. She passed through a few rooms, barely recognizing what was around her. A couch to her left meshed into a counter of a kitchen. She finally found the door and stumbled back outside. He even had planted a garden for them. She screamed, the sound echoing around her. The forest behind the house screamed with her, as she paced through the back yard.

Their fight was not over and Leksa didn’t know what President Snow was planning. All she could was wait. She went over to the shed that was placed in the yard and frowned. He hadn’t put gardening tools in it. He had put dummies and a bow with some arrows. She slammed the doors to the shed and headed back into the house, tears streaming down her face.

She opened the door that led into the kitchen of the house and had to take a moment at all of the commotion and chaos.

“LEksa, help me!” Klark was trying to calm a small monkey. Leksa’s face lit up. The only good thing that came from the games was her saving that monkey. The monkey had made a mess of the kitchen and was covered in flour, a few broken plates scattered the kitchen floor.

“Kijo!” Leksa boomed out. The monkey stopped what he was doing and sat on the counter. Leksa moved to him and held out her hand. He climbed up her hand and rested on her shoulder. Leksa moved over the the sink and rummaged through the cabinets around her until she found a bowl. Klark had found a broom in a closet by the kitchen and was sweeping up the flour that had dumped everywhere. She pumped the water from the spout and held her hand out toward the bowl. Kijo refused to move and squealed when Leksa moved him from her shoulder to the bowl.

“Stop whining. We can’t have you spreading flour throughout the house.” Kijos head cocked to the side as Leksa worked the water through his fur, getting the flour out. By the time she was done, Klark had found a towel and handed it to her. Leksa ushered Kijo into it, wrapping him in the cloth. She kissed the top of his head and the panic that had kept her prisoner had left within her seeing Kijo and Klark’s flabbergasted expression at the Monkey covered in flour.

Leksa let him be in the towel as she looked around the kitchen. Her eyes fell on the fruit bowl and she looked at Kijo. “Hungry?” Kijo grunted in response, his high pitched voice filling the kitchen. “Alright alright. Let’s see what we have then.” She moved to the fruit bowl and laid some fruit out. She let him out of the towel and he wandered over to the row of fruit. He picked a banana and then also grabbed an apple, his arms full.

Leksa looked through the cupboards. She found a plate that had a weird design and put a good amount of the fruit left in the bowl on it. She went over to the pantry door and opened it. Finding what she was looking for, she put the veggies she had found on the plate as well.

“Kijo. Look at me.” The money turned his head to her, his head cocking to the side. “This is yours. If I find you’ve eaten what isn’t on this plate, you will be in trouble.” The monkey seemed to slightly nod but whether he understood Leksa didn’t know. Leksa found arms snake around her waist as a kiss was placed on the side of her neck.
“We’ll survive this Leksa. We got through the games.” Klark could feel their impending battle.