The Hunger Games | Rilaya

The Aftermath

I awake alone in a cold room. My right arm had several tubes in it, attached to some kind of machine. I try and sit up but I'm strapped to the bed. I'm about to panic at the physical confinement when a portion of the wall slides open and in walks the Avox girl from all that time ago. She sets a tray down by my side and that's when I finally notice that the hearing in my left ear is back. I gingerly touch my ear but it feels the same.

I know I'm probably being monitored, but I needed to know. "Is Riley okay?"

She hesitates, then gives me a nod, handing me a spoon and stepping out of the room. Her response finally allows me to relax and dig into my meal. It wasn't much, only a bowl of broth and a glass of water. I stare at the small portion, unsatisfied. However, my stomach seems to have shrunken and I find it hard to finish the food in front of me. It makes me wonder how long I was out for.

There's usually a couple of days between the end of the Games and the final interview with the victor. By now, Cinna and Portia should be creating our wardrobes and Shawn and Effie should be reviewing the questions for our interview. Back home, District 12 is probably in chaos as they try and prepare a celebration for the returning tributes, the first ones in almost thirty years.

I want to get out of this bed and find Riley but my plan is ruined by the tubes in my arm. I feel a cold liquid seeping into my vein and suddenly I lose consciousness.

For what I think is the next several days, I go through a mundane routine of waking up, eating, and then being knocked out again. Then, I woke up one last time with no plastic tubes protruding from my right arm. My restraints were lifted as well, allowing me to finally sit up.

I stand up shakily, uncertain about how my legs would fare after days of lying down. The door built into the wall suddenly slides open.

"Riley?" I call out.

Surely she was okay, otherwise the Avox girl wouldn't have said so. Yet, I needed to see her for myself just to make sure. However, I'm not greeted by her voice. Instead, it's a voice that used to irk me, but now it only invites me. Effie.

I step into the hall, quickening my pace. Just around the corner I turn and see all of them waiting for me, Effie, Shawn, and Cinna. I take off and surprise everyone, even myself, when I launch into Shawn's arms first.

"Nice job, sweetHART." He whispers in my ear, sounding sincere for once.

Effie greets me somewhat tearily, blabbing on about how she told everyone I was a diamond in the rough. I roll my eyes but secretly acknowledge that I missed her too. I'm never telling her that though.

Cinna just hugs me tight and doesn't say anything. That's when I notice Portia's missing presence.

"Where's Portia? Is she with Riley? She's fine, right? She's alive?" I start to hound them with questions.

"Don't worry, your girlfriend is fine." Shawn smirks.

"She's not my girlfriend... yet. Why can't I see her?" I ask, desperate to get a glimpse of the other girl.

"They want to do your reunion live on air at the ceremony." Shawn answers.

Well, I guess that makes sense. It'd be a highly anticipated event, the moment the star crossed lovers were reunited.

"Go on with Cinna. He has to get you ready." Effie ushers me along. For once, I comply without an argument. The faster we get this done, the faster I can see Riley again.

It's a relief to be alone with Cinna. I forgot how calming his presence was. He leads me down a few passages and eventually to an elevator. The ride itself is silent but that's all ruined when the doors open and I'm swarmed by Venia, Flavius, and Octavia. They're clearly excited to see me and I guess I'm happy to see them too.

They guide me to the dining room where I finally get a real meal, although my portions are still being controlled.

"They don't want it all coming back up on the stage." Octavia explains, but she secretly slips me an extra roll under the table.

After the meal, Cinna disappears while the prep team gets me ready. Afterwards, the designer reappears with a yellow dress.

"What happened to the whole 'girl on fire' thing?" I raise my eyebrows, staring at the innocent looking yellow dress.

"I thought Riley would like this better." He answers carefully.

Riley? No, this wasn't about Riley. I could probably wear a potato sack and she'd still find me gorgeous. No, this was about the Capitol, I'm sure of it. Cinna was trying to warn me about something. Of what, I'm not sure yet.

I get dressed quickly and then we take the elevator back to the Training Center. Normally, the victor rises from beneath the stage up to Caesar Flickerman. I stand on a metal plate, eerily reminding me of the start of the Games. Cinna and the prep team go change, leaving me alone. I see a makeshift wall about ten yards away. My heart skips a beat when I deduce that Riley was probably behind it.

Someone touches my shoulder and I jump, not noticing Shawn had come up to me.

"Easy, it's just me." He says. His eyes dart around before he continues. "How about a hug for luck?"

I quirk an eyebrow, figuring that our reunion hug would be the first and last time we ever hugged. Nonetheless, I wrap my arms around him. He begins talking rapidly, whispering things in my ear.

"Listen up. You're in trouble. Word is the Capitol's furious about what you did in the arena. The one thing they can't stand is being laughed at and right now they're the joke of Panem." Shawn says.

Well, shit.

"Your only defense can be you were so madly in love you weren't responsible for your actions. Got it?"

I nod and Shawn pulls back. "This is your night. Enjoy it." He kisses me on the forehead and then I'm alone again.

The anthem booms in my ears and then I hear Caesar Flickerman greeting the audience. The crowd starts applauding as the prep teams are introduced first. Venia, Octavia, and Flavius are probably bouncing around excitedly, not at all informed about the current situation. Perhaps it's better that way. Then, Effie is next. She's been waiting for this moment for so long but I wonder if she would even be able to truly enjoy it. Despite how ditzy she can come off as, she's very keen and must at least suspect that we're in trouble for the double suicide pact. Portia and Cinna receive huge cheers, to no one's surprise. They've both been brilliant with our wardrobes from the very beginning.

I glance back down at my dress, finally understanding Cinna's choice. I needed to appear as innocent as possible, a flickering flame rather than a burning fire.

Shawn's introduction then brings a round of hoots and stomping that goes on for at least five minutes.

The plate begins to lift me up to the stage. I take in a final deep breath as the dim area I was in gets replaced with blinding lights. As I rise, I close my eyes and remind myself that the most dangerous part of the Games was about to begin.