𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟕𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ✔️

𝕏𝕏𝕏

In the blink of an eye, my Victory Tour arrives. LeeAnn finally comes back to visit, I'm interviewed by Caesar for a TV audience, and then I'm off to the Districts.

Almost every District I come across is completely destroyed from the war. In District 8, I think that the District is still on fire from being bombed during the war, but I'm assured that it's just smoke from the factories.

One by one, I meet the other six Victors of Panem. Other than Irma, none of them have said anything to me yet, but that's understandable. They have more than enough to deal with on their own without worrying about me.

The first Victor I meet is Viridi Alvarez in District 11. She's a curt woman with not much to say, but she has a caring look in her eyes. Just like Irma, I can tell Viridi understands me better than anyone else. She gives me a trinket to take home - a small wooden train.

"I carved it myself," she says with a small smile. I guess we all have different things to occupy ourselves with.

Lovina Real in District 10 is the next Victor I meet. According to Irma, she survived the Capitol invasion of District 10 by digging a hole beneath her house and hiding inside. She's very beautiful but seems to have an edge to her. She's the oldest of the remaining Victor, so I can tell she's the wisest of the bunch. You have to be, to survive so long under the watchful eye of the Capitol.

"Give Snow a kiss from me," she says as I board the train, and I'm sure she's being sarcastic, but you can never be too sure with a Victor.

Rye Albertson from District 9 welcomes me to the train station. He completely ignores Salacia, who's standing next to me, and only talks to me, so I obviously love him immediately. I'm starting to notice a pattern - almost all of the Victors seem to be from outlying Districts with the least power, and only one Victor seems to be left in each one. Rye clings to me the whole way to District 9's town hall. It seems like he's just as afraid of being alone as I am, so I don't mind the company.

Just like Viridi has a passion for whittling wooden trinkets, Leah Strulovich from District 8 seems to have a passion for consuming alcohol. Salacia has to shake her awake at the train station, and Leah can't even remember her name when she introduces herself. I have to hold back my judgment - if I didn't have the strength to hold myself back from buying alcohol, I'd probably do the same. Everyone copes in different ways.

Then there's Irma, waiting for me in District 6. "It's been a while," she says with a smile. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm better now," I assure her. "I struggled for a little while, but I think I'm better now."

"I'm proud of you," Irma says. "It won't ever go away, but I'm here for you if you need me. You know that, I hope."

"Alright, places, people! The show must go on!" Salacia shrieks, interrupting both of us, and I roll my eyes as I'm pulled toward the stage.

The Districts pass in a blur. Luckily, I didn't get to know most of the tributes, but seeing their faces still bring back memories I want to leave behind. I see the girl from Eight who I killed in the Bloodbath. I see the boy from Three, and all I can think of is watching his blood drip to the ground from the tree where he lay, dying. I see Axel and Vesta.

Finally, I'm in District 1. The last of the Victors, Velvet Hughes, is there to greet me. He's the youngest of the Victors other than me. According to Irma, he was the only Career Victor to not seek asylum in the Capitol, electing to stay in District 1, and this decision saved his life. Velvet is surprisingly quiet when I meet him. He lets Salacia do most of the talking as we walk to the District 1 Plaza.

Velvet is a thin man. Malnourished almost, which I'm surprised to see in a Career District. He surely has enough food to feed himself, but I don't look into it too much. I've found that when you poke your nose too far into a Victor's business, you'll fall down a dark pit.