The Incoming Storm: The Tale of the 325th Hunger Games

Chapter 37

 The morning brings a somber mood to the tower. Maizer and Quin sit at the table silently eating. Quin does her best to be cheerful but I can tell she is mourning the loss of her mentor. Both Quin and Maizer were mentored by Ri, she seemed pretty similar to Quin, acting as a mother to the tributes unfortunate enough to end up in her care.

"She was a lovely person," Quin says, "I wish you had more time with her."

"I do too," I say, mourning the loss of someone I barely know. Ri occasionally talked during assemblies at school, I've seen her games almost front to back, and she spends most of her time donating her victor's earnings back to the district. I actually think that part of the reason I was able to keep my house after my parent's death was because of donations from her.

When breakfast is over, Leto arrives with the prep team, who seem to have caught on to the somber mood. Something tells me the loss of the oldest victors feels like losing a grandparent to everyone in the Capitol. 97 years old is a feat anywhere, and it is likely that most people in the Capitol are younger than her. The three of us are put into black floor-length dresses and suits that are completely simple from the normal look we've had.

We gather in the lobby of the District 9 Tower and are taken to the city circle where the funeral is to take place. I see the massive superstructure battle station known as the Cloud hovering over the center of the city, no longer hidden behind the mountains. When we arrive, the place is set up with standing room only, except for the 6 rows in the very front where the 63 current victors take their seats. Maizer, Quin, and I take the front. I take a moment while the crowds gather behind us to take in my fellow victors.

I look to the new oldest victor, Demitria Redwine from District 11. From there my eyes bounce around to the other people, those who'd the Capitol make you think are gods. In reality, we, all 63 of us, are killers who found a way to survive the Capitol's greatest weapon. I see Shimmer and Shine Monet, victor twins, the elderly Hydra Turbina and Mizar Watson from District 5, and more. All sit waiting, no one looks happy, since from the moment they became victors Ri has been there for them.

The victors share a bond that cannot easily be described, even now I feel a connection to them. We are all killers, survivors, and people who faced the Capitol head-on and did not let them win.

I turn my attention to the stage constructed in the ring, which has a simple podium and ornate golden casket with Ri Pain inside. A screen to the side of the stage comes to life with a video feed of Ri's family, her two elderly daughters, their children, and their children's children. They sit wearing all black weeping into tissues.

When all the crowds have settled, thousands of Capitol citizens in their funeral best, President Artemia Ring takes the stage. Her hair has a large black grain laurel, representing District 9.

The anthem plays and everyone rises, once the song completes we take a seat.

"Ri Pain, Victor of the 244th Hunger Games." Artemia reads Ri's eulogy. "A strong courageous woman who has brought Victor to the hearts of those from District 9. Ri Pain arrived in the Capitol at 16 years old, Reaped for the games. She did not let this stop her, she triumphed instead, beating out her 23 competitors and beginning a long fruitful life.

"Ri Pain has had the honor of raising 3 children, one who was unfortunately lost in his own Hunger Games and two daughters who have each gone on to have beautiful families. Ri has spent countless hours in the Control Room fighting for her tributes, and in return, she has helped three victors emerge. The late Ryelee Takala as well as Maizer Straw and Quin O. Through her effort, it is that today we honor the entrance of a new victor into the ranks of those who courageously won their games. Amaranthe Masa!" I feel my face go red.

"With no further ado, I would like to take a moment of silence to honor Ri Pain and her contributions to her country Panem."

We sit for a moment of silence and the underbelly of the Cloud comes to life. The massive screens begin depicting moments of the 244th Hunger Games among others as a tribute to Ri Pain's life.

I see a young Ri and another girl running for her lives as boulders the size of my head go flying towards them. I see that same girl being stabbed and Ri using her staff to knock the tribute who killed her across the head. On another screen, there is a shot of her ducking as a tree branch swings over her head and slams into a male tribute. Another panel plays the final moments of her games, Ri and another girl tribute knock each other senseless in front of the cornucopia, Ri gets the upper hand-delivering several devastating blows to her competitor's head. Among flashes of her games, I see her hundreds of Capitol appearances throughout the decades. I see her with Ryelee, Maizer, and Quin at various points in their games. I see her working on a monitor with laser focus coordinating the sponsor gifts for her tributes. There is another shot of her, extremely pregnant, shaking hands with a much younger Ceres Pers. It all becomes too much for me and I am forced to look away.

There is a complex firework show that follows, and then each victor has a moment to cross the stage and say goodbye to Ri Pain. I am the third to go, I don't know what to do, so I kneel down, whisper thanks, and then make my way across the stage. We are boarded into cars with darkened windows that parade us around the street following a hearse carrying Ri. The car is nothing but silent, only broken by the sharp exhale after a particularly teary moment.

When the day is finally over, we are deposited back at the District 9 Tower. I have no desire to eat, so I find myself back in my room. How did we just mourn the loss of Ri Pain with such vigor, when every year 23 tributes die. The 23 tributes who died in Ri Pain's game surely didn't have a funeral, neither will most from my own games. I take off my dress, throw it in a bunch on the floor, and fall into a deep sleep.