Sunshine - A Hunger Games Story

24| Struggle

The audience starts clapping as the main lights turn back on after the video. Caesar mouths congratulations to me as I struggle to pull myself back together. We both stand and I curtsy to the audience.

When I turn to face Caesar again, he opens his arms up and gives me a brief hug. Everyone seems to be in a hugging mood today.

As the crowd continues to clap, I make my way to the scratched silver platform that had raised me onto the stage in the first place. I am slowly lowered. The sound of the audience dying out as the door closes behind me.

Once I am back in the empty, poorly lit room, I start wiping and rubbing at my eyes, trying to get them to stop watering.

I'm not this weak. I can handle a simple interview, I shouldn't be this pathetic. I've never seen any of the other victors cry during their interview, so why am I?

Suddenly, the door to the room bangs open and a set of footsteps starts coming down the hallway. I wipe my tears away a final time and try to straighten out my dress.

Humphrey turns the corner and looks at me, taking in my disheveled appearance.

"You did amazing, sweetheart."

I look directly into his eyes. I search his eyes for someone to put my trust in.

"I couldn't save him," I whisper, figuring that if I can trust anyone, it might as well be him.

Humphrey places a hand on my shoulder. He gives it a reassuring squeeze, giving me a look of pity. I can't help it as even more tears spill down my face.

A dark skinned woman pushes past my mentor, enveloping me in a hug. "We saw what really happened. You did everything right. None of this is your fault, you hear me? None of it."

The taller woman holds me as I let out my pent up emotions. From the 24 hours since I won the games, I have broken down several times, although this time I let it all out. The denial, fear, dread, guilt, and anger. All of them come out in my sadness. Even as I hear others enter the room, I still let the motherly woman hold me as I cry into her shoulder.

When I finally calm down, she releases me. Several men and women stand around the room, all of varying ages. Some of them I recognize such as the boy who hugged me before and the older woman that I met before the games. I also recognize the woman who I had just embraced as Henri's mentor. Of course Humphrey and Elouise are here too.

Elouise speaks up first, noticing my confusion. "I believe some introductions are in order." She points to the woman in front of me. "That's Cecelia Sanchez. She's the district 8 mentor. And you've met Finnick and Mags, district 4's mentors. Finnick won the 65th Hunger Games at 14, just 3 years ago."

The boy from earlier nods his head. He rests a hand on the shoulder of the older woman beside him. She gives me a kind smile.

A middle aged man speaks up next. "James Logan, district 5. Victor of the 40th Hunger Games." He nods his head to Elouise.

"And lastly—"

She is cut off by the final man in the room. "The names Haymitch, district 12. No need for a fancy introduction,"

"Yes, and we're all here to help you. Each one of us has seen your actions in the arena. Your compassion and your drive. We've all been where you are before. If you need anything..." her voice trails off.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough with the sappy stuff, I think she gets it. She'll probably have lots of questions. Let's all just get on with it," Haymitch says. His voice slurs slightly as if he is drunk.

I look at each of them, suddenly feeling very small as they all look back at me. I rack my brain for a good question to ask them before speaking.

"How did you guys do it? Stay so calm after the games. Stay put together in your interviews?"

Cecelia looks to the others before responding. "For starters, we had more time. More time to recover after we won before facing the public."

"And ours went a lot quicker," Finnick adds.

"Why would they send me straight to the interview after I won?"

"They didn't. Ayesha, it's been almost two weeks." I look at Humphrey shocked. "After you won, they sent you to surgery. You spent the remaining time recovering. For you, it must have seemed like a day, but the people of the capital just got impatient."

I take in the information and nod my head.

"And before you go around thinking we have it all under control," Haymitch says. "Just know we've all got a few marbles loose."

"Some of us more than others," James adds.

A moment of silence follows. An awkward silence.

"Well, we should all get going now. I believe you have a crowning ceremony to get to."

Everyone files out of the room leaving me and Finnick alone. He seems to take in my appearance, sizing me up, before nodding to himself and following the others out of the room.

Then I am left alone in the room.

2 weeks. 2 weeks since Henri died, since I won, since everything terrible in that arena came to an end. 2 weeks added onto the 5 weeks that I have already been here for a total of 7 weeks away from home. Nearly 2 months.

Soon enough Jasmine and her crew pop into the room. They fix my make-up and give me, as they comment, a 'quick touch up' before escorting me to President Snow's balcony where I will be officially crowned victor.

Within a few minutes a crown is placed on my head by the president himself and I am headed back to the 9th floor of the training facility. I head straight to bed, exhausted after the long, emotionally draining day.