[Flowers] • The Hunger Games

Twenty Three

"Victory tour." Asteria spoke, standing ahead of Gale and Madge. She paced back and forth. "You'll be interviewed briefly by Caesar. Effie and your designers will be here shortly to give you touch-ups and make you camera ready. Everything you say has to be perfect. Snow is watching." She warned them, pacing back and forth as she talked.

"What do they want to know?" Madge asked.

"They fell in love with the star crossed lovers from district 12. They want to know that their emotions, and their sponsorships, went to a good cause." Haymitch chimed in.

"You two are in love. You adore one another. When the camera's on, that's turned up to an 11." She told them. "It's just Caesar, you've met him before. Pretend the cameras aren't there. But- still be on your best behavior. It can't sound too rehearsed or too unprepared. Find some sort of humble middle ground."

"Then we leave for the tour?" Gale asked.

Asteria paused. He was itching to get away from Madge. As awful as that sounded, Asteria understood his sentiment perfectly. He wanted his life to return to how it had been before the games. Madge was a constant reminder to him of what had happened. Of course he would want this all to be over.

She didn't know how to break the news to him that it might never be over. They could test the waters. When a new game was starting, the Capitol might forget all about the nobodies from district 12. And they'd be free to live their lives. Or- Caesar and the camera crew would want every detail of their lives. In which case they either submitted, or dealt with the consequences.

"Then we leave for the tour." Asteria confirmed.

"District 11, then 10, then 9- so on and so forth." Haymitch said. "The tour's longer than you think it is. We can get from here to the Capitol in about two days. But we've gotta do some zigzagging to hit all the districts in their intended order." He said.

"You'll be giving speeches in each of the districts. Publicized to every corner of Panem. so- don't mess them up. Actually, you won't even have the chance to. I'm going to write them to ensure nothing Snow wouldn't approve of slips out." Asteria told them. "I know, it sucks. You want to talk honestly about what happened. But the Capitol doesn't want your honesty. They want passivity, they want to gloss over the reality of the games."

"So, we just smile and wave and read from a few cue cards? That can't be so hard." Madge asked them.

"It's not. You just can't let these personalities slip. Be yourselves, just better. The tour ends when we reach the Capitol. There's a private party that evening hosted by President Snow to congratulate you. If he doesn't trust us by then, well. There'll be hell to pay. For all of us." She told them.

"Alright. Good work team!" Haymitch half-joked. It was an effort to get them smiling and energized, since the cameras would be there in just a few moments.

Before long, Effie made her grand appearance. Donning an outfit as white as snow with accompanying faux fur. She went about talking up Cinna and Portia for their efforts in the last games. She hugged and congratulated Madge, and gave Gale a kind smile.

Asteria didn't say anything, but Haymitch had cleaned up a bit, too. They wouldn't be on camera today, so Asteria hadn't even bothered. But she wore a knowing look as Haymitch caught her eye.

"What?" He grumbled.

She looked from him to Effie, who he'd been eyeing from the moment she arrived.

"Nothing." She smiled, choking back a laugh.

Cinna and Portia found their way inside of Asteria's house with everyone else. It had been hers because Haymitch hadn't kept his clean enough, Gale didn't want anyone in his house, and Madge hardly had any furniture in hers yet.