Her Victory, Their Life| F. Odair

17. Is She Alive?

Emory's body jolted her awake unexpectedly. She sat up, out of breath and looked around. She was in an unusually white room. She tried to move her hands, but she was strapped down to the bed.

In front of her was a white door and around her were all these machines. Soon, the white door in front of her opened and she watched as a nurse, doctor, two peacekeepers, and President Snow walked in.

"Good morning, Ms. Falkum, or should I say, Mrs. I'm still unsure who you're married to," Snow chuckled.

Emory looked up, "Mrs. Layland. He's a boy from Finnick's District." He was real and she knew that he could probably lie for her. Snow hummed with a nod. He sat down on her bed and she moved her feet for him. "Can I be unchained?"

"Of course," Snow answered and gestured for one of the peacekeepers to do her locks. They did and she rubbed her sore wrists.

She looked at all of them before going back to President Snow, "Can I ask what happened? Enobaria and I were looking at the sky and we saw an–an arrow hit and then everything went dark."

President Snow looked at one of the nurses who nodded, "She said the same thing."

"There was an attack on the Capitol," Snow told her and Emory's eyes widened.

She immediately panicked, "Is everyone okay? Finnick, Johanna, Beetee?"

Snow shook his head, "I'm afraid Beetee Latier is dead, Finnick and Johanna are labeled as traitors. He cut out his tracker and Johanna cut out Miss Everdeen's."

Emory closed her eyes, Beetee was dead. "Oh," she sighed. She was probably never going to see Finnick again.

Snow looked her in the eyes, "Were you apart of this plan?" Emory hesitated before she moved. She slowly shook her head, denying everything.

"Finnick wouldn't either–"

"He was," Snow corrected her. "We have proof. Your infamous girl on fire and him tore down the arena. They were in it together, they left you on purpose." Emory shook her head and started to cry.

"No, no, they wouldn't just do that on purpose, they would try to kill us!" She inisited. "Can– can I speak to my brother or my sister?"

Snow shook his head, "They were killed by the rebels, the very same people you were allies with." Emory gasped and felt it was hard to breathe. Wait, if– if that was true– no. Don't trust the Capitol, don't trust his words.

She turned her head and things started to blur. "Are you real?" She asked him and he laughed.

"I'm real, I suspect the drugs are starting to work–" he cut out and his words started repeating. "We–e-e-e-e- we wanted to try a diluted tracker jacket venom concoction."

Over top of his voice was that of Caesar's during Katniss's cames.

"Tracker jackers..,.."

"Diluted so we can see if we can do it long–"

"Are genetically engineered wasps."

"Without killing who ever–

"Whose venom causes searing pain."

"It seems to be so far successful"

"Powerful hallucinations and in extreme cases, death."

"You're staying awake," Snow looked proud and nodded to the peacekeeper. "Show her the video." The Peacekeeper started something on a screen.

"What's your name and District?" The Doctor asked.

"My name is Emporia Falkum, I'm from District 5," Emory answered like she had for years.

"What Hunger Games did you win?" He asked as he looked at her vitals.

"The 66th."

"Now repeat after me, my name is Emporia Falkum."

"My name is Emporia Falkum."

"I'm from District 5."

"I'm from District 5."

"I'm the victor of the 66th Hunger Games."

"I'm the victor of the 66th Hunger Games."

The doctor nodded, "good, good now say it all together."

Emory nodded as the screen changed from a Capitol symbol to a video. It was clips from her first games. The people she killed, distorted from the drugs made it different. She killed them because they were bad. She killed them because they were speaking against the Capitol. She didn't remember that, it didn't happen.

Thing is, it was her. The District 7 boy she killed started saying, "I swear, when I win. I'm going to go into the Capitol and blow it up, then I will become President." Then it was her whistle and they started running. She ran until she jumped down onto a lower part of the rocks and pulled on a rope. Her sword stood straight up and impaled him.

Only he wasn't dead. Little Emory smirked and took her knife, slitting his throat before kicking him off her sword and taking it out of the rocks.

It then changed to Snow's voice as it showed her crowning ceremony as the victor. "The Capitol is your friend."

Then it was her, speaking at her tribute parade. "If it wasn't for the Capitol, we, including myself, wouldn't be where I am today."

"We made you who you are."

"It's all thanks to the Capitol. My family and I only have them to thank."

"Panem will collapse without the order of the Capitol. Panem cannot thrive without the Capitol. Eliminate the rebels who threaten to burn it down."

"My name is Emporia Falkum, I am from District 5, I am the victor of the 66th Hunger Games."