Marblyn Rivers, previous Hunger Games Victor and unwilling Capitol prostitute. This year, the 74th Hunger Games, it's her turn to Mentor. But getting through the tough exterior of eighteen-year-old Cato Hadley proves to be a challenge.
But then, the...
(the last chapter that I accidentally deleted lol this is all original)
The Capitol anthem echos across the stage as I stand beneath, the smell of mildew strong. I'm to go on stage with the tributes, mentor, escort, stylists, and Prep Teams of District Twelve. Snow thinks he's hurting me, he thinks that he's one step ahead. He believes this will be an impossible task for me, how very wrong could he be. The Prep Teams are presented, then the District Twelve escort Effie Trinket. She hasn't been very silent about her distaste in always being associated with a losing district, so she must be extremely happy. The stylists receive an abundance of cheers, and it really makes me wonder. Cinna, Katniss' stylist, he came up with this 'Girl On Fire' thing. Is Cinna part of the Rebellion? Did Katniss volunteering for her little sister spark this Rebellion, the rebels finally found someone worthy of being the face of their cause? With her actions after Rue's death, and the berry fiasco, Katniss is quite literally the perfect person to do this. So why had it been so important to have me along with them? Haymitch is next to be presented, and his applause lasts longer than everyone else's. Haymitch has done what he hasn't been able to in nearly thirty years - he brought home not only one, but two Victors.
My pedestal rises to the stage next, and I'm presented with a sea of sympathy, pillars of pity, the crowd dabbing away crocodile tears as they think about my 'loss'. I resist the urge to laugh at their pathetic actions, instead choosing to maintain the sullen expression painted on my face. I can't show any humor, any happiness, because while I might not be in danger, my family most certainly is. Katniss and Peeta rise to the stage next, and I notice Peeta has a cane. A glint of metal is shown underneath his pant leg, and the reason is clear. Cato damaged him, so badly, they had to amputate his leg and he now wears a prosthetic. The two Twelve tributes have a heart warming reunion, one the Capitol has dreamed of this entire time. They're playing their cards exactly right.
Haymitch shoves them in their seat, a love seat across the stage. Katniss plays up the romance, tossing her legs over his lap and laying her head on his shoulder. I don't even know her, and I could already tell that this is absolutely and incredibly out of character for her - and the only people who realize it's an act are probably the people of District Twelve.
The final Victor interview is about three hours, and it's required for every single Panem citizen to watch. Family and friends of twenty-two children are going to be forced to watch the highlights of the Games, the deaths of their loved ones. They televise the winner's reaction on a large screen, for everyone to see. Some Victors - those like Brutus - are excited, happy to rewatch their kills. The rest just look shocked, disassociating from the moments on the big screen. I spoke, but I wasn't excited or triumphant about my win; I did the bare minimum, just enough to get me home.
I watch the screen with zero emotion, until Haymitch bumps my side with his elbow during the first half hour. Cato is on the screen, during his and Clove's chariot ride, and they have my face being broadcasted right next to Katniss'. I get what he's saying; I need to give them their show. Quickly, I let my own tears flow, thinking about every sad moment of my child - which, there was a lot. The Capitol echoes in an array of 'aw' at my reaction.
I watch the bloodbath, the cameras flickering from tributes dying to Katniss and Peeta. I watch the rest of the recap blankly, stray tears rolling down my face as I keep up the act. In reality, this act isn't really an act, because although Cato is presumed to be alive, I have seen no solid evidence, I have no idea where he may be, and I absolutely do not know when - or if - I'll ever see him again.
I notice with Rue's death, they carefully cut out the moment where Katniss covered the young girl in flowers. I rewatch the death of 'Cato', and keeping up the show, I drop my eyes to the marble floors beneath me, flinching as I hear his screams. Although I saw the tiny sign that it indeed wasn't Cato, this scene still brought back the rush of my feelings of grief and loss. Surprisingly, they also replay the scene with the berries, followed by footage of Katniss in the hovercraft after the Games. She's banging on the glass door, screaming Peeta's name, begging him to stay alive.
The anthem pounds through the room once more as President Snow takes the stage, his granddaughter close behind, holding a pillow with one single crown on top. They weren't prepared for this, District One only creates one Victor's crown each year. The way Snow looks at Katniss compared to Peeta, you can easily tell who he blames as he separates the crown into two halves, giving each winner one.
The District Twelve tributes then get to leave, headed to get ready for the Victory Banquet at the President's Mansion. "Hold it together," Haymitch says to me as he bids me a farewell hug. "You're almost out of here, you just have to get your interview done." Then, he heads out with the rest of District Twelve's team, leaving me alone on the stage with Caesar Flickerman.
This doesn't usually happen, the Victor doesn't get interviewed with a random mentor from another district. This is all Snow, all President Snow trying to get back at me for a loss that he had caused. If the mutts weren't in the equation, Cato would have won.
"So, Marblyn," Caesar Flickerman sighs after I take the seat the Victors were previously in, all eyes on me as they look at my somber appearance. "You experienced a great loss in these Games, one that the rest of us could only imagine."
"Yes," the one word answer isn't enough for the audience, they stare at me as if waiting for more. "I fell in love with Cato, completely, and as it was the first time I've experienced true love, I'm unsure of how I'm going to get through this."
Caesar pulls out a handkerchief, wiping a way a tear as he looks at my attire. "Your dress, would you say you're in mourning?"
I nod carefully, accepting a tissue from him as a tear rolls down my cheek. "Cato and I, we had planned on getting married after he won. I guess we won't get that chance now." I watch as Rodo nods in the crowd, confirming that I should keep going with this story.
Caesar sighs, leaning over and placing a hand on mine. "Where do you think Cato failed in this Game? How do you think he managed to lose, with the highest chances of winning?"
I bite my tongue, resisting the urge to say what I really wanted to say. Instead, I do say what I want, just a very much watered down version. "I feel as though if the mutts weren't in the arena, my Cato would have brought home the win." The crowd gasps in shock, as this is the first time someone has ever openly criticized the Capitol created mutations.
"Well, that's one way to voice an opinion," Caesar is very careful with his words, because if he says one wrong thing, it could be the end of things for him as well. "Marblyn, I wish you the best, and I hope one day you could find a love as strong as you have found for Cato. Everyone, Marblyn Rivers!"
As the crowd cheers, I wave with one hand, pulling the golden bird necklace from my shirt. I'm done living for the Capitol, it's about time I start living for me. They're never going to know what hit them.
The End.
A/N: ANDDDDD the first book is completely rewritten!!! I never got around to writing book two so that's going to be ALL ORIGINAL, when it comes out. I would like to thank Tik Tok for getting me into my Hunger Games phase again, because this came out better than I could have EVER imagined 💓
AND as you wait for more of Marblyn and Cato, check out my Outer Banks story that im currently writing! Thank you guys for sticking with me for ten years, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the love and support!
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