Stay with me, always.

Chapter 31. Lucky You, Lucky Me

Two days is a long time for a man to wait to be reunited with his true love. Well, we weren't in love, yet, but there was still time. I think Mother was growing a strong feeling of regret for ever pushing me out into the world considering the amount of pestering I had been doing as of late.

Every time I asked if I could see Soarynn I was given the same answer: "No". Now, I don't consider myself spoiled, but "No" wasn't a word I was used to hearing. But eventually, two days passed, and I was sitting backstage in Lucky Flickerman's theater being prepped for his show. Atley was just putting on the finishing touches when Eudora came in, wearing a dark blue shimmery dress, with of course, shoes, nails, hair, and lashes to match.

I would never expect anything less from her. I was sporting my own navy blue suit, with a white rose pinned to my lapel. "Is she here?" I asked, Eudora nodded her head, "I haven't seen her yet," she told me, "but I saw her dress and it's gorgeous!" I really could care less about what dress Soarynn was wearing, but I knew every woman in the audience would. I gave her a smile, "I can't wait to see it," I say, letting Atley powder my face before stepping away and proclaiming, "My work here is done." A little over the top if you asked me, but after giving him that raise, he seemed to have a bit more of a dramatic flare.

Eudora looked me over before giving me the nod of approval, and walking me to the wings of the stage, "Where's Mother ?" I asked her, I expected she'd come to visit me before I went on stage, but she was nowhere to be found. And trust me, I would have heard her. Eudora waved me off, "Oh she's sitting in the audience, dear, front row like the rest of us, now, remember what we talked about Coriolanus, you must be there for her on stage, no matter what." I nodded, the past few days hadn't been without a few bumps in the road, and by bumps, I meant being trained and drilled by Mother and Eudora on what to say for tonight.

I knew Soarynn would be going into this interview blind, but Mother said that she wanted at least one of us to have a strategy. Last night as I was headed to bed, she pulled me to the side and told me something that was still playing over in my head. "The Games aren't really over once that last cannon goes off darling, they're never truly over." I wasn't used to my Mother being so wise and acting so...sober, but I nodded as if I understood and went to bed. But now, as I was being pushed out onto the stage, I started to understand what she meant. The Games never really leave the Victors, the Games were only the beginning.

Lucky must have gotten the dark blue memo, because he was decked out in a studded dark blue suit, and was wearing glittery shoes that sparkled under the light. I've seen worse from this man if we're being honest, much worse. After the applause died down, Lucky and I took our seats. My seat was a loveseat, perfectly fit for two people. I couldn't wait for my other half to join me. "So, Coriolanus, how are you feeling tonight?" He asked me as he leaned in. I couldn't even come up with an eloquent and sophisticated answer, "Excited," I told him, bouncing my knee up and down.

The audience 'awed', and he chuckled, "Excited to see someone special hmm?" He asked as he looked into the crowd, and raised his eyebrows pulling some laughs from the audience. I nodded, "Yes, I think we're all excited to see her tonight," I told him, looking into the audience to see people nodding. "Yes, indeed we are, indeed we are, but tell me, what did you think of the riveting ending of these Games?" He asked me.

This is what I had been training for over the past two days. "I couldn't take my eyes off of her," I say, he placed his hand over his heart, "Were you worried for her?" He asked me, I nodded, "I can't imagine my life without her, so to have her ripped away, I couldn't bear it much longer." I glanced into the audience to see Mother wiping a tear as if she didn't write this herself. "Well, lucky you, because Soarynn is the Victor of the Eleventh Annual Hunger Games!" He said, smiling as the audience roared in excitement, I couldn't help but smile, the odds must have been in our favor this time around, lucky me indeed.