BLOODSPORT | johanna mason

04. No Luck For Me

Authors Note -
Long time, no see! It's been since 2022 that I've updated this story - I apologize to ghost like that! Life has been rough, but I'm back now and hoping to finish this immediately.
To fill you all in on this chapter, this will include the Victory Tour speech at District 1 and just the beginning of the Capitol party!

—

After that nightmare involving Jade, Iris didn't sleep whatsoever. She tossed and turned at first, hoping her mind would clear of the horrible dream. It kept nagging at her, keeping the poor girl awake. The entire night, she laid on her back and stared at the ceiling, contemplating every single thing that happened during the Games. Even contemplating whether she should be worthy of living.

Why did she have to live with this burden and guilt? Remembering all of the faces she had killed? The screams, the blood, the terror — All of it.

The price you pay of being a Victor, huh?

It wasn't long before morning rolled around, going to have breakfast in one of the train cars. Seraphina could tell she didn't sleep a wink.

"Oh dear, your under eyes! Did you even rest for an hour." She shook her head.

Davion glanced between the two, seeing Iris' expression to that sentence. "Let the girl be, probably bad dreams, right?" He says, looking over to the Victor as she quietly took a seat.

"Yeah." She mumbled, grabbing a piece of toast from the table and smearing some jam onto it. "I'll be fine." Iris adds with a shrug before taking a bite.

"Was it... Jade?" Her mentor asked,"We are at District 1 now, so maybe that's why–"

"I said I'm fine." She replied in a stern tone,"It doesn't matter, she's dead. They all are."

After that, the three sat in silence while having breakfast but tension was still thick in the air. Once she finished eating, she had gotten dressed and eventually they made their way to the platform.

The closer they got to the stage, Iris' anxiety and roaming thoughts had gotten worse. Will she be able to follow the cards? Does she go off script? Or will she freeze, staring into the parents of the fallen tributes - especially when it came down to Jade Lancaster's kin.

"You ready?" Davion's voice snaps her out of thought. She looked like a deer in the headlights.

The Victor sighs and nods, taking the cards from her mentor. He pats the girl's shoulder and tells her good luck.

Luck isn't going to help me. She thought.

As the Peacemakers open the doors to the large stage, she already sees the people crowded at the bottom of it. All of them looked upset and angry, but nothing could compete to Jade's parents and her younger sister's reaction. The little girl resembled her older sibling very well. The Lancasters had every right to feel this way.

Iris felt a pit in her stomach. You can't show emotion. She told herself, opening her mouth to finally read off the cards but nothing came out. Her mouth felt too dry. Quickly, she turned her head to Seraphina and Davion who were standing at the side of the stage. Silently they nodded for her to continue.

"I- Uh, sorry." Her eyes look forward into the crowd. She had a feeling that she already fucked this up... This news would be buzzing everywhere - could she just keep it short and sweet?

Just read the cards! The girl kept repeating to herself.

She looks down at the pieces of paper in her hand. Iris' gaze would stay locked on the cards the entire time,"To the people of District 1, the tributes who have fought with me were strong and admirable. Without them..." her voice trails off, reading the next line over and over again in her head.

This was going to cause chaos.

"Without them," Iris repeated,"I wouldn't have been pushed to my limit, especially by Jade... So thank you for allowing me this opportunity, and it's an honor I was able to win the Games."

That's when the shouting starts, she doesn't dare to look up either. Before more havoc broke out, she immediately turned her back and the Peacemakers escorted her and her team off of the stage. The doors close and she becomes teary eyed, tossing the cards down at Seraphina's feet.

"What the fuck?!" She exclaimed,"Who wrote this? You?!" Iris stepped closer to the woman, her anger only growing,"This is vile, all of it is!"

She wanted to hit this entitled Capitolite, but Davion instantly was trying to defuse the situation by holding her back. "Hey, hey! Calm down, okay?!"

"We don't need any bad impressions, there's still people around, sweethe-" Seraphina replied in a calm, but shaky tone.

"Shut up!" She screams, trying to wiggle out of Davion's grasp,"Let go of me!" He refused, so she stomped down hard on his foot. It got him to let go and she stormed off to the bullet train and into the bedroom she was staying in.

One trip to the Capitol and this Tour will be over.

—

The long awaited celebration at the Capitol in honor of Iris Barlowe and the end of the Victory Tour was finally here. She was glad it finally was the end, but another part of her dreaded seeing familiar faces. Seeing the president especially.

"This will be overwhelming." Iris says as Kassandra was doing her hair and makeup. "I'm not ready."

"No one ever is." She replied,"It's normal to feel this way... But at least you get a party out of it, hm?" Kass smiled, in hopes of raising the Victor's spirits a tiny bit.

"Maybe." She whispered, letting the artist finish.

Iris looked pretty, but didn't feel like it. Everything seemed too flashy. She felt like some dazzling object that was going to be shown off to the Capitol tonight. They'll like her for a while, then be done with her after a few months. Her hair was in magnificent curls, half of it pinned back with luxurious, shiny pins. Her dress was long and elegant, the front definitely showing off some more leg than she thought. The neckline was somewhat of a low cut. It was gray but shimmery. This was a simple but elegant approach, Iris has seen other outfits that were more colorful and decorative than this. Her nails were colored the same way, her fingers decorated with a few rings.

Soon enough, Davion, Seraphina and Iris were walking to President Snow's Mansion... It was humongous! She might as well considered it to be a castle - all the people, the statues, it had her in awe. How could anyone have something like this?

Before walking up to the steps and entering the crowd, Seraphina stops Iris and shooed Davion, telling him to go for now. The older woman took Iris' hands into her own.

"I'm terribly sorry, about yesterday." Seraphina began,"Or anything on the cards that might've upset you." She adds,"I'm just doing as I'm taught and told. It's how this all works, sweetie."

"I get it, but... It's horrible. Everyone might hate me." Iris didn't know what else to say.

"Maybe in District 1, but here - you're the grand prize." Seraphina smiled, gesturing to the mansion which was bustling in life. "Now c'mon, dear." She says, walking up the steps and waving her hand to follow.

"But I don't want to be that." Iris whispered, before following along.