Midnight Azalea-A Story of the 34th Hunger Games

The Victory Tour

They arrive late in the winter morning dressed in their elaborate fur coats and olive tinted skins. Marcus arrives first with my wardrobe. He tells me only a few interviews with me and my family.

My Family. Father tells his pride, and Mother tells how much this affects the districts. Lenora gives an anecdote about when we were younger, then the Capitol hears about me upon camera arrival. Once we reach the train it's fairly normal in the Capitol's sense. Quorel says we'll be working through giving eulogies to the fallen tributes starting with district twelve.

I swear the cameras have to register the tears when I give my eulogy. "I didn't know Sentra," o say as I look upon his face and family. "But he died knowing he was proud of his district. I know that." I turn to Aris' face and I burst into tears. I decide to keep it short, so I just give a few lines. "She was my friend, and I miss her too much. But I know she died with love for everything. She wanted to come home. I wanted her to come home. But the Games cut her short, and---" the peacekeepers seem a little unhappy so I bow and cry in the Justice Building for a long time.

When I reach district eleven I can't even let myself have control, as Natiel's burly father and elegant mother cry their hearts out as his face registers nothing. My speech is short but sorrowful. "He never really talked much, but I know he was proud of where he came from." I gesture to all of the district.

District 10 is a short ride but I can barely speak about the female tribute due to the pain knowing I killed her.

District 9, I show my gratitude to Grants skill. In 8, Ludrissa is too hard to bear, and none of the audience cares that she was the one trying to kill me and I never even killed her, since they go up in anger. District 6 is pretty hard but normal for the eulogies, an escape because I feel for Al and Nina, who just wanted to paint themselves pretty colors and escape into the earth.

Pisces is almost to hard to remember. Both families stare eachother down as they both know Pisces betrayed the own girl from his district. In other words, they pay almost no attention to my speeches. Hazel I never really cared for. The whole audience saw me see her wounded badly on the rocks but that's the least of my worries. District 2 is my main grief. The families. "Maximus and Athena will be remembered as warriors," I say. "Monuments should be built to their fates."

The Capitol is another story. The party is grand, and it all ends with my stomach bursting at the seams, my gorgeous dress of beige silk, and the President telling me his pride. It all ends with fireworks, and now I know I am really alone.

Home is the same now. I will be mentor to the next round of tributes with Quorel. Next year, and the next...watching the deaths of the tributes I train until my own death.

I guess life just starts in a world of immediate death, and in this world that's all I know. All I will know until my certain death. And who knows what it'll be like. The nightmares will continue, and the trauma. The memories of the fallen drift around for a while until there are no more. No more memories. But it never happens. One sweet dreams visits me two nights later, and it's just a life where the Games happened but nobody really died. It was just a silly game played by silly children in a silly meadow. We all meet again in the end, laughing and smiling. Natiel, me, Aris, and Pisces all gather around and have fun. We play silly games all the time.

But there are much worse games to play.