The 65th Hunger Games - EDITING

Chapter forty-eight

 I don't know if my plan worked, but the crowd looks pretty saddened that I will not obtain what I want. I can even see pity and regret in some people's eyes. Maybe it won't work, but I sincerely hope it will. The genuine smile on Mags' face tells me that I said the right words at the right moment. She knows I wanted to have the tokens sent back to the families; I told her during one of our long conversations. If it doesn't work, it will at least have distracted me from seeing my allies' death on screen.

"Speaking of tokens, we didn't get to see what you brought into the arena. I'm sure everyone here would like to know more about this special object. Do you have it here with you?" asks Caesar, trying to change the topic smoothly.

"Yes, I do!" I reply, holding out my wrist to show off my bracelet.

"What a beautiful piece! I'm going to be the one who start stealing your fashion accessories. Be careful! Where would one be able to get something like this; asking for a friend."

"I don't really know. It was given to my brother as a gift many years ago and it came into my possession when he passed away. It even has his initials engraved on the inside."

I remove the cuff bracelet and show the crowd the two letters that where so carefully engraved in the grey metal by my brother himself. I didn't want to show it to them as I consider this to be something personal, but I'd do anything to keep my eyes off the screen for as long as possible.

🔱

The film ends with me killing the girl from two. They skipped the whole discussion, probably afraid to show that even some kids are aware that you never really get out of the arena in one piece. Everyone gets up from their seat and start applauding, bringing me back to reality. For most of the presentation, I just zoomed out, answering the occasional question or laughing at Caesar's comments; nothing more than that.

People start screaming as soon as President Snow makes his appearance on scene under the sound of Panem's anthem. A little boy follows him around with a cushion on which sits a golden crown. He must be around eight years old and he looks so proud and excited to be there. I can't blame him; he was raised to think that the Games were morally acceptable just like future Careers tribute are raised to think that winning the Games bring pride to your family. The old man makes a short speech, congratulating me for my performance before finally setting the crown on my head. As weird as it sounds, I can see envy and something else too, greed, shining in his eyes. I look away, frightened by the idea of being right about this. He salutes the crowd then leaves the scene. It's only then that I finally allow myself to breathe normally again.

Caesar bids everyone goodnight after telling them to make sure to tune in for the last interviews that will air tomorrow; it's the moment I was waiting for during the whole film. I bow down to the enthusiast crowd and salute them for the last time to finally get out of stage. Peacekeepers escort me into a different room, where I wait for Mags to meet me. I can still hear the crowd cheering for me, pleading me to come back on scene to answer a few more questions. For the first time tonight, I'm genuinely happy about something. I know that I won't have to go back; I was instructed not to. I still have a banquet to attend tonight and we don't have time for this. It takes a few minutes for Mags to finally arrive.

"You did a great job out there. I'm proud of you, kid."

"Do you know if I'll be able to have the tokens back?" I hasten to ask.

"I don't know. Only time will tell. The crowd seemed to be on your side, but we can never be sure." she answers. "Listen, I know I told you I'd be by your side until we at least left the Capitol, but... I'm sorry Finnick, but I'm not invited to the banquet." she adds, looking down shamefully.

"What? Why aren't you invited? Who is going to be there?" I ask, completely shocked.

"I guess they didn't want an old woman like me to ruin the party." she says jokingly. "It will mostly be high society members, game members and most importantly, President Snow. Some of your most generous sponsors will also be there. Everything will be fine, don't worry."

"How long will this take?"

"Two hours maybe; you should be out by midnight. As soon as it's over, we embark the train and we leave everything behind us."

She gently puts her hand on my shoulder, probably trying to reassure me. I thought that I could at least have her to support me during the dinner, but I'll be all alone once again. As soon as the Peacekeepers enter the room, she leaves, looking back every few steps. She probably feels bad for me. Someone gently pushes me towards the door; I don't remember them being so gentle before the game. A lot of things changed; I was only a tribute amongst many others. They're probably gentle because they don't want to hurt the victor.

I follow them without complaining to a car, where I'm instructed to climb in. I've never been into one; it's surprisingly way more comfortable than I thought. The ride only lasts a few minutes. We get out of the engine at the presidential palace. It looks no different than the few pictures I saw of it. I walk towards the entrance as confidently as possible, still escorted by a few Peacekeepers. Inside, I'm greeted by a bunch of strangers that all acts as if they know me. Of course, it's the case. Now, everyone in Panem knows my name, everyone knows me. They all gather around to shake my hand one by one and take a picture with me, something that I once again do without complaint. I even take the time to thank everyone I meet. They're hard to differentiate; they all look like colorful fools. At the sound of the anthem, everyone becomes silent and turn to the big staircase, where President Snow appears a few seconds later. He stops at the bottom and scans the whole room before stopping to look at me.

"Welcome, everyone." he says, still looking right into my eyes.

I don't know if he's trying to scare me, but whatever it is, I know it's not good for me.