To new readers, sorry! This is for my own SYOT series and you'd only get it if you've read the series. But read it if you really want to :)
Jynx Blackthorne, District 2 Victor
The light forced my aching consciousness to stir. I immediately shot up, lifting my arm to my eyes to reduce the pain as the room around me came to light: double bed, extremely messy due to the mischief that occurred with Caecilius last night, smooth carpets and silk curtains that had been pried away from each other. Revealed in the light was Caecilius, whose Adonis-like body could be glimpsed despite the dressing gown he had wrapped around himself. He gave me that perfect yet slightly manipulative smile.
"Did you have a nice sleep?"
"I found being awake a lot more fun," I teased, wrapping the satin sheets around my body more closely.
"That's good, because it's time for you to be awake," Caecilius said, opening a notepad. I rolled my eyes.
"You still want to interview me?" I sighed. I didn't like the last one. It brought back too many painful memories, and considering I had a lot of shit to think about currently... Fuck it, I just wanted a drink and a lot more sex. It's easier to do the harmful stuff than the good stuff. Sure, you dig yourself a deeper hole, but it can be nice to burrow yourself so deep you forget that the earth even exists.
"I-"
"I've been away from my tributes for a whole day," I made excuses, hiding myself underneath the covers as I desperately searched for my underwear. I hurriedly found them, sliding into them and forcing myself out of bed, dressing as quickly and messily as I can. I could bear the walk of shame of entering the Gamemakers' quarters with messy clothes, hair and make-up. I just wanted to get out of this choking atmosphere which made it hard to breathe or even think clearly. I made my way to the door, but when I twisted the handle the door was locked. It was almost as if Caecilius had anticipated this.
"We have an interview to finish, Jynx."
"I can break this door down. And you can pay the bill."
"So the one million credits weren't worth it? I went to great lengths to convince the President to give you over a day off work, and you're just going to waste such an opportunity for gold?"
"Screw your million credits," I snapped angrily, pushing the door and almost snapping it off its strong, metal hinges.
"Two and a half million credits isn't even worth it?" He removing a handful of notes out of his pocket. He pressed them to his full lips almost tantalisingly, letting me know that he had the money to manipulate me. I knew that wasn't the whole set, it was probably a couple of thousand credits at most, but he had the money around. He was willing to go to any lengths to get my story and get more publicity, and I shouldn't have been tempted. But two and a half million credits was definitely a lot; enough to make me forget my feelings and morals...
Without speaking, I rushed to the armchair opposite Caecilius. His bright eyes widened as if he expected me to charge into him and kill him brutally, which was also a tempting prospect. I forced myself into the plush armchair and glared at him, my way of telling him he won. I followed it up by reaching for the nearest decanter, but Caecilius grabbed it before me. He held it out of my grip and poured a glass - for himself, of course.
"Can't you at least let me have a drink?" I hissed. I didn't have a problem, or at least I didn't think I did. I could go for days without a drink, I didn't needit, but whenever the option didprevent itself who was I to refuse? Being drunk was fun, and my days were numbered anyway.
"I want you sober for this interview. Whilst drunk in the last interview you blurred over a lot of details regarding the later Games." He noticed my frown. "Come on. It'll only be one last hour about your most famous Games... About themost famous Games. The Victor Games," Caecilius gave me a satisfying smirk. He wasn't just doing this for fame and publicity. A part of him got a kick from making me uncomfortable. He wasn't evil enough to outright torture me, and there was a part of him that was genuine, but every conversation with him felt like a mind game or mental battle, and the worst part was I didn't know if I was losing or winning.
"Fine," I paused. "But we go straight to the Games-"
"But we need a re-cap," Caecilius said, checking over some notes. "It would be twenty-five years until your next Games."
"And nothing happened."
"Really? But your mother died..." I winced. "How did that happen? Did she forgive you considering you basically poisoned your sister?"
"Breast cancer," I said bitterly, the words feeling so poisonous on my tongue. I just... "She didn't speak to me for a good few years. But I was her daughter. I'll never be a mother, I'll never understand a mother's love, but I know she cared for me... Right to the end," I sighed. "And cancer is just a bitch, isn't it? When it claimed my mother, it was like re-living my father's death all over again. Watching her slowly turn to dust until the memories slipped between my fingers and disappeared with the wind." I sighed.
"Sad," Caecilius got the information he wanted, he got the sob story. "And she died how long before the Victor Games?"
"Five years before."
"And how did the following five years go?"
"I coped, I kind of stopped my party girl lifestyle. Stayed at home watching old Games footage over and over again," I smiled. "It was good to live my glory daus, or watch my father in his glory days. I didn't want to be in another Hunger Games, though."
"So when the twist for the two-hundredth Games came along what did you think?"
I didn't think anything, I knew what was happening. A secret rebellion was stirring from within the Capitol, lead by the Head Gamemaker wh had convinced many rebels to help him tear down the Capitol. But the President was one step ahead, Harrius died in a 'tragic car accident', leaving his best friend Tobias to lead the next Games with his widow, Ruth, in the Deputy Head position. Coincidentally the Games following involved every Victor coming in and only one Victor going out. I knew these Games were rigged and solely political. I couldn't actually say that out loud, though.
"I was... shocked," I lied. "Very shocked."
Cecilius looked unsatisfied with my answer, but pressed on: "It wasn't a regular Reaping, was it? Every Victor had to pack their bags two weeks before the Games started, get dressed all fancy and leave their District on a red carpet. How did that feel?"
"I was in the most Career filled District," I laughed. "And I got the most attention because I'd won two Games before, which was satisfying. But I knew barely anyone would accept me because I was a threat. I embraced that. Every alliance I'd ever been in collapsed and almost dragged me down with it, so I stood strong and alone and strode down that red carpet. I acted glamorous and confident, and I should have. But I was approaching my fifties and I knew I had to be scared. I was still extremely skilled and strong but I knew I now had to rely on my wits that bit more."
"So, we never found out, but chariot rides carried on as normal with the Hunger Games double centennial parade," I remembered the parade; a celebration of the mass blood that had occurred in the previous two centuries. As every tribute went out, amazingly well dressed for the event, they shot out fireworks that animated the most famous Hunger Games scenes over the past two centuries. Thousands of Capitolian children dressed up as previous dead tributes and followed us. There were so many themed floats that were on the parade; I was surrounded by dancers, singers, musicians and artists who praised the bloodshed and sang for the mass bloodshed that would inevitably follow.
"And we didn't see you until two weeks after this event... Games preparations usually take a week, what happened?"
"This wasn't like any other Games," I paused. "We weren't strangers who could happily kill each other and forget it, we all knew each other. I'd known Cadia Hathaway and her kids Melanthe and Breviary..." I paused. All of them were dead now. "I'd been mentored by Melisen Hargress and successfully led Jett Long and Riya Anas to Victory. And now they were my enemies? The Capitol knew the entertainment value of it all. So they made us interact with each other every single night, sometimes over drinks, sometimes as we sat down and reminisced over the past Games. While the Capitol anticipated we relaxed... It was odd," I chuckled. "But funny."
"Right..." Cecilius sounded disturbed. "And then you trained for a week, which gave all of the non-Careers plenty of time to catch up I suppose. You killed it."
"Not exactly," I frowned. "My score of eleven confirmed my suspicions... I wasn't as strong as I used to be. And, to top it all off, I kind of thought my interview was a blunder. I was just glad I didn't pick tricky alliances and chose to go through this whole ordeal alone," I remembered the night before my third and (hopefully) last Games. I just sat there, staring into the nothingness and thinking for the first time that these Games would finally end me and the Blackthorne legacy. I felt so isolated... so uncertain. If it was a regular Games, victorless, I'd think I had this in the bag.
But... That wasn't the case.
"I remembered feeling sick on the first day. Again, they did things unconventionally. Instead of being taken to our transport pods we woke up locked away with our costume and our stylist, given those last tips before we entered the arena," because there were a load of rebellious Victors; if they chose to fight, they may have won, but the Capitol was so paranoid it ensured that it was a step ahead anyone who disobeyed. I knew there were rebellious victors - I could have even named them, but I didn't want to snitch despite thinking their plan was stupid and doomed to fail. And I was right. And I resented that I was right.
"And the arena..."
"When I was lifted up into it my first thought was 'hm, this is a bit familiar,'" I laughed. "They recreate arenas a lot - for example your typical forest arena comes about at least once every three or four years, but this was an exact replica of the very first. The Cornucopia was barely poking out of the swamp and when I looked behind me I only saw dense jungle. It was the exact same arena that we saw in the Quarter Quell, only there were no supplies surrounding us. Looked like the first thing to do was just run away.
As soon as the gong rang, I ran. There was nothing to fight for - there weren't even weapons to kill people with! I still heard people rush into each other, though. Screams rang through the night as I pushed away thick branches, the wet swamp's contents still hovering around my ankles. I knew that the last arena had piranhas and a whole assortment of baddies and that this wasn't going to end well unless I got on higher ground, because the first Games, which I studied religiously when I was young and impressionable, also saw a lot of tributes get trench foot. I climbed up a tree and waited.
Twenty cannons fired to signify the end of the Bloodbath, and following that, in a short space of time, were four cannons - so quickly, one after the other. I could barely believe it myself. A whole arena's worth of tributes just died... In one day. I intuited that just being trained and strong wasn't going to help me, considering that they weren't even going to give anyone supplies. So after narrowly avoiding alligators to get to a rock, I crafted makeshift weapons with sticks. Not my most dignified moment.
But it wasn't going to get any better because gas seeped in out of nowhere. It surrounded me, choking and oppressing me as I desperately tried to escape it. As I rushed away I could see a kid I had mentored, a quick, competent kid - Jett..." I paused, reflecting all my old memories about him. He was dead now. But I liked him a lot, and we had a lot of shared good and memories together... And to think it accounted to nothing. "Maybe if it wasn't for the gas we'd have tried to kill each other or would have struck up an alliance. But we slumped asleep."
"Oh dear," Caecilius grinned. He had a habit of managing to act shocked despite knowing the story like it was the back of his hand. "Do tell us about the next day, what you woke up too..."
"I was randomly placed somewhere in a totally different arena," I paused. "At first I thought I was dreaming as the butterflies danced around me. I was surrounded by beautiful flowers and a gorgeous mountain stood amongst crystal skies. I thought that I had died and that this was some kind of heaven. I lay there for a second, stirring as the faces of those who had died yesterday filled the sky. The elderly Victors and the Victors that happened to win by chance in their Games had all been decimated. Everyone who I shared an arena with was exceptionally strong, quick, sneaky, skilled or smart. I expected to see my face in the ocean blue sky. But I was alive.
And I had to get out of here.
I stood up, looking around the flower filled meadow for other tributes desperately. They were probably somewhere else in this deadly Garden of Eden, but they weren't in sight. I also knew that the surrounding flowers were poisonous and I had to get away. All the supplies that I had from a day ago were gone. I felt confused, tired and empty as I rushed away from the mountain - which I knew was a volcano.
And then I bumped into someone..."
Caecilius straightened up a bit, smirking.
"She was rushing towards the mountain, which was a weird plan. Her sword fell out of her hands and we both fell to the ground. There was Cadia Hathaway, a woman I hadn't really spoken to despite knowing her for many years and despite us sharing a District. I knew I had to get my hands on the sword she had dropped. She tried crawling towards it but I kicked her away and watched her fall into the dirt. The handle felt cold around my palms and as I stood up she rose with me very slowly..." I felt a chill run up my spine at the memory. "She was pleading me with her eyes. She knew that one silly mistake her made her from a top contender to the next Victim. I knew she had children. A whole family. A set of friends. But I barely knew her, so fuck it, I knew I could do it. Before she could respond I thrust the weapon into her gut."
"And thus you killed the winner of the one-hundredth and sixty-ninth Games, a powerful Victor and mother," Caecilius smiled. "It was only last year when her daughter Melanthe entered the Games... She came second, too."
"I was her mentor, of course I know that," I snapped. "I never felt bad about killing Cadia. There was a second of remorse, but I did what I had to do. I did what the Capitol wanted me to do, and we all know that's what's important. But then I met her daughter. I saw, right in front of me, how my misdeeds had affected other people's lives. And now she's dead, her father's dead, her sister's dead, her mother's dead." I spat. "I still don't regret it... But... I just wish things went differently..."
"Please, continue with the rest of the story."
"I managed to find some kind of orchard. I knew a lot of the food was poisonous. I waited around under trees and watched the ferocious squirrel mutts eat the food. If it killed them, I'd know it was poisonous. If it didn't, I managed to eat something for the first time in over twenty-four hours. It was great." I paused. "Two more people died. I don't know how, but the District kids - or adults now too - were obviously being hunted by Careers like in the previous years, because despite being a minority they were beginning to make up the majority of deaths. The young and elderly were also basically decimated, which made me anxious because I knew I didn't have age on my side. I managed to eat for the first time in forever, but it was only pickings.
Picture this... I was powerful. I'd scraped through my last Games easily, and whilst I didn't always get through in the lap of luxury, I always had food. I always had powerful allies behind me. And now I have nothing, and because of the stupid changing arena I'd wake up tomorrow with no supplies, even the sword I'd managed to snag from my victim would be gone. I wondered if this twist was boring for the audience, who watched as everybody struggled, where everybody was set back - even the Careers they often admired. Then again, maybe they got entertainment watching us kill each other with our bare hands, rocks or sponsor gifts that we were so dependent on.
I barely slept a wink, but knew I didn't have to, because the Gamemakers obviously sent the sleeping gas to knock us all out and cart us off in the new arena.
When I woke up, it was pretty unpleasant. I didn't even have time to assess the arena, all I knew was that cannons were firing off in succession to each other. I was perched on top of a tree and I watched with horror as large wall seemed to be moving quickly in the distance. It stretched up to the sky, and looked like it was filled with spikes. It was one of the traps in the Hunger Games, and was rushing towards me, threatening to skewer me into nothing. No doubt it had done its job already. I threw myself out of the tree, knowing I had to run back towards the Cornucopia and safely navigate myself around the clock arena so that I could avoid it's many traps and tricks. I just needed to keep my head together.
I hurried desperately, evading the spiked wall and managing to get to the centre of the arena, the watery Cornucopia. It was completely devoid of supplies, but I could discern what time it was. If the spiked wall activated itself between five and six, the next trap would be initiated soon: the giant, bird like creature which could swoop people in its claws like they were insects would hunt within the hour, no doubt there would be deaths then. Considering we would only be in this arena for a day, it would be best to go into one of the dormant sectors of the arena, as their traps would never be activated again.
But then again, so many other tributes - the majority of the tributes who knew the famous Third Quarter Quell - would already have that idea, and the now safe areas would be the ones teeming with tributes. The large group of Careers would probably be there, too. I barely knew who was alive. Around eighty of us entered the first arena, all cluttered. I think at least half of us had died. So many people I knew, some people I could even consider friends, were probably dead. I sat around the Cornucopia, splashing the salt water on my face wake myself up and be alert. Then I left for another segment of the arena, one which I knew was safe for the foreseeable future."
Caecilius was writing down furiously, just looking at me. He seemed to interrupt quite often, but this time he had barely pressed me. I wondered what he was thinking.
"I went into an area which was dormant, and when activated wasn't very dangerous, one filled with noisy insects, which weren't really much of a pest. I was weary of staying in one place, because next to me was the area where a tsunami would be activated in a matter of hours. I survived by eating the silent insects and drinking distilled water out of the trees. I even managed to construct a minor fire with sticks and stones. I didn't even think there was a point in making anything permanent, though sharpening a few sticks into makeshift shivs seemed sensible enough.
I also had to plan for the next arena. The fourth Quarter Quell had an arena that was focused around underground bunkers that were filled with humanoid like creatures that grew extremely strong in the night - near indestructible. Hopefully they would sort out the stupider Careers. I needed to go into that arena knowing that I had to craft a hiding place during the night so that they couldn't get me.
I was so still in my thoughts that I barely noticed the foot that came down on my fire, kicking logs aside so that the ashes were extinguished."
"Uncharacteristically unobservant," Caecilius remarked.
"Yeah... First rule of Career training is to always pay attention to your surroundings," I sighed. "Even when you go to sleep you have to sleep knowing you could jolt awake and run or fight at the slightest noise. I was just... I had a lot of shit on my mind," I explained. "When I looked up I saw a familiar, pretty blonde face. Last year's Victor, Terrilee Jones. She was a District Two girl who powered her way to Victory; she was young, and exceptionally talented to boot. A little dumb, but clever enough to craft decent tactics and avoid being outsmarted by her allies.
Still, I was smarter.
I remember her smug smile. "Oh, look. It's the ultimate Victor." I made sure to let my weapons remained concealed. I wanted her to see me as defenceless. "You don't look ultimate right now, do you?"
I let her grab me by my collar. I was taller and heavier than she was, but she could still lift me and look me in the eyes. She was holding a small dagger - she'd obviously been sponsored it. The fact she'd been sponsored a dagger had told me a lot about what people thought of her chances. But before I could even plan anything, I was shocked to see that there were a lot of District Two kids behind her, including Jett. All of them were people I knew on a first name basis... And yet they looked happyto see me so weak and vulnerable before them." In that moment I realised how twisted the Games could be, for the first time I felt like a weak outer District kid and not a Career, I even sympathised with them. I couldn't tarnish my image, though.
"It's Jynx," Jett said, calmly as ever. He had been Terrilee's mentor, so it seemed as if their bond was still tight. It seemed as if this small pack had comprised of most of the District Two Victors, especially the more young, able ones. But I had expected a much larger group, considering the Careers usually banded together and most Victors wereCareers. Something wasn't right.
Jett tried to reason for me to be part of the alliance. Tried to convince Terrilee and the other, bloodthirsty Twos that I was a Career and that I could be a huge asset, especially now that most of the live tributes were as strong as the average Career now. He wasn't going to throw our mentor-student bond away for the convenience of a kill, I appreciated him for it," I smiled.
"But Terrilee wasn't swayed."
"No, she'd always been a headstrong bitch and when I first moment I saw her in the training centre I knew it would get her killed one day," I smirked a little. "She said to Jett - "What happened the last time we brought another into our group because you didn't want to kill a friend? Medina was killed!" I felt my stomach turn a little; Medina was the first girl I mentored who charged to Victory," I explained. "She was a well behaved, smart, efficient girl. And now she was dead. But I focused first and foremost on my own survival. While Terrilee turned around to lecture Jett, I slammed the wooden shiv into her eye. I felt her grip on me cease immediately and knew that I had to get away.
I turned and ran as a cannon echoed. A few arrows volleyed past me as I zigzagged to avoid their ranged weapons, knowing that it was almost time for the tsunami trap to be activated in the sector next to us. If I could lead all of them into their dooms, even Jett," I paused. "Well, I'd survive and they wouldn't.
I managed to evade them. It was pretty difficult, I got an arrow stuck right through my shoulder," I showed him the flesh on the front of my shoulder, a jagged white scar barely visible. "That hurt like hell. When I got into the next sector it seemed as if my prayers were answered though. It was terrifying when I saw another group of Careers running towards me, mostly One kids but there were people from other Career Districts, but then I realised the massive group of Careers had probably splintered into many factions. Factions that hated each other much more than they hated other tributes.
I turned left and ran, hoping that they'd run into each other. Judging by the angry cries and screams behind me, I was pretty sure it did. Cannons started blasting in succession to each other as I continued sprinting."
"And then..."
"And then I heard the tsunami, the earth shook. I thought I was a goner because I hadn't ran far enough, but it rose there, high and mighty for everybody to see. Eyes widened and I sprinted as much as I could while the tsunami engulfed everything it could, forcing everyone into the gullet of death. I knew all those Careers had to have died, but I didn't even have time to think. I just felt wet spray hit my back and I was launched forwards into darkness."
"And you survived..."
"Yeah, I didn't get the worst of it," I grimaced. I had seen the footage of what had happened after the Games. "The tsunami's most devastating effects were basically diminished because I had only been brushed by it, I'd almost evaded it. It was strong enough to force me forwards, face first and knock out clean cold, though it didn't kill me. And when I woke up amongst dirt and darkness I immediately knew which arena I was in - the burrowed out arena they used for the fourth Quarter Quell. And I had no idea what time it was, meaning that the mutts could be at their strongest. I needed to dig myself into a safe space, and I needed some kind of light.
I silently crawled around everywhere I could, only freezing once when a cannon had fired. I barely had any idea how far into the day we were. I didn't know how many of us were left. In terms of arenas to fulfil we were halfway through, but how much of the competition had been bumped off? Of the many who entered the arena, I knew dozens of tributes - some of them the smartest and strongest tributes known - were dead. But I was still alive. That was enough to keep me going forwards, despite the fact I was damp, cold, dirty and bruised to shit.
Eventually I saw some kind of light source. It was a light at the end of the tunnel, literally. It propelled me forwards and I saw a guy with distinctive elven features and large, crackled spectacles struggle as he started to dig a burrow for himself. He was practically forming his own safe haven. I was pretty sure that he had rigged the place with traps - he was famous for it, after all. Devon Briggs was notable for being a trickster. But he'd barely had any time to unleash his tricks, and he didn't know that I was there. I carefully navigated myself forwards, hoping to god that he hadn't left any traps.
He hadn't.
Before he even had time to acknowledge me I made sure my feet had pressed themselves into his throat. He barely had time to react or fight. He wasn't noted for his strength. He struggled for a second before I felt his windpipe cave in, then he slumped. He'd managed to make a handy makeshift shovel with wood and sharpened rock, but beyond that the current arena we were in barely gave us any time to gather an abundance of supplies that could give Devon the big advantage. I hoped he'd died quick..." I paused. "I liked Devon. He was a nice guy, thoughtful. Whenever I lost a tribute in the arena he'd always make sure to send flowers and chocolates... He didn't deserve what I did to him.
I continued with his dirty work, using the shovel he had given me. I didn't really know what to do with the body, whether it was worth leaving there or not. Once I dug myself a neat little hiding spot I grabbed the lantern Devon had used for light. I didn't want to extinguish it, but I didn't want to attract tributes the way Devon's light had attracted me. So I took off his shirt..." I paused. "And used it to darken the lantern. I wondered how he got it or made it. Considering I only saw dirt, I wish I had the mind Devon had. Maybe I could've even struck up some kind of alliance.
But this was the Victor's Games. It was truly every man for himself, and this Games would only last eight days. Eight epic days, but still a short time nonetheless. I was willing to bet that elsewhere in the arena there were epic dramas. There'd be betrayals, unlikely friendships, heartbreak - two victors were married afterall - Careers from District Four. I was pretty sure the girl was dead, too. But I was just isolated, slowly growing stir crazy as I hid in a hole and hoped for the best.
Eventually I drifted off to sleep, curled up in the foetal position, feeling lonely and vulnerable.
When I woke up, I noticed there were multiple cannons all firing every few minutes, almost in succession to each other, one going off at least every ten minutes. It made me jolt awake and alert. As the days dragged on I noticed that less cannons fired, but the death rate was starting to pick up. And I knew why... Because it was night. Because the arena was now at its most dangerous.
I made sure the lantern I had didn't emit any light at all, even pushing it between my back and the damp wall of my hideout as I gripped my shovel, hoping to use it to kill anything that tried to get in. The cannons seemed to go silent, but then I heard agonised screams. Probably the most pained screams I'd ever heard... And well," I smirked. "You can trust I've heard pain."
"Yes, yes I can."
"'Lunas!'" The male voice kept screaming, growing more and more agonised. Lunas was an old District Twelve guy - he won the one hundredth and forty ninth Games. He was talented back in the day, though I didn't expect him to have made it so far. Was Lunas the one dying? Considering I heard somebody roaring in pain, they were calling out to him. His screams grew louder and more tortured, they ended with a whimper and ceased completely, being replaced by cannon fire. Poor guy... Those monsters must have ripped him apart.
I heard noise. I was terrified; if those monsters found me, considering how scarily fast and strong they were... I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to take them. Ragged breathing filled the burrow and I saw the old, bearded man crawl into the hole desperately. He was soaked with blood and had claw marks trailing down his arms and stomach. When he saw me, he looked absolutely terrified.
"Jynx..." He acknowledged me. "I-I need your help..."
I could barely see him, my eyes had only just adjusted to the dark. But I made sure to glare at him.
"Jynx... Please..."
I knew I had to kill him. He needed my help, so what? This was the Hunger Games, not a charity," I paused. "Can I have a drink now?"
"No. Tell me what happened."
"You know."
"Remind us. From your perspective."
"I knew Lunas may have appeared to be an old man, but he just let another District victor out there get savaged, literally savaged, and I knew he must have had some skill to be an old man who made it halfway through the Victor Games the way he did. I knew he could've maybe even put up a good fight. So I feigned lowering my shovel and saw the relief spread across Lunas' face. He seemed to drop his guard as I hoped. Then his hand... It snatched for the lantern... At the moment you have to understand that I thought he was going to use it as a weapon," I tried justifying it all. "I thought he was going to attack me. So I smashed the shovel into his face and knocked him away, and before he could make any further noise and draw any creatures I dug the shovel into his skull."
I didn't want to tell Caecilius how bad I felt. I didn't even know if he was going to attack me or not.
"All murder is justified in the Hunger Games," Caecilius said simply. I agreed with him I guess - you had to do what you had to do to be victor. "And fighting in self defence particularly so."
"I would have killed him anyway," I said coldly. "It doesn't matter if he planned to kill me or give me a hug. I knew I wanted to kill him.
It was already night. I didn't need the Gamemakers' sleeping gas to fall asleep. I curled up, vulnerable again. I didn't remember anything else that night, the only other time I was on high alert was when they came..."
"They?"
"Yes. I don't even know if I was seeing straight but I swear I saw bony hands reach out and grab Lunas by his hands," I explained. "His corpse was protruding from my hiding spot. Whatever grabbed him didn't detect me, or wasn't interested. But it dragged him away, and I remained on high alert for the rest of the night because I'm pretty sure I heard it feasting away at him..."
"Ah. Morbid," Caecilius said dismissively. He probably knew what happened to Lunas. They wouldn't literally devour a tribute, right? I mean, they always ensured tributes' bodies were returned. But some tributes were literally torn into nothing, and I knew when they cleaned the tributes' bodies up for the funeral they sometimes fixed them with artificial limbs. My gut almost dropped when I realised that on some occasions they probably weren't even sending the original kid home.
But it was the Hunger Games. As much as I had my doubts sometimes, I knew these things had to happen. The Hunger Games was a tradition we all reluctantly accepted. It was a morbid but effective way of keeping stability alive. And in the grand scheme of things, do the lives of twenty-three kids matter when the majority would left to rot in an impoverished District anyway?"
I pressed onto the next day without Caecilius prompting me. "I already expected the next arena, because I knew the next arena would revolve around the fifth Quarter Quell. I woke up in a forest with leaves of gold and blue; a constant rainbow put its way into the sky, which was ironic because rainbows were supposed to be happy... Colourful things are always happy, right?" I smiled. "But this arena was not happy. It was supposed to be like something from a fairytale, with enchanted caves run by goblins, fairy filled forests and a castle with a big tower. But the fairies would tear you into little pieces, the goblins weren't friendly either and the castle was always a disaster waiting to happen. It had a dragon under it.
The Careers claimed the castle for their own, which was why they didn't win because as soon as it was the final eight that dragon tore itself out of the ground and the Careers were either dragon food or cooked into something resembling dragon food. Nobody would go near that castle, nobody smart who knew what it held underneath it. But I knew it would hunt eventually.
I needed to hide and find water.
I found a pond, and was weary when I saw the frogs that slept on lily pads. They slept until they were woken up by a true love's kiss, or any contact really. Then they woke up and sprayed out a poisonous substance or strangled you with their elastic tongue. I used a sharp piece of rock under the lake to take them all out one by one. Then I decided that if the dragon was going to be released, I would hide underneath the pond where I was shielded from flame and hidden from view. Knowing it was filtered enough, I gladly took a few drinks out of the pond and decided that I could probably find some food in the abandoned medieval village the arena had to offer.
When I ransacked it and found bread and even meat in an old, abandoned inn, I heard a cannon. It was almost shocking to hear one despite the massacre last night. I was right when I surmised that as time went on there'd be fewer deaths, probably because there were less of us to kill. I was even willing to reckon that there were only about fifteen of us left out of the many that came in. And now the fifteen best tributes were alive and walking around, and I had to face them. Bring it on.
I walked home wondering how many people I'd killed - I was pretty sure it was four. Four acquaintances. But the days had blurred so quickly I didn't really know how I felt. I just knew I had killed people, and I was okay with that.
The day was pretty uneventful. I even managed to nap at the side of the pond, though considering the fierce competition I was naturally very wide-awake. The only time I woke up was when I was greeted with two cannons, one firing very sharply after another. In an arena where the brawniest or brightest roamed, I think I knew exactly what it took to do the job. Holding my breath, I jumped underneath the pond and waited -
Though I got the fright of my life when I saw the pale, dead face of Raena Tinburn. She was a District Six Victor who became famous for her resourcefulness. She'd literally killed Careers with tin cans. And now somebody had killed her and thrown her into the river. She looked so peaceful, though the river had bloated her to the point where she was almost unrecognisable. But that didn't matter. She was dead and I was alive. I managed to keep myself under the pond for minutes, emerging only to take quick gulps of oxygen. It kept me safe until the gas came, though another tribute wasn't quite so lucky.
When I woke up I was, once again, prepared. The first totally indoor arena was introduced during the sixth Quarter Quell. Its Victor managed to live to this Quarter Quell, though the poor dear was old and probably killed in the Bloodbath. She didn't get to see the arena that made her. Sadly for me I would... if I managed to survive until tomorrow.
"Hello tributes," the commentator announced, suspiciously jovial.
"You've been giving us all the entertainment we hoped for and more," the commentator said. "It's not even been a week and we've had it all! We've seen people become lovers and friends, we've seen people lose lovers and friends, we've seen old relationships boil in ways we anticipated and ways we never expected! And yet, despite so many of you dying in wonderful and new ways, there are still too many of you living. You see, from the very start we knew that there would be eight days. Eight arenas. And there are twelve of you left.
The final eight starts tomorrow.
That means that you won't be in this arena for twenty-four hours. In three hours time you will certainly be acquainted with an interesting mutt. If you can evade it, it will lead you to the other tributes. When eight of you are left we'll send the sleeping gas and you can sleep very tight because we all know how interesting tomorrow will be. It will be simply explosive."
I knew what that pun meant. I had lived that arena before, and its potential for destruction was... I didn't want to think.
But I knew mutts would be chasing me. I had to evade whatever those Gamemakers were going to use to make it to the final eight. If I had to kill every last tribute to ensure we made it to the final eight, I would. I felt the adrenaline surge through me as I scanned the room I was in - it was like every other room, an intersection with cushioned, white walls that all looked identical. Simply looking at it gave me a headache; the lights were bright ahead of me. But I saw the darkness creep into the room and I knew that the mutt was here, a creeping black mist that looked as if it could consume anything.
It was creeping from the right of me. I knew it could go so fast it could consume me before I could even blink, but this was just a fun game and the rules were simple: entertain by running and looking scared. I certainly did the former, but I wasn't scared," I lied to Caecilius. Wondered if he believed it. In the camera footage I knew my face looked resolute, but I'd taught myself to always keep such a facial expression. I ran to one of the doors that refused to open because it needed some kind of ID for access. The thing was creeping closer before I found a regular door and pushed my way through it.
I found another blank intersection, though a skeletal figure in a lab coat lay in the middle of it. I rushed towards it, kicked it and ensured its skull smashed just in case it was alive and searched its pocket quickly for a key card. The thing was looming at the doorway, sucking the door into nothingness as if it had just changed the face of gravity. Whenever it came close I felt horribly cold and even empty. I ran, using the key card to open the nearest key-card door. When the slid slid behind me, I almost collapsed with relief. I thought I was safe...
Until I saw the thing right in front of me, its force almost sucking me into its vast nothingness. A cannon fired in the distance, but thankfully it wasn't mine.
I used the keycard to get out, knowing the Gamemakers wanted to lead me towards tributes and wherever I planned to go was not where tributes were. Instead of a doorway, the corridor to my right displayed some interesting elevator. I rushed towards that, the doors slamming shut behind me. I didn't know what floor to go on, so just slammed my fist onto the highest floor. I didn't know if I was trying to get as close to one of the tributes as possible or as far away.
It was almost a relief when the elevator stopped. The power that made it rise seemed to dissolve into nothingness and all was still as I plunged into darkness; it was good that I wasn't in one of the corridors. I was probably the most protected tribute out there. But that also made me the most boring tributes, and I didn't want the Gamemakers to send that shadow like mutt after me. No doubt they weresending that creepy mutt after me. If I didn't know a way out and I was stuck in an elevator with it, what chance did I have?
I realised the top of the elevator had an emergency latch, so I managed to clamber to the top of said elevator. I was surrounded by what seemed to be a vast tunnel of darkness. Thick, metallic chords that suspended the elevator seemed like an easy exit. So I gripped onto them. They cut into my hands, but I used them to climb high. Eventually I got to the top of the building. I kicked down the strong doors that separated the corridor from the elevator shaft, stepping out.
I barely had time to react before somebody crashed into me and send me sprawling. It was Malika Munro, who won due to her extreme proficiency at the martial arts. She was on her feet in seconds and I felt her foot crash into my stomach. She tried to kick me again, but I grabbed her foot just in time and launched her backwards. From underneath the door behind Malika I saw the creeping shadows and knew that I had to keep her down so that she could be consumed by said shadow.
Before I could even acknowledge her presence there were lightning quick punches. She broke my nose and it's safe to say I got a black eye from the second punch. I knew I had to get out of here; she didn't have any idea of the mutt creeping slowly behind her. When she turned and acknowledged it, frozen in fear for that vital second, I played dirty; I grabbed her by the hair and smashed her face into the wall violently. I grated her face into the wall again and left her limp. When I turned and ran, I heard her agonised screams and knew the mutt had her. Maybe it would spend its time consuming her, leaving it distracted too. I think I was right because I was left well alone. Eventually her cannon fired and I found myself in an empty room, the only objects in it were filled filing cabinets.
I didn't know what to do. My first instinct was to shove the filing cabinets against the wall, to block things out, but that would make an escape difficult for me too. What if the shadowy mutt came in and I struggled to get out on time? I'd be screwed. I felt so lost and waited by the side of the door, praying that there was something I could do. If somebody came through the door I planned to grab them by their neck and tear my nails into their jugular if I had to.
But I didn't.
I didn't even notice I fell asleep, but it was before the gas came. And somehow it wasn't me who died, despite being stupid enough to lie around and sleep. I wondered who died, but didn't have time to think about it. I paused, rising slightly. This was myarena. I knew it well because I had been here twenty-five years ago, and I still remembered it like the back of my hand - my sister died here. I trembled as I stood, wondering how long I'd been lying cold. I was shaking and felt nauseous. I needed to get into a radiation suit before I got seriously ill. It may have taken about three days last time to kill tributes, but I didn't want to get sick.
I rushed towards the nearest room I could find which I knew had radiation suits. I forced myself into them, wondering what I could do. How many tributes were there? ... Seven others, considering the Gamemakers wanted to whittle twelve tributes down to eight so desperately. I made sure all of my skin was covered by radiation protecting substances and hoped the other tributes forgot that this arena was radiation infested and I contemplated my chances of survival. I made it into the final eight which was pretty miraculous. I was certain that everyone involved in the Games now was either a Career or an exceptional tribute with the prowess to bring an average Career to shame. But I still had a chance. After everything, the thought of living again brought life to me.
I had been afraid… Afraid to make alliances, afraid to fight and even afraid to live. I thought me being older would hinder me. But I had a score of eleven, and even if people underestimated me I knew I was fucking smart when the situation demanded it. If I wanted to win, I couldn't sit around and contemplate life. I had to grip these Games by the reigns. If that meant I had to be an antagonist to survive and get home, so fucking be it.
I knew I was killing people with families - mothers, brothers, sisters, fathers, husbands, wives, cousins, friends... And so much more than that. But I'd done it before. What was to stop me doing it now?
There were no weapons, but I managed to find a crowbar. That was all I needed for the day.
Eventually an announcement came. Considering we were at the final eight, I kind of expected it:
"Tributes, congratulations on making the final eight! A prestigious achievement indeed. Not just have you made it to the final eight of twenty-four randomly selected tributes, you have made it to the final eight out of seventy-one victors. All of those victors, and you, yes you, are in the final eight." My heart almost skipped a beat. "This means that things are going to be more intense than ever. The Games are truly going to have to be the most entertaining, we demand it," there was a smile. "There will be a feast towards the end of the day. Unless you have been smart enough to find preventative measures to shield yourself from radiation, which very few of you have, you will have been poisoned." I paused. Had I acted in time? "The arena is filled with very aggressive background radiation; for those who forgot this arena was radioactive, too bad. If any of you had presumed the radiation was as mild as the radiation in the one-hundredth and seventy-fifth Games, too bad. Until then, toodle-oo!"
I didn't know if I was poisoned or not. I think I was fine, bar a mild fever. Radiation poison could've gotten a lot worse by now, right?
But I didn't care. Whether I was safe or not I had to go. It's where everyone else would be - where sick people would be. It was like a herd of deer all lining up for the lion, I had to take the opportunity."
"And you took it?"
"You know I did," I smirked.
"When Leein announced the feast would take place in the nuclear bomb area, I knew how to get there before everyone else, and I knew what I had to do to make sure every single tribute was eliminated. I planned to get there before anyone else could stumble into the arena, that way I would have the element of surprise. But the Gamemakers must've known that it would've been easy pickings - as I passed through one of the corridors I was confronted by reptilian like creatures with wings that crawled along the walls of one of the corridors. A mutt I hadn't fought before," I paused. "If you want to know what happens when you cross a bad amount of gene altering radiation with a creature, well, you have your answer."
"And you defeated them?"
"No," I admitted. "They were too strong and I was virtually weaponless. I managed to evade them, but they ensured I didn't get to the nuclear bomb area where the feast was taking place. A cannon had already fired and I was running out of time. After managing to lock them away from me via a useful steel door, I used air vents to clamber my way back onto my original path. When I walked towards the doorway of the nuclear weapon area I sucked in a breath and waited. This was it, I was almost there. I could hear the screams as people fought.
And then a figure rushed past me, so fast I barely got a glimpse of them. I almost stumbled off my feet. I should've killed them, but they were out of my sight and certainly weren't a threat. They didn't try to kill me.
The bottom floor of the nuclear weapons room was exactly how I imagined it. I remembered the District Nine girls as they desperately tried to kill Styx and channelled that anger into killing the remaining tributes. Bar one, who was strangling a District Four victor, they were all Careers and they were fighting so desperately they didn't even recognise me. I hid behind one of the huge rockets and remembered exactly what happened when I pressed that red button; the flames from the rockets incinerated everything in the vast, metallic lower floors. If I were to set off the rockets it would fry everyone beneath.
But I had to get to the control room, and get to it sneakily.
As the others were stupid enough to fight I darted behind any metallic counters I could, managing to get some of the medicine to help cure radiation sickness before sneaking to the staircase that led to the button that I desperately wanted to press. I eventually got to the control room but before I made it to the big, red button I was adamant to press I felt something tighten around my throat with a painful force. Before I could even splutter loudly I was launched backwards into a glass pane.
"Everyone else didn't catch you," the beautiful District One Victor, Amelie Darke, told me with a grin. "But I did."
Somehow I expected Amelie to make it to the final seven; she was strong, smart and her abilities with a whip were second to none. She was also beautiful and charismatic. I managed to duck as the next crack of a whip shattered glass, the sound being accompanied by another cannon. Acting quickly, I grabbed the nearest chair and launched it at Amelie. Like I expected she dodged it quite easily, but the attack had launched her off balance. While she was distracted I charged at her, gripping her by her hair and launching her down onto the lower floors.
There was a horrific crack and I was pretty sure the fall had injured her enough, but my neck was dripping with blood and I knew I had to act fast. There were three tributes down there, one potentially critically injured. They had to die.
I heard shouts and clamours as I rushed to the nearest button and pressed it, and then all noise was drowned out by the rockets' roar. They shot into the air, leaving an inferno in their wake. I could barely hear the three cannons underneath the flames. I was also pretty injured. Last time I killed people via nuclear weapon, I protected myself from the noise. Now my ears were bleeding and I think I lay for many hours before I had the strength to take my anti radiation sickness medicine. The day was almost over, and there had been no more deaths. It was the final three.
Tomorrow I would either make Hunger Games history or be dead. I didn't know what was scarier.
I should've slept there and then, but I wasted my energy walking. And I knew where I wanted to go; it wasn't far away. I found myself standing in the room where Styx died. It was so empty and grey... And last time I was it there was a light smudge of blood there which no longer remained. It had been twenty-five years since I lost my sister," I paused, the sadness flooding back as if I were with her yesterday. "And I thought I was over it. We all move on in time, right? That's how it felt, but when you revisit the past it comes back..." I paused. "I wanted to commemorate her, but I had no way to. So I just sat in the spot where she released her last breath and let myself fall asleep there." I didn't want to Caecilius, but I curled up into a ball and cried too.
"And then the grand finale... you and two others."
"Yes."
"What arena did you expect? After all, you'd visited all the Quarter Quell arenas."
"I expected... Well, I didn't know what to expect. But I definitely didn't expect to wake up on a catwalk. I was at the end, surrounded by lights. It was impossible to leave the catwalk because of a force field that trapped me in there. And then there was an audience screaming my name, and a large screen projecting my confused expression. I wondered if I won. This was usually where the chariot rides commenced, but here I was, standing around confused and scared. I knew that whatever was happening I had to go down that catwalk.
And then a voice announced:
"Greetings tributes. You are the top three tributes in the history of the Hunger Games, surviving every arena thrown to them and coming out into the Capitol alive," there was a ominous chuckle and the Capitolian audience looked really excited. I realised many of them were giving uniformed attendants handfuls and handfuls of money. "But it isn't over yet. Here in the Capitol, you are expected to make it alive to the centre stage and fight in front of us all to show us who the ultimateVictor is." I paused. "But your fate is now partially in the Capitol's hands; they have given us lots of money to ensure this moment is much more dramatic, for a price they will be able to launch traps at you. Will you even make it to the centre stage?
We'll just have to find out..."
As soon as his voice faded, there was the sound of a gong. I didn't even know what to do, but then a young Capitolian child shrieked with delight and launched what looked like a dagger right at me. Her aim was off and it didn't hit, but worryingly it did go through the forcefield. I knew what I had to do and I sprinted forward and realised what the Capitolians had paid for - they had paid to help kill me. And it was pretty extreme if they paid extreme amounts. I heard explosions erupt behind me, I ducked as spiked sphere rushed over my head and fireworks crackled in front of me.
But I was too quick for them; most of them were untrained, and their throw was off. Most weapons wouldn't even get through the forcefield, thankfully, but I was still being barraged with a storm of deadly objects. My adrenaline rushed higher than ever as I saw the centre stage get close. In the corner of my eye, running through another of the catwalks, Miriam Paul, a District Three Victor I didn't expect to get so far, was hobbling. She was obviously ill and I knew that she musn't have gotten the radiation cure. She was usually quick and strong, but now she was weak and the Capitol were taunting her by piercing her with sharp objects, purposely injuring her but keeping her alive so they could laugh at her misery.
She was finally euthanised when what looked like a firework hit her square in the chest, exploding and sending her flying to the floor where she lay still. A cannon fired.
And pain ran through me as an arrow tore its way into my calf. I tried desperately to make it to the centre stage despite the searing pain. When I made it the audience that were so eager to see me die only a second ago were cheering wildly and the forcefield seemed to grow thicker - I realised why. Now they couldn't pay to try and kill me. This was a battle now.
When I saw the face opposite, I almost felt my jaw collapse with shock.
"Jett..." I said, shocked.
He looked at me almost sadly. He had a knife in his hand; he'd probably seized it from one of the Capitolians. He was resourceful like that. If only I had the same idea - I'd been so concerned on surviving I didn't even plan for the battle ahead.
"Hello, Jynx," he said.
"I... I thought you were dead," I said to him, remembering his face widening with terror only five days before when the tidal wave had risen high above him. I genuinely thought he was dead, and though Jett was a skilled Career I didn't expect him to be skilled enough to be the person I would fight.
"I learn from the best."
He was somebody who I had mentored, somebody who I respected and maybe even considered a friend. And now-" I paused before I finished my sentence. I wanted to tell Caecilius of my brief anger the Capitol for tormenting us with weapons and now expecting us to just kill each other.
"And now?" Caecilius' smile was unsettling, almost as if he knew what I wanted to say.
"And now I had to kill him," I said.
I wanted to negotiate with him, but I realised that couldn't happy. If neither of us fought the Capitol would do something, and it would be severe. Jett seemed to realise that too and he charge towards me. He swung his knife and I jumped back, feeling it nip the wound that Amelie had given me days before.
I tried to grab his wrist and intercept his weapon, but he knew that was exactly what any sensible person would have done. Then I headbutted him, trying to keep calm while the Capitol cheered us on like we were gladiators; while he was distracted I rolled, moving from under his legs and knocking him to the floor with a sweeping kick.
His knife jumped out of his hand, which was exactly what I wanted. I rushed forward but he grabbed me ankle. The Capitol cheered again when my face slammed into the hard, wooden panelling. I felt his fist repeatedly clobber my back. We were fighting so primally and desperately for one stupid weapon – it felt… surreal."
"That's what we wanted," Caecilius grinned. "To see you in your most primal form."
I ignored him, continuing. "I ripped the arrow out of my calm, ignoring the pain and kicked Jett back. Before he could even think of attacking I pinned his hand to the floor with the arrow, rushing towards the knife desperately. I felt sick and weak. I just wanted it to be over with.
Jett tried to resist. I think, due to my age, he was even slightly stronger than I was. But I forced my knee into his groin. I was the ultimate Victor, he didn't stand a chance," I said emptily. "The knife rammed into his chest and I saw his eyes widen once. Unlike so many others, he didn't even give me an accusing look. He understood why I did what he did because he would've done it too.
But I did see that last glimpse of sadness as he faded, his life's end being signalled with a cannon. And that was the end of the Victor Games. The Capitol cheered rabidly as he slumped. I stood up, turning around and looking at their faces, which were so coloured. They were like planets in a galaxy…" Like aliens. "And I was just sitting there, glancing at them, wondering if they were real. Wondering if this was real."
"And then?"
"… There were your cliché celebrations following," I said vaguely. "But the spectacle was much grander, due to it being the Victor Games. I heard three billion credits were spent on those Games," that would be enough to have fed, housed and provided healthcare for every Panemian citizen for at least a decade. "And that was that…"
"So, to end this interview, do you want to tell us any significant changes that happened after the Victor Games? Obviously you were promoted to interviewer to symbolise everything, but anything else?"
Reflecting on the story of how I killed Jett, I realised I was sick of death. I was sick of killing people who I cared for in the ever so futile conquest of fame and fortune. I was sick of losing everyone. I was sick of death.
"No," I said dismissively, not knowing if I felt numb or indescribably sick.
"But we know what happened," Caecilius said, shuffling through his notes. "Though you'd lost your parents, you lost your closest relative, your father's sister…"
"Don't talk about that," I froze, my knuckles going white as my fist squeezed around the doorhandle.
"… To cancer," Caecilius paused as the tears fell down my cheeks. "Like your father." I knew cancer ran in the family. Maybe Styx would have had it if she survived the Games in my place… maybe she'd be in my shoes. "It would be such a shame if we just ended the interview of the year so abruptly," he told me. "Come on, give the Capitol something interesting. Something they'll just want to know."
"Do you want to know everything about me?" I said, my voice shaking.
"This is the Capitol! There are no secrets here!" What a lie; the Capitol was the most secretive place in the world.
"You're obsessed with every sickening detail, aren't you?" I turned around furiously. "You can't get enough of it. You fetishise it. Well do you want to know something shocking?" I snapped. "A tumour started in my liver, which was funny because I only started drinking in excess after I found out I had cancer. Now it's spreading. Breathing becomes a chore now it's spread to my lungs, and it's getting more and more vicious. I've seen both my parents die of cancer and now because in a twist of genetic fate I'm following in their footsteps."
Caecilius didn't even react, though I saw him drop his pen.
"Cadence Blackthorne was the ultimate Victor, I wanted to be like him in every way," I said. "Be careful what you wish for, right? Is that enough detail for you? I'm expecting to see it in print within the next few days." I turned around and stormed out of the room before Caecilius could say anything or express any contrived remorse, but not before bidding him a sweet farewell sarcastically:
"Bye Caecilius. Enjoy your success while it lasts."
Considering I have made like a gazillion references of the 'Victor Games' before, I know Jynx's POV will have a gazillion continuity errors, but this is the best I tried after combing through every single story quickly. Hopefully that was a twist you didn't see coming!
Anyway, reviews are much appreciated :)!