Mags Slate

Mags had always been alone. This had been the case for the last 16 years of her life. Her parents had died in the failed rebellion leaving her an orphan at the age of eight. She had to face the harsh realities of life; starvation, disease and abuse to name few. But there was hope for the young girl. Her ability to make knots and weave baskets earned her the admiration of many a visitor from the Capitol. Naturally, they ignored the young girl from District 4 but paid her for her work. A pitiful amount but enough to survive.

Then President Marcus Snow introduced the Hunger Games. A reminder of the war's failure. A reminder of how the Districts ranked in comparison the Capitol. But the worst part was that they made children aged between 12 and 19 compete in these games. This was no doubt their way of sending a message to the Districts that no generation could ever overcome the Capitol. Kyle Rosenfield from District 9 won the first ever Hunger Games. She was eight years old at that time but even then she realized how it affected the Victor, ultimately reducing them to a shell of the person they once were.

For four years Mags got lucky. Her name was never called. She stood in the crowd watching as the escort called out two children who would then then be taken to the Capitol. They would be interviewed, paraded and ultimately killed. The Victor would tour all Districts and give a speech of how the Capitol was doing wonders for them but their eyes spoke a different story. Another talent Mags had was that she could register people's intentions by the look in their eye. But the fact remains she hadn't been reaped yet, so why should this year be any different?

Reaping day came and Mags presented herself along with the others. She watched as escort Lily Dreaves drew a name from the bowl.

"The female tribute from District 4 for the 8th Hunger Games is Mags Slate!"

Mags went numb, unable to do anything but think I'm going to die. But considering the living conditions of 4, and her current life, maybe death wasn't the worst thing which could happen. Plus, who was to say that she couldn't win. Yes, the odds were stacked against her but there was always a chance.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a couple of peacekeepers pushing her towards the stage. She stumbled slightly but allowed them to push her. Lily then drew another name;

"And the male tribute from District 4 is Heinz Muller!"

"No!" Screeched an old woman among the spectators probably the boy's grandmother. "He's all I have left," she wept, "He's all I've got left."

"It's okay Grandma," a meek blond boy spoke from among the crowd. "We were probably going to die anyway." His eyes became unfocused and he let loose a hysterical laugh before saying, "Now we will be reunited with mother and father in Heaven. Death is a good thing Grandma. It's the best thing."

The boy's grandmother didn't speak but she just pushed past the crowd to reach her grandson. That is until two peacekeepers halted her before they released her at an indication of a woman on stage whom Mags recognized as Mine Davidson, the commanding peacekeeper in the District.

But just a few seconds later, a peacekeeper roughly carried Heinz to the stage while two others held the old woman while Mine brought her gun to the woman's temple.

"Consider this woman a warning to those who cause trouble for the peacekeepers," her voice rang clearly through the area. She then pulled the trigger and the woman fell dead at her feet.

Heinz screamed and tried to claw his way to her but the peacekeeper holding him carried him away from the scene. Meanwhile Lily tapped Mags on the shoulder and whispered in her ear, "You can say goodbye to them now Mags."

Mags looked over the crowd and then looked towards Mine. Was there someone she wanted to say goodbye to? No. There was no one. Mags turned on her heel and followed Heinz and the peacekeeper.

They couldn't reach the Capitol fast enough. Lily had showed them their compartments and went to bed immediately after dinner. Mags noticed that Heinz was dressed similarly to the Capitol children. So out of curiosity she decided to start a conversation.

"So Heinz tell me about yourself," she said.

"There's not much to tell. My name is Heinz Muller and I'm 15 years old. I lived with my grandmother and am about to join my family in Heaven," he replied.

Mags winced at his response. The boy was certain that he would die. But to be honest so was she so she couldn't really blame him for that. It was the least they could to talk and console each other but she got a feeling that she would be doing all the comforting.

"What about your parents?"

"Well my parents died when I was twelve so I was put in an orphanage, you know? There were other kids their too, you know? Whenever I tried to make friends they would like beat me up. That's why I look so weak and fragile. I've taken a lot of beatings, you know," he said somewhat proudly. "So then one day we had an activity in which we were paired into a group of 4 and we had to befriend each other. But as soon it was over, the 3 kids in my group beat me up, you know? Then one day I saw some kids beating up a little girl and I tried to stop them but I got myself beat up, you know? Then we became friends but turns out her parents were alive and they came to take her home. So then once they saw me with her, her father blamed me for her state and like beat me up, you know? She didn't even bother defending me so I lost all hope that I'd actually have a friend, you know? Then slowly the orphanage was taken down and I was homeless and starving, you know?"

Mags was expecting something sad and tragic but this was beyond pathetic and pitiful, tragic too but in a different way.

"So how did you end up with your grandmother?"

"It was totally random, you know? I just ran into her one day, well not literally, more like I saw her and thought she looked dangerous, like a powerful rich lady. So I expected her to beat me up because that's what all powerful rich people whom I was unfortunate enough to encounter did, but she just kept walking like she didn't see me!" He was somehow filled with adoration.

"She probably didn't see you or thought that you weren't worth it," Lily commented dryly as she entered the room.

That still wasn't enough to put Heinz off who happily continued, "I don't know, but it was really cool to cross paths with someone who looked so strong and not get beat up, you know? I wanted to be strong too so acting on impulse, I ran after her and said 'Please take me in. I want to be strong just like you.' She just laughed so I thought she was going to beat me up for sure, but she didn't and instead she let me tag along. Then eventually she realized that I was her biological grandson so she took me home and loved me and took care of me. She was really over protective but I didn't mind, you know? It was a nice change. When people asked her why she didn't give me much freedom, she'd say that she wanted to protect her little angel from the harsher aspects of life. It was a miracle." He had tears in his eyes by the time he finished.

"How pathetic," Lily remarked as she began shuffling a deck of cards. "So who's playing with me?"

The rest of the ride was quite enjoyable.

The Capitol was a different world altogether. Mags saw huge skyscrapers and buildings everywhere she looked. The houses were practically mansions compared to the slums she was used to in 4. All in all it was a spectacular sight which the basket weaving girl from District 4 never expected to see.

"Hey Mags?" Heinz whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Are the other tributes going to beat me up?"

"I don't think the rules allow them to."

"So they will once the games start," he replied dejectedly.

"Hush now," Lily spoke, "We're about to be presented to President Marcus Snow. The stylists will dress you up and then you ride the chariots before the Capitol crowd. Remember to smile and wave, you'll need as many sponsors as you can get."

A while later Mags had been dressed as a mermaid and quite frankly she felt stupid. At least she looked better than Heinz. Their stylist had dresses the poor boy as a merman thereby leaving his torso naked. Not that there was anything to see but scars and bones. Not just him but the tributes from District 7 looked ridiculous too. The girl had been dressed as a tree and the boy a lumberjack. Seriously, how creative could these stylists get? Even the horses looked better than they did.

The crowd that had come to see them was gigantic. Probably twice as big as District 4's population. It sickened her to see how many people had come to watch 24 kids being paraded around before they were sent into the bloodbath. But she remembered Lily's advice and smiled and waved to the crowd. She even went as far as to wave her ridiculous tailfin for some bonus points. Heinz on the other hand just stood frozen in their chariot mumbling incoherently. The only words Mags could make out were 'me, beat up' and 'you know'.

She put her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Don't worry Heinz. I'm not going to let anyone beat you up. I promise."

Heinz turned to look at her with an expression of hope and Mags's heart sank. She'd just made a promise that she'd have to break. There was no way Heinz could survive.

Once the humiliation of the chariot ride was over, Mags and Heinz turned in for the night. Heinz fell asleep almost immediately but Mags stayed up. She probably had just a few more nights to live. Tomorrow would be a very important day, she'd have a chance to learn new skills as Lily had told them that there would be instructors but more importantly it was a chance to study the other tributes. If she was to win, she needed a plan. She needed to find a way to exploit the other tributes' weaknesses. With that in mind, Mags fell asleep to the sound of Heinz's soft snores.

The next day proved to be disappointing. While Mags quickly realized that wrestling wasn't one of her fortes, none of the others seemed to suit her either. Her only skills were indeed basket weaving and making knots. So head on confrontations against the other tributes once the games started were out of the window. She'd have to play the hiding game and hope for the best.

Amongst the other tributes, it was clear that one of the Careers were favorite to win. District 1 had siblings who were immaculate with spears. But the real threat came from District 2's male tribute, Jack Umberson. He was less of a boy and more of a mountain on legs who was very very fond of using a mace. The female tribute from District 2 Catherine Stewart was equally deadly but she preferred the use of a sword. The others were nothing special but the male tribute from District 6 seemed dangerous and the male tribute from District 7 was good with an axe. Mags's chances were slim.

As she sat down to take a breather she watched Heinz fruitlessly attempting to learn how to use a bow. Just as she was about to leave, two twins sat down opposite her. She raised her eyebrow questioningly and they spoke;

"Vandal Weathertop."

"Violet Weathertop."

They continued to stare at Mags as if analyzing her. She had always been uncomfortable while being scrutinized and this time was no different. Thankfully, Heinz saved her by coming over.

"Hello," he said cheerfully while looking at the newcomers, "I'm Heinz and this is Mags and we're from 4."

"Vandal and Violet Weathertop," the boy said, "We," he glanced at his sister, "Are looking for an alliance."

"Oh goody! Hurrah!" Heinz began gushing and started fawning over the Weathertops but Mags remained unfazed.

"Why us?" She asked.

"Uh, well, you see, no one else wants us as allies," The boy blurted out and then gave them a sheepish smile.

"We do! We do!" Heinz cried.

"Shut up, you idiot," Mags scolded him. Turning to face the Weathertops she asked, "Got any special skills?"

"Wouldn't you just love to know," Violet replied.

Mags narrowed her eyes at her and was about to retort but Vandal beat her to it, "We don't have any other choice Violet. Mentor Kyle told us to make friends and that's the best and only advice he's given us so it's the only thing we can cling to." Shifting his gaze to Mags and Heinz he said, "And to answer your question we don't have any skills." He said the last part dejectedly as if expecting us to rebuke him now. "Well, we're good at cooking because that's all we learnt being from 10 and unless the arena is a kitchen we have no chance," was his poor attempt at a joke which for some reason, Heinz found hilarious.

"Ok."

Her reply was met with different reactions. Heinz squealed with joy while Vandal's mouth fell open and Violet narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Why?" She asked.

"Like Vandal said 'we don't have any other choice'," was Mags's reply which Violet accepted.

"Got any special skills? I'd just love to know," Violet said with a smug smirk.

"Basket weaving and making knots," Mags deadpanned.

"So you're practically useless."

"Puts us in the same category doesn't it?"

"No,"

But this time it was Heinz who had spoken. "You can still use your skills Mags."

"How? You want me to make cute baskets for the other tributes and tie their shoelaces for them so that they don't trip and kill themselves in exchange of their sparing me?"

"Traps," was his reply.

Wisdom did come from the unlikeliest of places.

The games took place today, in an hour to be exact. Earlier Lily had said her goodbyes to them while genuinely crying. Maybe she did care about them after all. Wishing them luck, she left promising them that she would do her best to get them sponsors because she was the only one who could get them sponsors.

As they were suited up, Heinz turned towards Mags, "I'm counting on you," he said before striding away.

Mags was confused by his statement. It could be taken in multiple ways. But she had a feeling that it referred to not getting 'beat up'. A peacekeeper escorted her towards the pod which would elevate her into the playing field, more like slaughterhouse.

As her pod began to ascend, the nerves crept in. She couldn't even think straight. All that went through her mind was Heinz.

The Weathertops.

Stay away from the Careers.

The Cornucopia.

Light crept through the glass and she was standing… on a rock? Yeah, a deformed rock surrounded by water with the Cornucopia in the distance and the other tributes around her. Water! She let out a few delighted giggles as she realized that against all odds, she may have a chance. She wasn't an expert on swimming or anything but being from District 4 you learn a few things about swimming and she was confident that she would be the best one there.

A canon boomed and the Head Gamekeeper's voice rang out, " Let the 8th Annual Hunger Games begin!" Followed by another canon.

Mags leapt into the water and began making her way towards the Cornucopia. She was the fastest one there!

A canon boomed.

The District 8 male tried to grasp a hold of her ankle but she was too fast for him. He contemplated going after her, but was then attacked from behind by the District 7 female.

Mags got to the Cornucopia before anyone else and grabbed a blue backpack. Now she needed to decide on where to flee. Heinz was nowhere in sight. She had already seen Vandal Weathertop's body floating in the water. Violet too was out of her line of sight but the Careers were gaining on her.

If she swam away, she could hide in the forest and hide waiting to be hunted down by the Careers or someone else. Or she could…

Her thoughts were cut short by Brax Henderson, male tribute from District 7 swinging his axe at her. Mags managed to dodge it and dove headfirst back into the water and away from the Cornucopia, but she didn't go into the forest. No she decided to hide in the water just behind the Cornucopia where she was hidden from sight but could see what was happening.

The canon boomed repeatedly. The Careers had occupied by the Cornucopia, all of them relatively unharmed except for Catherine Stewart who had a nasty gash on the head courtesy of Violet Weathertop who now lay dead at Jack Umberson's feet.

The sky then showed those who had fallen. Both tributes from District 3 had fallen. As had the females from Districts 5,6 and 7. The male tribute from District 8 was dead and both Weathertops had met their demise. Both of District 12's tributes were dead.

Heinz was alive. He'd survived the bloodbath. There was still hope for him but for now he'd have to fend for himself.

Mags thought about those who were still alive. The Careers occupied the Cornucopia. The District 5 male… Mags caught sight of him, he was hiding amongst the supplies of the Cornucopia right under the Careers noses. The male from 6 Brett Malcolmson had gotten out as had Brax Henderson from 7. The female from 8, both tributes from 9 and 11 were alive.

The male from 1, Glaxen, had caught sight of the male from 5. Mags held her breath as he strode towards the supplies and roughly threw him out.

"Death! Death and Despair are upon us!" The poor boy kept crying much to the Careers amusement.

"Aw, would you look at this, he's gone insane," Glaxen shouted in delight and then proceeded to kick the boy every time he screamed.

"Lay him off," Umberson's baritone voice called out.

Glaxen looked at him in confusion before putting a spear through the boy's chest. He then turned to face Umberson.

"Aw, Jackie, are you sweet on the psycho?" He mocked.

Little did he know that those words would be his last. He turned his back on Umberson who roughly turned him around and slit Glaxen's throat simply saying, "I hate those who enjoy others suffering."

Gloria screamed having witnessed her brother's death at the hands of an ally and threw her spear at Umberson who dodged it and drove his mace into her head, killing her in the process, and so both tributes from District 1 had fallen.

Mags watched on as Umberson shifted his gaze to Catherine. "Do we have a problem?" He asked.

Catherine smiled and began stroking his jaw while she placed one hand on his chest, "No. No problem at all," she whispered seductively as her hand moved towards where his cock would be.

Snap!

Catherine's body hit the floor with a mundane finality and Jack Umberson gazed condescendingly at her lifeless form. "I hate flirts," he said with a shrug.

Mags had seen enough. She decided to head towards the forest. Mags needed to be wary. Anyone and possibly anything could find its way to her.

Hours passed and she aimlessly wandered about. Then came a stroke of luck. Her foot got caught on a rock and she tumbled down the hill finally coming to a stop in a small river. A river that had fresh water! So thirst was no more an issue. But hunger, fatigue and the need to find shelter still were. Scratch that last one. Behind Mags was rock jutting out of the hillside with a narrow wedge. As she inspected it, she realized that she could actually fit through it. Once inside, there was a little cave. A place to sleep and rest for the night.

When she awoke, Mags began assessing her situation. She as hiding in a cave with a backpack that contained a scissor and a long rope. She had a knife and no food. Water was not a problem because just outside there was a river which would no doubt attract other tributes.

Other tributes.

Jack Umberson was alive and well and apparently killed everything he hated. Heinz was still alive. As was the case with Brett Malcolmson and Brax Henderson.

Mags was brought out of her thoughts by a pitiful wailing. A noise unlike any other she had ever heard. An inhumane noise meaning that there were dangers other than tributes present.

A canon boomed and the sky portrayed the picture of the District 11 male who had no doubt become the scapegoat of the 8th Annual Hunger Games. Soon after a girl's screaming could be heard and identified as the voice of the District 11 female mourning the loss of her comrade. That is until a grunt was heard and the screaming died.

A canon boomed revealing that both tributes from 11 had fallen. This was followed by the sound of an axe hitting wood. District 11 had no doubt met their end at the hands of Brax Henderson.

Hours later, Mags's hunger continued. She might even die of starvation. That was until a parachute landed outside her cave attached to a tin. Mags immediately grasped it and saw a little note on top.

I hope you find this useful – Lily

Maybe she did care. Maybe Lily did care about her tributes after all. Now all Mags could hope was that it was something useful and she sent something to Heinz too.

Mags opened the tin to find two energy bars which she quickly devoured and was cured of her hunger for the time being.

Time to do something useful she thought. Mags cut her rope into smaller pieces and got out of her cave. She climbed a tree and securely tied her rope to a sturdy branch. Getting down she created a double loop which was designed by her to subdue her adversary by rendering their whole body useless. Confident that it would work she slipped the loops under the waterfall and waited for someone to come.

A few hours later Mags heard a rustling outside her cave and peeked out to see the tributes from District 9 cautiously approaching the waterfall. Once they got to the river, they took turns in drinking until a malicious chuckle entered the clearing. Mags looked up the hill to see Brett Malcolmson. He smiled menacingly as he approached the duo from 9. In matter of seconds both tributes from District 9 fell dead via a spear to the chest.

Brett moved to drink from the waterfall and would you believe it, his foot caught in one of Mags's loops. He yelped as he was jostled upwards and hung there at the mercy of any who may come by.

Mags exited her cave to face Brett. He finally noticed her presence and glared at her. Mags drew her knife with trembling hands and closing her eyes, she sliced it in his general direction. But instead of the silence she expected she heard a thud.

She opened her eyes to see that she'd cut the rope instead so now Brett was free to move his limbs and stood facing her.

"Couldn't finish the job, could ya?" He remarked with smug grin and launched his spear with full force towards Mags who miraculously managed to stumble out of the way. The spear launched itself in a tree and Brett went to retrieve it while cursing under his breath. Mags could do nothing but watch as he fruitlessly tried to extract it from the tree. Finally he pulled once more using all his strength and the spear came out but Brett lost his footing and hit his head on rock, breaking his neck in the process.

Mags slowly crawled towards him to find that he was still breathing. She held her knife and slit his throat.

A canon boomed.

"You're the one talk," she said as she went back to her cave unaware of Brax Henderson's eyes on her back.

A few minutes later Mags left her cave to get a drink of water when she was flung aside by none other than Brax Henderson.

"Well you've proven resourceful," he calmly said. Mags stared at him puzzled as to what he was referring to, until he clarified his statement;

"I saw you kill the guy from 6, ah, interesting way to do it. But I'm afraid that you will have to die because there is no way you can possibly withstand me in a fair fight," he said somewhat apologetically.

But Mags wasn't going to die now, not yet, not after everything she had done. She'd even killed a kid and that too intentionally. So no, Mags would not go down, she would live to fight another day.

"That's not really my thing, Brax. I prefer to wait and pick up the pieces almost like a scavenger," she said as she slowly inched backwards preparing to bolt until cold voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I hate scavengers."

Standing behind them, Jack Umberson had been watching the scene unfold and had waited until now to make his move. He began spinning his mace and cocked an eyebrow at them as if daring her or Brax to make the first move.

Mags was terrified.

Brax was unfazed.

"Finally decided to show yourself, eh, you thick lug?"

Certain times call for boldness but this time was not one of them and so Jack Umberson, letting loose a bloodcurdling scream launched himself with full force at Brax Henderson. The two continued to fight with neither of them willing to back down an inch.

In other words, Mags was free to go. Grabbing her backpack from her cave, she turned and fled into the thicker foliage.

Mags kept running and waiting for a canon to boom but none did, but what she did hear was a faint rustling behind her, the noise of someone chasing her down. She'd already been sprinting for a few minutes and as her legs began to ache, she decided to take a breather.

Wrong move.

Jack Umberson launched himself at Mags and effectively knocked her over with him on top of her.

"That asshole may have gotten away but you won't, you know why?" He asked her and continued without giving her a chance to respond, "Because I hate cowards."

Jack raised his mace, preparing to bring it crashing down on Mags when a voice coming from a tree above them interrupted him.

"Mags is no coward," it said before the one it belonged to leapt of the tree and collided with Umberson freeing Mags from his death grip. Mags turned to thank her savior but her voice died in her throat once she saw who it was.

Heinz Muller had put himself in harm's way to protect Mags. He had potentially sacrificed himself to save the girl who had failed to keep her promise to protect him, and now he was trying to dodge the mace swings of a furious Jack Umberson. An almost impossible feat to accomplish and Heinz was struck with the mace.

But before he could fall, Jack had drawn a knife and stabbed Heinz in the heart. Blood poured through the wound and some out of his mouth. As Jack raised his knife for the killer blow, another intercepted it and Mags, the basket weaving and knot making girl from District 4 slashed her knife across Jack's throat and the hulking Career tribute from 2, who hated everything in the world, fell dead at the hands of Mags Slate.

But she didn't care about him, no. Lying next to his body, Heinz Muller was taking his last breaths. Mags bent down on her knees and carefully lifted his head unto her lap. Heinz's eyes were dancing around wildly but her touch gave him refuge and he focused them on her.

"I'm sorry Heinz," she wept.

"F..for wh..what?" He wheezed.

"I promised to protect you and I failed didn't I?" She replied as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"No, y.. you promised t.. to save m.. me fr…from getting b.. beat up and you d.. did. Thank you Mags."

Heinz's eyes drifted away but he forced them to focus on Mags for one last time, "I see them Mags, I see my family. I await you in Heaven. Goodbye," were Heinz's last words.

"Goodbye," Mags choked out and followed it up with one word that made Heinz die a happy man. "Friend."

He gave her a delighted smile before his eyes lost their light and he drew no more breaths.

But the fact of the matter remained that Heinz Muller had made a friend.

Mags wept throughout the night. Heinz was dead, but she remained. Hunger had once again become an issue. Her stomach grumbled, her limbs ached and her heart grieved.

Two others were left; Brax Henderson and the girl from District 8.

She'd make few more traps come morning if she even made it until morning.

She'd have to. Heinz had given his life for her and Mags needed to honor his sacrifice and memory.

But how?

A falling parachute gave her the answer. Lily had come through again.

It's all I could get. Live for Heinz, child – Lily

Three energy bars.

Lily had gotten sponsors to get her three energy bars. Mags would preserve them until morning when she'd make her last stand.

Mags awoke the next morning to the sound of the canon booming followed by the sky portraying the image of the District 8 girl.

Realizing that there was no time to waste, Mags leapt up and devoured her energy bars. She took her ropes with her leaving the backpack behind and a knife hidden under her left boot.

About an hour later Brax Henderson came into her view. He spotted her and hefting his axe he strode towards her.

"For the win?" He questioned.

Mags nodded her head and Brax bought his axe down on her. She quickly rolled out of the way and hit the back of his left kneecap with every ounce of strength she had. It was not enough to bring him down but Brax shifted his weight to his right side making Mags realize that her strike had done some damage.

Brax brought his axe down again but this time Mags moved out of his reach and delivered another blow to his left kneecap.

Brax grunted in pain and gingerly tested to see if he could still use I to fight.

He couldn't!

As Brax swung his axe again, Mags hit the ground and slid between his feet. She took out her knife and slashed at his kneecap. Brax yelled in pain and dropped his axe just as Mags took her rope and began winding it around his knees, ultimately securing it with a knot so now Brax lay flat on his face with his legs tied, his arms underneath him and his axe out of his reach, completely at Mags's mercy.

As she brought her knife to his neck, Brax whispered, "You're one to be reckoned with but remember to let go."

His words confused her and Brax sensing this clarified, "A time will come when you have to let go but it's up to you to decide when that it. Please put me out of my misery."

She brought her knife down on his neck.

Blood poured out.

A canon boomed.

The Head Gamekeepers voice rang out, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the victor of the 8th Annual Hunger Games, the first ever victor from District 4, Mags Slate!

She could go on no longer and with Brax's words playing in her head, Mags fainted.

When she awoke, she was in a hospital bed with Lily Dreaves seated next to her. Lily gave her a sad smile before asking, "Can you bear it?"

Mags thought of the arena. The bloodbath. Umberson killing the Careers. She killing Brett, Jack and Brax. Heinz dying in her arms. She turned to face Lily;

"Maybe, but I'll know when to let go."

If Lily was confused by her response, she didn't show it.

The rest was a blur.

Her interview with Joshua Flickerman ended horribly as Mags walked out when Joshua asked her how it felt to be the underdog taking down the favorites such as Jack, Brett, and Brax.

The Victory tour was no better.

Finally they came to District 4 and Lily showed her the Victors Village where she would be the lone inhabitant. Bidding her goodbye, Lily reminded her that she would be a mentor in the years to come.

People congratulated Mags for her victory but she knew better.

Heinz's body was given to her and she buried him in the Victor's Village.

Decades later she realized that what Brax had said was the best possible advice she could get.

But the fact remained that she was a Victor on paper but in reality she was a survivor and it was these words she told Haymitch Abernathy after his victory at the second Quarter Quell which he in turn told Katniss Everdeen and so a cycle started which had begun from Mags Slate.

She was a survivor not a victor.

Authors Note: So this was the first chapter of my fic. I hope you enjoyed it and please , please review.

Criticism is appreciated.

In case anyone was wondering, I'd like to clarify that Coriolanus Snow and Caesar Flickerman have not yet been born.