Marina Pier, age 18

Victor of the 101st Hunger Games

Marina was smoothing out her dress backstage before Jupiter called her onto stage. After spending almost two weeks in that frozen arena, wearing a knee-length dress felt strange. It was almost contradictory: the silk that the dress was made of was cold to the touch, but it was a bright, fiery red in color.

"And now," Jupiter boomed, and the crowd started to cheer because they knew what was coming. Marina straightened, and swept her loose hair behind her ear. "I am pleased to present the victor of the 101st Hunger Games, Miss Marina Pier of District Four!"

Marina flashed a bright smile, and walked onto stage to join Jupiter. The crowd's roar was deafening, and Marina could feel it in her chest. She waved to the audience, and they went crazy. Marina stood next to Jupiter, accepted his congratulations, then sat in the Victor's Chair.

The crowd settled down after a few minutes, and the lights started to dim. Marina's heart started to pound. She didn't want to watch the recap of the Games. She didn't want to watch the twenty three other tributes die. She just wanted to put the Games behind her.

But this was Panem. The Hunger Games never went away.

The District One reapings started. Marina watched Esmeralda and Aurum volunteer with pride, both with hopes of winning the Games for their district. She felt her stomach turn. One of them was dead by her own hand. It sickened her.

One by one, the reapings came and went. There was only really time to focus on the names drawn. Then it skipped to the chariot rides. Marina felt her face go red as the camera focused on her and Finn in their costumes. Marina remembered how much she had hated that costume. It felt like she wasn't wearing anything at all.

Training scores flash by, and the interviews begin. Each tribute gets a short amount of time on screen, but Marina's interview is shown in full. Marina can't help herself but notice how much she looked like Tellin that dress, had Tellin been older. The crowd sighed at her remark about not wanting her parents to lose another child.

And then it was the Games. Marina felt herself tense as the camera panned over the icy landscape, the harsh sun reflecting off of the snow. There was a quick sweep over the circle of tributes, their faces showing everything from fear to determination. And then the gong went off and the chaos began.

The first death was Millet's, the victor's son. Before some of the other tributes had even reached the Cornucopia, Scoria had grabbed a knife and slashed him across the chest. The young boy collapsed, and Marina had to look away. She couldn't watch that boy die.

The next death was that of Wren from Eleven. She was simply looking through a backpack when Finn had slit her throat from behind. As the camera settled on the dead face of Wren for a few moments, Marina forced herself to look at the screen. She couldn't look weak.

But then the camera was on Marina, and she covered her mouth with her hands as she watched herself kill Hem. But she knew had she not killed him in the bloodbath, he would have gotten killed in a much more painful way later on.

Cyber's death was expected. When Esmeralda approaches him, it was clear that he was going to die. Esmeralda thrusted her sword through his stomach and stood over him as he died. Marina had engaged in a battle with Esmeralda herself. She knew just how cruel the girl from One could be.

Then the camera focused on little Ember from Twelve and Marina had to look away. That girl had reminded Marina so much of Tellin and she knew that she couldn't watch her die. Her fingers moved towards Tellin's necklace as she tried to ignore the death of Ember. But even though Marina didn't watch, Ember's screams for her ally were unmistakable. And when Marina looked up again, the girl was gone.

When Rye was killed, Marina barely reacted. She really had changed in the arena. She used to take pride in the Games, then was terrified of them, and now she plainly accepted them. The Games were a part of life—a part of her life now that she couldn't erase.

Via was killed with a quick stab to her throat, and Watt soon afterwards. The camera focused on Carter, then panned away to focus on Scoria, who was holding a knife. She grinned, and ran at Carter. When she cleaved through his head, Marina winced and closed her eyes so she didn't see the spray of blood and bits of brain fly from his head.

And then the bloodbath was over. And when Marina was watching the faces of the fallen from the screen, that was when it really hit her that she had won. She was a victor. All of those tributes really were dead.

The next death isn't until the next day. Lexia from Five threw a knife into Aspen's chest, and got her head demolished by Forrest. The scene being shown was so heart-wrenching, many people in the audience were sobbing as they watched Aspen die in Forrest's arms. Marina had to blink back tears of her own.

Marina was shocked when she saw how Lacey had died. Poisoned. By Harlee. Marina had taken that little girl as a sweet, innocent child who had survived due to luck. Guess not.

When the screen showed Azalea from Ten, Marina clenched her fingers over the chair's armrest. She had personally seen Azalea's death, and it would haunt her. Marina watched, mortified, as Scoria slowly sliced up the Ten girl, until Azalea was screaming and begging to be killed. Just like when it really happened, Marina let out a sigh of relief when Scoria finally killed her.

Forrest was next. Marina clutched the armrest even tighter as Forrest and Gwenn burst into the little camp and Finn grabbed onto Forrest. The sound of Forrest's head smashing into the tree was sickening, but the audience was cheering. Marina would never understand the Capitol. When Forrest finally fell down dead, the cheering died down, and the camera switched to Marina's reaction in the Games. She had looked absolutely shocked, and she felt shocked now. Never before had Finn ever seemed so vicious.

There was a brief overview of the mutts, then the footage jumped right back into the arena. Marina watched as Harlee fought off a mutt of her old ally, Ember, as Buck killed a mutt that looked like Azalea, and then the cameras focused on the Careers. Now that she wasn't fighting for her life against them, Marina had to admire the strategy of the mutts. The mutts isolated Scoria from the rest of the pack, and then simply overpowered her. Her screams were just the same as they were in the arena.

And then it was Finn's turn. Marina watched, for the second time, as her district partner sparred with Tacom, then ultimately lost when he was tackled by Harlee. When Tacom speared Finn, Marina just covered her face. She didn't want people to see her reaction to seeing Finn killed again.

Gwenn appeared on screen, laying in the snow, and cradling her hands to her chest. When Marina looked closer, she saw that Gwenn's fingers were blackened. Something was seriously wrong with her, so when Victor noticed her, Marina felt relieved for that girl. She said her goodbyes, and before Victor could kill her, she died. When her stats were shown, her cause of death said frostbite.

In the Cornucopia, the two tributes from District Six were being attacked by Aurum. When Aurum threw one of his hatchets, it hit Harlee in the side. Marina leaned back in her chair, trying to ignore the screen. But, like before, she heard each one of Harlee's last words. When she whispered "I'm scared" to Tacom, Marina felt a tear slip down her face. She quickly wiped it away.

And then the cameras were back on Marina, as she hid in a tree and speared Victor. In that moment, Marina realized that was when she really changed. She had killed the biggest competitor in the Games. She was, at that moment, a potential victor.

The second death of that day was Aurum's. While he died in a gruesome way, Marina barely reacted. She had seen enough death to last a lifetime.

When Tacom was torn to shreds by the mutts, Marina winced, but continued watching. When the final battle began, she leaned forward, anxious to see what really happened.

Buck and Esmeralda sparred for a minute or two, and then Marina watched herself tackle Buck. Marina and Esmeralda double teaming Buck, but both failing. Buck turned on Marina, and that was when Esmeralda stabbed him. He bled out and Marina suddenly remembered that he said he was going to be a father. A burst of sadness flickered in Marina.

Then the real final battle started. Marina saw herself fight off Esmeralda, then trip over Buck's body, then knock Esmeralda over, then Esmeralda choking Marina. She closed her eyes before Esmeralda's cannon went off. She couldn't watch that again.

The recap finished. Jupiter congratulated Marina again, and signed off. When she was backstage again, Marina just leaned against a wall and closed her eyes.

She couldn't wait for this to be over. She just wanted to go back home.

There was Marina's victor interview. What did you think? Is Marina really changing? Next chapter is the epilogue, and then this story is over. It's been a long ride, and I'm glad that you all have stuck with me through it all.

-D9T