CHAPTER XLV. DAY XI
"You may weather the storm, but will you weather the aftermath?"
-Anthony T. Hincks
MARCEL HEMLOCK (16) - DISTRICT 7 FEMALE
As the sun rose over the arena on the eleventh day of the Games, Marcel Hemlock did the same, a sense of comfort in her heart over the fact she hadn't had the nightmare again. The same way she did every morning, Marcel whispered thanks to the sky that she was alive, that there wasn't some freak accident that occured overnight and led to her demise. It wasn't much to be grateful for but it was all she had to be grateful for.
Even though she didn't have any real weapons, just a few vials of poison, the District 7 girl felt a sense of comfort, a bird on her shoulder telling her that everything was going to be okay. While she wanted to doubt the statement, Marcel tried to remain positive.
Only a few more days to go. Only a few more days 'till I'm free.
Obviously she didn't have a real grasp on time in the arena, but at the current rate the numbers were decreasing, Marcel knew that the end was near. The end; a place Marcel never thought she would make it to. She always thought it would be Teresa or anyone for that matter who would be standing on the ground, three people remaining and safety insight and it was hard for her to believe she was worthy of lasting as long as she has.
She was worthy. As hard as it was for her to admit it, Marcel Hemlock was worthy of being in her current state, a state of being alive. The District 7 girl didn't really have a plan of how she'd make it out but she hadn't had a plan for the majority of her time in the arena. It had worked out pretty well for her so far, but that didn't mean it would continue to work out.
Marcel counted on her fingers the remaining Tributes. While she wasn't the best with remembering things, she was fairly certain that the three people standing in the way of her and survival were the boy from 1, the girl from 3, and the girl from 6.
The girl from 6.
The girl who killed Teresa. Of everybody remaining, she was the only person left who Marcel actively wanted dead. She didn't want to seek out people to kill, knowing that she would lose in any matchup, but the girl from 6, Marcel was more than willing to find and kill her. It was a bad idea though, one Marcel wouldn't commit to executing since she would die in the process. If Teresa was alive it would be a different story, but Teresa wasn't alive.
Marcel stared at the vials of poison in her hand. If she were confronted by the girl from 6 or anybody for that matter, Marcel's ideal defense would be to do the same thing she did to the centaur mutt. That would rely on luck and luck wasn't enough to be dependent on right now. The only thing the vials could be useful for in a pinch would be to use them as projectiles and throw them at the head of anybody who crossed her.
She wandered for a bit, no precise destination in sight. The District 7 girl just had the sinking feeling that trouble would find her if she stayed in the same place for too long. It happened with Teresa's death, and Marcel wouldn't let it happen to her. It was a chilly day too, a slight smell of smog in the air, and perhaps moving around would allow her to warm up a bit. The cold wasn't debilitating or anything in that regard, but it was inconveniencing and that was almost just as bad.
Marcel walked along the shore in the western direction, still unsure of her desired location when she saw long black hair in the distance. She went back into the forest immediately, knowing who she was witnessing with just a few strands of her hair. The District 7 girl hid behind a tree, hoping that she wouldn't be caught. She crossed her fingers to the point where they were almost breaking as she tried to calm her sporadic breathing so she wouldn't be found.
After a few minutes, the majority of Marcel's anxiety had seized since she hadn't caught anybody's eye. She wasn't going to wander though. She wasn't going to wander since it would mean she would be just yards away from the girl from 6.
She remained behind the tree, picking at the bark with her left hand, the poisonous vials in her hand, twenty minutes passing without a single notable event. Marcel was safe from the girl from 6.
Marcel spoke too soon.
She saw 6 creep behind her, a subtle look of concern on her face, one that intensified once the girl realized that she was looking at Marcel, the girl whose ally she had slaughtered in cold blood.
Once the two girls were face to face, Marcel's back against the tree and 6 directly in front of her, it was clear that neither of them knew what they were supposed to do. The District 7 girl didn't want to kill her, but she didn't want to be killed by her either. As they continued to look each other in the eyes, the tension grew to the point where it could be cut with a knife… no, a dagger.
Marcel eyed the weapon in 6's hand, the same blade that was used just days ago to kill her friend, Teresa's blood still maroon on the tip. The District 7 girl looked down at her own killing devices, the two vials of poison paling in comparison to her opponent's dagger.
I don't have time to waste.
She could tell that it was only a matter of time before one of the girls first struck and Marcel knew it she had to be first if she wanted to survive the altercation. She lifted one of the vials, a slight weight to it. It wasn't enough to kill, but it was certainly enough force to distract and even disarm 6.
Marcel lifted the vial closer to her chest in a swinging motion as 6 prepared her knife. Without hesitation, the District 7 girl released the vial, flinching as it collided with her opponent's temple, causing the girl to fling her dagger so that it landed only a few inches in front of Marcel's toe.
While her initial plan was to disarm 6 and then run away as fast as she could, the District 7 girl was suddenly in the driver's seat, easily capable of ridding the arena of another obstacle in the way of her going home. The girl stared at Marcel, her sad disposition more prominent than before.
I don't want to kill her. I can't just kill somebody.
She never realized how difficult it would be to take somebody's life until the opportunity arose. She wondered if this was the same way 6 felt when she saw her and Teresa, so… conflicted.
Marcel noticed that 6 looked like she was going to run away which meant she only had seconds to act. When she looked down at the dagger, she saw Teresa. She saw the District 8 girl screaming in agony over the loss of her baby. She saw Teresa's lifeless body on the ground. She saw everything that she had gone through with her ally, every triumph, every failure, and when she lifted her eyes from the weapon, she heard Teresa's voice just like she did in her past nightmare.
"Don't worry about me, win for yourself."
As the sound of the District 8 girl echoed through Marcel's head, she gripped the dagger tighter than ever before, raising it to her shoulder and closing her eyes as she ran into the girl from 6. She opened her eyes to see 6 on the ground, her eyes watering as she looked at the gaping wound in her chest.
"I'm sorry," The girl tried to mumble through her tears, "I'm sorry I had to kill your friend, she was just covered in blood and I thought she was dangerous."
Marcel didn't know what to say to 6 as she continued to bleed out, "Teresa didn't kill anybody. She had a miscarriage and now she'll never get another chance of having a child because of you. I hope you're happy."
"I had no idea that's awful," The girl from 6 uttered her last words, a cannon marking her passing.
She didn't know.
Marcel began to question the decision she made to kill the girl in such haste, which begged the question, how exactly would 6 know that the blood on Teresa came from a miscarriage? How would she know anything about what had happened to the duo during their brief but splendid time together?
The District 7 girl began to tear up as she removed the dagger from the girl from 6's body, a quiet tone in her voice, "She'll never know anything again."
She wiped her tears with the palm of her hand before running away from the body. It was no longer her problem and something she could grieve later. For now, Marcel Hemlock had a game to win.
EROS FORTUNA (18) - DISTRICT 1 MALE
As a cannon sang the song of death, Eros knew that the end he had been fearing had finally approached. Only three people were left now, whoever it was that just died surely was not a match for him. He glanced at the spear he was spinning in the palm of his hand, a blade that hadn't been dirtied since the bloodbath. It was clean now, a certain luster to the way it looked when the sun cast its light over it. It was a simple weapon, one that was easy to wield and light enough to throw. Even though the District 1 boy wanted to stare at it forever, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he dirtied it once more.
There was something monstrous to the fact he was now seeking out people to kill despite him not doing so until now, but Eros didn't feel like he was a monster. He was doing a necessary evil that would enable him to thrive for the rest of his life and never have to worry about money or finding a place to stay or anything. As the days went on in the arena, he wondered why exactly he had decided to thrust himself into this situation, a thought that loomed heavier as of late with Fila and Moira unable to distract him from realizing just how malicious he had become.
Maybe he was always like this or maybe it was the charring smell in the air above him, but Eros was beginning to regret everything that he had done. It was his idea to group together Fila and Moira so that they could take down Lana, his idea to split them up even though it made no fucking sense, and even though Lana was finally dead, it wasn't because of what he thought was his genius idea. It was because of circumstances that Eros had not contributed to.. The more he thought about it, the more the District 1 boy realized that he had truly done jack shit since he was in the arena, and he didn't deserve to be alive anymore.
"You're not selfish, Eros."
The words that Fila said to him that one day on the boat after Lana fucked up his arm were lies. He was selfish, and he had to realize it for himself. Had he not boasted about how he knew everything, had he just killed Lana randomly while she was sleeping once Bell was dead and dealt with Kingston with the help of the girls, maybe they'd be alive right now alongside him. Maybe then he wouldn't feel like the monster he saw himself becoming; the selfish scum of a man, a person who jumped from one impulsive decision to another, never allowing himself a moment to think because maybe if he did, he would finally realize how fucking wrong he was all the time.
Now was the time to be selfish, though.
Even Eros was mature enough to realize that. He knew that if he could just take out the other two Tributes then he would have a lifetime to work on everything, to work on helping others, to work on not being so utterly selfish.
He had to channel it for a few more hours if he wanted to see that self improvement. He had to channel the cutthroat Career energy that had been instilled in him, the desire to win and do whatever it took to get there. Eros Fortuna always said that he was a lover and not a killer, but he had to go against his word just this once.
As the somewhat obnoxious smell of smoke intensified, the District 1 boy heard a rather loud cough. It had been an hour or so since the cannon fired when he saw a girl with longish brown hair and green eyes walk near the mountain where he was settling. She had a meek look on her face and a dagger in her hand. She looked a bit shellshocked, like she had made some sort of a terrible mistake.
Eros got closer and saw crimson liquid dripping off of her blade, a sign that she was the person who made the recent kill. She was a threat, somebody dangerous enough to kill somebody once, and by the looks of it, motivated to kill again. Motivated to kill Eros.
He walked closer to the girl who was now approaching the foot of the mountain, the smog so thick that he couldn't see much above her. Eros didn't know what was causing the smoke but he knew that it could help him take down the remaining Tributes.
The District 1 boy was never the best with running but he did so anyways, his spear above his shoulder as he ran over the slight incline before flinching when the blade collided with her stomach.
She fell to her knees, wincing in pain as she raised her dagger to Eros' body above her, trying to stab him and failing every time. The District 1 boy felt bad about abandoning somebody, leaving them to die as if they were worthless, but the girl's screams were hard to listen to.
"Wait," Eros was about to run away when he heard the girl's breathy voice, "There's a girl up there, be careful."
She pointed to the top of the mountain before her hand fell to the ground and a cannon roared.
Suddenly, it was all between Eros and whoever it was that was at the top of the mountain. He huffed and puffed as he dragged his spear on the ground so that he could scale the mountain and commit to the next step toward going home. The air got thicker as he continued to climb until he realized that what he was climbing wasn't a mountain at all.
The District 1 boy was scaling a volcano, feeling stupid that it took him so long to realize what he had been sleeping by for days. When he reached the summit, he saw a red headed girl covered in dust, a dull look on her face. He almost wanted to laugh, the girl being the same one who he helped on the boat by giving her the box of supplies. Who would have thought that she would make it to the final two?
What a shame it would be when he pushed her into the boiling pool of liquid that was beside her. He almost felt bad, that the last thing he did in the arena would be so easy, almost like he was cheating. The girl looked down at her hands as Eros stepped closer, a metal object between her fingers. He thought about his parents up in heaven, the way they were watching over him begging "Please don't join us…"
He didn't want to.
The girl looked up and caught Eros eyes. She was shaking, her hands frail as she looked at the District 1 boy. She looked so small, so helpless, so scared. Eros was scared too. Scared as he realized that a vat of lava was beside him and the girl could kill him just as easily as he killed her.
She was the girl who somehow led to Kingston's demise. As she stared at him, Eros realized that her, a fifteen year old girl with crooked glasses was just as much a threat as his eighteen years, extensive training, and long spear.
The girl didn't say a word, continuing to stare at him. As her brown eyes watched him, he realized that he, too, was horrified. At the end of the day they were both kids, both boxes of potential and one of them would forever be shut in just a matter of moments. Every battle Eros fought just to feel safe in his skin, every night he spent on the town with men whose names he didn't know no longer meant a thing. They weren't who he was, they weren't what defined him. He was just a guy who wanted to make the world a better place all of the sudden, a guy who knew that if he wanted to live he would have to do the most selfish act yet. Eros would have to watch this poor girl, this small but oddly frightening girl, fall to her death and scream if he wanted to live again.
As scared as he was of what was about to happen, more than anything, Eros Fortuna was afraid of himself and the wicked person he had become. The District 1 boy looked at the girl's blank face once more, readying his spear and preparing to close his eyes when he saw the girl drop a metal object into the volcano as he felt a burning sensation on his face followed by nothingness.
LIANA TAYLOR (15) - DISTRICT 3 FEMALE
She didn't know what happened to her.
As Liana woke up in the Capitol Infirmary, her arms bandaged and her body in a blue gown, the District 3 girl couldn't help but question what led to her current predicament. Her eyes were barely able to open and she couldn't feel the majority of her body. All she could feel was a warm sensation in her stomach and all she could see was an IV drip attached to one of her hands and a television on in the distance.
"She's awake," A female voice called from behind her, "What do we do?"
"I'll pump the anaesthesia," A male voice replied.
Liana tried to turn her neck to find the source of the voices but before she could she felt her eyes close and head become lighter.
She didn't know what happened to her.
The next time Liana woke up she was in a more comfortable bed, the soft silk of the sheets and the pillow against her skin like a hug. The blue gown was still on her body but the bandages on her arms were no more. She could once again feel the entirety of her body, her vision restored despite the fact she didn't have on her glasses and her stomach no longer warm.
This room was nicer than the previous one she was in, her large bed occupying most of the space save for a long mirror which showed the reflection of a redheaded girl that Liana couldn't recognize. The District 3 girl knew that she was staring at herself, yet it might as well have been a completely different person. Liana was never one to look at herself for extended periods of time, yet she knew the girl she was staring at in the mirror wasn't really her. The girl she saw's hair was styled in two braids which passed her chin, a silk headband keeping out the flyaways. The girl she saw looked neat, nothing like the disheveled young lady Liana saw as she passed the banister when she walked downstairs from her room, stealing a glance at the hallway mirror before heading to school. She looked at peace.
She didn't know what happened to her.
Was she dead or was she in some sort of a cruel dream? The last thing Liana remembered was dropping her bomb into the volcano, staring into Eros' crystallizing blue eyes before inhaling and watching as everything faded to black.
"I was hoping you'd wake up soon," A pale hand peeked through the crack of the door to the room followed by the rest of the blonde lady, one of the Head Gamemakers, Lysistrata. She fully entered the room, staring at Liana in her bed with a soft smile on her face.
"Where am I?" The District 3 girl's voice was fainter than it usually was.
"You won!" The Head Gamemaker exclaimed, her cheeks flushed, "You passed out after, but you won!"
"I did?" Liana was still fairly certain that she was in heaven or in a fantasy.
"Indeed," The other Head Gamemaker, Clemensia entered the room, "You were burned everywhere, though, which was why we had to have some operations done," She whispered to her wife, "She's so cute, isn't she?"
"Definitely," Lysistrata laughed, "But, yeah, you won the Hunger Games Liana!"
"Where are my glasses?" The District 3 girl ran her hands through the bed in an attempt to find the one familiar thing she had.
"You no longer need them," Clemensia beamed reaching over to grab her wife's hand, "You got a surgery done so you can see fine without them."
Liana was disappointed, always being a fan of her glasses and the way they framed her face without being too distracting, "Thank you, I appreciate it."
She wasn't sure what she was supposed to think of the Head Gamemakers and she was still fairly confused as to what her current location was. Liana won, though She was alive and well, even if she had no clue how anything happened.
"We're editing clips of the past few days if you want to watch," Clemensia offered, her hand extended at Liana's bed. The District 3 girl complied, both out of curiosity and because she didn't think she had another choice.
She had forgotten that the footage of the Games was no longer just a livestream and that people could buy copies that featured the "best parts" of the whole ordeal, as well as all eleven days in their entirety. Liana didn't understand who exactly it was marketed for, but who was she to complain? She was alive, after all.
Liana took Clemensia's soft hand and walked into a room with a plethora of firm white chairs, a large keyboard, and a big screen. All the chairs were empty as Lysistrata sat in the one closest to the keyboard and prompted the others to sit next to her.
"We'd have liked to edit this quicker, but it's our first time doing all of this," Lysistrata wiped the beads of sweat that were coming from her forehead, "But maybe this will be good, you can pick your favorite parts to be shown at the crowning tonight."
"Crowning?" Liana asked, intrigued as she sat down in the chair, its roughness a strong contrast to the bed which she could practically sink into.
"You know, when we pronounce you Victor?" Clemensia replied, "But then also this year, you're going to have the pleasure of watching a three hour highlight reel of everything that happened."
"A chance to relive your incredible journey!" Lysistrata clasped her hands together as though she had just said the smartest thing to ever be said.
"I guess I'd like to see, then." Liana sighed, instinctively pushing against her nose even though her classes weren't on her face.
In all honesty, the girl had somewhat forgotten most of what happened to her in the arena, shoved it in the back of her mind knowing she could think about it later, after she won. She didn't want to forget, necessarily. Her brain just didn't allow her to think of anything harmful when she was in survival mode, though she doubted anything too awful occurred since she did make it out, after all.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Clemensia picked up a white remote control with lots of buttons in various bright colors, "What do you say we start with just yesterday?" She hit one of the larger buttons on the device before putting her hand around her wife's shoulder and sighing.
As the video began to play, Liana was happy at first. She saw herself under a tree, constructing various metal pieces together and humming. She thought that she looked normal, too normal for her own good, even. The District 3 girl sure didn't look like a Victor.
"Everybody loved this upcoming part," Lysistrata whispered just loud enough that Liana could hear.
What did they love? Liana's only concrete memories of the Games were similar to what she was watching, putting things together under a tree. She knew other events occurred, but she had no idea just what.
On the screen a blonde figure approached Liana, a wooden club in her hand and a twisted grin on her face. The District 3 girl grabbed her knees to her chest, worried for what was about to happen to her even though she was fully aware that she survived, or at least that somebody who looked like her survived.
She cringed as the other girl, Piper tried to hit her with said club, but alas, she had a long pole with spinning blades on it. Liana remembered making the tool but she didn't remember ever using it. The District 3 girl watched "herself" cut the blade at Piper's ankles, embarrassingly flinching at the sight of blood.
This wasn't a science experiment; this was real life.
Piper began to run and the girl who looked like Liana followed. She followed until the girl tripped on her toga, a garment Liana only remembered as being extremely uncomfortable and something she was glad she avoided wearing for so long. Piper fell and Liana took out the spinning blade once again.
"Wait for it…'' Clemensia shivered, anticipating whatever it was that was about to occur next.
Liana wanted to cover her eyes as the blade collided with Piper's neck, a loud BOOM as the eyes rolled over in her head, yet she couldn't. The District 3 girl felt like she had to keep watching, like she had to see what exactly it was that allowed her to survive for as long as she did—What allowed her to make it out.
She knew she killed people to win, but seeing the act occur was a completely separate ordeal, one that contributed even more to the fact that she had no idea who she was watching on the screen.
"Nice?" The Gamemakers were staring at her so she felt compelled to respond even though what she was witnessing was everything but nice.
"Oh, this bit isn't over yet," Lysistrata smiled, her eyes still fixated on the screen.
Liana joined them but she wished she didn't.
While everything she had witnessed so far was bad, what she saw next was undoubtedly worse. She saw things that made her wonder if she was even worthy of being alive to watch it. The girl Liana Taylor saw on the screen was nothing less than a monster.
She tried not to cry as she saw "herself" reach her hands in the dissection box, the gift she remembered receiving a few days in; The gift she thought she would use on animals as a pastime, maybe on a muttation or two so she could see how they functioned. The gift she certainly was not using on an animal or a muttation.
The District 3 girl grabbed the side of the table as Piper's neck was carved down to her chest with a scalpel. Liana wanted to say she remembered everything she was seeing, that it was something she intended to do and, while in reality the memories were certainly in her brain somewhere, she knew they weren't supposed to surface for a reason.
Her eyes wouldn't close as she witnessed herself (because, yes, even if she hated to admit it, it was her), pick up the vessels of the poor District 10 girl and stare at them. While Liana knew the proper anatomy of what she was watching, she didn't want to think about veins and arteries, she wanted to think about anything besides the fact that she mutilated the body of a real human being, yet she could barely remember it. It was wrong of her, yet she lacked the empathy to admit it when it happened and now she was stuck watching it like it was a sick form of entertainment.
"Spectacular!" Clemensia sighed, hitting the pause button on her remote, "Do you have any ideas how we should cut that portion up or do you think we should leave it in its entirety?"
Liana knew the question was for her, but she didn't answer. She didn't answer, she jumped out of the chair as it crashed against the tile flooring and she ran into the room with the bed and closed the door. She collided face fist with her bed, her face turning red and puffed up. For the first time in her whole life, Liana Taylor cried.
She didn't want to look at the mirror, but at the same time, what use would it be if she did? She had no idea who the girl in it was at this point, but she knew she was a monster.
Liana didn't think she was the type of person who would kill somebody, much less treat their body as an object. She didn't think she would survive either. So much had happened to her and all the District 3 girl could remember were the bits and pieces that weren't stuck in the crevices of her brain with the intent of never being found.
"Are you okay?" She heard Lysistrata's voice between sobs.
"I'm fine," Liana had no desire in seeking comfort from somebody who saw her descent into madness as a form of amusement, "Just tired."
She wanted to go home but she wasn't sure where that meant anymore. Sure, she had her humble abode back in 3, and sure, her parents would embrace her once again, but she felt guilty taking love from people when she wasn't worthy of even being liked.
She hadn't even seen it all. The District 3 girl committed at least two other horrendous acts and she would have to watch them. Liana would have to watch herself behave like an animal in front of the whole country and act like she was fine throughout. She had to pretend she was proud of herself even though she was the furthest thing from proud. Liana was proud when she did science experiments, when she did well on her tests and her parents taped them to the fridge—But when she achieved the hardest task in Panem, all she felt was shame.
"Good," Lysistrata closed the door, "Rest up, you have a big night ahead of you."
She wasn't sure what time it was and she didn't care to know. She glanced at her eyes in the mirror to see her face still red and her braids undone. Liana tried to smile at herself, but all she saw was a confused smirk.
Even though Liana Taylor was once again looking at herself, the worst was yet to come.
It's over! Holy shit, I cannot believe that I am saying that. The 26th Hunger Games are over. I have an epilogue or two planned, but I feel comfortable in saying that the main part of this journey is now complete. I'll save all my tears and thank yous for the official last chapter but for now my heart is full of gratitude as the Games are through and we have our Victor. I know that the format of this finale is weird but I think it made the most sense for the development I wanted to give our Victor, which I will get into later. I'm so grateful for all the support throughout these past weeks and thrilled that I made it this far.
Sperry Holster, District 6 Female - 4th Place (Killed by Marcel Hemlock)
Sperry was somebody who's head I always enjoyed being in. Her inner turmoil as a result of everything that happened to her was both devastating and compelling to me. It was impossible for me to not sympathize with her, especially when the reason she Volunteered was so devastating. She allowed me to experiment with prose since she was a lady of few words but that doesn't change the fact that Sperry broke my heart time and time again. Though she always bent, she never broke, and that's one of the main things I admire her for. I've never come across anybody who matches her level of persistence, her drive to make things better even when all she knows is the worst. Her motivation was thrilling, and the drive she had was deeply inspiring. Sperry had the most pure soul out of any of the Tributes, even if she killed Teresa. I hope that Sperry finds peace wherever she is. Thanks to Audmirable for submitting her.
Marcel Hemlock, District 7 Female - 3rd Place (Killed by Eros Fortuna)
Honestly I loved everybody in this finale and Marcel wasn't an exception in the slightest. The crazy thing about A Perfect Union is that there were four sex worker based backstories and none of them were the same. In all honesty, Marcel's was the most unique one for me. She reminded me so deeply of Margot Robbie's character in Wolf of Wall Street and just the way Marcel was such a bad bitch but then she was also lowkey subtle about it? Yeah, I loved her from the moment I read her form and the more I wrote her, the more I continued to like her. Marcel's alliance with Teresa was one of my biggest brain moments and I liked seeing how it changed her as a person and how both girls were able to grow from one another. Friendships in SYOTs are criminally underrated and I am glad I could provide one. Everything about writing Marcel was so entertaining, the way she'd subtly reference her past and how she also let it deteriorate her until it didn't. I'm really going to miss writing her. Thank you to FabulousAbby for submitting her!
Eros Fortuna, District 1 Male - 2nd Place (Killed by Liana Taylor)
Oh Eros, my sweet, sweet, son of a bitch. When I read Eros' form my jaw dropped and I instantly thought "holy shit I am in love with this boy." The way he was kind and compassionate but at the same time he simply did not give a fuck and made horrible decisions was so interesting for me to explore especially in a District 1 male. I also loved how his sad past didn't define him in the slightest yet it was still obvious from reading his personality that everything that happened left him a bit rough around the edges. His superficial relationships at home contrasted by the real friends he found in Fila and Moira made me really happy. He made some shit decisions and got both of them killed which wasn't very cash money of him, but he learned from the horrible things that he did and he genuinely wanted to be a good person, even if that didn't happen in the end since well… death. I'm going to miss Eros' infectious laughter, the charisma he brought to every scene, and the way he made me so happy. Thanks to kremit1000 for submitting him!
Liana Taylor, District 3 Female - The Victor of the 26th Hunger Games
Well well well, here the fuck we are, but before I start gushing over how much I love Miss Liana Taylor, I just wanted to say that Laney it was so fucking difficult keeping this from you since we became such good friends (or at least I think we did) throughout the course of this story and whenever you talked about Liana I so badly wanted to be like "yes that is why she is winning." But alas, I showed restraint and now you are finding out at the appropriate time that the Victor of the 26th Hunger Games is indeed Liana Taylor. In We The People, it was very easy for me to decide that Sapphira was winning, but I didn't have this same experience in A Perfect Union. This isn't Liana's fault at all, but this story just had so many possible directions it could have gone in. With a cast this dynamic it was only fitting that I made at least ten drafts of the Games and possible outcomes, and in quite a few of them, Liana Taylor came out on top. I mentally finalized my decision to crown her after the second night of training when I was once again having the moral dilemma over who should win, and looking back from where I am now, it really couldn't have been anybody but Liana. Four people submitted to District 3 Female and Liana's form was the only one that was slightly competent which was why I accepted her, though I didn't think much else until I began to write her intro and I fell so head over heels in love (but like not in a pedophile way) with this wacky dissection obsessed kiddo. The way she is seriously so fucking intelligent was what initially made her appealing to me, but her stone-cold, methodological, and almost cutthroat nature allowed her to be a Victor. Liana's ability to compartmentalize everything that happened was super unique, as well as the reason why I formatted this finale in the odd way that I did. I knew that her finally realizing how absurd some of her actions were after the fact was the way to go, and in all honesty I'm glad I made that decision since LORD did I have fun writing that last POV. Liana Taylor has been such a pleasure to write, and I love being in her mind so fucking much. I am thrilled that I will get to continue to tell her story in Domestic Tranquility and everything that comes after that, as she'll always make me happy. Thank you so so SO much to mykindleisawesome for submitting her!
THE LEADERBOARD
Liana Taylor: III
Arena: III
Lana Lotus (DECEASED): V
Moira Mikkel (DECEASED): III
Eros Fortuna (DECEASED): II
Fila Ollaris (DECEASED): I
Bell Christos (DECEASED): I
Kingston Havlock (DECEASED): I
Ares Krishnan (DECEASED): I
Sperry Holster (DECEASED): I
Marcel Hemlock (DECEASED): I
Alabastor Contreras (DECEASED): I
