Gallant Deacon (18) Victor
I was surprised to find myself waking up in the Capitol. I had assumed they wouldn't bother knocking me out when I had so little damage done to my body. Still, I didn't mind. I felt well-rested after days of being constantly on-guard. It was tiring to be basically alone in the Games. It was a feeling most Careers didn't have to go through before the top 12, some of them never going through it at all. It was, I learned, a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. Being in the Games was hard enough when you had four guaranteed allies. It was harder when your last ally was someone who could stab you in the back.
A few wires were hooked into my body, keeping track of my heartbeat and blood pressure. I watched them absentmindedly, not wanting to do anything even though I could easily get out of bed. Instead, I just watched the lines on the monitor go up and down, ignoring the footsteps I heard coming into my room. I didn't want to hear anything Totsuki had to say. I had seen her Games, watched the excitement in her eyes. I had seen her enjoy each of her kills, and I knew I didn't want to be like her. I didn't want to look up to Two's most recent Victor, its crowning jewel. I didn't want to respect someone who looked like she could enjoy the kill again.
"Well. You actually managed to win," Totsuki spat out. I didn't move, just staring at the monitor and hoping she would go away. I should have replied. I should have respected her as my elder and mentor. Instead, I decided, for the first time in a long time, to ignore her. It was rude and crass, but I would do it again. It would make my parents ashamed, but I was done pleasing them. They could be ashamed of me for the rest of my life. "Well, congrats. See you later."
Once Totsuki was gone, her perfectly held expression no longer judging my every motion, I sat up and rang for a nurse. She appeared in record time, likely happy to be able to help a Victor, and asked what I needed. She grimaced when I asked for a mirror.
"It's different, I know," she whispered when I took the mirror from her hands. She was somehow right but entirely wrong. Different wasn't nearly a good enough word. My cheekbones and jawline had been sharpened, making me look much harsher than I ever had. My eyes were a more cutting green and my hair seemed more naturally blonde. The Capitol had better dye than the Districts. My arms held the mirror at an awkward angle, and I knew they had been adjusted. I would be walking into walls for weeks while I learned to get used to what must have been a new height.
In a way, it made sense. I technically had a body count of around 12. Still, I hated it. I wasn't a violent warrior. I was a survivor whose every plan had gone wrong, until the only person between me and Victory was a child.
Walking into my final interview was more difficult than it should have been. Like I had predicted, I tripped every few steps, unsure of when my feet would hit the ground. An aide had informed me I was now 6'3", a full four inches taller than I had been. That seemed ridiculous, but the Capitol molded people how it wanted. There was nothing plebeians like Victors of the Games could do about it.
"Welcome to our newest Victor, Gallant Deacon!" Marcelene called, giving me a respectful nod when she took in my outfit. I was wearing a dress suit and dress pants, similar to but not quite a suit. I sat down in the chair next to her, smiling brightly, ready to put on a good show. I wondered how many Victors actually enjoyed the Coronation and how many just gritted their teeth through the whole thing, and I had a feeling it was much more the latter than the former.
"What an exciting Games you had! You've been credited with a record twelve kills this Games, though some of them were assists. How do you feel, being the most dramatic Victor our Games have known?" Marcelene asked, leaning in with excitement. I hoped I wasn't imagining how fake her smile seemed, how dead her eyes looked while she asked me the most painful question she could have. I hoped it was fed to her and she was still as human as anyone in Panem could be.
"It's riveting! I went into the Games to bring honor to my District, and I'm so proud I got to truly leave my mark on the Arena. I finally earned my honor," I replied, lying through my teeth. That wasn't very noble of me, but the Capitol had no room for nobility. I would lie or I would be killed, and I wasn't about to lose the life I had fought so hard for.
"I think we all know that that's more than enough talking! It's time to watch the recaps," Marcelene yelled out, getting the audience riled up. They hollered in excitement, watching scenes from the Games flit past on the screen above us. I got to see everything I had missed in the Games. I got to relive Rio dying in a fight I should have helped him in. I got to watch my allies die in poison gas. I got to see children clawing at their throats as they tried to get any air in a room quickly running out of it. And I got to pretend to be enjoying it.
The recaps cut abruptly, going from Prosper's death to my killing Yvette. I pretended not to notice that my moments of questioning had been cut. A terrible look for a monstrous Victor, I thought, keeping a fake smile plastered on my face.
"Now, let's see what our wonderful President has thought up this year! Welcome Vispasian Ginger to the stage, bringing our Victor his sign of glory," Marcelene cried, and I noticed how much more showy that was than normal. Usually, Ginger walked onto the stage, smiling and holding a crown. This year, it was a show of power to announce her presence after havoc had been wrought in the Capitol. That's the only reason I got to win. Ginger was too busy rebuilding her reputation to worry that Two had a coward Victor.
I lowered my head when Ginger reached me, letting her place the crown on top of it. The crown was gray, notably not silver, wires made somehow wispy with Capitol technology. Red and gold gems glinted anywhere I could peek between the wires, looking exactly like a flame slowly devouring the crown. They also looked a lot like the blood of a child, spilled for nothing but an old grudge that I hadn't been alive to see born.
"Congratulations on winning the Games."
"Thank you, Ms. President."
This totally wasn't planned but tbh it's starting to look like Gallant and Nyra will get along well
