AN: We're finally at the end! These tribute epilogues are just 100 or more words each stuffed into a paragraph, so don't expect anything in depth, haha! It's a way for us to check in with some people's lives after 23 of the tributes died. The victor got a bit over 500 words because he's the victor; he's special. I'll be sappy on the next chapter instead, haha!
Enjoy! :)
Not much has changed ever since Kylie Ford died. Her only living friends, Zoe and Chris, still have each other at least. They miss Kylie, but they don't talk about her so much. She'll be remembered, but she's in the past now. Zoe and Chris still have their lives to live, and that's what they'll do. Chris in particular feels very lucky to still be here. Part of him thinks he owes his life to Kylie's district partner, Thomas Barnaby, as he volunteered in his place. Although, Thomas is dead too, and there's really nothing he can do about it.
Gordon remembers reminding Thomas that it was three in the fricking morning when Thomas was watching the stars in the night sky from that window. Later that morning, Thomas Barnaby volunteered to be a tribute for the 140th Hunger Games, having an adventure of his lifetime and living the rest of his days like they were his very last. Well, he did it. He went out with a bang. They both knew Thomas's days were numbered, and it makes Gordon happy to think that Thomas achieved what he wanted to achieve in the last moments of his life. Now that Thomas is gone, Gordon misses having fun and adventures with the dude.
Poppy's odds were never really that good to begin with, but it was ugly for Evangeline, Gabriel, and Taylor to see her district partner betray her, before a trained tribute put her out of her misery, physically and emotionally. In memory of Poppy Sennett, her family planted a seed in their garden with a special pot. One day, this plant will grow into a beautiful poppy flower, just like the plant she was named after. Her mother, her father, and her brother miss having her around in their house garden, but with this plant commemorated for her, she will be with them in spirit, always and forever.
Susie Ye was laughing crazily during the last moments of her life. For her parents Elmer and Rowena, it was all so confusing. They didn't know she had schizophrenia. They didn't even know who this Kevin was. They think they could've raised their children better. First, Juniper committed suicide. Now, Susie volunteered for the Hunger Games, and died in a very ugly way. Did they misstep as parents? What could they have done differently to save not one, but two, of their children from their very early deaths? Even though neither parent was at fault, they regret raising their children the way they did, and they don't know how they could've raised them differently.
Nia is all that remains of Owen Lee Bai's family. She's all alone after her little brother died, then her parents, and now her other little brother Owen. She used to worry about her family so often, but none of them remained. There's no one left to worry about, and while it gives her some peace of mind in a weird way, it feels very lonely. Nia reminisces about childhood, when her family was still complete and when she had less worries for them. Reality is often disappointing, so she finds a dark yet colorful way to escape it. Maybe doing this will bring her family closer to her.
Skylar wishes she can give Macy Roe another kiss, this time on the lips. Skylar felt so stupid for believing in Macy to come home. Her odds were not that good, and yet she drowned herself in oblivion. She thought Macy would come home and they would live happily ever after. Wrong! Skylar misses her so much, and words can never describe the pain she is feeling. She will never see Macy's beautiful face again. She will never talk and laugh with her again. She will never kiss her cute cheeks again. She will never have a happily ever after with Macy, ever.
Ever since Tira Hyde passed away, her best friend Sirey hit rock bottom. Having Tira around made her feel noticed. Without her, Sirey is lonely beyond hope. She no longer has Tira to lean on. In fact, Sirey has absolutely no one to lean on anymore. After Tira's death, peers gave her their condolences, but it didn't take long for Sirey to slowly fade into the background. Her peers usually forget her, and with Tira gone now, her fear of being forgotten and excluded has become a reality. With nothing and no one to cling on, Sirey can feel herself falling into a bottomless pit.
It was torture for Jasmine to watch Dante Blackwell's death. She taught Dante how to use a crossbow, and yet he died trying and failing to use one. Why!? WHY!? The gamemakers knew, and they exploited his weakness and got him killed like that. The gamemakers did him dirty. It was not fair. The Hunger Games ain't fair. Life isn't fair. Nothing is fair at all! Jasmine's life is already shit, and so was Dante's, but for them to take away Dante from her life, she feels truly lonely. Every day will never be the same without Dante around to at least accompany her.
Lake used to constantly tell his little brother, Orion Fleming, to grow up and be more mature. Lake already felt sick having to repeat the lecture on maturity like a broken record. He doesn't want to say Orion died for being immature. His maturity level had nothing to do with how he died. Orion was simply a victim in the Hunger Games. Now that he's dead, Lake is stuck with an alcoholic father and no one else. Maybe if Orion had won, their dad would drink less. Instead, Lake is stuck in a life like this. Without Orion, there is no life in the house, and it makes Lake feel lonely too.
From prison, a fifty-two-year-old man named Rhine Willis watches the Hunger Games. He can't put his finger on it, but there's something oddly familiar with the District Four female tribute, Jeanne Maxima. A few days after she died, it all clicked in his head. Jeanne looked like a teenage girl he fucked almost two decades ago. He had a brief affair with this woman after fooling her that he was in his twenties, when in fact he just turned thirty-four. Rhine has no contact with the woman, but he has a gut feeling that Jeanne may have been their biological daughter. He'll never know for sure, but it'll never matter anyway.
After the death of Corinna Pickett, Quint, Amy, and John never saw the sunny side of the Pickett household ever again. Corinna was betrayed. She didn't see it coming, nor did her family. The whole family agrees that her death was avenged though, in a way. The victor was lucky to have escaped death right after Corinna's death, and from then on, the Pickett family was rooting for Filament to take home the crown. They wished it was Corinna wearing that crown instead, but with Filament's victory, it was clear to them that Corinna's death and betrayal was not in vain.
If there is one person Carson misses the most, it was Annaleigh St. Cloud. As Annaleigh's mother, she watched her baby grow into a loving and caring woman. Over the years, they watched out for each other, Annaleigh more than Carson in recent years. The thing Carson misses the most from Annaleigh is her protectiveness. Annaleigh cared for her mom very much. For a long time, Carson was Annaleigh's role model, but due to her self-destructive tendencies stemming from her issues with self-image, Carson looked up to her daughter as her role model as well. She raised her baby and inadvertently turned her into someone she can look up to. Recently, Carson has been mentally struggling more without her baby around to comfort her.
In loving memory of Ciara Westley, her family collaboratively composed a song dedicated to her. Keliza, Kenton, Christian, Cruz, Celine, Conner, Cassandra, Cindra, and Castor contributed to different parts of the song. While Ciara's mother, Keliza, sang the whole song as the lead vocalist, each member of the family referenced what they love the most about their daughter or sister. Before performing as a family orchestra, they recognize that it has never been the same without Ciara there to play the saxophone. With this song dedicated to her, she will always be in their hearts and immortalized in a piece of musical art.
Lyocell has full attention from his parents now that Ingeo Olefin has passed away. He didn't want his brother dead, but he was jealous of the attention his brother had. The whole family misses him, yet he lowkey pretends not to miss him. His brother is dead and he can't deny that fact nor can he just push it away. Out of envy, he doesn't easily admit to missing his younger brother. His default excuse would be: They weren't really close. Although deep inside, life feels different without Ingeo around. He misses his brother too, and he simply hates to admit this truth.
Aurum always thought of his brother as a lazy piece of work. They never really got along. He can't deny the house felt a bit emptier without him around though. It's not like Aurum stays at home all day, but it feels different without Argentum around. Their father, Courage, didn't really care about Argentum's death. He had one life to live and he lost it. He's a disgrace. Their mother, Ruby, kept thinking of what-ifs. She's a Games history teacher, and while she accepts Filament's victory, she can't help but theorize in what scenario Argentum would win. Aurum doesn't want to dwell in what-ifs. He is the mayor's intern, and he has a better life to live.
Ugh. What a fool. Ogon is disappointed but not surprised to see his best friend Dorian Belcorn die in the Hunger Games. Dorian was blinded by rage and revenge, yet his grandfather has been dead all this time simply from natural causes. What made Ogon the most uncomfortable was seeing Dorian as a traitor to his allies. He knew Dorian for so long, yet he did not expect him to be that kind of person. Would Dorian have betrayed him had they been in the same arena? He doesn't wanna know. There's no point thinking about it. Life goes on for Ogon with or without Dorian.
Horden Tanase's best friend and girlfriend, Rory, wonders what it's like to live happily ever after. With Horden murdered on national television, she will never know what happily ever after means anymore. It sucks to see the love of her life killed by an ex-ally. Her last words for him never even reached him. Horden never saw Rory's emotional message. He was killed right before he could even watch it in safety. It hurts to remember how close he was to it, yet it was so far from his reach. He was almost to Rory's message from home, but almost is never enough. She never wanted to say goodbye, but Horden will never ever hear her say it anymore.
One of Rufus Cornelii's brothers, Calix, has always been opposed to Rufus volunteering for the Games. He was young and immature, but he was also a danger to society. Calix didn't like Rufus. Rufus changed for the worse after a certain age. Everyone in the family is mourning for Rufus's death. He's mourning for Rufus too, but only for formality's sake. Calix thinks this didn't have to happen, but then again, it was dangerous to have someone like him living in District Two. Calix wish Rufus knew better, but he reaped what he sowed. Calix simply shakes his head to this.
Kobe Bridger may have been a troublesome child, but the household feels different without him around. Zaina was previously unaffected by the Games, being the happy-go-lucky little girl. Although from hereon out, she can't ignore the fact that her big brother died in the Hunger Games. Anahi may not be as loud as Kobe, but her emotions speak louder with a big brother gone. Aven feels awful without having his son to talk to about their favorite topic anymore. Rissa misses her baby so much that sleeping has become harder and harder for her. It doesn't matter that Kobe was opinionated and she wished for him to be otherwise. She just wants her baby boy back home.
Lainey Sash could have been dead six years prior, but she was lucky to have someone else volunteer in her place. She spent the next six years home training to prepare herself in case she would do unto others what others did unto her. Her parents fully supported her in this. By the 140th Hunger Games, Lainey volunteered for Sandra, a twelve-year-old just like Lainey was when she was first reaped. For Lainey, what went around came back around. However, Sandra has no plans of continuing the chain of volunteering for a younger tribute. She was thankful for Lainey saving her life, but she won't be heroic enough to risk her life to become the next Lainey Sash.
It did not cross Millie's mind that the death of her best friend, Brenna O'Hare, was something that was actually possible. Millie always thought Brenna was gonna win no matter what, but alas, she could not defeat three younger tributes who ganged up against her and carried unorthodox weapons. Millie misses her best friend, and she's pissed that District Two did not care about her death. In the eyes of the District Two society, she was simply another failure within the district's legacy. Millie feels appreciation for herself for picking the path she is currently in. She fell in love rather competing for a legacy that she never knew was never certain. She feels awful that her best friend fell victim to this societal pressure though.
Blood-related or not, Chip Tablet's family members are his programming factory podmates Byte, Pixel, and Tesla. With the tasks they were given, they still get the job done. Every week after Chip's death, Byte, Pixel, and Tesla take a moment of silence in memory of their late podmate who died in a fight in the Hunger Games finale. A new kid was eventually assigned to their team to replace the hole that Chip used to fill. They like the new kid, but it's just not the same without Chip around. One day at work, eleven-year-old Pixel breaks down and cry, expressing how she misses Chip so much after fully digesting the reality that she will never ever meet him again.
It's so hard for Frieda to move on from the death of her best friend, Arlenna Scott. There is so much grief and pain that is utterly indescribable. Second place is way too close. It gave Frieda so much hope, like putting all her eggs in the same basket, because she was that sure that she will see her best friend come back home with a crown from the Hunger Games. She had her hopes so high up and her guard so down low. She quit track soon after. It brings back memories of Arlenna, and it's painfully distracting for her. Regardless of quitting track or not, it will never change the fact that Frieda just lost her best friend to the Hunger Games in a very close finish.
On the train ride home, Filament Harmon-Fierro's escort and mentors accompany him. He never thought he would be riding a train again when he first rode it to the Capitol. When they reach their destination, local paparazzi were waiting for his arrival everywhere around the train station. It was overwhelming even for Filly, but he immediately sees six familiar figures that he calls his family. As his face streams with tears, he ignores all paparazzi and runs to them as they all come together for a group hug. Filly was once taken away from his family, and now he's so glad that he can't believe he's back here with them again.
It took several months for Filly to adjust to the victor life. He was once just a friendly citizen, and now he's a celebrity. Going out can be overwhelming even though he enjoys being around people. He can't blame himself for being afraid of betrayal when he had a near-death experience with it. He's still paranoid that his family and friends would kill him when he gets involved in a little argument with them. He would become anxious and emotional over it, and they have to constantly remind him that they are not going to betray or kill him over a little disagreement, but it's so hard for Filly to believe in that after his history with Dorian.
Before the start of the 141st Hunger Games and after he learned one of Arlenna's hobbies from her mentor and his fellow victor Kylene, Filly was curious enough to find the interest in sewing. As his victor's talent, he now knits teddy bears and other stuffed animals. It takes a lot of time and practice, but he eventually gets the hang of it. He would donate his stuffed animals to the orphanage where he was first adopted from. He is appreciative of his family, and he knows not everybody has this privilege he has. It was only right for him to touch their hearts and hold a hand out to comfort them.
When reaping day comes, he might give these stuffed animals away to scared children too. Not only can it comfort them, but his presence through the stuffed animals would also serve as a reminder of someone who went into the Hunger Games, was very afraid of dying in it, but made it out alive against all odds. He hopes to be an inspiration for the unluckily selected tributes-to-be for future Hunger Games.
Life will never be the same for Filly now that he's a victor, but he still has the family and friends he had before he left home. Filly gained and lost friends along the way. In the end, he's the only one left standing in that elemental arena. Filly knew he is a mere mortal, and it was a scary fact to live with during the Hunger Games. For him to be standing and breathing here in District Five, Filly is thankful for another chance in life. His fellow tributes are all gone, and that thought made him feel extremely lucky that the cards of mortality were ever in his favor.
