Bellona Hargrove, 26, Gamemaker

May 11th, 87 ADD

Bellona had never been to District Four before. She had to admit that it was very nice.

She and the rest of the guests were seated on an outdoor pavilion. Surprisingly, it was tastefully decorated for a Capitol event, leaning away from garish and towards rustic. A small choir stood behind the many, many rows of seats. To her left was the sea, calm and gentle as the sun slowly sank into it. A loose breeze played with her hair, and the light seemed to be made of pure warmth. A low buzz filled the space as everyone eagerly anticipated the arrival of the happy couple. They didn't need to wait long: they'd spent fifteen months planning this event down to the second, and there was no way her mother was letting anyone deviate from the schedule.

Finnick Odair entered the pavilion, wearing a sharp black suit and the widest grin Bellona had ever seen. He shook hands with the guests as he made his way down the aisle, murmuring greetings with everyone he could reach. But he was effective: he didn't waste too much time before making it to the altar. He had more important business to attend to.

Bellona and the rest of the guests turned in their seats, eagerly trying to get the first glimpse of the bride. The choir began to sing- an ancient, traditional wedding song from Four, Bellona had been told. Their voices wove together languidly, low and melodic. Cameras perched around the edge of the pavilion focused in on the entryway.

She was radiant.

Annie Cresta wore a simple, sleeveless white dress. She clutched a delicate bouquet of daisies in her hands. Her curled red hair was left loose, and a long white veil was tucked behind her head. No one was paying any attention to her clothes, though. Everyone's eyes were on the shy smile she wore, the way her eyes were clear and focused. No one had seen Annie Cresta look like that in over fifteen years.

Annie made her way to the altar slowly, just as her mother had instructed. Bellona had a feeling it had nothing to do with Minerva Hargrove, however. Annie and Finnick only had eyes for each other, and they clearly didn't feel the need to hurry their wedding along. They wanted to enjoy every moment.

Annie finally made her way through the guests and up to the altar, where President Minerva Hargrove- the wedding's officiator- draped a net of woven grass over the pair. Another Four tradition.

As Bellona's mother began to speak, beginning the ceremony, Bellona watched her closely. Bellona was familiar with what went on behind the scenes of her mother's life- perhaps a little too familiar- but this wedding felt so genuine. Maybe it was the simplicity, or the local traditions. Annie and Finnick definitely had something to do with it. Few in the Capitol had guessed Annie would be the lucky woman to win Finnick's heart, but it clearly wasn't for show. Annie loved Finnick, and Finnick loved Annie.

Bellona just hated how effective it all was.

Last year, Minerva Hargrove had taken the Capitol by storm. Snow's body was barely cold when she swept in to seize control. Several other candidates made the same move, but none had the connections, swiftness, or preparedness that Bellona's mother had.

Her campaign wasn't like the others, all about becoming the next Snow: it was about becoming his antithesis. Bellona had watched as her mother used her connections to shut off the Capitol while she revealed Snow's abuses. She brought to light the Victor prostitution. She allowed Avoxes to come forward with their stories of mistreatment. Other stories of bribery, blackmail, and manipulation quickly joined them. She forced everyone to admit to the worst-kept secrets in the Capitol, that Snow was disgusting, and then gave them a solution: herself. Because Minerva Hargrove was all about fixing them. She was about honesty and humanity.

We can fix this, she'd said. But I need your help, and you need me.

The Capitol, once they recovered from the news about Snow, had quickly warmed up Minerva. They liked the changes she planned to make, and she had Panem's most beloved celebrities- the Victors- supporting her. There was nothing not to like, and the Capitol ate it right up. They loved it so much that they didn't seem to notice, or care, when her political opponents slowly fell from the public eye. Minerva wanted the best for them. Minerva was bringing in a new age.

This wedding represented that. The simplicity and romance of it all, from the clothing to the decorations, seemed so effortless. So genuine. Bellona knew it wasn't, because it had taken her mother fifteen months to perfect it. It had paid off- it was perfect- but it wasn't as well-meaning as it seemed.

None of it was real.

Besides just knowing her mother well enough to understand what was truly going on, there were several reasons Bellona knew better than to buy into it.

One of those was the districts. When communications between them and the Capitol went back up, all they were told was that the Capitol was sorting itself out, and that Minerva was to be accepted as the new president. Which wasn't untrue, but it wasn't the full truth, either. Given what Minerva was revealing, the mistreatment and the abuse, no one wanted to give the districts a reason to rebel. Especially when the Capitol was vulnerable. Weaker districts were better than informed districts. So the districts carried on as they always had. Their problems went unfixed, because they had no say on political matters. "Fixing Panem" wasn't the right wording- "fixing the Capitol" was much more accurate.

Second of all, for a woman who wanted to "fix" Panem, there was one glaring oversight: the Hunger Games. There were many reasons to keep them- that the Capitol was too attached, that they were Minerva's life, that the districts needed to be kept in line- but none of these were as weighted as the fact that Minerva Hargrove didn't care about reform. She didn't really care about "bettering" society, about cleaning up the Capitol. She cared about her career and her ambition and herself. Bellona didn't want to see the Games disappear either- they were her dream, too- but it felt strange to leave an admittedly brutal event untouched.

Bellona Hargrove was a fully grown woman. She was no little girl; she hadn't been one in several years. She didn't think her mother was perfect or flawless. But it wasn't until her mother's presidency that Bellona had wondered if her mother was even a good person. Maybe she had been once- that's what her memories told her, anyway- but now, Bellona wasn't so sure.

Up on the altar, the bride and groom were touching saltwater to each other's lips, still lost in their happy daze. Bellona caught her mother's eye, and her mother winked. Bellona winked back, despite the unease in her stomach. That was still her mother, after all. She loved her. She was all she'd ever had. Bellona would keep any secret for her, because that's what a good daughter would do.

Minerva smiled before turning back to the couple. Saltwater applied, the two sealed the union with a kiss. The guests leapt to their feet, clapping and cheering, and the choir began to sing again. The setting sun casted a golden glow over the event, perfectly timed. Meanwhile, Bellona shoved her unease down as far as it would go.

She had to keep her uncertainty at bay. Bellona Hargrove was the key to all of this, after all, and she knew it. No one else was willing to keep all of Minerva's secrets. No one else could be trusted to sit in on every meeting or report every backstabbing comment. No one else cared about, or was willing to overlook, the hypocrisy. No one would ever be as loyal to Minerva Hargrove as Bellona.

So out of love, Bellona kept it all inside.

In front of her, the net was pulled back, and Finnick swept Annie up into his arms, her laughing all the while. He carried her back down the aisle, the crowd still cheering for them. They barely seemed to notice.

What a luxury, to be so carefree, Bellona mused. Must be nice.

Hello everyone! The clock is ticking down, and the sub deadline is fast approaching! The engagement with this story so far has been incredible and far surpassed my expectations- I couldn't be more grateful for you guys. So many subs! To help me maintain my sanity, I'm going to begin closing certain spots. As of today, 9 spots (D2M, D4, D6, D9, and D10) will no longer be accepting tribute submissions. I apologize if anyone was working on tributes for those spots; as far as I know, there are no current interests in those slots.

As of right now, the deadline is still May 1 at midnight EST. The last prologue is currently aimed for 5/1 when subs close. When that happens, I'll let you guys know when to expect the cast list and blog reveal. If anyone needs an extension, please let me know! I don't want GC to be a source of stress for anyone. We've all got a lot going on already. I will be updating my profile fairly frequently for all this release stuff, so if you're wondering what the plan is just head on over there.

Sending love to you guys, and I'll see you with the fourth and final prologue! :)

-r-b