Whyte Roberts, District Four

I never really thought about actually getting to the end. The names just kept whittling away after Floki died and one day I heard a cannon and realized Jynx and I were the final two. I wouldn't necessarily have thought Jynx would be the last one standing. I wouldn't have thought it wouldn't be him. I just hadn't really known who to expect. And the same thing went for me being left.

Jynx was limping when we saw each other in the corridor between two buildings. To be fair, I had two broken fingers from a brawl with Akari. Throughout the fight we were more or less even. We were both exhausted after more than a month of large-scale warfare between nearly a hundred trained killers. I wish I could say I won with some big operatic move but actually I ended up awkwardly stabbing Jynx with the tip of my spear after it broke.

I woke up in the Capitol to Vera by my bedside.

"You made it," she said. "Not before me but you eventually made it."

I turned over and buried my face in the pillow. "Do you mind? I'm trying to sleep."

Things were different between me and Vera, I learned quickly. I was surprised to find that she'd fallen for and started a relationship with Frankie, the winner of the first Quarter Quell. Vera had always been into me and it was a bit of a blow at first but after I licked my wounds for a few days I was happy for her. If I'd been a lesser man I might have been jealous of her new love who won in one try and was also taller than I was but I took the high road and got over it. It was easier than it might have been since the guy I liked was also taller than me. It would take a long time before I was ready for romance again after losing Floki.

Four years later I was hanging out in the Four lounge before some stupid Capitolite party the Victors were required to attend when Jonah strolled in looking like a cat who'd snagged a goldfish.

"What's up?" I asked.

"You wanna know the real reason we all got called here?" he asked, plopping on the couch opposite me.

"Some dried-up rich Capitolite made a donation?" I asked.

"Technically not wrong. Some dried-up old Capitolites made some massive donations because they were promised a secret Hunger Games if they did," Jonah said.

"No crap?" I leaned forward in my chair. A whole secret Hunger Games no one had heard of?

"Honest truth. And we're here to welcome the celebrated Victor," Jonah said, looking like he was trying to hold back giggles. "It's his debut appearance."

"Who is-"

The door flew open. "You're taking too long!" came a voice familiar both in sound and fury. My face lit up like a little kid opening a Christmas present. I was halfway off the couch before my brain was finished hearing it. Floki's huge bulk barreled through the door, arms stretched out. "Where's my boy?!"

I was off like a shot. I jumped halfway to Floki just getting up from the couch and crashed into him with enough force that he would have been knocked over if he hadn't been, well, Floki. His arms closed around me and lifted me up like a kitten.

"You made it!" I almost screamed. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't feel his muscular body against mine. No one in the world looked or felt like Floki.

"Till Valhalla," he said. "And back."

Some confusing timelines here so for clarity, in this chapter Vera won Over and Over (32nd Games), Whyte won the first All-Stars Careers Games (The Killer Elite), and four years later the Games recorded in Cruel Mercy was held and Floki won.