Mack Valley, 14
District Two
In another timeline, winning the last challenge would feel pretty good. It would mean victory, the achievement of everything that Mack had spent the entire Events working towards. It would mean carrying on Two's legacy as the only district that had ever won the Events, and it would mean a house in the Village and safety for his family and all the Dungeons and Dragons stuff he could want and medical help for his migraines…
But Mack couldn't feel happy. He just couldn't. Because it wasn't truly his win.
Every single decision that the Twos had made in the Events was Noel's decision. Noel decided what strategy to take for the team challenges, Noel decided when they wanted to put effort into things and when they didn't, Noel decided who to send into the elimination challenges, it was all Noel, Noel, Noel. And in the few moments where Noel simply did not have the strategy, they didn't even take a moment to thank Mack. The younger boy was, in essence, nothing but a tool for his older district partner. This last challenge was a chance for Mack to finally prove his worth; it was logic and thought, it was all strategy, the type of thing Mack excelled at in Dungeons and Dragons. But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much Mack tried to get his position out there, Noel wouldn't let Mack do anything.
If the Twos won, but Mack did nothing to contribute to it, did it really count as a win?
As Mack and Noel shook hands, neither looking particularly ecstatic about their victory, Mack couldn't help but notice the way the Sixes comforted each other. They were sad, sure, but there was something refreshing about the way that the two of them seemed to truly be a team; whether they won or they lost, they did it together. How badly Mack wished he and his partner could have been like them, not just two individuals but a true team.
"Congratulations, Noel and Mack," Violet's voice boomed through the room. "You have placed first in this challenge. But we still have one more challenge before we can officially crown a Victor of the Events."
"What?" Noel exclaimed indignantly.
"We've only covered thirteen of the fourteen district values so far. We have yet to honor District Five's value of trust. Trusted is a fitting value for District Five, as our whole country must trust them to produce enough power to keep our whole country going.
"For this final challenge, you will each be competing individually. Yes, all four of you." The lights in the room came on, revealing a set of four doors in the front wall of the room, one teal, one grey, one red, and one purple. "Please enter through your door; I will give further instructions at that time."
Without looking at Noel, Mack stepped forward and through the purple door. Finally, Mack could do a challenge all by himself.
The room which Mack entered had a simple setup. In the center of the room was a table; sitting on the table were two red spheres with purple stripes around the center and a black box with a purple number two on the front that looked just big enough for one of the balls. Mack could vaguely make out the outline of a door in the wall across from him, but it was faint, as the majority of the light in the room was pointed to center on him and the table in front of him.
"Competitors! As you can see in front of you, there are two spheres. If you open up the sphere on the left, you should see the word 'split' printed on the inside; if you open up the sphere on the right, you should see the word 'steal.' For this challenge, all you need to do is choose one of those spheres and place it in the box in front of you. To lock in your answer, please close the box; it will lock as soon as it is closed, so don't close it until you're really sure what you want.
"Noel and Mack. If both of you choose the ball that reads 'split,' you will split the Victory, just as was intended. If one of you chooses 'split' and one of you chooses 'steal,' the one who chose 'split' will go home with nothing, and the one who chose 'steal' will not only be crowned the single Victor of the Events but receive an extra monetary reward. But be warned; if both of you choose 'steal,' neither of you will be crowned Victor, and the opportunity will pass down to Sigmund and Ella. We will continue down the line of teams until someone is crowned the Victor, as each other pair of competitors completed this challenge right after they were eliminated from the Events.
"Does anyone have any questions?
"Very good. You will have fifteen minutes to make your decision."
Mack opened up the two spheres, his gaze darting from one ball to the other. He couldn't deny that this was a brilliant challenge, more than perfect for the value of trust. It forced the competitors to question whether or not they could trust their partners and, in the same vein, rewarded the teams that had built strong relationships over the course of the Events.
The Twos were certainly not one of those teams. They definitely did not have anything remotely resembling a strong relationship. Mack knew he could not trust Noel, but he did trust in one thing: he was fairly sure that he knew exactly which sphere Noel was going to pick. If Mack was right, that really only left him one option.
As confidently as he could, Mack closed and picked up one of the spheres, then placed it in the box. He could only hope that he was making the right decision.
Ella Shapiro, 14
District Six
Without thinking for long, Ella confidently placed the sphere of her choice into the box and closed the lid. First of all, she doubted Victory would slip past the Twos. Why would they do anything that would jeopardize back-to-back Victories? But even if it did slide down to the Sixes, there was no reason for her to make any choice other than to split. If Sigmund also chose to split, they'd both win, but if Sigmund chose to steal, she would be happy for him, perhaps even happier than if she won. As much as winning would be good for her – Bar would be safe, she'd be able to study whatever she wanted at school – she worried that, with the new source of income, her mother would just… relapse, becoming no different from most of the other Victors who'd come back to Six. So choosing split was the decision that Ella felt most comfortable with; whether she won or she lost, she knew she would be at peace.
After a few moments, Violet's voice came through to the competitors again. "Thank you all. Please pick up the boxes and bring them through the door in front of you. We will reveal the results there." Ella picked up the box by the handle on the lid, finding herself pleasantly surprised by how light the box was. Carefully stepping around the table, she took a moment to breathe before turning the doorknob and pushing it open.
It took her eyes a moment to adjust, as the stage's blinding lights and the cheering of the Capitol crowd assaulted Ella's senses. Looking to the side, she could see the other three finalists were all having similar reactions. It didn't surprise the girl that the Capitol wanted to reveal the results in front of a live audience, but it was more than just a shock to go from interacting with just a few other people to seeing thousands all in front of her. Ella gave the cheering crowd a shy wave, trying her best not to succumb to sensory overload. Fortunately, she was soon able to make out Dorian's voice, booming loudly across the space. "Welcome, you four! Please place your boxes on this table to my left, and then take a seat on the couches on the right."
Almost as if she was walking on autopilot, Ella put her box down on the table, then turned around and headed over to the section of couches. Twelve of them were already filled, but the two in front, one red and one white, were still open. Ella took the hint, taking a seat on the white couch; soon after, Sigmund sat down next to her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm OK. How are you?"
"I'm OK. Proud of us."
"Me too."
Something in Ella wanted to ask what he'd picked. But at the same time, she was perfectly OK not knowing.
The next little while passed by like a blur. Harli and Dorian spent some time interviewing the competitors about their experiences in the Events, but Ella would be lying if she said she remembered a single question that was asked of her – or of anyone else – or a single answer she gave. It was almost like all the sound just turned into static, going in one ear, making Ella's head spin, and then going out the other. By the time she was finally able to recenter herself, the interview portion was over, and it was time for the final results. The stage lights faded down, leaving just the table illuminated; a bright spotlight turned on, focused on the Twos' couch. It was only at this moment that Ella registered that sitting on the table were not four but twenty-eight boxes, one for each competitor in the Events. She knew that Violet had said that all the other teams had done this challenge, but it didn't really click until she saw all of the black boxes, neatly lined up in a row.
But it wouldn't matter; at least, Ella didn't think it would. She'd chosen split. In the highly unlikely chance that they even reached her and Sigmund's choices, no matter what Sigmund chose, he was going to win. And it was best that way.
"We'll begin by revealing the selections of the pair from Two, to determine if one or both of them will be crowned Victor," Harli explained. "If they both chose to steal, we will continue down the line, first to the pair from Six, then to the pair from Nine, and so on and so forth."
Harli and Dorian walked over to the table, each picking up one of the Twos' boxes. "We'll begin with Noel's choice," Dorian said, showing the box he held around so that everyone could see the bright red number two on the front. He placed the box down on a special podium that caused the lid to pop up. About as slowly as he possibly could, relishing in the tense silence that surrounded him, Dorian reached into the box and pulled out a bright red ball. He slid his nail under the small gap between the top half and the bottom half, popping the top of the ball up so he could reveal the word printed inside. "Noel has chosen…
"To steal."
A ripple of gasps spread across the Capitol audience. Ella was, admittedly, a little surprised as well. After all, as she'd already discerned, having one partner choose split was the only way to guarantee a Victor from your district. If Noel really cared about Two, they would have chosen split. Clearly, they cared more about themselves than anything else.
But was it really a surprise to anyone who knew Noel that they'd chosen to steal? Noel had done everything for themselves for the entire Events. The real question was, what did Mack choose to do? And did he have the loyalty to Two that everyone assumed Noel would have?
As Harli went through the same motions as Dorian did – putting the box on the podium, taking out the ball, opening the sphere up – Ella looked over to the Twos' couch, catching Mack's eye. She could have sworn she saw a twinkle in it.
"Mack has chosen…
"To steal."
"Unfortunately, this disqualifies the pair from Two," Dorian said. Ella could faintly make out some form of indignant exclamation from Noel as the light on their couch faded out; almost instantaneously, a new spotlight flickered on, illuminating the Sixes' couch. "We now move on to the pair from Six."
Ella felt her heart begin to race. As much as she didn't care whether or not she won, as much as she wanted to believe that she cared for Sigmund more than for herself, she still felt nervous. Moments ago, she was convinced that she'd lost; now, there was a chance she'd won. After all, Ella did choose to split; did Sigmund have any reason not to?
Dorian picked up the case with a teal six on the front – Ella's case. Ella felt like time was passing in slow motion as he placed it on the podium, pulled out the sphere, opened it up, and smiled. "Ella has chosen… to split. You know what this means, Harli."
"What?"
Dorian said what Ella already knew: "No matter what Sigmund picks, he has won the Events."
Sigmund gave Ella's leg a squeeze as they watched Harli come forward with his box. She could easily have sped up the process, give that there was already a confirmed Victor. But no, Harli still had to take her sweet time placing the box on the podium, taking out the ball it contained, and opening it up.
"Sigmund has chosen…
"To split! Congratulations, Sigmund and Ella, joint Victors of the Second Events!"
It was as if thousands of small butterflies flew out of Ella's chest. She knew that being a Victor came with a lot of responsibility, and she couldn't shake her concerns about what this win would really mean for her family, but for the moment, she tried to push it all out of her mind. Tomorrow was the day for worrying; today was the day to celebrate.
As if connected by an invisible force, or perhaps by the bond they'd forged since their selection as competitors, Sigmund and Ella stood in unison. Realizing the coincidence, the two turned to each other and smiled, Sigmund quickly pulling Ella into a warm embrace. "You seem a little surprised," he murmured in her ear.
"Really? Well, I guess I am surprised. I thought you might… I kind of wanted you to steal. You deserve this win."
"And you don't? I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I won without you. And now we get to be Victors together."
"Aww, Sigmund!"
"We should wish the Twos a good game right?"
"Probably."
Sigmund and Ella pulled apart and turned towards the Twos, who were still sitting on their couch. Noel had retreated to the corner of the couch, sulking with his back to Mack, but Mack seemed to be in fairly good spirits. He stood up and politely shook Sigmund's hand, then Ella's, a smile on his face the whole time. "Congratulations, you two," Mack said. "Very well deserved."
"You're not upset?" Ella asked.
"Not in the slightest."
As Harli and Dorian didn't seem to be directing them one way or another, Ella and Sigmund took a few more moments to greet their friends, who all seemed genuinely happy to see the Sixes take home the win. After a few moments, the national anthem of Panem played, the cue for Sigmund and Ella to step to the middle of the stage for the crowning. They were met at the center of the stage by Ruby Emerald and her granddaughter, Isabelle, who was carefully carrying a pillow with two golden crowns resting on it. Ruby picked up the first, which was inlaid with pearls and diamonds, and placed it on Sigmund's head; then she picked up the second, which was inlaid with pearls and some sort of teal gemstone, and placed it on Ella's. "Congratulations to you both," Ruby said. "You should feel very proud of yourselves, and Panem is lucky to have you as its Victors."
~.~.~
The rest of the night was a blur - a lovely blur, but a blur nonetheless. After the television broadcast ended, the competitors were whisked away to the President's Mansion for the Victory Ball. Most of the competitors were used to the opulence of the Capitol by this point, but the President's Mansion was a whole 'nother level of grandeur. Chandeliers and candles dotted the room, the plush carpet was a gorgeous brocade pattern, and the distance from the floor to the ceiling was mostly covered by a tall, imperial staircase which drew the eye of everyone in the room. The atmosphere could have been overwhelming, stifling even, but it had somehow been curated to fill the room with an elegant, peaceful air. Dainty appetizers were passed around on silver serving platters as competitors, Victors, Mentors, Escorts, and Capitolites mingled, making idle chatter to pass the night by.
As soon as the formal Victor procession ended, Sigmund and Ella quickly searched for the rest of the Six team: their mentors Nell and Ventus, their escort Panama, the rest of Six's Victors. The two were greeted with open arms and congratulations, as they were the first Victors Six had produced in over a decade; whatever preparations they had done before the Events had certainly paid off. The youngsters took some time to tell their team stories about the Events, about the friendships they'd made and the challenges they'd won, their successes and failures, their highs and lows. Every few moments, a Capitolite would come by to congratulate the newest Victors. It was awkward and draining at first, but the two managed to get into a rhythm, alternating who was actually doing the talking and who just smiled and nodded. For better or for worse, being a Victor meant spending loads of time in the public eye; this was just the first practice of many.
After some time, Sydnee, the figurehead of sorts of the Six team, began to lead the newest Victors around, introducing them to the other districts' Victors, though they'd have a more formal introduction during the Victory Tour in a few months. Sigmund and Ella were surprised that most of the other Victors, regardless of their district of origin, were at the very least cordial, though they found the Career victors to be a little bit colder than those from the Outer Districts. But perhaps the Victor most excited to see them was Chloe Antoni, who was rather grateful that she was no longer the only Events Victor. Their experiences in that Arena might not have been identical, but they had much more in common than any of them did with anyone who won the Games.
Once the ball ended, the competitors were whisked away to change for the block party, which would stretch on into the wee hours of the morning. Sigmund and Ella met up with the other members of their Events alliance, as well as Mack, who seemed beyond happy to be freed from the shackles of his district partner. The teenagers spent the night roaming the streets, using their status as competitors to jump the lines for the rides, games, and snack stands. With no adults to tell them what to do, the competitors stayed out for much of the night, only traipsing back to the training center when their mentors rounded them up at some point after midnight. Ella and Sigmund both fell asleep exhausted but happy; when else would they get to have an experience even remotely like this?
As the sun crested over the horizon, Sigmund and Ella were woken up by their mentors to prepare for their trip back to Six. They said their goodbyes to their friends, with promises to visit when they had time. But before they left, Sigmund had one thing he wanted to do. He approached Noel, to try to make things right, to figure out how to fix their broken relationship. But Noel didn't even acknowledge the boy, continuing to give him the silent treatment that Sigmund had been receiving for the whole Events.
"What do I do?" Sigmund asked Ella as he returned to her side.
"Leave him be," Ella replied. "If he doesn't want to be your friend, don't push it."
"But…"
"I know. It's hard, but it is what it is."
The two Victors boarded the train together, stopping by the window to wave to the Capitolites as the train pulled out of the station. Once they were on the road, both kids felt themselves relax, finally done with the pomp and circumstance for at least a few months. The trip home was long, somewhere around a full day, but Sigmund and Ella didn't mind; they enjoyed the peace and quiet, the rhythm of the train gliding down the tracks, snapshots of Panem passing by. Both kids felt the nervous energy build up in the train car as they got closer and closer to home, finding it harder and harder to sleep the closer they got. Each wanted nothing more than to see their siblings, so much that as time passed, it began to pass slower. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, morning came; it was only a matter of time before they'd finally be home.
Dressed in similar outfits, Sigmund in a white dress shirt and black slacks and Ella in a white blouse and a black skirt, the two Victors stood in front of the train's doors, waiting for the train to come to a stop. As the doors slid open, Sigmund and Ella were greeted with a large, cheering crowd, their families right in front, waiting with open arms. Sigmund broke rank first, running to greet his niece and nephew, a giant grin plastered on his face. A moment later, Ella followed suit; she gave her mother, uncle, and cousin quick hugs, but Ella really only had eyes for her sister, Bar. She bent down to Bar's level and gave her the tightest hug she possibly could.
"Are we safe now?" Bar whispered softly in Ella's ear. "No more statutes?"
"We are safe," Ella replied, pulling Bar in tighter. "Nothing can hurt us again."
Mack Valley:
Mack was such a fun kid! He was a really fantastic representation of strength that broke the District Two mold, but in such a fabulous way. I think perhaps the biggest disservice that happened to Mack is that he was paired with Noel; rather than develop his own friendships, he was kind of stuck with whatever Noel wanted him to do. And yet, that proved to be Noel's downfall. I really enjoyed getting to write Mack, and who knows? It is the Events; maybe he'll get his chance to make friends. Thank you so much to BulletproofReed for Mack!
Noel Patterson and Sigmund Roost:
From the moment that I received these two forms, I knew that these two kids would be driving the plot of most of the fic. The two of them so perfectly represent the two different paths that Panem could take from here; Noel represents the section of the country that wants the Games to continue, while Sigmund represents those who want to move past the Games into Ruby's new version of Panem. It was only natural to me that they'd end up forming alliances to work against each other, and it was the link between the two of them that inspired me to turn them against each other, forming two separate alliances hell-bent on taking each other down. (Well, at least on Noel's end.) I'd never seen an SYOT with this kind of overarching plotline, where the vast majority of the kids fit into one side or the other, and Noel and Sigmund gave me the chance to play around with that. I'm not sure how well it worked, but I'm really glad I got to take this chance. I really enjoyed getting to contrast Noel's impulsiveness and anger with Sigmund's more calculated nature, and I'm so glad that I got to explore both of them through my writing. Thank you 66samvr for both Noel and Sigmund, and congratulations!
Ella Shapiro:
Ella is a fantastic character, clearly constructed by someone who has carefully read my stories and knows my verse. I love the way that the Statute worldbuilding was incorporated into her character; the Statute system might be better, but it hurts the kids who are forced into in it by their parents. While Sigmund might have driven the plot of the Events, Ella perfectly fits into the plot of Panem itself. Thank you so much to GenevieveLeigh for Ella, and congratulations!
~.~.~
And there we have it, the Victors of the Second Events! What did you think of this ending? I've been building up to this pretty much from the beginning of the pre-Events – no, honestly, from the moment I came up with the split or steal challenge idea. I hope you found it as exciting to read as I did writing it!
With the end of this fic comes the beginning of a new one! Up on my profile now (or whenever FFN decides to update my profile) is worldbuilding information that pertains to IDIDE3. Subs are not formally open yet, because there are some things that happen in the epilogue for IDIDE2 and the prologue for IDIDE3 that will affect all of your subs, and I'll be posting form and updating the worldbuilding along with that chapter. You'll see what I mean next week. Feel free to peruse the worldbuilding and get a start on the basics of a form, like personality and appearance, but do make sure to check back next week to see those updates. I'll know if you haven't.
A couple of little notes. As I mentioned earlier, each team got a chance to try split or steal as well, which means that every competitor got an individual placement. I've listed those all out at the end of the A/N so it didn't clog things up too much. If both kids chose to split, they both got the higher placement in their slot, and if both chose to steal, they both got the lower placement in their slot; if one chose to split and one chose to steal, the one who chose to steal got the higher of the two placements. It should make sense when you read the list, but if you have any questions or are curious why I made certain choices feel free to shoot me a DM. Also, if you wanna read more about the Victory Ball and the afterparty, check out the first epilogue of IDIDE1! Sigmund and Ella get to do the same things but I didn't want this chapter to be 8k so I decided not to include it here.
And finally, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on this fic. For a few reasons, I don't want to include an A/N on the last chapter, so this is my chance to do that standard sappy A/N that talks about the fic and what it meant to me and all that.
When I started this fic, I definitely didn't anticipate it taking over two and a half years to finish. I finished MMAM in ten months and IDIDE1 in just over a year, but things kept taking longer with IDIDE2. School picked up, for one, and then I just couldn't write for months and months out of last year. But everything happens for a reason, and if I hadn't hit all of those delays, I don't know if I would have been able to take the verse where I now want it to go. And I, too, am a very different person than I was when I started this fic. I've grown, I've changed, I've lost some friends I held very dear, I've made so many wonderful new ones. In many ways, the end of this fic marks the end of a significant chapter of my life, certainly a chapter of my FFN career. But it also marks a new beginning, a new set of stories I get to tell, and I cannot wait for you all to see what I have in store. As much as I'll miss the Goldie of the past five years, this Goldie is ready to move on, to begin anew.
To those of you who have stuck with me through this whole fic, thank you so so much. I hope you'll stick around for this new era. It's gonna be a wild ride.
Yours,
goldie031
Full Placement List
1st: Sigmund Roost and Ella Shapiro
4th: Noel Patterson and Mack Valley
5th: Berk Delano and Nova Ward-Yamamoto
7th: Xayah Amano and April Salinger
9th: Mettius Dunebreaker and Titania Pyrrhos
11th: Theodosia Cambria and Mina Valadian.
13th: Pax Imperioli
14th: Pax di Fiore Altomare
15th: March Porcher and Augustus Nero
17th: Jacobus Tailleur and Paisley Burrell
19th: Herman LaPorte and Kiyo
21st: Alder Eltier and Marshall Kane
23rd: Atticus Peregrine and Atticus Otterson
25th: Kubi Quince
26th: Kamela Wisdom
27th: Oksana Devlin
28th: Darcy Spades