Celosia Deverell
District Twelve Victor, 17 Years Old
Victor of the 109th Hunger Games.
Leonora stood up and tapped her finger on her glass.
The room got silent, and Celosia slowly turned her head, placing her cup down on the table. Allonia glanced at her, smirking, and from the corner of her eye, Celosia could see the gesture. She suppressed laugher, though, and faced forward.
Leonora stepped up to the podium, holding her glass in the air.
"Welcome, ladies," she said, nodding her head curtly. "I'm glad you could all make it today."
Leonora glanced around the room, smiling at a few certain individuals in the room, while the rest simply received a scowl or a blank stare. She winked at Seina, waved her nimble fingers at Naima, and she gave a small smile out of pity to Cailen. Allonia received one of those blank stares, looking right past her and directly at Celosia.
When Leonora made eye-contact with Celosia, she scowled. She was clearly angry, but Celosia shifted her eyes, letting Leonora continue with her heartwarming speech. Allonia chuckled, but once again, Celosia didn't want to acknowledge it.
Leonora might not have liked Celosia, but Celosia didn't want to stoop down to her level and entertain it. Celosia was better than that.
"It brings a tear to my eye," Leonora continued, her voice teetering on melodramatic. Leonora always did love the attention, anyway, and knew how to direct it onto herself. "Just knowing that you all took the time out of your day to join me at my home. I want to thank you."
Allonia snickered and Celosia shifted in her seat. Leonora didn't really want them there, but it was a formality. The two of them had to show up or else they'd be criticized by the public-eye. The Capitol wanted the victors to seem well-knit – they wanted them to have a relationship with one another.
And that's where Leonora came in; she had a small get-together of recent female victors, just like past District One victors had done. At that point, it was a formality. It was one that all female victors had to attend eventually.
Celosia sucked it up and went grudgingly. She knew that when Ashra won, she didn't attend the party that Affinity organized. Perhaps that's why Ashra's so hated among District One. Or, maybe, Celosia thought, it was just her bad attitude.
Celosia thought the latter was more reasonable.
Leonora finished up her speech, raising her glass, gesturing for the Avoxes to go around with more beverages and food platters. Celosia shook her head as one passed her, while Allonia dug right in. Celosia simply sat there, watching her fellow victors.
Cailen from Eleven sat there, smiling. Her smile, though, showed a little too much teeth. The corners of her lips trembled as she smiled, and she spoke through gritted teeth, making sure to maintain that smile. Everyone looked at her and instantly knew she was trying too hard.
Trying too hard to impress them all. To make sure people thought she was stable. That she was okay.
And then there was Leonora from One who just didn't try enough. She said what she wanted, rolled her eyes as she pleased, and cut off any conversation that she didn't find interesting. Perhaps she was just overcompensating.
She felt like she had something to prove. After her losing her sister, she always felt like that.
Once again, Leonora and Celosia made eye-contact. It was an awkward exchange, only lasting a few seconds, but once Leonora snarled from all the way across the room, Celosia raised an eyebrow. Really, Celosia didn't know what she had done to receive such animosity from Leonora.
Celosia's only logical explanation was be Ashra.
Somehow – in some way – Ashra caused this tension between District One and District Twelve.
Even so, Celosia didn't resent Ashra. She didn't even hate her.
In a way, she empathized with her, especially because of Ashra's recent decisions. She understood why she didn't want to mentor anymore – why she took that heavy burden right off her own shoulders and placed it on Celosia.
Celosia preferred the idea of mentoring than becoming a recluse and isolating herself from the world, anyway. At least then she would have a chance to help someone else. She could save someone else.
She just didn't understand why Ashra was so self-centered. Nearly every year, District Twelve loses two tributes, and yet, Ashra seem unfazed by it. She seemed apathetic. That's the only part Celosia couldn't wrap her head around; why didn't Ashra care?
Celosia did care, though.
She cared a little too much.
District One
Male: Lincoln Talher, 18.
Female: Bronte Avellar, 18.
District Two
Male: Priscus Ervani, 18.
Female: Sasha Clarelle, 18.
District Three
Male: Porter Moreau, 16.
Female: Vaida Kiper, 18.
District Four
Male: Luran Tremain, 18.
Female: Caia Verdone, 18.
District Five
Male: Kelvin Rhyolite, 17.
Female: Daelyn Allaire, 17.
District Six
Male: Denton Irving, 17.
Female: Felicity Lynch, 14.
District Seven
Male: Axton Ivers, 18.
Female: Aisling Ibarra, 17.
District Eight
Male: Ellis Linell, 15.
Female: Charis Arville, 16.
District Nine
Male: Troy Westbrook, 17.
Female: Fiora Mavelle, 17.
District Ten
Male: Shepmore Terrance, 12.
Female: Linley Bonnet, 17.
District Eleven
Male: Damien Novak, 18.
Female: Lenina Rosetti, 18.
District Twelve
Male: Axel Rogue, 18.
Female: Adela Lavari, 17.
Author's Note:
I always feel uncomfortable when writing these notes after closing submissions and accepting tributes. Is uncomfortable the word? Probably not. Is guilty? Sure.
I received a lot of submissions (really, the most I ever have – even more than SAS!), and let me tell you, it was not easy to pick twenty-four out of all of them. It required a lot of thought and decision-making. I wanted to balance out the mix of tributes I have and have a variety.
So, if you were accepted, congratulations, but if not, I apologize. Don't hate me, hoho.
Oh, obviously, I switched to Third-Person. I'm fickle.
Well, here are the two blogs (tribute and victor, respectively):
w w w. downtothewirehg. blogspot. c o m
w w w. halloffamethg. blogspot. c o m
Some questions, yeah?
Who stood out from the tribute blog? Any early favorites? Any early least-favorites?
I believe that is it. That's it from me until then.
Enjoy and review, xo.