Chapter Nineteen
"So how's your arm?"
It was Janus who asked this question, as he Dyson and Rik sat in the back of the car that was driving them to the station, from which they would catch the train that would take them to District 12, the first stop on the Victory Tour. Behind them was another car which held Merope, Romulus and Remus, followed by a third containing Dyson's family and the Saxon twins.
Dyson wiggled the fingers on his left hand. "Completely healed," he replied. He'd had to wear the frame which the Capitol doctors had placed on his arm for several weeks after returning home, but it had eventually been removed and there was now no indication that the arm had ever been broken. He had not sustained any lasting physical injuries, unlike some victors whose time in the arena had led to them losing parts of their anatomy, but his mental state was another matter. Since returning to District 5 six months ago, he'd been having trouble sleeping; every time he closed his eyes, he saw images from the Games, both his own and those he'd watched on television in previous years, playing in his mind on an endless loop.
During the day, he tried to keep busy in order to keep his mind off the Games. Encouraged by Rodd and Zeta, he'd lately developed an interest in drawing and the Capitol had chosen to showcase this as his "special talent" by arranging an impromptu exhibition shortly before he left on his Victory Tour. The Kinsellas' front room had been turned into a makeshift gallery, in which the various projects he had been working on for the last few months were displayed, including a head-and-shoulders portrait of Paula. Asked if he'd told her how he felt about her since returning home, he said he had, though he added that they hadn't yet gone further than "the odd kiss."
At night, however, he had no means of shutting out the images in his head, especially when it was totally dark, so he'd put a lamp containing a low-watt bulb in his room so that he wouldn't be surrounded by blackness. He felt a bit silly doing this, having not been afraid of the dark since he was little, but it was the only way to stop the nightmares without resorting to drugs or alcohol. Which Zeta had expressly forbidden him to do; shortly after his return to District 5, she had told him that, victor or not, he would be grounded indefinitely if he ever so much as thought about following the path Rik had taken.
So he'd spent the last six months trying to forget about the Games, but he was about to be reminded of them once again. It was now January and that meant it was time for his Victory Tour. Over the next few weeks, he would visit each district in turn and be paraded in front of the people, who would be expected to cheer for the boy who was alive because two of the kids from that district were not. He was not looking forward to it in the least, but he had no choice. Every victor from the Eleventh Games onwards had been made to tour the districts in this way.
"We'll be arriving in District 12 one hour from now," Janus announced to the train's other passengers, most of whom were gathered around the television, which was showing highlights from the Sixty-eighth Games as part of the build-up to the Victory Tour. Only Dyson was not looking at the screen; he was looking out the window at the snow-covered landscape the train was travelling through, mentally noting how this part of Panem differed from the vast deserts and windswept plains which dominated District 5. And the snow. He'd never seen it for real before, only on television, and had never imagined it could look so beautiful. But it could also be deadly, as the number of cold-related deaths in the Sixty-sixth Games demonstrated.
Still, he was going to be wrapped up against the cold when he got off the train and for his appearance in District 12's main square; Adonis had told him as much. And he was looking forward to being on solid ground again after spending nearly three days on the train. District 5 was one of the districts which lay to the west of the Capitol, whereas District 12 was the easternmost district in Panem unless you counted the ruins of District 13. Which meant he and his entourage had just crossed the entire country, only pausing briefly when the train needed to refuel.
At one point, he'd asked why the Victory Tour had to be done this way. Surely it would be easier to start with one of the districts bordering the victor's district which, in District 5's case, were Districts 1 and 4 to the north, District 2 to the east and District 10 to the south. But Adonis had told him the Tour always started in 12, before visiting the other districts in descending numerical order, then the Capitol, only deviating from this pattern when it came to the victor's district, which was saved for last. So, for only the third time in the history of the Tour, the final stop this year would be District 5.
At length, Adonis went over to Dyson and told him he had to get ready to greet the people of District 12. Accompanied by Merope, Romulus and Remus, the pair headed for Dyson's compartment, where Merope and her partners set to work on Dyson's hair and Adonis revealed what Dyson would be wearing for his public appearances in the coal mining district. Dark grey trousers made from a thick material, ivory button-down shirt with a matching sweater over the top, black overcoat, ivory scarf and gloves, sturdy black boots. "It's always cold in 12 at this time of year," Adonis explained as Dyson dressed in the outfit his stylist had designed. In total, Adonis had created twenty-six outfits for Dyson to wear on the Tour: one for his departure from District 5, twelve for his public appearances, twelve for the formal dinners he and his entourage would eat with the mayor of each district, one for the Capitol. Each was carefully stored in a special train car reserved for the purpose and labelled according to where and when it was going to be worn.
Dyson had just finished doing up the laces on his boots when the train came to a halt. Adonis checked him over to make sure everything was in place, then the party made their way onto the platform.
A cold wind which seemed to penetrate his flesh made Dyson instinctively pull his scarf up over his face as he descended from the train. He and his party were welcomed by a squad of Peacekeepers, who escorted them out of the station and into the waiting cars, which proceeded to drive towards the settlement that was home to the people of District 12. As they passed an area dominated by rundown houses, several of which were little more than shacks, Dyson asked Rik, who was sitting next to him, if everyone in 12 lived in this one settlement.
"They do," Rik replied, taking a drink from his hip flask. "There's only around 8000 of them, so they've never felt the need to expand. Apart from when they built the Victors' Village and that's only ever had one inhabitant. Their first victor disappeared, see, before the Village was built. She's officially dead, of course, but if she is still around after all these years, she'd be an old lady by now."
Dyson did not need to ask Rik who he was talking about. The history of the Hunger Games was a compulsory subject at every school in Panem, including the names of every past victor. District 12's first victor had been a girl named Lucy Gray Baird, who'd won the Tenth Games, though no further details were given about how she had won beyond the fact that there had been some "controversy" surrounding her victory. Allegations that she'd cheated, not that there was any way to confirm this as all recordings of her Games had been destroyed with the exception of the master tape, which was in the hands of the descendants of Volumnia Gaul, the first Head Gamemaker in the history of the Games. The only other information given about Lucy Gray was that she was a member of a singing group called the Covey, who had travelled all over the eastern half of Panem until laws passed after the Dark Days forced them to settle in District 12, and of course her disappearance shortly after she became a victor.
Back in the present, Dyson watched District 12 go by, mentally comparing it to District 5. It was obvious that the people here were much worse off than the people who lived in 5; many houses were in a poor state of repair and several didn't even appear to have running water. There was also a layer of coal dust over everything that even the snow on the ground couldn't hide. It was hard to imagine a more miserable place to live, Dyson thought to himself. He knew from what he'd been told at school, and the glimpses he'd seen on television, that 12 was the poorest district in Panem, but nothing had prepared him for what he was seeing now. He'd never seen poverty up close and he wondered, as he had while watching Monica's pre-Games interview, if he would have taken tesserae had he been born in one of the poorer districts.
After a while, the cars drew up outside District 12's Justice Building and the passengers were escorted inside, where Dyson had a microphone clipped to his coat. He then, accompanied by his entourage, made his way to the front entrance, where he could hear the national anthem playing from behind the closed doors as the local mayor announced him. The doors slowly opened and Dyson walked through them, emerging on the stage which had been erected in the main square, where the entire population of the coal mining district, minus their only living victor whom he would meet later, awaited him.
The first thing Dyson noticed was the platform immediately below the stage, or rather the people sitting on the chairs which had been placed on the platform. The families of the dead tributes, who were always given a prominent spot at these victory ceremonies as a reminder of the, often involuntary, sacrifice their loved ones had made. On Stoke's side, a woman who wore her dark hair in a messy bun sat with two boys, the older of whom looked to be around twelve years old, while the younger was about nine. Cormac's family consisted of a middle-aged couple and a young woman in her late teens or early twenties. Grief was etched on the faces of all six of these people, but they sat stoically as the mayor gave a speech in Dyson's honour and a little girl with blonde pigtails came onto the stage with a bouquet of flowers.
The girl curtseyed as she handed the flowers to Dyson, which served as his cue to thank the people of District 12. This speech was scripted by the Capitol, though victors were allowed to add a few comments of their own if they had formed any alliances with the dead tributes. However, since Dyson had never been allies with any tributes apart from Astra, he stuck to the words he had been given.
"My thanks to the people of District 12. It is an honour and a privilege for me to be here. I also wish to thank the families of Stoke and Cormac for offering up these tributes. While they didn't win, they fought bravely and you can be proud of them for that. Let their sacrifice serve to remind you of the power of the Capitol and be thankful."
However, as he spoke, he found himself mentally adding his own comments, starting with the fact that he was only here because twenty-three other kids, including Stoke and Cormac, were dead. The part where he had to thank the Lynch and the Walker families "for offering up these tributes" was especially grating as it implied that Stoke and Cormac had been willingly sacrificed when everyone knew nothing could be further from the truth. Especially in District 12, where being reaped was pretty much a guaranteed death sentence. As for Stoke and Cormac "fighting bravely", neither of them had made it past the bloodbath. Indeed, Stoke had never really stood a chance, scrawny and underfed as she was. Cormac might have lasted at least a few days had he been able to get clear of the Cornucopia, but Garnet and Lupus had teamed up to bring him down. And what were the people of District 12 supposed to be thankful for? That two more of their young people had died in the Capitol's sadistic Games? The whole speech made him feel like a mouthpiece of the Capitol and he was going to have to repeat it in every district before the Tour was over.
The mayor then came forward and presented Dyson with a plaque inscribed with a large number 12 and the words:
Dyson Kinsella (District 5)
Victor of the 68th Hunger Games
Dyson accepted it without comment, then, with his bouquet in one hand and his plaque in the other, stood to face the crowd, who applauded even though it was obvious that none of them were enjoying themselves. He found himself focusing on the kids in the crowd. The two boys on Stoke's side of the platform, who had to be her brothers. A girl of about ten years old, her hair in a braid similar to Tia's, who stood with her parents and a smaller girl. Her sister? Their features were certainly similar, but while the girl with the braid was dark-haired like her father, the other girl was blonde like her mother. A tall boy, who stood with his parents and two younger brothers.
Any of these kids could end up in the arena. And they would almost certainly not come out alive.
Fortunately, the ceremony ended moments later and Dyson was able to withdraw into the Justice Building, away from the gaze of the people of District 12, the district that had the dubious honour of having the longest interval between victors. Forty years. At this rate, their next victor would emerge at or around the Ninetieth Hunger Games.
"I'm sorry, but my wife won't be joining us; she's not well," the mayor of District 12, whose name was now revealed to be Undersee, told his guests as they gathered around the huge dining table which had place settings for ten people. He took his place at the head of the table, while Dyson, dressed in a black tuxedo, took the seat to Mayor Undersee's right, directly opposite a man in his mid thirties who looked like he had already been drinking heavily. Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the Fiftieth Hunger Games and the only living victor from District 12. Dyson had seen him on television over the years, usually sharing a bottle of liquor with Chaff from District 11, but this was the first time he'd met any victor other than Aurora, Piper and Rik face-to-face. Haymitch had shaken Dyson's hand when they were introduced, but stiffly, his face forming a scowl which he still wore as he and the others sat down at the table.
As the diners served themselves slices of roast beef accompanied by seasonal vegetables, Dyson glanced round the table. Apart from Mayor Undersee and Haymitch, most of those present were the members of his entourage. The only exception was a small girl in a red velvet dress, who wore a matching ribbon in her blonde hair and had a gold pin in the shape of a bird pinned to her bodice. Mayor Undersee had introduced her earlier as his daughter, Madge, adding that this was her first time attending the Victor's Dinner. Like the girl with the braid Dyson had seen in the square, she looked about ten years old, meaning her first reaping was less than two years away. Less than two years before she could potentially end up in the arena. She might be the mayor's daughter and therefore unlikely to find herself in a position where she had to claim tesserae, but she still wouldn't be completely safe from the reaping. And, if her name was called, she would almost certainly suffer the same fate as all but two of District 12's previous tributes.
Just then, Dyson's attention was drawn to Haymitch, who was loudly talking about the tributes he had tried to mentor in the Sixty-eighth Games. "Of course, I knew the girl was a lost cause, so I never bothered trying to find sponsors for her. But I thought the boy might have a chance. Trouble was, he didn't listen when I told him not to mess with the Careers, especially on the first day." He took a drink from the glass of water by his plate, or at least it looked like water; Dyson had seen him adding something that he suspected was a lot stronger to the liquid in the glass. "Don't get me wrong. I do the best I can with the resources I've got, but no amount of sponsor money's going to save a kid from sheer stupidity."
Dyson frowned at Haymitch's surly attitude, thinking it was no wonder District 12's tributes rarely attracted sponsors. Not only did they have their district's poor record in the Games going against them, if what he was saying about Stoke and Cormac was anything to go by, Haymitch didn't do them any favours when it came to promoting them to wealthy Capitol citizens. After all, who would want to back a tribute who had a sarcastic drunk whose etiquette left a lot to be desired for a mentor? Not that Rik was much better, but at least he had Aurora and Piper, and now Dyson, for back-up. Haymitch had never had that network of fellow victors from his own district and, if District 12 kept up their losing streak, the chances were he never would.
After the meal, the adults chatted for a while, leaving Dyson and Madge to their own devices. The two of them exchanged glances, wanting to get to know each other but unsure how to make the first move. In the end, it was Dyson who broke the silence by asking about the gold pin Madge wore. The bird it depicted looked kind of like a mockingbird, but also like a bird he'd seen in pictures but never in real life. A jabberjay. An exclusively male species of bird mutt that had been bred to act as spies for the Capitol during the Dark Days. They had the ability to record and repeat whole conversations, but the rebels had cottoned on and started feeding the jabberjays endless lies, prompting the Capitol to declare the jabberjay project a failure and leave the birds to die off in the wild. Except they didn't die off; they interbred with mockingbirds and produced a whole new species, the mockingjay. And that, Dyson realised, was the bird on Madge's pin.
"Where did you get it?" he asked, pointing to the gold bird.
Madge reached down and traced the outline of the mockingjay's wings. "It's been in our family for years; my Aunt Maysilee wore it in the arena." Her voice dropped slightly when she said the last few words and Dyson needed no-one to tell him why. District 12 had only produced two victors and neither of them were named Maysilee.
"What was she like?" Dyson put the question to Madge without stopping to consider whether it was a good idea or not. For all he knew, the last thing she wanted to talk about was the aunt she had lost to the Games.
Madge shook her head. "I never knew her. She died before I was born, but I know she was in the same Games Haymitch won and there were twice as many tributes that year because it was a Quarter Quell." She did not need to elaborate on what a "Quarter Quell" was; every child in Panem was taught about the Quells at school. One-off rule changes introduced to the Hunger Games every twenty-five years to remind the people in the districts of the Capitol's power. Forcing the districts to hold elections and vote for their tributes. Demanding two male and two female tributes instead of the usual one male and one female. And the next Quarter Quell was only a few years away. Dyson wondered what sadistic twist would be announced for the Seventy-fifth Games, but reminded himself that he would find out when the time came.
"Mom's never gotten over it," Madge went on. "She takes morphling to help her sleep, but she still can't face the Victor's Dinner. That's why Dad said she wasn't well."
She was completely matter-of-fact about it, but Dyson couldn't help thinking that, had it not been for the Capitol and their cruel Games, she might have had a chance to get to know her aunt and her mother might not have turned to morphling to help her sleep. Two sisters, one killed in the arena, the other so consumed by grief that it was still affecting her nearly twenty years later. Mrs Undersee was just one of an untold number of people in Panem who'd lost a sibling to the Games. And the fact that Haymitch had won the same Games in which her sister died must make it even worse for her; it meant she had to face the man who was alive because her sister was not. No wonder she couldn't bear to attend the Victor's Dinner.
Dyson sensed he should probably change the subject, but he couldn't think what else to say to Madge. At that moment, however, Janus came in and told him it was time to go, as the party had to get to the station and get back on the train in order to be in District 11 by the next day.
Dyson was given time to change out of his evening clothes and into the clothes he'd worn for his appearance in District 12's main square, before he was driven to the station, along with his escort, stylist, mentor and prep team. Within a matter of minutes, he was on the train once more and the train was heading south.
