Genevieve Altruzara,16, Victor of the 82nd hunger games
"Hold on, almost there!" My stylist Daisy squeaks as she finishes applying mascara under my eyes and I only let out a small sigh. I would've preferred to dress myself and design my own outfit, but I trust Daisy enough to pull this off...
It's been about four days since I regained consciousness and I've had some trouble sleeping for the most part. Sometimes I relive a nightmare over and over of me and Emmerane fighting, sometimes it's me running down an endless hall with Hunter angrily chasing me or Hyperion sneaking up behind me and piercing me through the chest with his sword. I haven't had a pleasant dream yet, it's only been four days but I'm starting to think this is the new norm...
"There we go! Why don't you take a look at yourself beautiful!" Daisy gives me a snobbery kiss on my cheek much to my dismay and gently spins me around where I'm now looking at myself in the mirror. The roots of my hair are still deep black but the strands slowly transition to a greyish blue. My hair which seems to have grown quite a bit now reaches my upper back and is in curls with the end of my strands ending in bangs. My eyes have some blue eyeliner around them with matching lipstick I'm wearing a glittery blue skin tight dress that's comes down to my knees with matching shoes that are also sprinkled with glitter.
"How do you like it beautiful!!" Daisy squeaks in my ear causing me to flinch a little, overall I'm very pleased, I got a glance of myself while I was in the arena, and understandably so, I looked like a skeleton, but now I looked better than before I even went into the arena. I don't even want to imagine what kind of stuff they were pumping into me these last three weeks to look like this…
"I think I look amazing Daisy…" I smile faintly continuing to glance at myself, I was speaking from the heart too, She did great, this is pretty much how I imagined I would've dressed myself up.
"Awww you see! I never let my sweetie pies down!" Daisy plants another slobbery kiss on my cheek and moments later my mentors enter and also seemed pleased.
"You look amazing Genevieve!" Tatianna compliments me.
"You sure do, if only Daisy was that creative with you Tatianna!" Brock laughs and Daisy playfully hits him, I wish I can laugh and have fun with them but, I think of Mandel, my mother and I really do want to get back home as quickly as possible…
"Anyways, Genevieve, are you ready? " Tatianna looks over at me smiling faintly and I nod, last I remember Tatianna was a bitch. I guess she can now empathize with me considering I went through a similar traumatic experience as her, so we can relate to each other now...
"Yeah, the interview, I'm ready for it…" I say with little confidence. This might be one of the toughest parts for me. I'm going to have to relive all of this once again…
"No need for an angle or anything, just go out there and be you!" Tatianna puts her hand on my shoulder but I can feel my body begin to tremble as the events begin playing back in my head, Cortez accidently stabbing me, having to fight his clone, being harassed by death itself and both me and Acer nearly falling to the clutches of Victoria Aspen aswell as his dying words to me…
"Genevieve…" Brocks gets my attention and I can feel my eyes begin to swell up as I look back up at him.
"This won't be easy Genevieve…but just remember that we're with you every step of the way, ok?" Brock tries to console me.
"Yeah…I'll be ok, thanks Brock…" I fight back my tears.
"We're here for you Genevieve, now shall we get going?" Tatianna holds her hand out to me and I gently grab her hand where the both of them escort me to the elevator. Our ride down is quiet as I can feel the elevator going down and I look over at my mentors but I'm surprised when I realize I'm the only one in this elevator, where did they go!?
"Brock, Tatianna?" I call as I look around the empty elevator and the lights suddenly begin flickering before its completely pitch black in here, what's going on?
"Brock!? Tatianna!?" I shout way louder this time as I look around in this pitch darkness and for a moment I only hear my heavy breathing.
"So…what exactly did you think was going to happen? you thought you'd get a nice little fairy tale ending, walk out of here and return home to live a happy fucking life huh?" I can hear some familiar chuckling behind me and I gasp aloud as I spin around but feel a sudden and powerful hand grip my throat and it effortlessly lifts me up against the elevator wall where I can feel my feet dangling and that's when the lights flicker back on and I see Hunter, all of his injuries seemingly gone with an angry scowl across his face strangling me. I try breaking free from his grasp by kicking his midsection and clawing at his hand but none of it is having any effect on him as he has a literal death grip on me.
"You know you only won cause I already had one foot in the grave, now look at you, completely helpless against me when I'm at my full strength! You useless little cunt!" he curses at me strangling me harder and I try my best to fight out of it but it's no use as I feel my eyes rolling back into my head as everything begins going dark
"Genevieve!! Genevieve!!?" I can hear Tatianna calling me and my eyes shoot open where I see I'm on my knees, breathing heavily with my heart pounding and I can see drops of my sweat on the floor. I let out a terrified yell as I still don't know where I am but I feel Tatianna hug me tightly.
"It's me Genevieve, it's ok I'm here, I'm here!" she hugs me and I can still feel myself hyperventilating as I rest on her shoulder and I can feel Brock rubbing my back, what just happened, it…it felt so real whatever it was...
I manage to calm down a little as Tatianna continues holding me and I can feel my breathing slowly starting to return to normal.
"W-what just happened?" I manage to utter out still feeling my body trembling.
"You must've had a panic attack, you seemed out of it for a moment and when we tried to call you, you fell to your knees screaming." Tatianna explains. I never had a panic attack before, is this really going to be the new norm for me, if so then…
"You take as much time as you need Genevieve, we don't need to go anywhere until you're ready…" Brock calmly tells me but i quickly nod as I start making it back to my feet.
"I'm ok…I'm ok." I make my way back to my feet trying to control my breathing but I still feel my body trembling as I envision Hunter's devilish grin, he really was nowhere near his full strength when I fought him, and that's the harsh truth of why I'm still alive right now…
"Genevieve…" Tatianna worriedly calls to me.
"Please…" I argue and they have no choice but to respect my wishes.
I'm jittery for the rest of the walk but Tatianna makes sure to hold my hand tightly and that helps calm me down a little, but I still look behind me every now and then. We make our way to the launch pad and above me I can hear loud cheers and screams as Carlton is up above riling them up as they await my arrival and I take a deep breath. This is it, just hope it's over quickly.
"We'll be right next to you Genevieve, remember that ok?" Tatianna asks me with some concern but I don't want them to worry about me, I just want to trust myself that I'll be ok…
"Y-yeah, I'll see you guys soon…" I hesitantly say and give both of them a hug before stepping on my launch pad taking another deep breath
"It is now time ladies and gentleman, no matter how tough or bleak things got, our latest victor here showed her toughness, tenacity and will power being able to fight through so much adversity and still manage to make it out on top! Her strength and courage will be sure to radiate throughput panem so please welcome our victor of the 82nd Hunger games, Genevieve Altruzara!!!" I hear Carlton's pleasant but piercing voice and the thousands upon thousands of loud cheers nearly blind me for a moment as my podium begins rising and I feel myself getting more nervous as I tremble slightly gazing above me.
I'm blinded by hundreds of different lights and deafened by screams and cheers. I can't see or hear anything, but my legs begin involuntarily moving as I start walking. I obviously don't know where I'm going but I feel a warm hand grab mines and it leads me to what I assume is the correct path but that's when I finally regain my eyesight and see Carlton holding my hand as he guides me towards my chair and I give him a hug as he hugs me back and he's so warm, and smells amazing, most likely wearing the most expensive and finest cologne this capitol has to offer and I for a moment forget that I'm hugging him and he has to gently separate himself from me. Once I take a seat however, the stage begins to darken and the loud cheers quickly begin to die down as the large screen above us begins playing the recaps which naturally start with the reapings. I don't really pay much attention to the first two Districts but I remember my run in with Hyperion, how close he was to killing me, and how Caspian saved me,I really was never able to thank him for what he did for me…
The district 3 reapings show and I can already feel my eyes start to water after seeing Acer awkwardly stumbling towards the stage upon being reaped. I see how terrified he is here and I remember how brave and strong he became in the arena. I miss him so much though, just wish I can reach into the television screen and hug him…
Seeing Emmerane again causes my heart to skip a beat. She just seemed to be having fun here as she licks Acer's face making him even more unnerved but I saw first hand how cruel and vicious she was capable of being and im sure these recaps were going to reveal much more. I can't even bear to look at her face as she's dancing around the stage spewing a bunch of nonsense cause it reminds me how close I was to death, how if she had even an ounce more of strength left in her, she'd be the one sitting on this stage right now…
I see Caspian volunteer albeit a bit awkwardly, and I once again remember all that he's done for me. I wanted to thank him, I even crawled outside once I heard a cannon fire off but it was already too late by the time I got there as another cannon fired off He looked so at peace, almost like he was sleeping as he layed on his back facing the sea…
The reaping's continue going by and it reaches my district where I see myself get reaped and I can feel anger boiling in me as Laraleen clearly rigged the reapings and the chaos that endued after with my mother, I just pray that she's ok, along with Mandel.
Chris volunteers and I can feel myself starting to get emotional. Cortez accidently injured me and Cortez, he fought to protect and avenge me but Cortez was forced to kill him in self defense. Its just so hard to believe they're actually gone…
the district 12 reapings play and Hunter is ofcourse having a field day bulling his district partner, poor girl...
They eventually start showing the events that happened during the games which starts with the chaotic bloodbath. Of course one of the highlights is of me getting pierced right through the torso by Cortez as he was trying to attack a skeleton but I ran into his line of sight. I lose consciousness shortly after, but I see the brutal fight between Cortez and Christmas and I have to look away from the screen as Cortez goes for the finishing blow.
They then show Emmerane fighting the girl from district 5 and considering the amount of resistance she was able to give Emmerane at her full strength, her weak persona was clearly just an act. If Emmerane hadn't got to her, she likely would have made it very far…
Hunter is the main highlight of this bloodbath though and seeing him completely healthy and at full power is terrifying, he effortlessly crushes Hayden's head against the cornucopa and proceeds to beat the twins from district 1 to a bloody pulp. Nox tried his best but he didn't stand a chance and it ended with Hunter standing over the both of them laughing as Nox layed in a pile of his guts and brain matter while Nyx can only helplessly weep and beg for help.
The remaining careers eventually come to her aid and Caspian manages to inflict some damage to Hunter before he flees. I see Acer practically carrying me away from the chaos and I can tell he's straining himself to carry me but he refuses to leave me behind and tears are coming down my eyes at this point. Hes done so much for me, even gave his life and i… he just had so much gojng for him, why did he give everything up just so I can live? He really had a heart of gold, and I truly did lose someone precious to me…
Hyperion is the highlight of the next day as he's seemingly grieving Blyanas death after she was killed in the bloodbath and he clashes with his alliance before storming off. He encounters Blyana later and they get into a brutal fight before the floor gives weigh under them and they're forced to form a truce together to survive the threats underground.
The next day is heartbreaking and although I did find out the fate of Cortez, I couldn't even fully watch the one sided beat down Hunter dished out on him. They weren't that far apart in size but Cortez…he stood no chance...
I almost can't even bear to look up at the screen anymore. but i see Hunter continue his rampage on the two tributes from 9 and Annabeth. Annabeth holds him at gunpoint to allow her allies to escape and she is eventually able to shoot and severely injure him he still manages to kill her, so that's why he had that wound... They then show Emmerane taking on both Reyena and Nyx and she's able to beat the both of them with very little trouble and plays some sick game afterwards which results in Nyx dying of poison. The revelation that Nyx was pregnant made this even more disturbing.
They eventually show her showdown with Caspian who manages to inflict the first major blow on her and she later fights Verbena who manages to rough her up a bit but she still comes out on top. I really did fight the biggest threats here while they were at their absolute weakest... I have to phase everything out after hearing my fight with Emmerane but I regain my hearing once I'm announced as the victor. The lights begin coming back on and the fans are of course cheering and clapping aloud like they just watched the best movie of their lives, its so fucking disgusting. I'm still not able to fully hide my emotions as I know my face is puffy and my eyes are pink from crying but all I have to do is get through this…
"Genevieve Altruzara! You're looking phenomenal!" Carlton looks over at me as tears continue running down my eyes and I don't even bother wiping them, I don't need to hide how I feel, not anymore…
"Thank you Carlton…" I try to sit upright sniffing slightly.
"Now I see you're overcome with emotion Genevieve, but how exactly do you feel being our latest victor!" Carlton continues.
"I…a lot of different emotions honestly. I'm relieved that I don't have to fight anymore, I'm devastated that I lost close friends and I'm thankful that I'll be able to see my family again…" I state.
"Understandable Genevieve, so once again another underdog has managed to win the games! This is quite unprecedented, especially with the gruesome injury you sustained early in the games, despite the steep competition and adversity you were up against, did you believe you had a chance to win?" Carlton grins at me and I shuffle in my chair a little as I try and fight off my fresh memories of my struggles.
"I…I always believed in myself, i knew I was outmatched by many of the tributes there…but that wasn't going to stop me from trying. I wasn't able to do this alone though and I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for the efforts of Christmas, Cortez and most of all Acer, who nursed me back to health and got me back into fighting shape, twice. I just want to thank you Acer, for always being by my side, for always going out of your way to keep me safe and…I'll always remember you for the amazing man that you are, you're my hero Acer..." My voice cracks and I can't even control the stream of tears that are coming down my eyes as I start breaking down. Carlton sees what a wreck I am and hands me a box of tissues and puts an arm around my shoulder trying his best to comfort me.
"He will absolutely always be remembered as a hero Genevieve! His bravery, courage and selflessness will live in our hearts forever and the best thing to do now is to live your life to the fullest, your life which he fought so hard to keep alive!" Carlton consoles me and I try to thank him, but only continue choking on my words.
"Now Genevieve, you'll be home very soon, what will be the first thing you'd wanna do?" Carlton asks hopefully wrapping up this interview.
"I just want to hug my brother…" I say just loud enough for all to hear.
"Well said, please give it to our newest victor, Genevieve Altruzara!" Carlton shouts and blinding screams and cheers fill my ears. A small ceremony is played for me afterwards as I just try tuning everything out and a crown is placed over my head as thousands upon thousands of lights flash in my eyes and screams fill my ears. Once this is all done Brock and Tatianna escorts me backstage where I finally feel like I can breathe again. I want to believe that the worst part of this is over…but I have a feeling the worst is just beginning…
This look longer than expected but here we are with the post games interview! The next chapter will be the final chapter of this story and we can finally get the ball rolling in our finale!
I have received some amazing tributes from you guys and I'm just itching to start writing out these characters as I already have so many plans in place for them but I am still missing a few more tributes, just look on my profile to see which slots are still open and you can reserve it if you want. I recently had to free up some slots since the reserver(s) never got back to me so hurry and get em while it's hot! I won't say much more as I'm barley awake right now but I'll see you guys real soon with the final chapter of this story, till next time!