Chapter Two.

Leonora Theriott
District One Victor of the 103rd Hunger Games
The Court Hearing of Lash Cutler

"Lash Cutler, I hereby find you guilty of murder and treason."

Leonora was in disbelief. She convinced herself that either the Capitol wouldn't find out or that they would just send Lash away. She didn't care whereLash went, she just wanted him gone. She wanted Amaris gone too. Both of them were inconveniencing her.

It was foolish of her to think it would be glazed over. If the Capitol didn't publicly address his crimes, they would be setting a precedent that victors can be targeted. The Capitol made the mistake of not protecting the victors during the rebellion, and they wouldn't make the same mistake twice. After the rebellion, citizens across all of the Districts, and even in the Capitol, demanded change. A legal system was officially created, and while the courts were staffed by those born, raised, and educated in the Capitol, it gave the citizens of Panem a false sense of security. Before the rebellion, you were guilty without ever having the chance to be proven innocent, but that changed and people were given the opportunity to appear before a judge if you were accused of a crime.

The Capitol was using this as a lesson to Panem.

Leonora glared at the Peacekeepers that testified against Lash. The Peacekeepers' that were present recalled that Ronan met with all of the District One victors, and after the meet-and-greet was over, Amaris, Lash, and Leonora stayed behind with Ronan. That's when Lash grabbed the bottle, smashed the bottom of it off, and stabbed Ronan. The Peacekeepers also recalled that Leonora and Amaris did not intervene in the situation.

Lash is guilty. I'm not. I did nothing wrong.

It was the Peacekeepers' word against hers. Reluctantly, Leonora didn't object, since she knew she could have intervened. She could have done something. The judge raised his hands, and the crowd stood, and Leonora glanced at Amaris, who had tears streaming down her face. Leonora rolled her eyes as Amaris embarrassed herself on national television.

She's more at fault here. She was closer to Lash. She could have stopped him.

"This court is adjourned."

As the crowd dispersed, Leonora stayed back and watched the Peacekeepers take Lash away. They made eye-contact, and Lash grinned, and Leonora gritted her teeth. She resisted the urge to jump over the barrier and claw out his eyes.

Leonora was forcefully escorted out of the courtroom by a Peacekeeper, and when they were in the hallway, the Peacekeeper didn't release her. She tried to pull her arm away, but he tightened his grip.

"Come with me, Miss Theriott."

Panicking, Leonora wriggled her wrists and tried to firmly hold her ground, but the Peacekeeper yanked her away. Down the hallway, Amaris was hysterically crying in the arms of a Peacekeeper. Leonora was led through a door and directed to sit at the table in the center of the room. There was a Peacekeeper in each corner of the room and one of them handcuffed her hands to the table.

"He will be with you shortly, Miss Theriott."

In the eyes of the Capitol, Amaris and Leonora were as guilty as Lash. Lash was deemed a threat to Panem and was sent to a prison in an undisclosed location, but Amaris and Leonora were sentenced in other ways. Youthful, beautiful victors, like Amaris and many of the victors before her, were physically sought after in the Capitol. Leonora was already treading on thin ice with her sister's role in the rebellion, so the Capitol had something different in mind for her.

Amaris went on a hiatus and the other victors of District One assumed the role of mentor in the 120th Hunger Games. Officials in the Capitol questioned her ability as a mentor, and when the Capitol conferred with the other victors in District One, they all agreed that she was no longer fit to serve as such an important and respected role. It didn't help Amaris' case that Leonora also scrutinized Amaris' ability to be a successful mentor. Some of the victors even blamed the dwindling numbers of victors from District One on her; her only successful mentorship was Lash, so what did that say about her?

The other victors didn't want to risk being associated with Lash, Amaris, and Leonora. They didn't want to risk facing repercussions by the Capitol and so they all agreed to paint the picture that Leonora and Amaris were just as troublesome as Lash. It worked, and Amaris and Leonora had new duties to fulfill in the Capitol.

Amaris was to spend the rest of her nights with the elites in the Capitol and quickly learned that intimacy with a victor from District One carried a hefty price tag. Leonora, the sister of a martyr to the rebels, partook in the Capitol's campaign to eradicate any remaining rebels in Panem.

Any resistance was futile, so they both gracefully obliged.

Amaris and Leonora went their separate ways and never saw each other again.

Lash was locked away in a jail cell, and naturally, he disagreed with the judge's ruling, but in a way, he enjoyed his new life where he felt like a caged animal. It suited someone like him. His one request was to have a television to view the Hunger Games. The Capitol provided one, and from afar, Lash watched the Games each year, rooting for District One and hoping that the tributes from District Three died in the Bloodbath.

Lash didn't regret murdering Ronan. He was proud of himself.

He did it for District One.

He thought he was a hero.

District One

Cleo Halston, 18.

Drachma Veitch, 18.

District Two

Georgia Aurello, 18.

Renour Malvigne, 18.

District Three

Cassia Roenisch, 15.

Everett Landry, 18.

District Four

Nereida Beck, 18.

Caspian De Ponte, 18.

District Five

Kit Kaur, 16.

Gunnar Altman, 16.

District Six

Caris Layart, 14.

Hardy Ellidan, 18.

District Seven

Ciana Mavaro, 15.

Orion Adarna, 16.

District Eight

Denali Felder, 16.

Alden Kellett, 15.

District Nine

Avena Raiden, 14.

Aedan Vidar, 18.

District Ten

Rhea Shetler, 17.

Donegan Ward, 17.

District Eleven

Cara Waycrest, 16.

Amias Yarrow, 17.

District Twelve

Marcella Carter, 13.

Beau Cairne, 17.

Author's Note:

Hi everyone! Happy Easter :)

That's a wrap on Lash, Amaris, and Leonora.

Here is the tribute list for the 120th Hunger Games. Congratulations to everyone whose tribute was accepted! For those who unfortunately did not make the cut, I apologize; it's hard narrowing down so many potential tributes to just 24. I really appreciate you all taking the time to submit and hopefully you stick with me as I ride the SYOT rollercoaster again.

And, who knows… there could be another Cashmere67 SYOT in the future to submit to… dun dun dun.

Also, the blog is up: w w w. breaktheicehg. blogspot. c o m

Victor's Blog: w w w. halloffamethg. blogspot. c o m

Based on the blog, what are your thoughts on the tributes? Anyone stand out?