Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. They belong to Suzanne Collins.
Note: Gee wiz, this decade of the Games is just flying by isn't it? Fast paced and notably Outlier dominated too. That's not gonna be stopping right now because here's Yohan, RIP careers! In Bloodline Betrayal he was the victor who was… kinda just there? Like, he never really added to the tale the same way Honorius did. Well, time for his chance to shine… and for us to learn just what happened that made him into such a broken, bitter recluse. Read on and enjoy!
"So, a long story?" Katniss repeated, curious. "We have time. Mind giving me the quick version?"
"Well, accidental kills happen in the Games. It's never any less horrible than a deliberate one when you get down to it," Peeta said, letting out a quiet groan. "Yohan… Beetee once said he accidently committed a murder, one he never recovered from."
"I'm assuming this isn't just a normal accident kill?" Katniss guessed. "Hmph, look me implying there's a normal kind of accidental murder."
"I know what you mean, don't worry," Peeta assured her. "You know the 'taboo', right? The one about killing your own district partner?"
"Yeah, that monster from the Sixty First Games sure as hell crossed it," Katniss said, a look of revulsion in her eyes. "Wait, so Yohan…?"
"It was an accident, but… exactly," Peeta said. For a few moments he said nothing. "It gets worse, unfortunately…"
58th Annual Hunger Games
Name: Yohan Fairbane
Gender: Male
District: 3
Age: 16
Kills: 3
Caesar Flickerman was a man who needed little introduction. Oh, he'd always have a grand introduction every year when each new Hunger Games began, obviously, as that was just how his particularly impressive job worked. But nobody needed him to be introduced to know who he was.
He was, quite simply, a nation wide celebrity who once seen could never be forgotten. Being the Hunger Games' Master of Ceremonies had a habit of making somebody memorable.
While Caesar knew he had originally been given a shot of getting on camera and interviewing tributes because his predecessor, Mortimer Minch, died off ass cancer on the toilet, but he liked to think he had kept the job because of his natural charisma, penchant for comedy and ability to quickly improvise and empathise towards whatever it was the tributes happened to say.
After all, teenagers were truly the most unpredictable of people. Keeping pace with one or two is hard enough, but twenty four every year from all walks of life? That took serious talent.
Caesar left his personal living quarters on the morning of the reaping for the Fifty Eighth Hunger Games in relatively decent spirits. The sun was shining, the stardom he'd spent his life at the heart of was about to begin once more and, to top it all off, last year's victor had even sent him a heartfelt birthday card the previous night.
Sure, the handwriting was a little wonky, but the thought was what really counted. That and the wine she'd somehow gotten hold of and sent along as well.
As was often the case Caesar quickly became lost in his thoughts as he rode a limo towards the main Hunger Games broadcasting studio to start the first day of his vital job. There was just so much for him to consider even at this early stage of the event.
What would the tributes be like this year?
What sorts of alliances and conflicts might form?
Which District would ultimately emerge victorious?
What would the victor be like?
Was this all worth it?
Caesar contented himself with a fine glass of kiwi wine as the limo got closer to its destination. Whatever the answers to his questions were, they would all be answered soon enough. When he was on the job he knew how to get any answer that was required to be, well, gotten.
After all, each Hunger Games since he'd joined the team followed a very rigid sort of schedule that never particularly varied. Even a no-rules no-holds-barred contest like the Hunger Games had a lot of structure to it, whether the general populace would believe it or not.
It always started from the moment the limo came to a stop and Caesar walked to the front doors of the sprawling studio, waving and smiling for the colourful crowds that would always, without fail, show up to cheer for him each and every year.
Once inside those doors the work really began.
STEP 1: THE REAPINGS
While the Games technically never ended for Caesar – such charisma and stage talent like his required year long practise after all – the 'official' beginning would always be when the reapings officially started.
This was mostly a time for the gamemakers to start voicing their early opinions and to interview the current Head Gamemaker on their personal view. Claudius, Caesar's fellow Hunger Games commentator, also liked to make early remarks and quips over the tributes based on what little a first glance could tell them.
Caesar preferred to wait until he had a bit more to work with before he could claim to really hold any sort of opinion. Tributes were complex, it had to be said. Even so, he'd always make sure to at least say something about them.
They were the nations' celebrities and no celebrity should be left ignored.
Caesar's comments were varied across the board, but as a rule he always kept things positive. Why lower somebody's chances before the gong had rung? That was simply unfair.
The boy from One was as muscular as a knight of ancient times. The girl from Two was clearly the most eager darling with how her eyes sparkled when she mounted the stage. The boy from Six was not going to let his lack of a right hand stop him! The girl from Eight had the most amazingly well cared for curly hair a tribute from her district had ever possessed. The boy from Twelve was an amazing six feet and nine inches tall!
But, it was the pair from Three that really caught Caesar's attention this year. The girl reaped was known by the name of Meryl Fairbane, fifteen years old and already alleged to be as smart as Beetee with numerous awards to her name. It was obvious to Caesar that she was among the best tributes the technology district had offered up in years and could be a legitimate contender for the victor's crown.
Not two minutes later the male tribute was reaped. A rather scruffy looking hooligan by the name of Yohan Fairbane.
Meryl's slightly older brother.
Even when standing beside his sister it was hard to tell they were related, only proven beyond doubt when Meryl reluctantly confirmed this to be the case. It was like she felt embarrassed to be beside the boy.
Caesar believed he could see her point when Yohan let out an obnoxious laugh, remarked that Meryl was smart enough to get both of them to the final days of the looming Hunger Games and, to the puzzlement and shock of all present, took out an electric guitar hidden under his shirt.
He began to rock out.
One minute later the performance was cut off and the siblings were herded into the judgement building. The crowd gave an awkward sort of applause and soon began to disperse.
Caesar made sure to talk up Meryl and how her reputation truly spoke for itself. She was obviously a wonderful young lady who deserved sponsor support!
Caesar would privately admit that Yohan did not really have much that put him over Meryl, but that was never something he would say out loud. He instead remarked about his unquestionable talent with the electric guitar and claimed he could easily become a rock star if he ended up as the victor.
The Threes were held in high regard as the tributes began their journey to the Capitol, all thanks to Caesar.
Caesar spent his break alone in his own personal dressing room. The rest of those who worked alongside him at this stage kept talking about a nasty virus that had been going around Two for the past two years and how the intended volunteer, a 'walking war machine' called Matilda, had been too sick to volunteer despite physically dragging herself to the reaping. They called her incredibly tough, but wondered if the replacement tribute would be able to handle the arena just as well.
Caesar didn't take part in that talk. He chose to privately enjoy some wine and try to clear his head for a bit, listening to Yohan's rock music on loop.
It helped.
STEP 2: THE PARADE
The parade was where Caesar felt he really shined. Well, not as much as he did at the interviews but still shining regardless. Commenting on the costumes, listening to all of the cheering, seeing the tributes making their mark on the nation… it was nice.
Seated high in the announcing booth beside Claudius, Caesar was able to be heard by all and get a perfect view of all twelve chariots. Not a detail was missed nor a single action escaping his watchful eyes.
Altogether, it made commenting on the parade ever so easy.
The costumes this year were, for the most part, of a fairly high sort of quality. The Ones were spray painted hold and covered in emeralds and sparkling fuchsia tunics, the Fours were dressed as a pair of fearsome pirates, the Sevens resembled grand oak trees, the Tens had been dressed up like demonic cows covered in dynamite and even District Twelve was doing better than usual. Their coal miner outfits actually fit the tributes this year.
Once again, though, it was District Three that stood out in most of all Caesar's eyes.
Meryl wore a grand metallic green gown covered in neon lights and flickering nodes, unmissable to anybody. She kept her face firm and showed nothing but strength and confidence towards the cameras. She was a clear hit.
She also inched as far away from her brother as she possibly could.
Yohan's outfit was covered in clockwork gears all over with a colour that Caesar could only guess was an offshoot of bronze in some way. One of the two most eye-catching things about him was the massive clockwork headpiece that clearly required good balance from Yohan to remain on his head.
The second was how he'd taken his electric guitar onto the chariots with him and was playing a death metal remix of the nation anthem for the crowd, head banging and laughing for the whole parade.
"Look at Yohan rocking out! What a charmer, am I right ladies and gentlemen?" Caesar declared with a laugh. "Such talent and precision, look at how his hand strums with such ease, I think we may have a serious contender for Best Entertainer this year, folks! If you'd like to sponsor Yohan in the coming days then dial up the number on screen!"
The parade ended and the very earliest betting odds were shown to the nation. Copper from One topped the leaderboard at 3-1 while Riggo from Twelve was at the very bottom with pitiful odds of 62-1.
Meryl had managed odds of 10-1 and Yohan had 25-1.
Caesar rather hoped the pair would end up with odds of at least 9-1 or better. He had a very good feeling about them and never liked it when siblings had to face the arena together. It put a completely unfair strain on whichever of them, if either, came home as the victor. They'd still lose somebody they loved no matter what they did.
STEP 3: THE TRAINING DAYS
Caesar did not have anything much to do with what happened in training aside from reading out the scores to the nation. It just wasn't in his job description.
That said, he always received plenty of details of what was actually going on inside of the training centre. It was just another perk that came with being the Master of Ceremonies. This year it certainly proved to be quite the perk indeed as the events that unfolded during training were revealed to him.
The girl from Two had an allergic reaction to nuts and broke out with a bad rash.
The boy from Five got into a fist fight with the boy from Seven after an argument to do with their mothers.
The girl from Nine turned out to have a gift for using nunchucks and shurikens. She was practically a pint sized ninja!
Copper turned out to not just be excellent at dishing out cruel threats, but he was a natural with learning languages. He knew ten languages and used them to insult the outliers in rapid fire, a different language each sentence. It made the girl from Twelve soil herself.
Most interesting of all was the siblings from Three. While it was clear they had at least some issues beforehand, it became ever clearer what their problem was as the training days went by.
Meryl was talented and multi-skilled. It was all too easy for her to rapidly gain new skills and know exactly what to do in order to survive. She'd quickly gotten her head around first aid, survival skills and weapons such as spears and harpoons.
Yohan, meanwhile, just goofed off and sat around with his guitar. He hardly seemed to care about anything going on around him that wasn't his own specific interest. It earned plenty of ire from his sister several times a day, a shouting match breaking out more than a few times.
She demanded he work hard and train because his life depended on it. She screamed at him to get off his ass and put some effort into work for once.
Yohan simply strummed a few tunes and said he saw no reason to try when, as had been the case for so many years, his genius sister would just help him out of any situation he got himself into. He knew she loved him enough to not abandoned him to death.
Much to Meryl's fury Yohan was absolutely correct when he said this. Caesar had wanted to know more about this claim and sure enough reporters sent to get background information on the tributes did not disappoint.
Housework, tests, trouble in the streets… Yohan would always get himself in deep trouble through his own laziness and stupidity. Meryl would always have to bail him out of it while simultaneously working hard towards her own future she so desperately wanted to be worthwhile. Caesar had seen this exact situation many times in his life; a freeloader leeching off of a hard worker.
In his more cynical moments he wondered if that was how the districts saw the Capitol and how much it took from them. He did sort of see why that point of view could make some sort of sense.
Still, for all Meryl had to do everything for her brother, she could not do his private training session for him. All he'd been able to do was rock out for them and describe how to fix up a car engine, his one technology based skill.
Meryl, meanwhile, had aced survival tests, spared with a trainer using a spear, demonstrated first aid skills and even made a basic fire. All this and she had two minutes to spare, time she used to tie a variety of knots and quickly throw a few knives at a dummy.
Meryl's effort earned her a formidable score of ten.
Yohan's lack of any effort earned him a three.
Caesar felt bad for the siblings, both for Meryl having to play for two tributes at once despite how stressful this was and for Yohan because of how likely it was for him to die in the first minute.
Three never did have much luck in the Games in most years, but good interview could change everything. Caesar resolved to do his best and see if he might be able to nudge the Threes in the right direction for the Games looming ever closer.
STEP 4: THE INTERVIEWS
The interviews were something Caesar had always enjoyed when he first started the job. It was, after all, the first thing he'd actually been able to do due to Mortimer's untimely demise just before the show started.
The adoring crowd, the showbiz, the top-tier dress code of the night and being able to meet twenty four fascinating people made it a night Caesar would never forget. He had been sure the Fifty Eighth Hunger Games' interviews would be another unforgettable day to add to the dozens like it he could still recall with perfect clarity.
The night started off very well. As tradition mandated the girl from One would go before the boy from One and so on it would go until the boy from Twelve finished off the show. This year the show was started off by Elegance Cox, a girl whose violent red murderous eyes were only watched by her bright red hair.
Her interview was ferocious, and Caesar was plenty experienced when it came to working with ferocious tributes.
Copper was similarly ferocious and cruel in his angle, but he mixed it up a bit by teaching Caesar a few basics of the mostly dead German language. It was, after all, one of many he'd taught himself to speak.
Nicolai from Two tried to play up a more 'cute killer' kind of angle, something Caesar found to be a welcome break from the typical, though always welcome, pure killing machine act Twos were known for putting on. It would certainly make Nicolai known for more than being 'the replacement for Matilda'.
Wolfgang from Two, meanwhile, did not deviate from the role of a killing machine. If anything he embraced it and then proceeded to run it for what, verbally speaking, might have been a hundred miles. Caesar was certainly glad he was not going into the arena with Wolfgang as he doubted he'd stand a chance against the brutish boy.
The careers put on a formidable showing as they did almost every year. It was something Caesar had grown to expect, the fact One and Two would start off the night with stellar interviews and often some rather creative, if grotesque, threats. They were four to watch, no doubt about it.
But next came District Three and this year Caesar was very interested to see what they would bring. The nation had become invested in the so called 'siblings who couldn't see eye to eye' and tonight was sure to answer a few ongoing questions.
Perhaps the technology district would stance a chance. Being stuck between ferocious District Two and on-again-off-again maybe-careers-maybe-outliers District Four often put the brainiacs in a very unfavourable spot.
But this year, at least they had a spot within the narrative.
Meryl came on stage and was an instant hit. The Capitol audience absolutely adored her! Caesar made fond discussion with her about her stellar test scores, how easy she'd found training, her absolute love for books and how, apparently, she held the record at her school for holding her breath.
It was a grand interview that turned sombre when the inevitable was bought up. Merely relation to Yohan.
"I love him, really I do," Meryl said, sighing. "He just… he won't do anything for himself. He relies on me for everything. Tests, money, advice… you name it. If I lose, how is he going to win? If Three is going to have a victor, it either has to be me or a fluke has to happen."
"You're certainly selfless to help him out so much, even to your own disadvantage," Caesar said, all sincerity in what he said. "Do you think you can lead both of you to the finale together?"
"I'll do my best," Meryl said. "Leading us is what I've done for my entire life, and I'm not going to stop now."
Meryl left when the buzzer went off, waving at the crowd with an indomitable look of determination in her steel grey eyes. The sister was, by all accounts, excellent in her pre-games performance.
But, Caesar wondered, what of the brother?
Yohan came on stage, waving and smiling for the cameras. It was clear that he knew how to play to a crowd and get them to cheer for him and what he may do next.
Too bad that was the only thing he seemed to know how to do. Without Meryl giving him all the answers he clearly wasn't sure say. His words came out as clunky, awkward and spontaneous until he eventually just went into silence. He salvaged the interview as best as he could with a solo on his guitar – his token, in fact – but it was clear that he was already being written off as the latest let-down from Three.
"I'll see you guys soon!" Yohan exclaimed as he left the stage. "Keep an eye out for my debut single, 'Yohan Yells'! You know you'll love it!"
The applause was polite, but hollow. Very, very few expected the boy would come back and Caesar had to side with the majority on this one. He didn't see how it could logically happen, at least with the facts he had at that moment.
Still, he briefly took his mind off of the slacker and welcomed Mellandra from Four to the stage. Alas, Caesar found that even as he did his best to give the soft spoken fisher girl as best as interview as possible his thoughts remained on the siblings.
He felt bad for them.
STEP 5: THE BLOODBATH
A twenty four person free for all generated ratings like nothing else in the Capitol, save perhaps for season premieres and finales of the legendary soap opera Fiona and Lawrence. It was, after all, the biggest ratings competitor to the Hunger Games.
Caesar sat at his commentary desk beside Claudius, ready to give a clear, concise and dedicated commentary to the Games that were about to begin. He paused for a moment to wipe away a brief sweat.
"Everything alright?" Claudius asked, slightly glancing towards Caesar.
"Just a hot summer. Slight sweat," Caesar replied. "At least it's not as bad as last year's."
"Heh, true enough," Claudius agreed. "Hopefully the arena won't be as bad. I'm all for taking risks, and I love tundra arenas, but… no, just no."
Caesar would've agreed completely that the previous arena was among the worst, if not the worst, but they were given the cue that they were going live and the arena was about to be revealed to the nation.
The tributes rose into the arena and all cameras went live to show off the all new and – to Caesar's relief – vastly superior terrain than last year. It was a massive sprawling savannah, practically a safari from the lost land of Africa from the time before Panem came to be. Various animals grazed across the hot grasslands – zebras, giraffes, rhinos and the like – and wind blew through the trees and other plant life. It was gorgeous.
After the cameras took a few moments to show off the grasslands, the tributes reactions, the grand lakes, some immobile old jeeps and a lion's den the countdown began.
Caesar made sure to hype up as many of the tributes as he could in the time left, his tone fast and frantic. The nation had long since grown used to how excitable the man got in the final minute before the gong rang.
They loved it!
When the Games officially began several tributes scattered off into the depths of the savannah arena. Meryl grabbed up the nearest knife and pack by her pedestal and prepared to flee alongside her brother, no time wasted at all.
It would've been a perfect plan if Yohan hadn't made a foolish dash closer to the cornucopia to grab a sack filled with energy bars. It was only a moment before the boys from Six and Seven were fighting with him and each other to claim the sack. None noticed how Nicolai was creeping towards them, axe in hand.
"Looks like Yohan's ran into some early trouble," Caesar remarked. "The question now is simple… can Meryl get him out of this?!"
"It's not too late," Claudius agreed. "Ooooohhhh, but it's too late for Riggo! Copper clearly isn't messing around!"
It was a fact. Riggo lay dead on his side, his innards torn out from Copper's bloodsoaked scythe while the career boy let out a soft cackle.
Caesar expected that Meryl would fail to save Yohan and would have to carry the emotional weight of her dead brother with her for the entire Games. He was left stunned into a brief silence as Meryl charged towards her reckless, freshly bruised brother and bowled the boys from Five and Six down to the ground with one hard swing of the pack she'd scooped up.
"Meryl did it! Did you all see that? Two knock-downs in just one swing!" Caesar exclaimed. "Don't any of you count District Three out yet, they mean business!"
"So does Two by the looks of it," Claudius added eagerly. "Wolfgang just eliminated District Twelve for the year and broke Garrot's neck. Poor district Nine, they're out as well! Could Nicolai be about to take out District Three?"
It sure seemed to be the case, Caesar had to admit. The girl from Two loomed near the siblings, watching as Meryl scolded and snarled at her idiotic brother while the boys from Five and Six scrambled to evacuate the area.
Caesar braced himself as Nicolai moved almost close enough to swing the axe down onto Meryl's skull.
He couldn't help but cheer when Meryl whirled around and stabbed her in her hand. Nicolai recoiled in pain, granting the siblings enough time to grab up the gear around them and make a run for their lives to the north of the arena. During the retreat Meryl was hit on her left arm by a knife thrown by Elegance.
The fighting came to an end not long after that, the last bit of action being when Copper dragged the tiny girl from Five out from her hiding place under a crate and smashed her face in with a spiked mace.
The cannons boomed and the cameras began to show off what the remaining tributes were doing. The four careers were already starting to sort through their supplies and ready themselves to start hunting for fellow humans. The nine outliers who were still breathing scattered off in various directions, all looking for a place to hide. The typical stuff, really.
It gave Caesar and Claudius a chance to voice their opinions on who was left while the camera crews put together the highlights of those who had been eliminated.
"I think this is going to be a year for the career pack," Claudius said, watching as the screen showed the pairs from One and Two at the cornucopia. "They clearly have the power and the cohesive teamwork. Once again the two lowest numbered districts are providing us with a solid show!"
"You might be right," Caesar agreed. "Even with the original volunteer not present, Nicolai is showing she's made of tough stuff. That stab is hardly phasing her anymore. How tough can you get? I sure wouldn't be able to laugh that wound off!"
On they went talking about the tributes who had survived the opening bloodbath. Mellandra ran for the thick grass with only a sickle and a gash on her arm to her name, her odds lowering by the minute. Thom from Five was bruised but very much alive. Despite being twelve he was clearly a scrapper and far from giving up, even as he limped towards a distant river. Roga from Six, well, he was still alive at any rate, there was that. Lark and Petunia from Seven travelled together in the general direction of where zebras would spawn later in the Games, a decent clutch of supplies between them and a few broken bones too. Woolworth from Eight headed for the high ground of the savannah, miraculously unharmed after storming the interior of the cornucopia. As for Digger from Eleven, he just cried and cried some more as he walked along. Expert claimed he was unlikely to stop for days.
They were all interesting to talk about, but it was once again the sibling team that held Caesar's attention the most. He simply had to direct the conversation towards them soon enough.
"I feel like they benefit from how there is no risk of a betrayal going on," Caesar explained. "Meryl will not kill Yohan. Yohan will not kill Meryl. It gives them a advantage the others lack."
"But Meryl's certainly giving Yohan the scolding of a lifetime. Think they'll be able to hold it together?" Claudius asked, watching the screen showing the siblings jog through the vast arena.
Caesar had to admit that the pair, though alive, weren't looking optimistic. Meryl did not hold back from berating Yohan for his idiocy and how he had almost gotten himself killed, led to her being hurt and worried her senseless. Yohan hardly seemed to care, merely happy to have claimed the sack of meal bars he wanted.
"We'll just have to wait and see. Anything may happen," Caesar remarked, pausing to take a sip of his water bottle. "One thing is for sure, they are the dark horses to watch. I cannot overstate that fact!"
STEP 6: THE EARLY DAYS
It was always a busy time when the first anthem had finished and the survivors of the opening battle would start to make their mark in the narrative of the new Hunger Games, all with their own supporters and detractors. Caesar was a common sight at recaps, interviews, public events and even the odd smaller scale parade or two.
As was always the case his personal view on the tributes was officially 'neutral, but favourable'. He'd always have at least five pre-planned things to say about each tribute, all of them positive. After all, one never knew when a well timed praise of a teenager miles away in an arena could charm just the sponsor they needed to stay alive.
It wasn't all about fame, however. There was still plenty of work to be done! The tributes were almost always active in some way and he had to be there for many hours of most days to provide commentary and coverage over their actions. Not only that, but he had to be sure what he said suited the narrative and made sense based on how things were going.
He had to be gung-ho and eager when the careers went on the prowl for victims, finding and butchering Roga in short order.
He had to show some sympathy when Digger's crying passed the fourteenth hour.
He had to display encouragement and remind people to never count out the younger tributes when Thom managed to fight off a giraffe mutt with only a sharp rock. Being small could be a good thing.
The siblings were so dynamic that he could react to them in several ways. Amusement when Yohan played his guitar for his 'many fans'. Understanding when Meryl scolded him for almost giving away their position more than once. Worried when the pair got into another argument, leading into relief when Meryl would once again forgive her brother. As he was often claiming, the siblings offered a dynamic never really explored in depth in the Games before.
Siblings who did not get along at all yet remained together out of love – albeit mostly from Meryl's side of things – as siblings from past Hunger Games either got along at all times or had one or both die very early. Pi and her family were the 'worst offenders' of this.
Caesar felt terrible for the Twenty Second Victor.
Still, he kept his winning smile on his face and kept up his commentary as the early days of the Games passed by. Both Mark and Petunia had been killed on the fourth day after a vicious ambush from the careers, though both had put up a solid fight and left Elegance missing a few of her fingers, teeth and an ear. The once pretty girl was left moaning in pain hour after hour.
So much so that she collapsed from her wounds on the sixth day, left to die by her allies without remorse.
Just like that the tribute count had fallen to nine and Caesar knew it was time to move onto the next step of his yearly work schedule.
But first, he allowed himself to sit and watch Yohan playing another kickass tune on his guitar. It was obvious to the nation that he was legitimately a self-taught expert.
Too bad he kept luring tributes and mutts towards himself and Meryl, his foolishness and refusal to learn from his mistakes getting his sister more and more scraps and bruises as she kept fighting to keep them out of trouble.
STEP 7: THE MIDDLE OF THE GAMES
The mid-point of any Hunger Games was a particularly busy time. The fan bases were bigger as the head count was whittled down, the betting was much more serious than before, the danger level was ever higher, betrayals were common and camera crews were readied to film family interviews as soon as only eight were left.
Caesar had been taking a quick break to grab some fancy food and icy water when Digger was eliminated, hunted down by the careers a mere two hundred yards from the lion's den. A shame really, he'd been a fine underdog with a knowledge of insects that left Caesar amazed.
Now, Caesar had little to do with family interviews if anything. He was never able to leave the grand city he'd been born and raised in, so he'd see the interviews at the same time everybody else did.
What he could do was keep hyping up the tributes and being the first to bring up all the interesting developments going on within the confines of the arena. All things considered it was a really strong final eight this year.
Though, he thought the camera crews better hurry up with the interviews because more eliminations seemed to be looming near.
Mellandra was out of water and wandered aimlessly for miles under the sun, trying to remember where she'd seen a lake two days ago. Thom had hidden himself within tall grass, taking a few hours to catch his breath back after barely evading a terrible rhino mutt. Woolworth watched the careers taking all of the supplies from Digger's corpse from behind a boulder, a disgusted look on his face.
The careers pillaged the supplies and wandered further ahead to where the lion den was located. Woolworth followed behind them, silent and strong.
"Oh, we could be seeing a power move from Woolworth here. Just look at his focus, that concentration, his ability to move without making a sound. Remember, call the number of screen if you'd like to pledge Caps to his sponsor fund."
The careers stood at the edge of the pit the den was located within, curious as it if anybody was hiding down there. They were unable to react in time as Woolworth charged forth, punching Nicolai into the pit, Wolfgang being kicked down a moment later.
Woolworth ran for his life from Copper, the boy only stopping when his allies screamed for his help. He returned to see the lions baring down on them, all eyeing them with hunger and hatred.
"Climb!" Copper yelled.
The Twos did, but it was instantly apparent only Wolfgang had the power to start his ascent to safety. Nicolai had broken an arm from the fall and had no way to escape the lions. She was eaten in under a minute.
The career boys ran off after Woolworth while the camera crew sent to interview Nicolai's family promptly left mid-interview, no longer feigning politeness and even calling the girl a letdown.
Caesar didn't know about that, but he did know the siblings were up to something special. They had found one of the old jeeps and began to work on fixing it up. Well, Meryl did at any rate. Yohan knew how to, but saw no reason to start working when it was a 'one person job' and Meryl always got higher grades than he did anyway.
"If fixed that jeep could provide the Threes with a serious advantage," Caesar said, watching with deep interest. "But if Yohan doesn't watch his attitude he might not get to benefit from it. Meryl's patience is running out. Just look at that snarl!"
It was clear that, after eleven days in the arena and constantly suffering the painful consequences of her brother's stupidity, Meryl was starting to eye her brother with contempt. Genuine dislike, even.
Caesar was asked what he thought would happen between them in the final days of the Games, but his answer was the same no matter who was talking to him.
"There are hundreds of outcomes, so many that I can't claim to know what is the most likely. We'll just have to keep watching and keep supporting them."
By the end of day thirteen, the day Woolworth was dispatched, the jeep was finally repaired and ready to drive. All that was needed was the siblings to get some rest so they could properly focus when driving it.
STEP 8: THE ENDGAME
The endgame was always frantic, far more than any other part of the Games. Even the opening bloodbath when all was said and done. It was at this time when only the best of the best remained and a victor would soon be crowned, a life of celebrity stardom and riches soon to await them.
Caesar personally wanted one of the siblings or Thom to win, but he could see a case to be made for any of those left being worthy of the crown. Even Mellandra, if perhaps just from pity on his own part. The girl was terribly dehydrated and too weak to walk the remaining half mile towards the lake.
At night time the arena was generally inactive of tribute activity, aside the night owls who decided to try and hunt through the night. Copper and Wolfgang were doing exactly that, albeit to fairly low success.
Yohan was also awake. He'd been unable to sleep, all too excited about driving the jeep the next day. He traded places with Meryl, letting her sleep while he kept watch. She was, understandably in Caesar's opinion, unsure about trusting Yohan with keeping guard over her.
"Relax Meryl, I got this," Yohan assured her. "I'll play the guitar if any danger comes by and we'll drive off. Easy peasy, yeah?"
"…Ok, fine," Meryl said, already practically asleep on her feet. "Just… be responsible, ok? I need to know I can trust you."
"You can trust me," Yohan assured her, saluting for good measure.
Meryl was still uneasy, but nonetheless lay down to get some rest. She was soon softly snoring while Yohan kept guard. Fifteen minutes went by with Yohan keeping to his word, eagle eyed for any sort of trouble.
Caesar was about to commend Yohan for taking responsibility, but that's exactly when things went wrong. Yohan glanced down at Meryl, making certain she was asleep. He whispered her name three times, each time getting no response.
Yohan let out an immature giggle and practically pranced over to the jeep and clambered into the driver's seat. It only took a few moments of messing around with the controls before the engine came to life and he was driving fast and furious.
Caesar watched as Yohan spun donuts in the dirt on screen, laughing and whooping the whole way. It seemed like the boy was having the time of his life.
"With driving like that it makes you wonder if Chassis' would let him be a member of the Hazardous Hooligans," Caesar remarked.
With all the noise going on it wasn't long before Meryl woke up, dazed from fatigue. She was up and about the moment she saw what Yohan was doing. She called to him, demanding for him to stop what he was doing. Screaming that he was going to lure the careers right towards them.
Yohan didn't hear her, having turned up the rock music on the jeep's old radio. With one hand on the wheel, one hand used for fist pumping and his body leaning back, he was hardly paying attention to anything going on around him.
One moment Meryl was screaming for him to stop. The next moment a horrible crunch came from under the jeep.
A cannon fired.
Yohan slowed to a stop, thinking that some mud had gotten on his face. Caesar grimaced, starting to feel a familiar sort of sickliness forming within his stomach. It only got worse when Yohan realised it wasn't mud on his face.
It was blood.
Meryl's blood.
The girl's broken, crushed body lay on the ground not far away. In the course of Yohan's reckless joyride he had accidently run over his sister.
He'd killed his own sister by his refusal to take any responsibility.
Caesar found himself having trouble speaking as Yohan ran to Meryl'd corpse, pleading her to wake up. Tears flowed down his cheeks as he screamed and screamed, wailing out apologies and desperate cries for help.
Another cannon boomed. Caesar gave commiserations for Mellandra, but his attention remained on the irresponsible boy who cried and screamed for his sister to come back.
He stayed there for so long that the gamemakers had to use powerful gusts of wind to send him away while the hovercraft collected Meryl's body.
Yohan was never fully stable after that. He twitched and shook as he stumbled to the jeep, slowly driving it along with vacant eyes.
"He lost his sister, his happiness, his main advantage… what will he do now?" Caesar asked as Yohan drove along, weeping. "For the first time ever Yohan is going to have to make a decision… and make it without Meryl giving him the answers."
STEP 9: THE SHOWDOWN
Caesar was known for giving a rapid fire and intense running commentary during the final battle of any typical Hunger Games. It was hands down the most epic battle of any year, nine times out of ten give or take.
This year however, Caesar was feeling a little out of sorts. He merely claimed a light allergy that was of no bearing to his long term health, but he knew it was something else.
Still, a finale was a finale and it needed to be commented on. It was easy enough to find the words say when Thom was taken out by both career tributes at once, not standing a chance at all.
It was harder to know what to say when the careers fist bumped and agreed to keep working together until the last outlier was dead, oblivious to the danger coming their way.
"Did they never get told to look both ways before crossing the street?" Claudius asked, amused at what he was seeing.
"It certainly seems to have been overlooked," Caesar agreed. "Watch out boys!"
They heard the engine all too late. Both turned to see Yohan at the wheel of the jeep, speeding right towards them. Copper shoved Wolfgang down and ran for his life.
The cannon fired as the jeep crushed Wolfgang's skull under its already bloodstained tires.
Copper wasn't quite so lucky. The first impact from the jeep left him with both of his legs broken.
The second was the one that killed him, his entire torso being crumpled beneath the tires.
Even as the trumpets sounded Caesar and the nation were treated to Yohan continuously running over the bodies of the careers, howling in despair and agony. But it wasn't agony of the body.
It was agony of the heart and soul.
Yohan was soon collected from the arena, another broken mess of a teenager, while the gore that used to resemble two powerful young men was scraped off the ground by some of the staff.
Caesar made all the expected announcements about the latest victor and excused himself for a moment, citing the need to take a few quick allergy pills and passing the spotlight over to Claudius for a short while.
He locked himself in his private dressing room for five minutes, not wanting anybody to see him being sick in the en suite bathroom.
Better to get that out of the way now than have it happen during the final step.
STEP 10: THE VICTOR INTERVIEW
The stage of kings. The night of stars. The scene of celebrity. The victory's post-games interview!
This was another interview that would not go down as particularly popular. Dressed up in a fancy suit and made up to look stunningly handsome, apparently, the pieces were all there for Yohan to make an amazing splash as the nation's newest victor and District Three's first in years.
The problem was that Yohan was broken. Completely and utterly broken. Even when permitted to take out his guitar and play a tune he did not crack a smile. It was like he'd died in the arena alongside Meryl.
The goofy, irresponsible, reckless fool who was always smiling and laughing was gone.
Only a miserable, bitter, self-loathing shell was left.
Yohan barely spoke when Caesar asked him questions, and when he did it was hardly above a whisper. His eyes showed a sea of sheer torment.
The facts were indisputable. Meryl had always done all the work while Yohan did nothing. She took all the worst hits while he never had to try or evade serious danger. She had common sense and he had none.
…It was his own damn fault she was dead. He could blame the Games, the careers and the Capitol all he wanted, but it would never change what he knew to be true. It was all his fault.
"So, what do you plan to do first when you get back home to Three?" Caesar asked as the fairly tense interview came to an end. "Work on your music perhaps?"
Yohan just shook his head, lifeless.
"It's going in the fire. Music fuelled my recklessness. Recklessness was what got Meryl killed," Yohan couldn't hold back the sobs anymore at that point. "Fuck, Meryl…I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Yohan was soon led off the stage and the show promptly ended. None among the higher ups wanted the citizens of the Capitol to start working out the shocking fact the tributes were real people with real feelings, after all.
Caesar made a sympathetic statement about Yohan, wishing him well for the future, before signing out the show for the year and claiming he couldn't wait for next year to arrive.
Step ten came to an end. All that remained was to go home.
Caesar entered his grand home and promptly took a seat at his favourite chair, switching the TV on to watch the news. As always it was fairly mixed.
Mizar's health was starting to look a little concerning. Peacekeeper pirates had been spotting near Four, Librae of the Thirty Fifth Games vowing to take them out if they tried anything. President Snow's daughter had gotten engaged. Tag and Lammy were still together and affectionate as always.
Yohan had already been placed on suicide watch.
That was when Caesar turned off the TV, changed into a more casual sort of outfit and sent out to sit on the balcony, watching the stars. For some time the rich, successful, beloved Master of Ceremonies was silent.
"I used to love this job," Caesar said to himself. "Now it just gets harder and harder every year."
Caesar once saw the job as the perfect ticket to stardom and, well, it was. That much had been completely correct. He had such charism, such charm, such a natural talent for getting to know people he'd only just met on stage for all of a moment.
That, he supposed, was the problem… or, was it more of a blessing?
It took a while, but gradually Caesar had become very attached to the tributes. It wasn't just the victors he kept up with and knew the latest details about. It was the fallen he remembered as well, from the second placers to those who didn't even make it ten seconds into the Games.
He remembered the names of every last one of them.
How had he once genuinely loved all the gore? Caesar couldn't quite claim to know. He didn't quite know when he began to see there was something wrong with all of this either. All he knew that that he'd stopped being quite the golden pro-Capitol celebrity he used to be for a while already.
Not that the higher-ups knew. Caesar knew he was not above the law and couldn't simply resign like a lowly new gamemaker might. He was in this job for the long haul, however long that might be.
Well, if he couldn't resign then he'd do the next best thing. Keep on interviewing the tributes and hyping them up for the crowd. It was his own tiny rebellion, to ensure every last one of them had at least some chance of making it home. A chance for a life saving sponsor to change their fate.
So long as he wasn't obvious about it he could get away with it. Caesar knew he could be discreet.
He was, after all, a master of charisma and the social scene.
"May the odds be in their favour come next year," Caesar said, pouring himself a glass of wine.
Caesar drank deeply, wondering which tribute the next year he'd end up feeling the worst for when they met their fate.
He never would have guessed it would be the boy from Two. But, that's another story…
Katniss looked queasy at what Peeta had told her about Yohan.
"Killing his sister... all because of an accident he could've easily avoided…" Katniss went very quiet, her thoughts dwelling upon Prim. Her dear, sweet Prim…
Peeta gently held Katniss hand, being there for her for as long as she needed him to be. It was more than a few moments before they were ready to continue to the next face along the street.
Both stopped and stared when they saw whose imprinted face was looking back at them. This was a victor who needed little introduction. Everybody across Panem knew the girl who won the Fifty Ninth Hunger Games and, in doing so, used a very unusual weapon to set the never beaten kill record.
The girl who looked back at the pair from Twelve had a wild mane of hair that went far down past her shoulders, utterly untamed, and a rather crazy looking grin across her face. Her eyes were full of mischief and fire, all signs suggesting she was somebody to not mess with.
"Pasture Gallows," Katniss read.
"The holder of the kill record," Peeta continued.
The pair silently glanced at each other.
"The shoe girl," they said in unison.
So, Yohan, from irresponsible slacker to broken mess of a person filled with self-loathing. I'd say this certainly explains why he's so bitter and miserable in Bloodline Betrayal, huh? I liked the idea of his recklessness ending up killing his sister, something he cannot blame on others, only himself. A real wake-up call to how his behaviour sure wasn't helping anybody, least of all himself. How he lives on without Meryl bailing him out all the time remains to be seen. Hope you all liked the format this time around; Caesar's a fun, interesting character and I've always interpreted him to sort of be the 'token good teammate' of the Capitol if that makes any sense? I think it was fun to see his personal feelings on the Games after so many years of him hosting them, though hopefully it wasn't too jarring a shift? In any case, next up is a chapter I've been very much looking forward to. Stay tuned for the mayhem!
Stats
District 1: Peridot Gaudy (8th Games), Crystal McCree (14th Games), Bronze Marley (19th Games), Crown Martins (24th Games), Dollar Dettwieller (32nd Games), Mascara Court (41st Games), Platinum Twist (44th Games)
District 2: Baron Overwhill (4th Games), Runa Peace (7th Games), Olga Machete (10th Games), Rook Valiant (17th Games), Boulder Atherston (20th Games), Vercingetorix Carnby (25th Games), Dragon Batofel (27th Games), Rhyder Overwhill (39th Games), Mercy Gregor (46th Games), Brutus Gunn (49th Games), Lyme Rabe (51st Games)
District 3: Honorius Perthshire (5th Games), Pi Orbit (22nd Games), Beetee Latier (37th Games), Wiress Plummer (47th Games), Yohan Fairbane (58th Games)
District 4: Museida Selkirk (3rd Games), Mags Flanagan (11th Games), Tide Luther (23rd Games), Librae Ogilvy (35th Games), Anchor Paddock (52nd Games)
District 5: Shunt Gaspar (12th Games), Isobel Sparks (18th Games), Crimson Flanders (29th Games), Porter Tripp (38th Games), Neon Erg (48th Games), Wattzon Holmes (55th Games), Arendellian Spinner III (57th Games)
District 6: Chassis Macalister (31st Games), Bentley Corduroy (54th Games), Porsche London (56th Games)
District 7: Pliny Aransio (2nd Games), Fir Buzz (9th Games), Jack Tylos (21st Games), Snag Nakamura (34th Games), Blight Jordan (53rd Games)
District 8: Woof Casino (16th Games), Paige Murphy (30th Games), Spool Nylon (42nd Games)
District 9: Mizar Aldjoy (1st Games), Gwenith Rosebud (13th Games), Teff Withers (28th Games), Laurel Flamsteel (36th Games), Tabbock Summers (43rd Games), Trevy Vex (Escaped 55th Games)
District 10: Stallion March (26th Games), Lammy Phyronix (40th Games)
District 11: Bear Redfoot (15th Games), Seeder Howell (33rd Games), Chaff Mitchell (45th Games)
District 12: Duke Saint-Rose (6th Games), Haymitch Abernathy (50th Games)