Chapter 22: Nicolina

She is the first Victor's child to go into the Games.

Nicolina Zorata stands tall on stage, unwavering. She's afraid, but she hides it well. Nothing less from a Zorata.

The trainee set to volunteer shouts 'I volunteer!' over and over. Ismene Vox Segreto begs the escort through tears to take her girlfriend's place.

'No volunteers this year.' the escort smiles at the hysterical girl. 'Special circumstances.'

He should have know better. His leads dried up. The House trainers wouldn't look him in the eye these past few days.

The tall girl holds her shaking mother the entire Justice Building visit. Maura wasn't strong like them. Tried to be, but she wasn't built for this life. Nicolina didn't fault her for it. Her husband did. He sat in the corner watching his whimpering wife plead for Nicolina to come home. She's the reason they're in this mess now. He told her he didn't want any children. Listen to a factory floozy and this is what he gets. It was wrong, he knew that, but for Panem's sake he needed someone to blame before he broke down crying too.

He shoves Viridi aside and boards the train instead. The old mentee is nervous with his words.

"Can you break protocol?"

"Viridi. This is my daughter. You would do the same if it was yours."

He calls the regulars before they leave Two. He doesn't bother asking if they knew, getting right to business. Most agree to sponsor right away. 'Anything for my Maximus!', 'Oh I'm sure she will put on quite the show!' A few toy with him. He imagines an excruciating death for the pervert who teases about her virginity and congratulates himself with a bottle of brandy when he stays professional and declines the offer.

He doesn't have to ask Diana for help. They drill her on her lessons. Stay with the alliance. Know your audience. Stick to your best weapon. Be a friendly foe. Never get too comfortable. She nods her head dutifully and speaks when spoken to. It calms him a bit. Lina's always been a good girl. On the other side of the table, a fifteen-year-old quarry boy dries his eyes and stumbles to his room. Another first: no one volunteering for the male Tribute. Maximus doesn't recall his name.

The same military uniform Maximus wore in his Games is her Opening Ceremonies' costume. The crowd eats it up. Capitol press can't get enough of this year's juiciest story. 'PRINCESS OF THE HUNGER GAMES SENT INTO THE ARENA', 'LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER: A VICTOR'S CHILD INTO TRIBUTE'. A swift call to a magazine's editor-in-chief gets an author fired over the suggestive title 'NICOLINA ZORATA: WILL SHE SURVIVE?' Interviewers hound him for his time. The whole thing exhausts him. Last time he was this sought after was for his own victory.

A half year's pay is what it takes to see her in training. Ignoring the contemptuous glares of the Gamemakers, Maximus watches his daughter-turned-Tribute from above. She excels at each station. No use in laying low. All eyes are already on her. Banters with the One boy. Spars with and wins against the Four girl at the sword fighting station. The Careers hate her. Their glares and whispers break when they catch his stare. The outliers are a mix between awestruck and resigned to their fates. Tension is the room is palpable. It's written all over their faces. 'It's not fair. She's a Victor's child.' He agrees.

The Four boy, however, has a motive the watchful father catches right away. It's not unusual for the Careers to flirt with one another. Makes for good television, as long as the fights go on. But this one is different. At first, he chalks his suspicion to parental concern. Nothing wrong with manipulating the competition. But then, he realizes, she's not the one doing the manipulation.

He commands her attention after dinner one night. "What's the boy to you?"

The usually stoic girl, trained to obey, lies to her father for the first time in her life. "Salazar means nothing to me."

"I never said which one."

Caught with the cookie jar. "A good guess I suppose."

He confides in his fellow Victor about the incident.

"I thought she was a lesbian. She's dating Viridi's girl for Panem's sake." Maximus stares at his rum on the rocks. "She lied to me. To me Diana."

Diana suppresses a grin. Seeing the great Maximus Zorata bent out of shape would be humorous for not the context. "She's a teenage girl. Hormones run high. Nicolina knows what to do. We trained her well."

"But she's going into the arena. She needs her head clear now, not when a knife's to her throat. Regardless of what District One thinks, The Hunger Games is not a dating service. Nothing can come out of this...thing." His head lays in his hand. "She's not ready."

Hard hands stroke his shoulder. "Were any of us? We'll talk to the others. Work something out."

Escaping the paparazzi, they make their way inside The Cafe. A low-key spot frequented by the Victors for its off-grid location (minus the everlasting press), Capitolites let the district dwellers call the hole-in-the-wall place in the "bad" part of the Capitol a safe haven. More importantly it's neutral grounds, something they insisted.

Maximus sells his approach, Diana to his side. Viridi, Roman, and Crys are out working the public. He tries to keep his voice in check but it falters a few times. The others are quiet while he speaks. Seeing the first Victor less than perfect is both mesmerizing and unnerving.

"She has to win," he finishes, eyeing Mags, the most sympathetic of the four.

She immediately speaks. "We'll see what we can do. Nicolina deserves to live."

Westley is next, his presence surprising Maximus. The privileged Victor usually leaves mentoring to the others. Four must really be a threat. "Nicolina should win. But no promises. Our boy's a monster this year. Too much like your Roman. Salazar doesn't care she's your daughter. He said it the moment the Reapings recap came on."

"Neither do ours," says Essence, nibbling on her pâté. "This is a sad situation Maximus, but Gin and Sapphire came to fight. Telling them to die won't go over too well."

Brilliance leans back in his chair, a smug grin on his face the entire time. Maximus prepares himself for what the fool has to say.

"What makes Nicolina qualified to win? I mean sure, she's your daughter, but..."

All heads turn to the first Victor of District One, then to the first Victor of District Two. Even Essence looks surprised. She puts down her cutlery and takes a long sip of club soda.

Finishing his espresso in one straight gulp, Maximus toys with his steak knife as he looks the man straight in the eyes. "Because, fellow Victor, we leave the laying down to your district."

Brilliance does not grin anymore.


He takes three breaths before entering. One for his daughter. One for his district. One for his dignity.

Amandus sits on his throne with a ridiculous smile on his face. The man looks awful. His hair, prematurely blanched to his namesake, is disheveled. His suit is a mess. Even his skin is turning gray, the telltale sign of overuse. He's high, Maximus deduces. Well, either this conversation will go smoothly or end in disaster. Nicolina is worth the risk.

"My first Victor! How are you!" Amandus jolts from his chair and pummels him with an embrace. Tarpeia rolls her eyes. The Peacekeepers look ready to soil themselves. Maximus pats the president good-naturedly and peels himself away, sitting down on chair in front of his desk.

"Bliss?" Amandus passes an enormous platter of the powder to him and frowns when he declines. "You always were a goody-two-shoes."

He gets right to it. The stench of the unwashed man is enough to make him gag. "I came to discuss Nicolina." Maximus holds in a sigh when the man raises his eyebrow. "My Tribute? My daughter?"

Tarpeia smirks. "I knew you would-"

Amandus perks up. "Oh yes! My, what a lovely girl. You must be so proud!"

"Honored."

He takes a liberal snort of bliss before Tarpeia yanks it from him. He frowns, straightening up with a grumble. "Business Mandy on." Two snaps of his fingers. "So. What brings you here, since you don't want to party?"

"I come with a humble request: secure my daughter's victory and you will have District Two's undying loyalty for all the mountains of Panem."

The president is animated in his expressions, clutching his chin and scrunching up his face like a child trying to figure out peek-a-boo. "Don't I already have that? Or is there something you're not telling me?"

Maximus gulps. "Of course, President. Without question. With her win, you can insure production levels see a significant increase by next year."

He hasn't stepped into a factory or a quarry since before the war. Tarpeia sees his bluff.

"How will you go about this, Victor Zorata?"

"My associates throughout the district shall collaborate with me on the best action to take to fulfill my promise."

President Snow and Victor Zorata lock eyes for what seems like forever. Finally, she speaks.

"We'll be in further contact with you Victor Zorata. You're dismissed."

Amandus holds his thumb up. "Yeah. What she said."

Maximus bows and leave, letting out the breath he didn't realized he was holding.

Well, he tried.


The arena is a nasty one. A massive junkyard with traps at every turn. 'An Arm and a Leg' is its title. A Man vs. Arena storyline. Just his luck.

She does well at the Cornucopia. Knabs two kills, a sword, and a backpack. If they didn't believe her ten in training, they do now. Two's boy dies without incident. Maximus worries about the weight slowing her down as he drowns in his blood. She should drop it, he thinks. They can afford another.

Once the fighting dies, she makes her way toward the far end of the horn.

"I'll go finish who's left," she tells the Four girl. The blonde grunts and joins the others. She's strong, but not too bright. Nicolina sees the advantage. In one swift move, she disappears into the mounds of rubble. Abandoning the Alliance. A coward's act. Given the circumstances, he excuses her for it.

She's well gone by the time Salazar, the leader this year, yells at his partner.

"Smart girl," Westley speaks two stations down. "He planned to kill her the moment the bloodbath ended."

Maximus digs his fingers into his palms then straightens out his hands. "Anything else you want to to tell me last minute?"

Westley puts his hands up in innocence. "Calm down. I only knew because I overheard him bragging about it to the escort over breakfast. Both our Tributes stopped talking to us. They figured we we in cahoots with you two. So you're welcome."

The arena's title reveals itself just second day in. The few who survived the bloodbath are subjected to the contraptions all around them. The boy from Ten has his skin peeled off. A compressor slowly crushes District Three from toe to head. Not even the Careers are spared. The four are on a daily fight from a bulldozer to a crusher, losing the One boy to the latter. It's an unusually graphic show, even for The Hunger Games.

Nicolina's time, in comparison, is a vacation. The mounds shield her from the torture (though they do nothing for the screams). The backpack comes in handy, allowing her to drink from the murky puddles and stave off hunger. The constant gore is a welcomed distraction: she gets to lay low while the others suffer. Maximus breathes easy as sponsors shower her with gifts. They have mercy on his girl.

Until they stop.

Strays destroy her gifts, leaving her with her sword and what's left in the bag. Maximus goes to send her more only to find the sponsorship button locked for all stations. It's only Day Four. Such drastic changes happen later on.

Three days pass. The puddles dry up. Food from the Cornucopia, the arena's only source, runs out. The kids, and their mentors, grow desperate.

The feast is a massacre. In just a few seconds, the final eight is reduced to Salazar, Nicolina, and the Five boy driven mad by fear. The feral outlier steals most of the items, giving Nicolina the clear chance to escape. She travels deep through the arena, the layout now second nature. But something has changed. He sees it before she does. Bear traps hidden in the mounds latch onto her - one to her arm, one to her leg. She's pinned to the ground, locked in pain. Underneath the dashboard, Diana clutches her mentor's hand.

Hours pass. The more she moves, the deeper they bite. So she lays still, waiting prey for District Four, the lone competitor after Five conveniently "slips" into a spiked pit. Faraday storms out the control center with a barrage of swear words toward the Careers. The others are more supportive. Epiphany says a prayer. Maple and Redwood give words of encouragement. Dornick offers a round of shots. Mags apologizes so much Diana asks her to hush. Kelso, usually ignoring everyone, goes into a lengthy explanations on how bear chains work and that Nicolina could survive if she gets out of it. In their own understanding but still guarded ways, the Victors come together to help their hurting colleague.

Maximus' communication device illuminates in the dark.

Advisor Ladro: Meeting in my office. See you soon.

Two minutes is what it takes him. He rushes inside, his usual decorum gone.

"Where is he?" he says through breaths. Tarpeia sits at her desk in the corner, looking peaceful with her book and tea.

"Away." She closes the book and motions to the seat in front of her. "Come. Sit."

He flops down front of her.

"Tea? It's lavender."

"No thank you."

"You look tired. Have you been sleeping?"

He grips the chairs for support. "Is there something you want to discuss, Madame Lardo?"

She chuckles. A screen nearby turns on. Nicolina lies still in the baking sun, fighting to stay conscious. On a split screen Salazar races through the arena, screaming pet names in between laughter. Like District Five, the constant traps made him go insane.

Tarpeia gazes at the screen. "She's done well for herself. The mad boy too."

"Yes, she has."

Two slow sips of tea. "You said District Two would have our undying loyalty if she won, correct?"

Fingers tap the chair handles. "Yes."

She pulls out a packet. It's thick, pages long. "Just how willing are you to save your daughter?"

Maximus doesn't hesitate. "I will do anything."

She slides the packet forward. "Sign this."

He flips through it. The words are vague. The writing is small. There is no title. A buzz snaps him out of focus.

Diana: He's closing in.

He flips to the last page and signs.

They return to a glorious welcome. A Victor's child winning the Games. A first in Panem. The celebrations are long. The joy is endless. Cameras catch a crying Maximus holding a smiling Nicolina. The Capitol is happy. The districts are happy. The Victors, Brilliance included, are happy.

Another figure stands in the photograph. A stone-faced Diana. The first Victor of Panem is too high on life to notice the new additions to his Houses. He doesn't remark on the fashion courses for the Pebbles. Or the seduction lessons for the Boulders. Or the invitations Crys now receive to the Capitol. She brings it all to his attention. Maximus denies it. 'Not my district. We're not One.' Nicolina is alive. Nicolina doesn't receive any invitations. All is well. It is the first time she loses respect for her former mentor.

Safe in her Capitol-made home, in the dark of night, she weeps for what hell Maximus has released on their proud district in order to save Nicolina. The strong woman thought they were special, thought they were exempted from District One's little "industry". Then, she sobs harder because the horrible truth hits her: even if he had read that entire packet ten times over, Maximus would have signed it in blood to save his daughter's life.