AUTHOR'S NOTES: It's been said that Clove is a bit unhinged. She might have metured a bit in the games, but she's far from being mentally stable. So... fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a wile ride as we enter the 3rd and final act of "The 74th Annual Hunger Games".
Happy Reading!

PART III: LIFE BACK HOME

CHAPTER 22: A Rite of Passage

"Ladies and gentlemen… the victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games… Clove Kazera of District 2!"

These words snapped Clove out of her little trance, but at the same time, she didn't move. She was clutching her bleeding chest, as if holding her guts from spilling out onto the ground. Her breathing was labored, and her mind was fractured.

What had happened? She wondered the answer to this question as she heaved for air, still kneeling on the ground and bleeding everywhere. The hovercrafts came for the remains of Cato and Rue, and Clove watched longingly, extending her own bloodsoaked arm after them, as if hoping to bring them back. She did not cry, but there was an expression of longing on her face. The arena began to grow hazy, and Clove was not sure what she was doing anymore. She remembered little else before falling unconscious.

She woke up to find herself in an operating room, which, much to the prep team's dismay, set Clove into a frenzy. The shock of not knowing where she was and not knowing what all of these things connected to her was, sent the young victor into a panick, causing her to spring up and knock several things over, fist a-blazin'. She ended up slugging two of the operators in the face as she scrambled for the door in nothing but a pair of white scrubs. Her words were incomprehensible, and her eyes were wide and bloodshot.

Much to Elroy and Enobaria's slight amusement, Clove actually made it out the door before she was stopped and restrained. Her eyes met theirs for a split-second and she finally screamed.

"THEY'RE TAKING ME AWAY!" she tried to fight against the restraints the operating teams were putting on her as they held her down, "They're trying to kill me!"

Clove grunted as her arms were pinned behind her. She lurched forward, flinging her head and chest viciously in an attempt to escape, before she felt a sharp stinging in her neck. Someone had jabbed her with a potent tranquilizing drug, which caused Clove's eyes to grow heavy, and her form to fall limp in the arms of the crew members restraining her.

"I'm sorry," Enobaria turned to Elroy, "that was actually kind of funny."
"She was pretty intent on getting away," Elroy agreed, "I wonder how long that will last…"
Clove woke up the 2nd time to find her wrists restrained to the bed she was in. She struggled and let out quite the bellow for someone as small as she was, before taking a deep breath and realizing everything that had happened. The last three weeks had not been her imagination—they were real. Glimmer and Marvel had been real. Cato was real. Rue was very real. Clove would never admit it, but at this very moment, she was terrified. On the other hand, her body felt much better—she didn't feel any blood, and her bruises were gone. It seemed that the light body hair that the Capitol had removed before the games was not coming back either.

Clove closed her eyes again and tried to rest, but various thoughts and images swam through her head as she tried to think. Rue was there, dancing through a meadow and singing her little song, and while it made Clove's eyes pop open as she snapped out of it, she couldn't help but think of that little girl, and perhaps maybe even develop a tiny soft spot for her. Rue had been… difficult. She had wanted little more from these games than to survive and go home.

Clove did not know how much later it was when they finally stopped. When she was woken up, she felt dizzy and a bit nauseous. She grunted, sensing someone nearby and simply said "gimmie a glass of water" before holding out an expectant hand. To her pleasure, she felt the smooth cold rims of a glass touch her palms, which she immediately brought to her mouth, sighing as the cool liquid rushed down her throat. She forgot how wonderful clean water tasted, and so immediately asked for more.

"What's the plan," she murmured at no one in particular, and so she was moderately pleased to hear Elroy's voice from behind her.

"They're going to clean you up for the closing ceremonies tonight and then tomorrow morning you're heading home," Elroy explained, "Enobaria's holding Athena back so she doesn't see you till you're dressed and ready."
"Is it bad that I would not be above strangling someone, dress or not?" Clove quipped.

"Pick your target," Elroy winked, "I'll cover ya." This made Clove smirk a bit, even if she was still a bit groggy. She didn't remember much of what happened next, other than that she remembered opening her eyes and finding herself in a fiery orange dress. She was still a bit delirious, perhaps from the games themselves, or the numerous drugs that had been used to put her under after her miniature rampage, but she was aware enough to know where she was.

"Hey, this dress is kind of cool." She smiled, only to see Athena standing excitedly in front of her. "Doesn't it look simply dazzling!?" she beamed, helping Clove onto her feet before steadying the exhausted teen. Clove glanced at the large mirror in front of them and she couldn't help but do a little twirl. She nearly twisted her ankle and fell, but Athena caught her and chuckled.

"Goodness, we will just HAVE to teach you how to pull that off right!" she laughed, "but in the meantime, let's get you to Caesar's stage. You're on in a few minutes!"

Clove did not hold Athena's bubbly excitement, but she excused the older woman as the airheaded ditz that she pretty much was. Besides, she had just finished escaping death and horrors; wearing weird shoes and a fancy dress in front of hundreds of adoring fans wasn't going to shake her.
She could hear the thundering applause of the Capitol audiences from backstage with considerable ease. They were always excited to see their new victors.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," Caesar Flickerman announced a moment later, "let's all give a round of applause to the victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games—Clove Kazera!"

Clove may not have been as hammy as Caesar, but she was savvy enough to know what the audiences liked, and frankly, what was left of her arrogant personality still did enjoy the attention.

She threw her arms in the air as she walked onto the stage, a sway in her hips as she took each step. Granted, Clove didn't really have much in the way of curves (a trait that she had slightly envied Glimmer for before her death), and like every victor before her, she had lost weight in the arena, so she was actually fairly small and thin. If nothing else, it explained the padding in certain areas of the dress she had on, but it wasn't enough to bother her.

A few congratulations were in order before the crowds got to watch, with Clove, a recap of the highlights of the games. It brought back conflicting memories for Clove. On one hand, she smirked at the fond memories she had made with Cato as they dominated the arena, but on the other, Rue was someone that she did not know how to react to. She got to watch rue hiding in what looked like plain sight above her and the others, cutting down the tracker-jacker next. She got to watch her use trigger the landmines around their supplies, and she got to watch her idle her time swinging through the trees during the three days they had gotten between Peeta's death and Rue's.

"She used a slingshot to trigger the bombs? Damn… I don't even know what to say to that… that… is actually kind of cool… damn it, Rue."

Soon afterwards, Caesar began to as Clove questions about the games and about herself, keeping the positive air around himself and the situation, which even made Clove laugh a few times.

"So after all of that;" Caesar paused for dramatic effect, "after 16 days of fighting and intrigue are behind you… how do you, Clove Kazera, feel about it all?"
"Well, for one, I'm fucking hungry." Clove had no trouble using vulgar language on stage, even if it made a few people gasp, "but if you want to know how I feel about it all… I'm glad to be back. The Hunger Games are kind of like a Rite of Passage. It's like a bridge that a child crosses to become an adult—the bridge a girl finished crossing yesterday before becoming a woman."

"A fine remark if I say so myself!" Caesar approved, "it sounds like something our wonderful President would say—which reminds me, ladies and gentlemen… let's welcome our special guest, so that he may crown our newest victor!"

The audience erupted into their usual fanfare of applause as President Coriolanus Snow made his grand appearance. In his hands was the victor's crown, which he ceremoniously placed on Clove's head, his eyes meeting the young victor's eyes for a moment.

"Congratulations, Ms. Kazera," he gave her a rare smile. "You fought fervently and fearlessly to reach this point in your life. Your victory is well-earned and well-deserved."

"Thanks." Clove gave a light shrug as the president stepped back.

"Ms. Kazera's words are words to remember," he gave a short speech of his own to the audience. "the Hunger Games can serve as a Rite of Passage, turning even the weakest of boys and girls into the strongest of men and women. This fine woman deserves your veneration."

The crowds began chanting Clove's name as Caesar stood up and pulled her to her feet, holding her hand high in the air.

"This moment here…" Caesar turned to the audience. "This is a moment you never forget. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the moment where a tribute becomes a victor!"