Chapter 22: Victory

Iris' POV

I start laughing. That's right, laughing. Ignoring all of the blood around me and on me and how I'm probably near death because of all my fatal wounds, I'm laughing. Why? Because I'm the victor. They said I couldn't do it, I said I couldn't do it, but I proved everyone wrong, even myself. A 12 year old has just won the 1st Quarter Quell. I'm going home.

Home. My laughter dies and I frown at the thought. District 11 is not my home, not anymore. They betrayed me, they sent me out to my death and made me kill innocent people older than myself. They did this to me. It is not my home. I don't even think I want to go back to District 11, well maybe the area, but not the people. Only my family and Sage's family.

Sage. Tears start to well up in my gray eyes. For me to live, he had to die. The same for Nyla and Sabine. Everyone had to die for me to come home. I just wish there were two victors, that way Sage and I could come home. But Sage is dead, and I am alive, a victor. The reason they're all dead is because all of the Districts chose them. They betrayed us.

Suddenly, I hear cheering. I look up and in the sky is a picture of the Capitol. People are waving their hands and screaming at the top of their lungs. Then they bring the picture to District 11. I don't want to see District 11, though they seem very happy, but I don't care for their happiness. They did this to me.

But then they take a picture of my family. And though I was somewhat able to swallow down the tears that came when I thought of Sage, of Nyla, and of Sabine, it's still hard when I see my family. But instead of tears of sadness, it's tears of joy. But I still don't let myself cry. I may be the victor, but I'm not going to cry again.

They look so happy now, they're all hugging and Rose and Thimble are crying. Jay lifts up Rose from the ground and twirls her around. He used to do that with me, even still he would do that. I wonder if he'll do the same when I come back.

Then I hear something from the air. I look up and see the hovercraft appear over me. A ladder drops down beside me, willing for me to grab on. I'm glad for the force field that'll keep me there, I'm pretty sure I would fall off right away. But as I crawl over to it, trying my best to stop the bleeding and to make sure I live through these last couple of seconds in the arena, I stop.

I may be half dead and bleeding my life out, but there's something I must do. So right as I'm by the ladder, I look back at the arena. I take in the hills, the river, the blood-soaked land, the Cornucopia, the islands, and I think of everything that happened here. It causes me great, great grief and horror, but I allow myself one final goodbye to all the Tributes. Goodbye to Nyla, goodbye to Sabine, goodbye to everyone who died to let me go home. But I still had to say goodbye to Sage.

But I don't think I'll ever be able to say goodbye to Sage. I love him too much, and then I realize, that I never told him I loved him. He had died without me saying those words to him. I wish I had told him, I really do, because somehow I think he did love me back. So I'll tell him, right now. Though I have no clue where he is, I just have to say it.

"I love you, Sage," I whisper, my voice filled with emotion and on edge of breaking. But I said it, maybe not to him, but I said it.

And with that, I reach up a shaky hand and grab the ladder. Almost immediately I feel the force field press against me and I'm lifted into the air. I will myself to live and to just get through this. After all this, I'm not going to die because of loosing too much blood.

Finally, though, I'm taken into the hovercraft. When the force field is released, I slump to the ground and almost immediately black out.

Jay's POV

I scream. That's all I do, I just scream with happiness and jump into the air. Sure, it's a bit of a drastic thing to do, but my sister has just won! She's coming back! After all this, she's coming back to us!

My father is in complete shock, and he just sits there, a smile spreading on his face. I haven't seen him smile in a long time, ever since our mother passed away. Then he starts laughing, actually laughing.

Rose and Thimble are crying with happiness and Thimble is also jumping up and down like me. I take Rose in my hands and spin her around in the air. She's laughing and giggling and I've just never felt this happy before. Iris is the victor, she's coming back, she's alive. I hug my little sister tightly and I feel Rose cry more. I think I'm starting to cry too, but I'm just too thrilled and ecstatic to notice.

"Iris is coming home!" Thimble cries, "Iris is coming home!"

"That's right," Our father says, leaning down beside him, laughing and crying at the same time, "She's coming home." He hugs Thimble tightly; as if afraid he could fall.

I set Rose down on the ground as I turn and face Sage's family. They look happy, or somewhat happy. I know they had wanted Sage to return, but since he died, I'm sure they wanted Iris to come. And I don't know why, but I open up my arms and Millie falls into them.

"I'm happy for you," She says, her voice rough from crying so much in these past couple of days after Sage's death.

"Thank you," I murmur, "I just wish Sage could come home too."

"This is what Sage wanted," Millie leans back and looks me in the eye, "He wanted Iris to return, even if that meant him dying."

"He was very brave, we'll never forget him," I tell her.

Millie just nods and embraces me again before stepping back. Her parents are hugging each other, somewhat happy too that Iris is coming home, but the grief of their son's death still hangs in their eyes. All of them have been dealing with the horrors of Sage's death, I myself had been sad when he died. I have no idea how Iris must feel, knowing that she loved him. But she's coming home, that's really all I can think about.

Thank you, Sage and Nyla, I think, for sacrificing your lives willingly to let her go home.

Iris' POV

The first thing I wake up to is beeping. I groan a bit and force my eyes open. I'm in an all white room with many things strapped to me. I'm not covered in blood, I'm not in the arena, but I don't know where I am. I gulp, wondering if I'm still in the Games, if this is some sick play the Gamemakers are doing to me. But then I remember, I won.

I sit up in my bed and lift my right arm. I'm surprised to see that the scar from the burn is completely gone. I look over at my leg and notice that the scar from the spear is also gone. I reach my left arm across my back and find it smooth and I just figure that the scar from the mutts is gone too. I look on my body everywhere, remembering every single wound I carried. I look for the ones that Kellie gave me in the end, but they are no where to be seen.

I sigh and lean back, sort of wishing I had been able to keep all those scars. But I probably got too many wounds and burns, too many scars and the Capitol didn't want that. I know that I have the Victor Ceremony and then the final Interview. But after all that I'll be able to go home, until I have the Victory Tour around Panem. Will it ever end?

No, I remind myself silently, because I'll be helping Jake mentor every year.

I now know what Jake had to go through each year, since he was the first and only victor of District 11 up until I won. I think most of the other Districts have victors; I'm sure Districts One, Two, and Four have enough. I think the only District who has never had a victor is District 12. I think I remember Sabine telling me that Jake had mentored her also, so the District 11 mentors had both 11 and 12 to teach. Great.

Suddenly, an Avox Girl walks into my room. She sets down a tray filled with food. It's not a lot, and I wish I had gotten more since I've been nearly starving for, what, three weeks almost? But she doesn't give me anymore as she walks out. I take it slowly though, and once my food is all gone I drink the water slowly.

I can't help but think how back in the beginning I was so desperate for food, I killed Sky. I think out of all the people I have killed, he's the one I'm most guilty about. Maybe because he was a really good guy, that Sage respected him, and that he had saved Sage's life before. Maybe if I hadn't killed him, he would've won? Though if I did die, I would have wanted Sage to win, but even if there was no way Sage could be saved, then I would have wanted Sky, Nyla, or Sabine to win.

I frown when I think of my two friends. I do think of them as friends, because they had saved my life, they made it possible that I was here. Nyla was nothing like her District Tribute Partner, Peter. I still feel a wave of fury and pain when I think of him, the man who killed Sage, the man who I killed. Nyla gave up her life to let me go home, because she had no one to return to. I wish I could've been closer friends with her.

And Sabine, she was strong and courageous, and maybe a little bit too courageous. She had been killed by the Careers by going to that Feast alone. But still, she helped a lot, she tried to make things better for us by going. I'll never forget her.

As I'm thinking, I start to feel myself fall back into unconsciousness. I'm hesitant at first, still thinking I'm in the arena, that it's not safe to fall asleep alone, but then I realize I'm not there anymore. I let myself drift off to sleep, falling into blackness…

The next time I wake up, I'm free of all the wirings and tubes. I sit up and realize that I'm in clothes. Just a regular t-shirt and pants. My hair is long and silky; a lot better than it has been in weeks and I know longer have something hurting me when I move. I smile a bit as I test out my limbs, walking around the room. I feel fine, well, physically, maybe not mentally or emotionally. I'm glad for the drugs they gave me for I was so knocked out I didn't have any nightmares.

I start to wonder if I'll end up like the other victors. Taking morphling or alcohol to deal with the pain and horrible memories of the Games. Or will I be sleeping with a knife under my pillow every night? I know for sure that I'll be haunted each night with my Games; I know I'll never feel the same. Even now it's hard to smile, it just doesn't feel right.

Suddenly, I see a door slide open. I start hearing voice from outside. Jake, Sarina, Miles, all of them are there. I cautiously go to the door and look around in the hallway. I hear my name called and I turn, seeing all three of them standing in a room at the end of the hall.

And when I see them, I run. It's been so long, and I thought I would never see them again. I'm even glad to see Sarina again, I've missed her perkiness. I run into Jake's outstretched arms and he hugs me tightly.

"Great job, I knew you could do it," He whispers in my ear.

Then I turn to Miles. I hug him tightly as he says, "You were always a winner."

Then, I even turn to Sarina. She looks a bit surprised but I wrap my arms around her and she gives me a tight squeeze. "You're the best Tribute I've ever had!" She exclaims as she releases me.

"I told you," Miles says, a bit of a smile on his face, "You were a winner from the beginning."

"Not just a little girl?" I ask.

"Definitely not," Jake murmurs, wrapping his arms around me again.

"Come on," Miles says, "Let's celebrate before the Ceremony."

A/N: The next couple of chapters will be the Ceremony and then the Interviews, and then her coming home. So we still have more to go, so keep reading and reviewing!