Author's Note (Dec. 27, 2013) - This story is the 72nd Hunger Games. Yes, it used to be the 71st, until I realized Johanna won the 71st, which I'm surprised no one ever pointed out. So, wherever you see it mention the 71st, it's actually the 72nd. Thanks a lot! PS, if you're reading this, I'm still here. Reviews are always appreciated, just keep in mind, this was my first story ever, so be gentle!

To act and damn the consequence
How I wish it could be that easy
But fear surrounds me like a fence
I wanna break free

All I want is the wind in my hair
To face the fear but not feel scared

Wild horses I wanna be like you
Throwing caution to the wind
I'll run free too
Wish I could recklessly love like I'm longing to
I wanna run with the wild horses, run with the wild horses

Audrina Prescott

"Oh well don't you just look beautiful!"

My prep team has finally finished with my hair and makeup, which has taken considerably less time than my first trip to the Remake Center. It's probably because I'm not fighting them this time. I don't have any fight left in me.

Chrysanthemum, who does my hair, helps me into a plush white robe and guides me over to the three-way mirror.

"Leven, go get Mal! Tell her that Miss Audrina is all ready for her pretty dress."

Leven, a tiny girl with long lavender hair and thick blue eyelashes, skitters off to find Mal, my stylist. Chrysanthemum and Nero leave me alone and set off to clean up their mess of makeup and hair products. I exhale, grateful for the brief moment of solace. I've had hands on me ever since I woke up on the cool metal table early this morning, and now everything is different. I wince as I glance at my reflection in the mirror. I don't even look like me anymore.

My skin is soft and flawless. Every hard earned scar and battle wound has been erased. A Full Body Polish, they said. Apparently it's one of the many perks of becoming a victor. I hate it.

I'm not as skinny as I was when the hovercraft picked up my unconscious body. I don't mind this as much, but I know that it was not done for my benefit. They lie to themselves, showing me off to the Capitol citizens as a shiny new toy. See how beautiful she is? See how healthy she looks? We didn't nearly starve her to death in there. We didn't try to kill her. Of course not.

My hair is noticeably lighter than it was when I entered the Games. My usual deep brown color has been "enhanced" with caramel highlights.

"Isn't it lovely? It's to brighten your complexion. I want you to shine." Nero had been so proud of his creation.

My signature thick eyebrows are shaped to frame my face. My teeth are blindingly white. My makeup makes my skin glow and my eyes sparkle.

Tears brim in my eyes and I turn away from the mirror quickly. I don't want to see that girl anymore. She's not Audrina. She's not Crisis's Audrina, not Clove's Audrina. No one will even recognize me when I come home. I'm not the same as them anymore. I'm not the same scarred, skinny little girl. I never will be.

"There you are, sweetheart!" Mal says, her impossibly tall stilettos clacking on the tile floor as she makes her way to me. In her arms is a black garment bag, undoubtedly holding my dress for the ceremony tonight.

"I'm so proud of you!" She says, wrapping her bony arms around me in an awkward hug that I make no effort to return.

She releases me and moves to unzip the bag.

"I just knew you would win, darling! I set off to make this dress right after launch, you know. I had to make sure it was absolutely perfect for my little victor!"

The dress is white. On top it is covered with small petal appliqués, at the waist it flares out and reaches about mid thigh. It's innocent.

I speak for the first time since waking up, "Mal, did you watch the Games?"

"Hmm?" She asks, busying herself with some sort of steaming device to remove the invisible wrinkles from the dress.

"Of course, dear! Well, I watched as much as I could, because I was quite busy making this for you!"

"Did you see how many people I killed?" I ask, keeping my voice level.

This startles her a bit, and she looks up with wide turquoise eyes.

"Five. Five kids. Children. First there was the girl from District Three. The one who they always dressed as an angel, remember? I don't even know what her name was. I don't know how old she was. I don't know if she had any family. All I know was that she was from District Three, and I slit her throat and dropped her into the lake to die. Then there was Corbin. He was from Three as well, though I only remember his name because he kept repeating it to me over and over again. 'Corbin Devereux. Age 14. Two Parents. Three Sisters.' Like he thought telling me personal details would spare his life. No, I cut his heart out. Then there was Noah. He killed Crisis, who I was in love with, by the way. So of course, I had to make his death as painful as possible. I gave him over ten deadly knife wounds before I finally ended his life. That wasn't enough for me though, I had to cut his heart into a million pieces, so he could know what I felt like when Crisis stopped breathing. Then there was Roman and Celeste, but I don't need to go into much detail there, do I? I'm sure you saw the grand finale, or were you too busy putting the finishing touches on your masterpiece?"

Mal's face is a deathly pale color and her eyes look like they are about to pop out of her head.

"That dress does not look like it should be worn by a murderer."

I hold Mal's stare and refuse to blink. Finally she turns away briefly, composing herself.

"That's enough out of you, young lady. No one wants to see the terrifying killer from the arena. You're the beautiful and powerful victor, now. And you need to watch your mouth and work on those manners."

"I am the terrifying killer, Mal!" I shout, standing up from my chair and knocking it over in anger.

"I didn't kill those people just to survive. I did it to inflict pain. I wanted them to suffer."

"You're not that girl anymore. We changed you."

I laugh bitterly, "You can't change me. I'm always going to have blood on my hands."

"Look at yourself, Audrina. We already did. The blood is gone, the scars are gone. Look around. You're here, they're dead. That's just how it is. Learn to deal with it. Now put on this dress, we're running late."

With a final flip of her white blonde hair, she storms out of the room.

A few moments later, Enobaria bursts through the door. I am still standing in front of the mirrors, glaring at my reflection with hatred, Mal's dress is still hanging on the corner of the mirror, completely abandoned.

"Okay little girl, mind explaining to me why your stylist is crying her eyes out in the hallway? What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!" I cross my arms over my chest in defense.

Enobaria shakes her head and continues to glare at me.

"Don't lie to me."

I sigh, knowing that this is one battle that I will never win. I unfold my arms and collapse into my chair once more.

"I told her I hated the dress."

"Are you kidding me?" Enobaria scoffs, picking up the dress and holding it out to me.

"Go put it on, and then we'll talk."

I open my mouth to argue before deciding against it. I untie the robe and let it fall to the floor. Enobaria helps me step into the dress and zips it up in the back. I turn to look in the mirror and frown.

"It's too tight."

"I know it feels that way now, but you'll get used to it. You knew they would surgically alter you if you won. Victors can't come out looking like the starving children that went in. You're not a child anymore, Drina."

"Was I ever, though?"

"Come with me." She heads toward the balcony and opens the heavy glass door. We both step outside and she closes it behind us.

We don't speak at first. I rest my elbows on the ledge and lean over. The sun is just beginning to set, and the sky swirls with beautiful pinks, purples and oranges. In the streets below, Capitol citizens swarm, everyone trying to get inside the huge theater for the ceremony. Everyone wants a glimpse of their new victor. Everyone wants to hear what she has to say.

"I'm proud of you. I probably won't say it often, but I am. I always knew you could win, if you truly wanted it. From the day you and Clove arrived, I knew I wanted to train you both. I had never seen a ten year old with so much skill."

"Well, thanks. But what's your point?"

"This attitude needs to stop."

"Wha-"

"Not just because it's rude, I honestly do not give a fuck that you made your stylist cry -I had my stylist in a headlock after I woke up- I mean you have to stop, or you will get hurt. You're on their radar, now. Everything you do, everything you say, it is all being watched. And after some of the things you said in the arena, they're on red alert. I smoothed it over as much as I could, and most of them believed that you were so crazed by hunger and grief that you didn't know what you were saying."

For once, I have nothing to say back.

Enobaria drops her voice, "You and I both know that you meant every word of it. Do not let then think that for a second."

"What happens now?"

"You're going to go out there and do your interview. You will be sweet and endearing. You will say that your sole purpose for winning is to bring pride and riches to your district. You will be forced to watch the recap. Do not lose it during Crisis's death. Do not. Cry, look away, do whatever you need to do to let them know how much you loved him, but do not cause a scene. After the ceremony we'll go to the train station. You can sleep on the train and we'll be home by morning."

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. Sounds easy enough, but I know there is more.

"And then?" I press.

"When we get home, Icarus will give you a few weeks to recover. You'll need to lay low for awhile, because the entire Center will be watched. Once things calm down, you'll start teaching a few classes a week. You'll assist me in training Clove. After six months it will be time for the Victory Tour and you'll have to be on your best behavior again. After that, you'll have to come with me to the Capitol every year for the Games. Some years you will mentor, others you will just watch."

"So I basically follow the same routine for the rest of my life. It could be worse."

Enobaria looks at her feet uncomfortably.

"What?" I ask her, "What else?"

"With being a victor comes certain obligations. You're young. You're beautiful. You're desirable. People are going to want you. As soon as you turn sixteen, chances are you'll be asked to do a lot of things. Things that you won't want to do. It doesn't matter. You'll do them anyway. I'm sorry, that's just the way it is."

Tears pool in my eyes as I realize what she's telling me. The Capitol will want me. For sex. Prostitution. They all want a piece of their victor.

"Is that what you have to do?"

She nods, "There's a lot more to gaining sponsors than just flaunting your training scores around. They want something in return for their money."

"B-but I-I only. Crisis." My voice drops to a hoarse whisper.

"I know. And I'm sorry. I wish I could change it. I'll try to put it off as long as I can. You said it yourself, Audrina. Your innocence has long since gone. There's nothing we can do about it now."

"I didn't want this." I say, almost inaudibly.

"None of us ever get to read the fine print. The only difference between us and the other tributes is that we go home with our hearts still beating. Everything else is the same. They still own us. They still take everything from us. Sometimes I think the other twenty three got the better deal."

I know the feeling. I can't help but envy Crisis. The pain he felt was brief, and now it's over. It's all over for him. For me, the pain will last forever. For me, it is just beginning.

"Come on, let's get you finished up."

Enobaria opens the door again and we return to find Mal and my prep team waiting for us.

"I can handle it from here." Enobaria says, flashing them a smile with her gold plated fangs. Their faces blanch in fear and they hurriedly scuttle from the room.

In silence, Enobaria touches up the makeup that my tears have smudged. After a final coat of pale pink lip gloss, I slip my feet into a pair of white satin pumps and we both head down to the theater.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Panem, please join me in giving a warm welcome to your victor of the Seventy First Annual Hunger Games, Audrina Prescott!"

Caesar Flickerman's voice pulsates throughout the room, and the roar of the audience is deafening. I feel heat rising in my cheeks and my heartbeat quickens. My head is pounding and I am suddenly grateful that I refused to eat anything before the ceremony. If I did, I am sure it would be all over the floor and my expensive heels.

"Go!" Enobaria gives me a push and I stumble onto the stage. The lights are blinding and the noise is even louder now that they can see me. I force myself to regain composure and confidently walk the distance of the stage, waving and smiling at the audience the whole time. After what seems like an eternity I reach the middle of the stage. After giving me a quick hug, Caesar helps me into my chair.

"Welcome, Audrina!" Caesar gushes, squeezing my hand.

"Thank you Caesar, I'm very happy to be here."

"Oh, I'm sure you are! Can I just say how impressed I was at your performance in the arena?"

He turns to the audience, "Weren't you impressed folks? Let's give this young lady another round of applause for her bravery and her ruthlessness."

I smile graciously and accept the applause.

"We're going to get started with the recap in a few minutes here, but first tell me, what were your first thoughts upon waking up?"

"I think I felt a lot of emotions when I woke up. At first I was painfully aware of how cold the table was. After that I realized how good I felt. I wasn't hungry of thirsty or in any kind of pain. Then all the memories came rushing back to me. I'll admit I was a little sad at first, after losing Crisis, but over all I was just so relieved that I finally made it. I'm so happy to finally be going home."

Caesar places his hand over his heart dramatically and gives my hand a sympathetic pat.

"That is beautiful, Audrina. It really is. Let's watch the recap of your courageous journey, shall we?"

I nod and give a small smile before turning to face the giant screen as my Reaping begins to play.

As expected, the recap is difficult to watch. Seeing Crisis alive and well during the Opening Ceremonies and the Reaping kills me inside. After we are dropped into the arena, I am forced to face the horrors that I have done. Before long we are watching Crisis's final moments, and I cannot control the tears that spill from my eyes. I obey Enobaria's orders and resist the urge to run off the stage and lock myself in the nearest closet. Finally we are at the feast, and before I know it Roman has fallen in a bloody heap in the rubble and I collapse into unconsciousness. The screen fades to black and I exhale in relief. It's finally over. I made it.

"How was it to see the Games from an outsider's point of view?" Caesar asks me when the lights come back on.

"Well I can definitely see how you find it so entertaining!" I say with a smile and a small laugh, which garners a positive response from the audience.

He asks me a few more questions about my strategy and if everything had gone according to plan for me. I answer as honestly as I can, avoiding any mention of Crisis. I don't want to talk about him until I absolutely have to.

As I guessed, it is only a matter of time before he is brought into the conversation.

"We're almost out of time, folks, but before we go, I'm sure we're all dying to know the history between Audrina and her district partner, Crisis Cavitch. Am I right?"

The audience responds with a roar of applause and I prepare to tell my story.

"Could you tell us, Audrina?" Caesar asks.

"I grew up with Crisis. The five most influential years of my life were spent with him. I don't think either of us realized just how much we cared for one another until we were faced with losing each other. The arena put things into perspective for me. I loved Crisis with everything in me, and I wasn't prepared for the rage I felt when he died."

"Do you believe it was the rage that propelled you to win the Games?"

I give it a moment of thought, not having considered this theory myself. I suppose it is though. I would have sacrificed myself to save Crisis in a heartbeat. After his death, I had nothing else to live for, so I channeled my energy into winning.

"Yes, Caesar. I don't doubt for a moment that Crisis was the reason I was able to win. And for that reason, I know I will never be able to forget him."

The audience lets out a collective sigh, and Caesar helps me to my feet to give me one last hug.

"Let's all wish Audrina a safe journey home, folks! One last time for the victor of the Seventy First Hunger Games!"

The crowd stands up and gives me another deafening applause as the lights go out and I am escorted off the stage. I kick off my heels as soon as I am into the wings. I shake off the avox who was assisting me and break into a run to find Enobaria. She holds me by the shoulders and looks me directly in the eye.

"Don't cry, Audrina. Not yet. Hold it together for a few more minutes, okay? We're going home."

I nod and bite my lip, forcing the tears to stay put. As soon as we are in the car to take us to the train station my guard falls down and hysterical tears spill from my eyes.

Enobaria pulls me closer and I cry into her shoulder. She rubs my back soothingly and it occurs to me that this is the most affection I have ever been shown.

"I don't want to do this. I don't want it anymore. I should have just let someone else win. I can't do this without him, I can't live this life."

"I know, I know. And I wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but it doesn't. It never does."

Welp, that's the end of that! Make sure to head on over to my blog for this story (www . seventyoneyears . blogspot . com) to read the little epilogue that I posted, called Courage and Sacrifice. It features something on all twenty four tributes.

Also, I want to write a post-Games story about Audrina, Clove, Cato, Enobaria and their other friends back home in the Training Center. Let me know if you would be interested in reading it!

My next SYOT, You Better Run, should begin within the next week or so!

There's also one last poll for this story on my page, go vote! And please review this chapter, even if you reviewed Chapter 15 already! Because I spent all day writing these two chapters and I'm exhausted so all I want to do is see your reactions! :) So even though it's over, tell me what you liked about this chapter and the epilogue, and if you want to see more from Audrina!

Thank you all so much for sticking with this story and being so supportive! I seriously never thought I would even get to finish this story, and it was all of your amazing reviews that kept me going. Love you all!

xoxo

-Becca