Chapter 36: Chapter with no name
Author's note: This is just a meaningless continuation of the end of my story that conflicts with the epilogue at the end of 'Mockingjay'. Tell me if you hate it.
The closing ceremony ended. Before the audience could stand up to leave, President Paylor then made an announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen." said President Paylor. "I have several announcements to make. I would like to tell the families of the fallen tributes that after the dead bodies were extracted from the arena, our medical teams did everything possible to revive them."
She then waited for response. The response was the audience all looked at each other and began loudly murmuring, wondering what that meant exactly.
"Lisa Derrick, Susanna Xavier, Hector Ardamin, Breanna Crane, Sherman Griffin, Martha Filmer, Neil Jones, Barney Simpson, Gloria Goldwater, Irene Avion, Chaz Zoltan, Belinda Rogers, Beverly O'Malley, Klay Randolph, and Blaze Trenton are all alive and well thanks to our medical experts and will be sent home tonight. Let's bring them out."
They all came onto the stage and then the their families were invited to reunite. It was all hugs and kisses for about a minute until they all were asked to sit.
President Paylor then went on.
"It is my sad duty to say that Giovanni Leon, May Salmon, Randy Bing, Joyce Harrison, Dennis Green, Harley Dillon, and Janice Miller had injuries too severe for them to be revived. I would like everyone to participate in sixty uninterrupted seconds of total silence for respect of the fallen tributes this year."
Everyone was quiet for one minute. Then President Paylor went on.
"The next announcement I have to make is that every year from now on, the Hunger Games are going to continue."
She paused and waited for their reaction.
There was muttering and discussion as the people turned to each other.
"I would just like to clarify what it means exactly." said Paylor. "I have decided to turn the Hunger Games in a real legitimate sporting event. There will be no reaping bowls or elections, the tributes will be volunteer only. None of the tributes will die. Inside the arena it will be a matter of skilled survival, though it will be only mild non-life-threatening perils and winnable fights with mutts, and the combat between the tributes will be non-lethal, the tributes will be permitted to give each other some bruises, and maybe break a few bones, but no tributes will die. The winner will get the same prize money as any other victor, and the last rule change before this year's Games ended will stand so there will be two victor's every year."
More muttering and quiet discussion from the audience at this.
"More information will be available on the details will be available on the Panem Online Database and your local news service. Thank you all. Caesar, back to you."
And President Paylor walked off the stage.
"And that concludes our show for tonight." said Caesar Flickerman. "See you next time on the Caesar Flickerman Show. One more round of applause for our two victors. Good night everybody!"
Four months later:
In the brand-new and pristine Victors Village that had been built in the Capitol which was a block of twelve large mansions. Amanda was inside her house in a room that she had filled with exercise equipment. She was wearing a tank top and tight workout pants. Though she always followed the abnormal fashion styles of the Capitol such as dying her hair a bright bubble gum pink, in the past few months she had gotten herself several new tattoos that she likes to show off to everyone. On one shoulder she had gotten a permanent tattoo of the Mockingjay symbol to publicly indicate her loyalty to the new regime. Directly under it was a tattoo of the seal of the Capitol as a reminder of where she came from. And on the other shoulder she had gotten a tattoo of the symbol of 'No Minotaurs' which was a circle with a line through it and within the circle was the head of a bull, which publicly symbolized her embracing the silly nickname that the population of the country had given her, 'The Minotaur Slayer'. She had her hands wrapped in tight tension bandages and was punching a big leather punching bag hanging from the ceiling. Every muscle in her body was hard and lean. She was drenched in sweat.
For the past four months she had been full of excess energy. She had difficulty sleeping, and when she did sleep she had nightmares. The only thing that seems to help was hard physical activity. She punched at the punching-bag until she was exhausted and could not punch anymore. When she punched the punching bag she threw all of her body-weight, every pound and ounce, into each punch.
As she was exhausted, covered in sweat, she walked over to a target range filled whit standard bullseyes. She then picked up a variety of throwing-knives and she threw one at each target hitting the dead center of the bullseye every time.
She decided that she had had enough that day. She then unwrapped the tension bandages from around her hands as her mother came in carrying a tray of freshly baked cookies that were made by their private cook that Elizarella Snow had hired full-time with Amanda's Hunger Games winnings. She looked at her daughter with worry and concern.
"Are you okay sweetie?" she asked.
Amanda gulped some water while she wiped the sweat off of her body with a towel.
"I feel great." said Amanda with a smile through an exhausted breath.
"I just have to say that I'm a little worried about you dear."
"What? Why?"
"You're always in here. Practicing with your weapons. Practicing fighting. Pushing your body beyond its limit all day every day like you're preparing for another Games. The Hunger Games are over. This is not healthy."
"I'm fine mother." Amanda said impatiently.
"Amanda honey, I know you haven't been sleeping well. You're skin looks waxy and pale and you've got dark circles under your eyes."
Amanda was breathing heavy, and heat flooded through her on the verge of an anxiety attack while she wished her mother would shut up and drop the subject.
"You look like a morphling addict suffering from withdrawal impatiently waiting for his next hit."
Amanda screamed at her mother in anger. She grabbed the plate of cookies and threw it at her mother. Elizarella dodged and the ceramic plate shattered against the wall. Amanda grabbed a knife with one hand, grabbed her mother's neck with the other and lifted her up and held her against the wall and held the knife to her neck. Elizarella screamed. Amanda paused... she then let go. She ran to the open shower stall there in the fitness room and turned on the cold water and stepped under the stream, she calmed instantly.
"I'm calling the docter." said Elizarella in a worried voice.
"Mom!" Amanda shouted to get her mother's attention.
Elizarella stopped at the door and looked back at her daughter.
"Wait, don't go!" she said, trying to reason. "If you want me to talk about it, I'll talk!"
Elizarella came back over and pulled up a chair. Amanda quickly changed into some dry clothes and sat down in front of her mother.
"Mom, I've already seen a doctor about this." said Amanda. "I went and saw grandpa's old doctor. I trusted him. He said I'm suffering from what is called 'Post Games Psychosis'. It's a mental and psychological condition of post traumatic stress that is common among Hunger Games Victors. It is mostly nightmares of the Games and anxiety attacks and fits of anger caused by uncontrollable bursts of adrenaline."
Elizarella was horrified at the details of what was happening to her daughter.
"I get temporary relief when I give myself a really hard vigorous workout. And then a cold shower fully clothed will sometimes alleviate an anxiety attack."
"And there is nothing that the doctor can do about it?" asked Amanda's mother.
Amanda then went over to a drawer, pulled out a bottle of pills and tossed it in her mother's direction. Her mother caught it out of the air.
"The doctor prescribed those for me. They are supposed to be a pharmaceutical non-addictive sedative. Its not a sedative that will put me to sleep, it will simply calm me down a little while I'm awake and will suppress the anxiety attacks. He said that as long as I take one every 12 hours for the rest of my life I will be able to live a normal life."
"And they haven't been working?" asked Amanda's mother.
"Well as you can probably notice, the bottle is still sealed, I haven't opened it. I haven't been taking them because I don't want to be on medication. It makes me feel weak."
Amanda's mother had a very scared and worried look on her face.
"Sweetie, please! I love you!" she tenderly took her daughters hands face in her hands. "I just want you to be okay. Will you take medication for me, please?" Elizarella pleaded.
At her mother's insistence Amanda suddenly felt another anxiety attack coming on. She clenched up all the muscles in her body and grit your teeth.
"How about this sweetie," said Elizarella. "How about you take the pills, and if you do well with the medication, we can gradually reduce the dosage. How does that sound?"
Amanda thought about it for a moment and thought of all the love and concern that her mother always showed towards her.
"Well, I suppose that to gradually reduce the dosage over a time don't be so bad." she said understandingly.
Amanda then broke the seal on the bottle and took one of the pills followed by a gulp of water.
"Sweetie, may I ask what kind of nightmares have you been having?"
Amanda had a very thoughtful look as she starred into space.
"I see myself fighting the other tributes, only I lose every time. I see myself attacked by muttations and I can't stop them, and they kill all of my allies. I see myself being attacked by Minotaurs."
"That must be really hard for you honey. Have you considered talking to a psychiatrist?"
"That also makes me feel weak. I guess that's why I've been locking myself in this gym practicing with weapons and fighting. I guess in a way it makes me feel strong."
They sat there in silence, Elizarella holding her daughter's hand.
Just then at that moment the door opened and in came Katniss Everdeen, Zoe Bluth, and the rest of the prep team.
They looked at Amanda's disheveled state.
"Amanda, are you not even halfway ready?"
"For what?" asked Amanda.
"Today is the day of the start of the Victors Tour. The cameras will be here in 45 minutes."
Amanda's eyebrows lifted way up and she had a look of utter shock and surprise on her face.
"Holy cow, is that today?"
Amanda had completely forgotten in her weeks and months of anxiety, nightmares, and hard fitness.
"She has been suffering from a condition called 'Post Games Psychosis'." said Elizarella. "She only told me just now. She's been a little distracted."
Katniss raised her hand in understanding.
"Say no more." said Katniss emphatically. "I understand. I suffer from the condition myself."
"You!?" said Amanda in disbelief. "You always seem so strong and confident."
"Don't worry it gets better as time goes by, though it never completely goes away." said Katniss. "I will tell you now that you will live with this condition for the rest of your life."
"What are your symptoms?" asked Amanda.
"Nightmares and sudden flashbacks." said Katniss. "I see Rue dying. I see my sister getting blown up. I see my arrow piercing the neck of Marvel from District 1. I see old Mags running into a wall of poisoned fog. I see Cato being eaten by wolf-like mutts. The list goes on."
"How do you deal with it?" asked Amanda.
"You find a therapeutical outlet, or distractions." said Katniss. "Mine is mostly hunting. Yours seems to be...?" Katniss looked around the room. "Fighting and weapons."
"It helps... a little." said Amanda. "Thanks." she smiled gratefully at her mentor.
But then Amanda wanted to change the subject. Amanda then turns to prep team.
"I am all yours. Just fixed me up."
"What are we going to do about the tattoos?" asked a member of the prep team.
"Let them show." said Amanda. "I like to show them off. I am quite fond of them."
Amanda had already kept her body hairless so there was no need for a bikini wax. They merely scrub her down, touched up her makeup, and put her in a suitable outfit.
The cameras then arrived along with the reporters.
Caesar Flickerman was there as David Crane came down the street from a few houses down followed by his prep team.
"And there she is folks, Amanda Snow, The Minotaur Slayer!" said Caesar with a smile as he held a microphone in his hand while the camera was rolling.
Amanda smiled and waved.
"And David Crane, the son of a Gamemaker!"
David smiled and waved as well.
"So, David? Tell us, how has life as a Victor been treating you?"
"Well, it is nice to have so much free time." said David enthusiastically. "And for my family to be able to live the lifestyle that that my father always provided for us."
"And since by the rules of being a Victor, you don't have to work or go to school, our viewers want to know, what have you been doing to fill your time that would otherwise have been devoted to school or work?"
"I spend most of my time in my office in front of my computer designing arenas for the Gamemakers."
"Oh, are you following in your father's footsteps?" asked Caesar with interest.
"More or less." said David with indecision. "A lot of people have died in the Games, so I'm designing arenas that are safe, offer exciting perils that are entertaining for the viewers but are nonlethal for the tributes, and I've figured out some good cost-cutting construction methods that can allow the Gamemakers to build an arena in half the time at a fraction of the cost."
"Well, that is impressive. And we hope that go's well for you." Caesar then turned to Amanda. "Amanda, how have you been doing in the last four months?"
'How have I been doing?' thought Amanda. 'How am I suppose to tell him that without saying that I'm suffering from Post Games Psychosis?'
"Caesar, you will be pleased to hear that I'm am in very good health." said Amanda in deflection.
"That is good to hear." said Caesar. "But please, tell our viewers, what have you been doing to fill your time now that you have no school and don't have to work?"
Amanda decided on a version of the truth.
"I have been pouring my heart into fitness." Amanda said matter of factly. "I'm all about exercising, keeping fit, and staying in shape. I'm thinking of maybe teaching a fitness class. I think it'll be a hit."
"Well, that sounds good." said Caesar.
The interview was wrapped up and they were taken to the train station.
They rode the train all the way to District 13. The ride took less than a day, as it was only a little bit further than District 12.
About 17 hours later they pulled into the train station. Their were many people there. They seemed quiet and disciplined. She had been told that the people of District 13 had lived in a giant underground bunker for 75 years. But since the end of the war the people had moved back up to the surface. There were freshly built house everywhere.
As there were no dead tributes from the districts this year, there was no need to honor the fallen tributes of that district as the victors usually do in each district. David and Amanda simply thanked the District 13 people for their hospitality and were then taken for a tour through the underground hallways of the bunker. They saw exercise rooms where soldiers were being trained. They were shown the hanger full of aircrafts. And many other features of the facility.
They were then taken to a formal dinner in what was dressed up to be a ballroom. Apparently, since the end of the war the District 13 people have been having a lot more fun and recreation now that they have the support of the other Districts for additional supplies. Then back on the train.
District 12 was small, but the people were warm and welcoming. There were only a few people mining coal part time, while most of the population of the district were employed at the new medicine manufacturing factory, or if it were summer, they would be tending the crops around District 12 where the District 12 people grow extra vegetables.
Author's note: I don't know when the next chapter will be posted as I am working on other projects for a while. More to come.
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