AUTHOR'S NOTES: And thus the 2nd of the three epilogues arrives. In this chapter, we get to learn about the surviving past victors, and the miracle that occurred during the war. There are a handful of victors not included in this chapter for a specific reason, but we will definitely still see them; they'll just be in the last chapter instead.
Happy Reading!

EPILOGUE: After the Games—The Victors

After the war, it was no mystery that the Hunger Games had ended, although the scars of these games still ran deep in the minds and hearts of 100 individuals over the course of the previous century. Of these, some had gone the way of the world, and many were too old to really worry about what came next for them. Of the 64 victors that still drew breath, Laurel Fox stood as the eldest of these, and she was one of many who attributed the survival of the other victors through the war to be nothing short of a literal miracle. She retained her position as President of District 13, although after the reunification of Panem, she changed her title to Mayor.

Olivia Thurman passed away during the war, but hers was a peaceful one of natural causes rather than a casualty of the war, and as such, she was grieved by many and honored by all.

Lyme, Seeder, Leto, Zerviah, and Miriam were all old enough that they knew they were in their final years, which in turn meant they settled down in their home districts of '2, '11, '6, and '1, and lived the remainder of their days out in peace and happiness.

Blight McKay's lifestyle did not change much either considering that he was not much younger than the aforementioned victors, and he spent most of this time out on his porch admiring the beauty of his restored district.

Sagittaria Svenja was something of a comedian, and vowed to be until the day she died. She was hale for her old age, and even actively took place in some of the many humanitarian and restoration efforts in District 11 and even District 12 and District 8 as well. It is also largely believed that she built another replica of the infamous wooden crossbow she had constructed during her games.

Dezna Meraxa kept the old family business alive, but as living conditions improved in District 6, he gradually helped use his entrepreneurial skills to shift from developing notorious buzz-drugs and painkillers into developing medicines with more useful or practical qualities. He didn't ever stop manufacturing Substance 21, however, and to this day there remains a market for it.

Alice DeSiete was finally at peace now that the Capitol had been overthrown and that the Hunger Games were put to an end. He spent his final days as a renowned painter and artist, although every year on a certain day that seemed to hold no significance to anyone else, he would visit the grave of fallen tribute Paige Alwin, his district partner in the 46th Hunger Games. Aside from his own wedding ring, he had a ring on the ring finger of his other hand as well: the engagement ring Paige had crafted for her former lover. The day Alice made his yearly visit was what would have been Paige's birthday.

Aurum Zianja lived the rest of her life out in the lap of luxury, watching her children Cashmere and Gloss grow up and start families of their own. Even in her elder years, she was still considered to be quite the looker, but would talk to anyone willing to listen about her "glory days" half a century ago.

Layla Aranai never fully recovered from the trauma that she suffered from in her games, but once the war was over, she managed to retain a reasonable amount of stability.

Chip Sangster assisted the citizens of Panem in organizing the communications lines between districts. Despite his extensive travels, he wound up returning to District 3 when all was said and done.

Haymitch Abernathy never overcame his alcoholism habit much like many of the other victors, but he spent the rest of his days gambling and drinking with Katniss, Vigo, and Aveline. He'd occasionally visit District 11 where he'd have drinks with his buddies Chaff and Varric, and occasionally hear a good comedy from Sagittaria, but ultimately he, like most other victors his age, ended up back in his home district at the end of the day.

Like most victors and citizens of District 5, few people know much about what became of Derrick James, other than that he survived the war. It was rumored that he showed up a few times in District 3, but ultimately returned to his old roost back in District 5.

Chaff Mitchell kept District 11 lively with his boldness and drinking games, although he'd also occasionally visit District 12 to have drinks with his buddies Haymitch and (less often) Katniss. Other times he was among the many people who Sagittaria entertained back at home.

Like many who were used to the combat and military life, Brutus Gunn had some difficulty adjusting to "civilian" lifestyle. He was also too old to really join the Peacekeeper force at his age, and so he spent most of his time at his own home offering combat training to anyone interested.

Zak Dreggite was one of the few older victors that travelled around, and while he spent much time in District 4, he also seemed drawn to District 3 and District 8 for whatever reasons, where he was well-liked. No one really knew what he did for a living, except that within less than a couple years, everyone seemed to know him, and he seemed to know everything going on.

No one ever really knew what Zoroka Chandaki did before her games, and no one really knew what she did after them. Before, during, and after the war were all very similar in that regard. She was reported to have been seen in all thirteen districts including the Capitol multiple times, but also apparently spent enough time in District 1 to be seen there on a regular basis.

After the war, Cecelia Sanchez settled down with her family. As she grew older, her children began caring for her just as she had cared for them in their childhood. Free from the Hunger Games and the impending risk that her children or grandchildren could get sent to their deaths, Cecelia lived happily.

As one of the primary operatives in District 13 during the war, Zhin Lyautey ended up resettling there, but still paid regular visits to her victor's home in District 3. She was one of the leaders that spearheaded the integration of District 13 back into Panem.

Enobaria Taos was one of the veterans responsible for rebuilding in District 2, where she spent most of her days. She remained hale despite her middling age, and she helped whip the "younger generation of whippersnappers" into shape. She also became something of a grandmother figure for Mortan and Isabela Kazera. She occasionally visited District 13 for this reason, due to Clove's relocation.

Gloss and Cashmere Zianja returned to their families after the war, and remained under the watchful eye of their mother and matriarch, Aurum. Neither of them were much for words, but in a district as upbeat and lively as District 1, this was actually appreciated.

Finnick Odair spent the rest of his life with his best friend and lover, Annie Cresta. His son, Roman, followed in his footsteps, and became a model citizen of District 4. Even as his beauty naturally faded with age, he remained rather attractive, and his mellow personality kept him popular and easy for nearly anyone to approach him.

Elroy Trujillo spent a lot of time in District 4 helping with the rebuilding efforts, although he also took a few trips to District 9 as well. While he remained single like most other victors, he found comfort in watching Clove's children grow up and take after their mother.

Varric Svenja followed in his mother's footsteps, becoming a similarly lighthearted comic and humanitarian as he and his siblings continued the Svenja legacy in District 11. His efforts helped contribute to a much better quality of life throughout the district.

Annie Cresta's trauma never really left her, but with the help of her husband Finnick and their son Roman, she was able to stabilize somewhat, and ended up living the rest of her days out in peace.

Johanna Mason was originally considered one of the candidates for the mayoral elections, although she declined and "lost" to Mozello Shao. While she denies having any involvement in this case, even she admitted once that her story was pretty flimsy in that regard. Either way, no one was able to find any evidence actually tying it back to her, and so they lived and let live.

Paige DeSiete was at peace much like her father was once the war was over. She continued to raise her children in peace, and lived with her sister Hanna for the rest of their days.

Clove Kazera relocated to District 13, where she eventually succeeded Laurel as mayor (formerly president). Despite this new duty, she still made plenty of trips back to District 2 to visit old friends, and travelled across the country, having become something of a celebrity when all was said and done. Even to this day, she still holds the title of 'best knife-thrower in Panem', although her daughter Isabela is gradually catching up to her…

Katniss Everdeen remained fairly distant, and made her home back in District 12, where she freely roamed the woods. Occasionally anyone bold enough to venture into those woods will hear singing, and on even rarer occasions, will witness one of her secretive but surprisingly elegant dances.

Johnny Stallings went quiet after the war, going back to his own devices like most District 5 citizens did. It is believed that he ended up moving to District 9.

Not much is known about what became of Ryuka Satoru, but it's believed that he remained in District 6 doing what he loved doing best—which was a common pastime in District 6.

Nailah Zoraki never really got over her alcoholism either, although she'd spend a lot of time with Miriam as they drank together in the afternoons and evenings.

Zenzi was responsible for a great many humanitarian efforts around Districts 9, 10, 11, and 12. She enjoyed District 9 the most out of these, but ended up returning to District 11 when all was said and done, because that was where she called home.

Ian Nelson eventually became the mayor of District 3, and was the one primarily responsible for getting the idea of a nationwide communications system out there. He travelled back and forth between Districts 13, 5, 3, 6, and 14 (the Capitol) to help organize it and earn cooperation from some of the most major players, and this act, as well as several of his other acts, led his district into prosperity.

Even to this day it is still considered a miracle that the victors all managed to survive the war. While most of them that were not pulled into the 100th Hunger Games were old and remained in their homes to live out the rest of their days, there were many from the middle generations that travelled the country now that the borders were removed and Panem was a single, united country once again. Most of the districts retained their distinct cultures and personalities, but were no longer pitted against one another in death games or by Capitol propaganda. It was a New Golden Age for Panem indeed.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: Like the previous chapter, I could likely go into great detail about everything these victors did in their lives after the war, but that would probably be a whole new set of stories. Perhaps some day in the distant future, but don't hold your breath.