Livia
25 Years Old
Avox.
The large doors swing open, a Peacekeeper at each side. They turn to face each other, everyone looking right in between them. There's a hallway, a red carpet rolling out of it and down the staircase in front of it. The Peacekeepers raise their right hand to salute, and as the sounds of high-heels clacking against the floor gets louder, we all anticipate her arrival.
The arrival of the most recent victor, Evadne Caldera of District Four. She won just a year ago.
As she appears in the doorway, she pauses, letting the applause from the other victors fill the air. She stands there, her head raised high and her hands to her side. All of the victors clap politely for Evadne, but it's mostly the victors from District Four who are giving her the biggest welcoming.
She is one of them, after all. She is now a victor for District Four.
One step at a time, she descends the stairs, her curled blonde hair bouncing with every step. She reaches the end of the red carpet, stepping onto the tiled flooring now. The victors from District Four have their own large table in the center of the mirrored room, being the center of attention. The other Districts have their own tables as well, starting with District One and ending with District Twelve.
All of the victors go quiet now, the room completely silent except for Evadne's heels. She takes her seat at the head of the table for District Four, and as each of her fellow victors nod their heads, a smile appears on her face. A confident smile, one that goes from cheek-to-cheek.
They aren't always that excited, though. Some cry. Some weep. Some shout. But, from time to time, you come across a victor like Evadne – confident, refined, and stoic. She's the victor that the Capitol wants, the one they want the rest to act like. She hasn't been fazed by the Hunger Games, and from the looks of it, it seems like she never will be.
She's right at home now.
Finnick Odair, the male who won only a few years earlier than her, reaches over, whispering something into her hear. She giggles, peering over her shoulder to the District One table. She goes back to looking at her own table, the smile only growing wider. Soon, she grabs the utensils in front of her, gesturing for the feast to begin.
All at once, the victors grab their own utensils. Now that the whole ceremony is over, they begin to eat, chatting among one another. I scan each table, making sure that each one of them has everything they need; knives, forks, enough water. If they look discontent with what's in front of them, it's my job to bring them whatever they would like.
More food, more drink, a different napkin. That's all I'm here for.
It's been that way for a few years now. They prefer ushering in new Avoxes to be the waitresses for these events, but for me, I have seen quite a few. Each year, there's a new victor, a new ceremony for each one of them. They walk down from the staircase in the center of this room, headed right towards their District's table in the center.
I just see the same victors in the center too often. It's usually the victors from Districts One, Two, and Four in the center, welcoming a new one home. Welcoming a new one that won the Hunger Games, now having the esteemed title as a victor and mentor. This is only one of the grand events in which they are officially declared a victor.
It is called a Victor's Banquet for a reason. This whole feast is made specifically for each victor, with their own favorite foods as main courses and the accessories matching their District. This year, there are starfishes and seashells along the edges of the blue colored tablecloth. As a gift, the Capitol has provided each victor with a string bracelet, a trident charm on it.
It's the least they could do. Give them incentive for coming to this, but even then, they didn't have a chance. It's a requirement to attend these Banquets, even if you only have one victor, like District Twelve. That man, Haymitch, just stays put, and when the victors are allowed to mingle with other Districts, he drifts towards District Eleven.
To no surprise, the victors from One, Two, and Four all come together, joking around and filling the room with laughter. It's quite the cliquey event, but there's not much you can do – we tend to flock towards similar people as natural instinct. That's why I simply stay where I am, waiting for someone to wave me over for assistance.
My attention goes to the sibling pair of victors from District One, Cashmere and Gloss. They get up one after another, each stride they talk making the other victors look. Everyone is now glancing at them now, not wanting to completely stare. From up here, I have the perfect view, being able to see each victor and everything they do. It has its perks.
Cashmere grips her fingertips around the back of Finnick's chair, planting a kiss on the boy's cheek. Finnick kisses Cashmere back, their hands interloping into one another's. Gloss goes over to Evadne, and as she places her hand in his, he lowers his head to kiss the back of her hand politely. I can't hear their conversation, but I can tell from their faces that it's nothing significant. The siblings from District One probably only got up to direct everyone's attention onto them, so that they do not let Evadne have it all to herself.
There's enough attention to pass around, anyway. Last year, when the male from District Two, Spike Vaderian, won his Games, these two pulled the same stunt. Cashmere got up, kissing him on the cheek, and Gloss shook his hand. For the first time in Panem history, two siblings won consecutive Hunger Games. They still want to relish in the attention and fame that they got for setting a first-time record.
And the Capitol will be more than glad to give them the attention they want. As will the victors.
To some, victory itself is not enough.
There's still more that can be attained, whether material gains or not.
There's always something more out there.
And victors most certainly do not limit themselves.
District One
Male: Larron Arlett, 18.
Female: Ines Maiva, 18.
District Two
Male: Darien Faust, 18.
Female: Caelia Harlow, 18.
District Three
Male: Gage Orsini, 18.
Female: Emery Adrion, 16.
District Four
Male: Trent Ethillion, 18.
Female: Darya Mercado, 18.
District Five
Male: Garret Orson, 18.
Female: Clara Novisont, 17.
District Six
Male: Zimmer Hexley, 18.
Female: Liora Marcette, 16.
District Seven
Male: Dalton Taylor, 15.
Female: Salya Ionatti, 17.
District Eight
Male: Wick Cresswell, 17.
Female: Cerise Hessian, 18.
District Nine
Male: Riel Seiholdt, 16.
Female: Ardell Chanson, 18.
District Ten
Male: Veles Ryman, 14.
Female: Taima Larkin, 17.
District Eleven
Male: Trevor Santos, 17.
Female: Daisy Mills, 13.
District Twelve
Male: Allan Barre, 14.
Female: Lavender Argus, 16.
Author's Note:
w w w. setinstonehg. blogspot. c o m
w w w. halloffamethg. blogspot. c o m
Those are the links to the Set in Stone blog and the mentor blog. They can also be found on my profile.
Some questions on them, yeah? I'll save the personal questions for later.
From the tribute blog, who stood out to you? Any favorites just from that?
Some general comments would be nice to read, too.
Oh, I should talk about submissions. It was difficult to choose only 24 tributes out of all of the submissions I received. I got more than I usually do, and so I had to really think about each tribute and who I would want to write. Don't take it personally that I'm not using your tribute or anything. I don't want to offend anyone by not accepting their tribute, either.
I put a lot of thought into my decisions.
But, anyway, that's it from me on here. Enjoy the second part of the Prologue and keep an eye out for another update.