This marks the end of the second book of four. I picks right up after the previous chapter.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing.

Enjoy.

"Thank you all for coming so quickly, and for the house, Cara," Mags said, struggling to keep her voice louder than a whisper as she sat down in the Corduroys' living room. She wouldn't have had the strength to climb all the way back up to her house.

"Well, from your expression the world's about to end so…"

"Glynn," Cara said with a stern look.

"I meant, we're always thrilled to help, Mags," the girl said with a concerned smile.

Mags lacked the courage to manage even a hint of a smile, but the warm words lessened the tremble in her limbs. Slightly.

"What is it?" Marlin said, sitting down between Glynn and Angelites.

Mags buried her face in her arms. She was so out of her depth she'd felt on the verge of fainting for the last hour. "Narissa stole the equivalent of four men's yearly salary the by falsifying the ledgers. Ajax has seen the discrepancy, Kyle has gone to find the money, but…"

The silence was deafening. Four pairs of incredulous eyes stared at her in shock. Mags' shoulders sagged. A stubborn shining part of her had hoped for a miracle solution.

Her mother was the first to speak. "You cannot allow it, Mags," she said, livid. "This isn't petty theft committed in a moment of weakness. Four men? Maldita Mujer," she cursed, her voice a wrathful hiss. "It could destroy everything..."

Everything. The victor's stomach cramped so badly she feared she would throw up. Wipe away everything.

"If Irvette is involved too, we can host Lethe and Corentin until a solution is found."

Mags lifted her eyes to see Glynn's father walk in in a stained working blouse, concern etched on his weathered features.

His wife nodded after a pause, her face now a mask of stone.

Mags dropped her burning eyes. She hadn't even thought of the boys. "Why'd he ask the ledger, Mama? Why did Ajax want to know?"

"He heard an overseer saying something about the seventy-two workers and he remembered the monthly report listed seventy-three so he asked me, and I said seventy-two. He decided to double check and found the rest of the mistakes." Angelites stood up walked up to her daughter, her hands tightening on Mags' arms, "I'm so sorry, Preciosa."

Mags let her head fall against her mother's soft chest, holding on to the illusion of safety her warmth promised.

"If Kyle didn't touch the false ledgers, he should be safe," Marlin said, his prominent eyebrows knit in a tight line.

"He's her ex now I hope," Glynn said with a glower. "You can't allow yourself to be irresponsible like that when so much is at stake. It doesn't change that he's decent," she said, her face softening as sadness entered her eyes, "but this is too serious to ignore."

"Ex all right," Mags muttered, suppressing the urge to scream. She didn't want to believe it. She wanted to get out and flee, far away where such problems didn't exist, but she couldn't. She had to fix this. "I need to know what I'll tell Ajax, and how. I don't want Kyle to suffer. He'll never stand by to watch his aunt been taken away. He feels responsible for her."

She'd asked too much of Kyle and now she was paying the price, and so was he. She had been so selfish, holding on to how light and joyful he made her feel, like a child to their blanket, when she should have been an adult.

"He won't be avoxed if she's the guilty one," Marlin pointed out, deep in thought as he stared somberly at his lap.

"He could challenge the peacekeepers' decision," Cara whispered, "it's plain as day that he hates them. They will be glad to get rid of him if he acts out."

Mags knew that all too well. He'd barely started warming up to Marquise and the loathing in his eyes when he thought the others couldn't see him... Mags couldn't even bear to imagine him wearing the red, his tongue cut off and his head bowed.

"And surely we cannot let the poor woman be avoxed. She…" Cara sighed, compassion creasing her features. "Narissa has a phobia of losing control, of being overpowered again. She is ill even if her body is sound. It invades every aspect of her life –"

"Ma," Glynn cut in, "just because she has excuses to explain why she is power hungry to the point of self-destruction doesn't mean the harm she causes is less," she said, her tone very respectful as she disagreed with her mother, but her words cutting. "Criminals don't have to be evil. They're those who are a true danger for the rest of us. There are lots of people who've been through hell during the war and are honest."

"We're talking about avoxing, Glynn," the woman replied sternly.

"And about Mags getting killed by the Capitol if they begin to suspect she's a threat," Glynn said. "Mags, and Angelites, and maybe even us. Narissa isn't the only potential victim here. Obviously, if there is any alternative that guarantees Narissa will become harmless, I'll be very happy to take it."

"Can we prove her innocent and then have her move in another town with Irvette and the twins?" Marlin suggested, his arms open in question.

"How much did you tell Kyle and how much does he tell his aunt?" Angelites asked, leaning down towards her distraught daughter with poorly concealed apprehension.

"Too much," Mags whispered, feeling her limbs had turned to liquid. "Too much," she repeated brokenly. She had dismissed the woman as a minor nuisance, someone she could tolerate and had no reason to antagonize. It was all coming down crashing on her.

Marlin abruptly stood up. "I'll be back."

Mags was much too preoccupied to be curious.

Marlin's point of view

"How much did you tell Kyle and how much does he tell his aunt?"

The course of action was suddenly crystal clear.

It was Mags or Narissa Sumac. In a well-made universe choices like this wouldn't exist. Marlin yearned to hide like a cowed child, to disappear in the ground and wait until this madness was over, but he was Mags' friend and Mags loved Kyle. Only the president of worthless cowards would let Mags take responsibility for what would happen to Kyle and his aunt.

"Don't let Mags out for at least a couple of hours, more if you can. I can't let this go on," Marlin whispered to Glynn.

He took her intent stare for assent and stood up. "I'll be back," he told the others.

He almost slammed the door as he rushed out of the Corduroys' house, cutting the air with his arms and pumping breaths into his lungs to make the best of his already too short time.

Mags was the strongest person Marlin knew. Sustained by inhuman purpose and an unending supply of energy, he couldn't believe all she had put in motion in so little time. She kept going, no matter what. The Games, the pressure, the hate and cruel gossip of the morons she tried to help… But Marlin had seen she wasn't happy, that chains weighted her down. Until Kyle. Kyle made her glow, first only sometimes, than whenever he was around and finally even when he wasn't.

Kyle had come craving a mother, someone to tell him who he was and giving him a cause, a place to be. Mags had found unconditional devotion and someone who needed her. She hadn't needed emotional support as badly as the freedom to be eighteen. Kyle had given her that, until Mags had realized it's not a mother she wanted to be. Marlin had thought they'd soon be over by then. He'd kept it to himself because it wasn't his place to say but amazingly, Kyle had changed. The freckled puppy that had been following his best friend around was turning into a real man. It had been right impressive.

Mags had worn that smile after that starlit night the week before. As if she knew instead of just being curious. Marlin hadn't needed an announcement: Mags and Kyle had just gotten very serious.

The sandy-haired young man grit his teeth together, cursing Narissa with all his might.

He spat on the ground, trying to get rid of the sand the strong wind dumped everywhere. It wasn't enough that the woman couldn't stand letting go of Kyle, keeping him on a tight emotional leash, all but telling him he was an ungrateful loser whenever he didn't tend to her every whim, no, she had to screw with Mags' life too, with the lives of the workers that depended on her, of the homeless and of everyone who hoped in change.

He agreed with Glynn. Narissa had to be stopped. Many people had lived through the war and many were decent and honest. Decent wasn't always easy, but everyone had a choice. He was furious to see Mags plagued by guilt for something as normal as having trusted her boyfriend.

The stout teenager stopped running when he reached the construction site and saw the person he was looking for.

Even with his purpose, he faltered slightly and found himself wiping his sweaty face in an effort to make himself presentable. He pulled his light jacket back on to hide the soaked sandy shirt that clung to his broad chest.

Circe, the sun beat down hard.

Peacekeepers were bulls or tigers, muscles with the occasional brain, and there was one constant: you were prey. Marquise was different. She had that challenging smile; the one that said, 'Who knows, maybe I'm approachable.' She made Marlin's mouth go dry with her long smooth legs, creamy skin and flirtatious attitude, but the uniform was a slap in the face every time he caught himself finding her attractive, as if there was a wall of spikes between her and anyone who dared stare. And she did everything within the limits of propriety to make men stare.

Glynn, with her light step, playful superior attitude, carefully cut hair and colorful bracelets, was feminine; Marquise wasn't just feminine. She was a lady cat of noble breed, gliding through them as if she had no care for them mere mortals, acting as she pleased, her hair and makeup perfect, as if she was about to dine with the President herself. Marquise saved a kid one day and ordered three guys to move in new furniture in her quarters for free the next in a blatant abuse of power. She wasn't cruel, but Marlin never knew what to expect.

He just knew Mags liked her and Glynn agreed she was dependable. That was enough for him.

"Do you have news about the ledgers problem?" He said, careful not to spill any secrets.

"Are you one of those friends?" Marquise said, looking at him as if she wasn't sure she really wanted to talk to him.

And Marquise was the one who decided what the conversation was about... Those stinking people all thought they were better than you.

Marlin swallowed back his irritation. He couldn't understand how Mags managed. There was no time to waste.

"Those who hang around waiting for their female friends to kiss them," Marquise explained, mild curiosity in her black-lined eyes.

Marlin paled at the thought of dating Mags. "I need a girl I won't get killed if I screw up," he blurted, feeling a sudden pang for poor Kyle. "Mags needs a guy she can talk about the Games with. She'll mentor and I don't want to know the details, ever," he said with a shudder.

There was enough evil in mentoring to make Marlin want to retch. He wasn't the man for it, he knew that. Being Mags' friend was quite enough. He'd have fled long ago if she wasn't so brilliant. Every day spent next to her put his family in danger, but it was worth it and she was worth it, so he sucked it up and did his best.

"The pretty one with the big mouth then?"

Marlin actually laughed. "Glynn? I want someone less smart I can actually impress on a regular basis."

Glynn didn't stop at your eyes when she stared. With her, all your dirty secrets and weaknesses were plain as day. She was gorgeous, loyal and sharp as a knife, but scary. Marlin wasn't ashamed to admit he'd like a girl who would cry in front of the Hunger Games, someone with real sensitivity. He was a simple guy.

"You sound sane," Marquise said after a pause. Marlin didn't know what to make of her small smile. He hoped question time was over. There was no time.

"About the ledgers," she said, losing the smile, "I know Mags said it wasn't Kyle, which means it's Narissa, since Irvette can barely read. What do you want?"

Marlin gathered his courage. He'd have called for a doctor had anyone told him he'd ever trust a peacekeeper like that.

"Have you already told Ajax about Narissa or can we plot? Mags is falling apart and I don't want her to have to make this decision herself. If I screw up, I'll own it."

The blonde turned to face him. Truly face him. Marlin realized she was taller than him then, even if only by half an inch, and with her face that serious, Marquise looked like an actual peacekeeper. Dangerous.

"What does Mags need?" Marquise said, gesturing for him to walk with her.

What was easy. It's the how that was a mess. "Kyle and Narissa, and the twins, to be okay. Especially Kyle, but they're breaking up."

Marquise's face fell.

So she really did care about Mags. Marlin stood up straighter, more confident that this wasn't a huge mistake.

"Narissa's a portraitist, a good one, Irvette bakes solid pots," he said, "don't you need that somewhere, even in another District?"

"You can't cross districts like this, Marlin," Marquise said, biting her lower lip, "I don't have that kind of power. I'm just a girl who joined because I needed a job, had no better prospects, and didn't want to live at my parents' and be a load until I was thirty or have to marry the first decent guy I ran into to have some money."

Marlin's heart sank. Keeping it legal sent all the good solutions down the drain. Avoxing for Narissa, avoxing, or at the very least twenty lashes, for Kyle for gross neglect, the kids taken from Irvette, made wards of Panem and given the jobs anyone who had a choice refused. Wards of Panem didn't see thirty.

"In Four then? They need to get out of here. Maybe Kyle can stay," Marlin said. He had no idea if that would be better or worse for Mags. "We can't have Narissa avoxed because Kyle will do something stupid then and if she talks about what she learned on Mags through Kyle to escape avoxing…" Marlin's voice trailed off, his jaw clenched in anger. Mags didn't deserve this shit happening to her.

"How do I justify it?" Marquise said, looking desperate to help him now but just as stuck as he was.

"You don't, you leave now on a hovercraft and drop them in Orithyia and order the mayor to give them a free house. Bluff and have them obey you."

Marquise gave a weak chuckle. "You people all think we're all powerful and don't help because we're loathsome. I can't, Marlin." Her eyes then flashed with a dark dangerous light.

She'd had an idea. Marlin knew he would hate it, but he nodded, because they had to do something.

"Or we kill Narissa now, discretely," Marquise said in soft tones, "no one will know, and Kyle will go manage the accounts of the peacekeepers in Galene with the twins. That I can do, because they need an accountant."

Marlin froze. Her narrowed his eyes at Marquise: "Excuse me? Put the killing thought on hold a minute," he said, wanting to address one topic at the time. "Galene? Mags said it was dreadful."

"Glass blowers, one of them talked for hours with Mags, he's decent and can afford it. The twins will get apprenticed if we pull a few strings. They'll get a safe job without making themselves targets, and the community is close knit enough Kyle will not stay an outsider."

A half smile cracked Marlin's lips. It was less worse than anything else they'd come up with. "That'll have to do." His smile then died. "Kill Narissa?"

"We reveal her guilt but only after we find her having committed suicide."

Marlin's throat clenched painfully. He couldn't breathe. Making murder look like suicide? Was that common practice?

"Irvette?" He whispered, his mind screaming denial. Narissa wasn't supposed to die. Punished, yes, but not die!

"She'll keep a low profile and stay alive or die. She can go with Kyle too. I don't care," Marquise said, a fearsome tightness to her features.

But not as fearsome as her calm voice.

Marlin's throat was dry. "Do you mean that?"

Marquise smiled thinly. "What's worse, killing or watching them destroy Mags?"

Tiger. It was there too, just less blatant.

Marlin's skin itched madly from the wet shirt clinging to his chest, and his mind was a dusty cave, with no good ideas to be found. How could that be the best solution? How had things gotten so bad?

He stared back at Marquise, his queasiness giving place to resignation.

Mags was fighting against the biggest predator of them all, maybe they did need more tigers. But this was murder, there was no going back. Marlin had to be sure. He couldn't kill a woman like that.

"All the ways that keep Narissa alive have Kyle dying because Patrol Leader Ajax will execute for the theft," Marquise said as the heavy silence grew unbearable. "There needs to be someone to take the blame. He will report to the President, and trust me, Marlin, I've seen heads fall from the highest positions in One for matters of corruption or theft. It's the one thing President Achlys cannot tolerate." Her tight features dissolved into a grimace, and Marlin was relieved to see she was struggling too. "The Lieutenant ordered to compare the numbers with a sample of handwriting from all the suspects, Marlin, he's not a fool. To fix this, we'd have had to find out before Patrol Leader Ajax."

If that was reality, then there was little else to do. Marlin took a deep breath. He'd have to be solid, or he had no place being Mags' friend. He said he'd claim responsibility. There was no backing out.

"How do we frame a suicide?"

"Go find Irvette, the twins and Kyle," Marquise ordered. "I'll take care of it."

Marlin felt something lodge itself in his throat. He hadn't come to ask the woman to become a murderer. It was so wrong. "Marquise, have you already killed?"

The peacekeeper's eyes were cold as ice. "Alaric has and he owes me a big service. I'll go with him and tell him only what he needs to know. Peacekeeping is my job, Marlin, let me do it and get the others out of the way."

Marlin knew when to stop arguing. "We could have only an hour left, Ma'am. Glynn's keeping Mags. Let's do this."

"I found over half of the money," Kyle said, wiping sweat out of his eyes. He looked close to losing it. "I need more time, it can't be far, I know who she gave it to but he hasn't delivered, so he'll give a refund, he has to."

"Take your aunt's friend, and the twins and come with me." Marlin said, trying to be stern and give nothing away.

Kyle didn't even ask before rushing out. Marlin would've felt proud of himself if he'd not known this would end with a corpse. First Narissa, now him, Kyle had a piss poor record of trusting people.

Cara Corduroy's words echoed in the young man's mind. She is ill even if her body is sound.

He'd pay for this all his life.

Mags' POV

The last hours had been a blur. A nightmare.

Marlin had come back, pale and red-eyed.

"Narissa committed suicide," he said in haunted tones, "Marquise found her."

The shriek of chairs scraping the wooden floor pierced through her shock.

Her mother and Glynn had bolted to their feet.

"Marlin!" Glynn exclaimed, her hand over her mouth as shock deformed her face. She then seemed to mentally slap herself and fell back in her chair. "Well, I respect that Narissa did the right thing, keeping everyone else safe, even if there's little to rejoice about," she said in choked tones. She was staring straight at the stout teenager, fierce sadness written on her face until she stood back up and went to hug him.

Marlin returned the hug, clinging to her with a desperation that tore a whimper from Mags.

Chaos. Nothing made sense anymore.

Kyle, Irvette and the twins in Galene. Why was this happening? Life was a spinning out of control, galloping like a horse gone mad when Mags just wanted it to pause, to rewind. She mourned yesterday, longing twisting her insides. Painful cramps brought tears to her eyes as she ran towards the train station.

Kyle. Mags didn't even want to think about the other three, about how they were feeling. She just wanted Kyle. He was there, on the single bench, waiting for her.

He rushed to her and grasped her shoulders, a wild look in his eyes as she panted for breath.

"I had it, so much money Mags, I was going to find it all," he said, his voice shaking. "Why did she do that? Narissa… I stopped her before, but that was a long time ago. She stopped hating life, she really did." He shook his head, looking in so much pain that tears spilled from Mags' eyes. "Marquise said they found her at the market, at the back of her stall, on the ground. She stabbed herself multiple times in the wrist with the syringe she used to dose the expensive dyes. Air, lots of it. Air killed her. No one heard anything. Who knew air could kill?"

He stepped away from Mags and slammed his foot down on the old bench, making the wood crack and splinter.

"Why did she do that?" He whispered, turning back towards her with pleading reddened eyes.

Mags swallowed. Anything, she would do anything to erase that pain. "She was your guardian Kyle. The Capitol would have asked for a culprit. I think... I think she couldn't let you take her place. She did the noble thing. The brave thing."

Mags felt horrible for every bad thought she had ever had towards Narissa and hated that her suicide made this situation so much simpler. Why hadn't she checked the ledgers? How could she have been that lazy? She'd never had a real talk with Narissa. And now Narissa was dead. Mags would never know the woman's reasons, her true character or her dreams.

Dead.

Everything was wrong.

"Noble… But how could she?" Kyle's breath hitched. "Galene." He didn't comment but Mags didn't need words to hear the soundless screams. "I'll see you again?"

"Kyle, we're over," she said, her voice breaking. "Galene is the only way to avoid them investigating you. I couldn't bear the thought of you dying." Dying because of me. "You can't come back."

"We're over," Kyle repeated numbly. He grasped her hand, holding on so tight it was painful. "Must we be?"

His desperate words almost broke her.

They'd just started truly being. The shared intimacy that had felt like a glorious triumph, the final proof that they could truly be, that they were stronger than the events that had tried to break them, was now a searing reminder of all she had lost. Her body ached for his. She wanted to sit on his lap and cling to him until she was forced to let go, but she knew that if she gave in to that wish, she would shatter. She didn't want Kyle to remember her weeping and shivering. He wanted him to remember hope.

Mags tore away from his pleading green eyes. "We can't live happy together, not in this Panem."

Hoarse laughter escaped Kyle's bloodless lips. "Can we live happy at all?"

Date: Year 10, April. Eight months after Mags' victory.

Mags dropped the hand holding the medicine she was mechanically about to put in her mouth.

Mechanically. It defined almost everything she did now. Everything was flavorless, shallow, empty. She intellectually knew that the construction projects were just as important now than they had been a week before, but her interest had left at the same time as the train for Galene.

She opened her fingers. Two oval yellow pills, for vessel elasticity. The first of a series of six she took every evening.

What if those drugs had addled her brain? Surely she couldn't have been that blind and stupid naturally. Even Marquise and Marlin struggled to meet her eyes anymore.

Mags pushed all her pills to the side. She wouldn't touch them again.

Date: Year 10, April. Eight months after Mags' victory.

Esperanza slammed the door as she came back from school. "Cay's such a major jerk, I should dump him." She froze, her hand flying to her mouth when she saw Mags. "I thought Mama... You're already back?" She said weakly.

"You're dating him? You're dating someone?" Mags said, frowning. Why was she learning just now?

Her sister blushed. "I... I thought you didn't want to hear it. I figured it'd be cruel to prattle about boys when..." her voice died, but the meaning was clear.

"No, no," Mags whispered, shaking her head. She was annoyed at herself, at how weak and devoid of ambition she felt. She had to be stronger than this. "I want to hear it. I want to try and make things normal again." Mags inhaled sharply. "I want to be around lively people."

"Marquise is upset you barely talk to her anymore, even during self-defense classes and we all know you're still doing those only not to upset me. Glynn said we should let you grieve and that two weeks are nothing. She also wanted me to remind you her mother would be quite happy to help you if you want to talk."

Mags didn't want to talk. Not to Marquise, not to Cara. She knew what her problem was, why she stared at the wall in the evenings, waiting for something that would not happen. She wanted Kyle.

She would never see him again.

"Tell me about Cay," she asked Esperanza with a soft smile. "If it falls a little flat, you'll tell me again when I'm better."

She had failed Kyle, but she wouldn't let her and her sister drift apart.

Esperanza beamed. "Awesome, it was so annoying to keep it all to myself," she said, grasping Mags' hand and leading her to the couch. "Mama's too adult about these things."

Date: Year 10, May. Nine months after Mags' victory.

Mags didn't even wait for the end of the evening jam-propaganda-into-your-brain session to storm out.

The law had passed.

Two point eight children on average for every man and woman born later than fifteen years before the end of the war. This included adopted children, but fertile couples weren't allowed more adopted than natural children. Children born out of wedlock didn't count for the father, medicine would be available and free for children below six years of age. The other legal clauses spelling out special cases meant little to Mags. A harsh law, but not harsh enough to breed revolt.

Despite her exhaustion, her step didn't slow. Mags stifled a wet cough with her arm. She didn't know where she was going, only that her mother would call her guard, and that Marquise would chew her out for going out like this. She needed to do something. Anything.

She was out from before dawn to dusk to make up for the days she'd spent doing nothing but grieve, but everything was so slow. Every house built reminded her there were dozens of people waiting, the academy had roofs now but neither water nor power and the inside was still a mess. Mags was sick of it. She wanted it done. She fell asleep over the ledgers at least twice a week, and woke up crying as the numbers greeted her.

How could Kyle do such a dull task for her and still smile? She'd taken him for granted. She'd never find anyone like him ever again. She'd be alone forever.

"Oy, watch it."

Mags snapped her head to the side. A homeless man sat in the gloomy street corner, and he wasn't so thrilled to have been almost trodden on.

It was something in his brown eyes, the lack of real annoyance, the glassiness maybe, that made Mags sit down next to him. He was of indeterminate age, maybe his mid-thirties, with a thick black beard and a face puffy from drink. He smelled like sea water, strong liquor and sweat, but he didn't look dangerous.

"How far down are you on the lists for housing?" She asked. "Sorry for nearly stepping on you. What's your name?"

"Scaup, pretty lady, and don't fret, everyone's got blind moments." He seemed to chew on his tongue as he strained his memory. "Gotta be a two hundred and eighty, something like it. Lowest of the low. Got a job with Mr. Sandler, getting trash to the dump outta town," he said cheerfully, showing unhealthy teeth. "That's what keeps me from being carted off."

Mags nodded, pushing back the instinct to heave as his hot foul breath invaded her nostrils. She eyed the half-full bottle he held, and especially the clear liquid in it, a calculating light in her eyes. "Can I borrow that?" She said. "I'll buy you a new one."

"It's no drink for ladies," the man warned, handing the bottle over nonetheless.

She took a swig.

It burned. She'd tasted liquor before, she'd thought this'd be close. It wasn't, it was so much worse. She couldn't breathe.

Scaup guffawed as she gagged. "No drink fit for human beings, shoulda said. At least a bottle lasts a while."

Her pride stung, Mags turned to him and took a full swallow, locking her muscles in place to keep her dignity. Her eyes watered, but her mouth stayed shut.

"Cheers," Scaup exclaimed, slapping his thigh in appreciation. "Now that's why you're a victor!" He lowered his rumbling voice. "I bet you can't do two of those."

Mags eyebrows shot up at the challenge, she could feel her head spinning slightly. It was a nice feeling, as if she was floating.

"I'll match you," she said, handing the bottle back to Scaup who roared in laughter.

"Careful kid, don't want to get myself in trouble for knocking you out."

Two.

Three.

Four.

Fi- "No, no, no," Scaup slurred, snatching back the bottle. "Get up, walk up to that wall and come back. You do that without cracking your skull, you get to drink, elsewise you stop right there, girl."

Mags huffed. She was quite fine. She pushed herself up.

The world was spinning. The ground was like a ship's deck during a storm. Smears of color replaced the buildings. It wasn't cotton but a nest of buzzing bees occupying her brain.

Mags almost crashed right back down on the ground.

"I think I should go home," Mags said, struggling to get the words out properly. Her vision slowly cleared and, keeping one hand against the nearest wall to keep her balance, she began retracing her steps. She'd left at sunset, it wasn't completely dark yet. She'd never suspected you could get drunk so quickly. A part of her felt ridiculous, but the other relished in how carefree she felt right now.

She giggled as she stumbled again. She had to look so silly.

"Cheers, Mags. Don't forget to buy me one,"

"Tomorrow, Scaup, promise," she called, flashing the shaggy man a grin.

Energy sizzled in her limbs. She broke into a run, focusing on setting her feet right and heading straight ahead. It wasn't perfect, and she grinned when turned too early and almost crashed in a wall. She took a large gulp of fresh air, marveling at the beauty of the night sky. The moon was so large tonight.

Noise caught her attention. She slowed and turned into a wider street and saw people gathered in one of the gardens, twenty yards away. They were greeting each other, looking happy.

She came closer, wondering what they were about to celebrate.

"Oh! Mags, hi," an awkward voice said next to her.

She turned. The man had just come from behind a tree. He'd been peeing. Mags face broke into a smirk at his embarrassment. It was fun because she knew him.

Oliver Blackpool. He worked for her mother's old boss. Pretty boy. Man. Whatever. Looked a bit like a girl with his curly long hair.

A loud trilling laugh made her turn, a tiny boy looked ecstatic to be on his father's wide shoulders.

Three children.

Well she'd better get those out of the way. Oliver was cute and rather nice. Mags close the gap between them and kissed him. She needed three kids anyway.

She frowned as she was pushed away before she'd properly wrapped her arms around him.

"Wow, Mags?" Oliver said, eyeing her in sheer confusion. "Are you -"

A cold voice cut the air. "Mags nothing, forget it. Seriously, forget it, not a word," Marquise ordered, grasping Mags' shoulder so tightly the victor tried to shrug her off.

The stunned, and now afraid, man nodded, backing away hastily. "Never saw you, good night, Ma'am."

"Marquise, I need three kids," Mags protested, annoyed. She coughed, wincing as some of the alcohol rose back in her throat.

"We've let this go on long enough. Come with me, Miss Mags. Everyone else, get a life."

"I don't take orders -"

"Come on Indra, it's infested with mosquitoes and we've got a cargo arriving at eleven PM," Alaric muttered.

"Why are you coughing?" Marquise said, half dragging Mags towards a narrow empty street. "You've been coughing for over a week now. Is the medicine not working well?"

Medicine? What medicine? Ah that. Mags scowled. "I stopped. The pills made me stupid."

"You what?" Marquise spluttered.

Tears began spilling from Mags' eyes. "I killed Narissa and forced Kyle in the worst town there is. I'm not letting anything alter my brain again."

"Alter your brain? Mags, those pills keep you from feeling weak, they.. damn it!" Marquise cursed. "Your mind wasn't altered and you didn't kill Narissa. She stole from you for months, it's not your fault!"

"So it's really my fault," she said, feeling her knees give away. Kyle... She brought her fist to her mouth as sobs began to wrack her body. She was such a useless person. It wasn't the pills, she was just that stupid naturally.

"I'm not arguing with you drunk," Marquise said. She groaned. "Gods, you seriously can't walk."

Mags felt lifted on the ground, arms wrapping themselves around her legs and shoulders. She felt ill. Everything hurt, and especially her stomach. "I'm going to be sick."

"Wait a couple of minutes," Marquise told her sternly. "We're close to the Corduroys'"

Mags docilely forced her mouth shut, hoping her stomach wouldn't rebel. Her head felt so heavy.

She winced when loud pounding assaulted her ears. She just wanted to sleep.

"Circe, was she attacked?" An alarmed voice said.

Marquise snorted. "By a bottle of booze," she said acidly. "Let her sleep, keep her clean and put that glib mouth of yours to good use, Glynn, before she tries to get herself knocked up again. She hasn't been taking her medicine for weeks. I need to tell her mother."

"Hey," Mags complained as she changed arms. She winced as her stomach protested. Was it okay for her to be sick now? But she really wanted to sleep.

"Oomph, you're heavy," Glynn complained. "Dad! I need help over here, and someone get me an empty salad bowl."

Date: Year 10, May. Nine months after Mags' victory.

"Drink."

Mags drunk, forcing the cool water down.

"Why won't Marlin talk to me?" She rasped. He'd been there in her dream. Ignoring her. It hurt.

"The same reason he was so out of his depth after the Games. He hates upsetting people and you're a tangle of dark feelings. He's terrified of saying the wrong thing. Now sleep, Mags."

She tried to spit out the gag choking her when she realized it was her own pasty tongue. Mags forced her eyes open, wincing as her pounding head sent a lance of pain through her mind. She was afraid to think of the state she'd have been in if Glynn hadn't made her drink so much water.

Her auburn-haired friend was sitting on a chair next to her, weaving a new bracelet from thin strips of colorful rags. Mags turned away, ashamed by the indulgence she found in those judging hazel eyes. She felt like a four year old caught trying to head out alone in her parents' boat.

"Are you awake enough to talk?" Glynn said.

"I guess," Mags said, her cheeks blazing. She'd almost molested Oliver Blackpool. For crying out loud. The rest of the night was fuzzy. She remembered Marquise carrying her, owing a bottle to Scaup, and vaguely arriving at Glynn's, then nothing. "Was I ill?"

"Yes, but don't worry about it."

Mags winced nonetheless. She wanted to sink in the ground and disappear.

Glynn lowered her voice. "So Cresyl's family was tragically killed by dynamite your father planted and Cresyl infiltrated the Citadel's rebels because the Capitol hosted his living relatives, right? And he gassed everyone later."

"How -?" Mags' heart skipped a beat. It then accelerated, pounding so hard that her head began to spin. She tried to swallow and started coughing. She couldn't breathe.

How? What was she going to do? She gagged, desperate to get air in her lungs. She was crying when the spasms finally stopped.

"You talk when you're smashed," Glynn said once Mags had recovered enough. "You're insanely lucky it was me."

Mags buried her face in her arms. She wasn't just irresponsible. She should've been drowned at birth. How could she? And now Glynn knew enough to be executed. "I'm so sorry," she whimpered.

Glynn's half-smile made Mags want to hide. "Haven't you wallowed enough in self pity in the last month?" The young woman said coolly. "You're not grieving so much anymore as wanting to suffer under some twisted misconception that it was your fault and deserve to be punished."

Mags hands balled into fists. There was no twisted misconception.

"I pushed Kyle into that situation where he had so much work he let his aunt handle some of it," she said, her tone thick with self-loathing. "If I hadn't been so lazy, she'd never have gotten hold of the ledgers."

"Stop thinking people are incompetent idiots when it suits you. Kyle chose not to see what his aunt was doing and Narissa was extremely methodical in her theft. She didn't slip, she forged the ledgers for months," Glynn said, all but rolling her eyes. "Narissa went through the black market to get luxury ointments, treated hide and pocket knives, Mags. Twenty-four knives with polished blades. That woman never meant to do any good."

That woman was someone Mags had never gotten to know. She was tired of hearing her vilified. Narissa's last gesture proved there had been more to her than a thief traumatized by her past. "She chose to die to keep Kyle safe," she fiercely reminded Glynn.

Glynn looked down, suddenly highly uncomfortable. "That's... that. But tell me why you are responsible again? You're not lazy." Glynn sighed. "Mags, you're overworking yourself if anything. Surely you are not stupid enough to think you can do everything alone! You needed an accountant, Kyle agreed, and never told you he had too much to do, despite it being not too hard to find someone else to do a bit of the work. Besides, he never had too much work. He left those accounts to Narissa because she asked."

Mags stared bitterly at the covers. She didn't want to be angry at Kyle. "Does it matter whose fault it is? He's gone."

"He's in Galene. He's not dead," Glynn replied. "He's safer than ever. He's likable enough, he'll be fine. You miss him, that's natural, but I can't see why you've convinced yourself that you're worthless over this. Kyle won't be with you, and that's tragic, but he'll be fine, eventually. You'd never have been able to marry him anyway, not with him making his feelings about the Capitol and peacekeepers so obvious."

Mags nodded, unable to deny the last. Rationalizing it cleared her mind, but it didn't hurt any less. Still, the idea Kyle would not be unhappy made it more bearable.

"Narissa -"

"Why are you mourning Narissa more than Fife or Constantine?" Glynn cut in, mystified.

Mags straightened as if slapped.

"I'm not!"

"You are," the short-haired girl tartly replied. "You stopped taking your medicine, Mags. You subconsciously have a death wish. For some reason everything that was dear to you is now secondary. Was it because you were taken by surprise? Because somewhere in you there's still an idealistic rebel that thinks problems will all come from the Capitol? That if someone in Creneis goes up against you it's all a simple misunderstanding?"

Mags shook her head miserably, this was much too complicated for morning talk.

She couldn't believe she'd told Glynn about Cresyl. That realization was like a bucket of cold water. She'd risked throwing away everything because of a heartache and the death of a near stranger.

"If you succeed, Kyle will be free to come to Creneis," Glynn said, reaching out to take Mags' hand, "and there will be no one to tell you two that you can't be."

Mags smiled at the thought. She knew there was little chance of the Capitol falling early enough for her and Kyle to still make sense, but merely imagining it made her realize she had been selfish, allowing the pain to drown her. This was why she had volunteered, to rekindle people's hope and then offer them a true future.

For the first time in almost a month, she wanted to go to the construction site and make sure nothing was rushed so that, when the time came to strike, the second rebellion would be known as the last. As their victory.

She squeezed Glynn's hand back, the cold void in her chest replaced by tentative warmth. First she needed to fix herself.

"I'll talk to your mother. I'll take my medicine," she promised.

Date: Year 10, July, Eleven months after Mags' victory.

Angelites tore June out of the calendar on the kitchen wall.

"It has been one hell of a year," she said, contemplating the now empty July grid.

A trilling laugh escaped Mags' lips. No single word could do the madness of the previous eleven months justice.

Her mother grinned and pulled her into a hug.

The Games were a little over a month away. She was ready.

Author's Note.

This wasn't easy to plot or write. Your comments on how to handle the situation (or simply its analysis) and the wildly different opinions I received on Narissa's character helped me a lot. Thank you again for your reviews.

In case it wasn't completely clear. Mags doesn't know Narissa's suicide was in fact murder. Only Marlin, Marquise, Alaric and Glynn do and for now, they're keeping real quiet about it, for slightly different reasons. In your opinion, should they tell Mags?

Lastly, Vyrazhi has written a one shot called The Andromeda Position that takes place in Creneis Town with Marquise as a secondary character. I strongly encourage you to go check it out.

Please review.^^