Mason Riley
For the next four days, I drift in and out of consciousness. Capitol medics buzz around me with pointy tools. Tubes stick out of me and tangle around in the tiny room I'm in. I remember having a short conversation with my brother, who's also my mentor, but I have no clue what we talked about. I even remember listening to my escort, Hepeta, gush to me about how great it is that I won since she was just promoted to District Two this year and she's clearly the reason I won. Hopefully, they'll re-promote her to District One so that I don't have to deal with her if I'm the mentor next year.
I finally wake up completely and find myself in the room I slept in during the days leading up to the Games. I sit up, and an avox standing near the door slips out. Not a minute later, she reappears with my brother. Upon seeing me, his face breaks into a grin. "Congrats, little bro," he says.
"Thanks, Coltin," I say. "What's going on?"
"Well, four days ago, you were rescued from the arena, with so many wounds, you almost died from blood loss about five times. But, the Capitol medics worked their magic, and they fixed you up with no trouble. They moved you to this room a few hours ago because they decided you didn't need to be hooked up to the machines anymore. So long as you're feeling okay, your interview with the recap of the Games will take place tomorrow."
I groan. I'm really not ready to relive the arena so soon. "Okay," I say. "And thanks for being there for me in the arena. That note you sent really saved my life."
His smile falters a little, and he lowers his voice. "Actually, I meant to talk to you about that. The president spoke to me yesterday. He said that the Head Gamemaker shouldn't have let that note go into the Games since sponsor gifts aren't supposed to be used to tip off tributes of danger. Thankfully, he's not mad at us since it is the Head Gamemaker's responsibility to regulate sponsor gifts. He just doesn't want us to make a big deal about it. Otherwise, people will start to believe that anything can be sent into the Games, and the whole thing will just spiral out of control. So, when you watch the recap, whoever edited it will make it look like you just happened to leave Alexandrite and Jessie that morning because you wanted the alliance to be over."
"Okay," I say, a little taken aback. "I didn't even think of that creating a fuss when I received the note."
"Well, the president said that he really wasn't even that upset that it happened since he knows you could have overpowered Alexandrite and Jessie anyways. Plus, it didn't lead to anyone's death, so it doesn't really matter. The president just doesn't want other mentors thinking that they can send in notes saying anything. For example, what if a tribute was hiding out in the cornucopia, right next to the careers' camp? One of the careers' mentors could send a note that said 'There's a tribute hiding in the cornucopia,' and the tribute would be found and killed. Does that make any sense?"
"I guess so," I say.
"Awesome. Now I'm going to leave you here because you have the rest of the day to just relax and sleep. You need to be well-rested for tomorrow. If you're hungry, order something on that little screen to your right. If you need anything else, just call an avox."
"Sounds good," I say. "See you later."
Coltin walks out of the room, and I immediately pick up the touchscreen. I'm starving. I can't wait to chow down on a juicy cheeseburger, or a few slices of pizza, or maybe a couple of hotdogs. However, before I order anything, I notice a small note taped onto the screen that reads: 'Sorry bro, but the medics don't want you eating too much and then throwing it all up, so they've limited your food selection.' Sure enough, when I turn the screen on, it lists things like 'carrot sticks' and 'apple slices' and 'crackers.' Great. I didn't win the Hunger Games to eat rabbit food. Grumbling, I order five packages of crackers, three cans of alphabet soup, five glasses of water, seven different types of yogurt, and a huge bowl of fruit salad. Hopefully that'll be enough.
I soon regret the choice of ordering so much food. I spend almost the whole night on the bathroom floor, and get almost no sleep. When Coltin walks in my room to wake me up, I chuck a pillow at him. "Hey, Mason," he says after he's caught the pillow. "As your mentor I must tell you it's time to wake up. Your prep team has lots of work to do." I groan and bury my head in another pillow. I need my sleep.
Coltin leaves, but I hear him return in a few minutes. I pretend to be sleeping, a strategy that doesn't really work out from me. I shoot out of bed as Coltin pours a bucket of ice water on my head. Dripping wet, I look down at him as he smiles, happy he's gotten me up. Compared to a normal person, Coltin's pretty tall, but compared to me, he's a midget. It's fun calling someone who's nearly six and a half feet tall 'short,' which I do now, adding in a few curse words.
"Whatever," he says, shrugging off my insults. "But Hepeta made it very clear to me that if you weren't out in the dining hall in five minutes, it would be my head she'd go after."
During breakfast, I manage to keep some fruit and orange juice down. Hepeta watches me like a hawk, ensuring that I'm eating properly. She must have found out about my food fiasco last night. Breakfast ends, and I'm sent down to my prep team. I spend the whole morning with them as they buzz happily around me and try to erase the damage the past two weeks have done to me. I don't even recognize myself anymore when I'm sent over to my stylist.
Upon seeing me, Sissela congratulates me but gets to work very fast. As she works, she says it's been tough being my stylist since everything she's made has had to be big enough to fit me, but she doesn't mind because I'm one of her favorite tributes. "I knew you'd win out there," she says. "You were the strongest one by far."
Sissela dresses me up in pretty plain, white suit, which is very similar to what I wore during the interviews. She adds a green tie this time, which she says will bring our the green in my hazel eyes. I thank her for everything, and head back up to my room. I have some time to kill before my final interview. However, when I see Coltin in the living room, he tells me to get down to the stage at once. "You only have two hours until your interview! Everyone's going to start wondering where you are."
I roll my eyes at him and ride the elevator down. I don't see why I have to be so early. I spend most of the two hours standing backstage as various Capitol technicians and cameramen walk by to congratulate me. At last, though, Tristan Honeybee walks onstage and invites me on after a quick intro. He welcomes me, but says we'll talk after the recap, so that everyone can be reminded of what happened during the twelve days that I was in the arena. Then, the Panem Anthem appears on the giant screen in front of us, and the recaps begin.
The program immediately cuts to the reapings, where I watch Alexandrite and Glint volunteer. Twice the amount of time spent on District One is spent on District Two. I watch as Jessie walks onto the stage, no one wanting to take her place. During the Games, I had forgotten that most of the district hated her. I wonder how they felt when I killed her. After the boy's name is reaped, I volunteer and step confidently onto the stage. The cameras get a full view of Hepeta's shocked expression as she takes in my giant form. The program skims through the other districts, where I learn many of the other tributes' names. In Districts Nine and Ten, the cameras linger a bit to show Harvest volunteer and to see Swirl get reaped. I guess the Gamemakers want to focus on the final five. After the last two districts, the reapings end, and the program moves on to training scores.
Everyone's score is shown, but once again, I notice the cameras linger on the scores of the final five. I see Alexandrite's eight (which I now think she got on purpose), my ten, Jessie's eleven, Harvest's eight, and Swirl's eight. After that, it moves on to the interviews. I zone out during most of them, since they weren't really that exciting. At last, the interviews end and the bloodbath begins.
I make the first kill of the Games with Ryland, the boy from District Eleven. Alexandrite then kills Jennette from District Three, and Glint gets the pair from Twelve. Sheldon kills Marina for lying about training. Jessie kills Jarvis from Three, and the bloodbath ends with the five careers standing on Cornucopia Island.
During the rest of day one, the program focuses on all of the other alliances that have formed. Nylah, Mapelle, and Cherry meet up on East Island, and so do Harvest and Osborn. Eridan and Rory meet up on West Island. So do Lukas and Aria from Eight. Peter, Peyton, and Swirl band together on East Island, but Glint and I hunt them down and kill Peter. We also find and kill Tadalynn. Day one ends with eight deaths and a third of the tributes gone.
On day two, Sheldon and Glint hunt down Harvest and Osborn. Sheldon kills Osborn, and then Harvest kills Sheldon. Glint looses his weapon to Harvest and runs away. I'm upset that I missed that little showdown. Alexandrite then kills Rory, and day two end with eleven tributes down.
On day three, Alexandrite, Jessie, and Glint hunt down and kill the pair from eight. A giant wound opens up on Glint's chest, and he's forced to return to the cornucopia. On day four, Swirl finds a nearly dead, passed out Peyton lying on the ground, and she tries to nurse him back to health. Jessie and I find the alliance of three girls and kill Nylah and Cherry. Only Mapelle escapes with her life. Eridan from Five finally finds water, and an injured Glint annoys the crap out of Alexandrite back at the cornucopia. The day ends and nine tributes remain.
On day five, Swirl is injured by a jaguar, and it's Peyton's turn to nurse her back to health. Harvest overhears the girls and I talking about Glint's injuries, and she travels to the cornucopia and kills him. Oops. I guess his death was partly my fault. When we return to the cornucopia to watch the anthem, we're surprised to see Glint's face in the sky.
Once day five ends, the final eight interviews interrupt the program. It starts in District One, where Alexandrite's three obnoxious, older sisters talk about how much of an oddball Alexandrite was. Then, Jessie's parents tell the story of Anjie's death, telling the cameras that Jessie did not murder her when they were seven. After that, my family appears, minus Coltin since he's mentoring in the Capitol. My mom and dad talk about my life growing up, and Missy makes a lot of comparisons to her Games. Five of my friends are also in the interview, and Julian makes me laugh when he advises me to 'hook up with Alexandrite.'
Next comes District Five, where Eridan's girlfriend, Orisha, tearfully talks about how she wants her boyfriend back. In District Six, Peyton's family appears for the second time in two years. Unfortunately, it seems as though Peyton's father has resorted to drinking to forget about his problems. His poor wife and only living child aren't being fed, and I feel extremely bad for their broken little family.
In District Seven, we're taken inside Mapelle's broken-down, three-room house, where Mapelle's parents, brother, and two best friends are interviewed. They all seem to miss her very much. In District Nine, Harvest's parents talk about how lucky Harvest has been so far, and they hope her streak will continue. And finally, in District Ten, Swirl's friends talk about how they hope she can find a way to victory.
The interviews end and the program cuts back into the arena, now on day six. The action has begun to slow, so there's no deaths. Only two major things on this day: West Island disappears and Alexandrite and Jessie begin plotting to kill me. My stomach churns a bit as they talk about how they plan to stab me in the back. I don't know how someone could betray their ally like that. I'd never do that to them, so I don't understand why they'd want to do that to me.
On day seven, I get kill number four with Eridan, which ties me up with Glint's kill count. Alexandrite and Jessie decide to do the honor of sparing me a few more days. I roll my eyes at the screen. They probably thought they were saints, giving me extra days to live. On day eight, Swirl goes psycho from hunger and kills Peyton. His death scene almost makes me tear up little bit. Peyton was an sweet, innocent little kid, and he didn't deserve to die like that. I'm suddenly glad that I'm not the one who murdered him.
Day nine brings along the death of Mapelle and the announcement of a feast. Swirl becomes even more psychotic and Alexandrite and Jessie get ready to put their murder plan into place. In the early morning hours of day ten, after throwing all of the supplies and food over the edge of the island, I take off to live by myself in the forest. Hours later the feast starts, but not before cornucopia island falls down into the mist. I make the first kill of the feast by taking down Harvest. Then, when my back is turned, Jessie throws a knife at me. However, Swirl jumps out of a tree before the knife can hit me and takes the blow. I notice her message to the Capitol isn't shown. She dies and I begin chasing Jessie into the woods, determined to find and kill her. Alexandrite stays back at the clearing to sort through supplies. Oddly enough, she takes one of the ten-pound weights with her. Nothing much happens during the rest of that day.
On day eleven, the Gamemakers refuse to let the sun rise, and Alexandrite, Jessie, and I are forced to live in darkness. And finally, on day twelve, the Gamemakers send mutts out to force us together. Jessie and I escape the mutts by running away, but Alexandrite escapes them with the weight she picked up at the feast. I'm shocked when I see it emit a force field that the mutts can't penetrate. That was really smart of her to keep the weight. I wish I would have thought of that.
Jessie arrives at the clearing first and I join her minutes later. She throws her knives at me, and I manage to dodge most of them. I tackle her as soon as she runs out of knives and kill her with my spear. Then, Alexandrite shows up. She fires arrows at me until she runs out. I tackle her, but she pulls a knife out of her pocket and stabs me. She then begins jabbing away with the knife as I run a spear through her stomach. We both lie on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds, and it turns into a race to see who bleeds out first. Alexandrite wins. Her cannon goes off and a hovercraft scoops down to rescue me. The Panem Seal appears on the screen, and the program ends.
Tristan Honeybee turns to face me and starts the interview. "So Mason, what's your reaction to seeing the recap of the Games?"
"It was very cool to watch what went on when I wasn't there," I say. "It was interesting seeing what the non-careers were up to, and I liked watching Alexandrite and Jessie plotting to kill me."
"Yes, I guess the joke's on then now," Tristan says with a laugh. "How does it feel to be the victor?"
"I'm very proud of myself," I say. "I've been training for this my whole life, and I'm very happy everything went as planned."
"What qualities do you have that helped pave your way to victory?"
"I think my strength might've helped a little bit," I say, drawing a laugh from the crowd. "I think my brain helped a bit too. I wasn't the smartest tribute out there, but I was smarter than most. My determination also played a part, and so did my bravery."
"I think that's all true," Tristan says. "Now what do think of the other tributes that lost their lives in the arena? Which ones will you remember or miss the most?"
"Alexandrite and Jessie are the ones that will always have a place in my heart," I say. "They were both very nice, smart, strong girls, and they were with me in the arena almost the whole time. If I hadn't won, I would have liked one of them to win. I'll also remember Glint, mainly because he was my biggest rival out there. I'll remember Harvest because she was the biggest non-career threat. And I'll remember Peyton because of the sad life he had, with his sister and everything."
"Yes, the Stanley family has sure had it tough. Did you know that Peyton placed the same as his sister did last year- seventh place?"
"No, I didn't realize that," I say. "That's kind of sad."
"I agree," Tristan says. "It's the kind of thing that gives you chills. But let's not worry about that now. We're here to celebrate your victory. Speaking of which, you're the tallest tribute to ever compete in the Games. Now when we spoke to your mom, she said that it was a birth defect that made you so tall, but we'd like to hear the story from you. What was it like, growing up as a legally classified giant?"
"It was definitely tough," I say. "Every time I went out into public, I'd get stares just because of my height. Whispers would surround me as I walked down the street, and I always felt like I was different from everyone else."
"Do you think think will be different, now that you're a victor?"
"I think so," I say. "At least, now I'll get stares because of something I've done, not because of something that happened to me that I can't control."
"That makes sense," Tristan says. "Now we all know that your mentor happened to be your brother. What was that like?"
"Well, I'm sure it was different than what other tributes go through. Coltin and I know each other inside and out, so he knew how to lead me to victory."
"And he clearly did that very well," Tristan points out. "Now we're almost out of time, so I've got one more question to ask you: when you get back to District Two, what are you going to do with the money you've earned?"
"I honestly don't know," I say. "Maybe I'll open some sort of training center for aspiring volunteers."
"Wow, that would be very cool," Tristan says, looking impressed. "Well, Mason, thanks so much for spending this time with us. I would now like to present President Trekk who will present Mason with his crown."
The president appears from the side of the stage, and walks over to me, crown in hand. He congratulates me and places the crown on my head. The audience explodes with applause, and I hear the head cameraman call, "We're clear." I wave to the still clapping audience and exit the stage.
My life is a blur over the next few days. I go through countless interviews, get touched up by my prep team at least a dozen times per day, and begin eating more and more as the days progress. Finally, it's time for me to return to District Two.
I sit in silence for most of the train ride. I'm a bit nervous about what will happen when I show up back home. I am the one who killed Jessie, and when tributes kill their district partner, (unless in the final two) it's usually frowned upon by the district. This case is a little different, however, since Jessie was hated by the district to begin with. Nevertheless, I'm sure she gained a few fans along the way. Not to mention, her parents are probably disgusted by me now. I killed their only living daughter.
Eventually, we arrive in District Two, and I step out of the train to thundering applause. It seems like my district still does like me, even after everything I've done. My mom, dad, and older sister, Missy, run out to greet me. They pat me on the back and congratulate me, but I know that this isn't my parents' first rodeo. I'm their third child who's trained their whole life, volunteered at eighteen, dominated the arena, killed innocent children, and eventually earned the victor's crown. And they couldn't be happier with me.
I've decided to write another epilogue chapter, which will include a POV from Piper Hagen, the victor of the 125th Hunger Games, and a POV from the Head Gamemaker as well. I'll also have a 'six months later' section, where Mason will go through his victory tour.
I promise, this fanfic is two chapters away from being over. :-)
Thanks for reading! :-)