Chapter Five - Wiress Moore

I sit with Peeta at his kitchen table, munching on some cheese buns, waiting for Haymitch to show up. He's late as usual.

Fifteen minutes later I hear the front door open and heavy steps follow through. Peeta rises to go greet our mentor, now my very possible district partner, and I follow. We greet him and then go to the living room where Peeta pulls out a tape.

"Tonight is Wiress' Games. The 52nd. What do you know about her, Haymitch?" asks Peeta.

"Old and crazy. Very sweet lady though." says Haymitch.

Peeta plugs in the tape and the logo of the 52nd Games comes up. We watch the Reaping. There are the usual Career tributes who volunteer in 1 and 2. When we get to District 3, the escort calls "Wiress Moore" and a short girl with long brown hair comes forward from the 16's section. She walks with no confidence but still has a certain sense of certainty about her. The escort calls up the boy tribute, a young boy named Tric Latier. He looks like he's only 10 years old though he comes from the 13's section.

"Haymitch, is the boy related to Beetee?" I ask.

"His cousin." he replies

I don't ask why. I know the poor boy was only pulled because of some sort of stunt that Beetee did after he won. I don't know what, but obviously Snow saw it as rebellion and had Beetee pay with his nephew's life.

We continue to watch the Reapings and Haymitch makes a few comments here and there about a tribute's skills or if the death was gruesome or not. Then we get to District 12. There's a different escort than Effie, a tall male with blue skin and gold dots all around his face. He reads the cards and calls Milla Haynie and Stuart Wright as the tributes. I can see Haymitch in the background with a determined look on his face. I glance over to the current Haymitch to see his setting down his second bottle. I don't stop him.

The tape moves on to the Tribute Parade where Wiress and Tric are dressed in all silver with lots of metal springs and wires coming out of them. It makes no sense to me and it makes no sense to the crowd either.

The video flashes forward to the scores. The Careers as usual get 10's and the girl from 2 gets a 12. Wiress gets a 7 and Tric gets a 4. Haymitch's tributes each get a 5.

The interviews begin. Wiress seems to be shy. Using short one word answers and not many facial expressions. Caesar helps her through it and manages her to get a small amount of applause as she walks off the stage.

The rest of tributes aren't very interesting. They use the same tactics that I've seen hundreds of times. The boy from 7 is funny, the girl from 8 is calm and sweet, the boy from 10 in tough and ready to fight. Both tributes from 12 are weak.

The screen then cuts to Day One of the Games. The arena is full of mountains. The cornucopia is set in a small rocky outcropping just underneath a cliff. There's snow on the mountains and it looks like that will be the only water source. The tributes are dressed in jumpsuits and it looks like it will provide a small amount of warmth. The countdown begins and the screen pans around to different tributes.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Haymitch leave. "Gettin another drink." he grumbles. I return my attention to the screen to see an explosion. The girl from 12 has stepped off her plate too early and was blown to bits. Her district partner could see everything and when the gong finally sounds, he runs to her pedastal and falls to his knees crying. Moments later his canon sounds and the boy from 4 walks away triumphantly.

Meanwhile, Wiress has left her pedastal. She sees a small knife a few hundred yards ahead and she's going for it. The boy from 8 is too. She reaches it first and then picks it up and slams it into his heart. She pulls it out in horror and runs away from the fighting without bothering to grab any other supplies. She finds a small hiding spot that should conceal her for a while.

After a few hours the bloodbath is still going on. Wiress moves from her spot and begins to climb. She's going at a good pace for someone who has most likely never seen mountains before. She walks all day only stopping every few hours to pause and look around for water or food but doesn't find any. Finally around sunset she has climbed high enough to a small rocky plain situated in between 2 mountains. She seems to deem it safe enough. She stays there for the rest of the Games.

Peeta and I continue to watch the Games. Tributes are killed and it finally comes down to Wiress and the boy from 4. The boy wanders around the arena and climbs up higher and higher. Wiress knows he's coming and has somehow used her situation to build a small avalanche. All she has to do is push a boulder out of the way at the exact moment and she can win. The boy from 4 has paused from exhaustion and has stopped halfway up to Wiress' hideout. He lays down to rest.

Wiress can't push the rock away because it won't hit him.

"She has to wait it out." Peeta says.

"You know the gamemakers are going to do something." I reply.

"Well sweetheart looks like you have half a brain after all." says Haymitch, leaning against the doorframe. "Just wait about thirty seconds."

The camera continues to pan from Wiress to the boy while Claudius Templesmith does a voiceover about the final two tributes. All of a sudden there's a rumble. The ground begins to shake. Wiress abandons all thoughts and instinctively begins to climb downward. The boy from 4 still sleeps soundlessly. Within minutes Wiress has reached the boy. She glances at him for a second and then continues down the mountain. She's going as fast as she can and the ground has begun to shake even more now. The camera returns to the boy. He's finally woken up and scrambles in a panic. He moves around trying to grab his supplies and weapons. Wiress continues to move downward. The snow begins to rush down the mountain. It gets faster and faster and Wiress never looks back. She just keeps moving.

Then, the trumpets sound and Wiress stops.

She looks up. The ground isn't shaking anymore. The sky is clear and the snow has seemed to stop peacefully on the mountain tops. Wiress glances around and her eyes see something. The camera follows but the boy from four is nowhere to be seen.

Claudius announces her as the winner and the hovercraft comes to retrieve her. I pause the video.

"What happened to the boy?" I ask Haymitch.

He nods at the screen and then gets up and leaves the room and I un-pause the video.

The video has moved on to the final interview.

"Well well well. What a fantastic Games. I don't think there's ever been something to chilling to the bone if you know what I mean." says Caesar. "And now let's welcome our newest victor from District 3, Wiress Moore."

Wiress walks over to Caesar and sits down and the interview begins.

"So Wiress how's it feel to be back?"

"Fine, thank you."

"Are you excited to be going home?"

"Yes".

"Tell us about your final moments in the arena. What went through your mind?"

"That I had won. But only because Rickk had to kil-.."

The video suddenly does a time jump to Caesar ushering Wiress offstage and then it shows her waving to a crowd in District 3 and then its over.

Peeta gets up and takes the tape out.

Haymitch saunters into the room.

"What happened?" Peeta asks.

"I need to go into town. Want to join me?" he asks and walks out.

Peeta and I exchange a glance then grab our coats and follow him. Obviously whatever Haymitch is going to answer Peeta with isn't meant to be said in our bug-infested home. We catch up to Haymitch and we walk in hushed voices.

"So what happened?" Peeta repeats.

"Rickk from 4 killed himself with his knife. Saw all the snow and rocks coming towards him. Knew if he even tried he'd never make it so he pulled out his knife and well…. you know what happens." Haymitch replies and takes a swig from his bottle.

"Okay but why did.." begins Peeta.

"Because it wasn't a huge sacrifice. He wasn't professing his undying love for someone so it wasn't deemed glorious. Capitol didn't like it so it didn't air. Took it out on Mags for not having a 'desirable, strong, tribute' as they said."

"What do you mean 'they took it out on Mags'?" I ask.

"Mags had to do an interview and defended Rickk. She knew that he wouldn't make it if he won. She knew Snow was planning for him to be the 'Finnick of his time' shall we say. So she told Rickk. Rickk said he'd make it to the final two and then make a mockery of the Capitol before killing himself. Except his planned 'mockery' didn't really go as planned. Then when Mags defended Rickk's actions on air, Snow saw it as rebellion. He reaped her best friend's daughter next year. She didn't come home."

"What did they do to Wiress?" I ask.

"Well if you're asking if she was deemed desirable, you're in luck sweetheart because no one wanted her. She went about her days and mentored tributes. Became best friends with Beetee and now only seems to know how to communicate with him. Hasn't brought a tribute home yet. That's her punishment from Snow." Haymitch replies.

"That's terrible." says Peeta.

"That's how it works." says Haymitch. "And if it weren't for this quell I'd think that you two would probably end up in the same 'no victor for 22 years predicament' as Wiress among other punishments from your good old friend Snow." Haymitch replies sarcastically.

Haymitch saunters off to town to buy some more beer from Ripper. After a while, Peeta heads home and then I follow him. While laying in bed that night I think about Wiress. I wonder if she'll be reaped. I wouldn't doubt it. The only other living female victor from 3 is no doubt in her 90's by now and I don't think has ever committed any crimes. Wiress will probably be in there with me.

Seven Months Later

I stand there with my arrow pointed at Gloss' heart. He killed her. He killed her! How dare he? She was my friend. The only real ally I even wanted in this arena besides Mags and Beetee. She was so smart. She knew what the arena was before anyone else. I think back to her Games and how she didn't have to fight. She only killed one person. She was so pure. So innocent. So much like… Rue. Rue. I angrily push the thought of my sweet friend Rue from the last Games into the back of my mind. It doesn't work. I'm suddenly transported to the moment of her death. How I didn't even hesitate to kill Marvel.

I don't hesitate now either.

A/N: Well, we're five chapters in so what do you think? Please leave a review! They really do motivate me to keep writing! Beetee is up next and then Mags. So excited for those two. Anyway, there's a new poll on profile so please go and vote on it and please please please review! :)