I don't know how long it has been since I left the arena. Here in the hospital room time seems to flow differently. Minutes feel like hours and hours feel like days. Doctors will come and go, injecting me with needles and giving me different meds. They say they are to help with my injuries but I overheard them talking about how crazy they believe I have gone and that they think the arena broke me. Is this how they treat all the victors? Maybe.
Andre has been to see me a few times. I like when he visits, because unlike the doctors and nurses he knows what I am going through. He is the only one who can keep me calm and the only one who can make me smile in this dreadful place.
They say I can leave soon and I am dreading that moment. After every year the new Victor gets paraded through the streets of the Capitol and after an interview with Caesar they have to sit and watch through every moment of the games. That is the part I am dreading, the moment when I have to give comments on the highlights of the games.
My attention is brought to the door as it swings open. Three people enter, Andre of course who I smile at. Merinetta follows behind him and my smile falls and last of all is Darius. "Oh hello dear, how are you?" Merinetta asks as she takes me hand which I instantly pull back, a reflex I guess.
"I'm good" I reply, "my throat is a little sore still." My hand finds its way to my neck and I can still feel the pressure I felt on that final day in the arena when I almost died.
"Well nothing a little honey and lemon won't fix" Merinetta replies and then starts tapping away on a device.
"You are getting out tomorrow Serena" Andre says. A lump formed in my throat and I could feel my heart rate speed up. I didn't think it would be that soon. I am going to have to face everybody who saw me fight to the death and the most scary part is I am going to have to face myself.
Morning had flew by. Nurses came and went giving me my final medication and the same out stale tasting food and water. Andre came to see me at noon and he took me from the white walled prison. It had seemed like forever since I had a breath of fresh air so as soon as I left the hospital my head started to swim.
I found myself in one of those fancy cars like the one that took me from the train to the remake centre before. That feels like a lifetime ago now. Andre and I don't speak, we don't need too. Just being around him is comforting. The car comes to a halt an hour or so later and I am led from the car to the remake centre once again.
"Hello darling" Merinetta chimes as she comes over and embraces me. I squirm in her grasp but she is surprisingly strong. She lets go and I can breath again, "Well let's not waste any more time. Darius has an amazing dress picked out for you" she says as she leads Andre and I through the halls. As we do, images of the dead tributes flash through my mind and I need to stop. My legs start shaking and my throat gets tighter.
"Serena?" I hear Andre but he sounds miles away.
"C-can't breath" I manage to get out. I feel Andre's arms around me before I pass out.
"I told you all it was too soon!"
"We couldn't push it back any longer. The people were getting restless!"
"I don't care about the people. That girl had just been through hell and all you care about is getting her dressed up!"
The sound of Andre's voice pulls me from my sleep. Opening my eyes alone is exhausting. My mouth feels dry and my head is pounding. What happened? Last I remember was walking down the halls of the remake centre.
"Andre?" I manage to say before coughing. He comes rushing over to the bed I am laying down on and helps me sit up.
"How you feeling?" he asks.
"Thirsty" I reply and I watch him rush off and return with a glass of water. "Thanks" I say before drinking the entire glass, sighing in delight as I take the glass away from my chapped lips.
"Better?" Merinetta asks as she joins us at the bed. I nod but instantly regret as my head pounds with each shake. "Good. Okay, up and at 'em. We need to go and get ready!"
As annoying as ever. But I don't fight and force myself to my feet and as soon as I am standing the doors to the room burst open and I am reunited with 3 people I thought I would never see again. Sibley, Carvo and Cat. They take me away instantly, I barely get to say goodbye to Andre. I once again go through hours of pain until I am standing in a light blue gown and dark green velvet high heels, waiting on Darius. All the time they were making me over they would not shut up about the games and how they always knew I was going to win. Bullshit!
They promised to take me out when I am back in the Capitol and no matter how much I refused they didn't listen, I wanted so much to just lock the door the moment they left. Sitting here in silence though is nice. There is no beeping of the machines, no straps holding me down on a bed and best of all no voices. I take a few seconds to just soak it in and bask in the silence. Then Darius joins me. Without a word he takes out a lovely dark green ankle length dress with a high collar and long sleeves. It's honestly beautiful, the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.
Darius helps me into the dress and presses a button which reveals a mirror behind a wall. I actually gasp upon seeing myself for the first time since before the games. It is like the past couple of weeks hadn't happened. It is like I was never in the games. My skin is clear of all cuts and bruises and I can see Venia in myself. I feel tears well up so I fight them back, with great difficulty mind you.
"You like it?" Darius asks and all I can do is nod before if I speak there is a high chance I will cry. "Good, we don't have time to change anything. Your fans await my darling" Darius says and my body freezes. I am more scared now than I was back at the reaping which seemed a lifetime ago. Darius takes my arm and I snake it through his as he leads me out and down to the stables. There is a beautiful chariot lead by two stunning black horses. The chariot itself has a forest backdrop representing home with a tree stump for my seat.
Darius leads me over and turns to me, "Good luck out there sweetheart. Just get through this and you get to go home" he says. Just at the mention of home I smile and feel more confident, so I climb onto the chariot and take my seat. I go to look back at Darius but he is already gone so I take a few deep breaths and put on my most believable smile just as the large doors open up and the roar of the crowd reaches my ears, almost deafening me.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your victor of the one-hundredth hunger games and fourth quarter quell...Maple Serena!"
I am taken aback by the sheer volume of the crowd but smile my way through all the sparkling dust that seems to fall from the night sky and the roses sent flying from the crowd. Up ahead I see Ceasar Flickerman dressed all in orange with dark brown hair, sitting on a stage that was not here before the games. On two giant screens set up on both sides of the stage with my name and face on.
The chariot comes to a stop before the stage and a man dressed smartly helps me down from my seat and helps me towards the stage. Here we go Maple, just get through this and you can go home a voice in my head says. I smile at Ceasar as he greets me on the stage.
"Hello, hello Maple" Ceasar says and the crowd goes mental at just the sound of my name, "come here dear, take a seat." I take a seat on the second chair on the stage and turn to Ceasar, "Let me just tell you how amazing it is to see you sitting here with me once again" he says as he takes me hand again.
"The feeling is mutual Ceasar, trust me" I reply and give them a little laugh. "I must say, you do look handsome tonight." Andre had told me before to compliment the Capitol a lot and also Ceasar.
"Not as beautiful as you look tonight dear, aren't I right people?!" he replies and the crows roars once again. They die down and then Ceasar asks the question. "Now tell me Maple, are you surprised that you are here?" Just remember what Andre told you. Play yourself up.
"Yes and no. Yes because the competition this year was strong, I mean all those other tributes had something that could lead them to victory" I say and each other makes me want to throw up. "But I always knew deep down I would win. Not only for myself but for my sister." All that was a lie other than the last part. That part is the only truth I will tell tonight.
"You are right Maple, there was no telling who would win this year. But saying that I had my money on you" Ceasar says and was followed by a bunch of people from the crowd repeating his words. "You have quite a fan base Maple." I don't care. Everyone here could die for all I care. But of course I don't say that, instead I just smile and blow kisses to the crowd.
"Alright, alright. That is enough of that. The night is getting late and it's time to watch the highlights. Is everyone ready?!" Nope. Not one bit. I have to muster up all my courage and strength just to turn my head to the screen that raises from the floor to the left of me. The first image is the bloodbath. I see myself on the screen and I almost want to shout to her to just run off and leave the others. Maybe then I won't be feeling this bad. But these are events of the past. Nothing is going to change them now.
The action starts and seeing as I won they mainly show me. I see the fear of the district 10 boy as I slit his throat. It shows a few career kills before cutting to our group again, this time running through the trees. Seeing as we didn't do much for a while it cuts to clips of the deaths that happened that first day. It also shows the careers actually trying to help the district 12 girl and I feel a pang of guilt in the pit of my stomach. Maybe they aren't just heartless monsters. Then the screen cuts back to me and my friends and the thought goes away. They killed them and I will never forgive them.
They replay my interaction with little Micro. I wonder how she died. The doctors told me that I mentally blocked the last few hours of the games and to be prepared for this interview so I don't know what happened to Micro and Alex and even how I won the games. The last memory I had was Alex carrying me through the forest after the showdown with the careers.
Then Oak's death plays. I watch as he climbs the hill and watch for the second time as he is struck by the axe and his tiny body rolls to the bottom of the hill. I can't stop the tears from falling at this point. I feel a hand on my shoulder but I don't turn away. They show my outburst at Alex and cut straight to our fight with district 4. I feel no remorse for killing them, none at all.
Then it comes to the showdown between the careers and anti-careers. I want to cry because I know what's coming. I know that Chip and Thorn are about to die. The fighting kicks off and Chip's death comes around quicker than I remember. I don't recognise the animal that cuts Glitz to pieces. Thorn had killed Knives and Alex and Glamour's sparring match is just as brutal as I remember.
I can feel the pain once again as the boy from 8 beats me half to death. During this Alex had cut off Glamour's head...like brother like sister I guess. Thorn comes to my rescue, stabbing 8 in his lower back but the boy turns giving Alex enough time to grab me and run on Thorn's command. The fight between Thorn and 8 lasts a lot longer than I thought. They both deliver blows but neither one was going down. Until 8 hit's Thorn in the side of the head, caving in his skull.
It cut's to Alex struggling to carry me through the woods and then to 8 giving chase and then to Micro hiding by our stream. Micro flees when she hears Alex and me but stays close by, watching. Alex leaves me and the moment I have been dreading comes. My memory's will return. Micro follows Alex and the two of them run into 8. Alex protects Micro but in turn falls to 8's mace. At this point I have woken up and was running towards the scream.
Micro runs into me and I protect her from 8. Our weapon fight turns into a fist fight and he overpowers me. I once again feel pain as he starts beating me again and a tightness around my throat as I watch him strangle me. Micro kills 8 with my axe and the person that emerges from beneath 8 is nobody I have ever seen before. Her face is swollen with blood and bruises covering every part. Her shoulders are hunched as she takes the axe and makes her way over to Micro. I jump and gasp when the girl split's Micro's head in two. Micro; the girl who couldn't hurt a fly. The girl who seemed so sweet.
The video ends with me being lifted up into the aircraft. Although it was me on the screen, I don't feel any feelings towards killing Micro. It was like it wasn't me.
"So Maple, what are you feeling?" Ceasar asks. I turn to him and force a smile.
"What is this? A therapy session?" I try to joke but I know he can see through it, not so much can be said for the crowd as they laugh it up. "No, but seriously. It was hard watching because I did grow attached to my allies. Oak reminded me so much of my sister and he was the other piece of home I had in there" I say.
"Understandable. Talking about your sister, I bet you can't wait to see her" Ceasar says.
"It is all I want right now" I reply.
"Well we won't hold you any more dear" he says and stand up. I follow suit and he takes me hand, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Maple Serena; victor of not only the one-hundredth hunger games but the fourth quarter quell!" He raises me hand into the air and I force my final smile before the stage goes dark and I am led through to the back of the stage.
Before I can stop myself I am running. I don't know where but I am running. I kick of my heels and just run. I run away from the cheers of the crowd. I run away from everything the Capitol has put me through. I run to the one place I feel safe; Andre's room. My safety blanket wraps his arms around me the second I find him. I cry into Andre's chest. I let out all the anger I have held in. I punch his chest and scream at him and he just takes it. He let's me vent and after venting he holds me in his arms. He tells me everything is going to be okay and he promises to never leave me alone. Then his lips are on mine and my arms are around his neck. We're on the bed and my dress joins his shirt and pants on the floor.
A/N: Well...that happened. Let me know what you all think in the reviews.