Chapter 61: Humiliation

Katniss and Peeta have invited Annie and Gale to dinner. Peeta has checked on Haymitch, but he is too drunk for company. Peeta helps get Haymitch to his bed and tidies up the apartment. He will come back first thing in the morning to check on him again. In the meantime, he removes all the alcohol from the room and decides to talk to Paylor about banning alcohol from the Village all together. Haymitch can't function like this and is likely to say and do things that will disrupt their efforts to bring Snow to justice.

Annie arrives first and gives Katniss a big hug. She feels so much empathy for her and really wants Katniss to find some peace. It had taken her a while to find her peace over Finnick's death, but Finn had been given her a reason to go on and the pain of her grief has subsided considerably. She still feels it sometimes, but she knows Finnick would want her to celebrate life. That was the best way to respect his memory.

Gale arrives just as the dinner is being served. He has been following up on the possibility of leads with regard to Snow's whereabouts, but so far there have been none. The prisoners are isolated for the duration of the Games, locked up for 23 hours a day and only allowed one hour of exercise per day, alone. His plan had produced results early on the first time, but many of the Rebels had hardened their resolve at the announcement of the Games. They were going to continue to resist this Government, even if it meant their children had to die.

The conversation at the table is about the Tributes and the Victor's concerns in relation to mentoring them. They need to keep their focus on the possibility that information will filter through which could mean an early end to the Games, rather than the possible outcomes for the various Tributes if it does not. Annie is feeling particularly vulnerable. The other two female Victors, Enobaria and Johanna, are hardened and bitter. That will make their job so much easier. Annie is neither of these things.

"What I don't understand is why the Rebels would not want to protect their own children. I know what I would do if someone tried to put Finn into the Games and I had the choice to save him" Annie says. A mother's instincts would never allow a child to die if there was a chance of saving them, even if it meant she had to die herself in the process.

"Unfortunately, there is no option for volunteers to take their place…not that there were ever many takers anyway" Katniss says. At least volunteers, like Katniss and Peeta, were making a conscious choice about being part of the Games. It was still a no win situation, but they could save someone more vulnerable in the process…like Prim. And Mags had volunteered for Annie, too, during the Quarter Quell. The government was making sure the Rebels knew they meant business and the more impotent they were made, the more likely there would be a response. Still, the children were not to blame.

Gale interjects.

"We can't afford to feel sorry for these Tributes. Our families had not committed any crimes and still the Reapings went ahead. They didn't care about us or how we felt. The Games were a mechanism to control us and now, finally, we have the control, It is an opportunity to show them just how that feels". Gale is still not satisfied that the Rebels really understand the previous suffering of the people in the Districts or that they have paid an adequate price for their deeds. He has no qualms about the Games at all.

"We need to be sure we don't become like them" says Peeta. "It's a means to an end, but it is not who we are. Surely, our suffering has taught us something, and the reason for the Districts rebellion has to remain clear. It is not about revenge, but about justice".

"Well, when justice is served I will be satisfied" says Gale. "That hasn't happened yet".

One thing the Victors sitting at the table understand is that Gale had never been forced to enter the Games. There is a connection between these Mentors and their Tributes which can't be understood by someone who has never been put in that position. Gale is not wrong, but he is not aware of all the layers which come with being a Victor, a volunteer, a Tribute. These are not soldiers fighting, but innocent children being put to the test…and to the death.

The following day the Mentors meet with the Stylists and their Tributes. Plutarch's direction regarding the creation of unimpressive outfits has been adhered to, and Peeta's Tributes look suitably drab in coalminer's garb and the field garb of District 11. Initially, Ottilia could not comprehend wearing such unattractive attire and became teary again, so Peeta agreed she could choose which of the two outfits she would wear. She preferred the garb of District 11, at least it wasn't dirty like District 12. Lorcan had been happy to wear the outfit of a coalminer…his Tribute to Peeta, even though Peeta's family had not worked in the mines…and Verity didn't want to be around the snivelling Ottilia, so she also donned a coalminer's outfit. This meant Ramsay would dress a field worker, too, and he eventually joined Ottilia in their chariot for the Parade.

Beetee had the toughest job of all. His Tributes came from the well to do Districts, so he had to be a little more creative. For District 2 he had decided to dress his Tributes as Medics…which was the opposite of the fighters and oppressive Peacekeepers they were renowned to be. It was also Beetee's tribute to those who had sacrificed their lives to save the lives of others...including Prim. He kept the best for last, though. District One's Tributes were draped in the flag of the new government of Panem. This drew the greatest cheers from the crowds and Ebony Snow, unbeknown to Beetee, had been paraded before the whole of Panem in a traitor's garb. Snow was furious.

The Tributes were all suitably muted in their response to their outfits and the Parade. Several cried as they were forced to confront the jeering of the crowds and all of this was screened live to anyone who wanted to watch it. And there were plenty of viewers. The humiliation of the Capitol children was the most highly rated program on the screens that night and, with Plutarch's expertise, the ratings were only going to get higher. He was enjoying playing his role as Gamemaker again and Johanna was delighting in his ability to put on a good show in retaliation. The others were more concerned with making sure there was enough hype around the humiliation of the Tributes to generate a response from the Rebels.

Training would start tomorrow. Peeta and the rest of the Victors would meet with their Tributes in the afternoon once they had the opportunity to discuss the terrains of the Arenas with Plutarch in the morning.