IRIS FISHER (34)
DISTRICT FOUR VICTOR (33RD GAMES)
Conceal, don't feel, just keep it all in.
Oh, how Iris wished that it were that simple.
To conceal her emotions, to hide all of her fears and woes, now wouldn't that be something! Then maybe, just maybe, people would stop seeing her as being one of the weaker tributes.
To be fair, it wasn't as if Iris herself had ever desired any attention, or any of the empty fame and meaningless glory that she had obtained through her victory.
But she just wished that people would at least show a little more respect towards her, instead of just dismissing her as a poor, traumatised Victor. In the Victors Circle, she had a waning influence, and was a quiet pipsqueak, one who was often seen as a lesser Victor, one whose importance was a mere shadow to that of someone outspoken like Marina or Switch. Not to mention, her marriage to a Capitolite hadn't exactly been taken kindly by everyone either.
"A slut", some had called her. "An attention-grabbing, traitor slut who seduced Caesar Flickermann, another disgusting excuse of a human being."
All of a sudden, Iris Fisher, the pretty, shy fourteen-year-old girl who could conjure up the most ingenious of ideas, she became shunned in her own society, as more and more people started to form their own negative rumours about the girl who betrayed the rest of the Career pack and subjected Cyrene and Diadem to horrific deaths.
"I heard she and her brother Rafael were thieves when they were young."
"I heard she seduced Caesar into rigging the Games into her favour."
"I heard she drugged Jolien and Mags to get them to obey her will."
So many rumours floated around about her, and yet, none of them were even remotely true. She hadn't seduced Caesar, they were simply lovers, how hard was that to understand?
"He's just another idiotic Capitolite star, pampered underneath the bright, dizzying lights."
That was completely false. Just utter lies.
If only they knew about his true past, Iris often thought to herself. But alas, the Capitol would certainly forbid any divulgence into the dark past of her husband, one that was shrouded and veiled with the thickest possible fog of mystery, a mystery that contained a hidden truth that if revealed, would shatter the reputation of President Snow himself. Iris shook her head, taking a deep breath as she pulled on her coat and pushed the door of her mansion open. Fortunately, not everyone in District Four seemed to have a loathing hate towards her. The majority were glad that she had come home, with her Victory being perceived as a big fat middle finger to the desires and ambitions of the Capitol to wipe out the Fisher family. But this majority couldn't speak up, couldn't voice out their opinions, and whatever tiny say they had, it was drowned out by the loud, constant roars of those who cursed the name of Iris Fisher.
If only they had an inkling of knowledge as to how it felt to be a Victor. Then maybe they would be less harsh towards her. Because there was never a night in the life of Iris that did not involve her screaming in the midst of the darkness that swirled around her, as old, haunting memories of a bygone time in the arena continued to torment her, constantly reminding her of just how evil of a villain she truly was, of all the murders she had committed in the arena, and the sheer brutality of those murders.
And that was before she factored in the mockery of that vile, sadistic monster known as Draco Hadley.
The Victor from Two was an ever-present bully, a patriotic beast who had no qualms about snarling at her in the middle of the corridor and subjecting her to heaps of emotional torture, forcing her to relive every single horrid moment of her time in the arena, forcing her to watch as he sold Jolien and Timmy, her beloved older Victor siblings, to inhumane Capitolites who forced them into acts that even the savages shy away from.
And then, to make matters worse, after failing to kill off a Fisher child in the arena for the third year in a row, they had tried again.
The result was absolutely devastating.
Rafael Fisher had come out of the arena alive, but a broken, hollow shell was all that remained of the bright, sporty boy who Iris had spent countless hours playing at the beaches of District Four with, laughing away all of life's hurdles, working together to overcome their bucketload of challenges. Gone was that boy, and gone was the girl he played with, and now both of them were mere shadows of their former selves, two lost souls patiently awaiting a merciful end to the eternal guilt and sufferings that they faced, whatever that may be.
Iris stepped out into the cool night, the sound of crickets in the distance filling her ears. The area was peaceful, tranquil, soothingly quiet, and as a bright, blue moon shone in the veil of night sky above her, a platter of stars dancing around the blue glow that it emitted, a fog of grey clouds floating about aimlessly, creating a picturesque painting in the sky that sheltered the world. As Iris walked down the street, she could see the palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze along with her long, flowing blonde hair, which swept over her eyelids and she had to quickly brush them aside in order to move on. The beach was not too far away, and the familiar sound of waves breaking against the pristine shoreline could be heard. The fresh, salty smell of the ocean filled her lungs, an aroma she had taken for granted after all these years. This scene that could almost be described as a serene bliss was one Iris knew could not last for long, and was just a brief escape for her, before the Reapings would start again tomorrow. People in District Four volunteered now, how preposterous was that? It wasn't every year, sure, but the surge in membership at the Career Academy and the increasing frequency of these volunteers was ever so concerning. These kids who could have had bright futures were now willingly throwing their lives away for a faint, distant shot at glory. It just didn't seem right in Iris's mind.
It shouldn't be right in anyone's mind.
She gazed up at the blue moon that towered in the heavens above her, as her sandals squished against the soft, golden sands of the beach. The scene was so beautiful, so tranquil.
So beautiful that it hurt ever so badly.
"I will suck out all the happiness from your life," Head Gamemaker Ruby Ashgrove had taunted her. "Believe me, I can and will find a way to seize control of your peace and loves. President Snow gave me a task and if you even think for a split second that I don't have the brains to achieve it, well, you are massively incorrect, my dear."
Ruby Ashgrove.
A picture of the young, crafty woman, with twinkling, mischievous eyes, the woman who always had a notepad and a pen with her, slowly formed in her mind. She was a loyal follower of President Snow, in fact, she was the niece of his deceased wife. He doted on her, showered her with support, and he also brainwashed her during the course of her youth. Her craftiness and ability to craft the most ingenious of arenas, it sent shivers up Iris's spine at the thought of what she could do. She glanced up at the blue moon again, and just then, she remembered that only a week ago, Ruby had visited her in District Four, and had seen her gazing up at this very scene, at a bluish moon glowing brightly in the sky, being reflected in the calm waters below. Her stomach churned as the memory of Ruby's lips curling into a sneer crashed into her like a wave.
Iris Fisher knew what the arena might look like.
She gritted her teeth as she dipped her toes into the chilly ocean water, the sea foam tickling her toes as she waded in. Hopefully, her perceptions were correct and she could properly prepare the poor, unfortunate tributes that were sent her way this year. She still hadn't forgotten about last year's events. Morwenna was a solid tribute, a good contender, one of Coral and Rafael's soccer players, and then, that wretched traitor Marie had come along.
And Iris couldn't even resent her for that sick betrayal, since she knew that she herself had betrayed far more allies than Marie ever had.
She sighed as the blue moon began to fade away, and in the horizon, a fishing boat neared the shore, quickly tailed by a warm, gentle, faintly angry glow in the distance.
Dawn was approaching.
A/N: Hey guys! So yeah, this is it, this is finally it xd. Dusk Till Dawn is finally out, hooray! I've always wanted to start an SYOT after seeing all my friends do it, so I kinda figured that if they could do it, why couldn't I? And yeah, more info on subs is on my profile, please consider subbing, it would really make my day! Sorry I'm just really excited that I've finally got the chance to start an SYOT of my own lol. I've already done quite a fair bit of worldbuilding on the Districts and the Capitol, so feel free to ask me if you have any questions on those. And yeah, that's it, have a nice day and cheers :)