Author's Note: We're back to the victors and back with a district that hasn't had a victor since before Haymitch's Games.
….
The Eighty-First Annual Hunger Games: Ryan Amaranth, District Nine (17)
The first Parcel Day in thirty-three years arrived in District Nine the day after Ryan Amaranth returned home. District Nine's first victor since Maizey and Barric's first victor after decades of mentoring.
The people of District Nine had forgotten what it was like to have a victor. Ryan knew that most of those present for his speech were only there because they were forced to attend. Nobody in the centre had ever really seen him. He lived in one of the villages and only ventured to the urban city once a month at the direction of his mother. He did not know how genuine their reactions were.
He knew his family were delighted. They were glad to leave the deprivations of village life and live in the Victors' Village instead. So, his family gladly moved in as a collective and ventured out to their new neighbourhood, eager to display their connection to their son as more food than they had seen in decades began to arrive in their marketplace as Ryan addressed the crowds.
Ryan knew that people's reactions were genuine here, once they realised that the promised food was a reality. They may not care for him, but their families were going to be fed for a year and it was one of the highlights of Ryan's life. He had done something worthwhile, even in the most horrendous of circumstances that he was trying to come to terms with.
So, he gave his speech, barely focusing on the cards in front of him, instead looking at the people who were looking past him towards the food that was being handed down from the train. Ryan could feel the anticipation build as soon as he finished speaking and left the stage.
People tried to rush forward but were held back until the peacekeepers had finished preparing. It was frantic and chaotic, but people were able to leave the city square with more food than they had brought in months, and they knew this would happen eleven more times across the coming year.
Ryan was pictured alongside smiling townsfolk, shaking hands with the Mayor and many of the district's children who might be spared a year of tesserae. Adults clapped him on the back, repeatedly making him jump. As soon as they had food in their hands, people were more eager to thank him and talk to him. They forgot that they would be seen on camera and across Panem's televisions.
That afternoon, the scenes were replicated in Ryan's home village. Their allocation of Parcel Day's offerings was set out for them, but Ryan knew they were eager to see him too. He would no longer be living with them, but he was one of theirs and he was keen to return home whenever he could. He had friends from home, and he could not bring them to live in the Village alongside his family. This was his thank you to them, for giving him the skills and strength to bring himself home and their thank you for providing for them for the next year.
He was able to deliver his speech with a connection he did not feel in the city. He was home and he was speaking to the people he had grown up around. These were the people he understood, and he was able to tell them how grateful he was and that he was proud to be one of them. His status in the district would change, but he hoped that he would still be Ryan to them.
Instead of shaking hands, he hugged the people he knew and laughed with the children who were running around. He spent time eating with his friends, buying beers from the little market stalls with his new money and talking to the village elders about how often he intended to return home.
The images strewn across the Capitol from Ryan's home village were genuine and presented a different side to District Nine than what most people had ever seen before. Ryan was someone who connected with people, who loved spending time around others and there was a community feel to his images that the Capitol loved.
So much so that once the first Parcel Day was over, he was told that the Capitol would like him to venture out to other villages on each coming day over the next year. Ryan had hoped he would be able to return home for some of them and was hoping, with Barric's help, that he would be able to negotiate another trip home, even if it had to be televised and shown across magazine spreads.
He was beginning to realise that if he was interesting to the Capitol at least for a few days each year, then they might let him live in peace, given that he was from District Nine. Perhaps he was being naïve, but it was the approach his mentor had taken, and he had been left alone in comparison to what Ryan was finding out about the other victors.
But he was going to have to get used to his new celebrity status. Even after the food deliveries had stopped following the first Parcel Day, Ryan was being thanked by people he passed in the streets of his new home. People did not care who he had killed to come back, because he was home, and he had brought food back to District Nine on a scale they had not seen in decades. It was ironic given they produced Panem's grains and cereals, but hunger was prevalent in Nine. Ryan's return home had meant a reprieve for many families, and he was going to have to adjust to their displays of gratitude.
A month later, Ryan found himself in his district partner's village. He thought it an appropriate destination of choice, but he knew that others disagreed with him. Barric was not sure if the village wanted a reminder of the loss or whether the Capitol would want attention drawn to a fallen tribute outside of traditional Games events. But Ryan reminded his mentor that his district partner was his ally. It would be a hand extended in friendship and for Ryan, it was a reminder to him that he had done the right thing.
Ryan and his district partner were evenly matched. Both were seventeen, both from villages as opposed to the district's centre and equally as willing to fight. They did not aim to follow Barric's lead and build an alliance, but they made their way through the jungle arena together and battled the mutts before deciding to separate once they realised only five tributes were left.
Ryan was gutted to see her face in the sky the following night, but he realised that this meant he would not have to fight his district partner to return home. Their decision to split had worked in his favour.
He felt a kinship with her village, knowing that both of their homes had endured the same experience together, only now he had returned when their daughter did not. It was important for Ryan to visit her home, even if his speech had to be full of empty words about honourable sacrifice and unity forged through the bonds of the Hunger Games.
The girl had been brave. But Ryan knew that any tribute who entered any arena had no choice but to face their fate. They had formed a connection through their shared predicament but as soon as he arrived at her former home, Ryan realised he knew very little about the girl.
It was clear the village was poor, poorer than his own. They had clearly been affected by adverse weather more than his family had and must have been trying to use poorer soil. It was a problem that was increasingly plaguing certain villages and crops, leading to growing problems within the district. Seeing the poverty and the hungry children made him realise that the girl who entered the Games alongside him had needed to be tough and had faced hardships far worse than he had by the time of her reaping. He wondered how many tesserae slips she had taken and how that affected her odds.
But this year was a chance for them. Poverty meant more tesserae and poorer odds at the Reaping but maybe the children could be well fed this year and not have to add to their Games entries. This was the second Parcel Day of Ryan's victory year, the start of the second month of not going hungry and he hoped he could return later in the year, even if unofficially, to see the impact of an increased food supply over the coming months.
He knew from those he lived alongside that people had already started preserving some of the food they had obtained through Parcel Days. The richest, now including his own family, had freezers so safe storage was not going to prove an issue. However, the same could not be said for most of Nine's population. So, he knew that people were salting meats and canning whatever they could to try to reap the benefits of the victory year even after it had passed.
Traders who made and sold jars and cans were picking up a roaring trade, although Ryan found out that their supplies were not endless. The Capitol hardly seemed willing to provide a surplus of storage resources either, it would not fit in with the notion of a year's worth of rewards. But Nine's people were resourceful. They had always needed to be.
Nor was Ryan naïve enough to think they could manage to bring another child home in the following year. Districts One and Two had managed that and they were worlds apart from Ryan's home. District Nine children made it home with resources, ingenuity, a scythe and a great deal of luck. They did not have a training facility and nobody, Ryan included, was inclined to establish one.
Barric had been trying to prepare his victor for his future in mentoring. He had seen in Barley, his own mentor, the strain and the consequences of taking each loss to heart and trying desperately when it was futile. He hoped to instil in Ryan a balanced approach, one where each tribute was met with kindness and understanding whilst targeting efforts at those with realistic chances of progressing through an arena.
He was worried that as his victor moved through the district each Parcel Day, he would end up meeting children who would be reaped. The poorest, underfed children seemed to like running up to Ryan, seeing him as the familiar, safe face who had been able to bring food back to their part of District Nine.
Barric knew that he could not shelter his victor and that would never work with Ryan. He was already far more comfortable in front of a camera than either him or Maizey. Barley was happy to let Ryan get on with what he was supposed to do. Mona felt uneasy about it but knew she could not challenge when direction had come from the Capitol.
The older victors had also explained to Ryan the likely consequences of his sudden popularity and to their surprise, Ryan told them that he had expected it. They wanted him in front of a camera, to be constantly available for interviews, to mentor in future Hunger Games, so why would they not decide they wanted more? Only Maizey had a brief experience of being sold but the attention faded quickly as the Second Quarter Quell approached. They were hoping that having won in the shadow of boys from One and Four, there would be less attention on Ryan from the start. It would be a year of excitement and interest which would soon end once an even more exciting, newer victor arrived.
But as his tour of the district continued, Ryan's popularity grew. He had accidentally become a Capitol symbol, beyond what newer victors from the outer districts ever managed. He was associated with the bounty that followed surviving the Games, of the Capitol's power and apparent grace and generosity. He gave speeches thanking them for their continued providence and ability to defend the districts and even Ryan knew it had all got a little beyond his control.
What started as a kind gesture, where a new victor took joy in helping his district had become a propaganda tour to last the year long. Ryan did not know how to control it and neither did Barric or Maizey. Mona was too old, and Barley was frequently drinking again so Barric and Maizey began to accompany Ryan to try to safeguard him, but they realised they were powerless too.
They watched as Ryan was positioned alongside peacekeepers to hand out food after making another speech, a direct association with the power of the Capitol. His new victor status was paraded through the district in an obvious attempt to separate him from those he had publicly displayed close bonds.
The stress of having a new victor after so long, and in a new era of the Games had brought Barric and Maizey together. They had finally seen what had been in front of them for decades and sought comfort in each other as they realised the game they had tried to avoid had taken over their lives and left them behind. They did not believe they understood how to respond either. The stakes had continually increased, and Nine's victors had stood firm in their bubble. But that had been burst and they realised they no longer had a seat at the table when the post-arena games were being crafted.
Joining the ever-simmering rebellion was not the answer, however. It was never going to be the solution to their problems and would risk the safety their most senior victors had worked so hard to craft. Ryan was already vulnerable and Barric and Maizey dared not risk him coming to further harm.
But they needed to do more and become more involved. Barric would have to speak to the other victors in the Mentors' Centre and try to provide Ryan with some positive influences beyond Nine who would know their boundaries and not try to sway him toward rebellion. He found he had little time for Finnick's grand gestures and thought he would tell them that they in District Four could see this happening from the start. Barric did not need reminding that they probably did.
Cecelia, however, would not patronise them. She knew how to play the Capitol's games and could offer some advice. She had a young victor too, but Calico Paylor was not the associate Barric wanted for Ryan. He knew he would receive a warning from the President too if Ryan were to look too close to Eight's victors and he wanted to protect him as much as he could and avoid the attention of President Snow.
Barric figured that Theodore in One might be a positive influence. A career victor was not the immediate choice for a boy from Nine, but he was safer, and it was obvious he could use a friend. There would be much less risk of rebel influence and hopefully, a connection that could help District Nine's victors branch out slightly.
Relationships between career victors and those from poorer districts had worked before. Gem and Maria remained firm friends and Seeder appeared to get on with everyone. Barric and Maizey had realised the drawbacks of remaining isolated and were hoping that they could slowly create bonds beyond their little group. It might help Ryan after all. The first year of survival was hectic and it had become even more so for Ryan. Someone familiar with the public demands on victors might be useful.
The excitement in Ryan's presence continued beyond the Victory Tour. He was confident, charismatic and a great public speaker. So much so that the Capitol demanded the propaganda tour continue across District Nine, bringing with it monthly reminders of the Hunger Games.
Ryan complied. He had no choice. He was hoping that if he made good television for a year and faded as the new victor arrived, the excitement would begin to lessen. Provided he did what was asked of him, he hoped that he could live with his family quietly and in peace and safety.
Like most new victors, he was sold to the highest bidder. In an emerging tradition, it appeared those bidders were a prominent Gamemaker and a government minister. Ryan hated it but did as he was asked so as not to put anyone in danger. His family were enjoying living in the Village, and he did not want to do anything that could jeopardise their new lifestyle.
He returned home confused and straight into another Parcel Day. He did as was expected of him and continued to enjoy meeting people from across Nine, but it had become obvious that the Capitol was giving with one hand and taking away with the other. Another piece of himself had been left in the Capitol with his buyers, just as the arena had taken something from him. Now he was keen to throw himself back into doing what he thought was right.
But that also meant playing into the Capitol's hands and helping them present the image they wanted to the districts. They were not a benevolent provider and defender of peace in the districts. The Capitol had brought violence and hunger to them. They were using Ryan to continue crafting their image and acting against District Nine's interests, despite the short-term positivity from the increased food supply.
Ryan needed to figure out how to craft his own image too. He was a people person and enjoyed making others happy. It was the genuine nature of his interactions with people that had made this year's Parcel Day events so successful, and Ryan wanted to continue visiting the people of his home, only without the cameras and the Capitol present.
But Barric had told him that open acts of charity from the victors were prohibited. Ryan would never be allowed to brazenly feed hungry children or set up fundraising initiatives for the people in his late district partner's village, no matter how much he wanted to. If he wanted to help people, he was going to have to do so quietly and that may mean breaking the rules and associating himself with rebellion, something Barric was desperate for Ryan to avoid.
Ryan had found himself a victor in a confusing era where the expectations on victors had both changed and yet remained much the same. They were not encouraged to build enduring celebrity status in the manner of Finnick Odair but were to make the most of their victory year and do exactly as the Capitol asked of them. Ryan had done exactly that but both he and Barric knew that no longer secured his and his family's safety in the way that it had done the other victors in District Nine.
They had been able to sidestep the game, but Ryan could not. Especially not when the Capitol had seen how much of an engaging, personable young man he was and how effectively he could be deployed in propaganda.
Capitol leadership was changing too and the victors, regardless of district were having to adapt to the new circumstances each time they arrived in the Capitol. As they had remained outside the core groups of victors and did not engage in the way many of the others had, District Nine's previously successful quiet life could become their undoing. They were unprepared for the nature of victory in the ninth decade of the Hunger Games and Ryan was exposed. Barric and Maizey found they could not contain what the Capitol had unleashed, taking advantage of their newest victor's genuine desire to help people at home and maintain connections with their people now that his life had changed.
It was something Ryan was going to have to figure out, and the older victors would need to change too. It made them uncomfortable, but District Nine's victors were going to have to broaden their outlook. They would have to actively seek out connections with the victors they had shut out for decades. They had watched as new victor after new victor found their place and a level of popularity they never aspired to have.
Now, their years of quiet safety had begun to backfire. They were lost and ill-prepared for the victory they had wanted for decades. Their unease and consternation at the Capitol would not turn into rebellion, however. They continued to value the quiet life and safety above all else. But they were going to have to bring themselves out into the world of the victors in a way they had not done before. It was time for overdue change and Nine's victors were going to have to adapt.