Crystal Vine had seen a lot throughout her life. She'd seen death. Mutilations. And so much thought she'd seen it all.
But the last decade of her life proved her very wrong.
When Jade and Henry were presented to her and Alexandrine, Crystal thought that best case scenario, she'd bring one of them home. Worst case, and the more likely case, neither. It's been a while since District One lost both its Career tributes this early, but that's not what surprised her. No, it was everything that transpired after.
The rebels breaking the final three out. The Capitol swooping in, capturing all the remaining Victors. Interrogation after interrogation. Bombings. Riots.
Is this what the Dark Days were like? Crystal didn't know anything about a rebel plot. The Capitol figured that out pretty fast. But that didn't stop them from strapping her in a chair and making her re-watch the gruesome Games that still haunt her nightmares. Her own games, the second Quarter Quell. She was only sixteen and she was so naive. Forty-eight of them went in. And although two of them were permitted to come out as victor, there was still double the bloodshed. Double the deaths. And double the pain.
The Capitol figured out what moments caused Crystal the most pain. Alexandrine losing a hand. Evan, one of her district partners, giving his life so she and Alexandrine could live. Then, moments from the 95th Games, fresher in her mind. Taliesin's betrayal of Henry, his arm crushing the life out of the poor kid. Jade, mauled by werewolf Charon. His teeth sinking into her throat, crunching down on her neck. Throwing her around like a ragdoll, until her body crashes into a tree.
They even got creative, fabricating a clip where Alexandrine didn't survive her injury. Yeah, they were certainly pleased with that one. The rest broke Crystal down, piece by piece, but the fictitious death? That one shattered her completely.
A year and a half of torture. It slowed down after things stabilized around the 97th Games. The 99th Hunger Games weren't memorable to Crystal. The 100th was. "The families of the reaped tributes will be taken by the Capitol and, when the tribute perishes, the family perishes as well." How awful. Any recovery Crystal had made shattered again with a single sentence.
The Capitol acknowledges Darrah Arinori as the victor of the 95th Hunger Games. The one with the most to lose, and the least to gain from a rebellion. But she's on a tight leash. One mishap, and her family will have the same fate as those unfortunate enough to be reaped in the 4th Quarter Quell.
With the spark of rebellion extinguished, Crystal has done her best to lay low. She hasn't mentored since she mentored Jade Hastings. Neither has Alexandrine. But Alexandrine has had enough on her plate. A granddaughter, wishing to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother. Soraya trained under the Academy and with Alexandrine and Crystal's guidance, was crowned Victor of the 109th Hunger Games.
District One couldn't have been happier. Celebrations seemed to last for weeks. Crystal finally started to feel a return to normalcy. She didn't realize how long it had been since she felt like that.
She knew it wouldn't last. And like most things in her life, she was right.
Alexandrine Laurent is the perfect example of what a District One Victor should be. She's strong. She's loyal. The Capitol adore her and her husband Ace. They fell in love with her daughter, despite her never volunteering. They mourned her husband when he passed away shortly after the 100th Games. They worship her granddaughter. The Laurent strength was revitalized with Soraya's victory. Alexandrine was proud. Unfortunately, one weight lifted off her shoulders left room for another.
It started off small. A cough that wouldn't go away. Then, a weakness in her arms that spread to her legs. Headaches, dizziness, memory loss.
Alexandrine masked it all for as long as she could. But Crystal noticed almost immediately.
The two were spending time at Alexandrine's home in Victor's Village, after a particularly long day out in the Mayor's house for yet another meeting with all the Victors of District One. Alexandrine thinks it was another meeting to discuss potential picks for this year's volunteers. She wishes she could remember.
Alexandrine starts to prepare two glasses of water for her and her friend. She reaches for the glass, trying to control the uncontrollable shake. She masks her frustration, turning on the faucet to fill up the cups. She tries to carry them from the sink to the table, but she can't make it more than a foot without water splashing all over the place. She puts the glass down, still thirsty.
"Have you seen a doctor, honey?" Crystal asked her aging friend. Alexandrine shook her head.
"There's no point. I don't want to become a test subject," Alexandrine insisted. She had been through enough with the loss of her hand in the arena almost 60 years ago. She knew death was inevitable. Unlike everything else in her life, she decided her death would be on her terms.
"Okay. Well, at least sit down." Crystal led Alexandrine to the kitchen table and held the chair for her as she slowly descended. Crystal tried not to pay attention to the atrophy in her best friend's muscles, the shakiness, and the unsteadiness. Crystal cannot imagine a life without her. She doesn't want to live a life without her.
A knock at the door startles Alexandrine. "Come in." It's no surprise when Soraya walks around the corner.
"Hey Nan." she hugs Alexandrine, then Crystal.
"Hey sweetheart." Everytime Alexandrine sees her granddaughter, it's like looking in a mirror. Almost a spitting image of herself, Alexandrine is glad that Soraya doesn't seem as troubled by the Games she fought in. Or if she is, she suppresses it well. Wonder who she gets that from.
"Can you bring us those waters, dear?" Crystal points to the left behind glasses on the counter. Soraya does. She notices the spilled water dripping from the counter. She wipes it down.
"What did you think of the prospects?" Soraya asks.
"Oh, I think whoever they pick will be strong contenders," Crystal jumps in. Who were the prospects? What were their names?
"I hope so. Maybe that will make this whole mentoring thing less daunting," Soraya's voice drops.
"Are you nervous? For your first year mentoring?" Crystal asks.
"I guess you could say that. I don't know. I don't know what advice to even give them." She looks at her grandmother, but her grandmother's mind is clearly elsewhere.
"Oh, well, I think any advice is beneficial to them. Remember how you felt last year, the questions you had with your own mentors. They're well trained, sure, but what would a lifetime of training fail to give you?"
"Yeah. I don't know. It's a lot of pressure," Soraya says, shifting from side to side, eyes still glued on her grandmother.
"Alexandrine?" Crystal gently kicks her friend's leg underneath the kitchen table. She nearly jumps out of her chair.
"What? Sorry, I'm just not here today." Alexandrine distracts herself with a sip of water. She doesn't want her family to see how much she's falling apart.
To no one's knowledge but her own, she is sick. Really sick. She doesn't know what, but Ace went through something similar before he passed. Forgetfulness, weak muscles, constant coughs. Alexandrine doesn't like to remember him like that. She doesn't want to be remembered like this.
"Do you want to lay down?" Soraya asks. Alexandrine goes to decline, a habit of hers, refusing the simple things. But her bones ache too much to resist.
Crystal and Soraya help her up the stairs of her Victor's Village home and into her bedroom. She collapses onto the mattress, sleep overwhelming her quickly.
"Rest up, Alexandrine. We can finish talking about this when you feel better." Crystal gently holds her friend's hand, and the two share a weak smile.
"Okay." She recedes under the comforter, and sleep comes.
"What are you doing here?"
Alexandrine remembers the first question she asked Crystal. She remembers how much better she thought she was. She was dumb and naive, barely seventeen.
There were twelve Careers, double as many as usual. She led six of them. Led them straight into the hornet's nest.
Her first kill was a girl from Eleven. She remembers the life leaving her eyes as Alexandrine's hands clasped at her throat.
She doesn't remember the pain of losing her hand to a group of mutts. She doesn't remember the rest of her Games. Through the faded and repressed memories, there is one single constant.
Crystal Vine.
Sixty years is a long time to spend alongside someone. But Alexandrine couldn't have been happier.
Through the hard times, Crystal was her rock. When they were interrogated after the 95th, Alexandrine was worried about her friend more than herself. She always wondered how Crystal felt, truly felt about her. Alexandrine knows herself well enough to know she kept how she felt repressed. She never wanted to lose her friend. No, that was never an option.
Maybe it's time to leave it all out there…
Unfortunately, Alexandrine Laurent would never see her friend again. This would be the last night in this world.
President Orion Pitheart stares out the large window that covers the wall behind his desk. Through it, he can see practically every part of the Capitol. At least, the parts a President would want to see. Not the slums, or the homeless, but the wealthy. During the Games, Orion finds himself looking out this window often, watching the parties go on and on into the late hours of the evening. He never partakes in these parties himself, no. He can't waste precious minutes on something so menial.
A knock. Finally.
"Come in." Orion turns away from the window and as he expected, his head gamemaker Cassius Anthou peeks through the crack in the door. A shadow moves behind him, a person the president vaguely recognizes.
"I said come in," He hates repeating himself. His head gamemaker enters, along with another person he recognizes from somewhere. Their name escapes him.
"Good evening. I just wanted to update you on…the search," Cassius' words give Orion little hope that the status has changed since the last time the two of them talked.
"Get back to it. What's your name?" He points to the stranger.
"My name is Calix, sir. I'm a part of the announcer team." He can't help but notice how young they look, how full of hope her eyes are. He wonders how long that will last.
"Okay, Calix. What are you doing with Cassius?" One piece of undelightful news is one thing, but a constant flow of them? Well, Orion doesn't like that.
"I-I was assisting with the search. For…the rebels." They look at Cassius. He can't help you, Orion wants to say.
"She's offered to lend a hand. The more ground we can cover, the quicker we can find them," Cassius explains calmly. Orion nods.
"Well Calix, I hope that stands true," Orion takes a seat at his desk and dismisses the two of them. Calix is quick to disappear, but Cassius takes his time.
"We will find them. Odds are, they're already dead," He says before the door clicks shut.
Orion Pitheart does not fail. The attempted coup at the end of the 95th Hunger Games was barely a setback. In fact, it propelled him into power faster than he anticipated. A welcomed challenge, of course. He secured his spot as President with his genius twist, and suppressed any remaining thoughts of rebellion that remained.
But Orion Pitheart does not appreciate the fact that a certain few have continued to weasel out from underneath him. Conrad Martell and Tatiana Emery. These two names will be the bane of his existence until one party ceases to exist: him or them.
And Orion Pitheart doesn't fail.
Another prologue where we meet a few victors that will play a part in this story. Crystal and Alexandrine were from my 50th Hunger Games, and the Capitol cast we met were featured in the 100th and 101st Hunger Games!
A huge thank you to goldie031 and rising-balloons for beta'ing this chapter. You're both the best.
Subs close in just under a month on March 15th, world building info, interest list, and form are on my profile! I'm posting regular updates on SYOT Verses discord, if you're not a part of it shoot me a PM for an invite!
Till next time.
~Moose