Author's Note: I'm back! Both stories continue as normal this week and today we're back with the volunteers.

….

The Eighty-Eighth Annual Hunger Games: Amethyst Erdene, District One (18)

She stood at the top of the gothic castle and felt at home. The castle was tall, spanning so many floors and rooms that she had lost count. If she were a weaker tribute, perhaps the exact number of floors would have mattered to her. But she was the strongest, so it did not.

The castle rested atop a steep hill that she could barely see the bottom of. But that did not matter to Amethyst either. She had no intention of leaving her perch.

It was her arena; the alliance was doing her bidding, and she was so popular she knew the Gamemakers were playing her game too. She was unstoppable, it was just a matter of time before the inevitable.

The top of the castle was the location of the Cornucopia where Amethyst had asserted her dominance. She had not needed to kill any of her allies to do so, but they all knew who was in control.

She had killed swiftly and with ease. But that was a formality. Now, she was having fun. She had hanged the boy from Six. There would be no unlikely double victory this year. She had thrown the girl from District Three over the top of the castle and counted how long it took for the cannon to sound. The bottom of the hill was a long way down.

Now her allies were hunting for her next victim whilst she sat with her district partner and waited. Their mentors also provided them with a meal they could enjoy without the jealous glances of their allies who were surely starved of sponsorship funds because of her sterling efforts.

Amethyst's meal came with a note.

"You're lucky the others like me."

Aria. Amethyst's reluctant mentor, in the role because Cashmere was taking an extensive maternity leave to prioritise her daughter. They were different but so far, they had worked well together. Amethyst performed and Aria delivered.

Amethyst thought her mentor was soft. But, she supposed, she had won the Games herself, so there must be an inner strength there at least. The older candidates at the Academy once said that she had pulled herself back from the edge so Amethyst tried to have some respect, although she could not understand how being a victor could do so much damage to someone's life.

Her life was going to be great. She was loving every second already. Everyone knew she would win, and she was planning exactly how.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of the pair from District Two, hauling Amethyst's next victim up the final stairs before they reached her. They had already attacked Eleven's boy, who they were holding beaten and bloodied between their arms. She made them remove his shirt, partially so she could see the damage they had done, and because she had thought the boy rather attractive. She supposed that was why she enjoyed killing him so much. His face and torso twisted in pain as she had her fun before putting him out of his misery. Aria would have hated that.

Seven kills down, equalling the victor's total the previous year. It would be a total she would beat easily as she clicked her fingers as her district partner sprang into action alongside her. They killed the Twos and hung their bodies on display for their allies from Four to see as they arrived back from their hunting trip. They could be left with no doubt what fate awaited them.

It was obvious when Four's tributes offered to lead the hunt the next day that they would escape. Amethyst and her district partner simply let them. There was no point in starting the fight now. They would let them think they had got away with it before hunting them down and finishing the job later.

The pair from One let their former allies live for another twelve hours before creeping up on them in the night. Amethyst hoped for their sake that they were fully dead before she tossed them into the fire she had lit in their hiding place.

The Gamemakers forced the arena to keep them in place for another day whilst they had their fun with the remaining tributes. Amethyst knew they would whittle them down until the best they could offer would be forced to meet her, and the end of their lives with it.

The fire she had started the day previously began to take on a new life beyond her control. Amethyst knew this was Gamemaker interference and the start of the beginning of the end. For everyone except her. She knew the sign and turned on her district partner immediately. He fought back but she was disappointed with how easily he relented, and she pushed him into the flames to finish the job.

Then it was back to the start, at the top of the castle where she stood waiting for her final victim. The wind blew in her face and cast her hair around her as she stretched her arms out wide and took in the moment. She was in her element. It was her domain, and she was watching over it.

She heard the footsteps of her opponent but decided to let them think they had caught her off-guard and with her back turned. She felt the blade of a knife start to reach her outer clothes before she turned and relieved her opponent of the weapon.

Amethyst laughed when she saw the girl's startled face. She laughed even harder when she realised it was the girl from District Twelve. She had no idea how she was still alive. Seventeen, stunted growth, painfully thin and frightened beyond compare. But she had made it this far and Amethyst would give her credit for that.

She realised who the other victors would be cheering for, and she could imagine the scene. The mentors crowding around the station for District Twelve and those star-crossed lovers against the villain from District One. They would be clinging onto each other for hope. Haymitch would be gripping a bottle as he realised what was about to happen. She had been told that he was clever and not a natural ally of District One. He would understand immediately.

Amethyst would dash their hopes and those of the girl as the life seeped out of her eyes and the blood seeped from her veins onto the floor. One's girl cast her broken body over the side of the castle walls, raised her sword in victory and screamed.

….

Aria was staring at her when she woke up.

"Pleased to see me, mentor dearest?" Amethyst chimed.

"You're alive," Aria said.

"And don't you just love it?"

"I wanted you to win. Don't you doubt that. I went out of my way to get you what you needed. When you watch the recap, you will realise how good you had it compared to the others."

"Well, I am alive. I would have thought that was obvious."

"The Fours would have stopped helping you."

"We are not District Four. I am pleased we are not, with the poor showing they put on this year. Cowards, the pair of them."

"We are not Four, no. So, I continued helping you whilst everyone stared at me like I've raised some sort of monster."

Amethyst snorted, "A bit dramatic. You know I am not a monster. You hardly raised me either. I'm not your doing, so you will not be taking the credit for my victory."

"We are the winning team. You take the credit for being the winning tribute. I can be the winning mentor."

"Suits me well enough. Besides, you know me. I'm a queen, not a monster."

It was Aria's turn to laugh, "And you call me dramatic. You can have your moment again, don't you worry."

"I can imagine there will be plenty of moments for me."

"Take it all in, Amethyst. I can be glad the spotlight has moved on from me. Finally, another female victor."

"So they can sell me instead of you?"

"They won't stop selling me. I don't want that to happen to you either. But I'm not going to say I am not relieved that the attention will be shared."

"Maybe someone will share us!"

Aria groaned, "Don't you dare give anyone that idea."

"They will have thought about it already. Fantasised about us. It's hardly a novel concept."

"Are you always going to be like this?"

"I will be how I want to be, Aria. I am the queen of the castle am I not?"

….

She returned to her castle just days later. The Capitol saw an opportunity they could not resist. Amethyst had recovered quickly and had embraced her new role and the persona of the arena's queen. So, they held a victory photoshoot with her dressed in a monarch's regalia, heralding her coronation.

They had brought a throne to the setting of her victory, and she posed at the top of the castle, orb and sceptre in her hands as a crown was placed on her head. The Capitol had involved Aria in the occasion too. Amethyst saw how her mentor left reality for most of the occasion, although there were signs that she remained District One. She turned her victor persona on for the cameras too and the photographs were beautiful.

She sat on her throne, Aria's hand on her shoulder, positioned as the queen-maker. Aria placed the crown over Amethyst's head in other shots and they were pictured side by side, the victor's crown being transferred from mentor to victor.

Then Amethyst was asked to recreate the moments before her victory. She stood once more with her arms outstretched, the wind in her face and she looked even more beautiful than she did before. She felt even more beautiful, stronger than she had ever been, now she officially held the title of victor.

The cameras followed her around the castle, watching as she emulated moments from just days ago. Moments that would now be captured on camera as well as television. Only this time, Amethyst was clean, uninjured, and looking her best. There was nobody else vying for the Capitol's attention. All eyes were on her, and she loved it.

Aria looked distinctly less keen. They were taken into the room where Amethyst had pushed three of her former allies into the fireplace and the young victor was asked to pose on the adjacent bed, at the mirror in front of the dressing table and in front of the fireplace. The implications were clear and whilst Aria knew what the expectations of her victor would be, she found it no easier watching it being presented to them both.

Amethyst appeared unphased and was enjoying the attention. She was already a popular victor having captivated audiences who were eagerly awaiting the crowning ceremony and victory events. Amethyst couldn't wait either. It was the culmination of what she had worked for and the start of her new, glorious life.

…

After she arrived back in District One, Amethyst was frustrated to discover that not everybody living alongside her shared her joy for victory. Even Theodore, the next youngest victor, appeared quite tame compared to Amethyst's lust for living her new life.

Gem was in her late eighties, so Amethyst knew she could not expect the oldest victor of them all to be living the life of an eighteen-year-old. But Amethyst was surprised to find Gem cynical and jaded. Amethyst found instant similarities with Satin, given the nature of their victories. While their attitudes towards the Games remained in step, Satin was also ageing. As much as she tried to deny it through various cosmetic surgeries, she was not the youthful woman she once was and keeping up with Amethyst was not something she could do.

Amethyst found Topaz fun to be around. But she too had a serious side that Amethyst did not expect. She took her leadership of the Academy and the welfare of the candidates seriously. As far as Amethyst was concerned, the Academy taught its candidates to put on a show and as a victor, her role would be to keep that show going. She did not share the same concern for her former peers' psychological well-being. She had come through the Academy and the Games fine, there were no excuses.

Luxor took himself too seriously. At least Topaz could joke about life in the Village, some of the candidates and the figures they would meet in the Capitol. Luxor saw himself as the Capitol's servant above all else.

Amethyst had, unbeknownst to the two other victors, listened in on one of Luxor's arguments with Topaz about how they should prepare the candidates for the realities of the Games. Amethyst agreed with some of Luxor's arguments, but she thought he was wrong about dedication to the Capitol. She had won, the Capitol had provided her with the riches she desired, but that is where it ended. Her service started and ended with the Hunger Games and the arena was over. She was a victor and could live her life how she wanted. She was not going to be a servant to anybody. She loved the attention she received from the Capitol, but they were not going to rule her life. She was certainly not about to spend all her free time thinking how best to serve them.

Cashmere was too caught up in her daughter and Aria to spend much time with Amethyst. But her status as Aria's victor did her some favours. They had been shopping together, in a moment where Cashmere decided she could leave her daughter with Gem and Amethyst found that they had a lot in common. But Cashmere was a mother and had prioritised her daughter and fading from the spotlight above all else. A strong connection with the district's latest victor would not help Cashmere's cause.

Gloss spent a lot of time around his sister, doting on his niece and playing various sports with Theodore. It was clear that was time she should not intrude on so Amethyst left them to it. This meant she spent a lot of time alongside Augustus. She had taken to him being her training partner when Theo was unavailable, and he had kept up his form admirably. They had also been paired together in another photoshoot and Amethyst loved that he loved the attention almost as much as she did.

But despite their different personalities, Amethyst turned to Theo when she could not turn to Aria. She liked her mentor the more she got to know her and knew that she meant well but Amethyst could not relate to her hatred of their lifestyle when she loved it so much. Theo had tried to help reconcile her thoughts, but Amethyst had decided she had to be content with their differences.

"Aria has had it tough, Amethyst. She pulled herself back up from rock bottom. It was dreadful after I came home."

"Everyone is a lot tamer than I had expected."

"A year on from my reaping, Aria tried to end her life. It has changed things around here. I watched it happen."

"I suppose. I admire her for coming back as she has. She was a good mentor to me, I think. Even though she disagrees with my methods."

"I cannot say I was thrilled when you threw my boy into the fire. But I already knew you would win at that point, so I decided not to mind too much."

"Was anybody happy with me?"

Theodore laughed, "Not really. Satin got a kick from it watching at home. You've validated her ways. Only it's taken decades, and the 'Four-way' has taken hold in the Mentors' Centre."

"They seriously take a moral stance in the Hunger Games? They're volunteers!"

"Yes. They make clear they will refuse to help their tributes if they resort to torture, and everyone knows they would follow through with it too. It was Mags' way and I know you've never met her, and I barely knew her, but so much of why things are as they are is because of her."

"The Twos too?"

"More so than us. We would never hold ourselves to such a rule. Aria had to go against the grain in helping you. We were all proud of her here. The Twos would never refuse aid to a tribute, but they would not make their lives easy if they got out. Lyme and Brutus respect Mags and her legacy."

Amethyst sighed, "Everyone is tame. That is what you are saying."

"Not really. It's just that you are the newest. The arena will feel closer. The rest of us have been living our easy lives for years. You see things differently and the excitement of it all fades."

"It has faded for you?"

"A little, yes. I enjoy mentoring and I love the Academy, but it becomes the same every year. The kids get really good, we take two to an arena and most years they both die."

"But that's what it is all about. It is the Hunger Games after all: twenty-four tributes and one victor. I was at my strongest. I have never felt so powerful."

"It is great when it is you, or District One at least. You certainly took to the arena with ease, and it was great seeing you at the end, despite my boy. You deserve your place, but it is not like that every year. The Twos turned on us the other year and we were out within a minute."

"That was pathetic. We should never have been taken by surprise like that. I would never let that happen to me."

"I would not have let it happen to me either. But that is why we are here, and they are not. It is why we teach that scenario in the Academy now too, over and over again."

"I made sure to deal with them again this year."

"We noticed. It was a choice we could easily support. The fire, I could have done without, but it sure solved the problem."

"You're caught up on that fire!"

Theodore laughed, "It just wasn't my favourite moment."

"What was your favourite moment?"

"Of your Games? When you stood there waiting for Twelve, being the queen you are. We knew you felt invincible. I felt invincible when I knew the Games were mine too. It seems you have kept that feeling whilst I did not."

"Why not?"

"Because I came back scared of the dark and that brings you down a notch or two."

"I guess so. I don't hear you screaming in the night now."

"I have worked on it. Some nights I don't sleep. Most I do. You're exceptionally lucky if you don't have anything to deal with."

"I must be the exception. But as you said, I am a queen."

"Come on, Amethyst. Nothing bothers you at all? You have come home, and all is completely fine?"

"It is fine. I am happy. I'm richer than I could have wanted. I have the easiest life!"

"Do you want me to check with Aria? Gem? In case you have not realised yet, Gem knows everything."

"She thinks she does. But being almost ninety will do that to you."

"Nothing gets past her, Amethyst."

One's girl sighed, "Okay, sometimes, not every night though, and most nights it is nothing. But sometimes I see the fire and it's burning me this time. Got what you wanted?"

"I did not want to push, I just wanted to know. And I get it. I wanted to know it was not just me too. But because you're you, no doubt it will be over quickly."

"I should hope so. I don't like Aria's sympathy face."

"But she gets it, more than most. So, you're lucky there too."

"You mean to say Augustus doesn't?"

"Having a victor being scared of the dark was not exactly what he wanted."

"I get that. I would not want that either."

"Neither did I," Theo added.

"But it passed, and we can count on our good skills that we aren't out there in the mines or craft shops."

"We just train the next versions of ourselves."

"I don't think I'll find anyone to be the new me. There can't be anyone else."

"You are the queen after all. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"They would never dare."