A hovercraft appears above me and a ladder falls. Another comes next to it and releases a claw to take Peeta. I take one last look at him and grab the first rung of the ladder. I freeze into place and am carried to the top.
I'll see Peeta again. Once I get back to District 12 they'll have a funeral for him. Or maybe they'll have had it by then. Who knows.
Once I get inside, I'm taken into a room with a glass door and doctors begin to operate on me. A brace is put around my bruised neck, they treat my shoulder and the graze in my arm I got from when Marvel threw his spear at me. When they come to my wrist, they put me under to provide surgery.
I wake up feeling like I'm in a new body. I'm still very dirty, but I can move my wrist. My shoulder feels much better, and my throat barely hurts. I guess the Capitol doctors are miracle workers.
We get to the building of the Training Center, and I'm transported inside to my room from before the games. The Avox girl brings in some bread, and I immediately think of Peeta. I want to throw the bread, but I don't want to scare her.
I eat the bread and try not to throw up by thinking of Peeta. I drift off to sleep, but awake the next afternoon and I can't sleep any longer.
I dress my in the clothes I wore in the arena, and I go out into the hallway. I'll be seeing Effie, Haymitch and Cinna. Here we go.
They step out of the elevator and I immediately fling myself into Haymitch's arms. Don't cry. Don't cry.
He returns the hug and I don't think I could be happier to see anyone else. Surprisingly, he doesn't seem drunk.
"Congrats, Sweetheart." He says, giving my back a reassuring rub.
I hug Effie and Cinna each in turn. I apologize for damaging the flower Cinna gave me, but he's quite forgiving.
Cinna takes me to a different room and my prep team greets me. They strip me down and put me in a bath. The scrub the blood and grime off my hands and nails.
They keep chattering about their favorite parts of the games. When Cato killed Thresh, when Marvel died, when they get to Peeta I just try to tune them out. I won't get angry at them. They don't even know better.
They do my nails and hair. Then Cinna dresses me in a sky-blue flowy dress that reaches my ankles. They give me short heels and do my makeup. They go thick with mascara and eyeliner, and go with a deep red for my lips.
The dress has padding at my ribs and breasts. That makes me a little angry.I look awfully sexy for a twelve-year-old. I don't even look twelve anymore. Maybe a short sixteen or seventeen-year-old.
"Cinna--"
"They wanted you to have some curves." Cinna interrupts. "Since you haven't hit puberty yet, they required that we add some padding at the breasts."
"What about the ribs?" I ask.
"They also thought you were too skinny. They want you to look as healthy as possible for the ceremony tonight."
I'm not good enough for them, though I just won the games. I'd rather stay myself, but I know better than to get into an argument about it.
I wait under the stage for the time for me to show up. Haymitch comes and gives me hug. Seems odd, but I return it.
"Listen," he says urgently. "The Capitol isn't happy about you refusing to kill each other. Mostly you, because you challenged them. And it doesn't matter to them about Peeta because he's dead."
That last sentence feels like a hit in the chest. I really didn't need that.
"You'll have to be careful. I doubt they'll harm you, because you're a victor, but I wouldn't be too sure about your family." His voice cracks at family. What happened to his family?
"I'll do my best," I whisper, though I don't completely understand. They still have a victor, why would they bother hurting my family?
Haymitch leaves to go on stage and is greeted with great applause. It lasts for awhile, but it's understandable. I'm the first tribute he's managed to keep alive since himself.
When I'm lifted up onto the stage, I'm blinded by the lights. The audience is roaring with screams and applause. They love me.
Yay.
Caesar Flickerman makes a few jokes, then we begin. All of Panem will be required to watch this. We will be viewing the highlights of the Hunger Games. All the deaths, in order, and some other interesting parts.
It starts with the bloodbath, each person going down one-by-one. I have to hide my face at Elm's death. How can they expect me to do this?
Rue's death is less painful, but Thresh's crushes me. If the Capitol wants to tear me apart because of defying them, all they have to do is make me watch this.
There are many scenes of the District 5 girl sneakily stealing stuff from other tributes. It seems like she was very cunning. She had quite fox-like facial features and red hair. Marvel killed her brutally.
They cut out the part where I tell the audience I won't kill him, but Peeta's death seems to last forever. I think my mascara is running now. Caesar graciously hands me his handkerchief, and it's now covered in black streaks.
The anthem plays and President Snow comes forward. A small child is holding a cushion with a crown on it and he lifts it to my head and places it on top. He's smiling but I can tell behind his eyes he's planning something. Something to bring me down into submission so that I never rebel again.
Caesar bids the audience goodnight and tells them to tune in tomorrow for the final interview. I go to my room and scrub the makeup off my face and go straight to bed.
I wake in the late morning and eat quickly. Then my prep team comes inside. They don't have to do much, wash the makeup I missed off of my face and apply a new, lighter coat. Probably so if I cry I don't make as much of a mess.
Cinna dresses me in a simple white dress that comes a bit below my knees. He places a matching headband on my head. My hair is left down, and I'm all ready.
I sit on a chair across from Caesar in a private room, with only a crew and no audience. Someone counts down from ten and the interview begins.
"So, Prim," he starts. "You seem much different from the girl you were when you started the games. What do you think about that?"
"You know, Caesar," I pretend think about that for a moment, but I already know my answer. "I think you're right. It's hard to stay the same when so many allies have died."
He nods. "I understand,"
No you don't! I think. You've never been in the games!
"I think things will be quite different when I get home," I continue. "There's not a way for it to stay the same. I've seen death up close, and it's hard to forget that."
"You've never seen death?" He questions.
"Oh, I have!" I reply. "But it's kind of different. I usually try my very hardest to help with the people dying in District Twelve. But in the games, there's not much you can do. If you have something to help, you use it. But, like with Elm--" I choke up.
"It's okay," Caesar sympathetically puts his hand on my bare shoulder.
No, it's not. What is like for Elm's little brother Aspen? His sister Beech? They aren't experiencing the relief I'm sure Katniss and my mother are right now.
"With Elm," I clear my throat. "There wasn't anything I could do. I had to protect both of us, and waited too long to help him. And he lost too much blood."
"Why don't we move on to a different topic?" Caesar says. Sure, I don't mind. We don't have to talk about my pain. "So, what was going through your mind when you volunteered for your older sister? Katniss, right?"
"Yes." I confirm. "I just...I couldn't let her go out there. I mean, I'm no good at hun--finding food, and Katniss is. She could stay and care for my mother." Katniss caring for Mother? Yeah, right.
"Did you ever think you might win?"
"No," I laugh. "Seemed impossible. Still feels like I dreamed it. I mean, I didn't kill anyone. That was--" I breath in shakily. "Peeta."
Caesar seems to sense I'm distressed and ends the interview. "Well, Prim," he says, standing. "Next year we'll be seeing you as a mentor. I'm excited."
A mentor? I feel too young to be coaching tributes who may be older than me.
I go back to my room to get my things, then realize I don't have anything. I'm tempted to leave a note for the Avox girl, thanking her, but I know she'll get in trouble.
Haymitch, Effie and I board the train back to District 12. I briefly get to say goodbye to Cinna before we have to leave. I haven't seen Portia, but that makes sense because she was Peeta's stylist.
I'll be home soon. I'll see Katniss. Mother, Buttercup. But the Capitol is going to destroy me and my family, so how can I be happy?
The answer is, I can't.
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