Trials and Tribulations

Chapter Eighteen

"So, Juniper! How does it feel to officially be a victor?"

The girl of the hour is sitting next to Ceasar, back on that pristine white chair she had perched in for her interview. She shifts her posture uneasily and plasters a smile onto her face.

"Oh well, I was just over the moon honestly! I had wanted it so badly and worked so hard, it felt like a sort of... validation."

Caesar grins and nods, looking more at the audience than his interviewee. "Yes, you certainly worked your butt off for the title you now hold! Now, I'm sure it felt like a blur to you, and I'm sure you've already forgotten a few details-" Juniper wants to scoff. She would never forget anything she had done in those games. They would be burned into her brain forever, a branding that she could never escape from. "-so luckily we've prepared a treat for all of us! Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we will be sitting with our very own victor of the sixty-sixth annual Hunger Games, and debriefing every little tidbit of the games! We have prepared a three-hour edit of those few days, and we will be going through every second. Now Juniper, there are even a few unseen moments thrown in there for you, just to fill in some holes. Alright then, who's ready for our annual official recap of the Hunger Games!"

The audience cheers loudly and Juniper glances out at the numerous figures, bold clothing all blending together in a mess of colors and patterns, appearing as blurry pictures. Juniper's eyes go out of focus for a moment, and her head spins with the sealing of her fate. This truly is about to happen.

Caesar is already gesturing to the giant screen behind the pair, the screen that previously displayed Juniper's face. Juniper meanwhile is frantically searching the audience until her eyes land on two faces that are in the second row. Finnick is biting his lip, eyebrows knitted together in disdain, eyes glassy. Mags watches Juniper with encouragement, and the old woman nods ever so imperceptibly, signifying her support for the girl.

Juniper huffs and looks back at Ceasar, attempting to not show her anxiety at the task at hand.

"Perfect here we go," Caesar states, grinning widely at the audience. "Let's start where it all began. The bloodbath."

Juniper steels herself as the video begins.

─── ❖ ── ✦ ── ❖ ───

Juniper fades in and out of the scene, thoughts drifting yet eyes not wandering. She casually describes her strategy with the ice and her reaction to the climate of the arena, putting things in as little and simple words as possible.

Her depictions of her squabble with Xenon are unimpressive, not giving Caesar the dramatic battle that he expects to hear described.

"Juniper, this was really the first moment that we saw for something else... this was the first moment that we saw you for what you now are... a victor." Caesar narrates, sending a rippling gasp through the audience.

"... yes I suppose it was. Anyways..."

Juniper moves between points as quickly as she can, not quite letting Caesar hang onto things, not letting him trick her into exhibiting raw emotions directly in front of him and the cameras. She can't say what she really thinks of any of it because then Snow will murder her family.

She talks through her first murder with shaking hands, speaking of Himbry as a person who died tragically, not just the first body on her list. Caesar calls her descriptions noble, and she shoots him a faux smile in return as if his comment means anything to her, as if his opinion truly matters in any way.