The 150th Annual Hunger Games

The Recap

Just like with my prep team, I don't bother explaining why I don't want to go. If they're to ignorant to know why, then I'm not going to be the person to tell them.

"Well, off we go!" I didn't even notice Ilya standing in the doorway until she spoke up. She guides me out of the room and into the elevator.

•*•*•

I can hear the thunderous applause from above as my platform slowly rises to the stage. Julius Flickerman is laughing at something he said that I must've missed. He's already introduced all of our escorts, stylists, and mentors, etc...I'm too nervous to hear much anyways. I wring my hands to keep them from shaking. All of the commotion from above causes me to shudder.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for...I'm proud to present your two Victors of the sixth Quarter Quell...Janice Senn and Harper Coyle, everybody!" Julius's voice booms on the stage. I find myself on the stage now, bright spotlights flashing on me from every angle, as the massive crowd goes wild. My heart is beating so fast that I start to feel light-headed. I'm frozen as I stand there, staring at the ocean of cheering citizens. Everything seems to go quiet for a moment, but I can still hear my heart betting in my head.

I'm going to pass out!

"...Janice. Janice! Snap out of it!" suddenly, the cheering is loud again and I realize that I'm being held up with two arms. I look up to see Harper's concerned face, "You okay?"

I nod, regaining my stance, "Yes, I'm fine...just a little nervous."

"Aww, there's nothing to be worried about Janice!" Julius breaks in, showing us to a seat. Someone returns Harper's crutches to him as we walk over. I look him up and down to see what his stylist gave him to wear. It's just a simple grey suit, but there's intricate embroidery on the sleeves of the jacket. I smile when I notice that his tie has been noticeably loosened and his hair hair has been messed up. Obviously Harper didn't really like what his stylists did to it.

I stifle a laugh as we sit down on a sofa beside Julius. The crowd grows quiet as the lights dim and I can hear an echoing rumble as everyone sits down in sync, facing the massive screen.

I take a deep breath as the screen flickers to life. The program commences with a recap of the Reapings. I face-palm when I watch pass out on the stage, and the crowd laughs. Then I notice that there's two other screens that have Harper's and my faces on them, so everyone can see our reactions to the video. This makes me even more uncomfortable, because now I won't know how to keep myself composed. For some reason, I feel like I'm supposed to show no emotion whatsoever.

When the Reapings finish, it cuts to the Bloodbath, mostly focusing on Harper and myself. Harper glances at me and holds back a smirk when I fall off my pedestal. I nudge him with my elbow, because I don't want him to be teasing me in front of the entirety of Panem.

The Bloodbath continues with Harper sprinting off his pedestal, straight for the cornucopia. He fights off a tribute for two packs and a trident before taking off towards my pedestal, shouting for Steve, who is trying to lift me up while also holding a mace and sword. Steve...

The first few days fly by quickly, focusing mainly on the Careers, us, and the deaths that took place in that time. Then we reach day four, when Harper almost died from that infection. I give Harper a sideways glance and see him noticeably cringing. At least he doesn't seem to mind what other people will think about his reactions.

The day right after that is what makes me tense up. The day Steve died. They play the whole recording of his fight with Sabrina and her alliance, switching to a different clip immediately after he gets impaled with Sabrina's sword. I clench my fists, hating the Capitol for making us watch this. It doesn't help that they have cameras trained on our faces to make us feel obliged to watch it. This is sick.