There's a deafening roar and then I turn, finally locking eyes with Riley. She looks so clean and healthy, unlike our time in the arena. But her smile is the same and I find myself running towards her, flinging myself into her arms. She staggers back at the force, losing her balance and taking us both down.
"Oh no, down they go! Looks like Shawn mentored them too well." Caesar jokes, producing chortles from the audience.
I don't pay attention to the crowd. Riley connects our lips in a bruising kiss and all I can think about is how kissing her was like coming home. After about five minutes of almost non-stop kissing, Caesar taps on my shoulder to continue the interview. Without even breaking the kiss or looking back, I push him away. The audience goes berserk.
Finally, Shawn pulls me off Riley, shoving me towards the victor's chair. Usually, it's a single chair for the victor to watch highlights from the Games. This year, the Gamemakers replaced it with a velvet couch, a love seat.
I sit as closely as I can to Riley. She puts her arm around me, letting me curl up against her. My mind briefly flashes back to our time in the cave, where a lot of our cuddling was just to prevent each other from freezing to death.
Riley wears a similar dress to mine, the yellow material complementing my own very well.
"You look beautiful." I whisper to her and she sends me a dazzling smile. "You do too."
Caesar makes a few more jokes and then it's time for the show. As the lights dim and the holographic projection of the Capitol seal appears on the screen, I realize just how unprepared I am for this. The thought of watching twenty two tributes die sounded like torture.
How were the other victors able to face this alone? At the very least I have Riley, but even still I have a strong impulse to run.
I try to think back to previous years. Missy Bradford seemed very triumphant, pumping her fists in the air for each death. Darby Walker went for a cool, collected angle and seemed unfazed for most of the viewing. Farkle Minkus played each death off, no doubt trying to bury his real emotions. Isadora Smackle just seemed stunned, barely reacting at all.
Of course, the other victors didn't have a Capitol breathing down their back, waiting for them to mess up.
Condensing several weeks of footage into three hours is not easy. Whoever puts the highlights together has to carefully select certain scenes in order to tell a story. This year they tell a love story, which is the obvious choice.
The first half hour focuses on the events leading up to the Games: the reaping, chariot ride, training scores, and our interviews. There's a horrible upbeat soundtrack in the background that makes it even worse considering pretty much everyone on screen is dead.
Once the Games start, there's a detailed coverage of the bloodbath. Now I'm able to see what the audience saw, how Riley misled the Careers, stayed awake the entire night under the tracker jacker tree, and fought Cato to let me escape.
I wince at the sound of her scream. Riley gives my hand a little squeeze, reminding me that she's okay now.
Meanwhile, I seemed ruthless in comparison. Dodging fireballs, dropping nests, and blowing up supplies isn't romantic at all. But then, I go looking for Auggie. They play his full death and I have to look away when I know the spear is coming. I glance at Riley and see she's frowning at the screen, eyes full of unshed tears.
Auggie asks for me to sing and they even play my song in full. After I sing my final note, Riley's voice echoes in the background. "She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear, every bird outside the windows fell silent."
"They really do." Riley whispers to me in real life.
Things pick up once they announce two tributes from the same district can win together. If I seemed indifferent to Riley earlier, I definitely make up for it now by finding her, nursing her back to health, and going to the feast for her medicine.
Our confessions of love right before the final battle have the audience cooing, but then the mood is flipped like a switch with the arrival of Cato. The mutts and Cato's death are horrifying to watch the second time around. And then, the moment with the berries finally comes.
"On the count of three?"
"The count of three."
The audience hushes one another, not wanting to miss a single thing. Finally, and not a minute too soon, the highlights end with Claudius Templesmith announcing our victory.
The anthem plays a final time and we rise as President Snow smoothly glides on the stage, making his way towards us. He places the first crown around Riley's head with a smile. He's still smiling when he places the second crown on me, but his eyes are cold and calculating.
There's a quick break and Caesar reminds the audience to tune in afterwards for the final interview.
"We've barely had any time to talk to each other." Riley frowns.
"We'll have all the time in the world when we get back." I say, hoping that my words were actually true.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Someone counts backwards and then we're back, being broadcasted live to all of Panem. Caesar is great as usual, trying his best to make us as comfortable as possible. He and Riley already have this playful manner they established back on the night of the first interview so I just sit back and smile a lot, nodding when necessary.
Eventually, Caesar begins to ask questions that need fuller, more serious answers. "Well Riley, we know from our days in the cave that it was love at first sight for you."
"From the moment I laid eyes on her." She agrees, making me blush.
"But, Maya, what a ride for you. I think the real excitement for the audience was watching you fall for her. When did you fall in love with her?" Caesar asks.
That's a hard question because I'm not even quite sure myself if I'm being perfectly honest.
"I think I was always in love with her, from the day she gave me the bread that saved my life." I nervously fumble with my hands, well aware that everyone in the country had their eyes on me right now. "But I don't think it really hit me until the night that it was announced two tributes from the same district can live, when I shouted her name from that tree."
Caesar nods, urging for me to continue.
"Until that point, I tried to avoid my feelings as much as possible. It was just so confusing and it would've made things so much worse if I actually let myself care for her. But then, in the tree, everything changed." I say.
"Why do you think that was?" Caesar asks.
"Because for the first time, there was a chance I could keep her." My voice rings out in the loud silence.
Behind a camera, Shawn discretely sends me a thumbs up. Caesar pulls out a handkerchief and has to take a moment since he's so moved by my words.
"So now that you've got me, what are you going to do with me?" Riley asks, pressing her forehead into mine.
"Keep you close to me for the rest of my life." I respond.
And when she kisses me, the audience sniffs, letting out little sighs.
Caesar changes the conversation after this, asking us questions about all sorts of things from the arena. For the most part, Riley and I are able to answer everything pretty easily. It isn't until he asks about the berries that I have to respond carefully.
"Maya, the moment you pulled out those berries, I think it's safe to say that the whole country stopped. What was going on in your mind?" He says.
I take a long pause before I answer, collecting my thoughts. One little slip up and it could mean hurting my family. "If there's one thing that I know about this world, it's that you get an extraordinary relationship. I believe Riley is mine, and there was no way I was letting her go."
The audience melts at my words. Riley's eyes are shining and Caesar has to take another moment to compose himself. We finish the interview smoothly after that and Caesar signs us off.
"That was perfect." Shawn says to us.
I nod, feeling like a huge weight was just lifted off of my chest. It was really all over.