"There she is. My greatest triumph!" Celene greets me.
"Our little superstar" she pinches my cheek, making me chuckle awkwardly.
"Sweetie, we've missed you. What a cute little house. So quaint, isn't it?" says one of my designer's helpers, the one who I accused of coming onto me.
"Athena, if you recall" she reminds me of her name and shakes my hand.
"Right" I remember.
"Of course, you've heard about Chastise?" she asks.
"What happened to her?" I ask, slightly worried, for no rational reason.
"Oh, dear, she's a fashion star. You're his muse. Everyone in The Capitol's wearing her. Everyone" she says, excitedly.
I chuckle. Good for her, I guess. "Everyone, huh?" I respond.
"Well, not everyone" says a new voice, Chastise, coming in through the door.
"Chastise!" I greet her. She gives me a hug.
"Anna, is this your boyfriend?" She asks, looking over at Nathan, who'd just come downstairs. Beetee was still in my room, probably organizing drawings he wanted to use for my talent.
"What? Ew, ew, ew! That's my brother, Chastise. Nathan" I introduce.
"Oh, of course. Nice to meet you. Aren't you lucky to have such an angel as a sister?" Chastise chimes, shaking Nate's hand.
"Lovely to meet the woman who put my angel of a sister on live TV half naked. And yes I am, I tell myself that every day" he shakes her hand back.
Chastise laughs. "Funny boy" she comments, turning back to me.
"Are you okay?" she asks me, seriously, putting her hands on my shoulders.
"Yeah" I nod.
"Perfect. Ready to work?" she asks.
I groan. "Not really, but sure" I say.
"All right. Come guys!" she yells at her makeup and clothing teams.
*time skip******
"Welcome! Last year, the 73rd Hunger Games brought us the greatest plot twist of our time. The most beautiful tribute revealed herself to also be the smartest. As a nation, we shared her agony. But we had so little time to revel in her joy!" I hear a voice on the TV while I get ready backstage.
"It's time!" Celene yells, singsongingly.
"She's done, she's lovely" says Chastice, putting some finishing touches on my face.
"Alright, Toni. Now we feed the monster" Beetee reminds me. I nod and go onstage.
Caesar sees me and helps me prepare before going live.
"All right now. Let's go to District 12 and find our Golden Girl!" the TV voice announces.
"Alright, Toni. Keep it light and fun. Big smile for the camera in three, two" Caesar says, getting me ready.
"One... There she is! Antoinette Hart! The Golden Girl, Capitol favorite!" he introduces me.
I smile and wave a bit at the camera.
"So how's it going?" he asks me.
"It is going great here in 3, Caesar. Thanks to the generosity of The Capitol, me and my family has never been happier or safer" I say, happily.
Hopefully the family comment will make it harder for Snow to kill them, but I know he still can.
"Fantastic! Have you planned on settling down with some special someone here in 3?" he asks.
I give him a good fake laugh. "Not yet. Not yet, Caesar. I'm still young, aren't I?" I respond, charismatically.
"Of course you are. And I know for a fact that the people will be glad you're still on the market" he jokes.
I chuckle and give the camera a wink.
Caesar laughs at my behavior. "There's the Toni we know and love. Now... sources tell me, you are quite the artist" he says, smoothly segueing to the talent section.
Beetee told me a while ago about how each tribute was required to have a special talent. After rejecting a few of my more rebellious-seeming talents, he agreed on art.
"Yes, Caesar. Art has always been a passion of mine. And I brought some drawings and paintings for you today" I preface, pulling out the set that Beetee helped me pick out.
Only two were ones I'd drawn myself. And there were two more drawings and three paintings that were most definitely not mine.
Don't get me wrong. Whoever painted them did well. They were beautiful. But there wasn't the sort of depth- the emotion that says its owner has been through hell and back.
"I love sunsets. So peaceful and beautiful. Ooh and this is one of my favorites, this drawing of victor's village, representing the new life I'm so thankful to have" I gush about two art pieces I didn't create.
"Wow. Now that is pure talent. Is there anything you're not good at, Toni?"
"I'd say I'm not exactly the best singer" I respond, acting embarrassed.
"Well Toni, if sound was coming from your mouth, I'm sure everyone would think they were lucky to hear it" he jokes.
"Well if you're so sure of that, Caesar, then clearly you've never heard me sing" I joke back.
He gives me an over the top laugh.
"You really do crack me up. Well, we'll be checking in with you throughout your Victory Tour. Thank you so much, Toni Hart!" he concludes. Then the camera cuts.
"Wonderful!" one of the camera workers comments.
"Everybody in motion. We are out of here in 10" says another.
I chuckle a bit. These film workers are probably so annoyed they have to be here in the districts.
"That was nice acting" Beetee compliments, once I've walked back to backstage.
"'Course it was" I joke.
"Right, Toni. We know you're good at everything" says Nathan, eyes rolling and hugging me from behind.
"Come along, child. We are on a schedule. The train awaits! Fabulous food, fabulous wine, the massages, spa treatments. I told them nothing but the best for my Victor" Celene rushes me.
"It all needs to be..." she struggles to find the right word.
"Fabulous?" I infer.
"Exactly. Now, the schedule is a bit of a bear. 12 days, 12 districts. But it's mostly parties, celebrations, adoring fans to greet you at every stop along the way, and then we wrap it up in The Capitol" she says.
I groan. "Ughhh. I'm tired already" I complain.
She chuckles at me.
The train arrives and I say goodbye to my family and get on.
"All you need to do is give a few speeches, wave to the crowds, and enjoy your time in the spotlight. You've earned it" Celene assures me.
I scoff. "What did you say?" I ask, still annoyed I had to do this whole tour thing.
The whole stupid thing was just one big reminder of my experience in the Games.
"Toni" Beetee warns me to stay nice.
"I said, 'Enjoy it, Toni, you've earned it'" she repeats herself.
"Yeah by killing people" I joke.
"Young lady..." Celene scolds me.
"I'm really not in the mood for a lecture, Celene" I roll my eyes.
"Alright, alright" she puts her hands up in mock defense and walks away.
I can feel Beetee's eyes on me.
"Ughh, I know, I know. I'll apologize to Celene later" I brush off his judgement.
He chuckles. "You don't have to apologize to anybody, Toni" he assures me.
I give him a smile. He probably knows how anxious I am about all this. Sometimes I forget he's done it all before.
"What'd he say to you back there? Snow?" he asks.
"Well he said a lot of stuff. But the main part was that he'd kill my family if I don't make sure the Capitol believes I'm 'available'" I tell him.
He nods and I chuckle at him.
"I'm a smart girl, Beetee. I know why he told me to do that" I say, knowingly.
I figured it out a bit after our conversation. I guess I just didn't really want to believe it. Not that I'd put it past Snow to do something like this.
"So I'm right, then?" I conclude, after Beetee remains silent.
I wonder how many other victors have had to go through this.
"This is a tough situation, Toni. You need to organize your priorities before you get to the Capitol" Beetee advises me.
I breathe out a laugh. "What is there to organize, Beetee? My family's my number one priority. Always will be" I assert, seriously.
"Well, maybe—"
"It seems pretty cut and dry to me, Beetee. Not even you can think your way around this one. Trust me my head has been trying for the past few hours" I say with a chuckle, trying to keep the atmosphere light.
"I'm really sorry about this, kid" he pats my head. I know he feels guilty for all of this.
"Don't be sorry. At least I'm alive. Without your help, I wouldn't be" I remind him.
We arrive in district 12, and Celene prepares me.
"The mayor will make some introductory remarks. And then you just have to say a few words. It's customary, of course, to give a brief eulogy to the district's fallen Tributes. For 12, that's Hilton and Amber. Here is your speech" she hands me a few note cards.
Before I know it, I'm on stage in front of district 12.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Victor of the 73rd Hunger Games: Antoinette Hart!" someone announces me.
"Smile, smile, smile, smile. Stand up straight. You're on camera" Celene whispers to me.
I clear my throat, not used to talking to district crowds.
"Thank you for having me, district 12"
"I'm honored to be here with you today. And to be with the families of your fallen Tributes" I read off my cards, trying to keep my voice strong.
The tributes from 12, I barely even remember their faces before the holograms in front of me remind me. But I remember the fear on them when my pack hunted them down, one at a time.
But I remember my priorities and keep my hands on the cards. Nothing can go wrong during this parade.
"I want to share with you my victory. And my gratitude to The Capitol for bringing me here. It was the help of The Capitol that has become my greatest prize. For it is The Capitol that allows us all to bear our hardships" I read off.
"I also want to share with you... the sorrows of your losses. The Tributes of this district were brave and noble warriors. They brought honor to their families and pride to their people. We are all of us united, both victors and vanquished, in serving a common purpose"
I fight the urge to scoff at the cards. I knew nothing about these tributes. All I know is they made it out of the bloodbath and the careers hunted them down.
"Thank you" I say, ending the speech.