Chapter 8

Truth

I blink my eyes as a doctor shines a bright light right into my eyes. I look around and see the faces of all the other tributes.

"W-What's going on?" I stutter.

"We have some explaining to do." Peeta says, slowly, as though carefully choosing his words. "You see, there was really no Hunger Games." I start to protest, confused as he continues, "To you, yes there were, or there seemed to be. I'm bad at explaining this so I'd like you to meet Beetee." A man in a wheelchair comes forward,

"Hello. I am Beetee. I created this Hunger Games as a stimulation. Each of you had your own game, however, they interacted simultaneously. You felt, heard and saw things happen, but they didn't really happen. Everyone is still 100% alive and well. I know this is very confusing, but we didn't want to hurt innocent children, just the evil followers of Snow." he lets this sink in, then continues, speaking now to everyone, "Please return to your rooms, we need to get you dressed and ready to be presented to the world, after the president gives his speech." All of us file out of the room, and I meet Octavia and Tigris in my room.

"We have the most beautiful dress for you, Adriana." Octavia exclaims as she sees me, and Tigris nods energetically.

"Anything you design is beautiful" I reply. My prep is team, so unusual, but they never looked at me like I was Snow's granddaughter, like I was some horrible person. No,they just look at me like any other girl. They start dressing me as I sit quietly, thinking while they chatter.

And my dress is beautiful. It is a blue velvet material, inlaid with milky white pearls and sapphires. My hair is braided down my back, intricately woven with silvery ribbons. Instead of contacts, they give me back my silver-rimmed glasses. My ears are decked with circlets of pearls that match my silver heels with pearls on the buckles. I am beautiful once more as they direct me to wait in the wings of the makeshift stage with the other tributes. The president walks to the podium and the cameras begin rolling as she begins her speech.

"Hello, people of Panem. I have some important things I'd like to address today. First of all, to the parents of the tributes in this year's Hunger games, your children are not dead. This game was a punishment of Snow's followers, not innocent children. Now, I know what you are thinking, I know that you saw them die on the television. But that is electronic, and can be created. We designed a stimulation game that the children unknowingly played. We broadcast the choices they made, and the effects that they had. They made the decisions; we had no power over that. Now, you are probably wondering why we did this. Well, we wanted to punish those people who followed Snow in the same way they punished us. We wanted them to know what it felt like to watch your children have to fight one another." his voice seems to break, but he continues to speak.

"All of the arenas have been destroyed and the games will never happen again. We will not add to the 1,748 children that have been brutally slaughtered in this very form of torture. I hope that you out there who followed Snow, who loved the games for the horrors they held, know what you have been doing to us for the past 75 years." he pauses, letting people really get the full meaning behind what he is saying.

"I'd like to bring out the tributes." We all file onto the stage. The cameras take us all in, alive and well before shutting off. We come off stage and go to the train station, all dressed up the way we are.

As each tribute is dropped off, they are given a basket of food and money. I am one of the last ones off, right after Caleb, who tries to give me a small smile, which I return with a glare. I notice that my basket is larger than the others' and I inquire about this to Peeta, who tells me,

"Even though it was a stimulation, your decisions made you a victor." I nod and start to walk away as Caleb catches up to me. He tries to talk to me but I stop him.

"No, Caleb. Clearly, I am too much of a girl for you. You led me on, betrayed me and tried to get me killed. It was easy for you to lead me on, right? Well, its even easier to get slapped." I say, slapping him. He is astonished, with his mouth gaping wide like a fish. I turn my back and march away, to my father, who envelops me in a hug. We walk home together, father and daughter, like it should be. Things return to normal, well mostly. At home, my dad and I are closer. At school, I am like a celebrity. Mrs. Edgerton gives me extra credit for a presentation on the Hunger Games. I am no longer the outsider, the outcast. And the Hunger Games are history to be taught to the next generation.