Epilogue:

Rachel Verona, 16
Victor of the 150th Hunger Games

"You need to calm down, sweetie."
"No, let me go!"
"We're just trying to help!"
"I need to find DJ!"

The nurses restraining her sighed as they easily pulled Rachel back into the room. A room that felt cold and cramped and way too clean for someone who had been living on burnt circus grounds for several days. She needed to get out of here. Needed to go. DJ. Where was DJ? She had seen the team in black pick up their body. Needed to find them. Needed to say one last goodbye-

"Sherrie, get some sedative. That'll keep her until the doctors arrive."
"No! Don't you fucking dare!"

Rachel didn't know how long she was out for. But when she finally opened her eyes, Lukari and Ramie were sitting on the bed across from her. They both looked exhausted.

"Where's DJ?"
"Let's focus on you first," Ramie said.
"I want to see them."

"What's there to see?" Lukari asked and Rachel knew she was right. Her twin was dead. And they were never coming back.

She just flopped backwards, the pillow caving in around her head. Sure, she may have won. She got to survive and go back home as if nothing happened. And what did it all cost her!? A broken relationship newly mended? The suicide of her twin!?

She didn't deserve to be here.

"Are you alright?" Lukari asked.
"No. I wanna go home."

Rachel sobbed into her hands. She could suddenly feel Ramie rubbing her back. "Hey now, it's okay. You'll be home soon."

Despite how much she missed District 8, the idea of returning to her parents and her older brother and her friends and her boyfriend scared her. What would they think? DJ straight up...straight...ugh, she wanted to say it but she couldn't. They...they killed themself...sacrificed themself...for her. So she could win.

She could practically imagine their blood caked under her fingertips.

"What do I do know?" Rachel asked in a small voice.
Ramie shrugged. "Well, that's up to you. Btu we still have a lot left to take care of."
Lukari nodded. "Right. We've got an interview. But we've been told there was an attack on the Gamemakers during the finale, so it's not going to be filmed live for a public audience, but rather broadcasted."

Oh shit.

"What happened?" Rachel asked in a weak voice.

Ramie picked up a remote and turned on the TV on the other side of the room. A Capitolite reporter was sitting at her desk and holding some yellow papers, pictures of two unfamiliar faces behind her. Rachel squinted. "Wait, that's...that's the District 3 escort!"

"...investigations are still ongoing after there was an attack in the Gamemaker headquarters yesterday shortly after the final of the 150th Hunger Games. One Gamemaker has been arrested on the scene for murder of one colleague and assault of another. The sister of Head Gamemaker Apollo Kariagme is currently on the run. If you have any information on her whereabouts, please report to the number down below..."

Rachel wanted to vomit. "Did I..."
"No." Lukari shook her head. "It was a spur of the moment. You had nothing to do with it. But come on, let's get you ready."

"I don't wanna be interviewed."

Both District 8 mentors laughed. "You'll be fine," Ramie assured her. "Once it's over, you won't have to worry ever again."

Rachel studied herself in the mirror. She had been cleaned up, washed, dried, and clothed. Her hair was done, her makeup applied, her high heels painfully strapped on, and she looked completely different. So unlike herself. If she was anyone else, she probably would never have recognized this girl as Rachel Verona, the Victor of the 150th Hunger Games.

Her dress was a light pink and trailed on the carpet behind her. It has a sweetheart neckline, a string of pearls around her waist, a low-cut back and the addition of soft scarves attached to her wrists and hanging behind her. It was a beautiful dress but not...her. Rachel hated the colour pink.

But she kept that to herself.

She had been given a pair of contacts so she could see better. They felt really uncomfortable and Rachel never imagined that she'd actually miss having her glasses. Well, she could always get a new pair, right? Now that she had the money...

"Rachel! Oh darling, it's wonderful to see you!"

Shit, Rachel thought to herself, but she gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "Hi Tallulah..."
"Congratulations on your win. It's been a pleasure watching you."
"The pleasure is all mine."

Tallulah laughed and Rachel was nearly knocked aside by the camera crew. "Now, sit, sit, sit! It's a shame I can't grace the stage tonight like I normally do, but the show must go on! oh, don't worry, I don't bite! You can sit next to me, you know!"

Rachel glanced behind the cameramen to catch Lukari and Ramie giving her a thumbs up, before they were shoved to the side.

"Lights, camera. Action!"

"Gooooood evening Panem!" Tallulah trilled. "I'm here with the one and only Rachel Verona, Victor of the 150th Hunger Games. How are you doing Rachel?"
"Um...I don't know..."

"Excellent! Now, we have an awful lot to cover."
Rachel fought the urge to groan.

"Such as your little alliance with your twin! it must hurt so much to lose someone you're so close to! Elaborate on your relationship, please?"
"Yeah..." Rachel didn't want to cry in front of a camera. So she forced herself to do the one thing she knew how to do too well. Act.

"I miss them, I...I wish it didn't have to come to that...they...for me...and all I did was act like a brat...I was so unfair to them..."
Rachel trailed off. The pink fabric surrounding her made her want to vomit. Pink, the colour of District 8. Pink jackets stained with red blood.

"But think about it this way! You wouldn't be here otherwise! Now, unlike DJ, you have two kills to your name. That's right, it was Rachel Verona who took down the most feared villains of the arena! How does that feel?"

Oh shit. She didn't even realize Void and Hera had gotten villain edits. "At the time, I wasn't thinking about it. It's a spur-of-the-moment decision. I can't really say much for either of them, I guess. I don't know Void or Hera very well."

"How about the tributes you did know?"

Right. She had an alliance that consisted of more than just DJ. Palatino, Jonathan, Elana, Jenny, Powder...what could she have done for them? Three of the them went down too fast, Jonathan was left behind, and Rachel couldn't convince DJ to not abandon Palatino. If they were alive, what would they think of her?

Salty tears stung her eyes. "May they all rest in peace."

Tallulah faked a sad smile; she was no better an actress. "Now, let's talk about that finale! What a finale it was!"
Something inside Rachel stirred. "No. Let's not."
"But-"
"No!"

The camermen exchanged confused glances as Tallulah suddenly patted Rachel on the shoulder, only for the Victor to swat her hand away. "What part of no did you not understand? I don't want to do this stupid interview, and I don't want to slander my dead twin for your entertainment!"

She ripped off her shoes and threw them at Tallulah. before someone could say something, Rachel hiked up her dress and ran off. She completely ignored the elevator, choosing the stairs instead. And she didn't have a destination in mind. All she did was keep running, ignoring everyone she passed by. the screams behind her were slowly getting fainter, but for a split second, she thought she could hear DJ calling out for her-

Rachel turned the corner and proceeded to bump into someone.

"What are you doing!?" Constance Snow hissed, flipping her blonde hair out of her face.
Rachel finally let the tears pour down her faces. "Help me! Please!"

Constance's eyes softened slightly. Then she reached out and grabbed Rachel's wrists. "Follow me."

The shouts of Tallulah and the camera crew were slowly getting louder. Rachel wanted to cover her ears and panic but she just let Constance lead her until finally, the older girl opened a supply closet and they both hurried inside. Constance slammed the door and pressed her back up against while Rachel covered her mouth, not daring to move until the crowd of people had passed by.

Rachel was panting heavily, but finally, she managed to regain her voice. "Thanks."
Constance was still leaning up against the door. "Do you want to talk to someone who understands?"

"How could you possibly understand?"
"I could say the same for you." Constance's voice was slightly bitter. "I hope you don't think any less of me because I wasn't born this way."

Rachel deserved whatever guilt she felt right now. But that was her old, prejudiced self. She had changed too much, in good ways and in bad ways.
"No. I don't. But I don't know if it makes up for everything else."

Constance shrugged. "It's okay. We all do stupid things as teens when we're young and don't know any better. Granted, you can be stupid at any age. But things change."
"Yeah." Rachel rubbed her bare shoulders. "Nothing's gonna be the same again."

For a moment, they both sat in silence. Then Constance reached out and gently too Rachel's hand. "We can't stay here forever. Would you like me to walk you back to your floor? I'll make sure nobody else bothers you."

Tallulah could still be waiting for her. But if Rachel had the President's granddaughter on her side, then that zany host couldn't do anything about it. "Yeah, that would be nice."

The Games have been over for a day now, and Rachel is slowly getting used to the Victor's life. As you can see, the subplot's really gonna come in play here.

We still have a few more epilogues to go, so in the next one, we'll say our final goodbyes to the tributes. See you all there!

-Vr