.  from district 10 ...  .

Victoria Rivera

.  victor of the 72nd hunger games!  .

independent &. private &. semi-selective writing blog featuring an original character from the universe of Suzanne Collins’, The Hunger Games
developed by Jess she / her. 20. EST/EDT. _[©]

Victoria was 15 when her name was pulled out of the bowl and called as the female tribute from District 10 for the 72nd annual Hunger Games. She knew that no one would be volunteering for her. Her sister was 19, aged out, and even if any of her friends were willing to take her spot for almost certain death, they’d all made a pact that if any of their names were called, they’d protect and care for each other's families if and when the unlucky participant failed to make it home. She walked up to the stage, and standing there, even among the capitol escort, District 10 officials, and peacekeepers, she’d never felt more alone.Her time in the capitol flew by, the chariot rides, training, and interviews all meshing together into one big heap of fake smiles and rubbing elbows. It wasn’t like she enjoyed the prospect of stabbing people in the back (both literally and figuratively), it was just a matter of survival. She did what she had to do to make it out alive.Her arena was a lot like home, a desert-like wasteland that had little to work with as far as food and water sources. Luckily, she knew how to survive, and made it through by breaking cacti to retrieve the water inside and finding edible plants that she’d studied in training. She only encountered other tributes a few times, and luckily, each time they were alone. She’d call out to them, suggest they work together, then take first watch and kill them in their sleep that same night. Only once did this strategy not work (she has a huge scar on her arm as proof of that particular encounter), and only once did she falter in her plan to kill the unsuspecting ally. It was the 13 year old male district 7 tribute, who’d somehow made it past the cornucopia bloodbath. He was the first she tried her strategy on, but when it came down to killing him, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She left during the night, but when she saw his face in the sky only 24 hours later, she knew she couldn’t bail out again. It was kill or be killed, but a part of her was just glad she didn’t have to be the one to pull the metaphorical trigger on him.When she got back to District 10, she was shocked to find out that her sister had died in some sort of accident. No one could give her details on what had happened, and she was as angry and confused as she was devastated. It wasn’t until months later did her mother finally tell her that Snow had had her killed during her time in the games as a punishment for not killing the boy, which he saw as a form of rebellion against the meaning of the games.The next year, she was a mentor to a strong male tribute and a young weak female one, so even though it hurt her to do it, she focused her energy on who she knew had a chance. The District 10 male tribute ended up being runner up in the 73rd games, due in part to her long nights in sponsor’s bedrooms.