"Evelyn Brinley, better known as Lady Red, victor of the 72nd Hunger Games. Won her games at 15."
"Why Lady Red?"
"Because she always wears red. Oh, and she won her games by burning the remaining tributes alive."
✮
"𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆? 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒄...
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"YOU LOOK LIKE OUR MOM," Evan told Evelyn as she stood next to him. She was still feeling bitter about the rest of the dresses, but she was glad he saved this one.
"Again, I don't think I've aged this much in a few years," Evelyn smiled.
Evelyn watched the interview on the screen, paying attention to how the victors spoke to the crowd. Cashmere and Gloss played the sympathy game. The girl was literally crying as they talked about how the Capitol was their family and how they'd miss them. It was, of course, fake. They both hated the Capitol, Cashmere hated the Capitol more than her brother yet she was the one with the most tears.
Beetee tried to be logical, which seemed to bore Caesar. I don't know what we'll miss more, you or your brain. Evelyn thought that was a stupid thing to say, but nobody seemed to agree with her.
"Alright mentors," Evan said with a hint of sarcasm as Bell and Sasha walked up. "What's the plan?"
"The plan is to make the crowd sob so they cancel the games," Bell muttered under her breath.
Sasha nodded, "Mhm, everyone's jumping on that boat."
Evelyn thinned her lips, "So what do you want us to do? How do we do that? I don't know if you've noticed, but we hate them."
"Play the same game Gloss and Cashmere played," Bell said, "It's not original, but at least it's a tear-jerking act. Try sneaking in something about your mom, Lyn, especially the dress. It might make them feel some sort of sympathy."
The crowd went wild, which meant that Finnick was up. They all turned their head to the screen, where Caesar was talking to the Capitol darling. Evelyn watched as the crowd swooned over the victor. They all loved him. No, they didn't love him. They loved the idea of him. Tall, blonde, and handsome. All of them wanted someone like him.
"Now, Finnick, I know that you have a message for somebody out there. A special somebody. Can we hear it?" Caesar asked, and Finnick turned to look directly at the screen.
"My love, you have my heart for all eternity and if I die in that arena, my last will be of your lips," Finnick said slowly, and all the girls started to go crazy when he finished. All of them thought his message was for them.
It only further proved what Evelyn had known all along: The people in the Capitol were naive and stupid.
"We have seen a lot of tears tonight," Caesar continued once Johanna was on stage, "But I see no tears in Johanna's eyes. Johanna, you're angry. Tell me why."
Johanna rolled her eyes and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Well yes, I am angry. You know, I'm getting totally screwed over here. The deal was that if I win the Games, I get to live the rest of my life in peace. But now you want to kill me again. Well, you know what?"
The crowd was silent, and everybody was watching her as she continued to speak. There was tension in the air, but Johanna either didn't notice or didn't care. She took a deep breath before finishing her speech.
