"Zoya, it's such a honor to have you back on our stage." Ceaser spoke as the interviews rolled around, tradition to have the winner of the last games out to entertain the audience while the tributes of the current year had last minute touch ups, "I mean, you made quite the impact last year. Didn't she folks?"

A wave of loud applause went through the crowd, cheers, and shouts of inaudible words thrown her way. Zoya smiled at the welcoming, while she shouldn't have, she couldn't help but feel so loved.

"Happy to be back." she lied now, looking back toward the blue haired man. Her stylist, from her games, designed Zoya her own personal dress for this evening, the red and black, very glittery, pant suit she wore glistened under the lights tremendously.

"Last time you were up here, you were telling us about your father back home, how you could only hope he would survive it all without you." Ceaser looked at her with a sense of sorrow, "I don't believe I got to tell you how sorry I am for your lose."

Zoya tried to keep from snapping, ask him how he could be sorry when the man he loves is the one who killed him. The audience did the same, with gentle words all running together.

"Thank you." was all Zoya found was safe to say. Peeta watched on the small projector, back stage. He hated that her father was brought up right off the bat, he really hated that she'd been up there at all. Zoya told him last night that she didn't want to do this, because she didn't want to have to pretend like she was perfectly happy just for Snows benefit.

"I take it Rosalind is living with you now, isn't she? The two of you have gotten close, from what i've heard. We haven't seen her in quite some time." Ceaser gave Zoya a knowing look as a rush of yells went through the audience. While Roz wasn't the capital's favorite, she'd still won, and they still missed her, "Do tell us how she is?"

"Well, she's lovely." Zoya gave a forced smile, speaking lies once more. "Aws" came from the crowd as Zoya smiled, "She's done so much for me. After my father, she never let me be alone. I'll give her all of your greetings."

"The friendship between the victors is very strong, I have seen it with you a lot, haven't I?" Ceaser hummed with a raise, as far as the botox would let him, eyebrows, "I'm sure you've gotten a chance to talk to Finnick O'dair again, haven't you?"

Hoots and hollers came from the capitals people at Finnicks name, even his name making their hearts race.

"Well Finnick is my best friend, Ceaser. Of course I've spoken to him." Zoya attempted to be cheeky and funny, though it made her almost throw up in her mouth. The capital ate it up though, laughing like she'd said the funniest thing in all of history, "Finnick is doing well, he is. He's taught me how to make a net, very helpful, you can imagine."

And they laughed again, even though this time she didn't mean to be funny.

"Oh, we do miss the two of you together. Could we schedule another interview between the pair of you? Oh please." Ceaser begged her, shouts and cheers escaping the audience to show their agreement with him.

"Well, we better not steal this years victors thunder." Zoya made the excuse with a smile, because she'd really hated interviews. Even with Finnick, who knew her most, she hated the interviews, "Perhaps after."

Don't slouch, smile the entire time, look alive, pretend you're happy, pretend you don't think about dying every second of the day.

"What is this lovely accessory you have going on here? It it a new look? A trend being introduced tonight?" Ceaser gapped at Zoyas left hand. After last night, when Peeta painted on Zoya, a lion covering the entire top of her hand, the duo realized that the paints Peeta was using came from the infinity colors. They were designed so art work will never smudge or be messed up because they stick immediately and forever. Now, she'd have a lion on the top of her hand for all of eternity.

"Well, those new infinity paints the capitals didn't inform me about, really live up to their name." Zoya grinned as she looked at her hand, "It'll stick forever, so I do hope you love it."

"I do love it!" Ceaser announced with a loud laugh and bounce in his seat, "So edgy, so spontaneous of you!"

"A lion, for you. It's a sign of bravery."

"It's a sign of bravery." Zoya nodded to Ceaser as she quoted Peeta, "The lion."

"And brave you are." he tapped her hand with his, "How's living as a victor treating you?"

If she'd been hooked up to a lie detector test, she'd be saying how terrible her nightmares are, how she can't even walk outside without living in fear, how she mainly had sleepless nights, how it was worse then dying in the arena.

"Lovely."

"That's all you'll give us?" Ceaser gave a gasp of disbelief, "No talk on all the jewels you have? The private train? The marble floors? Give us something!"

"Well, I wouldn't want to get the tributes of this year too excited." she lied with a laugh, making them all laugh once again.

"Speaking of." Ceaser wiggled his eyebrows at her, "How do you feel about this years selecting?"

This was what Zoya was afraid of, because she knew it was coming, and one small mistakes would have Snow her head.

"I think they're an extraordinary bunch. They all had great scores last night, I'm very proud of my two tributes." Zoya nodded her head, surely scoring her points back home and with Snow for talking about her own district. It wasn't all a lie, she thought the boy from her district had the fire the arena wanted. And Foxface with her cleverness, she'd really been proud.

"And i'm sure you've gotten your own taste of District 12? We all know how close you and our 50th victor are after his sponsorship to you last year." Ceaser spoke of Haymitch, but his question came from a card. That's how Zoya knew it wasn't a genuine question, it was her life. Snow threatened her the day before, about spending too much time focusing on 12. Her answer would determine her life.

"Oh, you know I can't talk about other districts, Ceaser." she could only hope that was enough to win them over. Zoya thought about making a comment about District 12, a nasty one that would get Snow off her back. But then she thought about how if Peeta or Katniss had the ability to win, then them and Zoya would be put against each other as enemies for the rest of their lives. She couldn't imagine having to hate Katniss or Peeta, no way.

"Of course, of course." Ceaser patted her tattooed hand again before he gave a dramatic frown, "I'm afraid that's all the time we have this evening."

A wave of sadness and sighs went though the crowd, Zoya faking a pout herself.

"Give it up for the winner of the 73 Annual Hunger Games, ladies and gentlemen! Zoya Butterfield!" Ceaser hollered as the trumpets played, taking Zoyas hand to hold into the air. He hugged her one final time, and Zoya had finally been let from the stage to hurry off.

"Nice save, Butterfield." Haymitch gave her a cheeky grin.

"Please, I feel like I fell into a nest of tracker jackers, where are my clothes?" Zoya demanded as she had her stylist unzip the suit for her, "It's beautiful though, Octavia, thank you very much."

"You'll be proud of him." Haymitch spoke, and they both knew that he'd been speaking of Peeta, "That boy is smart, very, very smart. He knows how to work the system."

"Believe me, i'm aware." Zoya nodded as they headed through the private rooms, "What's he have planned?"

"Oh, you'll see." Haymitch gave a very arrogant grin, taking a sip of his flask immediately after.

•

kylie speaks

enjoy this filler
chapter about zoya
while i brace myself
for next chapter.