Chapter XXXIV

                                    

                                          
You had no choice but to follow Coriolanus's lead and take the podium, even though you could hear Garnett's whispered sobs behind you. 
Coriolanus had a radiant smile on his face as you approached him. He stepped aside to let you take your place and started to walk in the direction Doctor Gaul had to observe you from afar. 
You looked across the open area in front of the mansion, in awe at how many people had shown up for the celebration. Looking at them from the podium was an entirely different experience. It was more than you could've possibly imagined. 
As you took your hand-written speech from your pocket, you remembered you hadn't had a chance to make the editorial changes you wished to because Alice had distracted you. The piece before you was not your thoughts but Coriolanus Snow's. He was lucky there was such a large crowd of you would've been strangling him. 
Your mouth went dry when he said your name in front of the Capitol citizens, as well as anyone in Panem who might be watching. Doctor Gaul was on her way to making viewing the games mandatory, but for now, only the tour celebration in the Capitol was. 
He wasn't supposed to disclose you had come up with those suggestions. As he approached Gaul, she was seething with anger at his inability to stay on script. 
You knew he had only revealed your influence so Garnett could hear it. 
Garnett might've found out years from now when you became a Gamemaker, and books were published with your name alongside the suggestions, but that was unlikely. Coriolanus wanted him to know now, not risk waiting for something that might never happen. 
You could see him mouthing excuses to Doctor Gaul. He was most likely telling her since you had been promoted, which you had no idea about until his speech, that you should be given credit since you were now an apprentice. She wasn't buying it, but the conversation was saved for another time as they diverted their attention to you and waited for your speech to begin. 
The one you had written didn't make much sense now, as it wasn't about your feats as an intern and why you had decided to make Victor's responsible for mentoring their Districts' tributes. But, you needed to offer the people an explanation. More importantly, you needed to try and explain yourself to Garnett. 
"It is an honor to speak in front of you all today," you started slowly, your voice trembling with fear as it carried across the courtyard. "I was privileged to work under Doctor Gaul after my tribute's victory in the 15th annual Hunger Games. But, I realized that my time as a mentor taught me more than a lifetime as a Gamemaker ever could." 
You could feel Coriolanus's eyes on you now, like daggers digging into your flesh. You had gone off script much more severely than he had, and he was pissed. 
"When I was assigned my tribute from District 2, Garnett Daybreaker, I was terrified. I was given a boy around my age who had been slowly going blind for years, and I must admit, I almost accepted defeat then and there. However, I learned that it is not who wins the games that the people remember. No, it is who wins our hearts. And Garnett won my heart." 
There was a chorus of cheers and heartfelt emotion from the crowd with your last sentence. They had fallen for him, too, but not like you had. 
You took in a deep breath before you continued, hoping you had enough strength to make it through. "I had never met someone like Garnett before, and I doubt I ever will again. I wasn't prepared for what it meant to be a mentor because I had to learn what it was like to live Garnett's life. I didn't know what his home was like, where he attended school, if he was even able to, and I didn't know about his family. I came to learn all that and more in just a few days. Then, I had to send him into an arena to fight for his life."