I'm so sad, I had three pages of this typed out and then Word stopped working :( I should definitely learn the art of saving as I type. But thank you, Sailing for my Dreams, for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)
Winter felt like she was in a trance as she walked towards the stage. She felt Kendra's hand on her back as she guided her towards the center, where she was instructed to wave. Her eyes fell upon Carsten, who was covering her mouth with her hand, most likely to cover the sound of her sobs. She didn't dare look for Jacob or her mother in the crowd.
"Excellent! And now for the male tribute!" Kendra continued without missing a beat, with as much enthusiasm as ever. "Adrian Corpita!"
Winter didn't immediately recognize the name, but as a fit looking fifteen or sixteen year old started walking towards the stage—maybe a Career, maybe just a fisherman's son—she thought he looked vaguely familiar. It was better she didn't know him personally, anyways.
After he made it to the center of the stage, as well, Kendra wrapped up the show. "And here are your male and female tributes from District Four! Please, give your lovely competitors a round of applause!" A growing applause was heard from the crowd, but it still didn't seem like enough to drown out the sound of her mother's cries. It rang in her ears, a gut-wrenching sound.
Winter and Adrian were then escorted inside the Hall of Justice, where they were separated and led into different rooms. Winter assumed this is when they would bring in friends and family to say goodbye, and she was grateful for the privacy. After waiting for only a few moments, the Peacekeepers arrived, and with them was her mother.
She was immediately wrapped into the teary-eyed woman's arms. "They can't do this to me again, they can't take away my baby again! This isn't fair! It isn't fair," she cried helplessly against her only child. Being taller than her mother, Winter adopted the comforting position, cradling her head to her chest. She willed herself not to cry. She needed to be strong for the both of them.
"I'm going to try my hardest," she told her, even though she knew it wasn't enough. "Save my place at the table. I'll be back for supper before you know it." She knew it was overly optimistic, and she didn't even really believe the words herself—the male tribute certainly looked like he had much better chances this year—but that is definitely not what her mother needed to hear at that moment. She then detached her mother from her chest and held her by the shoulders, looking her directly in her eyes.
"Don't shut down because of this," she told her in a much more serious tone. "I know it's difficult, but you can't blame yourself. The neighbor kids still need their favorite babysitter. Don't forget to eat, and take care of yourself, okay? I'll be alright, I just need you to be alright," Winter reminded her, hoping she took the words to heart. Her mother nodded solemnly, but Winter could still hear her cries as the Peacekeepers led her out the door and down the hall, and they made her worry.
As she sat alone with her anxious thoughts, the door reopened. This time, it was a teary-eyed Carsten who stood only a few feet away from her. She wore a broken smile.
"I don't even know what to say," she said with a short, broken laugh.
"Seventeen is apparently unlucky number for the Clarring family, for starters," Winter sardonically joked, and Carsten encompassed her in a hug.
"Maybe it'll be tropical," she pondered optimistically. "They haven't had a tropical type arena for a while now. You know how to work the waters, and how to use ropes. Don't forget what you're good at, use it," she instructed. "And don't forget about sun exposure. You burn easy. Find food and shade, and stay alert, okay? You can do it, you can do it if you really try," her voice was shaking. "You can do it."
Carsten finally let go of her embrace, and smiled weakly again. "Now I'm gonna be the one who has to look after Jacob. You know he's gonna be going mad the whole time."
"I know the feeling," Winter reminded her. "But do look after him, okay? And my mom. Please check up on her. And stay safe." Carsten made her promises and then she, too, was led out by the Peacekeepers. After a quick moment of silence there was already another person at the door, and Winter knew it could only be one person.
"Jacob," she breathed, and he was there in a second, engulfing her in his arms.
"I can't believe this, I can't believe it's happening again," he spoke shakily into her hair. "I don't know what I'm gonna do without you, Winnie." It was getting harder for her to breathe with how tightly he was holding her.
"I'm not dead yet," she tried to joke, although the mood was too far gone to be saved.
"I know what you're thinking, Win, but you have to try. I swear to God, if you don't try … I know you've probably given up, but it's not just about you, okay? You have to do it for me. And Carsten, and your mom, and Cindy and Stark and everyone else. You have to try," he pleaded, and she nodded against his chest.
"Don't get caught up in this, okay?" She knew he really thought she could make it if she tried hard enough, but Winter simply didn't hold this same conviction, and she didn't want him to break down when she didn't come back home.
"You make a mean net, though," he joked lightly, kissing the top of her head.
And in that moment, she sincerely thought she could grow to love him. It wouldn't be difficult, and she could definitely be happy. But she didn't have enough time to find out if that were true, to find out if everything would've worked out in the end. She only had now, and the games.
"Take care of yourself," she offered as a final piece of advice as the Peacekeepers dragged him away.
"Don't forget what I said, Winnie!" She could hear him yelling from the hallway. "It's not just about you, you've gotta try! For all of us!"
And then she was alone.
It wasn't long before the Peacekeepers rounded her and Adrian up and they were being filed onto the train. Although she wasn't really poor, Winter still wasn't used to all of the high-tech machinery and different luxuries. Everything seemed so modern and slick; she found it odd to see her face being constantly reflected back to her in something that wasn't a body of water.
Kendra led the two through the carts and to the living space, explaining that they were allowed to drink and eat whatever they wanted, and that today was a day of relaxation before they made it to the Capitol. The room was filled with trays and carts of different foods and exquisite looking bottles, and was lavishly decorated. Winter recognized most of the foods and pastries, but there were still some that were new to her, and despite the entirety of her situation and everything that had happened in the past hour, all she could think about at that very moment was trying all the different foods and flavors. Being chosen to go into a life-or-death situation certainly exhausted her energy, and she was ready to eat.
She immediately picked up what appeared to be a strawberry shortcake, or at least something similar, and began to scarf it down. Moaning slightly at the taste, she didn't waste a single second in devouring it. Yes, she wasn't poor, but desserts still weren't easy to come by. So enveloped in her new found love, she didn't even notice the door at the other end of the room opening.
"Glad to see you haven't lost your appetite yet," a smooth voice crooned.
Embarrassment flooded her veins as Winter quickly swallowed the last bit of dessert that was in her mouth; directing her attention to the origin of the voice, she discovered it belonged to a young, and very attractive, sandy-haired man. He had about the same height as Jacob, but had a more defined physique. Flustered at first, Winter swiftly realized who she was unintentionally gawking at.
"Finnick Odair?" His smile widened.
"Glad to see the people back home haven't forgotten about me," he replied, even though Winter knew that was a ludicrous idea. Finnick was the pride and joy of District Four. The details of his victory were broadcasted constantly during this time of year, and every time he came back to visit after gallivanting about the Capitol, stories and rumors of his trips spread like wildfire. Women swooned upon seeing him, men clamored to train with him; he wasn't just a victor, a survivor of the games—he was a well-loved celebrity, and all before he had even turned twenty. It was all a bit … much, in Winter's opinion.
It made Winter glad to know that Adrian appeared to feel the same, as he scoffed and somewhat sassily retorted, "A bit hard to forget, mate. But still a pleasure to train with you. I'm Adrian Corpita," he stated, and the two shook hands. "When do we get started?"
"Love the enthusiasm, Corpita, but as Kendra stated earlier, today is your day of relaxation. There's not much to do until we reach the Capitol and get to the training facilities. I suggest you take a note from her book," he took a moment to gesture to Winter, the cocky smile returning to his face, making her cheeks flare up once more, "and enjoy what the Capitol has to offer." After swiping an apple from the table and taking a rather large bite from it, he headed back towards where he came from.
The only thought running through Winter's head now was that Finnick Odair was not all he seemed cracked up to be. Coming in for half a minute to greet them, tease her, snag an apple and then leave again? She certainly felt prepared for the life-or-death bloodbath she was about to be thrown into, with a district partner who is already anxious to train and a mentor that can't take her seriously.
All she felt that she needed was to feel the sand beneath her toes again. She needed to feel the rhythmic movement of the water against her skin. She needed to feel the warmth of the sun and the embrace of her mother and friends.
She needed to be home, but she didn't think she ever would be again.
And so there you have it! I'm guessing that if you're reading this, you've pieced together this isn't the first time someone from the Clarring family has been reaped for the Hunger Games. Also, sorry that you only got a glimpse of one of the mentor's, but I promise there will be more of Finnick in the next chapter! Thank you for reading, and please review! :)