Chapter 3: Mentoring, Training and Interviewing
The District 12 group sat silently at the table for a long time. Katniss had long since cried herself out and was now staring mutely at her plate, her food untouched. Finally, Gale spoke.
"OK, so how do we win, Catnip?" he asked. Katniss snapped her head up, a little taken aback.
"Here's how: stay alive," Haymitch warbled, already wasted. Peeta glowered at him.
"Haymitch, not now!" Although Peeta was a little pissed off that Gale had not asked either of them for advice, he knew Haymitch's smartass comments would not endear Gale into asking them for any. Meanwhile, Katniss was tripping over her words as she tried to respond, so Peeta saved her.
"Baby steps, Gale. The first thing you and Prim have to do is make a good impression when we reach the Capitol. You both have to make people like you; that will help you get sponsors. I think both of you can manage that very easily, but you will have different strategies to go about this." His own words even surprised him. He had no doubt Prim would be likable in the Capitol, but Gale… Peeta thought that he should be feeling less amicable to his rival, even if he and Katniss were engaged per the Capitol's orders. Yet, it dawned on him that his own response was genuine. Maybe he wasn't sure whether he personally liked Gale or not, but he knew enough from Katniss to know that the Seam boy was likable. He continued.
"Prim, you remember the little girl Katniss helped in the arena? Rue?" Prim nodded. "I want you to play that angle. Cutesy, sweet. In fact, you have an advantage because Panem already knows about you, at least a little bit. Show them the most endearing sides of you, and I bet at least a couple people will sponsor you."
Peeta turned back to Gale. "Gale, I want you to be aloof. Mysterious. Carry yourself so that you radiate power. Now that I think of it, Panem knows a little bit about you too, being Katniss' favorite cousin. Play that up, as well." Nobody alluded to how the cousin front was a lie, so as to remove Gale as a potential threat to Katniss and Peeta's relationship. Surprisingly, Gale seemed very receptive to Peeta's advice.
"Next order of business: skills that can help you in training. What can each of you do?" Peeta deferred to Prim.
"I can heal people," Prim piped up.
"A fat lot of good that will do you, girl," Haymitch sloshed. "You're in that arena to kill people, not kiss away their boo-boos."
"Haymitch, shut up!" Katniss snapped. Peeta knew that she would never let anyone criticize her sister. He decided to move on before there was an argument. The spats between Katniss and Haymitch were known to be legendary.
"What can you do, Gale?"
"I work in the mines. I know how to operate explosives, wield a pickaxe. And I can hunt just as well as Katniss."
"Way to go, boy!" Haymitch said, raising his glass towards Gale in a toast with a sincere smile on his face. Peeta ignored this and continued.
"Unfortunately, the explosives stuff won't help you much. The only explosives in the arena are the ones underneath the tribute pedestals, and after the trick the boy from 3 and the Careers used last year, I bet access to those has been shut down. If there were bombs and things, District 12 would have a lot more victors. But I digress. There's bound to be at least one pickaxe in the Cornucopia, as well as a bow and arrows."
Throughout all of this, Peeta didn't notice Katniss regarding him and Haymitch angrily. That is, until she stood up and said shortly, "Boys, can I speak with you please? Alone?"
Peeta blinked, before acquiescing and helping Haymitch to his feet. The three victors stepped just outside the train car.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she snarled at them.
"Helping our tributes stay alive, what do you think?" Peeta retorted, trying not to show any anger in his voice.
"No, you're helping Gale to stay alive. What about my sister?" she asked jerkily. Before Peeta could deny the accusation, Haymitch lay a hand on his shoulder.
"She has to hear this, Peeta: Katniss, Prim can't win. She has no skills that can help her in there, as far as I can tell, and tributes who play the cutsey angle almost never win. Besides, no one under the age of 14 has ever won the Games before."
"So, that's it?" Katniss snarled. "You're leaving my sister for dead and placing your hopes in Gale to win?!"
"Sweetheart, wake up! Before your bait-and-switch last time, I spent 23 years having to pick one tribute to get out of there alive - and look at where that got me! It's part of what you do as a mentor, your job. Hell, I chose between you and Peeta last year before the rules changed, and guess who I chose? You!"
This seemed to take Katniss aback and she looked to Peeta immediately. Pity was now in her eyes, and tears swam there. "Oh, Peeta…"
Peeta just shook his head. "It's no secret, Katniss. Haymitch never had to tell me, even after the Games - I knew before we went in, probably because it was my mission too. To keep you alive." He sighed. "Haymitch and I aren't saying we care about Prim. We do - especially me. What is dear to you is dear to me." Katniss gave a small smile, obviously touched by his words. "But they won't let two go out of the arena alive again; there can only be one. We have to make the choice that brings the most odds into our favor; all the districts do." He reached out a hand to her. "Until the arena comes, at least, we promise to help Gale and Prim equally. Even after they go in, we'll help both of them as much as we can until one or both…." He couldn't finish. Katniss touched his cheek.
"Thank you, Peeta," she said softly. "I'm sorry I got angry."
And the three victors went back to join their tributes.
As soon as the District 12 entourage arrived in the Capitol, they were surrounded by reporters. Katniss and Peeta were annoyed by the coverage, but glad to actually take away some of the focus from Prim and Gale, to spare them.
The tributes were sent to their stylists, who employed the fire motif used by Katniss and Peeta in the last Games. Watching the Tribute Parade from stands reserved for the victors, Katniss and Peeta noticed that other districts had also tried to ape this technique. President Snow gave his speech, and Katniss shuddered when she thought she saw him stare right at Prim and Gale.
As soon as the tributes were whisked into the Training Center, Haymitch introduced his protégés to some of the other victors. All were very helpful and eager to show Katniss and Peeta the ropes of mentoring during the Games.
Training for Prim and Gale went better than expected. Gale's knowledge about hunting and some weaponry had attracted the attention of the Career tributes… though for an alliance, not as an enemy. Haymitch encouraged Gale to get in with them.
"Peeta got in with them last year; proved his worth for a time."
"Yeah, and look what happened. In the end, they all died and nearly took me with them," Peeta shook his head. "These Careers must either be barking mad, or they didn't watch the Games at all last year."
"In all seriousness, though, Gale, don't burn bridges with these guys. They may prove of some use to you and allying with them could make it easier for you to kill them later on. They'll trust you; won't be expecting it," Katniss advised.
Gale just nodded. "I'll play it, and see where it takes me." Something about the look in his eye told the victors that he was not sure what path he would take. And they knew why: his loyalty to Prim just might outweigh any inroads he could make with the Careers.
Prim, meanwhile, had memorized all of the plant information, just like her sister, and had even managed to become skilled with a few small weapons. Knives, axes and some small swords.
After their private sessions with the Gamemakers, Ceasar Flickerman presented the training scores on television. Prim pulled a six, which Katniss was lukewarm about ("They could have at least given her a seven or eight…") but Haymitch and Peeta thought that a score right in the middle would attract less attention her way. Gale, meanwhile, pulled a ten, putting him right up there with the most skilled Careers. The men were thrilled ("They'll either definitely want to ally with you now, or kill you outright. Either way, you make it past the Bloodbath, you'll get sponsors for sure," Haymitch crowed).
The night before the Quell began, the interviews with Ceasar were held. Prim went second to last. Ceasar was pleased to finally meet the little sister of the famous Girl on Fire.
"Now, Prim, we all know that your sister has to partially thank you for her fame. Do you think that you can garner just as much attention for yourself on your own?"
"I hope so. But, even then, I don't think I could compete with Katniss. She's the best big sister ever. I love her so much - more than my own life!" The audience awwwed.
"If you die in the arena, what will you miss about your family the most?"
"That I won't get to see Katniss' wedding. But I know Peeta will take care of her, and Haymitch will too."
"Well, let's hope you win then, so that you can be at that family event. Primrose Everdeen, everybody!"
Then, it was Gale's turn. Ceasar and the audience seemed intrigued by him, especially now after his excellent training score.
"This seems to be very much a family affair! A cousin and a sister of a victor both in the Games! Now, Gale, how did you get that training score?"
Gale remained tight-lipped, yet coy as well. "That's between me, my cousins, my cousin-in-law-to-be and the old drunk sitting right there." He pointed to Haymitch in the front row, while the audience roared with laughter. Haymitch didn't seem to mind.
"Your cousin Prim is in the arena with you. Family ties are strong. Will you protect her?"
Gale frowned. "We'll see what happens. I love my cousin, but in the arena, anything goes." There. That aloofness would keep the Capitol - and the Careers - on their toes.
"Well, we wish you the best of luck. Gale Hawthorne, ladies and gentlemen!"
Late that night, Katniss stood on the Training Center roof. Peeta soon joined her in his bathrobe. Opening his arms, Katniss walked right into them. Laying her head on his chest, she began to weep.
"Will I lose them both tomorrow, Peeta?" she sobbed. "How will we ever get one of them out of there alive?"
"I don't know. But somehow we've got to keep them alive for however long we can." Peeta vowed. He cupped his face in her hands and kissed her once, very gently. "I promise you, either Prim or Gale will win this thing." And he rocked her in his arms until she fell fast asleep against him, before carrying her back to his bed.
