Here it is! I must say, I actually dreaded writing this chapter which is why it's on the shorter side. But I'm going as realistically as possible with this situation, so I had to do it. You've been warned.
"Oh, Gale! What kind of favor?" a surprised Jullus inquires. It's evident that he is quite confused that I'm actually calling him; I'm guessing he and I both assumed that would never happen. But given the circumstances he's my best option for getting lots of sponsors as much as I dread what I have to do to get them. I take a deep breath and answer him.
"I need more appointments. As many as possible in the next week." I tell him forcefully so he knows this is not a joke. Yet another thing probably both of us thought I would ever ask for.
A few days after I had won my Games and had received my Victor's crown, I was taken to the President's mansion to have a meeting with Snow. I should have known by the look on Haymitch's face that it wasn't going to be good, but I thought it was just a standard meeting all Victors had with the President. Sure, I hated the man, but what could Snow possibly do to me now? I was a Victor and that made my life and my family's lives easier. I thought the worst was over when I came out of the Games. I was dead wrong.
"Mr. Hawthorne, please sit." he greets me with a fake smile and gestures to the chair. When I comply, I am immediately overwhelmed by an overpowering awful smell. It seems like it's a combination of roses and… blood? The roses I understand because he's wearing one on his suit, but it must be genetically engineered somehow if I can smell it that easily. The blood…well that one I really can't figure out because really that isn't a normal scent to wear to make people think you smell nice. In fact, it does the exact opposite. He doesn't say anything for a moment, just stares at me curiously like he's sizing me up. It makes me feel edgy, and I have the intense feeling that I shouldn't have come here at all. Not like I really had a choice, though.
"Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on your Victory." he eventually states.
"Thank you." I reply, still feeling wary but trying not to show it. There's no way that congratulating me is the only reason I'm here. I can sense it.
"You made yourself quite popular in that arena. The people here in the Capitol love you." He tells me. I just nod in response. Where is he going with this?
"You see Mr. Hawthorne, there are certain…duties that come with being a popular Victor such as yourself." He claims.
"Duties?" I question in confusion even though I really don't want to know. I realize that I will have the duty from now on to mentor tributes, but something tells me that's not what he's talking about.
"Yes duties. You see, popular Victors are loved by the Capitol Citizens, and many wish to spend extra special one-on-one time with them. And me being the wonderful President I am, I give them this option by selling them time with Victors. Do you understand what I mean Mr. Hawthorne?"
"You want to sell me? What makes you think I'll let you?" I spit out in disgust. He can't seriously believe that I'm going to…going to be sold to people for sex.That I'll let him sell me. I'm not a piece of furniture; I can't be bought like one. It's completely morbid and so fucking wrong to sell people, and there's nothing he can do to make me comply.
"Oh I think you will be quite willing. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your family or your 'friend' would you?" he replies with an evil looking grin. When he says that, my mouth drops open in shock. I can't believe he's threatening to kill my family and Katniss if I don't let him sell me. I more than hate him-I fucking despise him, I want to send him straight to hell and watch him burn for an eternity. That's such a low blow- agree or I'll kill those you love. I really don't want to say yes, but I have to. He has me caught, because I will never condemn my family or Katniss to death. And he knows it. Fucking bastard.
"I'll do it." I force out, virtually signing my own slavery contract. He has me in his own form of a snare, and I can't attempt to try to get out of it. Not when killing those I love is the consequence.
"I thought so. You will begin your duties tonight." He smirks bemusedly, "You have done it before, haven't you?"
In response to his question, I nod. Yes, I have had sex with girls before-I'm not known as the King of the Slag Heap for nothing after all. I do have a life outside of school and hunting with Katniss you know. I didn't even think of Katniss as more than a friend until about six months ago, but I ended my trysts with other girls when that happened. But being sold for sex is something quite different than willingly doing it. Especially when the people that I'm being sold to are fucking Capitolites for their pleasure.
"Excellent." he grins in response, "When you leave in a moment your manager, Jullus, will be waiting for you. He will be the one who deals with organizing your appointments and he will be calling you to the Capitol for them from now on throughout the year." Snow informs, and gestures that I can leave with a flick of his hand as he ignores me and goes back to reading whatever he was before I came in. I really want to punch him, to strangle him to death, but I realize I can't. If I did they would probably not only kill me but kill my family and Katniss as well. When I promised I would come home any means necessary, neither Katniss nor I could have ever guessed that it would have to apply to after I won as well. So I do what he says, and attempt to not storm out the door on my way out. But when my hand is on the doorknob, I stop short when Snow speaks again.
"Oh, and Finnick Odair has stayed to aid you in how to correctly go about your duties. You will be meeting with him before your appointment tonight." He adds. Oh shit, not Finnick. The sex symbol of Panem, the one all the girls fall over. Is he really telling me that I'm going to be the new Finnick Odair? Guess I'm going to find out, I think grudgingly.
That first appointment was horrific, and I loathed every second of it. It was a woman of about thirty with blue stripped hair and green skin, with fish scales embedded in her legs. I think she was trying to look like a mermaid or something, and it was really weird and creepy. But I didn't show my complete disgust and put on what Finnick called my 'Capitol Mask' so Snow wouldn't hurt anyone I love. The appointments throughout the year just got worse and worse. Jullus had called me five separate times throughout the year, and I had to go to the Capitol for usually a week every time that happened. I would have at least one appointment a day if not more when I was in the Capitol and I hated every second of it.
The Victory Tour was the worst-I had four appointments in the same day. It's always terrible, and the women that have bought me have been anywhere between the ages of 15 and 60. They always pay me after, probably believing that it will help their guilt for buying me. It really doesn't make me feel better, but I take it anyway. Money for my family is money after all. I've hidden the entire situation from my family and Katniss, and the only person in the District that knows the truth is Haymitch. Haymitch, who happens to be the greatest example of all for what transpires if you piss of Snow. His whole family and his girlfriend we dead two weeks after he got home from his Games because he made the Gamemakers look like fools. He used their own force field to win the Games, and Snow punished him for it. So I don't do anything that would make Snow believe that I am going against his orders, not wanting the same results. But that doesn't mean my family and Katniss have to know the truth. I certainly don't want them knowing, I'm so ashamed that I'm doing it. But I have to-them dying for my stupidity is not an option.
"Are you sure?" Jullus asks me, bewildered that I'm actually begging him for more of the abhorrent appointments.
"Yes. I..I need sponsors. As many as possible." I enlighten him.
"Katniss?" he asks, more rhetorically than anything. He knows that she's part of the reason I do these appointments, and has evidently seen the reapings. He knows that I would do anything to bring her home safe and sound.
"Yes." I answer, not that he really needed the confirmation, "Please, I need her to win. I'll do anything to get her sponsors. Just get me as many appointments as you can." I know begging is pathetic, but I really need him to help me.
"Alright I'll get right on it." he sighs, but I know it's not because he will have extra work. It's because he feels sorry for me, sorry that I have to do this at all. That's what I mean when I say Jullus really is a nice guy. He genuinely cares, despite what his job is and where he's from.
"Thank you." I reply gratefully.
"I'll make sure you have an appointment when you arrive." he promises. "Gale, I'm truly sorry. Really."
"I believe you." I answer sincerely. "See you in the morning."
I hang up the phone and go turn the shower off. I really should take a shower, but I'm so mentally exhausted from today that I just decide to go to sleep and clean up in the morning. God, this must have been the longest fucking day of my whole life. Could it really have been just this morning that I was eating breakfast with Katniss at our meeting place? It feels like a lifetime ago. I guess that's what happens when your life gets turned upside down from one fucking slip of paper. And here I am, frantically trying to make plans to bring her home at any cost. I really don't care what I have to do; it's her I'm worried about. She's the one going into the arena this time, and when she's in there I don't have a ton of control on what happens. But I'm getting ahead of myself-there's still another week before the Games begin. She has the Opening Ceremony, training, scores, and the interview yet. And during that time I'll have more control, including getting her sponsors. I really don't know how I'm going to be able to hide my 'duties' from her anymore though. I'm going to try, but it's going to be difficult with her in such close proximity not to mention the fact that she can read my thoughts and emotions so easily. It's a miracle I've been able to keep the truth from her at all.
Maybe Haymitch can help me with that one. He's already proven to me that he knows I've chosen her when he helped give her time to pull herself together onstage by looking like a fool himself. Hell, he's probably already figured out that I'm taking on more appointments to get her sponsors, but he'll know that I'll still try keeping her in the dark about it. She doesn't need any distractions going into that arena, and that would most definitely be a distraction for her. No, she can't know-she doesn't need to, and I don't want her to. Sometimes it's better to be left in the dark. For sure I wish I was on this one.
Oh yeah, I went there. I warned you it wasn't always going to be pretty. Did you see this coming?