Prologue 4-Mentors Part 2

Trigger warnings: small talk about suicide and suicidal thoughts in first POV, transphobic in 2nd POV

~Won't you open up your eyes? Just a matter of time 'til you find. He's no good, girl, No good for you~

Bloom Heavens (18), District 7

Victor of the 7th Hunger Games

Bloom glared at the person that dared to interrupt her not-so-peaceful night. Sh didn't want anyone to see her weak as she had tears streaming down with her hyperventilating as she dared to even mock him for doing this to her as he threatened to kill her multiple times with her worthless crying as they were kinda poor.

"You okay?" her husband, Alec, inquired. His dark brown eyes lingering on her but she didn't bother to look up. This was normal behaviour for him to do so; yell at her a lot, never returning home until very late at night, can't let her get a job (working for a bakery) and abuse her but than he forgives her quickly. Bloom had been a fool.

Bloom and Alec had been together before she even was reaped for the Hunger Games. She defied the odds of her winning against people older, somewhat more skilled she was and returned back home, becoming the first female and victor of District 7; something she was quite proud of but that was before everything changed. Alec proposed to her as soon as she arrived back home in tears since she became close to her district partner, Clay Morris, in a friend's way. They became best friends and Bloom somewhat became attracted to him but broke off their friendship the night before the games. They allied with each other once the competition dwindled to the final eight before a boy from six killed him. Bloom was devastated once she realized that and killed the boy from six soon afterwards. That was her second kill before she killed the girl from four in the bloodbath from crushing her windpipe, causing the girl to collapse and die soon before she even realized it.

It was a tough competition from the days of being trapped in a woodland scenery for the few weeks that passed. Time just seemed to pass by slowly being entombed in the arena with others that were ready to kill her. She escaped death twice from being too reckless by being at the end of sword from a career, and almost drowning by the fast current of the river before someone pulled her out and left before she gained consciousness (since she couldn't swim) and Bloom didn't find that out until afterwards. She just stayed in a tree, mostly becoming drowsy off and on from the lack of water but she was unconscious until she heard a cannon go off and someone exclaiming that she won. Becoming the first fifteen year old to win.

It wasn't until Alec took her aside once she got home with all the people she never talked to or somewhat seen whenever she hung out with a few friends whenever she had a day off which wasn't often. Bloom been a fool saying yes and she married young and wasn't really out of school yet. Bloom should've seen the warning signs of him and her friends telling her to stay away as he was a player and would break her heart.

"Why would you care?" She spat, anger surging through her. "You're not someone who I'd married. I said 'yes' because I loved you but you turned out to be a puppeteer pulling me on strings. I was madly in love with you but you won't let me get a job as you used all my money from my Victory and sold off my jewelry just to have alcohol or beer. I'm done."

"Bloom, you don't mean-" Alec started before Bloom punched him out of anger and walked out on him. Bloom didn't bother looking back as she made her way to a familiar path, one she knew all too well.

The graveyard.

Bloom often visited the graveyard where she knew where all the lost souls from the Hunger Games went. They weren't long forgotten at least to her. She would remember them all even if she didn't know them personally. Bloom didn't bother look at the withered away flowers that lined the gravestones nor the names of the tributes until she paused at one.

Clay Morris, beloved son and a wonderful friend. Died from the 7th Annual Hunger Games, was at the gravestone said. Bloom could recall every word he spoke but there was one where Clay admitted to her, on the train, that he was in fact gay and didn't had no one to say as he was hoping to come out to his family. He was only twelve and was planning to come out to his family as his friends already knew since they were both LGBT or at least that was what Clay told her.

"Hello Clay," She whispered touching the cold marble of the gravestone. "It's Bloom again. I doubt you would listen to me when I say that life hasn't been the same since you died. I actually have to admit that I did had a small crush on you but I guess you didn't feel attracted to me since you're gay. Your last wishes when you reminded that if I win, I would tell your parents that you were gay and you were sorry that you couldn't come back alive to the District…" Bloom trailed off before she continued on,

"Your friends, Timothy and now Zoey, as she liked to be called since she came out as being transgender miss you and I guess we became friends, something I wish you were here to see. I'm here now even though it seems that it's been forever since I last talk to you. I married my boyfriend-Alec and I thought we would have a happy ending like the ones in the fairytales but I was wrong.

"Sure, we loved each other for a year but it wasn't until I realized that we became poorer every month as he would use my money to buy drinks for himself and would come home late. He started abusing me too and won't let me out of the house anymore since he doesn't want me to get a job. It was my fault," She finished, not realizing that she'd been crying until she felt something wet trickle down her round cheek. "Sometimes, I feel like I should kill myself but death isn't inevitable but I'm the only mentor District 7 actually has."

~I run away when things are good. And never really understood, The way you laid your eyes on me, In ways that no one ever could. And so it seems I broke your heart, My ignorance has struck again, I failed to see it from the start, And tore you open 'til the end~

Vernon Gethou (26), District 8

Victor of the 2nd Annual Hunger Games

Vernon huffed as he ran across to the other end of the factory that made peacekeeper outfits which was totally redundant if you asked him but he couldn't complain. At least he wasn't working there anymore ever since he had won his games even though it just seemed totally weird as it was going to be eight years soon. Vernon heard from his girlfriend that they had a new boss and he was quite cruel with those whipped marks across her hands or places where no one could see.

Back in those days when he was working there, they didn't take kindly to him being transgender and would often make remarks about him. He would often get jokes for him being transgender and would often get taken advantage of when he was working there, making sure the peacekeepers outfits were perfect before being shipped out.

Vernon realized that he was a transgender person while he was still under his girl name, "Paige" as he was still in a girl's body before he started cutting his hair short t where it would be considered boyish and saved up to get the sex-change operation which took him years as his job paid poorly but managed to get it before he was reaped when he was eighteen.

His parents didn't react well when he came out to him telling him "he was a mistake" or "he was just confused" but he knew how he felt. Being stuck in a girl's body while he felt more boyish. He went through the games telling everyone that he was a boy instead of a girl and he could remember the late President's voice.

"I've heard some rumours that you've been telling people that you are in fact transgender and would like to be called Vernon instead of Paige," Carstairs said, crossing her arms as her eyes looked at him.

Vernon took a deep breath before he answered her, "Yes… I've always felt like a boy when I was in my childhood but it wasn't until I was thirteen that I felt being more of a boy and started telling people to call me Vernon instead of Paige."

"You were thirteen and you thought of yourself as a boy. Weren't you confused?" the president accused.

"No."

"Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you before you go in the arena?"

"I want to prove myself that I'm able to chase my dreams that I could be officially a boy instead of being called Paige when people greet me especially the escort and the stylists a lot. I feel more connected being a boy and I wouldn't be faking who I really was inside."

Carstairs went reticent for a few minutes which made Vernon panic as he didn't want to be executed in the arena or before. He valued his life thank you very much and she said in a neutral voice, "Alright even though this is kinda a sign of a rebellion and I don't usually get a transgender tribute, I'll let this slide. This is unusual since I have a few papers requesting to change genders and be a male to a female or vice versa. Since you're the first transgender tribute, I'll change the sex and your name to what you are now on the papers and such, Mr. Gethou, as it's too late now."

Vernon couldn't form any words at what was just said. President Carstairs actually approved of him being transgender that was the first. No one really accepted hm not even his friends who abandoned once he was reaped.

Vernon went on winning the Hunger Games with him losing his foot in the process since the Capitol couldn't do anything to save his foot as it was too far gone and had the lack of blood flow. So he now wore a metal foot courtesy of the Capitol and he didn't had to be shunned for being a one legged, transgender person in the process. His games were similar to the first one which he hazily remembered but he was close on not being ineligible but he would have been safe if he was born a few years earlier.

To him, the only thing that just went on constantly was the finale of where it was him and another person from two, battling and was having the same equal strikes but no one succeeding until something furry and had large canines jumped up and took away his competition making him the winner of the 2nd annual Hunger Games. The president indeed kept her word and changed the documents to show Vernon instead of Paige and it hasn't been constant than the way it used to be but he still sometimes gets called Paige instead of his name.

"You made it on time," his girlfriend, Jessamine, commented as she leaned on the withering away tree with its leaves turning a fiery orange or yellow with hints of summer green still on the leaves. "I thought you'd be late just like last time caught up with a 'family issue' as you called it last time."

"Jess, we need to talk," Vernon started as he took a deep breath almost coughing as smog hit his lungs but he ignored the somewhat burning pain. "I never plan to fall in love with you. Ever since my cousins had died during the Rebellion, I told myself I wouldn't dare to fall in love with anyone else."

"Paige, what are you saying?" Jessamine inquired, slipping into his old name which he hated. But judging from the look on her face, she wasn't sorry that she called him that.

"One, it's Vernon, not Paige," He growled out, "and two, I'm breaking up with you. I can't handle this anymore. This broke every principle I made to myself."

Jessamine went quiet and her face was unreadable before she said in a cold voice, "Fine." her voice cracked as she said that and a small tear rolled down her pale face.

He thought he did what was right to him but then why did he felt so guilty?

~I made a deal to sell my soul, But lately I have dared to hope~

Celaena Mellir (25), District 3

Victor of the 3rd Annual Hunger Games

Celaena lit her cigarette as she took a glance at her hand. A few good ones but the other cards couldn't help her win the game. Her money and other things she had lying around was on the line and she wouldn't lose her mother's favourite ring before she died in the Dark Days before she went into the Hunger Games. Becoming the first female to ever win the games and Celaena would bring back another victor home soon, hopefully; but in the meantime, she had a poker game to do.

"Check, bet or flush?" her buddy, Ken Windals, inquired as he scooted his chips over which she assumed, he was going to go with a bet; a risky move when he didn't had much money, food or anything important to get rid of.

"Bet," Celaena huffed and released a trail of smoke which made a few others cough but she didn't care. She pushed most of her chips forward and watched as Irwin and Felicia made amuse expressions as Irwin made his move.

"I flush," Felicia admitted, dropping her cards which made Celaena quirk an eyebrow at the card. It was good which the others soon made the same. It was only Irwin that actually won with his hand. He was most likely bluffing by putting down the highest cards and the deck actually made him.

Celaena bit her lip as she moved the cigarette away from her mouth and extinguishes the small flame with her finger which only hurt just a little bit but barely enough that she was able to fill it. Celaena was lucky that she had some filling in her hand but nothing no one could do for her to feel anything as her entire left arm went limp.

"So, pay up," Irwin commented, holding out his tan hand to which Celaena warily passed over the payment: fifty dollars, her mother's ring, a watch, and a bucket of mixed berries that included blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. "Thank you."

Celaena didn't respond to it and watched as Irwin disappeared from her view, leaving only an empty house with litters of trash, abandon food and drinks littered on the ground like no one cared; it wasn't like Celaena cared either. Celaena though back to the time where it just changed, where she didn't even think twice of having a soul.

Long ago, Celaena actually cared about certain things but it didn't matter. She was only fourteen when everything just falls apart, leaving her alone. She lost her home at the tender age of fourteen, barely even a month before her mother died. Her father's company been bombed and he paid the price soon after of being for selling "illegal" things to aide the rebels or at least that's what the tipper claimed. She remembered her father's shockness as her family had been on the neutral side, kinda reeling on the rebel's side but not showing it for thinking they would be safe but it turned out it wasn't.

Celaena thought her family would've been safe from the deaths, piles of bodies littered the streets with no one to bury the dead, in fear that they would be dead; so the dead bodies stayed on streets with revolting stenches where Celaena barely could breathe or move from her hiding spot in between a few trash cans. Bombs and countless amounts of peacekeepers stormed the streets, killing anyone who had a suspicious background or were caught doing something illegal. Her father was one of the first victims but during that time, they were avoxed and brought to the Capitol for treason. That was the last time she ever saw him, being dragged on the streets with blood dripping down his head, face and his split lip; he looked terrible but he had a small smile as he looked a her one more time and whispered his last words to her, "Be safe, my little ruby, I love you."

Little Ruby, a moniker that stuck to her while she was growing up. It was nice that he actually remembered that name, but she knew what it really meant. It was a somewhat darker tale but if the peacekeepers found out, they would execute both of them. Ruby Galathynius, was the first person to rise up to the Capitol and wanted the United States back, where leaders were chosen into the white house by the citizens before the dreadful war even begun. She was in the history books but it was still an enigma to this day; rumours rose up and people began to whisper about how Ruby Galathynius actually knew about the information, some like "family secrets" or "she was secretly a time traveler", which was one of the most existing rumours there still was. Celaena was almost reminded of her because she looked identical to her with the almond, black eyes, red hair that reached to her mid shoulders, but while Ruby kept hers in her signature bun, Celaena kept hers down. They even had the same albino skin which made people wonder if they were actually related or perhaps Ruby "faked" her death and became Celaena Mellir but there was a wide age gap between the. Celaena was only fourteen at the time while Ruby was in her late forties with countless scars on her face whereas Celaena didn't have any.

It wasn't until two weeks had passed after her father's avoxing, where there was a bombing in the centre of the District, murdering countless of children, adolescents, adults, and even seniors mutilating their bodies where it wasn't even recognizable. Somehow, Celaena was able to recognize her mother's face with her chestnut curls and the ring that only had a single scratch but otherwise fine in the wreck, a ring she had before she lost in the game and her father's watch. Everyone she knew perished in the Dark Days, where she thought she would die from starvation or being close to bombings but she was lucky.

It wasn't until she was fifteen, where the announcement that the rebellion was finally over, District 13 was obliterated in the process, but as an act of treason for the Districts they would be forced to send one male and female into what the Capitol called the events, "The Hunger Games" where only one shall survive against twenty-three others. Three years Celaena was lucky not to be chosen until it was when she was barely even eighteen where she was reaped into the third annual Hunger Games.

Celaena didn't socialize with anyone during her time at the Capitol, mostly trying to stay alive and not get used to the confront that the Capitol brought. Yes, she literally enjoyed the spa treatments that the Capitol had to offer and it brought her confront before trudging on in the arena where the muddy water and the endless amount of pine trees didn't bring anything. There was tons of foliage and rocks for her confront along with escaping the tributes who were starving for a tribute to kill but she managed to get back home alive where her home been but she didn't fit in there anymore. The district had taken more of a stereotypical response that you had to be smart in order to fit in, but Celaena only had a lower than average intelligence as she hadn't been to school since she been nine-years-old before the rebellion broken out to which Celaena stopped attending school when she was nine. Her Victory Tour, however, received mix responses as some were happy but many were angry that she won and not their tributes. She was the first female to win and many people were happy for that. Her district gave her a cold shoulder when she went back home and still hasn't changed much to this day.

Six Hunger Games went and gone since she went in, the district hadn't produced a Victor despite her doing her best and with the District more approach with you have to be intelligent in order to win, which made Celaena angry. Celaena only produced 'bloodbaths' as the people called them as they died at the cornucopia dying by someone older or suicidal. This year she was determined to bring home someone else. Maybe she can get her watch and ring back in the process.

~At first I was afraid, I was petrified, Kept thinking I could never live, Without you by my side, But then I spent so many nights, Thinking how you did me wrong, And I grew strong~

Gabriel Welsey (24), District 2

Victor of the 4th Hunger Games

Gabriel sobbed as he looked at the body of his wife. Poisoned was what the autopsy said, the doctors proclaiming her dead soon afterwards. He'd became more depressed and was close to be suicidal but he hadn't attempted to kill himself. No, he wouldn't give up like that. For god's sake, he was a citizen of District 2 and one of the two victors of the Hunger Games. He couldn't die, no, he wouldn't sink that low.

Not with everyone counting on him. Ever since he had published the second book out of his series, Snow is Red, everyone seemed to fawn over him while he strolled on the sidewalk in the Victor's Village where only him and Sam as she liked to be called, resided in. He wasn't worried about bringing home a victor, though. Sam could do it all by herself while he signed autographs and write the the draft for his next book.

But the series was recommended by his lovely, now dead, wife after someone poisoned her or she did it but she never was the suicidal person nor was she depressed. Lila was just always chipper and would always make everyone feel better, it was the reason why he married her or because she was lovely. Her curly black hair always in a braid with kind blue eyes and a smile always on her face. She was the definition of perfect or at least to him but even her, she had a dark past but Gabriel didn't.

During the Dark Days, Gabriel never felt any loss nor sympathy to others as they chose to rebel against the Capitol. District 2 hadn't suffered much better as everyone was usually pro-Capitol and would kill anyone who would dare even voice or protested in the square but that was what the district called "the massacre" as only about thirty people in total chose to protest in the lower part of the Capitol while he was loading up his gun preparing to shoot them. Back then, citizens carried guns everywhere since the district had handed them out willingly with strict instructions to shoot anyone who was part in the rebellion which would explain why there was no massive drop of population in District 2 before than.

Gabriel shot about a dozen people in total, mostly men that dared to threaten the Capitol but he didn't suffer any mental damage nor did he suffered from any nightmares; it was just peaceful which was how he liked it. He embraced the rewards the Capitol handed out for them, more money which later resulted in building a couple of academies for the District, for the citizens who wanted to train for the Hunger Games, where every district had to send in two tributes, one male and female, to compete in the yearly games. Gabriel had been quite excited to hear the news as District 2 could actually prove that they were better than everyone else.

Gabriel volunteered for the 4th Hunger Games as he was excited and he knew he could win against all the others as he had killing experiences since his parents allowed him to kill people when he was fourteen which oddly enough, didn't affect him one bit. District 2 tributes usually never volunteer unless they had to be crazy or suicidal in the first three games, but he volunteered for the glory and wanting to prove himself for being someone better than everyone else.

He, of course, made a lot of enemies mostly from the old rebels that the Capitol hadn't killed as he threatened to kill them once they step into the arena. It was their fault for rebelling and they wouldn't have to be sent here for their death if they acted quite submissive towards the Capitol and not cause a riot. Five-sixth of the tributes were made enemies with a few of the tributes agreeing that his points were accurate but they were mostly from District 1, his district partner, and District 4 which made an alliance together and swore to become each others allies every year.

During his time in the Games, Gabriel had produced the highest count of kills than everyone else which was only about one-fourth dead from him by killing them mostly during the bloodbath or with a few lucky hunts he made along with the others. With his allies, they mostly made the kills with a few dying from natural causes along the way but him and his allies made a good pack. It wasn't until the final eight until they broke off the alliance, with separating was kinda the dumbest thing; there was still tributes in the arena who were angry and had a small killing spree once the alliance broke apart killing both members from district 1 and his district partner but they died soon by Clover, the district 4 female in that year.

Gabriel and the district 10 male were battling to win, for one of them to die, the other win. It was an exhausting fight as it went on for about an hour before the district 10 male lost his strength and lose his defense which Gabriel quickly killed him with his sword. He watched as his feet were soon covered in blood, watching as the boy die from blood loss, and see him lose conscious before boarding the aircraft.

Right after he won, Gabriel even helped produce some Victors for District 4 for a few years, with a few unsuccessful attempts, as Jem, him, and the escort of District 4 worked together to produce at least two victors, but it wasn't until next year until District 4 made its first victor, Emma Benoit, and the next year after that, it was Dock Johnson, or whatever his last name was. Now, the trio were just acquaintances but gained two new members, Emma and Dock.

"I'm sorry for your loss, she was truly a marvelous girlfriend," a strange man said as he placed his scarred hand on his shoulder. Gabriel looked up to see countless of scars littered his face with one of his eyes being black and didn't look like he had an eye in his eye socket.

"Wife," he corrected, his voice still sounding like he been crying.

"Didn't you know, she and I were boyfriend and girlfriend," he said which made Gabriel gasp. Lila was lucky she died or he would have killed her. Secrets from the grave arise and could possibly be one of the reasons why she died from poison.

Gabriel clenched his fists tightly as he closed his eyes shut really tight was he tried to compose himself but he just felt angry, bitter and betrayed. His wife was cheating on him for some scarred face dude. That was what he got, for marrying young. When she gone out late, she said she was going to get a cinnamon roll with an expresso for them to split, but all this time, his wife cheated on him.

Damnit.

I actually thought the arena would be easy to figure it out as why would you need warm clothes. We have one more prologue to do, and that would be the escorts but I don't think I'll be putting that until for a few weeks so I could get submissions. I have received only 8 submissions so far. Usually, it would be the first district but sometimes I would do the second option as it would fit more better so don't feel bad if the tribute either hasn't been accepted (which everyone could be) or I choose the second option. Submit tributes, don't care how many you submit, and leave a review.

What did you think about the 2nd half of the Mentors?