Usual rules apply, Suzanne Collins is awesome, and she owns Hunger Games. Arista is mine, and her story is mine.
Chapter 10
I held Coral as her body wracked with sobs. I didn't even try to convince her to stop, because I understood exactly what she was feeling. The reality of her situation had finally been driven home, and now she realized that there was a strong possibility that she would lose. And yet, this is what I had been waiting for. I waited for the fear, because fear would tell her her limits. When I felt her body calm, I led her over to the sofa.
"Have a seat, Coral," I said gently. She perched herself on one end and I sat on the other end with my elbows on my knees.
"What happened down there today?" I asked.
"You know Cato? The boy from Two?" she said. I nodded. Good, she picked up on him as a threat. Maybe her instincts were sharper than I thought they were. "He's an animal," she said.
"How so?" I asked.
"He's…eager to go in there," she said. I raised an eyebrow to her.
"I mean, I am too," she added quickly. "And I know I'm expected to kill. That's been drilled into me for as long as I can remember. I can do it, that's not a problem."
"Ok, so you're not afraid to take a life," I summarized. "What bugs you about Cato?"
"He aims to maim, not kill," she said. I knew exactly what she was talking about. While the goal of the Hunger Games is to kill your fellow competitors, the fact remains that the Games are for the Capitol's entertainment, and they always like a good show. Long, bloody, drawn out battles always play out better than quick, painless deaths.
"Ok, Coral, let me tell you something. Forget about the cameras. Forget about the crowds watching. You need to listen to what's in here," I said, pointing to her heart. "Personally, I despise torturous deaths. I can tell you from experience that it's absolute hell to sit in the Mentor's Box and watch those battles play out, for everyone involved. And at the end of the day, you have to be able to live with each and every one of your kills."
"You won the Fifty-Ninth Games, right?" she asked.
"I did," I answered.
"So you must have killed at least one person," she deduced.
"Officially, I was given credit for three," I told her.
"How do you live with it?" she asked. I sighed. I had snapped the neck of one girl and buried my boning knife into the chest of the other. And then there was the boy from Eight.
"Honestly, Coral, the one that haunts me the most is the final kill. At that point, I was just trying to survive. Up until then, I had made a concerted effort to keep my kills painless and to a minimum," I explained.
"Can I ask about that final kill?" she said. I closed my eyes. I hated going back to that place. There were days when I could still hear his voice and feel the icy water on my skin. And yet, she was a tribute. She had a right to know.
"I tied a boy around the ankle in a pool of water," I said, trying to keep the emotional distance. "I waited on the bank while he slowly drowned." She would know about drownings. It happened more often than anyone liked to admit in Four. "It took him several minutes to die, and the whole time I was waiting for that cannon to go off, I was only thinking about staying alive, not about showing him any mercy."
"But, if you hadn't done that, you'd be dead," Coral said.
"True. But, it's something I have to live with every single day," I said. I needed to get off this topic. I didn't want to talk about my own Games or my own pain anymore. "Ok, here's what I need to know. Who did you eat lunch with today?" I asked.
"I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Hunter managed to get pretty friendly with One and Two, so I sort of tagged along," she said. I couldn't suppress my grin.
"Good. Here's the plan. You're part of the Career pack. I've already been in negotiations with the mentors from One and Two, and your team will consist of Glimmer, Marvel, Cato, Clove, Hunter, and you," I said. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was open slightly.
"How…? But, I thought you hated me," she began. I smiled.
"Did you really think I'd leave you to fend for yourself?" I asked.
"You've already…?" she stuttered.
"Yes. Now, listen. The plan is to seize the Cornucopia, first and foremost. Now, this is the key piece to the rest of your Games, so if you fail here, you're done, got it?" I asked. I was all business again, and I liked it. She nodded slowly. I continued. "The Cornucopia will most likely contain everything you need for basic survival in whatever element they throw you in to. If there's food or water, you'll probably be safe, but I don't want you to eat anything you haven't seen someone else sample first, understand?" I said.
"Why?" she asked.
"Do you know who Haymitch Abernathy is?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's that drunk mentor from Twelve, right?" she asked. I felt a slight pain in my heart hearing him described like that, but I had to remind myself once again that this is how most of Panem perceived him.
"Yes. He won the second Quarter Quell, and in his Games, everything in the arena except the food at the Cornucopia and rainwater was poisoned. The Gamemakers will do everything to keep you well-fed, safe, and protected right up until the launch. Once you're in that arena, they don't give a crap about you. In fact, they'll be actively trying to kill you," I said. "So, just in case anything in there is poison, I don't want you to be the guinea pig."
"Got it. Ok, so how do we secure the Cornucopia?" she asked.
"You'll work within your team of six. I need you to find out who the fastest four are. Those four will have one objective, and that's to get a weapon they can handle. Those four will defend while the slower two grab the loot. Once you have the supplies, you'll have to secure them so that you will have access to them for the remainder of the Games," I said.
"Ok, how do we do that?" she asked.
"That…I haven't worked out yet, but I will. Coral, I want you to listen to me. I can build you a winning strategy, but you'll have to do exactly what I tell you to do, ok?" I said. She nodded again. "My big plan is to build up a series of alliances for you all the way to the Final Two. Then, I'm afraid, it's up to you. But, I like the odds of one in two far better than one in twenty-four," I said.
"Do you really think we can win this?" she asked. We. She had said we. We would win the Games, not her.
"I do, but only with the proper strategy. Now, you leave that piece up to me. What I want you to focus on is learning as much as you can in training. That goes for skills as well as your competitors. Learn their strengths and weaknesses, and try to pick up a few new skills while you're there. The other thing I want you to do is eat well to build up your strength for the days to come. And last, get some sleep. You won't get much in the arena, so take advantage of the safety of the Training Center while you have it," I said.
"So, should I keep having lunch with the others?" she asked.
"Absolutely. Make a big show of it, too. The more tributes that are afraid of you at Launch, the better. If they get too scared, they won't even try to put up a fight at the Cornucopia, which makes your odds a little better," I said. "We'll meet here every night to go over the plans. I won't send you in unprepared." I glanced at the clock and realized Coral was still in her tight black jumpsuit with the number four embroidered on the sleeves. "Dinner's going to be served soon. Why don't you go get changed?" She nodded and stood up. She made it halfway across the room before she turned back to me.
"Arista?" she asked.
"What is it?" I said.
"The sleep thing…how do you force yourself to sleep?" she asked. I sighed.
"Just do the best you can. And if you figure out how to do that, let me know the secret, hm?" I answered. She started to leave, and at the last second, turned and barreled towards me, throwing her arms around me.
"Thank you," she whispered. I hesitated, then returned the hug.
"Go on. Go get ready for dinner," I said. I peeled off the pajamas I was in and was in the process of changing into something more sensible when my phone rang.
"Arista Waters," I said into the mouthpiece.
"Hi, Arista, this is Qwerty Jobs from District 3. I think we should talk. Can we meet at the Winner's Circle tonight?" the voice said. I was glad I was on the phone so Qwerty couldn't see my face. She's been mentoring for several years now, and never once has she reached out to me for anything. Actually, if I stopped to think about it, she had some sort of deep-seeded hatred for District Four that I never understood. I used a hands off policy with Qwerty. I didn't ask her for anything, and I stayed out of her way as much as possible.
"Tonight's no good. How about tomorrow after training starts?" I suggested. I heard her breathe a faint sigh of relief.
"Tomorrow's fine. See you then," she said, and then she hung up. Odd, I thought. I was nearly dressed when my phone rang again. This must be the call I was expecting.
"Did he ask for you tonight?" Haymitch. I let the smile play out on my face.
"No, and if he was going to, he would have by now. We're in the clear," I answered.
"Good, because I want to spend every possible moment I can with you," he said.
"Everyone down here disappears by 9:00," I said.
"I can be there by 9:03," he said. I laughed.
"See you then," I answered. I replaced the phone on the cradle, and I felt like I was on top of the world. Coral hit a major breakthrough today, Snow was staying away from me for today, and Haymitch would be here in just over two hours. I was curious about Qwerty, but whatever she wanted I could deal with. I was done with the intimidating clothes, so for tonight, I selected a pale pink top and pair of wide leg white linen trousers with a drawstring closure. I left my hair loose, letting the curls frame my face.
"Good evening," I said merrily, striding into the common room. I gave Coral a gentle squeeze on her shoulder before taking my usual place next to Finnick. The prep teams didn't eat with us during the training days, so the setting was a bit more intimate.
"Hey, Arista," she said. Finnick looked at Coral and then back at me.
"Does this mean I get to stop mentoring both of our tributes this year?" he asked.
"Oh, so you were giving her pointers behind my back," I said in a mock accusatory tone.
"It wasn't his fault," Coral said quickly. "I asked him to."
"All I did was tell her to stick with Hunter in training. And that she needed to talk to her own mentor," he said.
"It's fine," I said, shooting Coral a wink across the table. I think she was genuinely surprised at my apparent change in attitude.
"Well, it's nice to see some harmony among the District Four team for once," Chase commented, shooting me a look. I replied with one of my own of innocence. I did what I had to do. To hell with him. I wanted a win, and dammit, I was going to get it. I only took a few spoonfuls of my favorite onion soup with melted cheese over the top, but I watched Coral eat with gusto. If I had my way, she'd have a few extra pounds on her by the time she went into the arena.
"Have you two given any thought as to what you want to say in your interview?" I asked casually.
"Honestly, I've been focusing on getting through this one day at a time," Hunter commented. I nodded, understanding where he was coming from.
"Fair enough. Hey, listen to me, both of you," I said, drawing their attention. "Don't worry about what's to come. Everyone at this table will work to the best of his or her ability to make you look phenomenal. That goes for your prep teams, too." The soup course was taken away, and the main course was brought in.
"What is this?" Coral asked, inspecting the food with her knife and fork. I looked at my own plate as soon as it was set in front of me. Filet mignon, baked potatoes, and fresh asparagus in a rich, creamy sauce. My eyes lit up.
"Who ordered this?" I asked. Chase looked at me sheepishly.
"I did. I thought if we fed you something you liked, you might be a bit more…personable?" he said, blushing slightly.
"I'm always personable," I quipped, which was followed by laughter by everyone at the table. I turned my attention to Coral. "This, is by far, the best meal I have ever eaten in my life. The meat is beef, and it's the best cut on the cow." In all likelihood, she had never seen any kind of steak. Livestock was raised in District Ten, a considerable distance from Four. Most of their product went to the Capitol, so hardly ever had any available in Four. Our families grew up eating every sort of critter that grew in the sea. Chicken was a luxury, but beef was something wild and exotic. I watched as Coral picked up her knife, cut off a small piece and put it in her mouth. Instantly, her eyes widened.
"Oh my God…" she said with her mouth full. I nodded to her.
"Good, isn't it?" I asked. She nodded back, her mouth too full for polite conversation.
The rest of the meal continued without incident. Chase was utterly baffled by my new behavior, but then again, he was always clueless. This wasn't the first time I had started off the Games as a bitch, and it probably wouldn't be the last. You'd think he would have caught on by now, but I'm not sure Capitol citizens can see very far past the tip of their own noses. After dessert and a little more idle chit chat, the group retired to their respective rooms.
"Coral, hang on a second," I said. I whispered something to the Avox who disappeared .
"Yes?" she asked, and the Avox returned quickly with a paper cup containing a small, white pill and a glass of water.
"You asked me about sleep earlier," I said. I took the items from the Avox.
"This is a sleeping pill. It's designed to give you a solid eight hours of sleep, with no ill effects in the morning. Now, I know I told you earlier that you need to listen to me, this is a choice that you have to make yourself," I said. This really wasn't a test. If she wanted the help, I was willing to provide it, but I could understand why she might be hesitant to rely on chemically induced sleep. She looked at the pill.
"I don't know…" she said.
"You don't have to take it if you don't want to. It's just an option," I said.
"Have you taken one of these before?" she asked. I sat on the sofa and motioned for her to join me.
"I take them frequently at home," I said. "Usually after a few days of screaming in my sleep. It's the only my mother gets any rest herself." She still seemed hesitant. "Like I said, it's up to you. When was the last time you slept well?" Her shoulders dropped slightly.
"I don't know. Sometime before the reaping," she confessed.
"Try it. If it doesn't work for you, you'll never see it again, and tomorrow's just a training day. Nothing critical will happen, so if you're off, it won't show," I suggested.
"You're sure it won't hurt me?" she asked.
"In case you hadn't noticed, we're on the same team now," I said, smiling. She took the cup, swallowed the pill, and downed the water.
"Sleep well," I said, as she left for her room.