-Luna Pentti, 18, District 4-
Michael and Port were being fucking ridiculous. It really said something that Blushina was a better strategist than either of them. Luna had no idea why the hell Scarlett let these two buffoons mentor together. It was surely a good thing that the tributes wanted to be mentored separately, because if they were to want to be together, their mentors wouldn't have been able to do it. Luna frankly didn't care about why they avoided each other like the plague, but Nerio was not afraid at all to ask personal questions. It was obvious that neither mentor was going to answer them, and Luna had no idea why it mattered to Nerio.
Luna supposed that her mentor would be next to useless considering it was only his second time mentoring. He tried his very damndest to be helpful, but he really had no idea what he was doing. The only thing he could do was give her advice on the Games, but a lot of the stuff he said, she already knew. Unlike Michael, Luna lived at the Academy. She had been living the Games practically every day of her life. If that wasn't determination, dedication, Luna had no idea what was.
She was going to make her parents wish that they'd never lost her. That was a fact. She was going to make them wish they could tell people she was their daughter. They'd never be able to, though. She'd make sure they never called her their daughter. She wasn't. Not anymore. They treated her like absolute shit, and driven her out. They put all their faith in Helios. Nobody could compare to the perfect child. He was young and adorable, full of potential, he was strong and fast, he had a chance to be successful. Luna was never anything but chopped liver. She was going to make them regret the years and fucking years of emotional abuse they put her through. She was going to show them that she was strong, she was talented, she was worthy, she was fucking amazing, she was everything Helios was and more! She was fucking good enough!
Luna couldn't count the number of times they'd made her feel that way when she was young. She couldn't count the times they compared her to her younger brother, she couldn't count the number of times they told her she wasn't enough.
When Luna was younger, she spent so much time crying. She spent so much time hiding in her room, under the covers, trying to hold in the tears. She felt pathetic for crying. She hated it. Her parents yelled at her when she cried, they laughed at her. She was left wondering why she wasn't enough for them. She wondered if it was because she was a girl. If it was because she was weak and cried like a fucking girl. Helios wasn't a girl, he was a strong man. Luna could never be like him. He was the perfect child and she was just the piece of garbage that had nothing on the side. She spent so much time feeling worthless, too much time.
Luna saved herself. She single-handedly pulled herself back the fuck up. She didn't need anyone to save her. Maybe there was a point that she did, but nobody was fucking there for her. She saved herself, she got her confidence without any help, and she was proud of that, dammit! She was strong, she'd overcome abuse and adversity, she was a survivor. She didn't need anyone to tell her she was good enough anymore. She didn't care what other people thought because she knew she was fucking amazing and that was what mattered. She didn't care. She couldn't care about people. Other people only brought with them pain. She was done trying to impress people that would throw her off to the side. She deserved better. She deserved so much better.
She proved herself. She trained, she practiced, she fought. She was fearless, she single-handedly earned her spot to volunteer, and she was going to win. She was going to lead their ragtag little Career alliance to Victory and nobody could stop her.
Nerio went to watch the reveal of Training Scores with Chance, so Luna sent an Avox to invite her allies to watch it with them. Well, some of her allies. Ester's invitation must have accidentally been lost along the way somehow. What a shame.
Dania was the first to arrive. She and Nona came together, as Nona said that Wickia had taken over the Second Floor. Miya and Roxanne came up together, but without Attila. Luna wondered why they didn't just come together to save elevator energy, but it was beyond her. The girls got some lemonade. When Attila arrived, his mentor wasn't with him. However, he wasn't alone. Ester smiled at the others and gave a wave.
"Hey guys!"
Luna was as salty as the green ocean in which the trainees learned to swim. She couldn't believe Ester was here. The District Eight girl, to Luna, was not much more than a liability, a scapegoat. She may have been smart enough to moozy her way into this alliance, but she was not going to have any power whatsoever. Luna wanted to strategize without her, but knew that showing any of that might put more of a fracture in the alliance before, and that was the last thing Luna wanted.
"Hi Ester," Dania said. "Hey Attila."
The boy from Ten gave a wave. Luna wanted to wring his neck in that moment. He took a seat next to Luna, Ester plopping down happily on his other side.
Luna could respect Attila, but she couldn't respect Ester. Attila was in it for the honor. Even though he got swindled, he had heart. Luna admired that about him. She felt the same way. She was especially interested in his tattoos. That showed his pain tolerance, that was for sure. Plus, they were cool to look at. Luna had always been interested in tattoos and that sort of thing that Capitolites did.
Luna caught her gaze resting on him and quickly turned back to the television.
"How do you guys think you did?" Miya asked.
"I think I did the very best I could," Dania said. "I left some carnage."
"Me too," Luna said.
Ester didn't say anything. It took everything in Luna not to smirk. Everyone knew she was the weakest link. Before long, Piccolo and Viola appeared on the screen.
"Good evening Panem!" Piccolo chirped. "And welcome to the Announcement of Scores for the 125th Hunger Games!"
"This is so exciting!" Viola added. "For the past three days, the tributes have been training diligently. Alliances were formed, and some of the tributes started to feel the heat. I think we're in for a fierce Games, don't you?"
"Oh, for sure!" Piccolo said. "Without any further ado, the scores!"
Viola beamed at the camera, flipping her ponytail as she read the first tribute.
"From District One! Chancellor Magnusun! With a score of… Ten!"
Miya let out a low whistle. Luna wasn't sure why she was so surprised. Chance was obviously extremely strategic and extremely accurate with his weapons of choice.
"And, from District One, Wicke Valentine! With a score of… Eight!" Still not surprising. Dania's District was next. Luna noticed a hint of nerves in her expression as they announced her District partner's score.
"From District Two, Wicke's partner in crime, Acacia Blasdell! With a score of… Nine!"
"And, her lovely District partner Dania Lidano! With a score of… Nine!"
Miya gave a slight woop and bumped Dania on the shoulder, who was smiling proudly.
"Good job kid," Nona said, from her place up on the couch. Dania's grin widened, if that was possible.
"From District Three, Becquerel Pierre! With a score of… Seven." That one was surprising. Bec hadn't done much during Training, but now he was proving to be a threat with that score.
"And, from District Three, Kaelys Deinard! With a score of… Wow. Seven!" Wow was right. Luna had no idea what the hell she managed that. She made a mental note to watch out for her.
"From District Four, Nerio Thames! With a score of… Eight!"
Luna was simmering. She wanted nothing more than to outscore her airhead District partner. Not only was he a replacement for Cruz, who would have been so easy to manipulate, but he was barely taking any of this seriously.
"And, District Four's lovely Luna Pentti! With a score of… Nine!"
Luna couldn't help but be proud. She was finally starting to prove her skills. Soon, everyone would know her as the Victor of the 125th Hunger Games. She was going to make her doubters regret underestimating her. She was going to make them regret everything. Michael gave her a thumbs-up and Dania rubbed her shoulder.
"From District Five, Joule Barode! With a score of… Five!"
"And, from District Five, Dyna Hoalburn! With a score of… Five!"
"From District Six, Rigley Fidler! With a score of… Four!"
"And, his lovely District partner, Desiree Menghiasi! With a score of… Two." Luna's eyebrows shot up as the picture of the fifteen-year-old faded. Desiree had been training with weapons and traps. Of all tributes to receive such a low score, she was certainly the most surprising.
"Wow," Miya said. Everyone was surprised, it seemed.
"From District Seven, the dashing Syca Gallen! With a score of… Four!"
"And, Little Red Riding Hood, Persei Holloway! With a score of… Five!"
"From District Eight, Semper Celandine! With a score of… Three!"
"And, of course, Ester Perliam! With a score of… Six!" Just as Luna had suspected, a tidal wave of awkward crashed across the group. Luna knew she was going to score significantly lower than the others, which is why she didn't want to invite her up. Nobody knew what to say. Ester seemed pretty disappointed she scored so low but hid it well.
"From District Nine, Jasper Pearce! With a score of… Four!"
"And, his partner in crime and sassy District partner, Juniper Fisher! With a score of… Six!"
"Next up, our other volunteer, Attila of the Windy Plains! With a score of… Woah, ten!" Roxanne whoops and Ester gushes, grabbing Attila's arm and congratulating him. Luna couldn't help but scowl. Ester had no business being all touchy touchy with him like that. It was just… Ugh. Stupid.
"And, his District partner, Miya! With a score of… Eight!"
"Alright, atta girl," Roxanne said, squeezing Miya's shoulder. Dania rubbed the Ten girl's arm and said, "Good job Mi."
"Thanks!" she said, smiling. Even Miya, the lowest-scoring Career, had outscored her by two. Which didn't seem so bad, but on a scale of one to twelve, it was a significant difference.
"Next, we have District Eleven's Oleander Kirk! With a score of… Four!"
"And, who could forget, his District partner Daria Junius! With a score of… Woah, six!"
"Bullshit," Luna said, immediately. There was no way such a little girl, a little Capitolite girl, could score like that. Surely there was some grade A bullshit involved in giving her such a bad score.
"Don't mind it," Dania said, "They'll see who's really stronger when we hit the Arena."
Luna sighed. She liked the Capitol, but it was a bit annoying that the fifteen-year-old from Eleven got the same score as their weakest link.
"Next, from District Twelve, Jacques Noir! With a score of… Six!" Luna raised her eyebrows. That was certainly a surprise.
"And, finally, from District Twelve, Ashlyn Bayard! With a score of… Two."
Wow, somehow the quiet boy nobody cared about outscored his District partner. Luna definitely knew who to peg as a threat now, that was for sure. It was a very educational, eye-opening event, and Luna was ready to plan her strategy.
"So, I think we know who to watch for now," Miya said. Her optimism was unwavering, that was for sure.
"The power couples that thought they were so cool for leaving," Dania said. She seemed a little bit salty. Maybe she thought Acacia would stay loyal to her because they were from the same District. Maybe she thought Acacia and Wicke were her friends. Who knew? Luna was pissed that they left, but she knew why they would. The idea of eight trained tributes trying to cooperate sounded like a nightmare.
Luna was glad that Nerio left, but would have liked to keep a couple of the powerhouses and weed out the weak. However, there would hopefully be strength in numbers as they almost broke even with five. Five against two was still a three person advantage. Even if Miya was reaped, the girl knew what to do. Attila was a powerhouse, and Dania was extremely ferocious. Luna knew exactly what to do. Four trained tributes on two was still a comfortable advantage. She wasn't worried about facing either of the Capitol's sweetheart couples.
The alliance stayed together, the mentors with them, relaxing and eating tea. Miya suggested that they go up to the top floor and play something, and, because Luna wanted to stay on her allies' good sides, she went with them.
After all, she had a lot of practice to do being sociable and sucking up before interviews and a party within the coming days.
-Joule, 18, District Five-
Joule watched the Private Scores with his mentor Tim and his escort, Maxim. Maxim was nice enough, Joule didn't love him but didn't hate him either. He was pretty aloof, it seemed, often lost in his own thoughts. He seemed like the kind of guy Joule could have a conversation with over tea, a very deep thinker. Joule liked to think he was a deep thinker too.
Joule, as was the usual, felt a bit like a fish out of water. He had scored pretty close to the middle of the pack, and while all the other tributes had alliances and strategies planned out, Joule had no idea what he was doing. He talked to Riggs a bit, but nothing was official. Not to mention Nerio was just so easy to get along with. He seemed to like Joule, but was attached by the hip to Chance from District One. How was Joule supposed to compete with that? He couldn't help feeling like maybe, just maybe, he had a shot at allying with Nerio. It would be the best way for Joule to get home to his fiancé Rilah.
After the announcement of scores, Maxim went back to bed. Tim asked if he had other questions, but seemed tired, and Joule knew that he'd have plenty of time to ask questions later. He simply shook his head, and Tim went back to bed.
Joule couldn't say he didn't like being in the Capitol. His closet was full of comfy clothes, including the soft, thick wool sweater he was wearing. The shelves were full of books. Joule was pretty well-read by District Five standards, but that was absolutely nothing compared to these works. Instead of spending his nights sleeplessly awake in his bed, he'd gotten a book and some hot chocolate and read. That night, he started a new book called The Scarlet Letter, apparently a rewrite of a story that was written thousands of years ago. It was pretty interesting, and Joule really liked it.
The more he read about Hester and her daughter Pearl, two outcasts, the more he felt the urge to talk to Nerio. He didn't want to be alone in the Arena. He didn't want to be an outcast. He wanted to be successful. He decided he would go up on the District Four floor and try to get Nerio to ally with him. It would be hard to convince him, but Joule thought they were pretty good friends. Maybe Nerio had a thing for him, even if he was acting with Chance. Maybe he could weasel his way in.
And, if not, the worst thing Nerio could do now was say no. In the Arena, that wouldn't be the case.
Once he'd read the last word of the book, it was about eleven forty-five. He got on the elevator and went down a floor. He suddenly wondered if Luna would be there, and considered going back up. Maybe this was stupid and he was running on a whim. Maybe this would only end in humiliation. Maybe he should turn back before it was too late.
The doors opened and the Common Room was empty, so Joule stepped out. He tiptoed to where he figured Nerio's room would be. Maybe he'd be angry I woke him up… Joule thought. He couldn't help the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Joule knocked on the door.
The first thing Joule noticed about Nerio was that he slept shirtless. He didn't seem too tired, though, luckily, and he smiled when he saw Joule.
"Hey there!" he said. "What brings you here?"
"I was hoping to talk to you, actually," Joule said. "If that's alright…"
"Of course." Nerio let him in, sitting on his bed and patting the spot next to him, where Joule sat. "What did you wanna talk about?" His smile reminded Joule of Rajai.
He swallowed hard. "You're allying with Chance."
"Hm, I suppose. I mean, a lot of it is an act."
"Yeah… I noticed. I just wondered if… Maybe… You'd want to… Ally with me."
"…With you?"
"Yeah. I mean, yeah, it's stupid, but… Why would you be fake romantic with him? We seemed to be a pretty good team in training."
"Hm…"
"I don't have any romantic attraction to guys. I don't think… I mean, um, I'm not really sure but…"
"I like you, Joule. You're a nice guy. I think that, in any other place, we'd be friends."
Joule might have actually been getting somewhere… "Oh, I think so too…" Joule's eyes wandered to Nerio's arms, and his sculpted abs. Not even Rajai had those.
Not here, Joule… he scolded himself, quickly shaking his head. Nerio had said something, but Joule didn't even hear the words.
"What was that?" Joule sounded so stupid, he was sure of it.
The corner of Nerio's lips went up in a small smirk. "Y'know what, it isn't important."
"Sorry. It's just a little bit late, y'know…" Joule scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it." Nerio had a glint in his eyes that made Joule lose all of his inhibitions. It was just too tempting. The chances of him dying were pretty high, and it felt right. Joule made the first move, wrapping his arms around the District Four boy's shoulders and going for the kiss. Joule had that same nagging in the back of his mind that he always had when he did things like this, but he shut it out. Neroi kissed back, quickly.
If this is how I get him to ally with me, so be it, Joule tried to justify. But he knew in the back of his mind that he was filling his own desires.
Nerio was a much different kind of kisser from Rajai. Much more mellow, less urgent. He didn't try to push Joule off when the Five boy moved on his lap, but the fight for dominance was far from over. Joule had forgotten how good it felt to kiss, and how fucking amazing it was to have calloused, hard-working hands yanking off his clothes. And holy fuck, the grinding. Joule had no idea how desperate he was for it until it was happening, and he lost all his patience. The moment his sweater hit the floor he pinned Nerio to the bed and tugged his sweatpants off. Joule could laugh and play around a bit in bed, but at the same time he was desperate as fuck.
"Man, you have no bedroom etiquette, do you?" Nerio laughed, his breathing becoming ragged as Joule's kisses went lower and lower.
"I'm not very patient," Joule said, peering up at him with smug, predatory eyes.
"I suppose if one or both of us is going to die there isn't much room for patience," Nerio said. Joule quickly stripped his underwear off, and the rest of was history.
.
Joule knew as soon as it was over that he'd made a mistake. Nerio hadn't given him a solid answer about allying, and it seemed that he never would. As soon as Joule caught his breath he got up, putting his clothes back on, and hurrying back to his floor. He knew he'd made a mistake and was already regretting it.
He took the elevator back up to the fifth floor. He snuck out of the elevator, tiptoeing to avoid waking anyone, but was surprised to see Common Room flickering with the dim light of the television. Tim was there, a piece of cloth stretched out across the floor. Tim looked up and locked eyes with him, and his mentor's expression immediately became sad.
"Tim-"
"Joule, you might want to take a seat."
"What?" Joule sat on the floor and felt the weight of a blanket being wrapped around his shoulders. Tim handed him a mug. Joule was confused. Tim was a nice guy, but why- he was on the screen.
"They… They aired it as soon as they could compile and edit it." Watching himself cheat, Joule felt repulsed. It didn't take a genius to know that this would be the talk of the Capitol. They were the only tributes to have had sex. The Capitolites would feast on it. Joule couldn't do anything but stare at his mentor, totally in shock. He couldn't imagine how hurt Rilah must have been. He could only pray she wasn't awake to see it. Tim's voice was soft and gentle when he said, "I'm so, so sorry Joule."
He had no idea what to say. He couldn't imagine his fiancé, who was probably watching all the time, waiting for Joule to get back, making sure he was okay. And this is what she'd see. Joule had always known somewhere in the back of his mind that someday it would come to this. It was ten times worse than what he'd been imagining he'd feel like.
"You wanna help me make a blanket?" Tim asked gently.
"Huh?" Joule felt totally numb.
"Here, you take this part here and you tie it." He showed Joule where the edges were cut into strips, two fabrics layered on top of each other. "Trina taught me how to do this. It helps me when I have nightmares about my Games. Gives you something else to think about."
"Um, sure." Joule, still shaking slightly, took a sip of hot chocolate to calm his nerves before sitting across the blanket from his mentor. Tim showed him how to tie the two pieces together with each tassel. Joule felt better working on the blanket. Tim turned off the TV, lighting the dark room with the gentle light of a lamp. Joule felt horrible, but the methodical motion of tying the blanket made it slightly more tolerable.
In the silence, Tim started to hum. Joule worked silently. The more time passed, the closer to tears Joule felt. Soon, Tim started to sing.
"Oh, watch the stars, see how they run…
Oh, watch the stars, see how they run…
The stars run down, at the setting of the sun.
Oh, watch the stars, see how they run."
Joule listened, and soon his hands stopped working when he couldn't swallow the tears any longer. Joule dropped the blanket and started to cry. He was about to stand up and leave to keep from disturbing Tim, but it was too late. Tim crossed the blanket and sat next to him.
"Oh God…" Joule sobbed. His heart was breaking. He hated himself for doing this. He hated what he'd done to his fiancé. He hated it.
"It's okay," Tim said, but they both knew it wasn't.
"What the hell is wrong with me?!" Joule sobbed. Tim reached out and rubbed his back gently. It was comforting to know that he wasn't alone.
"There's nothing wrong with you."
"Why the hell can't I feel sexual attraction for my own fucking fiancé!?" Joule sobbed. He had been suppressing these feelings for so long. Too long. "What's wrong with me!?"
"Nothing," Tim said, sternly and quietly, like a Dad. "Sexual and romantic orientation can be two totally separate entities."
"I must be broken!" Joule sobbed. "I have to be fucking broken! I love her! I love her but I don't want to fuck her! What's wrong with me?!"
"Joule, you can still love her even if you don't want sex with her," Tim said quietly.
"I'm a fucking cheater!" Joule sobbed.
Tim just rubbed his back. He couldn't say that Joule wasn't. That'd be a lie.
"This isn't necessarily the end," Tim said. "You can still be honest with her. You might have to put off your engagement for a while until you get that trust back, but if you come clean you can still save what you have."
Joule didn't answer. He just had to let out his sadness, and Tim understood that. He rubbed Joule's back while the boy cried. Joule cried for a while, until he felt like he had no tears left. He was exhausted, but didn't want to sleep. After he quieted, he silently picked up the blanket again and continued to tie. Tim got the message, and went back to his side. Tim went back to humming, and Joule appreciated that. It filled the silence nicely.
"Hey Tim?" he interrupted. His voice was hoarse from crying, but he thought he should ask.
"Hm?"
"Have you ever considered being a father? Like, for real?"
The man's eyebrows shot up at the question. "It was a consideration, once. I decided not to, though. I wasn't ready. I was still having Games nightmares, I couldn't care for a kid. And I couldn't make Trina do all the work."
"You wouldn't have to have a baby. You could always adopt or something."
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you'd be a great father."
Tim smiled gently at him. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." He went back to his blanket-making, and Joule did the same.
Joule had fucked up, that was for sure. He had no idea what he would come home to. Maybe he'd come home to nothing. An insistent Rilah, who would never give him another chance. But, he had to try. If there was a grain of hope that they could still get married, that he could be honest and they could mend things, he was going to give it his best shot.
For the moment, though, he couldn't help feeling so hopefully. Tim was extremely kind, but that didn't change anything.
Joule would always have the scarlet letter on his chest.
All he could do was fight and try his best to fix things. Hopefully it would be enough.
~.~.
A/N: Yay, another chapter! I hope you liked this chapter. I hope the plot was enough to carry it, even though it's shorter than some of others have been! I hope you liked this second look at Luna and Joule!
So, things heat up! And now we're at the Interviews! Ahh I can't wait to show you all what I have in store, there are still plenty of feels to be had before we hit the Games!
Anyways, I always like to know what you think of my updates and any predictions for the future are! There is still more drama to go before we hit the Arena!
Chapter Question: Do you think Rilah will ever consider taking Joule back? Which interviews are you looking forward to seeing the most?
Next chapter we hear from Chance and Dyna for the first half of interviews! See you then!