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Pete Vermont, 40
District 10 Mentor and Victor of the 125th Hunger Games

"We're going somewhere, right?" Ace prodded for the tenth time. "I'm tired of sitting in my room all day!"

The entire District 10 team, Pete, Sadie, Ace, Merona, and Prisma were all sitting in a limos with tinted windows that presented them from looking outside. Pete had been the first one awake when Apollo sent him a notice stating that the Games were being pushed back an extra day due to unforeseen circumstances and there would be something provided for the tributes to do. Except there was nothing to do and they had spent all morning cooped up on their floor.

"I think we should be here by now," Pete mused. He rolled down the window. "Oh look."
"A carnival!" Ace gasped and Merona's eyes went wide. "Look, a Ferris wheel!"
"Have you ever been on a Ferris wheel, Ace?" Prisma asked.

"Well, no...but I want to! It looks so much fun!"
"I'll go with you," Merona laughed, grabbing Ace's hand. "I bet you can see the whole Capitol from there."

The limo stopped, the doors open, and everyone hopped out. Ace and Merona immediately took off in the direction of the Ferris wheel, with Prisma following close behind. Sadie, who had been too busy calling sponsors to eat a proper breakfast, left to find something to eat. Pete wandered around a bit, until he found a small cafe where some mentors were sitting. Hyacinth and Bluebell from 11 were together, discussing things. Armand, the District 6 escort, was texting.

Pete just took a seat in front of District 3's Gibson LePaul. He was busy staring off into space with a latte. "Hey, Gibby."
"I thought I told you not to call me that, Petey."

"Ah, for old time's sake. Where is everyone?"
"Palatino went to the roller coaster with his allies. Byte's with sponsors. Not sure where Hera went and don't ask me about Artemis because I haven't seen her in a few days. Also, there's a band playing tonight and they apparently want me to perform with them. Big fans or something."
"Is that so? Where's your guitar?"

Gibson took a sip of his drink. "Somewhere very, very secret so you can't get your grubby hands on it."
"I'll just get Byte to tell me."
"You wouldn't."

They both laughed, before Gibson's smile suddenly turned serious. "There's this rumour going around you might have something to do with Ace. They think he might be your son."
Pete twisted a strand of curly hair around his finger. "It's nothing like that."

To the public eye, Pete Vermont was a quieter Victor, full of wisecracks and one-liners who rarely ever dropped his stony facade. His eyes were always hidden by a pair of sunglasses, such as the pair he was wearing right now, so his emotions could never betray him. No Victor ever got a break, and being a Quell Victor was worse. At least Gibson could fade into obscurity eventually.

"Pete, man...I am so sorry. I didn't mean to pry..."
"It's crazy to think I was his age when I won."
"Does it have anything to do with his parents?"

Pete shrugged. "Remember that band I had with my brother? His dad played with us. Thay McCree wasn't the last person, I'd expect to settle down, but...the kid was nuts, wearing all this leather and taking crap about his parents any chance he got. Always thought he was gay, so it was a bit of shocker. Anyways, his first wife died, so he remarried an old school friend of mine. Lovely woman she is, they were really happy together. For five years anyways."

"I'm starting to guess none of your bandmates ever get a happy ending," Gibson sighed. "Look at you. Look at Thay. Look at Paul."
"You may be onto something."
"You ever gonna tell Ace?"

Pete's eyes drifted over to the Ferris wheel. "Probably. If he really wants to know."

Gibson opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the shrieks of random Capitolite women who began to crowd around them, screaming at Pete. "Oh my god, it's you! The Quell Victor! You must be so excited, it's another Quell! Hey, are you still single? You should try me! What are you doing with this Victor? Are you actually gay lovers? Hey, when I was a little kid watching your Games, I really thought your brother was hot-"

"Can I help you ladies?" Pete asked, hiding the exasperation he felt. "Would you like a picture, perhaps?"
One picture soon turned into five or six. Pete kept his cool, but he just couldn't wait for all these women to leave him alone.

Gibson cackled. "Wow, I'm a Victor too and they never pay me this much attention! You must be so lucky!"
"Would you like to switch positions?"
"Nah, I'm good."

Louisiana Tenor, 19
District 12 Escort

"Aren't you tired?" Louisiana asked. "You've been on the roller coaster at least three times already! Also, it's late. Let's go get something to eat."
Jenny shook her head. "Not hungry."
"Me neither," Powder laughed. "Come on, Jenny, let's go."

They ran off again. Louisiana chuckled, following Henri down the boardwalk. "Isn't this fun?"
"I suppose."
"You seem worried. Is something bothering you?"

Henri sighed. "I don't know. It's just...Louisiana, if it hadn't been for you, I would've given up. After our last escort quit because she was sick of Bunting getting drunk all the time, I thought I wouldn't be able to handle mentoring alone, because an escort's always been there to help me. And then, just two weeks ago, they finally told me someone took up the spot..."
Louisiana frowned. "That can't be right. I sent my application in the second the spot opened up."

"I don't know either, but I don't blame you. I was a bit nervous that you'd see how hopeless we are, but you've been nothing short of stellar ever since we first met. You've done everything you can to make Jenny and Powder comfortable; I see it in the way they look at you. You're nice to me...it's weird."
"Why is it weird?"

"Because..." Henri paused, then continued. "I'm not...I'm not used to it, I guess? I'm used to...to pity. People pitying me to make themselves feel better. I lost both my parents when I was twelve, and I had to take care of my younger brothers as well. People would always tell me how sorry they were, but never actually help me. I used to rummage in trash cans for scraps, and everyone would be all 'Oh, that's so sad!' but they'd never give me the scraps I needed to feed us."

They were both standing at the edge of the carnival, far away from the music and lights. Henri gently took Louisiana's smooth hands into his own, calloused and brittle. "You don't pity me. You don't see me as Seam street urchin trash. I feel like...like, when I told you everything, you didn't stop being all nice and friendly. You didn't think of me differently because I had to dumpster dive for food."

"I didn't know you had it that bad," Louisiana said, gently running her fingers over Henri's knuckles. That was true. She had just been so starstruck to finally meet him, she forgot he was a real human being with flaws and weaknesses, with struggles and secrets. In return she became more than the ditzy Capitolite, brushing up her strategy and survival skills to give Jenny and Powder those useful tips they needed.

"I'm gonna cry if they die," she admitted. "They're good kids, I didn't realize...it seems so far away when you're not involved."
Henri laughed. "Yeah, it doesn't get any better. Death is death, no matter how close it is."

"Don't worry," Louisiana whispered as their fingers interlocked. "You have me. You don't have to mentor alone anymore. I'll help you."
"Wait...really?"

"Yes! I thought I was only doing this for one year, but I'm going to come back next year, to District 12. For you."
"You really don't have to..."

"But I want to! I want to help, Henri! I know everyone expects me to do something else, but who cares what they think? A lot of them don't actually realize what the mentors go through. Do I really want to be a sheep for the rest of my career, or do I want to help a district that needs it?"

"What expectations were you supposed to follow through with?"

Louisiana snorted. "Well, escorting was supposed to be temporary, until some seats on the Royal Capitol Symphony opened up and my parents wanted me to take them. We're Tenors, you know? Some Tenors are so crazy they only want their kids to pursue music, and not just any kind of music. Top-class snooty stuff, the big league, like the RCS. And my parents are nutjobs. It took almost a full year to convince them to let me broaden my horizons a bit."

"Were they okay with you being put in 12?" Henri asked timidly. "I mean...yeah we're not exactly the most luxurious district and most of the time, a stepping stone..."
"I wasn't surprised. Actually, I didn't mind. My family's probably found out by now, though. I haven't really spoken to them about it."

A slight breeze picked up as their shadows stretched along the ground; Louisiana hadn't even realized how much time has passed. "Let's go back! And have some fun! How often have you ever been at a carnival?"
"I have to say never. This is my first one."

Louisiana locked herself around Henri's arm. "Then let's go do some rides! Let's warm up with the Ferris wheel, then we can go hit the roller coaster, and I think they have paddle boats somewhere so we can go do that next!"

Henri laughed; the sound was like music to Louisiana's ears. "That sounds like fun. Do we have to do that in that exact order?"
"Whatever you want."
"Then I'm okay with that. Let's go."

Constance Snow, 19
Granddaughter of President Snow

The evening slowly shifted into night, but the carnival was in full swing. Tributes and Capitolites alike ran about as if they were all small children once again. With a floppy sunhat and tinted sunglasses, Constance darted through the crowd, dragging a boy along with her.

The band had started up and everyone was gathered around the stage listening to them. Constance would've loved to stay and listen, but she had other...err...important matters to attend to. If she didn't speak her mind tonight, she might never get the chance ever again.

The song made her heart pound as she briefly glanced at the boy behind her, who just laughed.

I was made for loving you, baby
You were made for loving me
And I can't get enough of you, baby
Can you get enough of me?

Nobody bothered following them as they continued to run, far from the lights, music, and the cameras her grandmother insisted on to watch the scene. Somewhere where they would never be found. Not that Constance was doing something highly illegal, but given the rebel threat, she was a little afraid of the consequences.

Lust outweighed the fear and soon they were both panting heavily against an apartment building, hidden by the shadows of the alleyway.

"Wow..." the boy gasped. "You sure nobody will find us?"
"I'm sure of it."
"You know, you're the President's granddaughter. They'll never touch you."

Constance took the boy's hand in hers. "They could touch you. What if tonight is your last night alive?"

Ember giggled nervously. "Then I better make the most of my time."

They both collapsed against the stone wall. For a moment, there was silence. Constance pressed her head against Ember's shoulder. "You were very brave last night. It takes a lot of courage to come out to so many people at once, especially on a stage like that."
Ember fiddled nervously with the zipper of his jacket. "I don't feel brave."

"But I think you were. You're just worried."
"That I am." Ember sighed. "If it was a normal year, maybe I wouldn't be so concerned, but there's just been so many...surprises..."

Constance laughed. "You could say that again."
"And the pressure is on to give 1 a second Quell Victor. Leroy just won't shut up about it! Vermont this, Vermont that, District 1 needs to be the first district with multiple Quell Victors. I'm starting to wonder if volunteering was a good idea. No way I can handle this whole legacy."

Ember sunk down against the wall. "Maybe I shouldn't have done this. I could be back home, with my family. Are they pissed off that I never came out to them before I left? What if I don't come back for my brother's wedding?" He paused, before glancing over to Constance. "Sorry, I've just been rambling the whole time."

"No, no, no, it's fine! It's totally fine! I'm just happy being with you!" Constance tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Not like anything crazy goes on in my boring life anyways. I'm just a spoiled brainless Capitolite."

Ember reached into his hair, pulling off the elastic that let his light brown locks tumble freely down his shoulders. "Oh God, can you imagine how the rest of the country would freak if they found out I had a rendezvous with the President's granddaughter?"
"Oh please! We haven't done anything yet!"

"True..."

The wall was nice and cool. Constance just leaned back, letting the world pass her by for a brief moment. She didn't want this moment to end. She wanted to stop time and stay here forever. She knew she was just being a child, letting emotion get the best of her. They had only known each other for what, a few days? Nowhere enough time to form an actual connection, a true relationship.

In the days to follow, one of them could be dead.

"Ember..." Constance breathed slowly. "From one trans icon to another..."
"I am nowhere near as iconic as you."
"I don't think you realize the impact you have on Panem. But I want you to listen to me."

They locked eyes and Constance's heart fluttered. Ugh, how cliche. "You are brave, and you are amazing. And you have people who care about you. From what you've told me, your family sounds like amazing people and they will love you no matter what. And I'm going to be cheering you on too. You have people who care about you, who believe you're totally one hundred percent valid, and want you to win. I want you to win."

Then, Constance suddenly pulled Ember into a hug and her eyes stung. No, not now! Stupid tears!

"Ember, please...I don't know, but I..."

He didn't say anything right away, and that was enough to snap her back into reality. What was she doing? He had loved ones he knew from birth, and she was making him prioritize her over anyone else. Hell, she didn't even know if he felt the same way. Maybe she was wrong to drag him off like this. Stupid, dumb teenage romance...

"Constance..."
"Yeah?"
"I want to win too. I want to come back to you."

Constance could feel her shoulders droop as Ember quickly caught her. "I think we should go back now before anyone comes looking for us. It's getting late and I suppose you really don't want to put up with your mentors."
Ember stood up and dusted himself off. "Yeah, you're right...and by the way, thanks for everything."

And then he was gone.

A small tear dripped down Constance's cheek as the romantic fluttering inside of her was quickly replaced with dread at what tomorrow could possibly bring.

Carnival time! A little fitting for a story titled Psycho Circus, perhaps?

Also, lots of romance in this chapter. XD What do you think of all the love in the air? Are there any ships you're exciting to see forming/hope will form?

We still have two chapters left before the Bloodbath, so I'll see you then!

-Vr