The first night was a complete disaster, neither tribute spoke to the mentors. Not through dinner, not through breakfast next morning even with the appearance of Effie, Portia and even Cinna to support Haymitch and Katniss. All three of them were more than surprised when Azura came to breakfast and even more so when Azura once again told them to 'kindly' fuck off. Having stated that he was raised in one he knew what it was like for civility. As the first day in the training center it was more of a party than anything else of course there were those who weren't in the mood for partying. Azura was one, Topaz was another, Lace and in turn Taff. The foursome were huddled in the corner speaking with each other.
"How bad did she freak out when she saw you?" Topaz asked at the fire starting station. Luxuries of One meant that there was no need to make fires like this and they were taking advantage of it.
"On a scale of one to ten, it looks like I'm now mentoring Lace here on how to better survive or kill me."
"That bad?"
"Apparently she had her and her boyfriend's stylists and escorts to come in to make sure I wasn't this Peter kid." Azura said starting a fire. "Look, seems like if you have these rocks here, or this one here we can start fires really easily." Lace and Taff nodded at the same time as Topaz looked over to see both Adonis and Atlas making out with a girl from Four.
"I hate to say this but I'm guessing they're not going to make it pass the Cornucopia. Should we just make an alliance now?"
"Career of the Careers?"
"Something like that. You know why we all joined the Career school, bring glory to our families but I didn't think that I would be the one to win ya know?" Taff said squeezing her sister's hand. "We actually wanted a Gloss, Cashmere setup. I win one year and Lace the next, first twins to win sequential games. Top eight will be good enough for me, for us." They looked at Topaz and Azura. "You two are the odds all favorite to win these games." Topaz laughed.
"Star-crossed lovers? Two victors for the first time ever." That got Lace and Taff to giggle with her.
"Sorry Topaz, I'm going to win. Sorry for you ladies but I have to get home to my parents. I'm not their first son, there was another. I had an older brother named Cobalt who died, I can't let my folks go through that again." The girls were quiet for a moment as Lace squeezed his free hand.
"Than that's the plan, we will help you survive." Lace said looking at Taff with a wicked idea grin on her face. "I'd like to not die a virgin though, thoughts?" That got everyone to laugh as they moved on to the knot tying station. Back up on the penthouse level Azura and Lace stood side by side looking at the almost completely drunk pair before them.
"I'm going to report you both to Snow as failed mentors if you don't get your heads out of your collective asses and do your jobs."
"You almost sound like your old self Peets," Haymitch slurred when suddenly Azura was on him one of the knives from the table pressed against the older man's throat.
"Don't you ever call me that name, I am not your boy, not your friend, not her fiance. I am Azura Monet, second son of Leonard and Frida Monet of District One and the victor of the Seventy Fifth hunger games. With or without your help but if you continue to act so stupid I'm going to be the first victor to kill twenty three other tributes and a mentor to boot." Katniss looked at Lace about the victor part and was sad to see she didn't flinch. She knew that Peeta, that Azura would be winning this thing.
"There's not a thing I can say to make you believe we're telling you the truth? That you aren't this Azura person but Peeta Mellark," Haymitch asked.
"I've heard about you two, I know you have to pick one of your tributes to live more than the other. You picked her, that's fine however stop pretending that thinking I'm him is going to change anything. I saw the recaps your boy killed himself for her, he died. Cannon sounded, hovercraft picked him up and the body sent packing home to twelve where you buried him. Peeta Mellark is dead. I'm sorry for your loss a year late but we're in the here and now and I will be winning these games, with or without your help." Azura was not backing down so Haymitch raised his hands in surrender. Letting the old man go he stepped and slammed the knife into the table. When Effie uttered one simple phrase Azura passed out.
"Oh no, that's Mahogany!" Everything started to turn dark and he fell onto the ground as the others rushed to him.
Reprogramming someone to hate what they love was a tricky science. It was easier, much easier, to push those memories deep inside, then cover it up with something else. Snow's head scientist was Doctor Ozguardian or Oz, at least the one who worked with this type of memory change. Especially when the old memories were painful, adding nicer, happier ones were easy. The scientists had discovered Peeta's unique childhood during the games with all the others. The Monets were loyal citizens who suffered a loss when their son died and Oz suggested them. Snow didn't get where he was by being nice but he agreed that sometimes honey worked better than vinegar. There was also the Hijacker Research but that was in theory only and this way his abusive mom could be replaced by one that would love him no matter what. Then there was his talent for painting and the family's main business it all just fit. All Oz knew was that this boy had suffered a lot and was ready for a new life without worry. Then again it was Snow after all and Oz placed keywords that could bring Peeta back. In doing so he managed to loosen the hold on some memories.
When Effie exclaimed dismay over the table Peeta was sent back the first time they were on the train. When drunk Haymitch tried to laugh them off and he stabbed the table. The memory had hit Peeta so hard that when he fainted his head collided with the corner of the table, knocking him out. Snapping awake Azura groaned touching his head and finding it very sensitive. Snatching the pills that he knew would be laid out for him he popped them in his mouth and dry swallowed them. Laying back he cursed himself for passing out the way he did, as if he had a choice in the matter. With only six days left until the start of the game he was hoping the hit wouldn't make it harder in the arena. Pressing a button on the side table the time reflected on the ceiling, it was still early so he was only out for an hour at most, good. A voice out of the darkness surprised him but he managed not to show it.
"I guess you're not him, Peeta wouldn't have known how to view the time and he definitely wouldn't just willingly take pills the Capitol laid out for him."
"Seriously will I need to ask the President for another pair of mentors?" he asked flopping back squeezing his eyes close. "Your obsession with me is borderline creepy and when I become Victor it's going to make the games that much worse. I will train my tributes to target and kill Twelve tributes first every time."
"That anger, hatred, my Peeta doesn't have any of that. Aren't you ever happy?"
"That's a laugh coming from you Katniss. On the train ride here, no matter how short, I looked you up. Not a very nice person are you? Aside from when Peeta spoke about you and your raw reactions to those words I couldn't believe you cared about him back. It's not easy in One, we're not as ignorant of the world as those in the Capitol. We could see the bullshit you were saying when speaking about your love of him. It only went one way right? So why does it matter if I look like him?" That caught Katniss off guard, she expected him to curse her out and yell at her to leave not speak calmly to her.
"Some time during all the acting, all the lies I realized that he meant more to me than a friend. Maybe not in love but I spent the last year hating him for leaving me. Finally I understood why he did it only to come back to the games to see you, his twin. Sorry I freaked out on you," the anger was rising in her voice now, "Sorry if the first person who wanted to protect me so much, who loved me so much that he was willing to kill and die for me." Now she was up and shouting down at him, when she was done she was panting and she saw him smile. No matter what he said, who grew up with him or anything she knew that smile.
"You're not very big are you? And not even remotely nice. Now and in all the images for the games and leading up to, the interviews and everything else. I can't see how someone like him, could ever love someone like you." Azura said closing his eyes expecting her to punch him but instead he heard the door opening as she rushed out. He didn't take pleasure in her sorrow but he also didn't like how much attention she was putting on him. Maybe if he knew her better than she could be attractive however with how brash and volatile she seemed was a turn off, also she had that obsession that he was Peeta.
There was a major change in training after three days. The foursome moved from fire building, shelter building and all other sorts of survival skills when an announcement was made, there would be a new station and it was going to be mandatory. The station had several reclined chairs and some sort of goggles above them. Taking a seat the goggles where placed over their eyes and a virtual tour so real that Azura found himself reaching out to touch things that weren't there more than a few times. The tour was of a city, not like the Capitol as this city felt abandoned. A layer of dirt settled over everything and there were cars laying in the road like corpses. Those from one and two, maybe three knew what cars were but not where they were. A voice informed them that unlike the last arenas the tributes could see this one before arriving because it was unlike anything ever, special for the Quarter Quell. Another huge difference was the addition of a new weapon they would all be trained with, a rifle. The 3rd Quarter Quell was going to be about Urban Warfare.
Arriving back at the 'Penthouse' or top floor of the training center for dinner it was Azura's turn to stare, not at Katniss but Haymitch.
"How much about the Dark Days do you know?" he demanded. Haymitch shrugged.
"A few things, as a victor with no hobby I've collected a few books from early days."
"You mean a drunk victor," Lace quipped earning a tight smile from Azura but one that screamed, 'shut up'.
"What about Urban Warfare?"
"Urban just means cities and towns I guess. Warfare, what why?"
"They told us during training that we would be fighting in an urban setting. Not only that but there's a new weapon for the Arena, guns. They've been configured so that you cant just shoot yourself but then again there's no honor in that and almost all the tributes are here for honor."
"Haymitch, guns like what the Peacekeepers use?" Katniss asked a little scared.
"Kid's right so far," Haymitch said not willing to call Azura anything but Peeta and not wanted a fist in the face. "Back before the Dark Days there were more cities than just the Capitol, and more intense wars would break out. Firefights in the street, close quarters combat in the buildings. There's nothing like that anywhere around Panem, not anymore so they're planning on taking you all far away from here."
"Takes away Four's advantage at least," Lace said, "No place to swim I guess."
The next day all the tributes were introduced to a seat with some type of eye wear next to them. Taking a seat they followed instructions and found themselves standing in the ruins of a building. Some of the younger tributes screamed and tore the goggles from their faces as trainers walked around to help them back on.
"This is a virtual reality simulator," the head instructor said, "This is a sample of what you will face in the arena. This technology has just recently been perfected but your visit is restricted to this building. There will be weapons with ammo available so you can get used to the weight. The rifles are updated to prevent you from shooting each other anywhere outside of the arena as well as shutting down if you try to kill yourselves with them."
Topaz spent a lot of time in the simulator as the others were at the firing range. Even during lunch Azura asked to keep the rifle on his person so he could tell what it felt like empty as well.
"I swear I could feel the glass on the ground in that building," Topaz said spearing some meat with her fork. "I think the food will be in cans and things like that, nothing fancy like this."
"Taff, you remember how to break into the cans right?" Taff nodded as Azura continued. "If we don't have a can opener you'll be the person who will feed us." Taff smiled prideful that she was considered important to the best in the class of Careers like Azura and Topaz.
Tomorrow was the individual scoring and he was going first in the group of Ones Azura was trying his best to relax, deciding to take Lace up on her offer. Katniss was coming back to her room from the rooftop garden when she ran into a shirtless Azura coming out of a bedroom that wasn't his. Her eyes went to his body, one she remembered cleaning in the stream when she found him hiding in the mud. That reoccurring thought that he had to be Peeta came back into her mind as her eyes found his. There was a gleeful wickedness in them though as she started to apologize for running into him. Before she could say anything he turned and left to go to his room. In that moment Katniss' eyes flew into the room he came from seeing Lace looking at her. The satin sheet was pulled up against her chest where her fist held it clutch. Seeing Katniss standing there she let go revealing her nakedness before reaching over and pressing a button to close the door. It didn't click home until she was back in her own bed. All at once she felt intense rage of a scorned wife and stormed over to his room.
Still shirtless Azura was getting ready for bed when he felt someone shove him forward against a wall where he fell on top of a large urn. The crash and smash was followed by a scream of anger as Azura rolled to the side to avoid a punch by Katniss who also sliced her hand on the pieces of broken urn. Not deterred she tried to get at Azura again but he was up and over the bed so it was between them. Hitting a button he braced himself as Katniss clamored over his bed but before she could reach him Haymitch was there along with Effie and two Avox servants.
"What the hell is going on?" Haymitch asked seeing Katniss bleeding.
"She attacked me," Azura called out, "Shoved me into that urn. There were rumors she attacked a fellow tribute last year before the games but a mentor attacking their own tribute."
"Technically she's not your mentor," Haymitch snarled at Peeta. "What did he do to provoke you?" Haymitch was obviously more concerned with Katniss right now.
"He fucked me," came a voice from the hall as Lace entered the doorway. "I told him that I didn't want to die a virgin so he helped me like a good friend does with a final request. We all know I'll be dead in a few days, especially since my mentor would rather attack my friend then help me. So I asked Azura to help me experience sex and he did. He made me feel special."
"I guess she was on the rooftop thinking or whatever she does up there," Azura said continuing the story, "Ran into me afterward then followed me in here. She's bleeding, fine, but so am I and only one of us will be fighting for our lives in a few days so if you're going to help anyone." Before he could stop the Avox, who left and returned with first aid, came towards him and helped him bandage his hands. As she helped him Haymitch lead Katniss out of Azura's room. Lace returned to her own with Effie on her tail telling her how improper that had been. As the young woman bandaged his hands Azura had another memory. His stylist instead of the Avox was helping him with his hands. If Portia had been here tonight he might have passed out again, instead there was a certain shine when he thought about this redheaded Avox tending to his hands.