Chapter 6 – Luke

I braced myself when we finally arrived in the Capitol. Lights were already flashing against the windows, desperately trying to catch glimpses of us inside the train. Garth blinked rapidly, trying to clear the spots in his vision. I grinned, motioning for him to move away from the window. It had barely been a day, but the kid was already growing on me.

Juliet stepped out first, Ardice following glumly behind her. The grin slipped right off my face as the Capitolites screamed loudly for Juliet, reaching out to brush their hands against their most recent victor. The smirk never left her face as she moved toward the Training Center, blowing kisses the entire way.

"What are you waiting for, Luke?" Hilda scolded from behind me, giving me a gentle shove. I forced the grin back on my face as I put my hand on Garth's shoulder, leading him out of the train. He managed a small smile of his own, waving innocently at the cameras.

By the time I made it inside the Training Center, only Ardice, Garth, and Hilda stood waiting for the Prep Team. I didn't have much time to mull over Juliet's disappearance before I was being ushered away by a Peace Keeper and directed up to District 9's usual apartment.

Sitting deliberately out on the counter was a sleek, compact crossbow. I grimaced, glancing around quickly to make sure that no one had been up here before me. I picked it up gingerly. Sure enough, underneath where the crossbow had sat, lay a thin white envelope. I opened it hurriedly, desperate to hide everything before someone else entered the apartment. Just as I assumed, the only thing written on the inside was an address written in President Snow's scrawled handwriting. These envelopes were nothing like the thick, flashy ones that used to contain directions to my next 'appointment'. With these new envelopes, nothing else was necessary – an address was all I needed to be Snow's personal assassin.

There was no time to pay attention to the pang in my chest. I allowed myself one steadying, deep breath before I shut my brain down, effectively compartmentalizing the emotions that were threatening to spill out. This wasn't the way I wanted to live, but it was the only way I would make it through the next few weeks. I entered the room I had occupied the past two years, carefully sliding the crossbow and envelope under the bed. President Snow's order could wait for now – I needed to be there for Garth.

A few hours later, the sky began to darken and the stands surrounding the tribute parade were filling up with Capitolites screaming for their new tributes. The vibrant colors blurred together before my eyes and I quickly looked back toward my tribute. My hands were on Garth's shoulders as he looked up at me with wide eyes.

"I know we haven't discussed your strategy or angle yet, but I think the best thing for you to do is smile and wave. Do your best to look excited to be here."

Garth grimaced at my words. He didn't look particularly excited, but he nodded anyway.

I took a step back, taking in his costume. Both tributes were dressed head to toe in a shiny, silver material used to represent the grain silos of District 9. It definitely wasn't the worst costume, and the reflective material was sure to capture the attention of the Capitol.

I wished I had the chance to see Saffra again. I wondered if she was in charge of Garth or Ardice this year.

"Thanks Luke." He nodded at me, standing up straighter under my scrutiny. "I hope they like me as much as you."

A sad feeling settled in my gut again. I didn't think anything would ever be as difficult as having to watch Juliet in the area, but mentoring a sweet fourteen-year-old was equally as horrible when I thought about his chances against the older tributes.

"You got it, buddy." I watched as he clambered onto the chariot, looking tiny in comparison to the large horses. I helped Ardice up beside him. She seemed ready to fight against me, but she quickly resigned to the fact that she couldn't make it up on her own.

I looked around for Juliet, but she had yet to arrive. I stood off to the side, my eyes surveying the crowd for her familiar stature. I wasn't sure whether I was anxious about the Tribute Parade or the little 'adventure' I had to go on later tonight, but my entire body felt tense.

"Luke." A large hand clamped down on my shoulder, jarring me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Finnick smiling from ear to ear. His large grin lessened slightly as he took in my expression. I shook my head and grinned, bringing him in for a hug.

Going to the Capitol was never fun, but seeing the other victors lessened the pain – especially Finnick.

"Who else is mentoring this year?" I looked toward the District Four chariot.

Finnick pointed to the side where a blonde, middle-aged woman stood. "It's Marina and I this year."

I nodded, turning my attention back to scanning the crowd for Juliet. I couldn't help but feel more comfortable when she was around, and I knew I wouldn't relax until she was by my side. It wasn't like her to be late, and I realized I hadn't seen her since we left the train.

"What's up with you?" Finnick questioned, nudging my side. His light eyes glanced at me with a wary expression before looking around quickly, wondering what had put me on edge.

"Nothing." I sighed. It was a lie, obviously, but I could barely pinpoint my own feelings. By the look on his face, I could tell he easily saw right through me.

"Has President Snow been – "

"No." I spat quickly, cutting him off. I already knew what he was going to ask. Technically I wasn't lying this time. There hadn't been any 'appointments' since Juliet's Victory Tour. Maybe it would have been better to say yes, just in case I were to get caught sneaking off somewhere with an envelope in my palm.

Finnick raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but for some reason he didn't seem to doubt my claim.

A small part of me was yearning to tell Finnick about my new situation. He hated the Capitol as much as I did, and I knew that he would do anything to protect his loved ones. Surely, he would understand. Unfortunately, it was too risky. I couldn't let him talk me out of doing what needed to be done.

"I'm looking for Juliet." I offered, hoping that would be enough of an explanation for my tense mood.

The District Four victor glanced around, coming to the same conclusion as me when he couldn't spot my fellow mentor. The chariots were beginning to line up, and she was nowhere to be seen. His lips formed a thin line, but he didn't say anything. It was my turn to look at him in suspicion, wondering why he seemed so secretive all the sudden. I couldn't really say anything without being hypocritical, but I knew he was hiding something. Before I could ask, a small figure caught my eye.

Juliet was walking past the chariots, her eyes trained on District Nine's. She looked flustered, as if she had sprinted down the stairs to get here. She finally made her way over to where we were standing, placing herself between us. In the dim lighting, she looked tiny and fragile in comparison to Finnick. I never would have believed she won the Games if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

"What took you so – "

"Good to see you again, Juliet." Finnick cut me off, sending Juliet his charming grin. The two exchanged an odd look for a moment before she smiled silently in response. "I better get back to Marina. See you later."

Frustrated, I turned to finish my question once Finnick had left, but the loud music of the Opening Ceremonies began blasting as District One's chariot started forward. It was impossible to hear anything over the roar of the crowd, so I turned my focus to our tributes' competition.

District One was the same as always, with two blonde Careers who waved enthusiastically and blew kisses to the crowd. They would be difficult competition, but not as much as the hulking blonde from District Two. His district partner was tiny and didn't look much older than Ardice and Garth, but the hard look in her eyes and excited grin showed that she wasn't to be under-estimated. If she was as young as she looked and still a Career volunteer, she was most likely a force to be reckoned with.

The rest of the parade was uneventful, and although Garth did a good job of interacting with the crowd, the loudest cheer didn't come until the last District pulled out into the crowd.

District Twelve's costumes lit up in flames, drawing the attention of every tribute, Capitolite, and mentor. I exchanged a look with Juliet, knowing that getting sponsors for our tributes would be even more difficult now. The girl from Twelve was the volunteer, meaning she was already on the radar of a lot of sponsors who tended to support the outlying districts.

Juliet's lips moved as she raised her eyebrows, gaze trained on the District Twelve pair. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I assumed her thoughts were the same as hands were locked together as they raised their arms above their heads, presenting themselves as a pair. It would get them sponsors, that's for sure, but would also put a massive target on their backs.

The cheers finally died down as President Snow gave his speech.

"At least Ardice didn't flip off the crowd." Juliet murmured, tugging me down slightly so she could whisper in my ear.

"You can't give up on her, Juliet." Ardice may not have been open to receiving help, but she had some sort of fire that could help her in the arena.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning on it."

The roar of the crowd escalated again as Snow finished his speech. The tribute chariots made their way back to where the mentors stood waiting, with District Twelve bringing up the rear in a roar of flames.

Ardice hopped down as soon as the horses came to a stop. Her usually angry look was replaced by a wide-eyed expression. Juliet smiled at her patiently, congratulating her on maintaining a stoic expression the entire time.

"We can work with that, see if we can pull off a more mysterious angle." Juliet continued tentatively, careful not to press the redhead too much. Ardice nodded hesitantly, staying silent. It wasn't the excited response Juliet had been hoping for back on the train, but I was happy that she seemed to be coming around. Juliet seemed satisfied at that response, motioning for Ardice to follow her back to the apartment.

I placed a hand on Garth's shoulder steering him in the same direction as the girls.

"How did I do?" Garth asked. He looked up at me with hopeful eyes and I couldn't help the warm smile that stretched across my face.

"Great." I reassured him. This technically wasn't my first time as a mentor, but mentoring Juliet last year was in a category of its own. This year, I thought it might be slightly easier to mentor a kid I didn't know, but I was already forming an attachment to him and I knew it would be near impossible to send him off into the arena. It was a glimpse into my future – year after year I would be crushed. Unfortunately, that was the biggest price of my own survival.

He nodded, looking slightly uncomfortable as we passed through the crowd of other tributes and mentors. The male tribute from District One turned his head as we walked past, giving Garth a once over before losing interest. My grip on Garth's shoulder tightened, but the fourteen-year-old didn't seem to notice the dismissiveness of the career. I let out a breath as we finally reached the elevator. It was frustrating to see a Career tribute count out Garth so easily, but I acknowledged that Garth was on the younger, smaller end of the tributes this year. I just had to do everything I could to get him sponsors and hope that he could do the rest in the arena.

It felt like ages before Juliet had finally headed off to bed. She had sat on the balcony late into the night, and although I wanted more than anything to join her, I stayed in my room until the coast was clear to once again carry out President Snow's orders.

Garth and Ardice had retreated to their rooms almost instantly after dinner, looking discouraged after watching the recap of the Parade. Although they hadn't gotten any negative comments, most of the focus was on the pair from District Twelve. The careers were probably furious right now.

I waited another ten minutes after I heard Juliet's door shut across the hall before I quietly slipped out of my room, crossbow tucked tightly into my belt and hidden by my shirt.

The apartment was dark when I stepped out into the hallway, but I stilled when I saw a dark shape hunched over on the couch. Her red hair was illuminated by the moonlight, a dead giveaway.

"What are you doing up?" I kept my voice low, careful not to wake up anyone else. It was bad enough that Ardice had cought me sneaking out.

"Why are you up?" She threw my question back at me, but there was no attitude in her voice. Only exhaustion.

"Going on a walk. I just need some fresh air." I responded smoothly.

"Must be nice to be able to leave whenever you want to." I thought she was going to call me out on my bullshit, but her response only made me feel guilty. I felt uncomfortable. I had no idea how to handle a teenage girl – dealing with Juliet was hard enough, but I never had a little sister and I was terrified Ardice would burst into tears if I said the wrong thing. We had barely interacted until now.

"Look, Ardice. This sucks. I'm not going to bullshit you. Just don't forget that you have people here who were in your exact situation and want to help you. Let them."

She nodded jerkily, and I could see the reflection of tears on her cheeks. I sighed, making a move toward the door. I wished I could help her, but there wasn't much more I could say to comfort the girl without being dishonest. "You should get some sleep before training tomorrow."

I hoped she would start to warm up to us tomorrow. I knew it would tear Juliet apart if she wasn't able to help her tribute at all. Maybe it was best for her to not get attached. It sounded cold, but there wasn't much hope for the District Nine tributes this year. My head was telling me not to get attached, not to have any hope, but Garth had already been tugging at my heart strings.

I switched on my emotionless, cold exterior whenever I had to deal with anything involving the Capitol. It had worked, so far, but I felt like I was living a double life. Juliet was the only thing that stayed consistent and was the only one who made the cold exterior harder to keep up. Unfortunately, keeping this year's tributes at a distance was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It only reminded me more how human I was, and how horrible the Capitol could be.

The elevator pinged when I reached the ground floor. I rubbed my eyes, trying to ignore my exhaustion and focus on the task at hand. The elevator doors slid open, revealing a surprised figure on the other side.

"Luke?"

Finnick's mouth was parted slightly, his sleepy eyes looking more alert as he registered the situation. He looked completely disheveled, and I had no doubt he was on his way back from meeting a client.

I groaned internally. I already had to deal with Ardice, and this was not part of the plan. Finnick was the last person that I wanted to see right now besides Juliet.

"Where are you… I thought you said you didn't have any appointments." He narrowed his eyes, trying to piece together the situation.

"I don't." I snapped, shouldering past him to step out of the elevator. "I'm just stressed. It's not a crime for me to get some fresh air."

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you tomorrow." The older boy nodded as he pressed the fourth-floor button. He looked at me with a knowing expression, but he didn't press any further. I let out a breath when the doors finally shut, leaving me alone once again in the dark. I half wished the doors would open again and that Finnick would come back out, demanding I tell him everything that was happening.

But I couldn't be weak – I only needed to make it through the next few weeks, then I would be back home in Nine again. I would always be living a lie, but the lie was easier to live when I wasn't under the constant scrutiny of the Capitol.