Chapter 6- Shore Seawind
I can't sleep. How can I when tomorrow I'll be in the Capitol? This is really happening, the thing that I've been anticipating since last year. I'm a tribute. And even though this bed is comfortable and the covers are warm, my brain refuses to shut down.
Kelpie melted down right after the train took off; just collapsed on the rug crying. I didn't know what to do, but Mags went right up to her and held her close, shushing her like you would a baby.
"I know love. I know," Mags said soothingly, and slowly Kelpie calmed down enough for Mags to let her go.
Mags looked at Kelpie like she could read her thoughts, then said, "You're not supposed to be here. The Combstar girl was supposed to volunteer for you." Kelpie nodded. "What a pity; the girl had promise too. But you're here now, and we must make the best of it, won't we?" I didn't get the feeling she was very thrilled with Kelpie as a tribute.
Mags looked over to the other two victors standing by. Glass was leaning against the wall looking unimpressed. She usually does, when I've seen her around the docks. "I've claimed the boy," Mags said. "You two figure out who wants the girl."
"You always take the boys, Mags," Glass said, rolling her eyes, then turned her attention to Kelpie. "You're not much, are you?" she asked, coming away from the wall and circling Kelpie. "But you're strong enough. A swimmer?"
Kelpie nodded then said, "I swim really well. My Da always said I swim like the creatures I was named for." A few more tears dropped.
"Then we better hope to heaven that they give you water this year," Glass said. "But we can work with you, I think. Riptide, you're new here. I'll take the girl and you can watch to see how to mentor so that next year you can have a shot. What do you say?"
Riptide is obviously very unsure about what he's doing. He's the newest victor, after all. "Alright," he said at last.
"He can be our trade off," Mags said. "We've been needing one the past few years. So we've got our teams settled. Do you two want to be coached together or separately?"
Kelpie and I looked at each other. "We're going to be allies, so I'd say together," I said.
"Kelpie?" Glass asked.
"Together."
"It's settled then. Come into the main room; I'll have an attendant take you to your rooms," Mags said.
I'm in my room now, only it's pitch black. There's a full moon out that I can see through the window, but its light doesn't reach my bedroom. Thalassa loves the moonlight; she loves to swim out in the ocean during a full moon.
I have to win; when I get home I'll be able to marry her! I'm doing this for my family and my district too, but mostly for Thalassa. She's the world to me. How is she doing now that I'm gone? How is my family? I know Ma will cry tonight, but she won't let the girls see. And I know Da is proud of me, which sits well inside.
There's no hope of sleep I don't think; not for a while at least. I turn the lights on, blinking at the sudden bright light. I'm not expert on these things, but the room is beautiful, and would be to anyone I believe. Still, looking at the rich surroundings makes me homesick for the simpleness of home. I switch the television in my room on, and I immediately find what I'm looking for: the recap of the reapings.
I want to see who my allies are again.
The two from District 1 will be easy to partner with I think. It's the tributes from 2 that make me uneasy. There's just something about them that makes distrust them on sight, especially the girl, Agrippina. I don't have a choice in this alliance, however; it's tradition that we three districts band together. I'm just going to have to watch my back.
Well, I'll see them tonight at the Chariot Rides and figure them out from there.
I'm still mad at Aria Combstar for not volunteering. I don't know why I should be, but the fact that she ignored her duty bothers me. Her life won't be pleasant for a while, I'm sure. Like Hake said, she'll get hell from the Agans.
Switching the television off again, I decide to get something to drink. I had wine with my supper, but I'd like something more familiar, like water. Wine is for special occasions in District 4. I guess today counts as a special occasion, though.
The lights are dimmed but not completely turned out when I walk into the living room. Somebody's sitting in a chair by the window, watching the moonlit scenery go by. She hears me as I come in and turns her head quickly. It's Mags.
"Hello young tribute," she says, and I can hear a smile in her voice.
"Hello," I answer, pouring myself some water from the beverage counter provided.
"Couldn't sleep?"
"No."
"Come sit by me and we'll have a talk then. I couldn't sleep either," Mags says. Taking my glass of water with me, I sit down across from my mentor, her face in the shadows.
"You're a volunteer," Mags says, and it's not so much a question as a fact.
"Yes."
"We didn't have volunteers like you back in my day," Mags says, sitting back in her chair. "This was a long time ago, mind you. I was District 4's first victor, and just a year younger than you are now."
"That was the year of the 11th Hunger Games?" I ask, sipping my water.
"Yes. Sixteen years old and a victor, if you can imagine. I had the first Victory Tour in history. I'm old, my boy," she says, laughing. "It's been awhile since I was sixteen."
"What's it like in the Victor's Village? I've never been there," I say, crossing my legs and getting comfortable. It feels easy to talk to Mags, even though I barely know her. Everyone in District 4 knows her on sight, of course, but she's not one to hang around the fishing boats.
"Pales in comparison to some of the Capitol houses I've been in," Mags says. "But still very pretty. Home after all these years. Now, tell me, what can you do? The girl can swim, but can you do more than that?"
"I'm a fisherman; I've worked on the boats with my Da since I was a child. I'm strong, and I can throw a trident about twenty feet with accuracy." I don't like to boast, ever, but this is different. These are things to help me survive.
"I can work with you for sure," she says. "For Shore, if you know what I mean." She laughs, and her laughter is contagious; I can't help laughing too.
Once she stops she asks, "Who are you winning for? Who's keeping you going over the next few weeks?"
"My fiancée, and my family and friends."
"He has a fiancée; a taken man," Mags says. "I can spin that tale to the sponsors and they'll fall all over it. One thing about the audience is that they love a good love story. Any sort of novelty to make the Games more interesting goes over well in the Capitol. What's the girl's name?"
"Thalassa."
"Pretty name. Congratulations, by the way."
"Thank you."
Then Mags' voice turns from light to serious. "I want to warn you now, boy, before you get any further on your journey as a tribute. The arena isn't what you think it is. It will change you. I hid," she says, chuckling a little, "For almost the entire Games. Wasn't until the final three that I was pulled out and made to fight. And what I had to do then changed me."
"What was it?" I ask.
"It doesn't matter now. You can find tapes of it somewhere, but it doesn't matter. Boy, you'll face some terrible decisions in the arena. I don't want you to expect to come out unscathed and unchanged. And let me tell you this," she says, leaning forward a little. "Dying as a tribute is easier than living as a victor. Remember that."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll learn, if you get out alive. And I intend for you to do so," Mags says, sitting back again. "I just don't want you to have unrealistic expectations before that metal plate lifts you into the arena. Do you understand, boy?"
"Not really, to be honest," I say.
"That's alright. I didn't expect you to. I've been doing this a long time, Shore; I've seen and met and said goodbye to more tributes than I would have liked to. So many were like you: confident, charismatic, and good looking too. All attributes that helped them in the arena for certain, but they all had the same flaw. Do you know what that was?"
"No."
"Over-confidence. I want you to keep that in mind when the day of the Games comes, and it will come soon. I have mentored thirty years worth of tributes, and I have two to show for it. Glass and Riptide did not have the fault of over-confidence, and so they are mentors alongside me. I'd like to see you join our team, so keep that in mind."
"But I am going to win. That's not over-confidence to say that," I tell her. "They voted me as tribute; I'm capable. My Da told me I could win, so I know I can."
"So believe it. It will keep you going in the next few weeks. Just don't let it blind you," Mags says. "We should sleep; there's going to be a busy day tomorrow and Kitty will be running us ragged as soon as the sun starts to rise."
Mags gets up and walks over to me. "I have lost too many good men like you, Shore," she says in a lower voice than before. "Don't let me lose another one. Sleep well."
My mentor leaves, but I don't go back to my room just yet. Instead, I stay by the window, sipping water and watching the trees go by, lit by moonlight. I will win. I will win, for everyone at home.
I'm not going to die in the arena.
I must fall asleep after awhile, sitting upright in my chair, because the next thing I know is Kitty Prior saying next to me, "Wake up! We're nearly at the Capitol and it's going to be a very busy day!"