Trigger warning: PTSD
Mags Flanagan, District 4
"If you're looking for Hell, just try looking inside."
Arcade Fire, Here Comes the Night Time
Ajax Markinno got to skip mentoring. No one was surprised. Two had three victors, so one got out of it, and Orion and Marshall both agreed that Ajax wouldn't be any help to Two.
Alec Towers couldn't really mentor, either, seeing as his body was lying in the One cemetery.
Leif Darrell, on the other hand, was quite eligible. He didn't like the look of the two tributes in front of him. As outlying districts went, Seven wasn't bad at producing strong ones, but these two were bloodbaths for sure. The boy was skinny as a pencil and shaking like a, well, a leaf, and the girl was all of thirteen years old. Seven wasn't taking it this year.
Caspian Moreland was a little more enthusiastic about his tributes. The boy, Triton Sanders, was a solid Four boy, not bad with a trident, either, but it was the girl that truly got his attention. Margaret Flanagan had a certain air of unpredictability about her, one that he couldn't quite comprehend, but he knew it would be a fantastic weapon in the Arena. Mags would most definitely be a force to be reckoned with.
Orion Rossi had just one tribute to deal with, the girl from Two. She was very pretty. Too pretty. It creeped him out, but he knew that her body could be a weapon. Lucy Gray seduced her mentor last year. Maybe she could seduce a tribute.
Mateo Cardoso wasn't happy at all. His boy was weaker, but his girl was a cattle-herder, and a strong one at that. It didn't matter. They would die, just like his parents. Everyone died. Just- just like-
Lorelei Jewel was quite proud of the two tributes in front of her. The boy knew his way around a sword like the back of his hand, and the girl could use a whip like nobody's business. Both would be quite difficult to kill.
Marshall Thornburg didn't like the look of the boy in front of him. He'd volunteered for glory, but glory didn't seem within his reach. He was tiny, and while he sure was scrappy, Marshall had seen the two tributes Lorelei had to train, and he didn't think his boy stood a chance against either of them. Ah, well. There was always next year.
Garrett Hodges thought mentoring was a waste of time. In ten years of the Games, Eleven hadn't produced a single strong tribute. Garrett himself had only won by sneaking around and taking down the weak ones running away. This year wouldn't be any different.
No one knew where Lucy Gray Baird was. She couldn't mentor, either.
The first mentor to drop out of the running was Leif. The bloodbath claimed nine lives, and both Sevens were among them. The boy was killed by that strong girl from Ten, and the girl fell victim to the boy from Four.
Next out was Garrett. His girl had died in the bloodbath, and his boy had crossed paths with the scary girl from One. Her whip tore through his skull with a complete lack of mercy. She didn't even look remorseful when he finally died, only turning around and walking away in search of more tributes.
Marshall left third. No one thought he would last long, so his death at the hands of the girl from Ten wasn't a shock. Marshall just waved goodbye to Orion and left.
The first truly surprising death was the boy from Four. He and his ally, the boy from One, tried to kill the girl from Ten, but she raised a pitchfork and skewered him through. One got her a second later, though, sending Mateo packing.
Orion's girl hadn't made an appearance yet, but he knew she was okay. She was just planning her next move. Sure enough, less than an hour after Mateo's departure, she crept out of the shadows to Lorelei's boy. He jumped at her appearance, but she only smiled and raised a hand to his face, gently stroking it. He was powerless to resist as she raised a knife and stabbed him in the chest.
Her victory didn't last long. The girl from One watched as she murdered her district partner and knew it was time to make her move. She hurried over and wrapped her whip around the girl's waist, drawing her close enough to stab her with the boy from One's sword. Orion left with a frown and a shrug. Like Marshall had said, next year.
Lorelei and Caspian were the only mentors left in the center. Lorelei sat back in her chair, confident in her victory. Oh, how wrong she was. Mags, hidden in the shadows, raised her handmade fishhook, and hurled it at the girl from One. As her body crumpled to the floor, Caspian gave a small smirk. Victory felt nice. He would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised, but he was grateful. Mags would be a nice addition to the village.
Lorelei, on the other hand, was furious. Her tribute was the victor, plain as day. Who was that girl from Four to take it away?
Then an idea occurred to her. Orion had trained Marshall for the Games, right? And undoubtedly Caspian would be taking a trainee, too. So why shouldn't she get one? She grinned in spite of herself. This would be fun.
This was a nice introduction into the world of mentoring. The different victors had very different reactions to mentoring, from Lorelei and Caspian to Garrett and Leif. Mags won't play much of a huge role in future Games, but Lorelei's declaration of finding a trainee should definitely not be overlooked.
One side note: Also introduced this year were hovercrafts used to remove the bodies. I didn't want to waste writing space saying that so I put it here.