Chapter 7 – Juliet

"Remember what we discussed, bud?" Luke looked across the table at Garth and raised his eyebrows as he took another bite of oatmeal. The younger boy leaned forward, nodding his head in earnest.

"Keep a low profile, stick to the survival stations, but dedicate a few hours to learning how to handle a knife or something."

Luke nods in approval, a small smile playing on his lips. Ardice was picking at her cereal, but I could tell that she was listening. Maybe she was warming up to us after all. I just hoped that it wouldn't be too late when she finally decided to take our advice. The redhead looked up, meeting my eyes, but looked down quickly. It wasn't much, but it was better than the constant scowl I had been getting from the moment she stepped onto the train.

Garth was a sponge, absorbing every single word that came out of Luke's mouth. I had hoped that Ardice would be willing to take my advice, but I didn't blame her for being angry at the world. At least anger could be channeled into survival.

I put my spoon down, my hunger subsiding as I thought about what could happen in the upcoming week.

"Luke's right, it's important for you to spend at least some time with a weapon so you can defend yourself. I would focus on knives. Not that you have to learn how to throw, but learn to feel comfortable with it in your hand. Unless you head into the Cornucopia, which you should not do," I shot both Garth and Ardice a pointed look, "then you'll probably only have access to a knife if you grab a backpack."

Our two tributes nodded along, and I felt the knot in my stomach lessen.

"And survival stations." Luke cut in, emphasizing his point. "Defending yourself is important, but the arena is one of your largest adversaries."

I nodded in agreement. "And if you have the chance, learn a little something about medicine. Being able to stitch yourself up or identify helpful plants can mean life or death."

Luke and I looked at each other, both remembering our own times in the arena. If Moe hadn't been able to help me after Atlas tore into me, there was a high probability I would be dead. The same went for Luke, whose own allies stitched him up numerous times. They turned on him in the end, but he still owed them his life in a weird, twisted way.

Garth groaned good naturedly. "So, basically, do everything. Sounds easy."

"What about allies?" Ardice questioned hesitantly, looking nervously at Garth out of the corner of her eye. He didn't seem to notice, his eyes flicking back and forth between Luke and I as he awaited our answer.

"Use your best judgement." I said hesitantly, placing my hand on Luke's arm under the table as he grimaced. He wasn't the most accepting of alliances, not that I blamed him, but they were what kept me alive in the arena. I recalled our worst fight before my games, when he had punched a hole in the wall because I found allies without consulting him first. I had ended up hitting him in the head with a picture frame. Hilda hadn't been happy with us after that.

I tried my hardest not to ever think back to Luke's time in the arena. I had it hard in my Games – everyone did – but Luke had it worse. He fought for his life almost every second, seemingly never able to catch a break even for a few moments. While my survival was a lot of luck, his was anything but. He had allied with the District Eight tributes originally, but they turned on him toward the end when they realized how strong he was. He entered the finale in a temporary alliance with District Five, but it was only out of strategy and necessity rather than trust. My alliances saved me in the arena – his just hurt him. That was one of the reasons the Capitol was so enamored with him. He was everything they could have hoped for and more in a victor.

Although I knew that alliances could be dangerous, Garth and Ardice weren't strong or skilled enough to be on their own. There was safety in numbers, as long as they were smart enough to know when to leave.

Luke didn't say anything, but I felt him relax slightly under my touch. Garth finally looked back at his district partner, an unspoken agreement seeming to flash between them.

"Alright, kids! It's time for you to head down." Hilda flounced into the room, her long purple hair fluttering behind her.

"We'll walk you down." Luke stood up from the table, still towering over me even when I stood up beside him.

The elevator ride down to the basement of the Training Center was silent as we stopped on the fourth floor. Finnick entered with his tributes, nodding politely at us as they entered. The atmosphere grew more and more uncomfortable as we stopped again on the first floor, picking up the tributes from One and their mentor, Gloss. Garth and Ardice looked like they wanted nothing more than to shrink away from the larger tributes, but they kept their gaze trained on the doors. The normally spacious elevator was uncomfortably tight, but it only a few moments passed before we reached the basement.

I let out a sigh of relief as the tributes stepped out, leaving only the mentors. The doors shut again and I felt small next to Luke, Finnick, and Gloss. Finnick smiled charmingly, looking as if he was ready to crack a joke, but Gloss beat him to it. The blonde looked Luke and I up and down, a smirk making its way onto his face.

"It's a pleasure to see both of you together. Cashmere will be excited to know I met the other district pair with consecutive wins." His voice sounded smug, an arrogant expression on his face. He and his sister had won the 63rd and 64th games back to back, only a year before Finnick but almost ten years before Luke and I. I couldn't imagine being here that length of time, mentoring tributes each year and watching them die. It didn't seem like Gloss minded.

Luke nodded politely in response, giving him a tight-lipped smile. The elevator pinged as we reached his floor. The District One mentor turned his gaze to me as the door slid open, his smirk getting wider.

"If you ever get bored with these two, you know where to find me." He winked suggestively before exiting the elevator.

"He's like, thirty." Luke seethed. I scrunched my nose up in disgust.

Finnick let out a snort of laughter, an amused expression evident on his face. "He's only twenty-six."

"Still." Luke protested, rolling his eyes. Finnick met my gaze, his smirk growing wider at the sour expression on my face.

"You better get used to hanging around the other mentors, Juliet. You'll be seeing a lot of them once the games start." Finnick's words turned serious for a moment. His expression was blank, but I could see a hint of worry in his eyes as he looked at the two of us. I probably would never get used to seeing the serious side of him. The playboy personality he put on for the Capitol was all I had ever known.

When his words finally registered, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Most of the older victors have already spent years together, and while I'm sure not all the mentors got along, at least they already knew how to handle each other. I felt like I was walking blindly into the lion's den.

The elevator reached the fourth floor. Finnick gave us a quick smile before stepping off. I watched his figure get further away until the doors finally shut.

Luke sighed, the exhaustion on his face making him look a lot older than nineteen. There were deep bags under his eyes, telling me he hadn't been sleeping well. I felt sympathetic, but not surprised. I hadn't been either.

I grabbed his hand tightly and gave it a squeeze. He smiled at me gratefully, squeezing back. My intention was to comfort him, but the physical touch was more for myself then for his benefit. I had been sleeping on my own ever since the Reapings and I hadn't realized how much I missed his presence beside me during the night.

Unfortunately, Snow had been sending me on various appointments since we reached the Capitol. I barely had any time to spend with my tribute, let alone with Luke. I hoped he wasn't getting suspicious of my poorly timed disappearances, but he probably would have confronted me by now. He seemed far away lately, way too wrapped up in his own mind to pay attention to my whereabouts.

As long as he was safe – or as safe as one can be as a Victor – then I wasn't going to pry. Our tributes weren't even in the arena and I already felt immense pressure and pain. I'm sure Luke was struggling just as much.

The trip back to our apartment was quick and silent. Without the presence of Hilda and our tributes, the space felt empty.

"Coffee?" Luke offered, making his way over to the counter. He smiled pleasantly when I nodded. It felt strange for some reason, being alone with him again. It wasn't long ago that we were practically living together, but for some reason the Capitol seemed to put space between us again. Our interactions were too forced and robotic for the friendship I was used to having with him. The push and pull of our relationship had been too much for the past year, and it seemed that we finally settled somewhere in the middle.

Maybe he was reminded of the last time we were here, when I practically through myself on him. He was right to reject me – things were much too complicated – but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. My hand lifted awkwardly, feeling a sudden urge to reach out to him.

It seemed I had perfect timing, because as I was lost in my own thoughts again, Luke was placing a warm cup of coffee into my outstretched palm.

"What are your thoughts?" He tilted his head, eyes burning into mine.

I let out the breath I was holding, squeezing the mug tighter. "About what?"

"Our tributes."

"If they follow our advice, I have no doubt that they'll have a fighting chance." I held his gaze, unsure of what he was trying to achieve with this conversation. Had we not already exhausted this topic?

"What are your real thoughts?" He questioned me again, a hard look on his face.

I recoiled. "My real thoughts? What do you want me to say, that I think they're going to die?"

He shrugged, turning to stare out the window. "They have a very low chance Juliet, I just want to make sure you aren't lying to yourself."

The coffee suddenly tasted bitter. Luke had always been honest to a fault, but back home it worked well with his enthusiastic, joking demeanor. Here in this Capitol, his words took on a much harsher edge.

"There's always a chance," I argued, "I'm here, aren't I?"

"You were strong, Juliet. You might not have been a Career, but you were a lot more prepared than these two fourteen-year-olds."

"Weren't you the one who told me not to give up on my tribute?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, it's not you I'm worried about, it's me. Last year sucked, but you won. I still don't know what it's like to lose a tribute." His voice lost its harsh tone. We stood in silence for a few more moments as I thought about his admission.

Being honest wouldn't hurt. If I couldn't tell Luke how I was really feeling, then who could I tell?

"My real thoughts," I paused, trying to collect the right words. "My real thoughts are that I'm fucking terrified."

I walked over to his position by the window, standing next to him as we gazed out across the Capitol skyline.

"I know the odds aren't in our favor this year, but we owe it to Ardice and Garth to give them everything we have. If that means we get attached, then so be it. They're human beings, I don't want to treat them as if they're not."

He looked down at me and nodded, but he still looked troubled.

"Regardless of what happens, we're here together." My final words caused him to crack a smile.

"I can't wait to see how you handle being with the other mentors. They can be ruthless, and you're fresh meat." He joked, nudging me slightly.

I scowled. "If you so much as leave my side I'll tell everyone about the time you got caught sneaking out because you fell off the roof."

It was an empty threat, no one was supposed to know we were even friends before this, but it made him laugh anyway.

"In all seriousness, I'm glad you're by my side this year." He put an arm around my shoulder and squeezed me tight against his chest, warming me a million times quicker than the steaming coffee ever could. Underneath the scent of his Capitol clothing, I could still smell home.

A noise came from the other side of the kitchen, causing both of us to whip around so fast that coffee spilled over the edge my mug. My heart pounded erratically, my fight or flight instincts kicking in as they did every time I've been caught off guard since the arena.

"Sorry kids, didn't mean to interrupt." Barrick smirked, making his way across the living space toward the front door. We both stared at him. As my heart rate slowed and the shocked ebbed away from my mind, I struggled to discern why he was even here in the first place. I hadn't seen him since the train, and even then, I hadn't understood why he would come to the Capitol when it wasn't required.

Before either of us had a chance to ask, he was long gone. Our moment of normalcy was broken.

Luke placed his now empty cup down on the counter, glancing around the apartment as if someone else was going to emerge any second.

I looked down at my half empty mug, but my stomach churned when I realized I had somewhere to be again soon, courtesy of Snow. I struggled to come up with some sort of explanation of why I would be leaving Luke alone today, but it turned out I didn't have to.

"I'm going to take the day to meet with some potential sponsors for Garth." He grimaced as if he would rather do anything but.

I nodded along eagerly, relieved that he wouldn't be wondering where I had run off to again. "I should too."

We stood still for a moment, desperately trying to hold on to the last peaceful moments we had before being thrust back into the world of the Capitol. Luke broke first, making his way to his room.

I dumped out the rest of my cup in the sink, watching as the coffee swirled slowly down the drain. It was no use delaying the inevitable anymore, so I straightened up and followed Luke down the hallway.

No doubt there would some sort of envelope waiting for me there, complete with a complimentary rose. While the thought made my stomach flip unpleasantly, I felt safe knowing that for now, my secret was still safe.