A/N: Interviews are over, but we still have several chapters left to fit in all of the other tributes that haven't had their second Pre-Games POVs! Half of them will be three or four POVs, while the others will be shorter. Today, it's the fifth night and the aftermath of the interviews. We're visiting Baron Arbor, the District Seven Male, and Unity Carden, Mentor of District Nine. Enjoy your read! :D
Trigger Warnings: Profanity
Baron's song is Magic by Coldplay and Unity's song is Fix You by Coldplay.
And if you were to ask me
After all that we've been through
Still believe in magic?
Oh yes I do
Oh yes I do
Yes I do
Oh yes I do
Of course I do
Baron Arbor, 16
District Seven Male
I don't know what the fuck I've just done, but I'm curled up in the backseat of the black car that's carrying us back to the Tribute Center, shaking uncontrollably. My suit is going to be crumpled beyond belief, but I don't care at this point. I...I just can't believe what I said on live television, in front of the entire nation. Yes, I stood up for the Coven. I showed that we are nice people. But I reminded them all that I am branded a rebel by the government, even if the ruling is utter bullshit. And with reminding everyone that I am technically a rebel, I have most likely incurred the wrath of Snow. I realize now that I didn't have a chance even before I was a little underhandedly snarky towards the government at the Interviews. I was doomed the second the Mayor found Rowan's tarot cards, and I told him that they were mine. At least I did something good; I saved Rowan. But in the process, I inexplicably killed myself, and I'm just starting to understand that for the first time.
"You alright?" Ivy asks gingerly. "You should sit up, look nice. There'll probably be reporters when we're unloading, and you want to look nice for them."
"Yeah, you're right," I sigh. I breathe out shakily, and then I straighten, trying to rub out as many creases as I can. While I could easily lay down and die, giving up and falling off my platform at the start, I'm not doing that to myself. I may be pretty much doomed to die in the arena, but if I can make people see the Coven in a new light, if I can make people understand that we're just peaceful people living out our traditions, then it will be worth it.
Ivy's prediction is correct. Once the cars pulls to a stop, paparazzi are basically pulling open the car door and grabbing us, shoving microphones in our faces and asking us question. There is so much noise and so much commotion that I can't pick apart any individual questions. Peacekeepers elbow their way through the swarming mass of reporters, and a loud boom goes off. Everything is silent, and Odore's voice comes across the speakers.
"This tunnel is a prohibited area for non-Games staff enter. You may face a month to six months in prison or limits to your lifestyle if you do not vacate the premises within the next two minutes," Odore informs sternly, and it's as if all of the reporters have strings attached to them, and whoever is controlled them just jerked them out of the area as quickly as they could. The paparazzi scatters except for a few bold souls who ask a few clear questions and leave just before the time limit is up. One woman stays a few seconds late and is dragged away groaning by two Peacekeepers.
"It wasn't that bad this year," one of the Peacekeepers remarks to another as they escort us into the building.
"Excuse me sir, you mean to say that that wasn't bad?" I insert, surprised.
"Oh yeah. Last year, there were so many that the tributes couldn't open the car doors, and when they did, a few of the smaller ones actually got trampled. The One girl also lost her wig and ran into the building screaming bloody murder. It was pretty comical to watch," the Peacekeeper laughs. "Okay kids, here you are. Go enjoy your last day or so before the arena. You two seem like you'll do good. May the odds be ever in your favor."
"Thanks!" Ivy shouts before the door closes behind us. We don't speak as we walk together down the halls to the elevator along with a mass of other tributes. Ivy drifts off to talk to the Three boy who is walking a few paces behind us, and I find myself plodding along alone until we hit the elevator. I squeeze in with the tributes with Five, Six, Eight, and the female from Nine. The only people talking are the females from Eight and Nine, who chatter happily. We pause at floors Five and Six to unload their tibutes, and then we're at my floor. I stumble out and collapse on the couch, where Paula, Oakes, and Razzle all wait.
We don't talk really until Ivy gets dropped off around two minutes later. Once she's sat as well, we begin the conversation.
"You two looked nice!" Razzle squeaks, grinning widely. "They loved your outfits."
"You both stuck to your angles pretty well," Oakes notes with a small smile.
"Well, except for your little quip, Baron," Paula grunts. Oakes shushes her, but I speak over him.
"Yeah, I pretty much fucked myself over," I groan.
"Language," Oakes moans. "And no, you did not. You're obviously not a real rebel. Snow will still give you a chance."
"You don't need to give me false hopes, Oakes. I can take it like a man," I reply stolidly.
"Really. You have a shot," he tells me. "I'm not kidding around."
"You're pretty fucked," Paula murmurs as she looks over her nails.
"Thank you," I tell Paula. "I appreciate your honesty. I volunteered for this expecting to die either way. Just be straight up with me, Oakes."
"You have some shot," Oakes sighs. "Stick to your guns, and act like the Capitol is the bestest thing ever, and he might let you win."
"You seem nice enough to be able to bullshit your way through a Games," Paula muses. "One off comment though, and you're fucked."
"Can we please stop using that word?" Oakes sighs.
"Oh, and Ivy you did great," Paula inserts. "We already know there's nothing we need to fix with you."
"Oh, so I'm Miss Perfect know?" Ivy quips. "Goodnight." She storms off, offended for whatever reason by the comment, and I just lay down on the couch. The Mentors and Razzle eventually drift away, leaving me there. An Avox crawls over to me and pokes me on the shoulder gently, cocking its head to ask if I want anything.
"D-do you have tarot cards?" I inquire. It looks at me, confused, and I write down what I want on a scrap of paper that it offers to me. It still doesn't seem to know what they are, but it plods off to go find out and bring them to me. It should be fun to amuse myself with the object of my downfall. I want to get a reading of my future.
The Avox eventually delivers what I've requested, and even though they're flimsy and the stack probably isn't complete, I deal them anyway. I pull them out the way Grandma Circe taught me from an early age, and once they're all out I read them, interpreting their meaning. I start to breathe heavily as I fully understand the reading that I've just performed.
"Well fuck," I hiss. It doesn't look like Snow's going to be on my side much at all.
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Unity Carden, 40
District Nine Mentor
Sage and I sit in my Mentor suite. Luke and Patrisa are long asleep, and it was just us left, sitting on the couch and watching old romcoms and laughing our butts off. Eventually the romcoms were getting boring, and I suggested that she should go get some good rest; she didn't want to be tired for the Games. At that moment, she broke down into a fit of tears, and I carried her back to her room, and now we're sitting on my bed.
Sage's tears are starting to subside, and she's sniffling weakly. I have her clutched tight to my chest, and I'm fighting back tears of my own. The poor, poor girl. She's been acting so strong, and she's going to be the leader of her alliance in a death match. It's too much for her to handle, and she's a mess. I rock her slowly in my arms, brushing one of her reddish locks out of her eyes. I wipe the tears from her pale skinned, heavily freckled face. She looks up at me, and she curls up in my arms. The last tremors from her weeping fade away, and we're just laying on my bed, Sage folded in my arms.
"Th-thanks," she whispers, nuzzling into my chest. "I...needed that."
"That's alright," I murmur. "You've lasted longer than most of my tributes do, and it's healthy to let your emotions out. Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"I guess this is my last chance to explore my feelings before the Games. And I probably won't be coming back, so I better figure out all my angst before then."
"Don't say that, Sage. You're going to try your hardest."
"My hardest has never been enough..." she trails off. "On that stage tonight, they just asked me about Rini for two and a half of the three minutes, and then Fabula squeezed in a question about my alliance. Cravat even dressed me up to look like Rini. I love my sister, but they might as damn well name me Rini too and send me into the arena. I know my angle is being the famous Rini Alumius's big sister, but it's always been about her. I feel like shit saying it, but sometimes I wish that we could just be a normal family struggling to feed ourselves. I wish I wasn't just her sister."
"That's not wrong," I murmur. "It happens a lot, and it sucks. It's hard to remove jealousy."
"It's not even jealousy, really," Sage tells me. "I don't want to be Rini. I don't want to be famous. I just want us to be a normal family."
"You're never normal after this," I whisper quietly, stroking her hair. We lay there in silence for a while longer, no parts of our bodies moving except the gentle rise and fall of our chests as we breathe in and out. She looks up at me.
"Do you hate being a Mentor?" she inquires softly, her voice barely audible. "It's okay if you do."
"I...I don't hate it. I like helping people. I was fiery when I was younger, but this job and age have mellowed me out. It just hurts a lot to see tributes die year after year. I've known every single one of Nine's tributes personally, either Mentoring them, being allies with them in my own Games, or being myself. It's just a rough road, I guess. I don't hate it. But I don't love it either. You just wish things could be...normal."
"Normal," Sage murmurs. "We all try so hard to be different from one another, but when it comes down to it, we just all want to be the same."
"There's a strange comfort in normalcy," I breathe.
"There's a strange comfort in talking to you. Thanks," she mutters. "I'm tired. I should go to bed probably."
"Don't be afraid to come back if you need to talk to someone!" I shout as she walks out the door. She smiles at me, and turns out the light before opening the door and walking out. The door drifts closed behind her, clicking into place softly.
I lay there in the blue-black dark, staring at the invisible ceiling, a churning feeling dominating my gut. I roll out of the bed and crawl to the bathroom. I kneel in front of the toilet, and I throw up, hacking up my meager dinner and a load of bile. When I'm done, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and wash my hands in the sink. Then I stagger back to my bed, burying myself under the covers.
I'm not sick physically. I'm sick emotionally. Poor Sage. She really doesn't stand much of a chance. I know I'm going to see her die in the coming weeks, same with Luke, and I'm not prepared. I'm never prepared. But I can never take it upon myself to be like Calla, Pumpkin, and most of the others, distancing myself and avoiding the hurt that comes when my tributes inevitably die. That's just not who I am.
A/N: This one was a little short, but I wanted to get something out today, and since I'll be gone all night, I needed to get it out fast! I hoped you liked these looks at Baron and Unity, and they were pretty fun to write! We have 6 more chapters until the Games: Fifth Morning, Fun Day, Last Night, Last Morning, Into the Tubes, and the Countdown!
What did you think of these two? If you had to pick one tribute, who do you think will be the runner up in the Games?
Trivia:
Baron (1 pt.) - What did the One Female lost last year when she was leaving the car after the interviews?
Unity (1 pt.) - Finish the Unity quote: "There's a strange comfort in _."
Until Next Time,
Tracee