Cleopatra Datari (District 4 Mentor)
"Who the fuck is calling at this hour?" I groan, my head throbbing in rhythm with the beat of my ringtone as I quickly but clumsily untangle myself from Aquilina and roll over onto my side to look for my stupid phone.
"Hello?" I mumble, my voice tinged with sleep-deprived annoyance as I wait patiently for a response from the inconsiderate moron on the other end of the line.
"What the hell do you want, Alexander? It's three o'clock in the morning. Some of us are trying to sleep. — No, I will not come down to the bar and have a drink with you. — Because it's three o'clock in the freaking morning, and I'm trying to sleep. — No, we can talk about that later. — Because there's nothing we can do about it right now. — Fine! I'll be down in a few minutes. Just let me get dressed. — Because I was asleep, Alexander. And I like to be comfortable when I — you know what, we're not having this conversation. I'll be down in a minute."
I growl, resisting the urge to hurl my phone into the nearest wall as Aquilina rolls over and wraps her arm lovingly around my waist. Pulling me back into her warm, loving embrace. Her chin on my shoulder, her lips less than an inch away from my ear.
"Who was that, babe?"
"Alexander," I groan, my body instinctively melting into her touch, my phone slipping out of my hand and onto the soft, emerald green carpet below as my breathing slowly falls into step with the rhythmic beating of her heart.
"What did he want?" she asks, pulling me in even deeper and placing a soft, loving kiss on my neck.
"To talk about what happened between Bellatrix and Ariadne at the end of training yesterday," I sigh, reluctantly slipping out of her arms and throwing the covers off as I slide out of bed. Coming dangerously close to crushing my previously discarded phone as I do.
"Can't that wait until later?" she asks, her voice low and groggy as she props herself up on one shoulder. Her long, jet-black hair falling down over her shoulder and framing her face in an almost hauntingly beautiful way. "It's not like you guys can do anything about it right now anyway."
"I agree," I groan, sifting through the pile of clothes at the foot of our bed in search of something halfway presentable for me to wear. "But you know Alexander. He doesn't like being told no."
"That's never stopped you before."
"True," I laugh, slipping my shirt over my head and adjusting my hair before resuming my search for my pants. "And how has that worked out for me in the past?"
"About as well as you'd expect," she giggles, suppressing the urge to yawn as she watches me finish getting dressed through tired, heavy eyes.
"Exactly. So, the way I see it, I have two choices. I can blow him off, and he'll make my life miserable until I get fed up and go down and talk to him. Or, I can just get it over with and have the conversation now."
"Look at you, thinking ahead. It's sexy."
"Everything I do is sexy, babe," I purr, giving myself a quick once over in the mirror on the wall before slipping on my shoes and leaning in to give her a soft, tender little kiss. "Now, try and get some sleep. I'll be back in a few minutes."
~45 Minutes Later~
I should have known better than to expect this to be quick. I might not have known Alexander for very long. But in the mercifully short time that I have, he's never done anything quickly.
So it should come as no surprise to anyone that, despite talking for nearly an hour at this point, we haven't even come close to addressing the reason he dragged me out of bed and the arms of the woman I love at such an ungodly hour.
"Is there a point to any of this, Alexander?"
"You know there is, Cleopatra."
"Then get to it," I snap, my voice low and annoyed, my patience for his particular brand of pointless stupidity rapidly wearing thin. "Tell me what you want me to do."
"I want you to help me fix this. Your tribute. …"
"Did nothing wrong," I growl, my earlier annoyance mixing dangerously with my exhaustion as I quickly down the rest of my coffee before motioning for the nearest avox for a refill. "This isn't Ariadne's fault. It's Bellatrix's."
"I'm not here to cast blame, Cleopatra. I'm here to fix the problem. That's our job as their mentors. To help them work through this before it destroys the Career Alliance," he counters.
"There's no way for us to fix this, Alexander," I laugh, mouthing a silent thank you to the avox as she sets my coffee down on the table next to me while he glares at me in stunned disbelief.
"How can you say that?"
"Because it's true. The only person who can save it is Bellatrix. And we both know she's not interested in saving it."
"Do we, though?"
"Would we be having this otherwise pointless discussion at four o'clock in the morning if she was?" I ask, my words dripping with anger and sarcasm. My patience for his crap finally exhausted.
"No," he admits, his voice low and filled with shame.
"Exactly. So, let's stop pretending that we can. And focus on helping our newly orphaned tributes."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"By doing our job, Alexander," I groan, rolling my eyes in frustration as he sinks, I shit you not, sinks, back into his chair and sulks like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"You don't have to be a bitch about it."
"Apparently, I do," I groan, my eyes dancing off his sullen face and over to the window on the far side of the room just as the first rays of morning sun start to creep over the mountains that ring our magnificent city. Bathing the tippy top of the tallest tower in the known world in the warm, welcoming embrace of the dawn. And thoroughly smashing any lingering hopes I might have had of not being exhausted today.
"Now listen closely. Because I'm only going to say this once," I say, pouring every ounce of energy I have left in my tired body into my words as I motion for the nearest avox to bring me another refill and a breakfast menu before continuing. "The first thing we have to do is convince our girls to ally with each other. If they don't, Bellatrix and the others will pick them off in the bloodbath. ..."
Helena Valentine-18 (District 2 Female)
"I know you're not a people person. So this is going to be one of the hardest things you've ever had to do. But you have to set aside your pride and find a way to get Ariadne to work with you, Helena. Your life depends on it."
That's the last thing Alexander said to me before I left for training. He thinks so little of me and my abilities as a tribute that he's all but ordered me to find a way to ally with Ariadne. Because in his mind, I'm not capable of beating Bellatrix in a fight. Let alone her and the rest of the Career Alliance.
And in a way, he's not wrong. There's no way in hell that I can take out all four of them without help. There's just not. Bellatrix by herself, no problem. I could kill that devious little bitch with one hand tied behind my back. But Bellatrix and her allies are a completely different story. And I'm not too proud to admit that.
The truth is, I know that the only way I'm going to make it past the bloodbath is if I'm allied with Ariadne. That's just all there is to it. And, like I said earlier, I'm not too proud to admit that. The idea of actually asking her for help, though, absolutely terrifies me.
Not because it would mean admitting that, as good a tribute as I am, there are still some things that I can't do on my own. And one of those things is protecting myself from all four of my former allies without Ariadne's help. Again, I have no issue at all with doing that. Because it's true.
No, my issue is that I don't know if I'm emotionally capable of walking up to Ariadne, or anyone else for that matter, and asking them to be my ally. I just don't think I'm capable of being as open and vulnerable with them as I would need to be in that situation. I genuinely don't.
I've never had to be that open with anyone in my entire life. I'm in uncharted emotional waters here. And my life literally depends on me being able to successfully navigate them.
God, I think I'm going to be sick.
"Hey, Ariadne, can I talk to you for a second?" I ask, my heart pounding in my chest, my nervous tick causing my hands to tremble in terror as I stand there with a stupid, awkward look on my face and wait for her to answer.
"Sure," she mumbles, reluctantly tearing her eyes away from our former allies and turning to look at me. "What's up?
"Well ... I, um ... I was ... wondering if you ... if you. ..."
"If I what?" she asks, a confused look on her face as she stands there and watches me squirm.
"If you would be my ... my a-a-ally?" I whisper, my face burning with embarrassment as I finally stumble my way into asking the question.
"Are you serious?" she asks, her tone flat and neutral, her face an unreadable mask of indifference.
"Well, yeah," I say, suddenly very self-conscious of how exposed I am and just how stupid I must look and sound.
Why did I decide to do this in the middle of the training room floor? Why didn't I ask her if we could talk in private? Am I trying to screw this up?
Come on, Helena. Stop — being — STUPID!
"Is everything ok, Helena?" she asks. A look of genuine concern on her previously passive and unreadable face. "You kinda spaced out there for a second."
"Huh?"
"I asked if you were ok?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I stammer, my hands trembling uncontrollably in rhythm with the pounding of my heart.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm just ... You know what, never mind," I mumble, a small, nearly invisible stream of tears seeping out from the corners of my eyes and rolling down my cheeks in a slow, steady stream as I lower my head in shame.
"It was a stupid idea anyway. Just forget that I said anything," I say, pushing my way past her and making a beeline for the nearest bathroom. Throwing open the door and locking myself in the first stall I come to before burying my face in my hands and sobbing softly.
"Why am I such a fuck-up?"
"You're not a fuck-up, Helena," comes a soft, easily recognizable response from the other side of the stall door.
"Who's that?" I ask. The question slipping out before I can stop.
"Who do you think?" she asks, her voice low and filled with concern.
"Why did you follow me, Ariadne?"
"Because you're my ally."
"Am I?" I ask, my spirits lifting ever so slightly as I wipe the tears off my cheeks with the back of my hand.
"Of course, you are. Why would you think otherwise?"
"Because you acted offended when I asked if you were interested in allying with me."
"Shit, is that how that came off? Helena, I was making a joke. I thought you were too?"
"Well, I wasn't. Alexander told me to. ..."
"Let me guess, he gave you the; 'you have to find a way to set aside your foolish pride and convince her to work if you want to have any chance of surviving the bloodbath' spiel. Right?"
"How did you. ..?"
"Cleopatra gave me the same speech this morning before I left for training. I told her she had nothing to worry about because you and I were already allies."
"I'm such a fucking idiot," I whisper, my sadness quickly giving way to a fresh wave of embarrassment.
"You're not an idiot, Helena."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. What are allies for?
"Now, if you're done being silly, we have work to do. And we can't do it from the bathroom."
"You're right," I say, using the sleeve of my shirt to finish drying my eyes before carefully unlocking and opening the door. "What's first?"
"A recruitment drive," she says, her deep, dark-blue eyes burning with purpose.
"Ok. Do you have someone specific in mind?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. …"
Sarah Beth Fullberg-17 (District 10 Female)
"Are you ready to begin, Miss Fullberg?" asks the trainer. His long, delicate, boney fingers dancing across the control panel. A playful little smile on his tattoo-covered face and a look of pure excitement burning in his big, lidless black eyes.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," I say, my voice low, calm, and even. My eyes fixed firmly on his face, my hands clenched tightly around the handles of my axes.
"Alright then, begin!" he shouts, his fingers gliding over the start button as the lights in the combat simulator blink out of existence. Bathing me in darkness for a few seconds before my first enemy flashes to life and comes screaming towards me with a sword held high above its head.
I act on instinct. I wait for my enemy to get as close to me as possible before dropping into a crouch and sliding to the side, bringing the edge of my right ax slicing through the hologram's shin and sending it tumbling off into oblivion.
"That was too easy," I whisper, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end as I spin around at the last second. Raising my left ax up above my head just in time to block the downswing of a second sword-wielding foe before bringing the butt of my right one crashing into its groin. Causing the hologram's knees to buckle as I rear back and separate its head from its shoulders.
From there, everything goes pretty smoothly. I duck, dodge, and hack my way through the rest of the simulation without taking a hit until the only thing standing between me and victory is a bow-wielding enemy perched on a small ledge on the far side of the simulator.
"Shit," I growl, an arrow zipping past my ear as I throw myself onto the floor and crawl behind a low wall. Arrow after arrow screaming past my head as I go.
"How am I supposed to get that one?" I wonder, cautiously peeking over the edge of my little wall to get a better read on the situation as another trio of arrows smash into the ledge in quick succession. Exploding into a brilliant shower of lights and momentarily blinding me in the process.
And that's when it hits me. I'm not supposed to get to it. I'm supposed to kill it from here. And so, after taking a couple of deep, calming breaths. I suck in every ounce of air that I can, push myself up off my stomach and onto my feet, rear back, and hurl my ax with everything I've got. Sending it sailing through the air like a shooting star and straight into the head of my last target with a primal, triumphant roar.
"You sure know how to put on a show, don't you," says a clearly impressed voice behind me, a small, approving round of applause accompanying her words.
"I try," I say, my voice low and heavy, my breaths coming in short, ragged bursts as I stare across the room at the scoreboard on the far wall and wait for my score to flash across it.
"You did a lot more than try," says a second, slightly quieter voice as my score of ninety-three flashes across the screen before being replaced by a breakdown that shows the first arrow that I thought I had dodged had just barely clipped the top of my ear. Causing me to lose a few points right there at the very end. "And you have the score to prove it."
"I could have done better," I growl, my disappointment and frustration seeping out into my words as a team of avox race into the simulator to collect my weapons.
"There's always room for improvement," says the first voice, the smile I'm sure she has on her face seeping through into her every word. "The fact that you're capable of understanding that despite the show you just put on is impressive."
"I'll take your word for it," I say, ripping my eyes away from the display on the board and turning around to face my visitors. Coming face to face with the recently banished members of the Career Alliance. "So, can I help you guys with something?"
"Oh, I'm sure you can," says Ariadne, a stern, determined glint shining in her eyes as she quickly closes the last few feet of distance between us with an explosive burst of speed. Causing me to instinctively back away to create some much-needed separation.
"Great. You need me to clear out so the two of you can run through the simulator?" I ask, slightly annoyed at the idea of being pushed around by the two girls who weren't good enough to make it in the career alliance.
"Actually, we're here to talk to you," says Helena, her voice low, quiet, and just a little on the shy side. "If you've got a second, that is."
"I might," I say, choosing my words carefully as my mind races, trying to figure out where this could possibly be going. "It depends on what you want to talk about."
"We have an offer for you," says Ariadne, her voice calm and even despite the fire raging in her eyes. "An offer you'd have to be a fool to refuse."
Aww, so that's what they're here for. I should have known, especially after they spent so much time complimenting me on my run through the simulator.
"And this offer I'd be a fool to refuse, would it happen to involve me joining an alliance?"
"Of course, it would."
"And why would I want to do that, Ariadne? What could the two of you possibly offer me that would make joining up with Bellatrix's least favorite people a good idea?"
"Security," says Helena, her voice barely above a whisper, her words cutting right through the crap and straight to the heart of the matter.
"Excuse me?"
"An alliance with us provides you with security," she says, her voice low, flat, neutral, and painfully matter of fact. "Against the rest of the careers, who are going to make you a priority whether you're with us or not. As well as the handful of outer district tributes itching to take a shot at you because you're a volunteer."
"There are also other benefits to being our ally," says Ariadne, a knowing little smirk on her lips as she stares confidently into my eyes. "And we'd be more than happy to share them with you. All we ask is that you listen to our offer with an open mind."
"Well, it's not like I have anything to lose," I say, doing my best to sound like I'm still trying to make up my mind even though every fiber of my being is screaming at me to say yes before they can change their minds. "Ok, you've got five minutes to wow me, Ariadne. Make it count."
Dana Shouwei-15 (District 6 Female)
"Watch where you're swinging that thing, Cypher," I growl, my voice low and angry as I grab him by the back of the neck and shove him to the floor with an angry grunt.
"What the hell was that for?!"
"You nearly hit me with your spear, moron!"
"Oh, sorry," he says, his voice low and dripping with sarcasm as he swings around onto his but and stares up at me with his stupidly oversized spear clenched tightly in his small, trembling hands. "Maybe you should be a little more careful."
"I need to be more careful?"
"Yeah!"
"You're the one who nearly skewered me, you braindead little shi. ..."
"Dana," snaps Leandra, her voice hard and tinged with anger as she glares at me from the other side of the station.
"What?!" I growl.
"Let's take a walk," she says, her voice low and even, her eyes locked on mine as she tosses her spear to Oz without looking before motioning for me to follow her.
"I'm fine, Leandra," I growl, my anger and frustration threatening to bubble out of control as I spin around and storm off towards the rack of spears on the far edge of the mat. Reaching it a fraction of a second ahead of her.
"I wasn't asking," she whispers, her voice soft, low, and dripping with frustration as she plucks the spear out of my hands and slips it back into its place on the rack before placing her hand on my shoulder and gently steering me away from the station and the rest of our allies.
Guiding us out of earshot before leaning in and growling in my ear.
"What the hell was that all about?" she asks, her voice a mix of frustrated disappointment and genuine concern that she likes to bust out whenever I lose my cool and say or do something we both know that I probably shouldn't have.
"He nearly skewered me, Leandra," I growl, my voice hard and defensive as I try my best to stay angry as she expertly steers us through the maze of stations in the direction of the only unoccupied one in the room. The camouflage station.
"He came this close to ending my life!" I say, getting my fingers as close together as I can and shoving them back into her face for emphasis. "THIS CLOSE!"
"Dana, I saw the whole thing. There was a good ten feet between you and the point of his spear. He came closer to skewering himself on that swing than he did you, and you know it.
"So, cut the crap. Stop with the theatrics. And just sit down and talk to me," she says, pointing to the fake log in the middle of the station and refusing to move until I finally give up and plop down on top of it. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," I pout, all of my pent-up anger and frustration slowly melting away as I sit there on that stupid log and listen to her hum the same soothing little song she sings every morning when she's baking bread.
And that's how we spend the next few minutes. Me sitting here on this stupid log — pouting like a baby — with the words to her song buzzing around in my head like bees. While she stands there and hums along like she didn't just scold me in front of our allies for acting like an ass to someone who really did deserve it. Waiting for me to calm down and start talking.
And the worst part is, it's working. Just like it always does.
"Are you ready to talk?" she finally asks, her voice soft, calm, and without a trace of her earlier anger or frustration.
"No," I lie, doing my best not to look her in the eye as I try and fail to force myself to get mad again.
"Liar," she laughs, a knowing little smirk on her face as she crouches down next to me and pulls me in for a big, warm, bear hug.
"I'm not lying," I say, my already shaky resolve wavering by the second as she pulls me deeper into the hug.
"Yes, you are. But that's ok," she says, her fingers running gently through my hair as she starts to hum again. "We don't have to talk if you don't want to, Dana."
And we don't. We just keep sitting there for another ten minutes until the lunch bell rings, and I'm finally ready to talk.
"Why did you stop me, Leandra?" I ask, my stomach rumbling softly in hunger as I sit there, crossed-legged on the floor with her arms around me.
"Why did I stop you from what?"
"From kicking Cypher's ass. We both know the insufferable prick deserves it."
"Do you remember what I told you when we first met? After I caught you trying to run off with a loaf of my bread stuffed in your jacket?"
"Yes," I say, slipping out of her arms and pulling my knees up into my chest in shame as she runs her hand up and down my back in slow, gentle circles.
"And what did I tell you?"
"That actions have consequences."
"Exactly. Now, what do you think would have happened to you if I'd let you kick Cypher's ass?"
"You mean besides getting both of us kicked out of the alliance?"
"Yeah, besides that."
"I ... I honestly don't know. But I can't imagine it would have been good."
"And that's why I stopped you."
"I think ... I think I understand."
"Good.
"Now that that's settled. What do you say we go find the others and get some lunch? I can hear your stomach growling from here."
Alfonso Cadel-18 (District 1 Male)
Better late than never, right? That's what I keep telling myself as I sit here at the table and stare down at the congealed mess on my tray while trying to work up the courage to swallow my pride and do what I know I should have done in the first place.
And let me tell you, that second part is what's holding me back — because, try as I might, I'm just not capable of admitting that I made a mistake. I've never made one, so I've never had to.
Ok, so that's not entirely true. I've made plenty of little mistakes in my life. As well as a handful of pretty big ones. But I've never made one that I felt the need to apologize for, let alone correct.
So this is kind of new for me, and I'm not afraid to admit that I'm struggling with it. Though, the fact that I have to sit here and listen to Bellatrix ramble on and on about how much better and stronger she thinks our alliance is without Ariadne and Helena in it is giving me plenty of motivation to find a way to overcome those struggles.
"... think it was the best decision to make. We don't need them piggybacking off our collective greatness. Don't you agree, Alfonso?"
"Huh?" I ask, looking up from my big, cold plate of lunchtime disappointment and into the big, soft, sky-blue eyes of my incredibly attractive and idiotic leader.
"I asked if you agreed with me?" she laughs. The small, playful smile on her perfect lips standing in stark contrast to the righteous fury burning in her enchanting blue eyes. "So, do you?"
"Do I agree with you about what?" I ask, playing dumb for a few seconds as I look back down at my lunch before gently pushing the tray as far away from me as the tiny table I'm sitting at will allow.
"Do the specifics really matter?" she asks, a smug, knowing grin on her perfect, snowy white face. "We both know what the right answer is here. Don't we?"
"I suppose we do," I say, my muscles tensing reflexively as I look up from the table and into her pretty blue eyes with a massive shit-eating grin plastered on my face. "Or at least I do."
"What's the supposed to mean, Alfonso?" she asks, her voice light and playful but laced with venom.
"I think we both know the answer to that question. Don't we?" I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I use her own words against her with a smile on my face.
"I suppose we do. The only question is, are you sure you want to make this mistake? Because there's no coming back from this, Alfonso. Not for you."
"What are you guys talking about?" asks Cornelia.
"Don't be an idiot, Alfonso," she growls, Cornelia's question going unanswered as she zeros in on me. "This will be the single biggest mistake of your life. And I'm serious when I say you can't come back from it. Shimmer and I won't let you."
"I'm not afraid of either of you."
"You should be."
"Well, I'm not. But you are right about one thing, I did make a mistake. There's no doubt in my mind about that. But, this isn't it. This is me correcting that mistake. And I have no intention of coming back from it."
"So, that's it then?"
"It is."
"Then I guess we'll see you in the arena. Won't we?"
"I'm looking forward to it."
A/N: UPDATED ALLIANCE LIST
Career Alliance
Shimmer
Bellatrix (Leader)
Cornelia
Career Outcasts
Helena
Ariadne
Sarah Beth
Oz's Grand Alliance
Oz
Cypher
Sentri
Sedge
Dana
Leandra
District Seven
Asuka
Benny
Districts Eight and Ten
Lizbeth
Pallas
Luciana
Hopeless Littles
Ashton
Cassis
Maira
Ashlynn
Solo
Shirley
Hector
Alfonso