A/N
Before the story continues,
I'd love to thank anon CR0N0S and fellow fanfic writer Tanglepelt (check out her hetalia stuff….so heartwrenchingly thrilling) and Silver-Wire for their kindness.
~ceruleanglass
Chapter 2: Increase by Evidence
朝甚除,田甚蕪,倉甚虛。服文采,帶利儉,厭飲食,財貨有餘。
When the rich spectators prosper while farmers lose their land when government officials spend money on weapons instead of curs; when the upper class is extravagant and irresponsible while the poor have nowhere to turn – all this is to know the pride of robbers.
DaodeJing - 53
After Peeta's family was sent away, Annie decided to leave for her room. The last thing she saw was Peeta staring blankly at the doors of the train, where his family was just standing only a moment ago. His face was drawn, and his eyes reddened from tears.
Annie found herself alone in a single room train compartment before she and Peeta could meet their mentor. She stared at the clock. Judging by how time passed since the beginning of their ride to the Capitol, that would be in an hour's time. She flopped back onto the bed, and slid her eyes shut to rest.
"Please wake up! It's time to meet with your mentor!" screeched the announcer. Annie slowly rose out of bed, patting down loose hairs that unraveled from her tight bun. She blinked sleepily at the blotchy faced woman before tugging her jacket properly in place, and walked past the District 12 Escort out into the corridors. The escort huffed, and shuffled quickly so that she was leading Annie over to another much larger room. It was a wide room, with polished paneled walls, glass mirrors, and sleek mahogany tables with foods and drinks at the front. The government took pride in themselves, showing off through these opulent displays.
"Please take a seat while I get your mentor. He's probably by the bar carts. He and I will be discussing you about the traditional routine to prepare for the Game. The reapings will be recapped for everyone to see while dinner is being served." The bottoms of the doors ghosted over the ground as the escort left them to their own devices. In her place, the servers entered the room and began plating their tables.
Annie turned her attention towards the windows, watching the trees blur away. She could feel the eyes of her district partner, Peeta, on the back of her head. Even with his light fidgeting motions, she sensed it all. She recalled seeing evidence of his tears, and whether they were of frustration or defeat she didn't know. That sign of humanity would be seen as weakness in the arenas. But letting the tributes not release their burdens by shedding a tear would only make it that much harder to remain human. She knew from experience.
Ever since that day, the day the walls fell, she knew then that something was changing, rearranging her from the inside out. And that she could never go back where home once was. 'I can feel it right at the heart of me, and it grips me physically,' Annie thought, reaching up to the area of her heart, and gripping the cotton. 'It would not take too long drag me down into a violent vertigo. I can feel that time approaching quickly.' This wouldn't do. Annie needed a distraction of some sort.
Without turning away, she asked him what he wanted. He asked her if he'd ever met him. She didn't.
"Well, have you ever heard of him?" he ventured further when she showed no sign of recognition. "You know, Haymitch. He is our mentor. He did win this thing once. I wonder how he's like." Again, she gave no answer.
After staring at Annie a little longer, Peeta sighed, "Look, you know if you don't wanna talk, I understand. But I don't think there's any problem with getting a little bit of help." Before anyone could say another word, the doors suddenly opened and a man entered. He was wearing a light gray vest and white button down, and held an empty glass. This was probably Haymitch, she thought.
As Haymitch made his way over to the refreshments table, Peeta made to stand. Suddenly, Haymitch turned to them. Peeta halted. And Haymitch just sighed before nodding.
"Congratulations," he said before selecting a long necked bottle with curious amber liquid sloshing about inside. Peeta and Annie watched as he poured himself a glass, and sat himself down on the couch in front of them.
Peeta wasted no time, and decided he wanted some answers. "So, uh, when do we start?"
Haymitch shut his eyes and waved a hand in front of his face. "Whoa, Whoa. So Eager. Most of you usually aren't so eager to get started."
"Well yeah, but I wanna know what the plan is since you're our mentor."
Haymitch gulped down his drink, before asking "Mentor?" as if he hadn't a clue to why he was there in the first place.
"Yeah, our mentor. You're supposed to tell us how to get sponsors and give us advice." The brat's so oddly worked up. So Haymitch decided he would humor the kid. He rolled his eyes up towards the ceiling.
"Oh, advice huh?" he made an umm noise, before sarcastically emphasizing, "Embrace the possibility of your imminent death. And know, in your heart, that there's nothing I can do to save you." When he finished his response, he smiled. Peeta frowned to himself.
Through the layer of sarcasm Haymitch was using, Annie knew he meant every word of his 'advice' to them. The Hunger Games were a competition. And the end rule for a competition was absolute regardless of the variety in rules made to accompany. Here, there would be only one victor out of the twenty four tributes offered. This was a world in which the gods fight off boredom in the only way they knew how.
