IMPORTANT TO ALL READERS: I POSTED A NEW CHAPTER LAST WEEK, BUT AS IT WAS LATE AND WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE HAPPENED BEFORE THE EVENTS OF THE REAPING AND THE TRAINING CENTER. NOT MANY VIEWS HAVE BEEN COMING IN, SO I SUPPOSE MOST OF YOU DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE NEW CHAPTER WAS CHAPTER FOUR. I STRONGLY SUGGEST READING CHAPTER FOUR, THE NEWER CHAPTER, BEFORE CONTINUING TO THIS ONE.

I don't own the Hunger Games.

Chapter Twenty Eight:

But you are unfixable

I can't break through your world

'Cause you live in shades of cool

Your heart is unbreakable

"So… First impressions?" I ask Fletcher and Vesta. I sucks that I don't have an experienced mentor, because I have a feeling that this'll go terribly wrong. Especially with Fletcher, since he wasn't actually the person who was supposed to volunteer. But even more, Aqua's also a mentor. It would be one thing if a somewhat normal and rational person who was inexperienced, but of course, Aqua's the complete opposite of that. And then there are the tributes. I just really hope that they won't be like Aqua. I'm hopeful for Vesta, she seems to be bored and annoyed with all of this, but Fletcher… His freakishly large grin and bright eyes point more towards the personality of Aqua, maybe even to an extreme, if that's even possible.

"I think we need an alliance with at least Garnet and Oceanus, and I guess—" Vesta is cut off by Fletcher instantly.

"Okay, so Garnet and Crystal look cool, Andrew looks like a loser, Kiyoko needs to die early 'cause she looks too smart, Oceanus needs to be in our alliance, Coral is too weak, Rosaline and Charlie are weak, Wing should join the Career alliance, Carr is weak, Lumber and Mahogany should join the alliance, Annaliese and Thomas look weak, Dominique might last long if she doesn't go into the Bloodbath, Jonah's weak, Lilith and Alisondro are weak, Jasmine is weak, Grayson might be strong, Kaitriona might be cool, and Calem is weak," Fletcher announces. We all just stare at him for a while.

"Good!" finally says Aqua. "So, um… Um…" she looks at me as if I know what we're supposed to ask them. I shrug. "Um… So… What's your strategy?"

Once again, Vesta is probably about to say something useful, but Fletcher immediately starts talking. "We just need to do what you two did!" Vesta puts her hand on her head and looks like she'd rather be anywhere than here. I have to agree. Aqua even looks a bit annoyed with Fletcher already, but not that much. Though even that is saying something.

"Yes smart one, we should ally with a backstabber and someone who won't help us one bit, almost die at least ten times, and then refuse to dismember and kill each other. Sounds great," she replies with much sarcasm. I can't decide what I think about her. All I know is that we have the worst pair of tributes to mentor in the history of the Hunger Games. Emberlynn looks just as frustrated as Vesta.

And I thought mentoring would be fun.

~Change of POV~

I don't think I like Vesta. I like Fletcher, but he's gonna get annoying pretty soon. Not as much as the two of them combined, but still. Somehow, I bet mentoring Vesta and Dodger would've somehow been easier though.

"So maybe you should think of a different strategy," suggests Parker.

Vesta makes sure to speak before Fletcher. "Once we get to the training place, we need to ally with Garnet, Oceanus, and Crystal I suppose, then try to get some other strong people as well, like Wing, Lumber, or Mahogany. Since none of us probably care that much about each other, after killing off a lot of the tributes, we can separate and focus on winning by ourselves."

"Yes," agrees Parker with much enthusiasm.

"Well I don't think disbanding is really going to get you anywhere," I argue. Some people just don't understand common sense.

"Yeah!" agrees Fletcher. "We should just stay together, if we do that, at the end, there will just be Careers left. At that point, it'll be certain that at least a Career will win without the chance of anyone else getting in the way."

"I hate to say it, but he's right…" mentions Parker.

I smile. "Of course he is. He agreed with me."

"I am done with you! All of you! I think we should split up, Aqua and Fletcher and me and Parker. It would be so much less aggravating for all of us," Vesta yells.

The person I really feel bad for is Emberlynn. I don't actually know where she is right now; she probably left because of frustration and stuff like that. Before we can decide if Vesta's idea is worth using, we're about to pass the Capitol. Fletcher jumps right up to see out of the window when the cheering begins, but Vesta, not surprisingly, stays where she is. Fletcher waves frantically at the oddly colored people until we pull into the building the tributes stay at. The train finally comes to a stop, and more screams begins as the people from One get out. I can see Crystal and Garnet, the tributes, smiling and greeting them in a friendly manner, as does their escort and mentors.

"Wait! Parker, do we get to see the other mentors?" I ask quickly.

"I guess so… Why would you—" he stops and stares at me. "You aren't actually going to—"

My smirk is enough of an answer to his question. Maybe being a mentor could be interesting in a good way after all.

The door on the side of the train opens up, and Vesta and Fletcher step through it, followed by Emberlynn from wherever she came from, and then Parker and I. The Capitol people are surrounding us on either side, and the Peacekeepers have to keep them from touching us. I don't remember it being this uncomfortable last year; maybe the new victors always gain more attention.

We finally escape the crowd and walk through the silver doors. Everyone's directed to different areas, the mentors directly to the elevator. Parker and I are smashed in with the District One mentors, Cordelia and Onyx. They both won fairly recently, Cordelia in the 73rd Games, ones that I watched when I was eleven. I don't remember Onyx's Games very well; I think he won before I was born.

"Hey guys!" greets Cordelia. "Congrats on winning the Games last year!"

"Thanks," I reply, hoping to not make very much conversation with her. Thankfully, they leave on the first floor above where we entered, and get off before they can say anything more. Parker and I get off at the next floor up.

You're crumbling sadly

I'm sorry

You're gone with me

'Shades of Cool' by Lana Del Rey

For the reviewers:

What are your opinions on Fletcher and Vesta? Who is the more awful one?

How will Aqua and Parker cope as mentors?