A/N: I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! When I typed this chapter, it came out ridiculously long so I had to split it up. I really wanted it to all fit in one chapter so I could move on with the story but oh well.
"Come on, Raini. Four hours is all I'm asking for. You have to get up," I say for about the thousandth time to the lump under the covers. No reply. Of course not.
I sigh and pull the blanket back from over her. This has become a familiar routine. I reach for her legs to pull her out the bed as she clutches the bed frame and tries to kick me.
"I can't help you practice for your interview if you don't work with me," I tell her, my voice coming out in a growl. I've tried so hard to be patient and I think I'm a pretty patient person, but this kid is working my last nerve.
"Practice what? It's common sense," she says in a sleepy mumble. Her hands are still wrapped around the frame of the bed. Above them are scratches in the wood from every other morning she has done this the past week.
I release my grip on her and fold my arms. "You don't realize how important this is. There are sponsors out there, and the only way they're going to pay money to help you survive is if you give them a reason to. What do you plan on doing? Ditching like you did for training? That's not going to work this time. You need an angle."
I wait for her to respond and get nothing in return. For a second, I consider trying to pull her out of bed again. Then I decide I'm better off just talking to her like this. She's going to get the lesson one way or another.
"Everyone goes by an angle that represents their strategy in the Games. Some common ones are resourceful, strong, brave, sweet…"
"Would you just shut up? I didn't ask for a lecture," Raini hisses.
"No, I'm not stopping." I can't help but feel a little smug as I continue. "Anyway, I think you could pull off fierce. The thing I'm most worried about is you ignoring the questions. That's not going to go over well. Just try to answer all the questions and don't let them know how much you don't want to be here. Since you're a career, it's best they at least think you wanted to be part of the Hunger Games."
Her head snaps up so fast it startles me. She glares at me with piercing eyes. "Who said I didn't want to be part of the Games?" she demands.
"That's just kind of what I assumed since you've been moping around the whole time. And since you told me on the first day that you're not the one who should be here," I defend myself.
Raini finally pulls herself up and folds her arms across her lean frame as she shakes her head. "Well of course I'm not the one who's supposed to be here. That doesn't mean I didn't want to be in the Games."
"I don't understand," I say honestly. I want to ask her more, but I don't want to push my luck and end up making her shut down again.
"I wasn't just wasting my life in the career school. I wanted to volunteer for the Games at my last reaping. It would be MY decision and I wouldn't have to listen to what anyone else thinks. But you know what? I didn't get to choose. They sent me in just because they don't like me."
I rest my hand on hers in sympathy out of force of habit. I'm reminded not to do that when she bats my hand away. "Raini, I'm sure they sent you in because they thought you would be the best. They probably knew you wanted to volunteer eventually."
She stiffens and looks at me again with distrustful eyes. "Don't act like you believe that. I know you don't like me, either."
"I know we've had some issues," I begin again. She cuts me off before I get very far.
"That reaping was the biggest 'screw you' they could have given me," she groans and slides the covers back over her.
"Then the only thing to do is return the favor. Go on and win. Go back and show them they can't get rid of you. You can rub it in their faces if you want. So let's get up and practice some interview questions so we can make that happen," I say.
I hear a muffled laugh from under the covers. She pokes out from under the blanket just enough for me to see her messy auburn hair. "Nice try. Still not practicing those questions, though. And just so you know, winning was already the plan."
Surprisingly, that doesn't bother me as much as it should. Sure, she's still not complying, but at least I know she won't just completely give up on life in the arena. Someone as fiery as her has to stand a chance.
Regardless of this, I still try posing some questions over the next few hours. As expected, I don't get much in return. By the end, all I have gotten out of it is a shaky, questionable agreement that she will try to answer the questions asked of her. How she will answer them is probably a completely different battle. I try not to dwell on that.
The rest of the day goes basically as expected. A normal day for our dysfunctional family. There's some screeching and crying from Isidora, complaints from Lilith, and a high heel lodged in the living room TV after Raini slings it off her foot. Okay, not so normal, but still not unexpected.
After hours of styling, Lilith returns Raini to me. The same scowl adorns both their faces. "This girl will be the death of us. She's your problem now," Lilith spits as she pushes the tribute back over to me. She pushes her thick-rimmed glasses back up her aging face and stomps out the room.
Raini huffs. "I hate her. I swear, if her or one of those other colored freaks try to touch me one more time, I'm gonna-"
"Stop. It's over," I tell her. I look over the outfit Lilith saddled her in. It's a fitted shimmering red dress, complete with matching sparkly red heels. Her auburn locks are pulled up except for two strands that fall on each side of her face. Her makeup has been done to soften her cheeks and give the illusion of a fuller face.
"This dress is too tight," she complains. She starts tugging at the bottom of the dress despite my warning her to stop. After a few tugs, the fabric rips and she tears it in a thin slit going up her thighs. It doesn't look horrible, but I know Lilith would flip out if she saw it.
"Much better," she comments, more calmly now.
I groan internally. "Just go hide in your room before someone sees you," I say. I'm genuinely surprised when she listens.
I don't see her again until the interviews have started and she is onstage. One thing I notice really quickly is that this year's crop of tributes isn't quite standard. There are the usual careers, of course, since those were the obvious choices to vote in for the richer districts. The rest of them, though; they just look like troubled kids. I wonder how many of them got voted in because of burned bridges.
Among the tributes are a handful who don't look like they should be here at all. Scrawny and terrified. Who in their right mind would pick them to represent the district?
I hold onto my husband's hand for support as the interviews begin. Electric yellow-colored Nathaniel and his young son take turns questioning the tributes as an upbeat track plays in the background. Through One, Two, and Three, I try to imagine what Raini might say. Anything is liable to come out of that girl's mouth.
When it's finally her turn, she takes her place in the seat and pulls her feet up on the chair, probably just to spite Isidora. Instead of looking at the Flickerman duo, she stares down at her hands and picks at her fake nails.
Nathaniel jumps right into the questions as if there is nothing out of the ordinary. "So Raini, as a career, it must be exciting for you to take part in the very first Quarter Quell. How are you feeling so far?"
Raini takes a second to consider the question. The bright stage lights make her look very pale, especially for someone who grew up right by the ocean. "Eh. I want to be here, but not this year. I don't know how I'm supposed to answer that," she says, still not making eye contact.
The Flickermans look confused. They glance at each other unsurely. The kid, Caesar, speaks up. "What do you mean by that?" he asks.
She smirks and launches into her story about how Saphira chickened out and took advantage of everyone. I can't help but do a facepalm because I don't want to watch this train wreck. I don't look up until Alec nudges my side.
"Mags, you're onscreen," he says quietly.
I jolt up, and sure enough, the big screen is filled by my astonished expression. The audience gets a small chuckle out of my reaction. I do my best poker face and stare ahead at the stage.
Nathaniel and his son look kind of taken aback themselves. The older of the two makes a quick recovery. "From the look on your mentor's face, I'm guessing you two didn't agree on this beforehand," he says with a good hearted laugh.
"Must not have been what she wanted to hear. I think she knows by now that I'm going to do what I want," she answers simply.
"Speaking of doing what you want, we've heard a few rumors that you ditched training. Tell us, is that true?" Nathaniel prods.
Raini looks aggravated at him bringing it up since she's been scolded on that several times already. "I'm not the one who needs training," she grumbles.
"You did have a good training score," the young Flickerman notes as the buzzer goes off. They thank her and she heads back to the sofa as Eloy takes center stage.
Usually, I feel pretty good about the interviews after they're over. I'm not sure what to think about this one. I sink back into my chair, unsatisfied.
Eloy does a decent job of portraying himself as humble and strong. The rest of the interviews go by in a blur. When it's time to go back to our room and say our goodbyes, I don't feel like I have the energy to argue with Raini. Like she said, she's going to do what she wants, and I'll just have to leave it at that. No hugs are exchanged; I simply wish her good luck and let her loose into the wild.
I thought at one time that letting tributes go is like sending your child off to their death. Now that I'm a mother, I can say it's not nearly the same thing. It hurts to see these kids go, even when they have been as annoying and noncompliant as Raini. Some times are more painful than others. I think back to my very first year mentoring, when I had to see innocent little Cyana die before my eyes. That broke me. I've been broken so many times.
But here's the thing: Sending Destan off to the Games wouldn't break me. It would destroy me. Completely and utterly destroy me. I have constant nightmares about that happening.
I worried about his future and I'm worried about him now. He's safe and happy back in District Four, but I don't like being so far away from him.
"How do you think things are going back home?" I ask Alec that night. It must be close to 2 AM, but I know he's still up. So are the tributes, most likely.
I feel him shift next to me. "They're fine, Mags. I'm going to call to check in tomorrow when I get a chance."
"Okay. I will, too," I add. It's understood that we mean we'll go somewhere far out into the Capitol to make the call so there's less of a chance of our conversations being recorded.
"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" he asks.
I feel his warm arm on mine and I close my eyes to blackness as dark as the room around me. It's a relaxing darkness, though. Sometimes I wish I could clear my mind as easily as darkness clears my vision. "I have no idea what her plan is. I wish I at least had an idea of what might happen," I finally answer.
"No one knows what the arena will be like. I'm sure it will be something special for the Quarter Quell, and I don't mean that in a good way," he responds. I think about that for a while before he speaks again. "Maybe the girl will realize she's not as threatening as she thinks she is. Might even be good for her."
I know he's half-joking, but it doesn't seem right. Alec hasn't exactly been tolerant with her over the past week. Really, I'm the only one who has attempted to put up with her because it's my job. "I know she's a pain, but…I don't know. We'll see tomorrow. Good night," I say.
"Night," he says, and I try to let myself slip into sleep in the warm darkness because I know the next days won't be pleasant at all.
We fall into the standard procedure very quickly the next morning. The plan is to take turns with Kallan in the mentoring room, but we'll try to have two mentors there at any given time. The familiar chrome room hasn't changed much over the years excepts for a few additions as new technology emerged. There's still the divisions between each mentoring station, as well as the numerous computer screens with detailed information on the arena and sponsor money. For now, all the screens are black.
I go visit Nasser in the District Twelve station a few minutes before the Games are scheduled to start. I'm glad to see he's sober for now. I know it's something he's been struggling with, as well as loneliness. When the Games end, I get to go home and be with my husband, son, and the rest of my family. Nasser doesn't have people to go back to, so I always try to go out of my way to give him company while I can.
"How's it looking for you this year?" I ask, pulling up a chair next to him.
He shrugs, his steel gray eyes looking passive. I remember a time when they burned with determination. "They sent in the mayor's kids. The boy can run fast but that's about all I have to work with."
I think back to the interviews and remember seeing two blonde kids sitting on the end of the row. "They're brother and sister?" I ask, distraught. I don't remember anyone mentioning that.
"Yep. That's what happens when you come from a wealthy family. Starving people don't care for those who are well off," Nasser adds gravely.
I have to wonder if what Snow told me a few years back is true. Can people really handle having power? Or would they just throw those they don't like under the bus instead of making sound choices?
"Oh," is all I can think to say. I don't get the chance to add anything else because the countdown begins abruptly.
I make it back just in time to see the screens flash to life and hear the beginning of the tributes' countdown. The first thing I do is locate Raini and Eloy. After I've verified they are there, I can look out at the arena.
I feel like I'm missing something because the arena is definitely nothing special. As usual, the cornucopia is in the center, and from there it branches out to some sparse, grassy woods. One thing I notice is it looks much smaller than usual. I would imagine it would only take a few hours to run across the whole thing. There has to be something more to this. The last few years have included deserts and tundras. Those arenas weren't too helpful for Four's tributes, but I don't understand why a Quarter Quell arena would be so…plain.
The countdown drifts down into the mid-thirties when I notice it. Scattered around the map of the arena are circles. They aren't bodies of water like I originally guessed. No, there's no water on the entire surface of the arena because they're going to make the tributes go underground to get it. Those circles mark holes in the earth.
Caverns. The word pops to mind as another map flashes to life, this one showing an extensive underground maze. However, all paths connect to each other in some shape or form, assuring that the tributes won't be able to hide completely.
I don't think the tributes can tell what the holes are yet. They're too far out in the distance. The countdown winds down and stutters to a stop, and the teens turn into blurs of motion. Every time I watch the start of a Hunger Games, I am reminded of being in that same position. All the madness and chaos and confusion. And blood. Plenty of blood.
Blood is already spilling as many of the tributes battle at the Cornucopia. Both tributes from Four are there. I inhale sharply as I watch Raini grab something that resembles a scythe and slice through a girl who tries to take it from her. She grabs a few packs and slaughters another person before making her escape. I glance quickly over at Eloy's screen to check on him. He's running away with another career from District One, as far as I can tell.
It takes a few minutes for Raini to reach the first gaping hole. She stares at it in confusion but keeps running past it, clutching her bags and weapons between bloodstained hands. The screams of dying tributes echo in the distance. I think she realizes the secret to the arena by the time she reaches the next hole. She sets down her supplies and gets on her knees to peer down into the earth. After a moment of consideration, she takes her supplies and tosses them down before slowly guiding herself down the rocky wall.
Sunlight filters into this part of the cavern, but I can already tell it will be dark as night once she moves away from the entrance. Raini looks back up, clearly paranoid, but she stays within the light's reach as she sorts through her packs. Inside, she finds two flashlights, a helmet, a headlamp, a rope, a hook, and three packs of dried fruit. She keeps the scythe and the headlamp out but packs the rest into one bag before continuing further into the darkness in silence.
"Do you know anything about caves?" I hear Alec ask.
I turn to him. "Actually, yes. Me and Kai met some cave explorers when we were young. We talked to the every day for a few weeks."
"Did they tell you anything that might help now?" he asks.
"Maybe. Hold on, I'll try to remember," I say. With my eyes and attention still half focused on Raini's screen, I allow my mind to drift back to a buried memory from twenty years ago.
I was around ten years old and Kai was eight. Our parents had finally decided we were old enough to stay on the beach by ourselves for the day as long as we stuck together and were home for supper. Kai, who had been headstrong and too brave for his own good even as a small child, was the one who led us over to a small natural springs a good ways away from the beach we were supposed to stay at.
It was there we had met strange men trained by the Capitol dressed in scuba diving suits. One of the men was kind and more than willing to put up with our questions. He told us how there was a large system of caves underneath District Four, and the only entrance was through the springs. The men were to scuba dive down until they reached the air pocket that led to the caves. From there, they would explore and search for something the Capitol wanted.
We never found out what they were looking for, but Kai and I were entranced nonetheless. It became our secret hideaway. Our parents would leave us on the beach and we would run off to the spring to receive cave exploring lessons from the kind man. He taught us tricks such as using a lighter to see which direction the wind is moving to find an exit. Of course, us kids could never apply the lessons, but we did love hearing about it.
It ended one day when Kai took it too far and tried to dive down there himself. The explorer had no choice but to call our parents, and we weren't trusted on our own for a long time after that.
I feel a dull ache inside of me at the memory. I still miss my cousin a lot, but time truly does have a way of making the pain less sharp. There will always be a scar, but scars are infinitely better than open wounds.
I jot down some things I remember on a piece of paper and send it to the gamemakers for processing so it can be sent to the arena. It's not much, but maybe it will help my tribute in some way. I spend the rest of the day alternating between watching Raini and searching the online sponsor catalog for items that may be helpful.
By now, most of the tributes have discovered the caverns, but not too many groups have collided yet. I learn that most of the food is located above-ground, while the only water source is a waterfall that runs through the layers beneath the surface.
Raini's journey is relatively quiet. On the second day, she runs into the boy from Nine and takes him out without hesitation. I wish I could see some form of remorse or restraint on her face. The next morning, she wakes up covered in bloodsucking bats. She swats them away and screeches. The bats weren't enough to be lethal, but they did take a decent amount of blood and leave her covered in bite marks.
It seems that the deeper the caverns go, the more bats there are. I watch as two tributes fall victim to a swarm. Some tributes choose to go back up to the surface. However, though it may be safe from bats, the surface has its downfalls. It's almost too easy to be hunted down by other tributes up there. There's not much room to hide.
A big change comes in the early morning of the fifth day. Raini's getting restless. She's still strong and relatively uninjured, but I can tell being stuck in a dark, damp cave alone is doing some psychological damage. She sits on the floor of the cave, screaming out, "Come on and find me! I dare you! Hurry up, I'm getting bored!"
"You don't think her screaming could do something to the cave, do you?" I ask Kallan, who is currently taking his turn at the mentor station.
"If we're lucky, it would- Whoa! Did you see that?" he asks, his eyes bewildered but excited as he slides his buff arms over the desk and leans in close to the screen.
"I don't know what I'm looking for," I say. But then I see it. There's something-someone, maybe- sliding through the darkness behind her. I start tapping the screen until a notification box comes up.
It's definitely not another tribute.
I've seen a lot of mutts in my years, but none have looked quite this disturbing. Most are based off of common animals. This one is closer to humanoid. It's black as night and seems to be oozing something. The creature has very broad shoulders and a skinny, skinny body. Its fingers are webbed together and it's eyelids are fused shut. According to the screen, it makes up for its blindness with advanced sensitivity to sound. Sound just like the screams that are coming from Raini.
Chapter 30 guest review reply!
Dusty714: Oh it's fine! I'm really glad you are catching up though : ) Thanks as always and I'm glad the pace is working. That's one of the things I've been struggling with