A/N: What, two chapters in one day?! Just a warning, the next chapter isn't going to be pretty. Rough waters ahead for Mags. Anyway, twice the typing, twice the reviews? Possibly? :) Oh, the next chapter should be up this weekend hopefully.
Just looking at the pitch black cave creature gives me goose bumps. Something about its humanoid appearance makes it extremely unsettling. Animals are one thing, but something in the shape of a man… That's crossing a whole psychological barrier.
"Damn, they're getting fancy with these mutts," Kallan comments.
"She needs to stop screaming. She needs to stop," I repeat desperately.
Onscreen, Raini hears a hiss from behind her and silences immediately. She turns around just in time for the creature to jump on her back and sink its teeth into her skin. Luckily, she already has her weapon in her grasp, so she is able to twist around and hit the mutt with the scythe. It takes a few achingly long minutes of fighting on the cave floor for Raini to finally emerge victorious.
She slams the corpse against the solid ground and beats it again and again with her scythe until there is absolutely no chance of it recovering.
"That'll show you," she says snidely and spits on the body, but even I can tell she's shaken. She flexes her hands and examines her wounds before slinging her bag over her shoulder and making an escape. This time, there's no screaming or pleas for action escaping her mouth. Her steps are deliberately fast paced.
It becomes apparent over the next few hours that there are many more cave mutts. One for each tribute, at least. A small pack of them takes out Eloy's ally, and he escapes to the surface shortly after. That's where most of the remaining tributes are now. Raini stubbornly remains underground, though she now appears to be on edge.
As fate would have it, another mutt finds Raini the following day. The hissing comes from around the corner and echoes through the cavern walls. Raini jumps up and pulls out a lighter I sent her. She raises it up and watches the direction in which the wind blows, then bolts toward the source. I'm glad that my advice is able to help her find an exit now, but I'm more concerned on whether she'll make it out in time.
Her hands start trembling once she glances back to see the mutt gaining on her. Quickly. The exit is too far away. She backs into a corner, weapon poised, and looks around desperately. She catches sight of a beam of light coming from a narrow wedge between some rocks above her. Without hesitation, she drops her supplies and climbs, kicking rocks down at the mutt along the way.
I breathe a sigh of relief when her upper body breaks through into the sunlight. That relief fades real fast when she tries to pull the rest of her body through and gets stuck halfway. The cave monster latches onto her calf with sharp teeth. Raini kicks and kicks and kicks violently until the mutt is incapacitated, but not until serious damage has been done to her leg.
She lays her head into the grass and screams. I've mentored enough years to know when death is on its way, and that's how it's looking right now. I want to send her some supplies, but nothing is going to help her unless she can get herself unstuck first.
It's not long before another tribute finds her. Out of everyone it could be, I'm grateful it's Eloy. There's no guarantee he will keep her alive, though. I'm even less hopeful when he points a trident to her neck.
Even with her pain, Raini manages to keep a scowl on her face when she sees him. "You came here to kill someone from your own district? Go ahead then. You're no better than the rest of us careers. Kill me and run back to your little friends." There's not a hint of fear in her voice.
"I'm not with the rest of them. My only ally is gone," he responds without moving his weapon. "What happened to you, anyway?" he asks.
"Why don't you go down there and see for yourself," Raini snaps. Eloy presses the trident closer to her neck to where it touches her skin. Left with no other choice, Raini gives a real answer. "I got attacked by an ugly mutt thing. It got my leg after I got stuck…I can't feel my leg at all."
The sky clouds over and Eloy still stands there motionless. "Well, are you going to kill me or not? Don't just leave me hanging," Raini says, her teeth grit in pain.
Eloy bends down to her level but doesn't move his weapon. It must be cold because I can see his breath in the air as he speaks. "Look, I ran into those mutts, too. And now I need an ally. If I help you, do we have a final two deal?"
"I don't want or need an alliance."
"Well the alternative is for me to kill you right now," Eloy reminds her. He presses the trident a little further. It's poking her skin now. Any more pressure and it will puncture.
Raini's face is starting to whiten and I know she has to be in immense pain. What choice does she have. "Fine. Just get me out already."
Her district partner doesn't move. "Okay, ask nicely first," he commands.
"What the hell? I don't have time for this," Raini complains. She struggles and squirms, trying unsuccessfully to get out of the rocks' grasp. "Please help me out," she relents in a mumble.
Eloy looks amused. He drops the trident and pulls Raini's wrists, but she isn't budging. He clears his throat and wraps his arms around her upper body instead.
"Don't touch me!" Raini screams.
"Shut up. I'm trying to help you." He pulls hard and she eventually starts sliding out. Once Raini's legs slide against the stone, she screeches in pain and Eloy throws his hand over her mouth.
Finally, something I can do as a mentor. I immediately pull up the sponsor screen and select a kit to stitch Raini's leg along with some medicine. The medicine is a little draining on our resources, but the way I see it, the money is being put to good use.
Raini has a constant stream of complaints as Eloy stitches up the deep gashes in her leg. When he's done, she says, "That's the last time I'm ever trusting you with medical equipment. I'll probably lose my leg thanks to you."
"No, you'll probably keep the leg thanks to me," Eloy says, annoyed. "Stop being so ungrateful. Do you ever think that might be the reason no one likes you?"
That strikes a nerve. Raini jumps up despite her bad leg and lunges for the trident. Eloy beats her to it. "You're really going to try to kill me now?" he asks in disbelief.
"You don't know me. Don't act like you do. My life is none of your business," she hisses.
Eloy puts both hands in the air and kicks the weapon towards her. He stares at her with widespread eyes and an unreadable expression. Raini starts to grab at the weapon, but she stops herself. I guess she must have at least something resembling a conscience in that brain. "I'll have plenty of time to kill you in the final two," she says reluctantly.
The two of them actually don't make too bad of a team. Over the next week, the medicine helps Raini recover and the two of them take turns hunting and guarding. They tag-team the demise of two more tributes along the way. Slowly but surely, the number of remaining tributes dwindles, and slowly but surely, I can see some trust forming.
I'm finally allowed another break, and I feel confident enough about how things are going to step away from the control room for a while. I go out into the city on my own and find a somewhat secluded area. I take out Isidora's spare cell phone that she let me borrow and dial the number of my old house. My mother answers after four rings.
"Hello?" she asks cautiously.
"Hey, Mom. It's me," I reply.
"Oh, Mags," she says, happily this time. "How are things going over there? Are you okay? How's Alec?" she badgers, as mothers usually do.
"He's fine. We both are. What about Destan? Is he giving you any trouble?" I ask.
"He's doing great. He's a little character," she says fondly. "Your father's been taking him down to the beach. You know, the same spot he used to take you."
I smile and I feel my heart glow a little bit. He's safe and he's happy, and that's really all I needed to hear. "Can I talk to him?"
"Sure thing. Hold on a sec."
In the background, I can hear her voice and the pitter-patter of small feet running down the hall. "Mama?" a small voice asks on the other side of the line.
I'm so happy to hear his voice even though it makes me miss him even more. "Yes, baby. It's me. What have you been up to, little man?"
He starts talking in a hurry. "Me and Pawpaw, we went to the beach and swimming and on the boat. He has a really big boat and I was the captain. He said I could be captain so I was. And there were fishingmans. But no sea monsters, Mama."
I have to laugh at that. It's so cute I just can't take it. "That sounds great! Tell me and Daddy all about it when we get home. So you've been good?"
"Yeah," he says. "But when are you coming home? You've been gone forever."
"Soon, I promise. We'll always come back for you. Always," I assure him.
"But it's been one hundred years." Everything with him is one hundred years. I can picture a little pout on his face as he says it.
"Aw, Destan. You just go have fun with Pawpaw and we'll be there before you know it," I say.
As I'm speaking, I see something strange happen of the television screen across the street. It's broadcasting the Games, as usual. What concerns me is the sky in the arena is suddenly changing from blue to pink. It looks like there are multiple fake suns arranged in a circle around the arena, and each one is rapidly eclipsing until it is black as night. Whatever this is, it's not natural. The only thing I can think is it must be signaling a finale.
"I have to go. I'll call you later, I promise. I love you," I tell my son. I hear him start to protest on the other line, but I really can't stick around to talk. It sucks because I don't feel like going back there to watch one or both of my tributes die. I want to stay right here and talk to my little one. No, actually, I want to go home right now and go back to being a semi-normal family. Once this is over with, I can.
I head straight back to the mentoring room, where both Alec and Kallan are. I stand behind Alec's chair and rest my chin on his shoulder. "What's going on?" I ask hesitantly.
"It's all ending. The sky went dark and the cave mutts came to the surface. You're still on break. You don't have to watch this if you don't want to," he reminds me.
"No, I do," I say. "Raini's still out there."
I look at the main screen and see the four remaining tributes being chased to the center of the arena. All careers. That's not unusual, but it makes me nervous because I have seen this situation so many times before. Usually, Four makes it to the end before being beaten out by One or Two. We had an advantage over them the first few Hunger Games, but then they got a head start in career training. Now it's all evening out. Anything could happen.
Raini's running pretty well for having injured her leg so badly last week. She's right behind Eloy, but the mutts are gaining on them fast. Eloy points at a tree and they both climb it as high as possible, until their combined weight makes the tree sway. The camera shows a close up of their faces, and they look like most tributes do after two weeks in the arena: matted hair, thin faces, hollow cheeks, layers of blood and dirt, cuts and bruises.
They would appear to be the walking dead if it weren't for the shred of hope that still burns in their eyes. They glance back and forth between the cave monsters at the bottom of the tree and the other tributes being tormented about fifty feet away. One of the teens is clearly on their way out, but no canon has boomed yet.
Eloy and Raini are practically wedged together on the little branch. The former speaks up. "They're going to be gone soon. I guess this is it. Our alliance had a good run, but now we'll see who ends up victor in a fair fight. Good luck to you, but I'm not going to go easy."
Raini stares ahead quietly, he expression blank. "It might not be such a fair fight," she says softly.
"What do you mean?" Eloy asks. I see his body language shift the slightest bit into a more guarded stance, even though his words are calm.
"We have a final two deal. It's almost final two, and…I don't think I can beat you. Not without my scythe."
He looks at her, stunned, but it's too late. She's already pushed him over the edge of the branch. He grasps on for dear life, his legs swinging in the air only feet above the mutts.
"I really am sorry, but I have to win." She unlatches his fingers from the bark and watches him fall. The mutts are on him before he reaches the ground, their slimy black bodies enveloping him and making him disappear into the dark. Raini looks away and her whole body shakes.
In the control room, the three of us exchange looks, but no one says a word.
Two canons go off. Two tributes left. The cave mutts know it too. They sit down in eerie too-humanlike poses and watch. The last kill is not a job for Capitol-crafted creatures. The death must be delivered by a tribute, and it must be gory.
Raini slides down the tree and goes to meet her injured male opponent. Time seems to drag by in slow motion through the final fight. Every scream, every crack of a bone; they all echo. Two broken kids fighting for another chance at life. Little do they know, it's not the same life they left. They don't know, but no one ever does. You go through the motions because it seems right. Instincts will carry you through.
And they do. Because as always, a canon booms, and there is a new victor.
And this year her name is Raini.
Now it's our turn to celebrate in the mentor room as the disappointed victors from Two make their exit. We're happy because this hasn't happened in a long time and it feels good to know that one of our tributes will have another shot at life. But underneath the cheering and the embraces, we all know it's a bittersweet victory. It's possible for Raini to have a happy life, but she will have to endure a lot of suffering to reach it, and that never really ends.
I'm not allowed to see Raini for the next two days because the medical team is hard at work restoring her body to pre-Games perfection and then some. When I finally get to go into the room, I walk in slowly and cautiously. Raini is laying in bed under a blanket, her arms pinned down to the bed and secured by locks. I don't remember them chaining me down like that.
"Hey, how are you holding up?" I ask softly.
Her face looks like it's slowly sinking as she stares ahead, and she seems much different without an abrasive demeanor.
"You're a victor. I think you know," she says, irritated, but still softer than I expected.
I look at her closely. Her skin, which was naturally fair when I met her, is now an olive toned tan a shade or two darker than mine. They didn't bother with my skin tone when I won. Her nose seems a little different as well. Then, even with the blanket over her, I can tell they did the usual female alteration. I assume this is what she must be in a bad mood about. Having strangers change aspects of you that you didn't even know were imperfections is humiliating and leaves you feeling violated. Then there's the chains on her arms making her feel trapped.
"It must have been strange for you to wake up looking different. I know the feeling," I say tiredly.
"Oh, don't get me started on that," she complains, sounding more like her usual self. "I was talking about Snow's visit." She eyes me carefully.
I think I can help her with this. "When I won, Burns was president. We had to meet him in his office during the Victor's Banquet. I'm guessing Snow had the same talk with you."
She stares ahead grumpily, and that's the only answer I need. I pull a chair next to her bed and continue talking. "Listen, you didn't do anything wrong. Just take his advice and you'll be fine. We'll help you out, too."
"Are we talking about the same thing?" Raini asks in confusion. Then her voice gets a little higher. "So you just go along with it then? You just let him control you like that?"
I blink, a little thrown off by her words. Now isn't the time to discuss it, though. That's the first victor lesson Raini must learn. "Shhh, not right now. But trust me, you'll figure out how this life works. It gets easier over time. You can even learn to enjoy it. I've found a way."
She stares at me with wide, disgusted eyes. "That's sick. All of you are sick for that."
I sigh. "Raini, come on. Let's just get through the next few days so we can go home."
"I don't want any part of this," she insists. She certainly lives up to her words through all the post-Games events. She mopes around and doesn't respond to anyone. I'm getting fed up with her but, honestly, I would rather her not say anything than say something that could get all of us in trouble.
I'm relieved when we finally get back to District Four. Alec and I drop Raini off at her new house two down from ours and help her father move things in. Alec goes pick up Destan and when they come back, it makes my day to see my two favorite people in the world together, as they should be.
Destan is on Alec's shoulders and I still think they look a lot alike. Alec is smiling and he looks more like the man I know without the dark shadows and tired eyes and stubble that defined his features in the Capitol. And Destan…oh, I missed him so much. I can't go another second without having him in my arms. I give my husband a peck on the lips and grab my son.
His small arms wrapped around my neck hold me together. I tell him how much I missed him and how much I love him, and I can feel myself getting emotional already. Maybe I'm a sappy person. Maybe I am overprotective, as Alec has joked about several times. But I don't care, because my family is here and I can see my son's sea green eyes and I am happy. It's too much for my heart to take.
Life isn't too much different with a new victor, simply because we don't see her much. She generally keeps to herself. I try to check in on her every now and then, even if it means just baking something and delivering it to her house. I see her father more often because he's outside a lot, though I rarely talk to him.
I don't worry about her much as summer gives way to the only slightly cooler breeze of autumn. Before long, there is a chill in the air as winter takes over, and it is time for the Victory Tour. As expected, Raini isn't too enthusiastic. She actually almost likes the crowds, maybe because she's not used to having thousands of people adore her, but the closer we get to the Capitol, the moodier she gets.
At first I assume it to stem from lack of sleep and nightmares. But under her scowl is something much less hostile. Vulnerable, almost. That's what makes me decide she is scared of something or someone, and I think his name is Snow.
I really do try to find out what's wrong, but it's no use. She won't open up to me, and once we get home, I don't hear anything from her for several months. It's not until the twenty-sixth Games that I get an idea of what is going on.
Both Alec and I are free from mentor duty, so we get to stay in a hotel room and watch the Hunger Games in a theater far away from the mentor room. It's a nice vacation, and everyone is in good spirits when Four welcomes another victor, a quiet but lethal career boy. We're all stunned by our back-to-back wins. I'm visiting the training center to congratulate Kallan and Raini when I figure it out.
"I'm not trying to take credit," Kallan says, "but it was really me working way more than the girl. She kept disappearing the whole time."
"Where is she now?" I ask, and he points down the hall to her room. I walk down the hallway and knock on her door. No answer. I decide to just open it anyway. Raini's in there alright, dressed in skinny leather pants and a skimpy top, clutching a folded piece of paper in her hand.
"Thanks for busting into my room!" she says agitatedly. "Now could you get out?"
"Why are you dressed like that?" I ask. "The Games highlights are tonight. Shouldn't you be getting ready?"
"I know what I'm doing," she says matter-of-factly.
I stare into her glare, distracting her attention enough to quickly swipe the paper out of her hand. She throws a fit and snatches it back, but not before I'm able to read it. There's a name and address on the card, and I recognize it to be one of the gamemakers.
"Raini, why are you going to a gamemaker's house?" I ask reluctantly, my voice weak because the puzzle pieces are coming together in my mind. Here I was worried about Raini finding sponsors on her own because this world is a dangerous place for young girls. Little did I know that she might actually be walking straight into those situations. I look at her outfit again and I know deep down that she isn't dressed like that for some innocent meeting. I know it, but I don't want to believe it.
She doesn't answer me. Instead, she watches as the stages of realization fly by on my face. I feel my jaw hanging open as I try to make sense of it. The main thing I feel is disgust. It's disgusting to take advantage of a seventeen year old like that and it's disgusting to set her up with a middle aged man and it's disgusting that someone could be corrupt enough to allow this-no, to make it happen. After everything I've seen, it's amazing I can still be surprised by how low humans can sink.
"Why didn't you have to do this, too?" Raini asks.
"Things have changed since I won, I say breathlessly. I realize there's something under the disgust. It's anger. "Come on," I take her hand and try to lead her out the room. She's a lot bigger than me though, and she has no problem resisting.
"What are you doing?" she asks defensively.
"We're going to sort through this mess," I tell her.
She eventually lets me lead her away, into the sun-filled streets of the Capitol. "You don't have to do this. This isn't even legal. It's disgusting and I don't want you going."
"Yeah, I already tried that during the Victory Tour. Got home and my dad was half paralyzed. If I ditch one more time, he's dead, so let me go!" she screeches.
I freeze. I know I hadn't seen her dad out in the yard in a long time, but it never occurred to me that something had happened.
"He has some other dirt on me too. I have to go," she admits, looking down at the sidewalk. "Just be lucky you didn't have to."
"I'm so sorry. Snow is worse than Burns," I reply. It's true. Burns had some twisted ideas and gladly took advantage of victors. In the Capitol, it was almost too easy to fall prey. But nothing back then was anything near as blunt and horrifying as Snow's plan now. How can someone grow so cold? "So you're just going to let yourself be prostituted from now on?" I ask sadly.
"Well…actually," Raini begins, glancing up at me to reveal a small grin. "Maybe there's a way around this, so I can end it after this year. But I need help. Are you in?"
I'm a little stunned by this turn of events. "How do you plan on doing that?" I ask skeptically.
"If we reveal Snow for what he truly is, if people know the truth, we can change all of this. I'm going to say something on air before we go back to Four. I just want you to act as my witness." She's smiling now despite the situation. It's clear she thinks she has a genius plan.
My face pales. "No, that's a good way to get everyone killed. I can't, I'm sorry. I have my family to look out for. I can't risk my son. I can't."
Her faces contorts back into the traditional angry Raini scowl. "What kind of life are you giving him anyway? He never even leaves Victor's Village because you shelter him so much. You know good and well he's going to be reaped one day! There's nothing you can do to stop it, but you can change this. The best chance for your kid is to get rid of Snow."
"You're not his mother, don't act like you know," I snap, and feel instantly guilty. "I don't know, I have to sleep on it. Just promise not to say anything yet."
I toss and turn all night, thinking about the future. The more I consider it, the more I think Raini has a point. But I know we can't get rid of Snow by her method. It's going to take careful planning to build up a following big enough to make a difference. Numbers mean safety.
I can't believe I'm doing this. I don't want to risk this life I have spent fourteen years building for myself, but I feel like it's something that needs to be done.