Author's Note: One of my favourite chapters so far! I wanted to show another side to what we see in the books/films. There's more to so many of the characters than we'll ever know from Katniss's limited perspective.
….
The Volunteer
The volunteers had been chosen and the two winning career candidates had fought their way to the top. Brutus' boy, Paulus, the clear winner, was accompanied by Lyme's girl, Hera, who had defeated Remus' pick in a closely fought battle.
But Paulus and Hera would fight Brutus and Enobaria instead of twenty-two teenagers and the two victors would enter the arena against their peers. In preparation, Brutus worked against Paulus' youthful energy and speed, whilst Hera and Enobaria did not get along and fought viciously under Lyme's supervision.
But Brutus liked Paulus and enjoyed his company. Outside of sparring and the combative nature of the Institute, the young man was easy-going, friendly and talkative, so much so, that Brutus found himself opening up to his former charge.
"I know you're disappointed, boy. If I were in your position, I would be too. But see it as an opportunity. You get to live."
"And you're going to win, again," Paulus replied.
"I appreciate the confidence. But you don't know them like I do. The other victors."
"You're stronger, you've kept up fighting."
"I have. But they've all won it before too. We're equals this time. If you got to see them in the Training Centre in the Capitol, if you met them, you'd understand."
"I wanted to understand. This was my time."
"Now it's your time to live your life. You're lucky."
"It was everything I worked for and now I don't even get the chance," Paulus snapped.
"You'd have won. I'm sure of it. But you get to stay alive and stay yourself."
"What's that supposed to mean? I'd have come home a victor, to everything you have."
"You'd have come home a shadow of yourself, not able to leave the house without me holding your hand. You'd probably be injured and once your body no longer aches, your mind would. You don't forget."
"But I've trained for this. I'd come home as you said, and live my life with you all. Mentoring, organising the Institute, Victors' Village would be home."
"Now, there's a chance I lose all of that and honestly, it hurts to think about it. You can still work at the Institute; we need someone like you. You have your life and your mind intact."
"I don't understand. You're all sane."
"Not all victors are. My games don't really affect me all that much, but others still carry the scars. You'd stand a good chance in Two of keeping everything together. Me and Lyme, we wouldn't let you flounder and fail. Petran never let me down and I'm the same with mine. But it's not like that for everyone."
"Why are you telling me this?" Paulus asked.
"So you know a bit of what it's really like," Brutus replied. "We have it good in Two, but we're exposed to what goes on with the others. We know them, like most of them even."
"But you're Two. Someone like Abernathy is a Twelve, even Odair is a Four."
"The district divide is different in the Mentor's Centre. That's where we get to know them. If everything happened as we expected, I'd be watching you on the screen, doing all I could to help you help yourself and get out. Their tributes would be dying, some at your hand. You get to know how they react."
"So you like some of them. But watching Two win as we do, they can't like you all that much."
Brutus laughed, "That's what you'd get to learn, boy. They respect me, and most of them like me too. They're sometimes jealous, sure, but we all lose tributes. I get to know mine too, you wouldn't be just some kid I met after the reaping."
"But mentoring is your job. It comes with the Games surely, tributes dying, you're all used to it. We know what's for, and why we do it. It's for the Capitol and the strength of Panem. It's what we are supposed to do."
"Yes, all for the glory of the Capitol and the good of the nation. But I'm not a robot. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't go crying on Abernathy's shoulder because my tribute has died. I wouldn't find much sympathy there. But we'd have a drink, a laugh and I know him. He knows me. Not like Lyme knows me, but well enough for this Quell to be awful."
Paulus looked awkwardly at his mentor and leaned in close, "Can you say that?"
Brutus laughed, "What? Complain about the Quell? Yes! I don't think we're supposed to like it. I'm about to kill my friends, maybe even Enobaria. Why would I want that? Something, or someone, has got Snow's back up about us victors."
"But we serve the Capitol and this is the Capitol's choice."
"Serve we do. I am simply doing my duty and giving Two the best chance. We want a Quell win. Ten and then Twelve of all places hold the previous victories. Two needs to cement its position. The leading career district with the Quell win to prove it. But this is the best of the best."
"You're the best. Some of them are old."
"They're not stupid. Now they won't put up a physical fight, but I've never killed an old man, and I might have to kill someone I respect. Different to the first arena."
"You know their strengths and weaknesses surely? You'll have watched all their Games and now you say you know them."
"I do and I'm going to have to use it to my advantage."
"Well go on then. What about Enobaria? You know her best."
"We've come to an arrangement. Only when we've dealt with everyone that might need us both to sort and only after the alliance has broken and the others are dead. We'll work together until then."
Paulus nodded, "District One. Allies. Augustus Braun and Aria Cadenza surely?"
"Gloss and Cashmere," Brutus replied. "You're confused but if you knew them, you'd understand. I won't go into detail but reaped or volunteer, it will be them."
"So, how are you going to defeat them?" Paulus asked.
"I'm stronger, more accurate. They're loyal only to each other and that will be a weakness. They'll fight for each other and if one goes the other will too. Any heroics, trying to save the other and we can exploit that."
"Good. What about the other careers? Four?"
Brutus sighed, "I wouldn't be so sure this year."
"What? They're careers. The alliance has stuck together for decades."
"But this year is different."
"They'll still want to win. Four will want a Quarter Quell victory just as we do. So, I would guess Song and Finnick."
"Odair certainly. He'll be reaped, won't even have to volunteer. The Capitol will want to see him again badly. But I wouldn't be so sure about Song."
"Why? Annie is the one who went… well you know. She couldn't cope. The others are older. It has to be Song."
"Boy, this is another thing you'd get to learn, so I'm telling you now, for if it ever becomes useful. We're a unit in Two. We can rely on each other, we work together every day. In One, they're a collective of individuals, not all of them even like each other. But in Four they're weird. They're a family. They love each other."
"So, who, if not Song?"
"Mags," Brutus replied.
"Mags? Isn't she-"
"Eighty. Mags is eighty and she's going to volunteer to save her girls."
"But surely not?" Paulus asked. "How do Four expect to win when an eighty-year-old is one of their tributes?"
"Lyme agrees and she knows Mags the best of us in Two so we're sure of it. If Lyme and I agree on something, it's usually pretty certain. But that's why I don't know if they will stand by the traditional alliance. Mags as a career, at eighty. I don't see how it will work. Finnick won't abandon her either."
"Then he's silly. She'll be a liability. She's a huge weakness and you'll be able to work around her!"
"Except that liability is a great woman, the most respected of all of us. The one we go to for advice. Career, outlier, whoever. She's done so much to look out for all of us. I don't know who can be the one to kill her."
Paulus sighed, "This is confusing. If there's someone you're going to hesitate to kill, why are you volunteering?"
"Duty. Serving Two. Keeping Marcus, Malachite and Remus out of it. Along with Enobaria, I'm the best chance for Two, so I'll play the eager volunteer card. The Capitol will believe it, no question. As I've told you, you have to play the sponsorship game too. I can do that the most convincingly."
"So what about the rest?"
"Some I know won't be a physical threat. It's just those who can pull off surprises that we need to be wary of. The Threes for a start. Ideally, we deal with them during the bloodbath. Or else the next we know of them, we'll have stepped into one of their traps, about to be blown up or electrocuted."
"Who from Three?"
"Beetee certainly. In the public eye, popular in his own right. Wiress comes in a pair with him more often than not. But Halley is possibly the more intriguing prospect. Although she would be a problem."
"Quickest Games in the modern era," Paulus said.
"Exactly. Less than forty-eight hours and she was holding back then. I wouldn't want to give her twenty-four hours in another arena."
"But you could beat her in a fight?"
"Of course," Brutus replied."
"Any other threats? I want to know about them, what they're like."
"The Sevens definitely. Johanna is dangerous, often to herself. But she'll be angry and difficult to contain. Her district partner will be right with her, they'll fight as a pair. Blight would likely be the best fighter but he's Johanna's mentor and would pick her survival over his. Linden is the other real possibility. I'm less sure how good he would be but like I've told you, I'd never underestimate someone from Seven, especially if you let them grab hold of an axe."
"You'll go for them at the start? Like you tell us?"
"Not this time. The clash between Two and Seven will be the best yet. I'll let the thought of it build up, create anticipation. There's plenty more to do at the start. I want to be in control of the narrative and Johanna especially will give us a fight to work up to."
"What about other alliances? The victor from Nine in the Fortieth Games, Barric Wheaton, he led a rival alliance. Will he try the same tactic again?"
"He won't be able to. He's not enough of a leader across the victors. Not as popular either. Keeps to his own group with the other Nines and the Fives. I suppose they could work together but I don't see all of them getting away from the Cornucopia. They're not much of a threat anymore. But there could be other alliances definitely."
"Beyond district partners?" Paulus asked.
"Definitely. Apart from the most recent victors, we've known each other for years. Odair and Johanna are firm friends. He would choose her over us."
"Well, that's on him," Paulus interjected.
Brutus laughed, "It may well be. He'll also do whatever Mags asks of him so nothing will surprise me."
"Who else?"
"If Halley does end up in there and Cecelia or Poppy are too, they'll team up and they'll be a threat. They're firm friends, really tight, no such thing as district rivalries between them. They help each other all the time during the Games, and I expect them to do the same regardless of where they end up this year. They're good friends with the Sevens too, so that could become quite an alliance. Something to prepare for.
Otherwise, Seeder and Chaff from Eleven are close to Haymitch. Even if Haymitch stays on the outside, and I think he will, they'll help him and his pair, especially after last year."
"Two winners and Twelve of all places," Paulus scoffed.
Brutus laughed in return, "I know. I didn't like it, still don't. Won't hold it against any of them though, they're all alive, all victors. After twenty-four years, Haymitch was due a win. But now he's got trouble on his hands."
"But you'll target them, whoever from Twelve is in there? Eleven too?"
"Haymitch and Chaff would expect nothing less from me. I ought to live up to expectations."
"You ought to come home," Paulus said.
"I know. I want to. More so than last time. Now I know what I'm losing."
