Trigger warning: mentions of sexual assault and abuse. Please proceed with caution.
Arietis Rammestien, 18
District 2 Male
Three months before the Reaping
Oh. Hell. Yes.
Who's the top choice of literally all the trainers? Who's gonna represent District 2 in the 101st Hunger Games? Me, me, me!
In celebration, I pump my fist in the air, much to the interest of those around me. I do feel a bit bad about all the kids crowding around the official announcement, reading their names and dropping their heads. But a lot of them are younger, so they still have a couple of years to pick themselves up and get to my level. Or they might not have been good enough in the first place. Sucks to suck.
I wasn't afraid. I never worried that anyone would second-guess me as the obvious choice. It's been written on the wall for years now. All those 1-on-1 lessons with the top minds the Academy has to offer have really paid off. It's everything I ever dreamed of.
Arietis Rammestien, Victor. Oh yes, I like it very much.
Shen Osgreene, a little 16 year-old, was picked to be the runner-up, in the very rare chance I don't happen to volunteer. Yeah, he's a prodigy of some sorts, but he's also really fucking annoying. He's taking my spot over my dead body. I see him scowl upon realizing he wasn't picked and I just dismissively wave him away as his friends laugh. Maybe next year, bud. This is Arietis's time.
The crowd falls in around me; everyone wants to see who the volunteers are. Suddenly I have people touching my shoulders, squeezing my biceps, grabbing my hand. I know that they're trying to be nice and congratulate me, but it's taking me all the restraint I have not to throw my hands over my head. I can't just tell people not to touch me but I really don't like it.
Thankfully, I spot a familiar face. One who will save me.
"Carlos, thank goodness! Have you seen the bulletin yet?"
"Just did." Carlos is extremely deadpan. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, man. Hey, maybe we should do something tonight! You know, to celebrate!"
Carlos shakes his head. "Sorry, Arietis. But my sister's birthday is tonight and we're all going out. I'd invite you along, but I understand this is really important to you and I have a feeling you don't wanna spend the rest of the day with me and my family."
"Huh?" I blink. "What's wrong with your family? Your family is awesome. Come on, you know I ain't gonna hit on your sister. And it would be nice to have a break from training."
Carlos sighs. "No, it's not that. This is the first time I've properly seen them this year. And I'll be honest, my parents don't really want you to come."
"What!?"
"Arietis, can we not talk about this here?"
Carlos walks off and I have to chase after him. "Wait, what do you mean by that? Carlos, what are you talking about?"
"What do you think, huh? It's training. Everything with you is just training, training, training. Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer."
Carlos folds his arms and taps his foot against the floor. "You really have no personality aside from this. I have a life outside of the Academy and loved ones to visit but you...this is like, literally your whole existence. And I know for a fact you're gonna get pissed off because I dared to tell you different."
He's right. I am pissed. But I try not to show it; that would just prove him right.
"I don't need my fucking family. And well...my training was good for something, wasn't it? I wouldn't get to volun- I meant, achieve my dream. I want this so badly. For years. Carlos, this has always been my dream!"
"Your dream?" Carlos snickers. "Yeah, sure. Your dream. You keep telling yourself that. Whatever. I gotta go get ready or else I'll be late."
As he walks off, I suddenly feel very lonely. Even with the crowd of people still trying to congratulate me and all. Today is a monumental occasion and I have no one to celebrate with. No friends to clap me on the back and remind me it was worth it. The one guy I want right now doesn't even want me.
I guess I can turn back to training or whatever. Not like I have anything better to do, I guess.
Fuck. I really wanted to be with Carlos. The trainers warned me about this too. He's always been like this even when we were dating, so cold, so bitter. He always complains about my training, but really. What else is there for me to do? I've lived at the Academy since I was 7 years old. This is my home. I owe this building my entire self, for everything it's provided to me.
One might say the trainers here are like my real family. But that's for another reason entirely.
After dinner and before bed, I have a meeting with all the trainers and Victors that run the Academy, or at least have a say in who gets to be chosen. I'm not scared of any of them, but I still hesitate before poking my head in. They are the cream of the crop, after all.
"Mr. Rammestien? Nice to see you. Congratulations."
"Thanks," I say, suddenly feeling really small. Olympus Fein is District 2's oldest Victor and somewhere in his eighties, so the fact that he even showed up today is pretty impressive. There's so many famous people here. Micah Van Lout, Jack Eviedon, Ara Neils, Kylie, Silvia, Tanya...
Lyme Sanchez rarely comes to the Academy, but she gives me a small nod of approval from her corner. Brick Caviar, 2's most recent Victor, pokes in the shoulder. We swap fist bumps; I've spent a lot of time training with and against him before he won the 99th Games. In a way, he's like my big brother.
"A-man! Congrats, dude! You're ready to be my mentee or what?"
"Brick, you're mentoring me? Awesome!"
"Boys, if I could have your attention, please." Dominic Osente is the only one who's sitting; the Training Academy is technically his, and he runs this shit like a ship. Smooth sailing all throughout. The trainers all line up behind him. I recognize a few. Bunsen works with the younger kids. Leiobitz was the one who brought me in all those nights ago. Romire gives me a wink; he's probably my favourite.
"Arietis Rammestien, I'm certain you've heard this one hundred times today, but congratulations. We all are very proud of you and we believe that you are the best representative our district has to offer for the 101st Hunger Games. Brick will be your mentor and Lyme will be mentoring Olympia, we're just letting you know in advance. In the meantime, make sure you keep up with your skills. This isn't an excuse to slack off, and you can very easily be replaced if we feel you aren't taking this seriously. Although you've shown a lot of promise, so that shouldn't be a problem. Understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Arietis, may I speak to you for a bit?" Trainer Romire asks me as everyone files out. He looks questioningly at Dominic, who just nods and closes the door behind him. Huh, Dominic rarely lets anyone stay inside his office when he's out. Guess he and Romire are a lot closer than I thought.
Trainer Romire is somewhere in his fifties or sixties. That's always the first thing I take in about him; he's old enough to be my dad. He feels like my dad too, and I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from slipping names up. But he taught me all he knew, rubbed my back when I was feeling down, told me all those stupid jokes that only men with kids can create, so many things…
"Come here," Romire says softly, holding out his arms. I don't even hesitate. The hug feels so nice, so wonderful. I never got hugs like this as a kid. After all this time, somewhere is there to support me, to let me know that they believe in me. Yeah, some of the stuff they tell me to do is kinda weird, but it's for good reason too. I have people who will never strike me down, or belittle me, forcing me to run away to a safer place…
Suddenly, I feel a hand grab my crotch.
I shove Romire away. "Dude, what the hell!?"
"Oh, relax."
My face flusters up. I can't let him see me like this. I hate how much one little action brings me down like that, makes me feel so small and vulnerable. But Romire reaches for me again and I jump back, throwing up my hands. "Don't touch me!"
"Arietis, keep your voice down. What on Earth is your problem?"
"I don't like being touched. You know this!"
"Mhm. I thought you liked men, son. That Carlos kid really did a number on you, damn it. You can't be this weak in the arena. Or else you're easy pickings. Lemme toughen you up."
I reach for the door behind me, my sweaty hands practically sliding off the knob. Stupid thing, why won't it open? I jiggle the knob furiously. Romire steps closer. And closer. And closer. Fuck. I trusted him. I trusted him for years. What is he doing!?
The door finally swings open. I slip through and slam it in Romire's face. Then, I take off running down the halls of the Academy. Thankfully, they're empty. I don't want anyone to see me like this. I'm supposed to be a future Victor, not a scared little boy who flees from all the adults that pretended to protect me…
I reach one of the dorms and knock as hard as I can. It opens, but it's not Carlos. It's his roommate, Nick. "Arietis? What the-"
"Can I come in? Please?"
Footsteps echo in the hall behind me; fuck, Romire must be catching up. I can't tell if Nick knows what happened, but he steps aside and I practically dive into the room. "Lock the door. Please, lock it."
"Arietis!" Carlos's voice echoes from the bathroom. "Oh my God, what happened to you?"
I try to find the words. My voice fails me. All that comes out is a cough. My cheeks are red and scratchy with tears flooding down them. I don't want to cry. I'm strong. I'm brave. Strong and brave men don't cry. What would the Victors think of me if they saw me like this?
Carlos wraps his arms around me as we both sit on his bed. Nick stands awkwardly by the door, before walking off to go find something better to do. Someone bangs on the walls; it's probably Romire. I don't want to face him. I want to feel safe.
"Hey," Carlos tells me softly. He helps lie down and pulls his blanket over me. "It's okay. I'm here, alright? I'm here. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
I shake my head. "I don't think I can."
"Alright. Hey, babe? Don't worry. You're with me."
This is why I love him.
I don't plan to go back to my dorm tonight. And honestly, I don't care. Right now, this is the safest place for me to be. And as long as I have my Carlos, I will be alright.
Prometheus Astro, 42
District 2 Escort
Prometheus sometimes felt weird about escorting for 2.
On one hand, he had worked his ass off over the years to get moved up here. It was an honour for escorts, and Prometheus was proud of himself for making it so far, finally getting rewarded for his efforts. But on the other hand, 2 was a Capitol lapdog.
Prometheus wasn't sure he wanted to be associated with that.
Nope. Nope, nope, nope. Escorts were not supposed to have those kinds of thoughts. Prometheus was not a rebel. Yes, he was not a filthy rebel. So maybe him being here in 2 was actually a blessing after all. They'd help him see what made the Capitol so strong, formidable and special-
Then Prometheus caught sight of the two mentors for this year and had to reconsider his thoughts again.
Lyme was a name that got whispered in certain sects of the Capitol. Was she confirmed to be a rebel ally? Not entirely. He wasn't going to ask her either; that was too dangerous. But he was going to his job and maybe keep an eye out, just in case Lyme slipped up. Then he'd either confront her or join her.
Brick was here too. Prometheus remembered when Brick was just an excited teenager, shoving people out of his way so he could run up on the stage and claim his title as volunteer and future Victor. But holy crap was he overwhelming to be around. While Prometheus wasn't that old or anything, Brick's endless energy made him feel like a creaky senior sometimes.
As per usual, the crowd of people waiting for the Reaping to start bristled with excitement. The Games were a big event here. After all, 2 had the most Victors out of any district and despite the outliers providing steeper competition each year, the masonry district continued to stay on top.
Would the 101st Games be another success?
Prometheus smoothed out his suit blazer. It was blue, with a bold and starling peacock feather pattern on it. Blazers were his favourite part of the suit to wear, because then he could go all out with the designs. He didn't see the need for his clothes themselves to be so crazy and over-the-top, not when he could already do so much with a simply designed suit.
And hey, he had a ton of body modifications that would stand out even more. Piercings and tattoos, which admittedly were a big phase for him in teens, not so much now when he was in hos forties and starting to show his age. He still liked them though. Maybe once he was back in the Capitol, he'd get his ink touched up and his older tattoos redone.
Now he was here on the stage to do his job. He said a nice hello to the district and they all clapped. Some rowdier teenagers hollered out. District 2, Prometheus found, was a very respectful place. It was quite flattering. Prometheus basked in the attention for a brief moment, then he reached inside the first glass bowl. he announced the boys first last year so he was going to switch things up.
"Venus Junerra!"
A 13 year-old girl hopped up onto the stage, enjoying her few seconds of fame. She was not nervous and she had no reason to be; there would soon be a trained volunteer to take her place.
And sure enough, the girl in question raised her hand and said those two magic words in a shaky voice. "I volunteer!"
As Venus headed back down, the crowd parted around an 18 year-old at the very front of the audience. The volunteer was of Asian descent, with black hair in a pixie cut, and brown eyes that widened slightly as she took in all the sights around her. She quickly hurried up to the stage, as if she couldn't wait to get this all over with. Her name was Olympia Bronze.
Prometheus sensed what was going on. He offered Olympia a handshake, then made a big show of reaching for the second glass ball and taking the spotlight off her, which she appreciated. "Osten Avery!"
The 14 year-old boy slunk up the stage; the second his foot touched the steps, a voice called out and Osten was off. An 18 year-old volunteer, who was rather easy to spot because of how tall he was. He had light brown skin, black eyes, and curly black hair which he ran one hand through while the other one pumped a fist into the sky.
His name was Arietis Rammestien. "And I'm gonna become District 2's next champion!"
The crowd hollered in excitement. As per usual, there were two strong and formidable trained volunteers representing the district. Prometheus wouldn't lie, he did find it quite exciting at times to see who his latest tributes would be. And he had a good feeling that Arietis and Olympia wouldn't disappoint.
There was a small nagging voice at the back of his head. He pushed it away.
First introductions are up and we get to meet Arietis and his district partner Olympia. What do you think of them?
Yep, not going in district order. Although it should be pretty easy to figure out which order the tributes are being introduced in. You may have to check the blog again for a hint lol.
See you all in the next chapter,
-Vr