Chapter 7 – Centuries
Making my way into the dining room for breakfast I notice the only empty seat is at the end of the table with no one beside it. Smirking, I sit in my chair and notice a stark white bandage on Garner's hand. Distantly I hear Zelena clear her throat "today is your private sessions, they will be held in the training room where you will get 10 minutes to present your skill to the game makers. After the session we will gather and watch the scores then rush off to the interviews. It will be a very busy day so please do not cause any trouble" announces Zelena as she stares directly at me. Smirking, I state "I make no promises" as I raise my food towards my mouth.
After the awkward silence accompanying breakfast Garner, Emmer, Jasmine, and I make our way down to the training center to wait for our private session. Upon entering the room, I notice the career pack sitting together and I make my way over. From above a voice announces, "District 1, Opal, please make your way to your private session". Smirking, Opal pops up from her chair, flips her hair and states "Wish me luck" before walking towards the main doors and entering her private session. A brief silence follows before Blaze speaks up "god she is annoying, I can't wait for her to die" Snorting out a collective laugh the other careers agree. One by one the careers are called into their session until it is Cato and I left. Sitting beside each other Cato presses his side and leg into mine as we talk in whispers. "District 2, Cato, please make your way to your private session" announces the overhead voice. Sighing Cato turns his head towards my ear and whispers one last message "give them a show golden girl" before he stands and makes his way to his session. Standing up I move towards my marked spot in the room between Garner and Emmer. From beside me I hear Garner remark "whore" under his breath. This again. Shaking my head I push his insult away and sit in silence until his name is called "District 9, Garner, please make your way to your private session" announces the voice. Coughing slightly to get his attention I look Garner in the eye as I state, "for your talent why don't you demonstrate how I am going to gut you, I am sure your dead body will give you a better score than your alive one will". With a soft gulp Garner takes a step away from me and all but runs towards his private session. From the other side of the room, I hear a feminine voice "Seriously, can you just leave him alone" Looking in the direction of the voice my eyes meet Katniss'. Sighing at her I state, "mind your own business girl on fire, this has nothing to do with you or your attitude". Glaring at me Katniss sits back down and starts a conversation with Peeta. Glancing back at the doors I wait in silence until my name is called, "District 9, Zea, please make your way to your private session". It's time to prove I am not weak.
Slowly but confidently, I make my way to the doors and watch as they open for me. Stepping into the private room I hear voices from above and notice several game makers walking around chatting and eating on a balcony with a clear view of the training area. As I make my way to the center of the small room the voices die down. "You may begin" announces a voice from above. Looking around I smirk and make my way to the knife throwing station. I grab a set of knives and strap them to my waist before glancing behind me at the game makers. They are silent and watching me with interest, show them strength. Turning back towards the targets I press a button off to the side which makes the targets move in random directions. Taking my stance at the set line I take a breath and let my first knife soar, bullseye. This continues until all 10 knives are deeply embedded in the targets in various lethal places. Risking a glance at the game makers I smirk seeing the slightly awed looks on their faces. Looking up at the timer I realize I only have 6 minutes left. One last show Zea, make it count. I stalk towards the hand-to-hand combat station and ask one of the available trainers to join me before I grab twin sais from the weapons bench. Twirling them in my hands I familiarize myself with their weight as a smirk settles onto my face. Briefly I notice the tall male trainer, one I do not recognize, has grabbed a sword and is standing in front of me. Tall and broad. Wait for him to strike then take him down. Observing his stance, I notice the slight shift in his weight as he lunges towards me. Quickly sidestepping I use the blunt end of my sai to strike him on the back of the neck. Hearing him groan I shift my stance and raise my arms to waist height beside me. Come on big boy, let's give them a show. Growling, the trainer lunges at me again. Meeting his blow, I use my sais to twist the sword out of his hands before throwing him to the ground and punching my side a hair width away from his neck into the mat below. BZZZZZZ a timer goes off announcing the end of my session. Standing I leave the sai embedded in the mat. I turn a glance up to the game makers before taking a bow and heading back to my room. Once in my room I avoid the others staying with me and barricade myself in my bedroom until Zelena calls me out to watch the training scores.
In the living room the mentors, tributes, and Zelena have organized themselves on the couches. Off to the far side of the room is a single armchair slightly isolated from everyone else. As I settle in the chair I look towards the TV as Caesar appears with his vibrant purple hair and begins announcing scores "As you know the tributes are rated on a score from 1-12 after 3 days of careful evaluation and their private sessions. From district 1 Opal with a score of 8, Royce with a score of 10, Cashmere with a score of 10, and Gloss with a score of 10. From district 2 Livia with a score of 9, Blaze with a score of 9, Enobaria with a score of 10, and Cato with a score of 11…. From district 4 Crest with a score of 7… Finnick with a score of 9… Johanna with a score of 8… From district 9 Zea with a score of…. 12, Garner with a score of 7… From district 12 Primrose with a score of 5, Rider with a score of 4, Katniss with a score of 11, and Peeta with a score of 11." Silence settles over the room after my score of 12 is announced. "What the fuck did you do sleep with the game makers?" Questions Garner. Jumping up from my chair I stalk towards him with death in my eyes. Before I can reach Garner, Bran stands and pulls me away as I start screaming "I AM GOING TO END YOU GARNER. WATCH YOUR BACK IN THE ARENA BECAUSE YOU ARE THE FIRST ONE, I AM GOING TO KILL". Whispering in my ear Bran states, "I need you to calm down Zea, save this for the arena". Shrugging him off me I straighten my shoulders and take a breath. "Keep him away from me Bran or this apartment will become the arena" I state. Nodding at me Bran agrees "I will but for now we need to get you to Lysander to get dressed for your interview. Lysander will go over some strategy with you. Let's go."
Sitting in a chair while Priscilla and Rumina work on my hair and makeup, Lysander begins running me through various questions Caesar might ask. "Okay one last question before we get you dressed. What is it like being in the games after watching your older brother die in the games when you were quite young" Lysander asks. I - what. No… NO. Breathe, just breathe. "I am not answering that Lysander" I sneer. "You might not have a choice here Zea. If Caesar asks this question and you don't answer it, you will show weakness and our plan only works if no one sees you as weak. You do not have to answer right now but think of something because I would be shocked if it did not come up". Reaching his hand out to my Lysander helps me stand and leads me towards a small circular landing in front of several mirrors. "For this look we stuck with the gold theme but a little more strength based" explains Lysander. After getting dressed I look into the mirror and realize what Lysander meant. My hair has been twisted up into a loose braid bun with a thick gold and pearl headband entwined. My eyes are shimming with gold and rose with a sleek black liner and a neutral pink lip. The real stunner is the outfit, however. The outfit is a pair of high waisted shorts with a mock button up shirt beneath a cropped blazer lined in black. All of which is covered in various shades of gold details almost like lace. On my shoulders and the pockets of the shorts are crystal and gold embellishments which match my heeled black boots perfectly. While still girly and feminine the out screams strength and power without being too much. Turning to Lysander I state "thank you this is more than i could have imagined" smiling back at me he responds "you look gorgeous Zea. Now go out there and show them how strong you are". Taking one last look in the mirror I nod and follow Lysnader out the door of my prep room into the backstage.
"The victors will line up on the left side of the stage and the new tributes will be on the right. Caesar will interview the previous victors first then the rest of you. Follow the lead of the victors and stand in front of Jasmine after your interview, Caesar will most likely guide you over but just in case. Got it" Lysander shares with me as we walk towards the line. Nodding towards him I thank him one last time. "I will be in the crowd watching, do us proud Zea" he states before walking away. Standing in front of me is Garner dressed in a bright yellow suit and scowl on his face. "Perfect Zea gets to actually look good while I get stuck in this" he exclaims. Holding my laugh in I just nod towards him before turning my attention to the other tributes. At the front of the line is Opal dressed in a slightly revealing sheer pink dress with crystals all over and feather details on the sleeves. I can guess her angle… A few people down from her is Livia, her long blonde hair is swept into a sleek bun and her dress is a shimmering silver which almost looks like armor. Crest has her hair down and it almost looks. Wet. Her outfit is a two piece with the top having these beautiful sleeves that flow like water made from beads and a tight long skirt covered in the same beads. Behind me I immediately notice Primrose. She looks like an angel. Her hair is braided into a bun with light natural makeup. Prim's dress is a pale pink with small flowers attached to the bodice while her shoes are the same pink they have small green vine details on them. Perfect for the Capitols darling. Hearing cheering from the stage I force myself to look ahead and watch the interviews on the TV above. Typical district 1 interviews, flirty but strong. District 2 goes for confidence, but Cato, Cato looks and acts deadly. Not to mention Caesar asked Cato about a special someone and Cato's response was "I do not have anyone back home, but I did meet someone here that I have grown to care about. But all I will say about that is she is a queen wrapped in gold" I am going to maim him if Caesar asks me about that statement. The main thinking about the victors' interviews is the anger they express around the games. The biggest surprises are Katniss and Peeta. Katniss goes out on stage in her supposed wedding dress which then burns into a Mockingjay outfit. This drives the crowd crazy. And Peeta. Well, Peeta claims Katniss is pregnant. This is why they have us go after to calm everything down.
"Now now ladies and gentlemen let us not forget about our next set of tributes! From district 1 Opal!" announces Caesar in earnest. The interviews go quickly and before I realize it I have been called on stage. Squaring my shoulders and raising my chin I do my best to confidently walk onto the stage towards Caesar. "Welcome Zea! Now let me say how impressed I was with your score! If my memory serves me correctly, your 12 is the first one in the history of the hunger games. Care to share how you earned such an impressive score?" Asks Caesar. Giving a shirt laugh and smirk I answer "You know I can't share that with you Caesar! This is one secret I will keep until I am ready for everyone to know". Laughing as he responds Caesar states "Isn't she lovely". Hearing the crowd cheer I direct my smirk out towards them, which makes them cheer even louder. Clearing his throat Caesar turns back to me and states, "Now Zea I don't know if you were watching the other interviews backstage but a certain tribute from district 2 made an interesting comment, and I think he was referring to you." shrugging my shoulders I respond "Sorry Caesar you might need to be a bit more specific", Laughing Caesar asks "Cato mentioned growing fond of a girl here in the games and stated she was a queen wrapped in gold. Since gold has become your signature color, any chance he was talking about you." Placing a smirk on my face I look towards the crowd then back at Caesar before responding "I guess we will have to see what happens, won't we". Fuck. Cato is dead. "Ever mysterious Zea. One final question for you before we run out of time. I am not sure if the audience recognizes Zea's last name but several years ago a young boy of age twelve was reaped whose name was Brice Barlowe, I hear he was your older brother. What do you think he would tell you if he saw you now?" STOP. BREATHE. RUN. NO. FIGHT. BREATHE. Taking a breath, I look down to the floor before returning my gaze to Caesar. With a soft smile I answer "to be honest with you, I was very young when my brother died, and I do not really remember him. My answer is not great because of this. I would hope he would be proud of me, but the truth is I will never know". BREATHE. Slowly and dramatically Caesar wipes a tear from his face before announcing "Unfortunately ladies and gentlemen that is all the time we have for the lovely and regal Zea Barlowe of district 9" lightly grasping my hand Caesar leads me towards the far side of the stage and has me stand in front of Jasmine, who is on a slightly raised surface. The rest of the interviews pass quickly and before I know it the lights on the stage have dimmed except the ones focused on the tributes have brightened. Behind me I hear shuffling and then gasps from the crowd. Glancing back, I see the past victors holding hands with their arms in the air before the lights are cut off and we are all rushed off stage. In the chaos I feel a hand press into mine and a piece of paper is passed to me. Looking toward the owner of the hand I spot Cato quickly walking away before I am surrounded by my team. Once we make our way back to the training center, I risk a glance at the note from Cato as we wait for the elevator. Meet me on the roof, same time. Fighting back a smile I know I will be going to the roof tonight.
That night around 1am I sneak out of the apartment and make my way to the roof to meet up with Cato. Once on the roof I look around and see Cato leaning against the ledge of the roof waiting for me. Walking towards him I stop about 3 feet from him and ask, "what the hell was that during your interview Cato". With a deep sigh Cato turns around to face me before closing the distance between us "I spoke the truth, golden girl. I care about you and to be honest I don't want you to die." "Cato, I - what do you want me to say" running a hand through his hair he responds, "I want you to say you care about me too and that this isn't a one-sided feeling". Pulling away from him I begin pacing and frantically running my hands through my hair. Sit. Do not be weak. I do care. WEAK. After a couple minutes Cato interrupts my pace and grasps my wrists to pull my hands from my hair. "I do care about you Cato, but I can't afford to. Because if I care, how do I win". As I speak Cato places his head against mine "you will win because you care, either we become partners in the next arena or I make sure you get out alive" "You can't be serious Cato" "I will never joke about your life, golden girl. It means too much to me." As Cato speaks, I feel a tear run down my face. I lift my hands to his collar and pull his face down to kiss him. Without missing a beat Cato is kissing me back and wraps his arms around my waist pulling me to him. Pulling away slightly Cato grabs my hand and pulls me away from the sight of the elevator to a secluded section of the roof and pushes my back against a wall. Placing his right arm beside my head on the wall he leans in and whispers "no matter what happens, do me a favor, and remember me" before slamming his lips onto mine. As we are kissing against the wall, I work my hands to the hem of his shirt and pull it up over his head. Breaking our kiss briefly he asks "are you sure" quickly responding I say "no, but I know that I want to" before pulling him close to me again as he pulls my own shirt off.
A few hours later I awake on the roof with my head on Cato's chest, Cato in his boxers and me with nothing but his t-shirt on. Slowly I untangle myself from his arms without waking him up to get dressed in my own clothes. Wincing slightly as I put my pants on, I think I bet he doesn't hurt after sex. Sighing, I finish getting dressed before leaning over and kissing Cato's forehead to gently wake him up. "It is time to go Cato, I have to go back to my room and so do you" Groaning Cato stands and pulls me into a hug and brief kiss "stay alive for me golden girl. I will be waiting for you". Releasing me from his hug I smile at him and make my way onto the elevator "Just like I will be waiting for you Cato" I say just before the doors close.
It is okay. You will be okay.
Fall Out Boy - Centuries
And I can't stop 'til the whole world knows my name
'Cause I was only born inside my dreams
Until you die for me, as long as there's a light
My shadow's over you 'cause I am the opposite of amnesia
And you're a cherry blossom
You're about to bloom
You look so pretty, but you're gone so soon
Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries