"if i'm a ghost
then so are you"
Emerald Colter hasn't known peace at any time in her life; and with her reaping comes a chance for her to finally make her mother proud of her. Only, when she returns home, everything remains the same and...
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Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark know very little about the other Victors, their stories and even where she came from. It's a distinct disadvantage to being the two newest victors amongst the group, most of these people have been friends for years — decades in some cases.
Their mentor and winner of the last Quarter Quell, Haymitch Abernathy, stands before them as he gets ready to show of who had been picked. He's known these people for a long time, and there is no doubt that this is hard for him.
"Cashmere and Gloss, brother and sister, District 1. They won back to back games. Capitol favorites. Lots of sponsors. They will be lethal,"
The teenagers look at the two blondes on the screen and nod their heads, comprehending most of that easy enough. It then switches over to two others. "And the other half of the career pack? Brutus and Enobaria,"
"What's with her teeth?" Katniss asks, eyebrows raised as she looks at the woman who has pointed teeth.
"She had them filed into fangs so she could rip people's throats out," Haymitch shrugs as if it isn't that big of a deal, the two teens jumping a little when the woman hisses.
"She's committed I'll give her that," Peeta adds.
"Wiress and Beetee. Not fighters but brilliant and weird. Real tech savvy. He won his games by electrocuting six tributes at once," Haymitch explains as the footage switches over to two older victors. "The Morphlings. Masters of camouflage. Basically won their games by hiding until everyone else was dead. Self medicating ever since, which I applaud. Not a threat," He continues about the District six tributes.
Then it's switches to a familiar face, both of the teenager seemingly knowing the man. His normal dazzling smile lights up the screen as he waves at the audience.
"Finnick Odair, right?"
"Yes, he won his games at fourteen. Youngest ever. Extremely humble,"
That causes Katniss to scoff lightly, not being able to imagine this man being humble. "You're kidding?"
"Yes, I'm kidding. He's a peacock, a total preener. But he's the Capitol darling, they love him here. Charming, smart and very skilled in combat, especially in water,"
"What about weaknesses?" Peeta interjects.
"One. Mags. Mags. She volunteered for Annie. Mags was his mentor and basically raised him. If he's trying to protect her in any way, it exposes him," Haymitch responds, and Peeta feels a pang in his heart at the sight of the older woman.
"A guy like that has to know she's not gonna make it. I bet when it really comes down to it, he won't protect her," Katniss' words are blunt and quite harsh.
"Well, Katniss, I just hope when she goes, she goes quickly. She's actually a wonderful lady,"
Silence washes over the three of them, before the mentor shakes his head and clicks the button. The seventeen year olds watch as the screen once again changes to the sight of two younger tributes standing side by side. Recognition flickers in Peeta's eyes as he looks at the brunette, remembering the day where she stood on one of the platforms during their Victory Tour. She'd looked so dreary that day, but this reaping has seemingly only distressed her further.
"District Eight. I thought I'd bring special attention to this one. This is Emerald Colter, eighteen, the winner of the 73rd Hunger Games and therefore in a pretty similar situation to you. She'd also be on the outside looking in this year, hardly knowing any of the other tributes and keeping to herself," Haymitch explains.
The brunette is visibly shaking on the screen, her hands grasping one another as a way of trying to calm herself down. She's a ball on anxiety, her eyes moving several places rather quickly as if she's searching out several people.
"Have you met her?" Katniss asks, leaning back on the couch even further. She remembers the girl, from one of her first nights in the Capitol, when she was watching the television. Caesar and Claudius had been speaking about her games, the way they used the rubble.
Katniss saw this girl win, stabbing a piece of sharpened glass through the neck of a clearly stronger boy. The fact that she actually managed to survive such an ordeal is impressive, but watching her now Katniss believes it may have been luck.
"Yes, very quiet and awfully shy," Haymitch comments.
Her frail form is enough to portray this to the tributes on the lounge, both of them watching as the reaping plays over again and they see her volunteer for the other woman. The children that make their way onto the stage attach themselves to the woman who had been originally chosen, and Katniss' respect for Emerald raises.
The male tribute is reaped next, and he gives no sort of reaction. He does squeeze a blonde male tribute's shoulder on the way past though.
"Her District partner is Silas Whitlock, stoic and incredibly hard to read. He's not really a people person," Haymitch comments.
"Do you think they'll stick together?" Katniss questions.
"That I'm not sure about. However, I do know that their mentor, Phoenix, will try his absolute hardest to get one of them out of there alive. I've never known a mentor to speak so highly of his tributes,"
"Not even you about us?" Peeta's tone is teasing and the man rolls his eyes.
"Look, all I'm saying is that they may be some of the better options to choose from in regards to allies. Get to know them, or just ignore me like you usually do, that's up to you. These two may be the only way you make it past the first day,"
As the District Eight tributes stand on the stage, one trembling and the other stoic, Katniss can't help but dismiss his claims. However, she knows better than anyone that sometimes underdogs win, they prevail.
And if she wants to get Peeta out of this alive, that maybe she should open up her mind a little.
