[Flowers] • The Hunger Games

One

Breakfast was nearly unbearable for Asteria.

Haymitch had begun drinking just as soon as he'd rolled out of bed. Scotch pairs well with eggs, apparently. And he tended to have the belief that if he never stops being drunk, he'll never be hungover. Sat directly across from her was Madge, who cried quietly on and off sporadically. Effie tried to make conversation- only to be met by silence and blank stares. And Gale keep his eyes burrowing into Asteria's head as he ate. Like he expected something out of her.

And- well, she wasn't much better off. Between ignoring everyone else in the room, she stared off into the food ahead of her anxiously. Her eyes darted back and forth to the avoxes who stood in the corners of the room.

"For the last time, Terra, they ain't poisoning you." Haymitch broke the silence, glaring over at her as she sat with her knee against the table.

"It would be easy to. Nightlock in the pancakes. Cyanide in the eggs. There's a lot of flavor here, a lot to mask whatever they could have put in there." She nodded to them, picking at her nails while she protested.

Haymitch reached over to her plate and grabbed up the top pancake. He took a quick bite out of it before tossing it back down.

"I'm sorry, I just- I guess I just don't understand. Aren't you two supposed to be...I don't know, mentoring us?" Madge spoke up, her voice soft as her eyes scanned the two of them.

Gale let out a short laugh. "Haven't you gathered by now? He's a drunk and she's paranoid. He couldn't care less and she cares about everything." He rolled his eyes, taking another bite of food. "Isn't that right?"

"You want us to prepare you for the games? Alright, then. Come to terms with the fact that in two weeks time, you'll both be dead."

"Haymitch-" Asteria protested with a huff. She shook her head as she breathed out a sigh. Her eyes came to scan the two of them as she continued to mess with her nails. "He's useless, don't listen to him. Biggest piece of advice I can give you? There's a reason the Capitol calls the games a pageant. They want you to preform." She shrugged. She picked at a piece of bacon on her plate, taking small bites off of the corners.

"She can't be serious." Madge mumbled.

"No, about that, she's right." Haymitch nodded as he took another drink from his glass. He paused her next question with a gesture before finishing off the glass and reaching to refill it. "As for the games themselves, whatever happens in that arena's gonna happen. The only way to truly prepare for the games happens in front of a camera." He shrugged.

"Well, what does he mean by that?" Gale asked.

Asteria glanced him over once or twice. She was sat sort of crouched on top of the chair rather than sitting in it. Her dark hair spilled out over her shoulders and blanketed most of her chest and abdomen. Dark circles from plenty of sleepless nights in a row made her look like a walking ghost. Yet, she was all they really had. And they deserved at least one of their mentors trying to get them out of this alive.

She took a small breath.

"The Hunger Games is a reality TV show for the Capitol. Entertainment. They want the biggest, gaudiest characters- or the greatest underdogs. When you're from twelve you only have the latter option. They want someone who's wholesome and compassionate, but strong enough to not be a throwaway for sponsorships. Either way- they want characters. Use as much of your real life as you can to sound...sympathetic. Gale, your younger brothers, your mom, dead dad- all that sort of stuff. Madge, I would try and sell that sickly-sweet doll appearance you've got. You become a capitol sweetheart, doesn't matter how bad your odds of survival are, you'll get sponsors. And before either of you ask- yes, sponsors really are that important. Getting so much as a piece of rope- a single match, that could be the difference between living and dying in the actual games." Asteria explained, talking relatively fast and using her hands to enunciate certain parts. "May the odds be ever in your favor doesn't mean to just let the universe handle it. It means you need to make the odds be in your favor."