the ruler [THE HUNGER GAMES]¹

Three.

THE three days allotted for training go by in a blur of dinners, sponsor meetings and one-on-one time with Clove. It becomes increasingly apparent that she thinks she knows everything there is to know about the games already, and that I am no help to her. Of course, this is far from true, because she tells me she feels no need to know how to start a fire properly or how to set snares to catch whatever animals may be living in the arena. In reality, the careers do not always have the upper hand. The terrain can be harsh, and the other districts might actually be strong for once.

"Say you don't get a hold of the supplies, how will you eat?" I had asked her.

"You'll just send me something," she had replied. And what was I supposed to say? No?

Both of them are so cocky. Cato a little more so than Clove, so I feel even more sorry for Jacinth than I do myself. They have even more reason to be so when they both achieve incredibly high tens in their training scores, amongst the top of the cohort. Apart from Katniss, who got an eleven. I personally don't remember the last tribute who got a score so high, so whatever she showed the gamemakers must've been impressive.

I am glad when I finally get a few hours away from Clove whilst she's being prepared for the tribute interviews tonight. She's not horrible to be around, but theres a very clear difference in attitude towards the games between us and it has caused a weird dynamic. I'm tired of mentoring someone who believes she knows it all already. It's like wasting breath.

I sit in my room in the tributes centre, staring out the window at the presidents mansion down the avenue. A year ago I was in Clove's shoes, getting pampered and prepped to be shown off to the population of Panem. Back then I'd had no thought of winning. Not once had the possibility entered my mind. If I could reach into the mind of fifteen year old Fawn and tell her that all that would come with victory is this everlasting feeling of dread and misery, maybe I'd tell her not to fight so hard.

The phone in the corner of the room starts ringing, making me jump out of my skin. There are no phones in the tributes bedrooms for obvious reasons, but mentors have to have one mostly so we can be on call twenty four seven during the games. I think if it was possible the Capitol would love us to be in the control room at all times to be ready for sponsors and any big events that go on, but we do have to sleep. However, how much I get will depend on how active Clove is on the inside.

I autopilot over to the phone, picking up both the phone and the dial so I can sit back in the window comfortably. My legs fold under me as I rest the receiver between my ear and shoulder, "Hello?"

The voice on the other end of he phone is unexpected but very welcome, "Hey Cutler." It's Mace. I remember telling him just before I left for the victory tour that he could go into my home whenever he wanted and phone me from my bedroom, since the average population aren't allowed inter-district communication so he didn't have his own. At first I wasn't sure it would work, but then he called me when I was travelling through the outskirts of District Twelve. After that we would spend hours talking every day.