In the Wake of the Tide: A Hunger Games Fanfiction

Chapter 7

Andario joined the circle forming in the centre of the room, which evidently lacked tributes. He took count as a cloth with the number 4 was pinned to the back of his shirt. Jade, Brass, Tizona, and Gladius were all running late. Alice, Link, Saudamini, Kellett, and Deccan all stood together just next to him. Ash and Alder stood a foot away from the brooding Sturm, all of them positioned across from him. The rest of the tributes were still getting ready or eating their breakfasts. Slowly but surely, they all trickled in, joining the circle until it was finally filled by Satin and Chevron. Andario noticed they were all tense, keeping distance between them and their fellow tributes.
An older man entered the circle, settling in at the centre. He looked at each of them, sizing them up, before starting a speech about the Games and the Training Centre. He shared his name, Flint, and began with the objective and rules of the Games, as though the Capitol didn't force it down their throats each year. He cautioned about both weapon proficiency and survival tactics being essential in one's survival, then explained the rules they'd have to follow during training, explicitly specifying the prohibition of fighting one another. He briefly described each station, and then sent them off to train, explaining that he and the other specialists would be there for support.
Andario instantly saw the social-political aspects of training Abriz had warned him about. The tributes split up, some forging groups, others rushing to stations. He spotted Gabria as she confidently approached the career tributes. They welcomed her in without a moment of hesitation, and the group pushed towards the weapons area, uncontestedly claiming the station. He supposed the other tributes predicted the group's first station, as they'd all spread out and were practicing survival skills. He was the only one who hesitated, left standing alone in the centre of the room. This fact alone left him wary of becoming a target, though, so he headed towards the weapons station, hoping the career tributes wouldn't pressure him too hard into leaving.
When he reached the rack of weapons, he met Tizona's eyes from the other side, who was steadily observing him from behind the blades. She must have recognized he wasn't a threat, though, as she instantly went back to the blades, unbothered by his presence at the station. He continued analyzing the strange mallets hung up in front of him, assuming that the career tributes would refrain from intimidating him out of the station.
Andario found a secluded corner away from the other tributes at the station and began practicing with a variety of weapons. He found the mallet he'd first selected to be too weighty and clunky, with maces yielding the same result. He wasn't any good with the bow and arrows or throwing axes, missing his target every time by a long shot. He tried every weapon on the racks, but the only ones he found half-decent were the spear he'd grown used to and a dagger due to its similarity to a knife. He decided to focus on those two for a bit, and Flint joined him to teach Andario how to use them more efficiently. He grew comfortable with the weapons, knowing that with the two remaining days of training he'd be able to confidently defend himself from the majority of the tributes. Andario took his comfort as a sign to move on to the next station, but not before watching the career tributes practice. He learned where their proficiencies resided. Tizona stuck to swords, sabres, and daggers. Gladius relied on swords too, but was also strong with maces. Brass lingered more towards the bow and arrows, a scary sharp shooter. Jade used an unusual weapon that resembled a loose iron rope strung between two iron grips. Andario found the weapon strange, but seeing her practice against the training dummies and a specialist sparring partner, he grew increasingly intimidated.
He decided to move on to the plant station, where the specialist instructed on edible and inedible plants, along with medicinal plants. He'd joined as Link, Yew, Tamari, and Huck were learning about poisonous berries they could find in the arena. Specifically, the specialist was covering red baneberries and their edible lookalike, Solomon's plume. Andario listened as she explained how to identify the berries through their leaves, paying careful attention to her descriptions. Then, he researched about plants that could be found in the arena through a handbook laid out at the station. He remembered what he could, then quizzed himself on cue cards that he saw Tamari and Huck use on each other. Although he did well, he didn't do nearly as good as the other two had. He supposed that was to be expected. Tamari and Huck had the upper hand, being from District 11 where the industry is agriculture and they grew up in the orchards.
Just before lunch, he skipped over to the butchering station where he learned how to skin an animal, how to prepare the meat, and how to store it. Andario was glad he learned from the station, given that he only roughly knew how to prepare fish, but he couldn't remain there for long as he felt his appetite slowly fade. He knew Yew and Samson had been avoiding this station, but it was probably because butchering was a skill they'd learned from a young age in District 10 and needed no practice, not because they wanted to hide it from the other tributes.
When lunch came, they were all brought to a cafeteria. Andario decided to grab a decent lunch, a bit more than he'd gotten for breakfast, and headed for a lone table in the back of the room. There, he sat facing the other tables, slowly biting into a tuna sandwich as he observed the tributes around him. The Careers, Andario had opted to call them, had settled at the table closest to the door, sharing cheerful banter and rowdily playing games. He grew wary of their bond on top of their skills, as it meant bad news for the rest of the tributes. Gabria seemed to fit in well, though, which he supposed he should be happy for her. Outside of the Careers, the tributes seemed to be scattered. Ash and Alder had claimed the table two down from Gabria and her group, ferociously consuming everything in front of them. Yew and Samson sat across from them, passionately discussing a topic he couldn't overhear. Saudamini had seated herself with Galena and Magnus, with Kellett and Deccan following close behind her. Tamari, Satin, and Chevron sat at the table behind Saudamini's group, while Tamari beckoned Huck over, who stood in the cafeteria line. Alice, Link, Teff, and Thresher were still getting their food. Sturm had just collected the last bit of his meal and walked down the rows of tables. Andario feared that the District 5 boy aimed to sit with him, but his worries vanished as Sturm dropped his tray on the table across from Andario's.
He continued eating his meal, realizing him and Sturm seemed to be the odd ones out. The rest had already made groups, potentially forged alliances. Sturm could probably handle it, considering he was built like a god, but Andario was falling way behind. He had to start some form of bond and fast. Yet somehow integrating into the other groups seemed an impossibility. He looked over to the District 5 boy. Sturm seemed to be the only option available to him, yet he wasn't sure how the blond beast would take it, nor was he fond of the interaction. Still, his fear of falling behind was greater than his fear of the boy, so he had to try. His legs lifted him up before he could hesitate further.
Sturm watched his approach, uninterested and continuing to munch on his roasted pork. Andario made sure to remain in the District 5 boy's sight, so that he didn't get startled or throw his defences up. Once Andario was a comfortable distance away from Sturm, he threw his hand out to the giant. "Hi, my name's Andario."
Sturm glared at him, sizing him up. "So?" The brute grunted.
"I just wanted to introduce myself," Andario continued, feeling the beginning of nerves as they festered at the bottom of his stomach. "Seeing as we're the only two who aren't in a group, I was thinking—"
"Get lost," Sturm huffed.
Andario's hand recoiled. He awkwardly stood for a while, assessing if there was any way to get Sturm on his side. Once he was certain the boy didn't want anything to do with allegiances, he trudged back to his table, defeated. He pushed as far against the wall as he could, trying to shy away from any prying eyes that saw his failed alliance. He ate his meal silently, brooding over his incompetence.
"Mind if we join you?" The question came after he'd made his way halfway through his meal. Andario looked up to see Link giving him a friendly smile, Alice huddled close behind him.
Andario was shocked initially, and forgot he had to respond. "S- Sure," he stammered. They both sat facing him, their trays of food disproportionate to one another. Andario supposed it made sense, though, given Alice was a small blonde haired girl with a petite frame and Link was a taller muscular boy that resembled a tree. They couldn't have been more opposing if they tried, so their meal sizes contrasting was only one of many to cross off that list.
"Alice wanted to say she thought you guys looked amazing," Link shared. Alice's face turned red as she dove into her food to avoid Andario's gaze.
"Thanks," he said with a smile. "Although ours couldn't top yours."
Link smiled back while Alice continued to hide her lobster face. The two seemed nice, Andario thought. They'd be perfect allies. He worried about what he could provide if they were to forge an alliance, though. Both Alice and Link seemed very smart, especially coming from District 3. Link had his size and strength, and Alice had her tiny stature, which would allow for excellent agility. He only really knew what he'd learned from the stations today, which they could easily find time to learn over the upcoming two extra training days. That begged the question, why did they approach him in the first place?
"So how are you finding training?" Andario asked, trying to weed out their weaknesses and see what they wanted from him.
"It's pretty morbid," Link admitted. "Training in a room together for three days only to kill each other after that."
"Very true," Andario nodded along, slightly annoyed Link hadn't mentioned anything about the actual stations. Perhaps Link didn't want to share anything until Andario had revealed his cards, but that left him in a dangerous position.
"So, you guys seem to have known each other for quite a while," Andario prompted.
Link looked over to Alice. "Not really a while," he replied. "Only a year now. Alice was stationed where I was back in District 3."
"Stationed?" Andario was confused by the word. The only time he'd heard it used was with Peacekeepers.
"Yeah," he answered. "District 3 covers technology, so we have a lot of factories scattered around designated to the development of one piece of tech or another. Alice only recently joined the industry, and she was assigned to my factory cause of her ability to understand stuff." Link leaned in and loudly whispered, "she's kind of a child prodigy!"
As if on cue, Alice jumped up and began lightly tapping her fists against Link's shoulder, which he laughed off. She crossed her arms and pouted. "Don't say that," she said, her voice as soft as a mouse.
"Well, I'm impressed," Andario announced. "You sound like you know what you're doing."
She stared off towards the wall next to Sturm, continuing to pout. She acted like a toddler, Andario thought, but given her looks, she must have been around fourteen. Link was about his age, maybe a year older, so he assumed that Link had a hand in easing Alice into the workforce, or maybe even mentored her like Seb mentored him.
"What did you guys make, anyway?" He asked.
"Oh, just microwaves," Link shared. "The Capitol likes the ease of reheating meals, so it's usually in high demand."
"I bet that takes a lot of brainpower." Andario had directed the statement to Alice, but she continued to stare down the wall.
"It definitely does," Link said, giving Alice a slight nudge to bring her back. She hesitated, but obliged in the end, continuing to eat her meal. "So what about you? What's the fishing industry like?"
"It's nice," he shared before considering if he should. He kept forgetting that these were also his competitors, all in all, and he should keep some information to himself. He decided there wasn't much he could tell that they couldn't have already guessed, though, and continued. "The sea is beautiful and really relaxing. Being out at sea is really exhilarating at the same time, like a new adventure waiting to happen. It can be scary sometimes, though."
"Scary?" Alice inquired. She'd grown interested in the conversation as she stared intently at him with her green doll eyes.
"Yeah, sometimes," he confessed. "Dangerous storms could develop randomly. You also don't know what's down there, below the water. Mostly fish, but definitely some scary stuff at times."
He'd heard a tale when he was younger of a sea monster created by the Capitol in the rebellion. It resembled a cross between a shark and a creature called a komodo dragon. It had a reptilian face and legs, but the body and fins of a shark. Supposedly, it was able to seal off its gills to reside on both water and land, and its bite was venomous. The muttation had terrorized rebel ships, rocking them back and forth until they capsized. What's more, it could replicate basic sounds, and it was rumoured to have used the dying cry of sailors to lure its victims in before drowning them and consuming them whole. The Capitol had made very few of these creatures, as they were rampaging beasts that didn't obey commands, but they had released at least three out on the coastline to indiscriminately attack anything it saw. Ever since Andario had heard of the mutts, he'd grown wary of any large figures in the water, no matter if it was a dolphin, shark, whale, or anything in between.
"Sounds like you know a thing or two about the water," Link said, bringing Andario back to reality.
"Yeah, I guess I do," he agreed.
The three of them continued small conversations as they ate, Andario enjoying the company. They finished their meals as soon as the doors to the training area opened up again. Most of the tributes instantly left the cafeteria the moment they could, Andario included. He wanted to get as much practice in as he could, like he'd promised Mags.
He'd decided he wanted to work on his knot tying skills next, and headed towards the station. He was surprised to feel a nudge at his arm, and saw Alice prodding at him. Whether she was heading in the same direction as him or simply following along, he didn't know. Either way, Andario was unbothered, as her company was nice to have.
They spent about an hour tying different kinds of knots, from strong bracing ones to thin snare ones. Alice was particularly good at it, which did not shock Andario in the least. Considering what he'd been told about her time back in District 3, he was starting to believe she was the smartest tribute there. He made sure to carefully watch her movements, as it helped him to pick up even the harder knots, especially when he struggled to understand the book or the specialist. She could pick up anything with ease, the fastest learner he'd ever seen.
When both Andario and Alice had gained a decent understanding of knots, they decided to head over to the fire station. Link had been heading over from the plant station at the same time, so he joined them and they all learned about fire management. Alice easily beat them both out in speed of understanding, creating a strong small fire from the materials in her little plastic container. Link wasn't much further behind, though, and Andario began to feel incompetent again, given he definitely was outclassed by both of them in wits. He did appreciate their company, though, as they both instructed him alongside the specialist, which made him pick the skill up faster than he would have alone.
    Once they felt content with their knowledge on fires, Link and Alice felt comfortable wandering over to the weapons station given the Careers had wandered off to other stations. Alice gravitated towards the daggers, which made sense given her small frame, and Link leaned more towards the axes. Andario decided to to try practicing again with the bow and arrow, but still yielded the same results.
"Nice shooting," someone laughed from behind him. He knew it wasn't Link or Alice beginning some form of playful banter, as Andario could see them both practicing on dummies further to his side. He turned around and saw Thresher standing, arms crossed, an amused grin on his face. Andario didn't want to bother with a comeback, and continued to practice, his shots veering further and further off target. Thresher took this opportunity to further his amusement.
"Don't tell me that's what you're gonna use in the arena?" He continued laughing as Andario's blood boiled, his temper steadily increasing. He didn't know why the District 9 boy's words were getting to him, but each taunt dug deeper and deeper beneath his skin. "I'd suggest you go for a different weapon if you want to survive."
Andario fired off another arrow, which landed closer to the target, but still off kilter.
"By the way, nice outfit. Really made your eyes pop." Andario turned back around to see Thresher smiling at him. His cockiness, his taunting, even the selection of his words irritated Andario. He thought back to when they were in the stables, preparing for the opening ceremony. The District 9 boy had mocked him then, too, the same way he was mocking him now.
"What do you want?" Andario growled. At this point, Link and Alice noticed their interaction, halting their training for just a moment to listen in.
"Hey," Thresher called, holding his hands up near his head. "I just came to talk. No need for hostility."
Andario glared at the boy, who slowly backed up a bit. He hated the taunts, hated the teasing. Thresher came over to bash on him, throw him off. But he refused to be intimidated. "I'm not interested," Andario stated.
Thresher pressed his lips together and raised his eyebrows. "Alright then, I'll be on my way." He turned, then called over his shoulder as he left, giving a small wave. "You know where to find me when you are."
Andario watched the District 9 boy walk away to the fire station, glowering but also confused as to why Thresher concluded with the statement. His tone was nonchalant, his stance relaxed. Why would he end his taunting with such an open-ended invitation?
"You okay?" Link called over.
Andario took a moment to remove the aggression from his voice before replying. "I'm good. Thanks, though."
They continued their training, and Andario finally was able to hit the target. He silently celebrated his achievement before he continued to practice. He now could sometimes hit the object he aimed at, although he still failed to hit the exact location he wanted to. He took it as a small victory, though, and switched to practicing with a sword again. Link seemed to have the same idea, as he switched from the axe to a spear.
Eventually, Alice noticed the Careers heading back over to claim the weapons station, which prompted a rushed racking of their weapons as they hurried away to avoid any confrontation. They settled in at the basket-weaving station, where they intricately overlapped straw repeatedly until they all got the hang of it. Andario had just been finishing his third basket when he heard a commotion from behind him. He turned to see Teff had approached the Careers, requesting to join them.
"I can offer a lot," she coerced. "I'm fit, I know a lot about survival, and I'm handy with a weapon or two."
The Careers seemingly found it amusing. Jade, who'd looked bored since they'd arrived to train, stepped towards the District 9 girl. "I don't think we're interested in how to grow grain, thanks," she spat.
"I know more than that," Teff continued. "I know how to survive, I know a lot about the other tributes. I'm stealthy, too, so I can get you good information!"
"Stealth is the coward's move," Tizona called proudly. The group began to encircle Teff, like a pack of wolves hunting prey.
"Stealth is handy," Jade corrected, "but we have people to cover it. We don't need you."
Andario noticed all the tributes had zoned in on the conversation, some amused like Ash and Alder, while others were cautious like Tamari and Saudamini. The only one that continued to train was Sturm, heavily focused on lighting a fire.
"What do you need, then?" Teff begged. "What can I provide you? Just tell me and I'll do it!"
Jade smirked, malice spread across her face. She began slowly approaching the District 9 girl, like a cat ready to pounce. The tension in the air was as taught as a fishing line while reeling a catch in. "I have an idea," she whispered, her tone threatening.
Thresher seemed to pick up on the tone, as he rushed in and stood between Jade and Teff, spreading his arms out to protect his fellow tribute. "Back off," he demanded. The Careers laughed at his request as Teff began trying to push Thresher aside. After he remained unmoving, she loudly groaned out of frustration.
"I don't need your protection, idiot!" She screamed at him. She stomped away as Thresher slowly shifted back to the fire station, the Careers regrouping and laughing at the District 9 tributes' display. Andario watched as Gabria laughed along with them, making comments about how pathetic this year's tributes were. He hadn't expected her to be so cold-hearted.
As Thresher walked back, he caught Andario's gaze. His face remained motionless, but his eyes screamed heads up as he slyly poked a finger upwards. Andario followed to where the boy pointed and finally noticed the many people marching around an upper loft area, observing the tributes. They wore long purple robes, and wrote on electronic notepads, silently muttering to one another. That's when Andario realized they were being watched, probably from the moment they walked in. He was instantly filled with anxiety, thinking of everything they may have seen in training. Had he slipped up at any point? Had he been presenting the confident hero role he was supposed to show to the Capitol? He also questioned why Thresher chose to warn him, and why he chose that moment to give the warning. What did he have to gain from it?
    Andario, Link, and Alice continued training until they were escorted back to their respective floors. He bid them farewell as the two tributes were whisked away in the elevator. Once the elevator returned, Andario and Gabria hopped on, which ended up being very tense. Not a word was spoken until the doors closed, when Andario decided to speak up.
    "Nice friends you've made," he said bitterly. She instantly reacted, attacking as though it was a threat to her life.
    "If you knew what you were doing, you'd do the same, Andario!" She yelled at him, jabbing her finger up in his face.
    "I don't do well with murderous beasts," he retorted. "Clearly you're right at home."
    Veins popped out of Gabria's neck. "At least I'm not a weakling like you, making friends with Link and Alice so you won't all die alone!"
    "At least I'll die loved," he stated. He knew immediately it was too far, but it was too late to take back what he said. Gabria slammed him against the wall of the elevator and cursed him out before the doors opened and she rushed to her room. Andario leaned against the wall, his head throbbing from the impact, his vision blurry. Ryx and Mags came to escort him out of the elevator. His arm slinked around each of their shoulders, he questioned why the statement had bothered her as much as it did. She never put much weight on any relationships, not even with her parents. If anything, he should be the one upset. He was the one who had no chance, and she taunted him for it. The least she could do was make his death as comfortable as possible, but she tried nothing to support him. She only cared about her odds and how she was going to win.
    Mags and Ryx had brought him to their floor's medic, where he was checked for any possible injuries. He worried about his brain injury, concerned it would flare up again and he'd be back to that devastating stormy day on the ship, but it never came. The medic told him he'd suffered a surprising amount of damage simply from slipping in the elevator, which was when he realized Mags and Ryx had covered up what actually happened. He nodded, playing along, saying he hadn't been paying attention to what he was doing and now his head hurt. She told him he might be suffering from a minor concussion, and advised taking it easy for the remainder of the day, as well as what he could the next morning for training. She ran off to write up the report to hand to her superiors, and Mags and Ryx brought him back to his quarters, where they gently laid him on his bed.
    "You two need to come to some form of resolution," Mags stated. "This is getting out of hand."
    Andario looked over to her. His vision was still slightly blurred, but he could make out her look of concern, her chin resting on the back of her hand, which in turn was supported by her elbow resting on her other arm. He mumbled his agreement, unable to do too much more as he tried to reduce the slight pressure in his head.
    "You are in the Capitol, for crying out loud!" Ryx exclaimed, his pink suit flaring out as he threw his hands up. "You should be enjoying yourselves, not continuing bad blood!"
    The room was lightly turning, which made it hard for Andario to focus on the conversation. He just continued to mumble his agreement, hoping it worked for the other two.
    "You know what? I have but a mind of my own to charge in there and give Gabria a scolding, too!" Ryx exclaimed, raising his voice. "You both need counselling! Maybe I will set up the lounge as my own personal therapist office so we can work through your irritating issues!" He mumbled something about having a license, but it faded out as Mags silenced the man.
    "For now, rest up," Mags said softly. "We'll be in again to check on you."
    Andario barely noticed them leaving before his eyes drooped and he fell into a light sleep. The impact must have affected him in more than just a concussion, as he had a strange dream, one different to his usual nightmare. He stood in a large rolling field, a cliff at his back overlooking the sea far below. The wind blew across the field, the long overgrown grass dancing along to the movement. It was slightly overcast, the sun streaming through the intermittent break in the clouds. It was nice. Peaceful, even. He closed his eyes and spread his arms. It felt like District 4. It felt like home.
    He heard a noise in the distance, like a cry. It was very quickly covered by the calling of his name. He opened his eyes to see Albarus and Atlanta, sprinting towards him from the horizon. He called out to them cheerfully, tears streaming from his face. They tackled him, embracing him as they all laughed and cried. They laid there, in the field, staring up at the sky as they caught their breaths. Andario heard the cry once more, he thought from the forest beyond the field, but he ignored it as his siblings began making frantic conversation with him.
    Atlanta got up, grabbing her brothers by the arms and guiding them closer to the cliff. They admired the sea, the gentle waves formed from the wind, the sparkle that came with the sun rays peeking through the clouds. It was beautiful. They laughed and smiled, Atlanta to his left, Albarus to his right. Andario felt so elated, he'd never wanted anything more.
Then the scream came, echoing out from the trees. Andario turned to see Gabria sprinting out towards them, screaming something unintelligible to them. She waved her hands in a wide motion above her head. Andario was confused, until he saw the rustling of the trees, and a massive reptilian creature bounding out after Gabria. Terrror ran through his body, paralyzed. She screamed at them, he assumed to get them to run, but he couldn't move. Finally, she desperately called out his name, and he was able to spring into action. He tried alerting Atlanta and Albarus, but both of them looked out over the serene horizon, just as unbothered as Albarus was in Andario's nightmares. He tried dragging them out of the way, but it was like dragging around boulders, their bodies unyieldingly planted in place. He desperately cried out to them, to get their attention, to make them realize the danger. He heard another scream from Gabria, and turned around long enough to see her barreling towards him, her arms outstretched. She pressed her palms into his chest and pushed, his body stumbling back over the edge of the cliff. It felt like time slowed as he freely fell down the length of the cliff, watching above him as Gabria jumped off the cliff herself. He was just able to see the reptilian creature peek its head over the cliff, leaping after them, when he was jostled awake.
The boy in white stood over him, a concerned expression settled over his face. Andario looked around, his vision still blurry, his head groggy, the room continuing to spin. He felt disoriented and confused. He sat up to see the boy had brought in food laid out on a golden platter. The boy gestured to the tray, which Andario realized was for him. He flattened out his legs, and the boy gently laid the meal on his lap.
"Thank you," Andario croaked. The boy nodded, and began to leave, but Andario desperately reached out and grabbed his hand. "Please, stay with me," Andario begged. He didn't want to be alone, to eat alone. He couldn't. The boy seemed to register his thoughts, as he nodded and obliged, sitting on the bed by Andario's feet.
Andario very quickly dug into the food. The boy in white had poured him a bowl of lamb stew, paired with creamy mashed potatoes, a wide selection of fruit, hot chocolate, and three Merlin's Loaves. Andario smiled. "You're good at choosing food," he said.
The boy awkwardly gave a short nod. He seemed tense, yet Andario couldn't pinpoint why.
"What's your name?" He asked through a mouthful of stew. The boy shook his head, which confused Andario. "You still don't want to tell me your name?" A quick shake of the head followed. Andario lifted an eyebrow at the boy as he scooped up some mashed potato into his mouth. He supposed it was a work related rule. They were hired to be faceless, he assumed. To be ghosts that tended to the guests' every need. It felt strange to him, though, almost rude in a way.
"What if I were to call you Max?" Andario suggested. "Like Maxwell. Would that work?"
The boy hesitated, then insistently shook his head. Andario smirked.
"What if I were to only address you here, when we're away from everyone else?"
The boy in white paused, hesitant again. He looked around the room to make sure nobody was watching, then considered the offer. After a moment, he nodded.
Andario smiled. "Nice to meet you, Maxwell," he said, reaching out his hand. Maxwell cautiously reached out his own hand, but then accepted the gesture, and they shook hands.
"Would you like something to eat?" Andario asked, referring to his platter of food. Maxwell very quickly signed with his hands, expressing his declination of the invitation. Andario nodded and continued eating.
    They sat in silence as Andario ate his food. Despite the quiet air, he felt comforted by Maxwell's presence. He appreciated the boy in white and the company he brought. It was almost soothing, in a way. A person who didn't care what his skills were, what kind of personality he was trying to present, or about his odds in surviving in the deadly tournament against twenty-three other candidates. It was a pause from what his life had become, and he cherished it.
    After he'd finished eating, he laid the empty golden platter on his nightstand. Maxwell made for the tray, but Andario stopped him, insisting he needed to relax and Andario needed the company. Once the boy settled back on the bed, Andario began to ramble about anything that came to his mind, which mainly consisted of District 4. Maxwell seemed interested enough, Andario thought, although the boy in white was still quite tense and skittish, as though at any moment he expected their conversation to be interrupted. The boy did enjoy hearing Andario's tales of him and his siblings when they were younger, though, as each time he shared them Maxwell's eyes would light up.
    "Do you mind helping me with the shower, Max?" Andario asked after finishing the story of when Atlanta had gotten herself stuck in a fish barrel. "I was told to rest, but I feel gross and I don't want to turn up to training like this tomorrow."
    Maxwell nodded, almost excited to get back to something remotely linked to his job. The boy in white slowly lifted Andario up, and he was able to cling to Maxwell's shoulder as he hobbled to the shower. Maxwell gently set him down against the wall like he'd been the first time he used this shower. The boy then stood watch at the entrance as Andario showered. He'd call out to Maxwell every once and a while so the boy could click the button he needed, but otherwise Andario simply rambled as he'd done after eating. Some of his stories even garnered a chuckle from the boy in white, Andario catching the laughs through Maxwell's shoulders bouncing on the other side of the glass, yet he failed to hear them over the running water. He was slightly disappointed by that, given he'd never heard Maxwell speak. But Andario felt content that he'd finally gotten through to the boy, a small friendship he needed to brighten his final days.
    Once Andario had felt satisfied with his cleanliness, Maxwell shut off the water and helped him stand on the magical panel that instantly dried him. He also had the boy help him stand while he brushed his teeth and dried his hair. Then, Maxwell set him down on his bed as the boy in white selected pyjamas for him from the closet options. He slipped them on, yet again leaning against Maxwell for support, and then hopped in under his bedsheets. He smiled at the boy, the first time he'd genuinely felt calm and happy in a while.
    "Thank you, Max," he said. "Please drop by more often."
    Maxwell smiled back at him. He tapped his hand against Andario's to show appreciation for the words, then grabbed the golden tray and headed for the door.
    "Don't forget about me," Andario called out teasingly.
    The boy in white looked back with a cheerful grin on his face before slipping out through the door.
    Andario adjusted in the bed so he could comfortably sleep. The Capitol beds were a luxury, though, and it never took much time to find a comfortable position. He settled in, his eyes closing, his limbs relaxing. Yet his mind lingered on concerns, on troubles. Would his mild concussion impair his training? Would he be able to ally with Link and Alice? Should he go in search of more allies tomorrow? Had he practiced enough today to make the most of his time? And why was Thresher such an anomaly?
    He'd decided that he'd discuss the concerns with Mags the next morning, as he needed guidance. What worried him then was Gabria's or Osman's presence, and he hoped they'd both decide to steer clear of the table for at least a little while. He wished so badly that him and Gabria could go back to the friendship they'd had before the Reaping, or even better the cooperation they'd had in the opening ceremony. He found it funny to miss her, in a way, especially since he'd spent most of his years wishing her away.
    Andario found himself gripping the locket and charm with both hands, holding it close to his lips. He began whispering to them, praying maybe to Merlotta, maybe to whatever other deity there was, or maybe nobody at all. He didn't care who was listening, nor did he believe there was any higher power out there. Yet still he prayed. He simply sought the comfort of wishing on good fortune. He prayed for his family, prayed for the days ahead, prayed for his fate. He prayed for the other tributes, for their Tides to be peaceful, for their journeys to be beautiful. And he prayed for Gabria. For her safety, for her Tide to be peaceful, for her fortune. In the end, he didn't even know what he was saying, nor did he believe it. But still he prayed.