The Mentor. (Cato Hadley)

Chapter Fourteen.

Rewritten 03.23.2023

Subconsciously, I move to the edge of the bed as Katniss sees what Rue is pointing at. To say I'm worried would be an understatement, because right now might be the only time in my life that I've held fear related to the Hunger Games.

Tracker jacker stings are serious, incredibly serious. All in all, it all depends on the person what the outcome is. Some people may die instantly from one sting, some may suffer hours on end of hallucinations before they succumb. Some are lucky, and they only have a short amount of time where they're hallucinating after one sting. But, that is one sting. I've never heard of anyone surviving after more than one. If you happen to disturb a tracker jackers nest, they'll track you down and kill you.

Luckily, tracker jacker nests aren't very common in District Two. The few that are in Two are on the outskirts of the District, making them not our problem. The Capitol, of course, eradicated all of the nests within their proximity as soon as the war was over. They left them around the districts, specifically District Three, District Eleven and District Eight, more than likely to control the more rebellious districts. I didn't realize this until I was on my Victory Tour.

My Victory Tour was six months after I won the Hunger Games, which is a usual standard. The first six months had been absolute hell, Snow not wasting a second to sell me. I thought I'd be given a break during my Victory Tour, but that absolutely wasn't the case. Between the overridden guilt of killing all those children, being the only survivor, and then being sold, I needed a way to escape. So, I asked for a full, complete tour of every single district.

District Eleven has a huge tracker jacker problem, and that isn't by accident. Nests line the fields, putting everyone in danger. I never got the specifics of how they did what they did, but I do know District Eleven has all of the knowledge on how to cure the stings. They should have trained us more in survival skills like that back in Two, but they chose not to. Instead, they focused on weaponry and combat. Both of which are important, but we'd bring home more wins like they want if they'd just teach us about survival.

The Capitol anthem begins, signaling the end of another day. Katniss begins to cut the branch with her knife - the same one Clove lodged in her backpack during the bloodbath - the noise of her sawing being drowned out by the anthem. Katniss is smart, I'll give her that. If she continues to saw the branch after the anthem stops, the Careers will see what she's doing. Maybe Twelve isn't as stupid as the people in Two were led to believe; they were the laughingstock of Panem, but it seems they've been surviving all of this time for a reason. The anthem cuts short, showing that nobody died today. That's not going to go over well with Snow.

A parachute holding a silver container lands on the branch next to Katniss, and I don't bother waiting to see what exactly it is. This is a potentially dangerous moment for Cato, and I can't watch it happen. Although, as horrible as it may sound, if Cato does die.. I'll be rooting for Katniss. I switch the television off, having enough with the Capitol brutality. It's bad enough they make us compete in this barbaric activity, but then to make us come back every year and watch our district members suffer? Cruelty at its finest.

A loud bang on my door breaks me out of my trance, and I stand up to open it. I'm figuring it's Brutus, with something to say about Katniss and the tracker jackers. When I open the door, I resist the urge to slam it shut again as I reveal President Snow, lips stained red and dressed in his perfectly tailored suit.

"Marblyn Rivers, I'd like to have a word with you. May I come in?" He asks for permission like I'm actually able to tell him no. His breath fans my face, smelling strongly of blood. Finnick told me of the secret a Capitol citizen told him; blisters all over President Snow's mouth from years of drinking poison.