One victor, two survivors || Treech x Y/n ||Tbosas

Late 5

Coryo and I ran through the halls of the Academy slowing down as we reached the doors to class. We were late, something Coryo had never been, but I had been twice before. Everyone without a doubt would know about the incident in the zoo, but the start focus would be mainly on Coryo. He did walk confidently hand in hand with Lucy Gray and proudly talked to the news. My incident, especially the time Treech and I were just starting at each other, I still don't know exactly what that was, but that shouldn't have been noticed with Coryo and Lucy Gray in the spotlight.

Coryo pushed through the doors me right behind him. Everyone went quiet as we walked inside the circular classroom. I followed Coryo up the steps making our way to our seats, I sat between him and Sejanus.

"Your little excursion was in violation of about five different Academy rules, Mr. Snow and Ms. (Y/l/n)." Dean Higbottom spoke as we squeezed past students. "Chief amongst them, endangering a Capital student's."

    "Student's? What? Who?" Coryo stopped.

    "You, and Ms. (Y/l/n)." Dean Higbottom answered.

    "He didn't endanger me, I endangered myself. Coriolanus had nothing to do with my own decisions." I spoke.

    "Say what you will, Ms. (Y/l/n) about Mr. Snow. I'm moving for the Gamemakers to disqualify you as mentor, Mr. Snow, immediately." Dean Higbottom said.

I am slightly shocked, "That's not fair."

    "Speak one more time against it Ms. (Y/l/n) and you'll be disqualified as well." When Dean Higbottom said that I shut my mouth, reaching my spot and sitting down beside Sejanus.

    "You said we had to get our tributes to perform, not that we had to stay away." Coryo stated.

   "I'll add insubordination as well." Dean Higbottom said.

"Holding her hand, Coriolanus, introducing her to people, you make it look as if we're one and the same as those animals." Arachne looked up from her workbook.

"Coriolanus didn't show those people anything they didn't already know." Sejanus defended, he was always more sensitive on the topic of the Districts and how they are talked about, he has good reason.

Coryo sat down and whispered across me to Sejanus, "I don't need your help, Sejanus."

"That the tributes are human beings." Sejanus spoke loudly so everyone would hear. "Just like us. That's why nobody wants to watch the Games. It's because people know deep down that winning a war 10 years ago doesn't justify starving people's children, taking away their freedoms, their rights."

"Snow fell down in the cage." Came an unique female voice from behind. Mine, and everyone's head shot to the source, Dr. Gaul was looking directly at Coryo as she slowly stepped down the stairs. "But it landed..."

  Dr. Gaul seemed to be waiting for Coryo to answer, it only took him a second to come up with a response, "On stage."

    "You're good at Games." Dr. Gaul smiled, but in her way where it displayed all her teeth. "Maybe one day, you'll be a Gamemaker like me."

   "If the Games continue at all." Dean Higbottom added.

    "Oh, they'll continue." Dr. Gaul sounded so sure of that. "With performers like young Mr. Snow's in that zoo. And I came here to ask your star mentor a question. What are the Hunger Games for?"

"They're to punish the Districts for their uprising, to commemorate the end of the war..."

"Commemorate the. Dull, dull, dull." Dr. Gaul interrupted. "Punishment can take, myriad forms. Why not drop bombs, cancel food shipments, stage executions? Why Games?"

"Shouldn't we be asking ourselves whether or not they are right in the first place?" Sejanus said.

"Do you have a problem with my Games?" Dr. Gaul asked.

"Some of those kids were two years old when the war ended." Sejanus was practically yelling now. "The oldest of them were only eight. The Capital is supposed to be everyone's government now. It is supposed to protect all of us. I don't see how making children fight each other to the death is protecting anyone."
Secretly, I completely agreed with Sejanus.

"That sort of sympathy might interfere with your mentoring assignment." Dr. Gaul said unbothered by Sejanus's out burst.

   "Perhaps the Capital students are ill-suited to be mentoring tributes. Perhaps the Game's time has passed." Dean Higbottom spoke.

    "Dean Higbottom is wrong." Coryo quickly said. "My classmates, too. Maybe Sejanus is onto something here. Maybe we should be viewing those tributes as human beings." Coryo stood up. "I mean you saw those kids in the zoo, they just... they just wanted to get to know Lucy Gray. If we need people to watch, we should be letting them get closer to the tributes before the Games. To make the stakes personal."

    "Who will watch the Games if they care what happens to the tributes?" Dr. Gaul questioned.

    "Everyone. If they thought the tribute they cared about had a chance of winning. People need someone to root for, and someone to root against. We need them to invest. And if we bend a few Capital laws, we can even have them place bets. Look, I know Lucy Gray may not win in the arena but if you give her a chance, I would bet the Plinth Prize that she can win people's attention." Coryo looked past me and at Sejanus when he said that.

    "I'd like you to write up a proposal of these thoughts tonight, Mr. Snow." Dr. Gaul said.

That got me thinking, the ideas Coryo writes down I have a possibility of actually being used, and I could figure out a way to help Treech in the arena.

    "Dr. Gaul? Is it all right if I join him with that?" I stand up.

   "I don't see why not." Dr. Gaul said.

"Wait." Clemensia quickly stood up. "You mean you might actually use his ideas?"

    "If it'll help the ratings, why not?" Dr. Gaul answered.

    "Coriolanus and I are class partners, Dr. Gaul. We do all of our assignments together."

Dr. Gaul laughed at Clemensia's reaction. "It'll be an interesting test."