The Mentor. (Cato Hadley)

Chapter Nine.

"How absolutely stunning," I scoff, looking around at my bedroom in the second floor suite. My belongings - what little I did have as a tribute - are scattered about my room. The television is slashed, blood staining the white sheets that cover the bed. Brutus cannot touch me until we're in the arena, I know that, but he sure is good at finding out other ways to get to me.

I spent the night on Finnick's couch, not trusting the older man with my safety as I slept. I can be on edge and hostile in the arena, that would be normal, but the weeks before the impending games are important for my performance. Performance. I drop to my knees, reaching my arm under the heavy oak dresser.

The compact disc, the one that Plutarch gave me, is still hidden underneath my dresser. Brutus didn't find it while destroying my room, for which I'm grateful. Although, he did ensure that I won't be able to watch it here. That's clear as the ribbons of color present themselves against the black backdrop of the television, proving that it's broken.

It's still quite early, the sun not yet risen to enhance the view of the Capitol buildings. I came back to the suite simply to prepare myself for training, as today the training begins. I don't bother speaking to this years mentors, knowing full well that Enobaria and Atticus are completely on Brutus' side. Instead, I bring myself back to the fourth floor. There's nothing for me in Two anymore; the suite, and the district.

I enter the suite without so much as a knock. Finnick and Mags know that this may as well be my apartment too, as I rarely ever show my face in my own. I slide the disc into the player, curiosity searing through my veins as I wonder what this could possibly be.

"What are you watching?" Finnick asks, eyebrows raised as he sits on the couch next to me.

"I wish I could tell you," the shock hits me like a ton of bricks as I watch the first part of it. It looks old, but I cannot tell you from which year. I know it has to be forever ago, just based on the outfits the Capitol folk wore. Instead of their signature colorful, almost ridiculous outfits, they are dressed elegantly in neutral tones. "This is a Reaping," I say, tilting my head with curiosity as I look over at the District Four tribute. "Why would Plutarch give me footage of a Reaping?"

"This year would've been my tenth year as a Victor," Finnick shakes his head, confusion present on his face. "I thought I have seen every video of every Games there is, but this one doesn't look familiar."

There are no volunteers in District One and District Two, which shows the age of this tape even more. This is before Careers were a thing. "The Tenth Annual Hunger Games," I read aloud as the title comes across the screen. "I've never seen this one before."

"Nobody has," a look of realization crosses Finnick's face. "One of the secrets of the Capitol, they erased this game."

"I heard about this through one of my own conquests," Finnick and I are both extremely careful about how we word things, knowing how secretive things have to be. "The reason Snow hates District Twelve, is because of this game." Sure, nobody gave me all the details, but I have a feeling this tape will show me the answers to all the questions that I have always wanted to ask.

The tape introduces twenty-four different academy students, explaining the mentor program. This is the game where mentors start, the game which changed the way The Hunger Games were viewed across Panem. "That's Snow," we are introduced to our very own Coriolanus Snow, the now President of Panem. He's young here, about eighteen years old. The tape then shows a man announcing which academy student gets to mentor which tribute.

"Sejanus Plinth," the man calls the familiar name, and I watch the screen readily. "District Two male."

I gasp audibly, my eyes widening as I realize who that is. "Finnick," I whisper, staying glued to the video footage before me. "Plutarch told me my family was always from Two, but my great-grandfather was incredibly wealthy and bought their freedom. That's my great uncle," I gesture toward the screen, Sejanus Plinth looking almost disappointed with the drawing. "He had to mentor someone he probably knew.."

Finnick and I continue watching the tape, the Reapings, the eventful moment where Snow saw his very own tribute. She was announced as Lucy Gray Baird, and her Reaping was the most eventful one of the set. She slipped a snake into a girl's dress, got smacked by the mayor of District Twelve, and sang for the crowd. She wears a bright colored, rainbow dress that stands out against the rest of the coal-dust covered district. This only makes me wonder. Snow still has the classic wardrobe we see in this tape, yet now the entire Capitol dresses in massive amounts of color. Could it be, they were inspired by this girl from District Twelve?

We get bits and pieces of scenes, much like we do now on the discs made of the recent games. It's strange to see how much the Game has changed, as these tributes are intentionally starved - compared to being treated like pigs raised to slaughter now - and kept together in the Capitol Zoo. This shows that the Capitol views the districts as nothing but animals.

"How did Plutarch get his hands on this?" Finnick's question is exactly the same as mine as we watch, the girl from District Ten murdering her mentor who had been taunting her with food. "They said her name was Arachne Crane, killed by her own tribute."

"Just like Seneca Crane was killed by his own President," the fate of Seneca Crane was never confirmed, but it could be safely presumed since he was never to be seen again after the events of the 74th Hunger Games.

The tape goes on, giving a tour of the arena. "I wish they let us see our arenas beforehand," Finnick scoffs, shaking his head at the old rhythm of the Games. "I guess it helps they used the same arena for the first ten years, you knew what to expect."

"I bet they didn't expect that," my comment comes as bombs slam down onto the arena, killing several tributes and mentors. "Rebel bombs, sure, I believe that." I watch as several tributes run, taking the chance to escape. The District Twelve girl, however, stays and helps Snow - who had been trapped by a fallen beam.

The video continues, the Tenth Annual Hunger Games starting. Marcus, the male District Two tribute, is strung up to the flag pole. He's beaten within an inch of his life, and I know exactly what this is. This was the Capitol making an example. Eventually, another tribute puts him out of his misery with a mercy kill.

"That used to be a tradition in District Two," I state, nodding to the scene of Sejanus Plinth sprinkling bread crumbs over the body of his former classmate. "When Snow came into power, he ended it forcefully. He claimed it was a waste of precious resources."

"I see why the tape was wiped from Panem," Finnick watches as Snow sneaks into the arena, managing to get to Sejanus just as tributes begin to attack. For a moment, the tape goes black. When the footage returns, Sejanus and Snow are no longer in the arena, and the camera is trained onto a fallen tribute. "You think it was Snow?"

I nod, staring as the camera pans away from the boy. "Sejanus doesn't have it in him, he's looked to be in pain the entirety of his mentorship."

"Kind of like his relative who has been a mentor," Finnick shoots me a playful smile, and I can tell he's trying to lighten the mood. "This game is also quite boring." We watch the District Twelve girl poison a puddle, killing a few tributes in the process.

"Mutts," I scoff as a colorful rainbow of snakes gets dropped into the arena, crawling around and killing the remaining tributes. Lucy Gray - the girl from Twelve - climbs up the rubble to escape the mutts. They've been attacking tributes, killing them, but they haven't touched Lucy Gray. She sings - just like she did on multiple occasions - the snakes wrapping around her body.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Tenth Hunger Games Victor, Lucy Gray Baird from District Twelve!"

A/N: this chapter is kind of boring but I needed Marblyn and Finnick to see the history of Sejanus, Snow, and Lucy Gray. Also lowkey would let Coryo ruin my life and I feel like that shows exactly everything that's wrong with me 😂