𝙻𝙾𝙽𝙶 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈 𝚂𝙷𝙾𝚁𝚃 || 𝚃𝙱𝙾𝚂𝙰𝚂

𝙵𝙾𝚄𝚁

❝Now I am stuck between my anger and the blame that I can't face❝
— Stick Season (Noah Kahan)

Atlas barged into the classroom with Coriolanus, desperate to not be later than they already were. The class was silent as the two boys made their way to their allocated seats.
"Your little excursion was in violation of about five different Academy rules, Mr. Snow and Mr. Carlson." Highbottom announced as Atlas resided onto his chair next to sejanus, "Chief amongst them, endangering two Capitol students."
"What? Who" Coriolanus frantically questioned.
"Both you and Mr. Carlson. I'm moving for the Gamemakers to disqualify you two as mentors immediately." Casca Highbottom stated not once looking up at the two academy students.
"You said we had to get our tributes to perform, not that we had to stay away and I think that it's working quite well." Atlas commented, desperate to keep his role of mentor.
"I'll add insubordination as well." The dean added, as Atlas rolled his eyes.
"Holding her hand Coryo, introducing her to people, Atlas. You make it look as if we're one and the same as those animals." Arachne scoffed as she stared at the two boys.
"Both Atlas and Coriolanus didn't show those people anything they didn't already know." Sejanus stated,
"I don't need your help, Sejanus-" Coriolanus tried to cut in but he continued on,
"That the tributes are human beings, just like us. That's why nobody wants to watch the games. It's because winning a war ten years ago doesn't justify starving people's children, taking away their freedoms, their rights." Sejanus argued, full of anger. Atlas watched Highbottom turn around in his chair to Sejanus with a look of agreement on his face.

"Snow fell down in the cage. It fell down in the cage, but it landed..." Dr. Gaul said tauntingly, making her entrance known,
"On stage." Coriolanus finished as the head Gamemaker made her way towards him.
"You're good at games," She said with a sinister smile plastered across her face, "maybe one day, you'll be a Gamemaker like me."
"If the games continue at all." The dean inputted. Atlas looked down as he played with his thumbs, waiting for this conversation to be over.
"Oh, they'll continue," Dr. Gaul chuckled slightly, "with performances like young Mr. Snow and Mr. Carson's in that zoo." Atlas perked his head up at the mention of his name, his eyes landing on Coriolanus and The head Gamemaker. "And I came here to ask your star mentors a question," She continued, the rest of the students in the class began whispering to each other before Dr. Gaul could finish talking, "What are the hunger games for?"
"They're to punish the districts for their uprising, to commemorate the end of the war-" Coriolanus answered.
"'Commemorate the...' dull, dull, dull." The scientist interrupted, "Punishment can take myriad forms. Why not drop bombs, cancel food shipments, stage executions? Why games? Mr. Carlson?"
He turned away before regretfully uttering the words, "To show that the districts can't win against the Capitol, and how they'll only destroy themselves more if they try." He turned back to look at the head Gamemaker, noticing Sejanus' look of disbelief.
"What an interesting way of looking at it, I like your ideas, Mr. Carlson." Dr. Gaul smiled as Coriolanus glared daggers at Atlas.

"Shouldn't we be asking ourselves whether or not they're right in the first place?" Sejanus questioned, the same anger twisted in with his words.
"You have a problem with my games?" Dr. Gaul said sternly.
"Some of those kids were two years old when the war ended. The oldest of them were only eight," Sejanus replied, his anger growing every second. Atlas looked as his friend, agreeing with every word he said. The Capitol boy also wanted the games to end but was too afraid to speak out about it, "The Capitol 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."
"That sort of sympathy might interfere with your mentoring assignment." Dr. Gaul taunted.
"Perhaps the Capitol students are ill-suited to be mentoring tributes," Highbottom added, "Perhaps the games time has passed."
"Dean Highbottom is wrong." Coriolanus cut in, "my classmates too. Maybe Sejanus is onto something here. Maybe we should be viewing those tributes as human beings. I mean, you saw those kids in the zoo, 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." Atlas answered, "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 Capitol laws," Coriolanus continued, "we could even have them place bets." Sejanus was shocked at the words that had left the blonde's mouth, "Look I-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 the people's attention." Atlas chuckled to himself, he knew Coriolanus needed the Plinth Prize and throwing it away like that showed him that the blonde was uncertain that his idea was going to work.
"I'd like you to write up a proposal of these thoughts tonight, Mr. Snow, and with the help of Mr. Carlson of course." The head Gamemaker stated.
"Wait-" Clemensia cut in as she stood up from her chair, "you mean you might actually use their ideas?"
"If it'll help the ratings, why not?" Dr. Gaul smiled again.
"Coriolanus and I are class partners, Dr. Gaul. We do all of our assignments together." The girl stated, wanting any chance she could get to winning the Plinth Prize without doing any work. The Gamemaker laughed,
"It'll be an interesting test." Still chuckling as she left the room.

»»———►

"What's district 10 like?" Iris questioned. She was sat with Tanner and his district partner Brandy, they were all trying to get to know each other, Brandy less interested in the conversation than the other two were.
"Well, it's very hot and there's lots of animals of course. We get more water than other districts, but it's purely for the animals so the Capitol's standards are met. A couple other things but that's about it." Tanner smiled looking up at the district 9 girl, "Surely nines more fun than ten."
"Definitely." Iris quipped in a sarcastic tone, "it's really all just crops and factories to turn wheat into flour and stuff. We do get amazing views of sunsets though, so that's a bonus." She looked around the cage at the other tributes, the girl noticed her district partner talking to the young girl from eight. Iris thought he was trying to find a way to get an easy kill but she'd be wrong. Asher and the young girl, Wovey were drawing into the dirt and slightly giggling too. The boy was trying to make the best out of the situation for her, and to his surprise it was working. Iris looked back at the cowboy as he began to speak,
"You got a favourite animal?" he asked.
"Snakes," she replied, "they remind me of my sister when we used to run through the fields and always find them, let me guess yours is a cow." They both laughed,
"yep, but not just a regular cow- a highland cow, their fluffier cows." Tanner explained, Iris smiled as she looked at the boy before turning to Brandy,
"What's your favourite animal Brandy?" She asked, catching the district 10 girls attention.
"Umm... sheep are alright I guess." She replied uninterestedly before noticing a Capitol student repeating her name over and over again, waiting for some sort of acknowledgment. With a sigh, Brandy made her way over to the girl with pigtails and sat  down. The other two tributes watched her as she left, going back to their conversation once she had sat.
"You scared of anything, cowboy?" Iris asked, a small smile lingered on her face.
"Well... i'm scared of heights, not the height itself but falling down from it." Tanner replied, "yours?"
"Ahh lets see," Iris started, not knowing how to answer, "scorpions are pretty creepy." The boy watched, knowing she had something else in mind, "Umm... being by myself," The girl nervously said, "i'm scared of ending up alone again." She said nervously, looking back up at the district 10 boy. He gives her a sympathetic smile, offering his hand out to her which she gladly accepted, not wanting to question the use of the word again to her. Iris cleared her throat, opening her mouth before getting interrupted by her mentor calling out to her with more food and water in his hands. The district 9 girl stood up, her hand still intertwined with the cowboy's. They smiled at each other as they began to walk towards the girls mentor.

»»———►
words:
1532

A/N — sorry for the wait for this chapter, i've just had lots of homework sprung up on me these past couple of weeks! :)