Mentors

27

Raina

Talisa and I keep watch. Roman says there is no need since we were underground, but they could have moved the arena down here for all we know.
Plus, Talisa explains her predicament to me.

Im just going to say it in a nutshell. She was raped. It was a touchy subject to talk about, but she was more than willing to explain it all to me. Which has me thinking, so all of Panem knows now too? She told me on live television.

Talisa must have known what she was doing. She never told me by name who did this to her; although it's clear she knows.

We spend the remainder of the night discussing what our lives were like back home.
Other than that, it's been uneventful.

Kolton wakes up and offers to keep watch.
Talisa tries to object, but he interrupts.

"You need more sleep than any of us do. Get some rest."

Talisa looks at me, as if wanting me to say otherwise.

"He's right. I'll stay up with him if it makes you feel better, okay?" I tell her slowly.

With the way she glances in my direction, I know she thinks I need rest too. But she gives in and takes Kolton's sleeping bag.
She's asleep soon after.

Kolton slides his way over to me, and takes his jacket from the floor and places it around my shoulders.

"I have a feeling you're freezing." he tells me.

I nod a little, staring at the ceiling which is made up of dirt.
I see him staring at Talisa. I can see emotion in his face.
Not of love, but of worry, concern, pity.
What the hell is going on? Kolton, feeling pity?

"I never knew that Kolton Helia could feel pity." I state, pretty bluntly.

He turns back toward my direction, and zippers the jacket for me.

"I- my pity seems to be everywhere I turn."

"Care to explain what you mean?"

He breathes in, and runs his fingers through his hair.

"Where do I start? Oh god, let's begin with our families. I have pity for mine. They must be worried sick, with me volunteering and all. And your family. Much pity for you being chosen to go without your older sister taking your place. Then there's this entirely different gut feeling I have for Katniss and Peeta. They've done nothing but love eachother, and they're getting punished for it by the Capitol for various reasons. Now it's the whole Talisa-pregnancy thing that is getting to me. And there's also Roman with no parents or siblings at all. God, Raina. Can you please explain why I'm a weak, emotional wreck? I'll never win the games feeling like this." he pauses a second, realizing how long he's remained speaking.

"I'm sorry, I've been rambling."

I think about his words. Right away I know all of what he told me is true.
He reminded me of my older sister Mayella, who wouldn't have taken my place for a silver shiny quarter. With all these feelings he's told me about, I've been feeling these same things the entire time.

"Kolton you look at me." I say, which he does.

"Feeling sorry for people you semi-care about doesn't mean that you're weak. Yes, this means you're not a raging heartless dick like I thought you were. And if you keep feeling these feelings, it won't affect your outcome in these games negatively. I plan on you and Talisa to go home. You could help her with her baby."
I saw the last sentence ever so hushed.

He creases his eyebrows.

"What about you?" he asks.

I smile a little.

"Nobody really needs me around." I state.

"Well, I guess I do." he says, not so sure of him self.

"Is that so? Wanna sound a little more confident with that answer?" I tease him.

"Fine." he smirks. "I do. I need you."

I chuckle.

He then rolls his eyes.

"Man, this sounds like something Katniss and Peeta would say." he smiles, and then flushes with embarrassment, because of how sweet he seems to be acting toward me.

"We aren't lovers, I'll tell you that much." I say more directly to myself and the Capitol watching.

He laughs softly. I join him.

It gets dead silent for a minute or so.

"I miss them." I state, tears threatening to spill.

"Your family?"

"No. Peeta and Katniss."

"Me too." he replies, which is once again to my surprise.

"But don't worry Raina. They'll help us."

(Peeta)

"You think we will ever see them again?" Raina asks Kolton. He nods.

Katniss and I have stopped at the mentor's lounge to drop off our sponsor gift. We have been sitting and watching the games for a while.
We told the people who operate the sponsor gifts that the ear pieces were to sense direction and sounds from afar, (Which it also does). We didn't know if it were against the rules or not to bring such a device into the arena.

Beetee has given us our part of the communication system. It looks like a television remote. Each button can have you speak to each of the tributes. They are color coordinated, and the green button can have us speak to all of them at once.
They each will receive their own small remote, so if they ever split up, they can contact one another.

Beetee also said that when they are rescued by the rebels, they will need to preform surgery to get their trackers out. It seems much better than cutting them out theirselves.

The man who took our sponsor gift looked suspiciously at our items. He shrugs and gives a curd nod as he places our gift into a parachute. Katniss has always felt a little uneasy looking at those parachutes for some reason.

The parachute is placed in a tube, and it shoots up into the ceiling.

Katniss and I head back to our pent house on the twelfth floor.

We sit at the television, our remote in hand, and anxiously wait to speak to our tributes.

A/n like my frequent updates? leave a comment for the next chapter!