Is It Worth Coming Back?
I sat at the lunch table across from Mags, our mentor, and Garcia who looked like a stuffed plum today. Mags was an aging woman, but she was the best mentor out of all the victors so I was glad to have her. Marina sat next to me, matching me bite for bite on the chocolate-raspberry pavlova. I've never really starved in my life, but I never had anything so decadent and rich without any salt or fish. It was delicious.
It didn't take long for me to notice Garcia was staring, making my skin crawl uncomfortably. Her eye lashes looked like yellow spiders. Marina paid no attention and reached across the table-such poor manners-and picked up a tentacle of some sort and slurped it down slowly, pretending I wasn't watching. What was this, an attempt at humor? Garcia raised an eyebrow at her.
"Oh two can play at this game," I said in a seductive voice. I reached for an even longer tentacle, dipped in in some red sauce, and then slowly pulled it into my mouth. I never took my eyes off Marina, but I could tell everyone was transfixed on it. Then for an extra treat I opened my mouth to reveal I had tied it in a knot with my tongue. I started laughing at the gasp that escaped their lips, and so did Mags, but Marina just blushed.
"Well aren't you just the little seducer," Garcia said with an almost hungry growl in the back of her voice.
"There's nothing little about me," I answered back with a wink. It was her turn to blush.
"Alright, alright, enough," Marina said in a tight voice, waving her hand as if to ward off the conversation. We ate the rest of the meal in an awkward silence, though I was in danger of laughing the whole time. It appears I have some sort of magical power in my hands I hadn't known about.
Mags lectured us for a while on how to find water in all sorts of terrains and how to never underestimate even the smallest opponent. She herself was adverse to us joining with the Careers, but if we proved we had the proper skills in deception than she would allow it. After a long, brain melting talk and a book full of scribbled notes, I went to bed and crashed. The Capitol train gave us what they called water beds that wiggled around like waves. While I appreciated the gesture I thought it was overdoing it.
The next morning I emerged from my room to find Marina already dressed and working on strategies on a notepad, which she clutched to her chest as soon as I approached.
"Relax, I'm not going to look at your notes," I assured her, sitting down. Truth was I woke up today with a heavier heart than I had yesterday and just wanted some company. "Do you miss home?"
Marina scrutinized me for a moment then stood up and left the room. What did I do? Mags shuffled into the room shortly after and sat down next to me, patting my leg.
"It's a stressful situation, you understand," she said in a knowing voice.
"Of course I do." Duh, I'm here too.
"No Finnick, Marina was in love back home. With my grandson's friend actually, Ammon. You're a little young to really know what it's like, but it's heartbreaking to have so much hope for the future with someone to lose it with no say otherwise."
I shrugged, not bothering to picture it, why should I? "I guess."
"Now," Mags moved on, "I believe that you aren't going to have a hard time getting a few sponsors. But with such an incredibly handsome boy such as yourself, I'm thinking we can get an army of them. If you apply yourself. So I want you to focus on your interviewing skills tonight and being extra friendly to everyone you see at the Capitol when we arrive tomorrow. Chin up, stand proud. They are going to love you."
She left after that and I went back into my room. There was a large mirror on the far wall, so I walked up to it and stood.
Handsome? Yeah I guess. I wasn't dumb I knew I was attractive. But by how much?
