Rise Of The Scoundrel

5. Smart Guy

Asher's tired feet eventually carried him to his apartment building. It was late, nearing curfew. He had stopped for a bit to observe as villagers participating in the Trial trained on the fields. One had a Mentor, a professional from the Capitol who is paid to train and assist a participant through the process of the Trial. Those in cities and the Capitol sometimes even had a family mentor, one who trained multiple people within the same family. Someone who trained your father when you were young, and will eventually train you.

However, villagers rarely got that. Mentors were seldom willing to take on a villager as a student. Even if they could afford it, no Mentor in his right mind would want to work with a villager. Their name would be tainted when their student lost and died. It wasn't worth the risk. So that night, Asher watched as one lucky student learned from his Mentor, while the others who were alone desperately tried to listen in and learn what they could.

He began making his way up the metal staircase towards his apartment. All villagers lived in the same type of concrete buildings which were old, shabby, and practically crumbling. Vines wove in and out of the cracks in the walls and broken windows were boarded up. The air conditioning was inconsistent, as was the water, and insulation was almost nonexistent. The units were small, squished together tightly, and filled to the brim with villagers.

Asher made it to his unit on the top floor. He had a pointless habit of removing his shoes at the door, instilled by Maggie's parents when he was growing up. He had been taken under their wing when Maggie befriended him around the age of five. He left when he was ten and had chosen not to do the Trial, but Maggie had. That was a difficult time for him, wrapping his young brain around the choice that his best friend had made. It led to a fight that took time to come back from. That's when Mr. Mitchell stepped in with his delicious mystery meat sandwiches along with other tips and tricks about working in the village.

He headed straight to the back of his unit, through the living room and kitchen, passed his bedroom and bathroom, and walked out onto the back porch. It was just a concrete slab with a metal railing, but it was peaceful enough to give him a place to think uninterrupted.

Asher flopped down and allowed his legs to hang through the bars, gazing at the village down below. He had an amazing view, one where he could see the whole market lit up by their string lights and even beyond that to the ocean and docks. If he looked far to the right he would be able to see the CK's complex, which stuck out like a sore thumb in comparison to the village's condition.

Just as he was beginning to relax, he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

"Hey, smart guy."

Dammit.

"Hunter," he greeted unenthusiastically, not bothering to rise from his seat or even look at his visitor.

The boy shuffled across the floor and stood beside him, following Asher's gaze.

"Quite a magnificent building, isn't it?"

"It's something alright. What do you need?"

The boy smirked. "Oh, you know. The usual."

Asher rolled his eyes and rose to his feet. He then quickly walked inside, expecting Hunter to follow him. He went into his bedroom, which was bare and cold. His bed was piled with various blankets donated by his friends, even a pink one from Hannah which he hated to admit was the warmest. He slid his cluttered, ratty dresser aside. Getting onto his knees he yanked harshly at one of the floorboards, small slivers of wood went flying when it came up with a snap.

"You got it?" Hunter's voice called from the living room.

"I've got it."

Asher entered the room and gave Hunter a paper bag, practically shoving it at him.