" surprise . "
" i thought you were dead . "
in which an afterthought
that haunts a man comes
back to life to get him!
" you left me in the dust
without a thought ! "
" i had to do what i needed
to win the game ! "
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act one , chapter one ... the mentor's oath !
( now playing ... alive ─ pearl jam ! )
── ✧ ──
" ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS ? "
Was there any other option? Mags volunteered to be tribute in Annie's place. They needed a mentor. Although it would be fine with just being Finnick and Mags, and mentoring was required, he wanted to help. All the other tributes had theirs, why did District Four need to go without one? That ran through Clyde's head more than enough times to count. Mags had done a magnificent job mentoring his daughter. He felt like he owed her in some way, shape, or form. After all, Mags was nicer to him than anyone else other than Effie and Tabitha.
He constantly hears the clicking of Effie's shoes. It's annoying. The heels come in contact with the hard floor that she was pacing on as he sat in front of her. Clyde had a difficult time not gritting his teeth to the annoying sound. He looks up at the colorfully dressed woman with signature tired eyes. Absolutely wanting her to stop pacing the floor.
"They're trained anyways. Besides. It's Mags and Finnick. They've won both of their games," Effie told her friend, who's been in hiding for the past 25 years of his life. She has made sure that no one else other than a few people knows his location on the outskirts of town. And now, he was sitting in The training center basically volunteering to give District Four a mentor.
"Effie, you're going to burn holes into the floor if you don't stop pacing," Clyde tells her. His voice calm, yet very much pleading, "You're gonna break your heels."
Effie abruptly stops, before fully facing the District Four survivor. She walks over to him, now closer than what they already were before. Clyde had everything to thank Effie for. She practically saved his life. He wanted to do her, and District Four a service. Hiding was something that he needed to do. But now, he felt as if he needed to be free as a fish in the sea that's eventually let go from its fisherman captor. He wanted to be seen. He wanted people to know that he was alive, and he was back. And he was going to help people win.
"You'll break your cover."
"What cover? All I have is a pseudonym and a tiny house on the outskirts of the district," Clyde replies back, fully looking up at his friend as she stands in front of him, "And a daughter who people do not know is my daughter."
"Think about Tabitha," Effie tells him, "Think about what you're sacrificing. And obviously she isn't well because the last games she was in, it was brutal for her. Her mother is dead. Don't leave her."
"I won't leave her. She'll be with me," Clyde quickly tells her, "She can help me. I think she has something to offer."
Effie shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Capitol escort puts her hands on her hips. She didn't wanna say it. She didn't even want to mention it. But subconsciously? She knew. This was more than just about helping. This was more than about being a mentor.
