❝ it is sometimes an
appropriate response to
reality to go insane ❞
──⭒─⭑─⭒──
In which an innocent girl finds herself
trapped in an arena with monsters and
her only hope is to claw her way out.
──...
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𝕯inner occurred quickly after I had showered.
I had a few minutes to pull on warmer, more comfy clothes, before we gathered around the dinner table, ready to eat and discuss the parade and what had happened from then.
Cato and I take our plates with us to the sofa, and I slump down next to him and Geare. I swing my legs over Cato as the TV flickers to life. We watch the procession to the City Circle. Normally, it's just sad watching kids parade through the streets in costume, but somehow with aging Victors, it looks even worse. Cato and I are the only ones who seem relatively normal in comparison.
A few who are still on the younger side, and Prim, or whose body hasn't fallen into disrepair, like Enobaria and Brutus, still manage to maintain a little dignity. But the majority, who are addicted to something, look weak and feeble in their costumes. Last year, we chatted about each contestant with Thresh by our side, but this year, we're quieter.
The crowd picks up when Cato and I appear on screen. We're the only two who look like tributes that the Capitol normally wants.
As soon as it's over, Cato and I retreat to one of the rooms. They've set out two bedrooms for us, but it's better that Cato and I stay together. We've become a bit too reliant on each other in terms of our nightmares and our healing for us to be separated for too long.
He has already found a notebook, writing down the names of all of the other Victors, marking out potential allies and enemies and people's strengths and weaknesses. We'll fill it out more over the course of training, but for the moment, it's empty. Whilst he does that, I stretch and go through a couple of basic exercises.
"What's the strategy for tomorrow?" Cato mutters, as I fold in half across the top of my legs. "Do we go with our normal personas? I don't know whether it makes more sense for me to continue to act like I'm from District 2 or to stick with survival skills."
"We need to prove ourselves." I huff, before twisting to look up at him. "These Victors think that they have everything sorted and they know things that we don't. They're going into this having looked at our tapes last year and apart from 12, we're probably the easiest to pick off in their eyes."
"Alright, so intimidation." Cato nods and I can tell, even though he's terrified of going back, he wants to show off. This is his element and it's hard to untrain the Career out of him. He was born and raised to prove himself. "Just try not to land on your stomach otherwise it kind of impacts on the big reveal."
He whispers the last bit with a wink, before attempting to take my hands out from beneath me whilst I do push ups. I dodge, giggling at his attempt as we get ready for bed. We have our plan and between the two of us, I'm sure that we can pull it off easily.
