The Rebel Victor | I [THG]

Chapter Eight | Animals Raised for Slaughter

The living quarters were better than Quinn ever could have imagined. The sitting area had comfy black leather furniture that sat in a semi-circle looking towards a television. Then there was a completely glass coffee table in the center that was full of water and had white roses floating in the water. Then not to far from the sitting area, there was a hallway that went to five different bedrooms, all of which were full of things that anyone needed. Then behind the sitting area, the wall was a complete window with the seal of District Four painted onto it. The dining table sat near the window too.
But there was something about the set up that made Quinns stomach lurch. It made her stomach twist and her mind tried to wrap itself around it.

Tributes couldn't leave the living quarters. The were trapped there, while there was a big window that gave Capitol citizens full access to observe them. Like they were animals that were only there for their entertainment, which was partly true. They didn't care about any of the tributes, the only way they cared was planning to sponsor them. They didn't seem to care that they had all been taken away from their families and thrown into the Hunger Games like countless other kids over the past seventy-two years.

Well, some of them had been taken from their families. Quinn couldn't really know what it really felt like to be uprooted from everything she knew. She knew what it was like to be on her own, she knew what it was like to not be missed by anyone.

Because she had nobody to miss her.

"It's kind of late, don't you think?" Finnick asked from behind her. She had seated herself at the table with her back to the sitting area and she looked out at the Capitol. Bright lights covered the whole Capitol, and she could hear the quiet sound of loud music mixed with laughter as people celebrated the seventy-third annual hunger games.

"I'm not tired yet." Quinn sighed, that was a lie. She was tired, but her mind was too busy thinking about the idea that they were like animals, or that she had nothing to lose like the other tributes.

Finnick sighed heavily as he sat down in the chair next to her. "Well you have a big day tomorrow. First day of training is the worst." he stated.

"I guess." she replied simply. "Any suggestions?"

He thought for a moment, "Don't show off. Figure out who you can trust. Then use day two to figure out who you want to ally with, then day three...use your chance to make a good impression on the Gamemakers." he explained.

"Why does it matter if they like me? They're going to try to kill me any way." she stated.

Finnick didn't say anything at first, "But they might not go out of their way to do something to you."

Quinn nodded in agreement. But his advice didn't help her twisting stomach as she thought about what the Hunger Games were-- they were killing children for entertainment. Not to mention the Capitol people seemed to thrive not only on the games, but the lives of the tributes back home.

"Finnick, how am I supposed to even begin to compete with the other tributes?" Quinn asked after a moment of silence between them. "The only thing I've got going for me is the fact that you're my mentor and Ciruss Hayeden is my stylist."

"That might be enough to help you a lot more than you think." Finnick stated, "Besides, you weren't that bad at spears..."

Quinn sighed and shook her head, "That's not what I mean," she paused. She was tempted to look at him, but she couldn't bring herself to. "I'm just an orphan, Finnick...I don't have a family to win for."

"You've got Jenson and Rosa." Finnick stated quickly, "Annie, Mags, and me...blood doesn't make family."

Quinn thought about it for a moment. It wasn't the same. He easily could have just been saying that, telling her something to motivate her to win. To give her something to try to go home to.

"You're right, it is pretty late." Quinn stated as she pushed her chair back from the table. "Night, Finnick."

"Night, see you in the morning Quinn." he replied as she stood up and turned around and made her way to the hall where their bedrooms were.

The rooms were all the same, so there was nothing special about her room.

She laid down in the bed without a second thought of how unlucky she was to be there in the Capitol or the sick way the tributes were just treated like animals. Instead, her mind was buzzing with thoughts of the next morning-- training. The first day of training.

Day one, find out who you can trust and don't show off. Day two, try to make allies and show off a little bit. Then day three, impress the gamemakers...

She repeated those plans over and over again in her head. Those plans could either kill her or save her. But there was still one problem. She had no idea what weapon she would-- or even could try to use. Ever since Finnick was crowned Victor, his tributes usually used a trident. It was almost tradition, the Capitol people loved seeing a tribute who was under Finnicks mentorship using some of the same tactics as their beloved Finnick Odair.

She had used a few handmade spears when the older kids would try to sneak onto the beaches and fish. She wasn't bad at it, but she was nowhere near good at it either! But then again...it was an option. And most tributes from Four, if they were good at using spears, they were alright with tridents. But they hadn't been orphans! They had been able to work on the docks or something! Orphans had been cut off from everything!

Quinn sighed heavily and rolled over, hugging the blanket tighter around herself. She could feel a ball of anticipation building up inside her stomach. She was only losing more sleep by thinking about those things. And this was after all maybe the last good night sleep she would have for awhile.