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THE DISTRICT FOUR MENTORS stepped out of the glass elevator, immediately met by the sight of bustling Capitol citizens in an expansive ballroom. Ornate glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and jewel toned furniture peppered the room. Each person they saw was more colorful, more ostentatious than the previous.
"Remember why we're here. One word: Sponsors." Mallory spoke quietly, before the group split into different directions. Finnick hooked his elbow around Haven's, pulling her in the direction of a cluster of sponsors.
A woman with obnoxiously bright blue hair beckoned Finnick over, and he guided them over, sitting across from her. "Miss Cleary, Mr. Odair, what a lovely surprise." She exclaimed. "Ah, yes. We were wondering if you were interested in sponsoring our tributes." Finnick asked bluntly. The woman nodded slowly before speaking again. "Hmm. Tell me why I should."
"Well, truthfully I don't know much about Melody. But Sawyer has the drive to win. Anything he puts his mind to he can do." Haven spoke. "Yes. Truly fascinating that we have another Cleary sibling in the Games. I remember I was one of your sponsors two years ago." The woman remarked, Haven's eyes widening in surprise.
"I'm sure Mr. Odair and I can strike up a similar... deal." The woman continued, placing her hand on Finnick's forearm. It was barely noticable, but Haven saw him tense up slightly. Her concerned eyes flicked over to his, but she didn't say anything since he appeared calm.
"Thank you, Ms. Porter. I'll be in touch." Finnick said, shaking her hand as they stood up to leave. Once she was out of earshot, Haven mumbled, "What was that about?" "Nothing. Don't worry about it." Finnick responded nonchalantly, although Haven didn't entirely believe him.
The pair continued to float around, speaking to and securing several more sponsors, none of the interactions as strange as the first.
A few hours had passed, and the group finally reunited, stepping back into the elevator. "I don't think we've ever gotten many sponsors this fast. Great job everyone." Garrett spoke. "I mean we are the dream team after all." Collin joked, earning a small laugh from the group.
➸
LATER THAT EVENING, the mentors and tributes sat around the dining table in the District 4 apartment. "Tomorrow you'll have your private sessions with the Gamemakers. This is your chance to show off your talents that you've been hiding from the other tributes." Mallory spoke. "The Gamemakers will give you a score, on a scale of 1 to 12. High scores pretty much guarantee you sponsors, but we've seen tributes score low and still win in the past." Chlöe added.
"Do either of you have any idea what you're going to do?" Finnick asked. "I know. It's a surprise though." Melody said, stuffing a bite of food in her mouth before she could be questioned further. "I'm not sure. I guess I'll just figure out when I'm in there." Sawyer responded. "That's exactly what I did." Haven smiled at her brother, reassuring him.
