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TWO

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𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐎 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒, holding her tightly. They were only permitted an hour to say goodbye before they would be escorted onto the train. They'd be in the Capitol by the following day or two.

The farmer smelled like copper and Keres breathed it in deeply as he stroked the back of her head and down her back. His hands were old and wrinkled and when he took her own into his, she felt genuine tears rush to her eyes.

"You fight, do you hear me?" he whispered in a shaking voice. From across the room, Rayla was wiping the hair out of Helios's face. "You fight as hard as you can to come home."

"But–"

"You fight," he repeated himself, shaking his head. "Your brother sowed his own seed. You come home to us."

She opened her mouth to counter, to argue that she would never leave that arena without her brother but she nodded instead. The old man needed to hear what he wanted, he needed peace, too.

"You're my daughter," he whispered, wiping tears from her cheeks. "You've always been, no matter what our blood might say."

"Blood–" She was stammering. "–blood doesn't mean family."

He nodded with a smile. There were tears in his brown eyes but he blinked them away. She'd never seen him cry and that wouldn't change today. He pulled her against him one last time, his arms wrapped tightly as he said against her hair in barely above a whisper, "I know how long you've been preparing for this. I know this is your time and I love you, Keres."

"Thank you," she breathed to him, "and thank you for all you've done for us."

"Our home will always be your home, too."

Rayla walked over, hand in hand with Helios. She didn't let go of him to hug Keres. The older woman felt frail under her arms but Keres hugged her tightly as she normally would. It was a strange parting moment as they separated and the old woman let go of her brother. The farmer and his wife looked so much older in this dirty light.

"Fight hard," whispered Arlo as Helios shook the old man's hand tightly. "Both of you. Do not give up and protect your sister."

Helios chuckled, softly. "We both know she'll be the one protecting me."

Keres had seen a fierceness reach her brother's eyes far before this moment, long before he'd ever raised his hand and volunteered for a death match. She'd seen it in the way he butchered the cows, how he prepared dinner, how he skinned rabbits, in the way he tucked himself into bed at night. Even his stance, there was something so clearly wrong inside of him, forcing him to hunch forward slightly as if wounded deeply.

"Times up," came a deep voice from behind them.

It didn't take long before hands were clamping around Keres's arms and dragging her backwards. She got one last look at the farmer and his wife and she could've sworn they were both crying but she was out the door before she was able to decipher the unclear look in Arlo's sad eyes. She hoped that wouldn't be her last moment with him, just a fleeting goodbye glance.

They were taken to the train, a long futuristic thing she'd seen roll through their station before. She'd never been on it, just seen it zip away along the tracks to deliver goods or people. It didn't really matter which. She'd learned about it in school, that it traveled at an average of 250 miles per hour and were manufactured in District 6, located in the east of Panem with their main industry being transportation.

Keres made sure to study every district the best she could in school. District 6 had four victors that she could picture. Two were morphlings, addicted to the morphling drug for pain. Powerful and tempting, the drug is known to make their addicts seem sick with yellow skin and wild eyes. Keres remembered when the morphlings won, how savaged they'd been by their tributes and the environment. It was no shock to learn of their addiction. Keres just hoped she didn't fall into that path, as tempting as it might seem in the moment.

But she'd have to make it to the victor's table first.

The train, as they entered, was nothing like they'd ever seen in District 10. It was luxury, leather chairs that shone under the little dangling lights from the ceiling. There were rich wood tables, all dark and sleek. Polished panel walls, the same rich wood only lighter. Plush pillows with intricate designs on long couches by the stretch of windows and a bar built into the wall.

Keres had never seen something so extravagant.

She forced herself to be in awe in front of the Peacekeepers until they were left alone in the train car. Her blood began to boil not long after the train shifted and groaned and she felt it take off. She stumbled to the side for a moment with the sudden movement, Helios taking her arm and steadying her.

"It's sick," he whispered, disgust lacing his wretched tone. "To think...they've been living like this while we sleep in dirt and shit."

Keres touched the edge of the ribbed leather couch. It was smooth under her fingers and she wondered if this had once belonged to one of their cows, its hide taken and stretched to fit such a magnificent piece of furniture that would hold children as they arrived to their death.

So many before her had been here, 73 years worth of children. She was just another face of many who would ride this train and never get to ride it back.

Keres noticed a table full of sweets near the other side of the car. A small dining table of the same dark wood topped with sterling silver platters of goods Keres had never seen nor smelled before. As she went to pick one up, the sliding door separating their end car to the others opened with a sheathing sound of clanking metal.

She dropped the pastry swatched with a curious teal frosting as Cloelia entered. She was wearing something different than before. Gone was the orange hair and clothes. In their shuddering wake now laid a lavender dress with a fluffy lavender shall, adorned with little beads and feathers. Her hair still had an orange ombre but it was white. Not at all matching but it wasn't like Keres could say anything to that.

"Oh, hello, hello," she crooned and Keres noticed two men following her.

They were tall and built strongly with wild, dead eyes. One had very dark skin and a small white goatee and the other had the same color skin as Elma, a rich tan. Keres recognized them both. They'd been there, at the Reaping. Standing off to the side, looking grim.

"I've come bearing guests and, oh! Look, you've found the sweets already." Cloelia snatched up one of the pastries and ate it in one bite, licking her finger tip and moaning softly. "Come, come, eat while you can! I think this is just a marvelous experience for you both, and I know it's rather short but you get to enjoy all of this."

"What is there to enjoy?" muttered Helios, picking at a piece of bread curled into delicate shapes. "Don't pretend this isn't a last meal for us."

Cloelia choked on her next pastry and the goateed man laughed as he pulled out a chair at the table, grabbing a pastry for himself. The other man sat next to him and began pouring a cup of tea, an amused little smile on his face.

The man pulled apart his pastry and stuffed one end into his mouth before he spoke. "It's good," he muttered, his fingers glazed with butter, "not pretending this isn't what it really is."

"And what is that?" asked Cloelia, her cheeks pink.

"A death sentence," said the man with the tea. He caught Keres's eye as she sat down across from him and he offered her a warm smile. "My name is Dante and my friend here is Evander."

"We're mentors," said his friend.

"We know," said Keres as Helios dumped some of the funny bread on her plate and passed her the butter knife. "You've won the games before."

Helios popped a grape into his mouth. "You won in the 47th Games," he pointed to Evander and then Dante, "and you won the 42nd, only fifteen too."

"We were strong," said Dante, "but not strong forever."

Cloelia rolled her eyes. "Perhaps we should give the children some hope rather than the pessimistic 'nothing good ever lasts' mantra? Hmm?"

"If we were entered back into the games," said Dante with an annoyed look in his eyes that never truly reached his mouth, "then we'd die, quick and easy. We are no match in comparison to the other districts, especially 1, 2, and 4."

"What makes them so special?" asked Helios.

"They're called Careers."

Keres frowned and she felt the eyes go to her. She shifted in her seat, finding the expensive cushion uncomfortable before saying, "They've trained their whole lives for this."

Evander nodded, raising his glass of tea to his lips with a frown. He took one small sip, licked his lips, and said, "They attend a special combat academy where they're trained by other victors until they turn eighteen."

"Which is when they volunteer," added Dante. His eyes found Helios and smiled, warmly. "A very surprising thing for you to do. Going in to fight and die with your sister, it's very heroic."

Evander chuckled. "And stupid."

"You'd rather your own flesh and blood die alone then?" asked Helios and Cloelia made another choking sound, this time on her own cup of tea. "If I die, I die," said Helios, using Keres's own words, "but not before seeing my sister win."

"And if you win?" asked Evander. "And she dies?"

"If I die, I die," said Keres, echoing the words. "If one of us can return home...then that's a win to me." They both knew that if the other died, they'd follow them right after. "We've survived worse."

"Ah," murmured Evander with a small nod, "you plan to die together."

Helios only stared at them with a little smirk, playing with the butter knife between his fingers. Keres kept her hands in her lap and spoke slowly, "Are you here to mock us or help us try to win?"

Evander met her eyes and smiled. "What else is there to know? We don't know what the arenas will look like, it could be a forest, a beach, or a frozen wasteland."

"We can tell you not to build a fire in the open," said Dante with a shrug, "or to run from the Cornucopia to avoid the bloodbath, but in the end, you'll do what you want. We're just passive voices, we don't change the events from happening."

"You both are pathetic," said Cloelia with a scowl. "Have the years truly been so awful to you? You have riches, beautiful homes, and happy families. What more could you wish for after winning such a landmark event?"

"To sleep peacefully," muttered Evander. He looked up at the two tributes and sighed. "My partner is right. At the start of the games, after the gong, you run. Separate yourself from the other tributes, especially the Careers. You want as much distance between you and them as possible if you want to survive long."

"And you must find water," said Dante. "Water and viable food. When we get to the Capitol and training begins, it's best you study what plants and berries are poisonous. Don't want you accidentally keeling over during your first meal."

Helios nodded and Keres wondered if he was making a mental checklist of all that they needed to do if they were to make it through the first day. She knew the basics of what she needed to do to survive, Dante and Evander only told her what she already knew. Keep your fires low, avoid the higher district tributes, find a water source, and stay hidden. She was a skilled hunter and tracker, she could hide and pick off tributes as they crossed her path. She just had to be careful they didn't track her first.

"What happens when we get there? To the Capitol?" asked Helios. "Do we go straight to training?"

Dante shook his head. His hair was shaved on the sides, presenting them with fluffy dark hair on the top dusted with gray. "We'll take you to your prep team. They'll make you look presentable and then we'll take you to the Tribute Parade."

"And then we train?"

"Yes," laughed Dante. "You'll train for three days, and on the third day you will present what you've learned to the Gamemakers where they'll rank your skills. It's crucial you score high because it'll make our jobs easier."

"How?"

"My god," muttered Evander, "you sure love to ask questions, kid."

"We need to know everything we can to do well," spat Helios. He was gripping the butter knife tightly and Keres wondered how long it'd take until the fine silver bent. "We're just kids, we don't know anything."

"Have you not watched previous games?" asked Cloelia, giving a nervous glance between the two siblings.

Keres's jaw clenched. "It's hard to watch our friends die."

Everyone you've ever loved will be dead in time.

She picked at her twisted bread but didn't eat. She couldn't stomach it in front of Cloelia. "Do we know who the other tributes are or would you rather keep it a surprise for the Tribute Parade?"

"It's tradition to watch the other Reapings," said Cloelia, "but not all like to participate."

"It's sad," said Dante with a shrug. "Would you really like to sit down and pick out the faces you're going to kill or the ones going to kill you?"

"It'd be good," muttered Helios, "to see the competition."

"How many twelve year olds are there this year?" asked Keres and Helios looked at her, sharply. He hadn't anticipated her to ask but it must've been burning in his mind too. How many children had to die this year?

"One," said Evander, "from 12, and two thirteen year olds, one from 8 and the other from 6."

"Only three kids, really," said Helios in a soft voice and Keres shook her head and spoke over him as she said, "And how many are eighteen?"

Evander rubbed his hands. "Seven, including yourself."

"Most from District's 1 and 2?"

Evander shook his head. "Two from 1, one from 2, with the majority spread out amongst the other districts. It could be a fair fight."

Cloelia snapped her fingers and the sliding door opened. A woman with short brown hair emerged, her lips painted the same color brown. She had her head bowed and walked swiftly, placing a rectangular black object in Cloelia's hand. The escort held out the object, which seemed to be a remote but to what Keres couldn't tell, towards Evander.

"Perhaps it is time to show them who they'll be facing?"

Evander took the remote and placed it soundlessly on the table. Cloelia scowled and waved her hand off and the woman who'd entered left swiftly. Keres had heard of them, the servants the Capitol relied so much on for petty tasks, unable to speak back. They were glorified slaves and the Capitol would never admit to them as such. They had once been rebels against the Capitol, traitors or deserters and the rich and just believed the best way to handle them was to force them into submission and take something prized away.

Their tongues.

"We're not going to show them their victims," spat Dante and Evander snatched the remote away from Cloelia sliding her hand on the table. "If they want to memorize their faces later they can, but for now, it's a debriefing session."

Cloelia huffed and stood, leaving through the sliding door just as the Avox had moments prior. When she was gone, Dante sighed softly and looked towards the siblings. "You're different than anything we've ever seen here. Never have we had a pair of siblings go into the games together at the same time."

"Why would they want to?" said Evander. "Devastating a family with one death is enough, but the possibility of two? Heartless."

"Two siblings willing to die and fight for the other," murmured Dante, shaking his head, "you'll have sponsors coming out of your asses by the end of the parade, and not to mention what Flickerman will do at the interviews. You'll be legends in the games."

"We don't want to be fucking legends," said Helios before looking away, ashamed to have been cussing. "We want to make it home, together."

Evander rubbed his beard, stark white against his smooth skin. "They'll never let you both return, but we can make the most of this situation. You're both a little...standoffish for the interviews so our work outside of training will to make you presentable. You know, big smiles, soft eyes."

Keres could play a part, she could play the doe-eyes fool if need be.

"Do either of you have any training whatsoever?" asked Dante. "Weapons of any sort? Knives? Arrows? Axes?"

"We kill cows for a living," said Helios. "What do you think?"

"We're really gonna have to work on you before you open your mouth in the Capitol."

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Keres had her own bedroom and bath to herself. She'd never used a shower before, if she didn't count the old hose in the gardens. She stood under the rain of water until her fingers were pruny and her skin was red from the warmth.

Her bedroom had a closet full of clothes she'd never seen before. Silk pajamas, which she shamefully put on, and long dresses, robes, and sheer pants and shirts. Even her bed sheets were made of milk, a rich plum color with pillow cases to match. She wondered if she'd be able to smuggle these with her when they arrived at the Capitol some time tomorrow morning.

There was the urge to fall asleep now, to rest her head back and sleep until morning came but she found the remote and turned the screen on in front of the bed. The entire wall was a screen and it was like she could reach forward and be in a different world entirely. There was a rich forest simulation, sounds of soft chirping birds and cicadas filling her ears. There was even a simulation of a rainforest, the snowy mountains, and her field landscape that made her eyes burn. She didn't want to cry but she was safely out of earshot from Helios, the mentors, and Cloelia to now openly weep.

She knew it would be hard getting here, having to leave home with doom filling in her throat, but she hadn't imagined she would feel much of it at all. Until now. It blurred her eyes and closed at her throat and chest, she felt helpless to her crying.

There was no coming home from this because neither sibling would survive. If she did return home, she was terrified of what would be left for her without her brother at her side. Could she even bear it to have half her heart stripped away?

In an attempt to fool herself of this misery, she found the recordings from the Reaping. She saw young faces and some more broken in and worn, death and murder in the eyes of some. In the youngest, the girl from 12, Keres saw fear.

Long brown hair tied into a simple braid down her back, like Keres had done with her own, soft pale skin with a smudge of dirt or oil on her chin, the girl looked fragile. She was a skinny little thing, all knees and elbows, and she had to be peeled away from what must've been an older sibling. It made Keres wonder how she couldn't volunteer until Keres saw the crutches and thick cast. Both would've been destined to die, it seemed, but the youngest had more of a fair chance at fighting.

The little girl and her male counterpart were named Freesia and Atticus, who was sixteen and looked already protective of the younger girl. He had a hand on her shoulder and kept her close when they were escorted away.

But the pairs she watched the most were from Districts 1 and 2. Tall, lean, and powerful were the tributes from the higher districts, save for 3. They were powerhouses for breeding killing machines, capable of arrogance and cruelty.

Titus and Vita from District 1 were night and day, passing as smiling and gorgeous to the sullen and dark look that crossed their eyes when the cameras weren't supposed to be on them. Titus was tall and even through his dress shirt, Keres could see the rippling muscle and the finely shaped body of a boy who was becoming a man through training. Her was blonde as the sun god, tanned and beautiful, ever so present for the cameras when he stepped forward as a volunteer. His counterpart, Vita, was no stranger to the spotlight either.

Her hair was cut sharply, deadly bangs across her forehead, sleek and black down her back. She was stunning with her rosy cheeks and her lethal eyes. It was like she was slicing into everything she looked upon, sharp like knives. She was short, far shorter than Titus who stood above everyone like a god looking down from the clouds. But shortness meant speed, agility, being able to dive and dodge more smoothly.

Everything about the two screamed at Keres to be careful.

The tributes from District 2 seemed different to her compared to the fatalness in both Titus and Vita just by a single glance. Adonis and Bryn, only eighteen and seventeen. Bryn being a year younger shocked Keres, only because it was more likely for tributes to volunteer once they're of age to graduate their special 'killing academy.' But Bryn had stepped forward with a smirk on her face and her long blonde hair curled and styled to frame her face like a lion's mane.

Adonis was lean and tall, unlike Titus entirely but there was a dead look in his eyes that reminded her of her brother. Longer hair, strands curling around his face, and a slightly darker color than Bryn's vibrant gold. There was something so contrasting about the Career's this year that left something undesirable curl up in Keres's stomach. Both pairs were startlingly vicious in their looks, sharp and venomous while soft and arrogant for the cameras. It made her wonder what their specialties were once they entered the training room.

Even the tributes from District 4 held terrifying promise. Eighteen year-old Reiner and seventeen year-old Isolde. Both were tall and lean, muscles hidden beneath a long dress and a dress shirt. Reiner with his short haircut, something a Peacekeeper would wear, and Isolde with her long black hair. They didn't look nearly as deadly, softer and sweeter almost, but their eyes always told another story. These weren't children anymore. These were other things entirely.

Keres was beginning to doubt herself the more she watched them wave and smile, lights flashing and the crowds cheering and whistling for their soon-to-be victors. Keres knew they would be watching her own film, watching her sob and fighting back against Peacekeepers so she wouldn't be chosen and she felt herself smile at that.

It was good to be weak, to show the awful hand no one ever wanted to see. Weakness usually meant death and she hoped she tricked them, even though her stomach was in knots and realized there was a soft perspiration against her neck and chest. She'd never fought someone before, other than her brother. Practice sparring at night, carefully dodging on light feet, swinging sticks and fists, but this was not play fighting. This was not joyous sibling activity to keep up their stamina and endurance.

This was real and she was suddenly terrified she wouldn't be able to handle any of these tributes once it came down to it. Was her own facade already wearing off? Was the sobbing and wailing at the Reaping really just her true self coming out to play? Her tears felt real, the panic felt real, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could believe this was a good plan.

How could she avenge someone nobody even remembered? Somebody nobody cared about?

She'd have to watch children die until she got to the Careers and she didn't know if that was going to play out the way she'd hoped for. She doesn't know why she thought it'd be easy because how could killing someone be easy? Weren't they all just children hoping to see the next day? To have a life after all this torture?

But she couldn't imagine a life after this that didn't consist of war.

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Keres watches from the window as the Capitol finally comes into view. She sat curled up in one of the window couches, watching as the train rode over the bridge and she wondered how high up they were and how deep the lakes there were. Tall buildings shrouded the skyline, everything colored white and silver except for when the sun hit it just right, casting a golden hue over the city.

Far from where they'd come from, there'd been mountains and plains, but here...things were so different. Technologically advanced and growing every year, the Capitol was a blight on Panem. Distracting from natural beauties and wildlife people of District 10 and lower saw everyday.

Helios sat chatting away with Dante and Cloelia at the table, slathering a biscuit with thick red jelly. She wasn't hungry. There was something about being fattened up like little pigs for a better slaughter that made her skin crawl. There would be more meat on her bones in the next few days then in the past eighteen years together.

She barely noticed Evander sitting beside her until he spoke.

"I remember the girl from last year," he told her in a low voice to keep the others from listening. "Elma Ridge. Shy but spunky. She spoke about you, how you'd be following her next." Keres didn't want to acknowledge him but hearing her friend's name come out of his mouth made her feel sour all over. "How did she know you'd be here? How'd she predict your future?"

"The Capitol doesn't make it easy," Keres said instead, "to live in the districts. 10, 11, and 12, we don't get what 1 does. You know this probably better than most that we don't get fair wages or fair trades. We're forced to put our names in for tesserae and spare coins."

"Yet, how did she know you'd ask for more rations?" asked Evander. "She spoke of you so highly I thought perhaps you were sisters. Only a childhood friend. Why would a childhood friend risk her life for some girl who'd be forgotten the following year?"

"Because she'd never be forgotten by me."

"Did you enter your name on purpose? Did you do this all to get here for her?"

Keres scowled. "Does it matter?"

Evander shifted, sitting closer to murmur, "I saw your Reaping. You cried and begged like a frightened child–"

"Because I am a frightened child," she snapped. "I'm only eighteen, I'm barely an adult. I haven't even lived my life and you expected me to take the Reaping with no emotion? Like–like some District 1 nut?"

He shook his head and she finally looked at him. There were hints of a smile playing at his lips. "I think you're here because you want change. You're tired of Career's winning and getting glory. You're tired of being...Capitol bait."

We're the bait, we have been every year. Us, eleven, and twelve, even goddamn three and five. We're nothing to them but the chum and slop for feed.

"Do you want to know how you change them?" asked Evander and she met his eyes. He was smiling fully now and there was mischief in his eyes. "Do you want to know how you make them remember?"

She shook her head and smiled when he told her.

"You shock them."

AUTHOR'S NOTE━━sorry it's been so long AH!!!! this is def a filler chapter to get to the arena tbh but we ignore that <33

lmk ur thoughts/predictions for the tributes mentioned here bc we get some career introductions (kinda), and we also meet the mentors!!!!! 

pls pls vote/comment & don't b a ghost <333333