May the odds be ever in your favour

Wait… What? Ava looked at Perses in disbelief. Had his family really told him that he was supposed to look out for her? They sentenced their own son to death? That couldn’t possibly be true. Her head started to spin when they spoke about strategies, words like alliance, brave and crush were uttered. Were they really discussing how to get her to win? Would Perses really just give his life up for a stranger? Not a chance. This was probably a strategy from his side, trying to reel her in and then kill her or throw her to the Careers. She decided to answer Finnick’s questions about her skills, instead.
“Well, I can handle a spear. And I can also survive in the nature if needed to” she said and put her feet back on the floor. Her hand was up on her pendant again, fiddling with it.
“A spear is a good weapon. Make sure you’ll show it to the Gamemakers” Finnick said before turning to Perses.

She listened to what Finnick and Perses spoke about how to sell a story to the Capitol to create sponsors. Two of the words that Finnick uttered made Ava’s body feel cold, and she felt sick again. He called her sister’s fate a sob story. He wanted them to use the most traumatic experience of her life as an attention gainer. She stood up rapidly, walking over a few steps and turned towards the men.
“Let me get this straight. First of all, you want to use my sister, a person that meant more to me than my own life, as bait for sponsors?” she started, looking at Finnick. She turned her attention towards Perses.
“And you? Swooping in like a knight? All you need is a white horse, and you’re done” she said and shook her head.
“And what do I look like? Like some collapsed girl who needs to be saved? Yeah, that will go great with the Career Pack” she said, the last part with sarcasm. Again. But this time she didn’t regret it. Her hand was still up on her pendant, fiddling faster and faster as she kept speaking. She had mixed feelings raging in her brain; mostly confusion, but there were also anger and sadness in there.

Perses’ eyes widened as Ava suddenly stood up. His eyes followed her figure as she moved back and forth, and he eventually looked up as she faced them. He bit his lip, now somewhat more insecure as she started scolding both him and Finnick.
“Ava.” Finnick begun, his voice stern and the look on his face serious.
“Sit down, take a deep breath and calm down a little bit. No need to waste so much energy before the games have even started.” He said with a comforting smile.

Cynthia suddenly cleared her throat and put on a big, fake smile on her lips. Perses frowned, wondering what she was about to say - silently begging that she wouldn’t ruin Ava’s mood even more. “Ava, sweetheart, there’s no need to worry just yet. I’m sure that whatever strategy Finnick says that you should follow will be great - the Capitol loves him, after all, and for a good reason, too. He’s a genius, an expert at making good strategies.” She said with a wink. Finnick chuckled lowly.
“Well, thank you, Cynthia. And, Ava, don’t attack Perses in this. He’s also in the exact same shitty situation as you right now. Even if he lying us straight into our face and will turn against you in the arena, I still think it’s better to form an alliance with each other and keep it up as long as you can.” He said, his voice and demeanor more calm now.

“Besides, isn’t it better to be underestimated by the Career tributes? Instead of them trying to wipe you out as quickly as possible to prevent that you get in the way?” Finnick asked with a raised eyebrow, his attitude a little bit cocky.
“And there’s no way you’re going to avoid the topic of your sister, that will probably the first thing Cesar is going to ask you. It’s better that we prepare you as much as we possibly can, and might even milk it a little bit while we’re at it. I know it’s harsh but Scarlet was an audience favorite, the Capitol probably expects you to be one as well.” Finnick finishes before slumping into the sofa with a deep sigh.

They’re right, you know.
Scarlet’s voice was back. Ava still looked at both Perses and Finnick, not even caring to look at Cynthia as she spoke. Of course they were right, it just felt bad.
You couldn’t help me last time, but I can help you now.
Ava was silent, but she didn’t sit down. Of course an alliance was good, even though she knew it was going to break at some point. There could only be one winner.
“So, I play weak. That’s not going to get me a spear at the Cornucopia. I have to show them what I can do, so they’ll give me a high score and sponsors will like me. I can’t do that if I’m supposed to be a mourning wreck” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn’t like Finnick’s cocky attitude. Weak wasn’t in her vocabulary, she had promised Scarlet the exact opposite. Finnick cleared his throat.
“Well, that’s where the alliance come in. Perses will be the strong boy in love, the protector” he said with a quick glance at Perses.

When Finnick mentioned the interview with Cesar, Ava felt sick again. She didn’t want to do it. She knew what the whole interview was going to be about; Scarlet. Sometimes she wondered if the Reaping was staged, that it wasn’t coincidence that put her on this very train today. Everything for a good TV-show, right?
“I know” she said, her hand moving up to her necklace again, “but that doesn’t mean that we have to use her for bait” she said.
Let me help you. My fight in there could be your key to winning.

Finnick turned his attention towards Perses. He was probably done talking to the annoying tribute, and wanted to speak to the easy one. Ava couldn’t blame him. It had probably been easier to mentor Scarlet, the kind one. Ava was the one who punched first and asked questions later.
“So, what do you think of everything? I understand that it is a lot to take in” Finnick asked Perses, and Ava looked at him, too. She wondered if it was all a part of his plan to win. Probably. She had never heard of another tribute wanting to give his life for another. Especially a stranger like she was to him. If it was true, why the hell would his family ask him to die for her? She didn’t know them. Or, well, she knew his mother, but not so well that she would send her own son to die for her. Nobody would do that for another person.

Perses sat in silence, ignoring the looks that they would occasionally give him. Instead, he distracted himself by staring down at his hands that were placed in his lap. They were calloused and scarred after years of making fish hooks, fishnets and occasionally being stung by the needle he used when he had done embroidery. As he continued to listen silently to the conversation going around him, he started to feel more insecure about the whole idea about an alliance. He also started feeling sick about the whole situation - of course Ava would be upset, she had all the rights to. And Finnick comparing her situation to Perses’ wouldn’t make either of them feel any better.

He whipped his head around when Finnick started talking to him again, and he looked at his mentor with wide eyes. He gulped loudly at his question and slowly turned his head around, looking back down into his lap.
“I honestly.. don’t know.” He mumbled, sighing softly as he thought about what to say next. “I understand that it might be very sudden, and even a little bit weird, that I’m offering my own life for Ava’s.” He continued, saying each word with a new type of carefulness. He started gnawing on his own bottom lip, throwing a shy look towards Ava again. “My grandpa’s sister died in the games. It completely ruined him, and it also affected my dad as he grew up. Me and my brother..” Perses said, before stopping.
“Me and my brother have been somewhat prepared for the games during our whole lives.” He continued, talking abnormally fast since he knew it was very, very illegal. He looked around at them with widened eyes, an insecure look on his face.
“And I guess my father just.. took your situation personally, Ava. He’s also a very proud man and only does what he thinks it’s right. And I follow whatever he says, wholeheartedly.” Perses finished with a curt nod.

He bit his lip again. “Neither my mom or brother protested, because they know that whatever they said wouldn’t matter to me. And my mother isn’t the..” He said, casting a look towards Cynthia. He knew she was from the Capitol, which was why he was mostly worried about her reaction to his strongly-opinionated family. “She isn’t the biggest fan of the games. I guess she thinks that if one of us is gonna end up there, we should end it all peacefully.” Perses continued. “And I agree with her, of course. But, I’m not scared to use violence to protect someone else. I just.. I would, or could, never use violence to kill someone for my own sake of winning.” He finished.

Never use violence to kill someone else for your own sake of winning. Well, that had been Scarlet’s reasoning, too. It had changed the moment she was attacked the first time, she had to protect herself, defend herself. Winning a chance to live. That would probably happen to Perses, too. Ava didn’t want to kill other people either, but she knew that if it was the only option to stay alive, she had to. Just like every tribute had done for the last 71 years. It was inevitable.

She looked at Perses as he spoke about his grandfather’s story, and her left eyebrow was raised when he told her that he had been prepared for the Games for years. He was a Career. Disctrict 4 was known to be one of the Career-filled Districts, it was just that Perses didn’t quite look like one, or even behaved like one. But he was. Which meant that his story about him wanting to protect her was complete bullshit. Ava leaned towards the wall, her green eyes studied him.
“I’m truly sorry for you grandfather’s pain, unfortunately I can relate. But how nice for you to be so prepared for this” she said, again with the sarcastic tone on the last part. Finnick threw her a look, it seemed as if he wanted to say something. He didn’t. What was he going to say? That he was going to report him? Everybody knew that Careers existed, and even if it was illegal nobody did anything to prevent it from happening.

Finnick finally cleared his throat.
“Well. I have a proposal: think about what we’ve talked about, and when we eat dinner, we’ll talk some more. How about that?” he said, looking at them both. Ava nodded. That definitely sounded good, she needed to think about this.

Perses’ stomach turned when he heard Ava’s sarcastic, almost cold tone towards him. He avoided her eyes, immediately concentrated on fiddling with the edge of his shirt instead, seeming intensely fascinated by how the seem had been sewn. He looked up again as Finnick spoke, but quickly looked down again as he only nodded as a silent response. He stood up and felt how everyone looked at him in surprise as he made his way out of the carriage. He couldn’t stand staying in that atmosphere for much longer.

The train seemed to be miles long and most carriages were empty. But, some were filled with strangers that looked at him with as much surprise as he had when he looked back at them. He then quickly moved forward again and the strangers went back to their conversations, although much more quieter than before. He continued through the train until he went all the way to the back of the train, where there was a door leading to a small balcony. He opened the door and the wind hit him in the face, making his hair fly wildly around his head. His clothes were way too thin for this type of wind, but he wrapped his arms around himself instead of going back in. Standing there, looking ahead while the train moved forward, brought back memories to the stormy days on the beach. When the sky suddenly turned gray and the sea turned dark blue, when his father made them leave quickly before the waves would swallow them alive. He always wanted to stay a little longer though, try to push his own luck.

And he then realized he was in the same situation now. But, now it was all involuntary and his father even pushed him to wait it all out. And now he’s all alone as his father and the rest of their family left. Still just a little boy, naïve and foolish as he awaits the danger heading towards him, quicker than he expected. The idea of the sea waves swallowing him alive is becoming reality.. And this realization makes him shiver before he goes back inside again. But, he’s not scared. This is where fate has brought him, and where it will eventually end him.

He walks back the way he came from, although slower this time as he puts more time into looking at the interior and details of every carriage. Some of the strangers he had seen before isn’t there anymore, but some of them he even greet. He continues forward until he finds a carriage that is completely empty. He takes a seat on a sofa, looking out of the window as the landscape of Panem pass by.

Ava watched as Perses left the room. She sat down in the sofa again and felt Finnick’s eyes on her. She turned her head and looked at him.
“Sorry” he said with an apologizing smile.
“It’s just that – well, you never forget the first tributes you mentor, and you –“
“- look exactly like her” Ava finished his sentence for him,
“I get it” she added and gave him a little smile. He had failed to mentor Scarlet in a good way, maybe he would succeed this time. There was a saying about twins; if one dies, the other comes back with double strength. Ava sure hoped that was the case.

Finnick excused himself and walked out of the carriage. Ava remained in the sofa, taking in the silence and loneliness. Her fingers were still touching her necklace. She took off the necklace and held the golden heart in her hand. It was as soft as when she had gotten it for her birthday five years ago. She still had no idea where her sister had bought it, but it was beautiful. Ava opened the locket, and inside were two pictures. On one side was a picture of herself and Scarlet, and on the other side was a picture of their mother. She held up her hand, and from the locket, a hologram was shown in front of her. It was a short video of herself and Scarlet, running and laughing. Scarlet jumped up on her back, and Ava lost her balance and they both fell to the ground, laughing. Ava closed the locket, and the hologram disappeared. She had never gotten an answer out of Scarlet where she had bought the necklace, but it was a gift Ava would never let go of.

She put the necklace back around her neck as Cynthia came into the carriage. She held a tape in her hand. She put it down on the table in front of Ava with a smile.
“Your competition” she said with a chirp and Ava raised her eyebrow. Yeah, so much fun in watching 22 other kids get their lives destroyed. She didn’t say anything, she just watched Cynthia walk out again. The tape stared back at her, but she decided not to do anything with it. It wasn’t fair to watch it without Perses, especially if they were going to be allies. She had managed to not think about it for a few minutes at least, but reality hit her in the face. She had to deal with her future, and plan how to survive.

Perses sat in silence, quietly observing the landscape outside the window when he heard the door to the carriage open automatically. “Hello.” He heard Finnick greet as he stepped into the carriage. Perses turned his head towards his mentor and nodded shyly as a response, not really knowing how to act. He wished he knew what Finnick was thinking about the whole ordeal with Ava, but the fact that he doesn’t made him honestly feel a little insecure. Finnick sat down in front of him with a sigh and looked out of the window. Perses did the same, but couldn’t stop concentrating on the sounds Finnick made as he moved subtly - sitting down more comfortably in the couch, clearing his throat, cracking his fingers. “I don’t know if you’re just really brave, arrogant or just a great liar. But, I’m intrigued - I want to know more about you, Perses Maddoc.” Finnick spoke up, and Perses moved his head quickly towards his mentor with eyes widened in shock.

He smiled. “If I have to be honest, I don’t think I know, either.” He said, and they both chuckled. “But, I am completely honest, and I have been the whole time. I do know though that I can’t control the future, and who knows, I might go against my own morals once we’re officially in the arena.” He said with a sigh, and Finnick observed him silently, letting the boy continue on his own. “I’m terrified, Finnick. But, that’s just a sign that I have something worth fighting for, right? But, I know I would never be able to go back to District 4 and see her mother after the loss of both of her daughters.” He said, his voice shaky as he shook his own head. He looked down at his own hands, fumbling with the edge of his shirt. “And this is a honorable way to die, right? Protecting someone until the very end, someone that is worth fighting for.” He mumbled.

“The most important goal right now is to keep you both alive as long as possible in that arena, Perses. The rest comes later.” Finnick said, his voice serious and calm. “Well, it’s quite hard to take one step at the time when you’re heading straight towards your death!” Perses shrieked, suddenly sounding like a child. Finnick sighed. “I know.” He said, his voice tinier and more vulnerable than Perses had heard it before. Their eyes met and they looked at each other in silence for a moment, before Perses got shy and turned his head away.

Ava stood up. She started to pace the room, thinking. If Perses was telling the truth, she was to play weak. She could still get sponsors that way, because of Scarlet. She had been a tribute with high odds in the end, and a lot of people in the Capitol loved her. That was to Ava’s advantage.
I told you it was a good idea, you didn’t have to get pissed at them for suggesting it.
Her other option, which was if Perses lied, was to fight for her life. Get a good score, get sponsors and win the hell out of the Games. That was probably what she had to do, because Perses was lying. She was sure of it. A pretty good liar, too. Ava needed to gain more skills than surviving in nature and using a spear. She didn’t have much time.

The anger swelled up inside of her again. Ava made a growling sound and picked up one of the glasses from the table by the window. She held it in her hand, looking at the wavy pattern on it, the fragile top, the thicker bottom. The sound of it crashing against the wall would be very satisfying.
Really, you’re going to throw a tantrum? That’s very mature.
“Yeah like you didn’t consider it when you were here” Ava muttered to herself as she put the glass down at the table again. She had to act calm, act like it wasn’t a storm raging inside of her. She had to be strong.

Ava put a hand on her hair. It was still up in the pretty hairdo she had created for Reaping Day. One by one, she took out the pins that held her hair up, letting the blonde hair fall down, piece by piece. It was very long, it didn’t stop until right before her lower back. She pulled her hand through it and started pacing the room again. Her mind was spinning, she had to decide; believing Perses, or go against him. Both descriptions put her in danger, especially the first one if it was later relieved that Perses was lying. It was a Game after all, she had to come up with a strategy for herself.

It was no use thinking what Scarlet did during her Game, since Ava was a different person. The nice twin had easily gotten friends before the Arena, and had allies from the beginning. She was quickly liked by the viewers from the beginning, and she had gotten through the Game with only having to kill four people, all in self-defence.
It didn’t matter if it was self-defense. It was just as hard watching a person die and be responsible for it.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t been as lucky in the end. The winner of the Game had surprised her, and after a long wrestling match, Sadie had the overtake, and she had beaten Scarlet to death with a stone. The death scene had been reviewed many times since then, mostly because it caused the Game to end, and a winner could be crowned. That was something people wanted to see many times throughout the year until the next Game. The scene was also reviewed in Ava’s dreams too often.

Allies. That was the key, unfortunately. It had helped Scarlet, and it would help Ava, too. She just had to meet people and make them like her. That wouldn’t be too hard, right? As long as she kept her sarcasm to herself, she would be fine. At least she hoped so. Ava sighed and walked up to the painting of the sea. She studied it closer, the strokes of the brush and the forms they created. The colours made her think of home. A home she didn’t know if she would ever see again.