aphrodite₂ [treech]

i i i

I'm a bit disappointed when Venus doesn't stop by the next morning. I know she probably has school, but it would have been nice to eat breakfast. I wish I didn't have to depend on her like a dog in a cage, but I do.

I think it's early afternoon before the Peacekeepers enter our enclosure and load us into trucks. We arrive at a large building, the sign on the front reading 'The Academy.' Is this the school Venus attends?

We're led into a large hall, twenty-four tables set in neat rows for us. Two of the Peacekeepers take me to the one labelled 7B. Lamina and Wovey sit on either side of me. I'm handcuffed to the table, so I can't go anywhere. The Academy students watch us from a balcony overhead. I can't see Venus yet.

Once everyone is settled in their seats, the mentors join us. I spot Venus through the small crowd, speaking in a hushed voice to a boy with curly auburn hair. His hand is on her waist. Her boyfriend, maybe? He says something that clearly annoys her, so she gently shoves him away before joining me at our table. I look down so she doesn't see that I've been watching her.

"Good afternoon, Treech," she says happily.

"Capitol," I say. Even though I didn't like calling her that the first time, I felt the need to stay consistent.

Venus sets up her space with everything she needs for this- interview? I'm not really sure why I'm here, to be honest. It's kind of infuriating to see how organized she is, keeping everything tidy, no care in the world. It must be nice to be this naive, when the person she's sitting across from has a death sentence.

The last thing Venus does is move the little '7B' sign onto the floor, so it's out of sight.

"What was that for?" I ask.

"I hate the fact that they diminished all of you to just a number and a letter. You're all worth more than that. It's disgusting," says Venus, anger flashing on her face.

I try to hide the smile that tries to fight its way onto my face.

"So what is all of this?" I ask. I need answers. This might be an interview for her to get to know me, but I need to learn about her motives.

"What is what?" replies Venus.

"The visits, the food. This interview, or whatever this is," I say. "Because I heard it was a school assignment."

It's just a guess, but judging by the look on her face, I know I'm right.

"It is," she says warily. "Why?"

"So you're only helping me out for a grade?" I ask. I'm a little annoyed that she didn't say anything about this earlier. Here I was, thinking she was helping me out of the goodness of her heart, but she's been assigned to. "That's real low of you, Capitol."

"That's- that's not it. Not at all," says Venus nervously. "I've wanted to help you. This is the only thing I've been required to do so far. Everything else, that was all me. Trust me, I'm not doing this just to look good. I have no idea what I'm doing, and helping you, that's the only thing I know how to do right. But I can't even do that properly, apparently."

I lean back as much as I physically can. I study Venus's expression. She isn't lying. She does want to help me. She was one of the only ones who came to see her tribute, so she can't be that bad.

"Okay," I say.

"Now can we get started?" asks Venus. "I brought lunch."

She removes some food from her bag, placing it on the table in front of us like a peace offering. I take a sandwich and eat it nervously. I always feel awkward eating alone.