Surviving the Same War

Chapter 25

"Go on! Step inside, it's not going to kill you." Bad choice of words. "So, I'm Charist and it looks like I'll be your escort for this year! Isn't that exciting?" She smiles but I notice she is keeping tabs on the peacekeepers behind her. She starts speaking again but I focus on the last peacekeeper until he finally shuts the train door behind him.

"They're gone." Misty and I say interrupt in unison once the door is completely shut.

"Finally. I hate how I must act around them." Charist's chirping voice disappeared and was replaced with a normal one. "Have you met your mentor yet? For the games you're going to need to get on the good side of this guy. I hate to tell you this straight forward, but only one of you is making it out of there, and the worst part of being a mentor is having to choose which child to focus on. I hope the odds are in your favor until the very end." Charist walks back out of the train car to get our mentor.

"Why'd you do it? You didn't have to volunteer." Her question takes me by surprise, but I turn to face Misty and give her my answer.

"You took Yulie's place. I don't know what your reasoning was, but I know what it felt like to almost lose my little sister, and to not be able to do anything about it. You went through the same feeling, but for me that feeling was stopped when you volunteered, so I had to stop the same feeling for you. It sounds complicated I guess." She shakes her head and smiles at me.

"No. It isn't complicated, but I do want to say one thing. Thank you. I may be fighting for my life but you saved me from dying on the spot, metaphorically of course." I gave a small chuckle and she smiled again.

"This isn't going to do me any good. Charist said you two had keen observation skills, but I come in here to be welcomed with some sissy talk? I've got work to do with the two of you. No matter, I'm Blaze Abernathy, your mentor. Before you ask anything, I won the 3rd games when I was 13. Got it? Good.

"Now being that for the past 11 years the arenas have all been different, I want you to forget anything you think you know about the games. Got that?"

I nod, but I swear if this guy ever has a kid, I hope he does not turn out like his father.

"So, now that that's settled, let's talk. Take a seat. First, names."

"Misty Oside."

"Asher Prior."

"Good. Now, we need to work on stuff that will keep you alive. We are going to be doing two things at once, got it? You both are observational, so throughout this entire conversation I'm going to be moving little things around. I won't tell you how many, but at the end, you must be able to tell me what was moved and where it goes. Fun, right?" I roll my eyes and we begin. "So, we need to get you guys a title. Something that will make you noticeable."

He slid the cup a bit to the left, but at the same time took a spoon and put it under the table.

"Now, Misty. Since you already wowed the crowd with that volunteering and you gave a pretty intimidating reaction, we can't exactly make you seem fragile. We also shouldn't-" He moved the fork. "Make your brain noticeable just yet. How about you be the rose? Pretty to see, but don't touch, the thorns will attack."

I turn to see her smile, but I don't miss the curtains moving.

"Now, what about you Asher? You made a big impression volunteering as well, which brought even more attention to our district. Everyone knows you volunteered because it was Misty's brother and Misty had saved Yulaine." He sighed and moved his shirt cuff.

"Maybe I shouldn't have a title. Can I do that?" Blaze sat there for a minute thinking, simultaneously taking a glass and sliding it slightly to the right.