I recently realized that this story is officially over 100,000 words! There is an f-bomb in this chapter (the first ever), so pure ears beware. Another important question is at the end of this chapter, so stick around if you can to answer! It really helps me work out some of the knots in the story.
As soon as the idea hits me, I take off. I need to find two things: Seneca Crane and someone who's got a shit load of money. Oh, and finding Gloss or Cashmere might help. Oh, and maybe Johanna. And the plan? I'm going to send the Careers a two-person hand saw so that they can cut Katniss out of her tree. I figure it'll be one of the most expensive items ever purchased. Not to mention, for gifts that aren't medicines, food, and water, you need approval from the Head Gamemaker.
From behind me I hear Haymitch calling after me but I don't stop. I walk a bit faster. I don't want to talk to him right now. By some grace of enhanced ability, Haymitch catches up to me. "Listen, sweetheart, don't go messing with things."
I give him a small glance to the side and then stare straight back ahead. If I react too harshly, he's going to know that I'm up to something and try to work against me, but he has no right telling me what to do. "Thanks for the tip Haymitch. Is that all you need?"
He moves in front of me to stop me from walking and puts his hands on my shoulders. My blood absolutely is boiling at this point, and I wouldn't be surprised if my face is red. Is he crazy? Putting his hands on me? If this were an arena, I would've stabbed him already. "I saw that look on your face. Whatever you're going to do, please don't do it. Just let things play out naturally. Don't make her death worse."
I look into his eyes to see that his words are surprisingly genuine, but I don't care. I shove his arms down off of my shoulders like they taught me to do in the Academy and take a quick few steps back so that he can't try and get close to me again. "Don't you dare try and tell me what to do. I don't need you patronizing me when you usually don't even give two shits about your Tributes! Why'd you pick this year to care, huh? Was it to piss me off or something? My brother is in there, Haymitch. I'm simply playing by the rules here. Got it?" I'm yelling at this point, and everyone in the lobby has turned to stare at us.
Haymitch looks around, not wanting to cause a scene further. He needs every ounce of good reputation he can get around here if he wants to secure more Sponsors. "Crystal clear."
The crowd around us starts moving again, realizing that they're not going to get to witness a Victors' brawl. Still, a ways away from Haymitch, I speak to him in a lower, calmer voice. "I don't know why she's so special to you, but I thought we were friends."
Haymitch sighs and sticks his hands in his pocket, but he doesn't dare to get any closer. "We are friends. We just have...disagreements from time to time."
I want to take the high road, but my temper doesn't let me. "If he goes, Haymitch, you best bet I'm not going to rest until I get revenge on every single person who did that to him," I sneer.
I expect Haymitch to bite back with an equally vicious remark, but he doesn't. Instead, he simply nods in understanding and tells me, "Remember what I said the other day. That'll show you where to direct your fire."
Immediately, I know what he's talking about. He's referencing the conversation we had on opening day, the one where he told me to remember who the real enemy is. He means the Capitol. While yes, I could take out my feelings on the Capitol or try to kill someone like Snow or Seneca, it would be futile. Because as soon as I would strike them down, I'd be dead. And then Finnick would be killed, and Mags, and probably even Enobaria's children since I'm their godmother. I have too many people relying on me to take it out on the 'real' enemy. But the one to directly take Cato out? A much easier target. As long as they were also on Snow's bad side, there would be no problem.
I leave Haymitch in the lobby and make my way to the outside courtyard, where I find Jo once again at the bar. Perfect. "Hey, Jo, random question. How big-- or I guess what type of saw would I need to saw down a tree about...hm... I don't know.... two metres thick at the bottom?"
She scoffs at me while drinking, causing her to make bubbles in her drink. "Are you dumb? You'd obviously need a saw that's over two metres. Do they even teach you math in 2? Or you could just get a chainsaw. You'd need a two-person one, like the ones you push back and forth; otherwise, it'll just get stuck. Why?" My mouth hangs open for a moment, and my eyes flit to the screen playing the Games. Jo realizes what I'm getting at, and her eyes widen. She begins to cackle loudly, and I look around to make sure that no one is staring at us. "Oh, shit Octavia. I knew you were dirty, but I didn't know you were going to try and cut the bitch out of the tree!"
Jo goes on another round of cackling. It's really not that funny. I need to cut Katniss out of a tree so that she can't get her hands on the bow and arrow--which the unintelligent Glimmer will inevitably lose-- and shoot my brother. Okay, maybe it does sound kind of funny.
Jo grabs a pen out of the bartender's chest pocket and scribbles down the exact type of saw I would need. "Crazy bitch," she mutters under her breath but makes sure that I can hear.
Check.
Next, I look around for either Cashmere or Gloss, whoever isn't on duty in the Command Centre at the moment. I find Cashmere and her bright pink mini-dress are in the middle of a few Capitolians and wait for them to finish before interrupting. As soon as they all disappear, her fake smile drops into a resting face. "What do you need?" she asks me dryly. I hand her the napkin with the type of saw that Johanna recommending, hoping not to have to say it out loud. "A giant saw. So what?" I motion with my head to the images of Katniss behind me in her tree. Her eyes widen when she realizes what I mean. "Oh shit 2! Damn, you're cold. When it comes down to it, you're just as dirty as the rest of us. Can't say I blame you for it, though. When my brother was in there, I would have done anything to bring him home." She looks around at all of the Sponsors in the area. "Who haven't you hit up yet?"
"Haven't started yet. I was hoping to go into it as a joint effort. You and I both know that Marina is going to be the first to go after Peeta, and Peeta only goes after they get Katniss, so none of the 4 Sponsors are going to bite on this one."
Cashmere agrees, and for the first time since I stopped being friends with her years ago because of how she treats Finnick, we work together with no issues. I didn't want to have to use my biggest contact, Vardon Monty, just yet, but we decide to engage with a group of cousins of the Monty's. Cashmere instantly turns on the charm and so do I. The convincing goes pretty well. "You'd practically be the one doing the kill yourself. In fact, if I were Caesar, I'd give you an assist on the board," I explain to them.
"That sounds very intriguing. And how much would this opportunity cost, did you say?" asks Darius Monty as he swirls his drink.
Cashmere looks at me nervously, knowing that Seneca Crane hasn't appeared yet so that we could inquire how much a gift like this would cost. All I know is that it's going to be expensive. "The gift still has to be approved by Seneca, and his office hasn't gotten back to us yet. But once he appears, I'm sure we can get an accurate quote for you."
Haymitch POV
I'm trying to stay out of things, but I can see how much the burn is hurting Katniss. I can't remember the last time I actually brokered a deal with Sponsors since the Tributes from 12 tend to be warm-up kills for the Career Tributes. I need to get her some medicine. While I originally was in the courtyard to hit up the bar and make sure Scary-Sister Mentor wouldn't do anything absolutely crazy. Judging by the fact that she's teamed up with the blonde-doll from 1, she's probably doing something that only a messed up Career brains would be able to conjure up.
I try to ignore them and do my own thing. It won't matter for Katniss unless she can actually run away from them soon. I find a group of them and start chatting them up, talking about what I know best: the drink selection. Eventually, I lead them to an idea. "Hey, listen, Katniss has a pretty nasty burn going on--ironic if you think about it since she's the girl on fire and all--but would any of you be interested in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy her a burn cream? At the most, you help her win. At the least, it'll give you a more interesting face-off against the Career pack."
Somehow, by doing my logic gymnastics, they agree. I can only hope they did it because they want Katniss to win, but somehow I get the feeling that this guy is a sadist and just wants to see a good fight. Like I said, messed up.
Since it's medicine, I get to skip any type of approval process and I go to the Command Centre to punch in the request on my dashboard. In a few minutes, Katniss should get the burn cream, and if it works like I'm told it does, her wound should be all healed up by tomorrow.
Octavia's POV
The clock is ticking, and apparently, the office running the Sponsors gifts is still running the calculation for the price of the item, and Seneca Crane is nowhere to be seen. Cashmere decided to stay with the Sponsors while I go and find Seneca. I wait around the sky tunnel that leads to the Control Centre and pace around.
Eventually, just as it's getting dark, Seneca bursts through the doors. "I've been trying to get a Sponsors's gift cleared for the last hour, and no one's gotten back to me."
He continues walking. "And like I told them to tell you, we were still working on it."
I walk beside him and try not to let m exasperation show. "And? How hard can it be to run the math on something like that."
Seneca moves his head from side to side, telling me that I'm not really correct. "Well, we have to consider the prices of other gifts, inflation, the fact that it can be used as a weapon raises the cost significantly, and the fact it's used to target one Tribute directly makes it a hard thing to put a price on."
I roll my eyes. "And do we at least have an estimate?"
Seneca stops and turns to me. "We're looking at about a quarter-billion here."
My eyes widen. It would definitely land in the top ten of the most expensive gifts. "Fine," I shrug, trying not to sound worried about the price. "I can work with that."
Putting his hands in his pockets, Seneca speaks in a bit of a lower voice. "I'm impressed by the way your mind works, Miss Jones. The saw idea is certainly very innovative thinking. If it weren't for where you were born, I'd suggest you have a future in Gamemaking."
What a gross compliment. It makes me feel almost sick to my stomach. I can think of no worse compliment than being called a Gamemaker, someone who invents deathtraps for fun, except for maybe Plutarch, of course. I try and put on a polite smile. "Thank you for your consideration."
The clock is officially on. I need to seal the deal before Katniss moves out of that tree.
The offer with Darius falls through; apparently, the saw is too rich for his blood. I think the reason had less to do with the amount of money and more to do with the fact that he wasn't Sponsoring a more exorbitant gift; a saw to cut someone out of a tree is pretty boring compared to something like a shiny golden trident or a silver bladed-boomerang.
Cashmere and I begin to work our way around to the Sponsors, but it proves to be a hard sell. A lot of people have money on the 'Girl on Fire,' and many of them don't want to spend the money on something they see as a one-time-use item. For some reason, Cashmere decides to stay up the rest of the night with me. Maybe it's because she knows how big of a threat Katniss is to her kids too.
We work around the clock and into the night trying to find someone, anyone, to Sponsor the saw. Katniss eventually drifts off to sleep from her perch on the tree, and Cato decides to take first watch. It's dangerous to be left alone with your thoughts in the Games, so I can only hope he doesn't remain on watch for long.
A few hours later, and still no Sponsor. Cato wakes Glimmer up for her turn to watch over the camp. We have about four hours until dawn, which is when Katniss will likely try to make a move. The night begins to affect Cashmere and I, to the point that both of our makeup is beginning to move out of place. So, at about two in the morning, Cashmere pulls me into the bathroom to help me clean up my makeup. I was never really able to pick up the skill for makeup, and I'm not very good at artsy things. She pulls out quite a few items from her tiny bag and begins to get to work on me. She powders my face and takes a wipe to fix the eyeshadow that has fallen out onto my lower lashes. She's surprisingly gentle, and I half-expected her to take her frustrations out on me by poking me in the eye or something. Finally, she pulls out a tube of lipstick that's a dark wine red to put on my lips. She makes a puckering face to show me what to do with my lips and I mirror her. "The men here love this colour. And the women too."
My eyes flick up to hers as I think about everything the people in this city have put her through. And just for a moment, there's a vulnerability in her eyes. But just as fast as it came, the prim and perfect exterior was replaced. Cashmere fixes her makeup next and moves quicker than she did with me, and then we're back in the courtyard hustling for a simple saw.
Not many people left, but a decent amount remains because they don't want to miss if Katniss makes a move during the night or the Careers do something. Rue seems to be slowly approaching the area, but I think she'll turn around once she spots the Careers. She actually manages to move pretty quickly, hopping from tree to tree with a grace I know no Career possesses.
As Cashmere and I attempt to convince an electricity heiress to purchase our stupid saw when the crowd starts to buzz. Glimmer, who's propped up against the tree, is drifting off to sleep.
I'm pissed. Glimmer falling asleep means that they're vulnerable to attack. I want to curse her out, but I hold it in because I don't want to say anything derogatory in front of Cashmere. Our alliance here is already too delicate. By the time we figure out the heiress isn't going to actually purchase anything and is just trying to talk to us for a status boost, Glimmer is completely asleep. With two hours until dawn, we can only hope that one of them will wake up before Katniss does.
Cashmere folds her arms and looks up at the screen. She shakes her head and clicks her tongue in distaste, "Did we teach them nothing?" Her face contorts into one of the prettiest versions of a snarl I've ever seen. "This isn't some joke. If you lose, that's it. You're done for good. And she decides it's okay to fucking fall asleep."
I blink rapidly, making sure I'm not dreaming. Those are some pretty harsh words coming from Cashmere. I don't think I've ever heard her swear like that. But she's right. Glimmer likely doesn't realize what's at stake, which is why she allowed herself to be lulled to sleep. But to know that Cashmere isn't completely delusional--that she recognizes the Games' horrors is something good to know. It seems even some of the staunchest of the Career Victors see the Games for what they are; they just hold those thoughts deep down.
Cashmere and I decide just to wait up the rest of the night because we figure there's only about an hour until the Tributes start to wake up. We've given up on finding someone to buy the saw because there's no one left in the courtyard that we haven't either pitched to or is a staunch supporter of Katniss. The harsh reality is that sometimes, not everything is going to work out your way. And as annoying as that is when it comes to my brother, as long as they can starve Katniss out of that tree, they'll be fine.
We get into a discussion about which photographers we've worked with and who's photos we liked the best. Usually, small talk feels weird, but between the tiredness and the strange night we've had, it's actually a pretty fun discussion.
But then something finally happens for the first time in hours. Little Rue is miming something to Katniss, and I can't seem to work it out. Not until she points at the nest. "Claudius," says Caesar to his show co-host. "I think those are tracker jackers. Am I wrong?"
"Ooh," says Claudius. "Those things are very lethal."
Cashmere and I look at one another before taking off into a sprint towards the Mentor Command Centre. We're quick, but Katniss is already sawing into the branch that holds the nest by the time we get there. Brutus and Gloss are still there from the night before but seem to have taken turns sleeping because they both look well-rested--Glimmer should have been taking notes from them.
A few tracker jackers sting Katniss in the neck and I hope that enough of them will sting her to either kill her or knock-off her balance enough that she'll fall out of the tree before she can drop the nest on the pack. Haymitch runs into the room, receiving glares from everyone. It's his Tribute doing this to us.
That doesn't happen. Within a few seconds of the tracker jackers hitting the floor, our Tributes begin to scream and leap to their feet. All of them begin to try and swat the horde away while they run. Run, Cato, run! My heart is beating out of my chest. This can't be how Cato loses. I can't lose him.
Cato, Clove, Peeta, and Marvel are the fastest and I can tell they're headed for the lake. "Once they get to the lake we need to send them all an antidote," I tell Brutus.
But unfortunately, not all of them look like they're going to make it to the lake. Marina and Glimmer don't get too far before they fall to the group, and are stung so many times that they begin to swell. I can see on the monitor that both of their hearts have stopped.
But that's not the worst of it, because when Katniss climbs down from the tree to make her escape, she stumbles around to grab the bow and arrow off of Glimmer's swollen body. Meanwhile, the remaining members of the pack dip themselves into the lake, which actually seems to help a little, but they're all clearly delirious and not moving properly.
Once the shock has worn off for Marvel, Cato, and Clove, they decide to go back, although their speech is slow and slightly slurred. They want Katniss to pay. And they want to make sure that they can do it before any side effects kick in. But Peeta beats them to it. He's the first to find Katniss and shouts at her to run. She begins to run in the opposite direction of an approaching Cato.
"You betrayed us!" he yells at Peeta. I'm not sure if it's the venom or Cato when his eyes start to well up. And it's not just because he was stung under his eye. "I didn't want to have to do this to you, man. I didn't want to have to do this. I didn't want to have to do this." He begins to repeat this over and over again as he slashes Peeta's leg and makes a deep gash.
The venom begins to affect Cato even more because he begins to blink rapidly and shake his head. Peeta takes this opportunity to slink into the forest, away from Cato. He's still alive for now. As Atla said, ten percent will die from an infection.
Marvel and Clove eventually find a hallucinating Cato and take a rest so we send them down an antidote now that they're all in the same place.
Once the fear passes over me, and the antidote is in their bodies. The fear turns into an unfiltered rage against the girl who nearly killed my brother, the one that I wish fell out of that damn tree or got a knife through the eye: the bitch who now has the bow, Katniss Everdeen.
All four of us Career mentors turn our glares to the man responsible for her, Haymitch.
Boom! Three chapters in three days!
The Tribute Tower is officially shooketh! Tensions between the Mentors runs high. What will happen to the Careers after the tracker jacker incident? And who's their new pack member?
Question time: Do you think Katniss would've trusted Finnick if it weren't for Mags? And does only three members of the Career pack seem not threatening enough?
Onto the Chapterly memes: