chapter twenty-two
ALL ANYONE COULD TALK ABOUT WAS KATNISS EVERDEEN. More specifically, her score of eleven. Scoring above the careers was rare, scoring equally to the careers gave Octavia and Augustus a huge target on their backs, she can't imagine the target Katniss will have.
To some extent, Octavia was glad that the girl got an eleven. At least with Katniss being the careers top priority, Thresh would have more time. It was selfish, yes, but Octavia wanted him to win.
With the tributes interviews with Caesar tonight, Octavia couldn't help but wonder about Lionia. The woman was still nowhere to be found, neither was her wife, Tigris.
Whispers of Tigris and President Snow's relationship circled. They were family, or so Octavia had heard. She couldn't imagine why Tigris would flee from her family, even someone as awful as President Snow.
If Octavia still had Augustus, she would stay with him until the world caved in.
Thresh and Rue had briefly discussed what they'd planned on telling Caesar. Rue said she'd talk to him about her speed. Thresh said he had nothing to say to Caesar. Octavia and Chaff shared a secret smile at the thought of Thresh not humoring Caesar, but it also meant he'd likely receive no sponsorships.
She and Chaff sat outside of where the tributes were being dressed. Octavia bounced her leg impatiently while Chaff swirled his liquor around the bottle.
"Well, well, well," a slurred voice sounds from behind them. Haymitch approaches, bottle in hand, grinning. Chaff hops up, laughing. Octavia smiles at him slightly. Chaff slurs out a hello as the two men laugh about god knows what.
"What about you?" Haymitch asks, looking at Octavia. Her eyes widen.
"Sorry, what?" She asks.
"Well, we were talking about Chaff and Seeder gettin' it on," Haymitch says, swinging his arms around dramatically. Octavia furrows her eyesbrows. Chaff shakes his head, telling her that it wasn't true.
"What does that have to do with me?" Octavia questions.
"Oh," he groans, "Come on, you and that totally humble fisherman," Haymitch sarcastically says. Octavia looks away from him, shaking her head.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Chaff whispers something to Haymitch, who looks at Octavia. He puts a hand on his chest and pouts, mocking sympathy. The girl ignores him.
Eventually, Thresh and Rue come out. Rue wears a blue dress with dark colored flats. Thresh wears a navy suit. Octavia can't help but smile at them.
"You guys look great." Octavia stands up, putting her arms around Rue gently, careful not to ruffle her hair or wrinkle her dress. Thresh gives Haymitch a handshake, prompted by Chaff. Octavia can faintly hear the man rambling to the boy about allying with his male tribute, Thresh is polite but it's clear to everyone that he has no interest in allying.
"You look beautiful, Rue," Octavia says, pulling away from the girl and bending down to match her height. Rue shyly grins, throwing herself back into Octavia's hug. The woman covers her surprise by returning the hug, this time allowing a hand to rub the girls back gently. Rue was scared, and as much as Octavia wanted to comfort her, there wasn't much for her to do. When they pull away again, Chaff begins talking—or slurring, to Rue, who giggles at his drunkenness. Haymitch had shown himself the way out, leaving Octavia and Thresh standing awkwardly.
"Hey," Octavia says, Thresh nods in response. The girl begins to chew her bottom lip, unsure what to say.
"Your brother would be so proud of you," she says, words spewing out before she can stop herself. Her cheeks grow red out of embarrassment and fear, not sure how he'd react to the mention of his brother.
"He'd be proud of you, too. They both would," he surprisingly reassures, the corners of his lips turning upward slightly. He steps toward the girl, putting his arms around her, allowing her to wrap hers around his waist. It was weird, she could only remember him as the ten year old boy he was when she left Eleven for the first time; and now he towers over her, comforting her, while he's the one suffering the same fate.
Octavia can only hope that somehow, the odds would be in his favor.
───
Caesar's obnoxious theme song booms aloud as the crowd cheers. He struts out with pride, pretending to be surprised at the cheers. Octavia and Chaff give each other a side eye that says 'this is bullshit'.
"Hello! Hello! Hello!" Caesar calls out theatrically, chucking at himself. Octavia begins to feel anxious at the memories that surface when she sees the stage. She remembers everything. Augustus' interview, her interview, it lingered through the back of her mind and made her start to feel dizzy.
Worst of all, she remembered her victory interview. She remembered the fake sympathy from Caesar. She hears the cheers when the crowd watched Octavia kill people. She hears the whispers as she watches her brother die, for the second time. Chaff pats his hand on hers, noticing her solemn face. She gives him a small smile.
Caesar brings out the first set of tributes. District One and Two are the only memorable tributes that Octavia noted. Cocky, calculated, and callous; the career pack would make for one of the more terrifying alliances.
Octavia picks at her fingernails, trying not to cringe at the painfully awkward interviews happening in front of her. During the District Four boy's interview, she can see him constantly looking out into the audience. Octavia follows his line of sight, settling her eyes on Finnick. The sight of him makes her weak. It felt like a lifetime ago that they were back in Eleven or in Four, just being them. She silently begged him to look over. He doesn't.
The interviews last for a few minutes each. None of the tributes stuck out to Octavia. When it got to Rue's turn, the audience collectively awed in mock sympathy. Octavia clenches her jaw but tries to keep a straight face, knowing that the cameras would likely pan to her.
Caesar begins to ask Rue about District Eleven. He asks her about her family. Rue gives quiet, polite answers. She is smart in a way that Octavia was never. Rue knew how to avoid stepping on any toes.
"I'm curious, dear. Octavia Cirillo is your mentor this year. She won quite young, too. How would you describe the impact of Octavia's mentorship?" Eyes turn to her. Finnick turns his head, following Rue's wide eyes. Octavia doesn't look anywhere except for at Rue.
"Well, Octavia is really smart, and she's brave," Rue says, "and I'm going to miss her, she is the closest thing I have to family here." The crowd "awes", pouting their lips and placing hands to their chests. Caesar nods.
"That's very sweet, Rue. One last question," Caesar shifts in his seat, "what is your strategy going into the Arena?"
"Well, I'm quick, and," she trails off. "If they can't catch me, they can't kill me. So don't count me out." Octavia's stomach twists at her words. She's too innocent for this world.
"May the odds be ever in your favor." Caesar takes her hand, allowing her to wave to the crowd. She walks off stage, facing her head to the ground. Octavia looks over, catching Finnick's eye. He gives her a look that reads "hold it together." She hates how well he knows her.
When Thresh enters the audience's view, they gasp in surprise. The difference between him and Rue was striking. He nearly matched the stature of the career boys, minus their well fed muscle.
Octavia wondered if the audience was thinking what she was thinking, "he looks just like Augustus."
"Hello, Thresh! Welcome!" Thresh nods as a response, a stoic expression painting his face.
"Thresh, have you enjoyed your time in the Capitol thus far?"
"Yes."
"Well, would you consider yourself prepared for tomorrow?"
"Yes." He says.
"Do you think that you have a good shot tomorrow, considering your tribute score?"
"Yes."
Octavia's heart pounds in her chest. He doesn't care what happens to him. He doesn't want to play the game. He wouldn't play a part, even to save his life. As much as she was scared for him, she admired it more than anything.
Thresh is escorted off stage after a few more moments of awkward silence. You really could hear a pin drop.
The girl from Twelve, Katniss, walks on stage. She was wearing a striking red dress, fiery, some might say. She was clearly nervous, it didn't seem like she'd heard what Caesar had asked.
He repeats himself, asking about her appearance in the tribute parade.
"I was just hoping I wouldn't burn to death," the audience laughs. She looks startled. After a few more minutes, she stands.
The girl begins to spin, her dress seemingly catching fire as she twirls. Caesar and the audience can't get enough of it. Octavia inwardly applauds Cinna.
He eventually begins asking Katniss about her sister, for whom she volunteered. Her answer is perfect, causing everyone in the room to swoon.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Katniss Everdeen: the girl on fire!" Octavia was impressed, more so with the Twelve mentors than the girl. Nonetheless, impressed.
The boy from Twelve has a different approach. He immediately begins bantering with Caesar about the Capitol showers and whether or not he smelled like roses. Octavia and Chaff share a look of surprise.
Caesar begins asking the boy about life back home, specifically about girls. The boy denies any interest at first, but then begins to tell more.
"Because she came here with me."
Octavia internally panics, but keeps a straight face. Octavia can see Finnick begin to chuckle. Chaff bumps Haymitch with his elbow, who smirks.
Tomorrow, the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games will begin, and it seems that District Twelve has everyone wrapped around their fingers.
───
After the interviews, Chaff and Octavia quickly escort their tributes back to their room. Octavia hopes they hadn't picked up on how the crowd adored the tributes from Twelve.
"Good job, you did well, both of you," she says. Thresh lets out a breath.
"I'm serious, Thresh. You looked intimidating, people are betting on you." She looks him in the eye. Octavia turns to Rue.
"You did amazing, Rue. Charming those idiots always works, I'm proud of you." Rue nods, bottom lip quivering. Octavia opens her arms to her, whispering a "come here." The girl rests her head on Octavia's chests, who rubs her back comfortingly.
"It's going to be okay, Rue, I promise," Octavia tells her. Tears pour down Rue's face, dampening Octavia's shirt. Thresh and Chaff also seem to be exchanging a moment. Rue eventually pulls away from Octavia, looking up at her.
"I'm going to miss you," she whispers. Octavia's heart breaks.
"I'm going to miss you too, Rue. I believe in you, okay? You can do this." Octavia wipes away the little girls tears. Rue turns from her, hugging Chaff tightly. Thresh looks at Octavia.
"I'm so proud of you, Thresh." Thresh pulls Octavia into a hug, Octavia fights her tears.
"I'm glad I got to see you again." He whispers to her. She looks up at him with watery eyes. She touches his cheek gently.
"May the odds be ever in your favor."
END OF CHAPTER
a/n
thresh, rue, octavia, and chaff's relationship is so dear to me guys. i'm not ready for these next few chapters.
as always, please interact with this story! comment, vote, anything helps motivate me.
thank you for reading <3