"You're not coming," Coryo demanded as Vera followed behind him. It had been two days since Vera announced she would be joining Coryo on his adventure to the train station for the tributes' arrival. And yet, Coryo still refused to let her come, insisting that it would not be safe for her to be around the tributes alone.
Though, Vera wasn't fooled by his argument. She knew that was just a ploy to get her to leave. He'd obviously wanted to have an edge over everyone else. He always wanted to have an edge over everyone else.
"Too late, we're almost there," Vera taunted with a smile. Coryo scoffed as he glanced at his friend.
"You know, you should really be wearing your uniform," he scolded, eyeing the dress that she chose to wear instead. Vera laughed and gave her dress a little twirl.
"No way, I love my blue dress. Plus, those uniforms are hideous, I don't know why you're wearing it," Vera responded as she tried to hold back a laugh when Coryo looked at his own outfit. Of course, he came in uniform.
"We're on official Academy business. It's only appropriate," Coryo answered, wiping down his uniform.
"Yeah right, we're definitely not supposed to be here right now," Vera argued back with a chuckle. Coryo playfully rolled his eyes.
"Guess you shouldn't be here then," Coryo teased, but Vera knew there was some truth to it. Deep down, she knew Coryo still wanted to do this himself.
"Funny, I'm usually the one that doesn't listen to the rules. If anything, you're the one that shouldn't be here. With Highbottom watching you so closely and all," Vera joked back. Coryo scoffed at the mention of the Dean.
"There's no need to remind me," he replied with a scowl, causing Vera to laugh again.
"No matter, what I'd really like to know is why you have a rose," Vera remarked, pointing out the rose in her friend's hand with a wink.
"It's for my tribute," Coryo stated matter-of-factly, causing Vera to let out another laugh.
"Obviously, I know that," Vera admitted, before deciding to tease the boy, "What? Are you trying to woo her? Coriolanus Snow, how scandalous of you."
"No matter," Coryo replied, stealing Vera's words from earlier, "What's in that bag of yours?"
"Food," Vera replied, "I'm sure Treech is hungry. It's been a long few days."
"You speak of your tribute as if you know him well," Coryo remarked, eyeing Vera.
"Hopefully I will soon," Vera answered before speaking again, "They're human beings just like us, Coryo. I can't get him out of the games, but the least I can do is make sure he's comfortable and ready. It's our job to help them survive."
"Not really. You heard what Highbottom said, we're meant to make spectacles, not survivors," Coryo argued and for a moment, Vera was speechless. Of course, she knew most people in the Capitol didn't view the people from the Districts as equals, but she'd never expected a comment like that from Coryo.
"Since when do you listen to Highbottom? They're human, no matter what the people in the Capitol try to tell us. You know that, Coryo," Vera fought back, eyebrows furrowed.
Before Coryo could respond, a whistle went off and a train pulled into the station, drawing both of their attention. The tributes were here.
Ignoring the warning of Coryo, Vera began to make her way over to the train, looking for her tribute.
Treech, she reminded herself. His name was Treech. It was best not to forget.
Vera examined each cart, looking around for the tan boy with the gray hat. Finally, when she reached the front of the train, she noticed the same boy from the screen helping his district partner out of the train.
"Hello," Vera greeted the boy with a smile, extending her hand out. But the boy refused to move, instead, he stared up at the girl with a frown. Vera brushed it off with a nervous chuckle.
"You must be Treech. Was the ride okay? Did they hurt you at all?" Vera asked him, examining his face for any injuries. Treech furrowed his eyebrows, taking a moment with his mouth open before speaking.
"I'm fine. Who are you?" the boy questioned, clearly confused and slightly irritated.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Vera. I'm your mentor," Vera replied, gently smiling at him as she reached into her bag.
"Mentor?" Treech questioned, still confused.
"Yes, I'm a student at the Academy here. I was assigned to help you in the games. It's my responsibility to make sure you get out of the games alive," Vera responded as she pulled out a sandwich.
"Here, I made you some food. It's not much, but hopefully, it'll do until we figure out where your living quarters are," Vera added with a soft smile, trying her best to make him feel comfortable. The boy continued to stare, once again remaining still, only jumping at the sound of another voice.
"Ms. Whitestone, what are you doing here," one of the Peacekeeper's asked, causing Vera's eyes to widen as she shoved the sandwich into Treech's coat pocket and turned around.
"Oh nothing, sir. I'm just doing my job as a mentor. Treech is my responsibility, see," she replied with a sickeningly sweet tone, flashing her paperwork at him.
"Why aren't you in your uniform then? Like your friend, Coriolanus? I'm sure if the Academy really were to send you, they'd want you to look the part," the Peacekeeper responded, causing her to grimace.
"Oh, well you see, I like this dress much more. It suits me, don't you think?" Vera remarked, pulling at the skirt of her dress with a flashy smile. Vera tried her best not to lose her composure as she watched the Peacekeeper smirk.
"Well, I guess that's true. Though, you should probably get out of here. Wouldn't want someone as pretty as you getting mixed up with the wrong sort," he answered, smiling at her. Vera just smiled back and nodded, waiting for the Peacekeeper to turn around before rolling her eyes and turning to find Treech again.
"Treech," Vera called out once she had reached him again, causing the boy to turn around. "I am sorry. About the games. No one deserves this."
Treech took a second to examine her face, eyes widened in shock.
"I didn't think a girl from the Capitol would ever feel that way," Treech replied with a bitter laugh. Vera sent the boy a sad smile with a nod.
"Most don't."
"I'll come see you later. When I figure out where they're taking you," Vera finished with a smile, a smile which grew wider when she noticed the way the boy's frown slightly faded for a moment. Treech stayed silent, choosing to tip his hat at her before turning away again.
Just then, Vera heard yelling, causing her to rush over toward the truck where they were shoving the tributes in. Vera's blood boiled as she watched one of the Peacekeepers shove one of the girls into the truck, causing her to fall onto the ground.
"Hey!" she yelled, charging over to the Peacekeeper, "There's no need to shove her! Have some respect!"
"And what are you going to do about it, sweetheart?" the Peacekeeper answered with a smirk, causing Vera's jaw to clench. Vera let out a bitter laugh.
"Really? You think you have anything over me? Me!" Vera yelled again.
"Ms. Whitestone-" said the Peacekeeper from earlier, most likely trying to calm her down.
"No! He has no right to put his hands on someone like that. The tributes are the Academy's responsibility to keep safe and there's no way I'm going to let him disrespect that," Vera argued, folding her arms. The Peacekeeper from earlier bites his cheek before nodding toward the other Peacekeeper, causing the man to speak.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled with an eye roll, causing Vera to scoff.
"I'm not the one you should apologize to. You didn't lay a hand on me," Vera spat, demanding he apologize to the girl instead. The man let out a scoff before shaking his head.
"I think it's a bit late for that, Sweetheart. Don't you think?" he replied with a smirk. Vera's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she turned toward the truck, noticing that both it and Coryo were gone. He must've asked for permission to ride with them without telling her. Bastard.
"Where are they taking them?"
-
Coryo clenched his jaw as one of the tributes pinned him against the wall, the faint sounds of Vera's yelling in the background. One of the guys lets out a laugh at the sound of Vera's chuckle, turning toward Coryo.
"Your girlfriend's a feisty one," one of the boys remarked, causing Coryo to roll his eyes.
"She's not my girlfriend," Coryo responded, trying his best to pull away from the boy from District 11.
"So she's free for the taking?" the boy replied with a laugh, causing some of the other tributes to join in.
"She's not here for you. She's here for him. As his mentor," Coryo corrected, nodding his head toward the tan boy in the corner.
"Well aren't you lucky," whined the small boy, causing Vera's tribute to roll his eyes.
"And he's mine. Supposed to help me in the games. So you best leave him alone," Lucy Gray cut in with a smile, making her way between Coryo and the other tributes.
"Why do only those two get mendors?" asked the little girl, Dill.
"Mentors. And they don't. You all get mentors," Coryo replied, wiping down his uniform.
"Then why aren't they here?" said one of the other tributes.
"Just not inspired I guess," Lucy Gray replied with a wink. And then, the truck stopped.
Where are we? Coryo thought as he tried to look outside. And then, he felt himself falling.
-
The zoo?! Vera thought, huffing as she ran toward the monkey house. As Vera approached, shee noticed two Peacekeepers leaving the exhibit with a boy in their grasp. Coryo? Of course, she was right about him leaving her behind. He'll never hear the end of this.
"Ah, Ms. Whitestone, here to see your tribute? Would you like to say a word?" she heard Lucky Flickerman say, pointing the microphone toward her. Vera rolled her eyes and kept her gaze on the exhibit.
"Not now, Lucretius," Vera answered, heading toward the fence.
"Well, folks, there goes the Capitol's finest, Vera Whitestone. Seems as though she might be a little busy looking for her tribute," Lucky spoke into the mic with a head tilt.
"This is preposterous. What kind of conditions are these?" Vera huffed out, scanning the exhibit for Treech. With his head hung low, Treech made his way over to Vera, who immediately reached in to lift his chin.
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" she asked worriedly, her touch gentle.
"I'm fine," Treech mumbled, jaw clenched.
"You ate your sandwich, right? Make sure you eat," Vera instructed, pulling her hand away from his face and into her bag.
"Just finished. Gave half to Lamina," Treech replied shortly, nodding towards his district partner.
"Good," Vera smiled, pulling out a few treats she'd packed as well, "Here, it's just a few more snacks. I'll make sure to bring water next time."
Treech examined the cloth Vera handed him, mouth agape.
"You can share them with Lamina. Get some rest tonight, if you can," Vera finished, smoothing out her dress with a grin. Treech turned his gaze back toward Vera before tipping his hat. And from the way things had gone last time, it was clear that this was Treech's way of saying he was done talking.
Vera let out a slight chuckle before waving, letting the boy turn away before taking her leave.
"She's pretty. And nice. No one else has given us food yet, let alone make sure we're okay," Lamina whispered to Treech as Vera walked away, taking a bit out of a mini cake.
"She's Capitol, Lamina."
A/N:
hi guys <3 thank you for reading the second chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. I really enjoyed writing this one. I <3 sassy Vera. Their first meeting!! definitely not love at first sight (at least not for Treech lol). The plot is finally starting to pick up, thank god. Anyway, thank you guys so much again for reading and I hope you liked this chapter !!! Have a good day guys!! See you during the next update !!
Love you guys, Hannah <3