Chapter Text
Pre- Reaping
“What do you mean, you’re not volunteering?”
Nemo Magellan’s words cut through the air, unable to stop the curt tone of his voice from spiraling out of him. He blinked twice, staring at the older trainee in front of him. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard seconds before he spoke.
The smell of the sea breeze carried through the courtyard of the district four career academy, whistling past the two trainees in the center of the open area. Nemo was more than familiar with the scent of the ocean. He’d never been anywhere that the wind couldn’t reach him, never straying far from the wide expanse of the sea that sustained the district.
Sitting on a bench, gazing up at the other boy, the brown haired trainee had to shake his head. He’d come to expect people at the academy playing jokes on him, but he’d thought that Halosaur was different. The two hadn’t spoken regularly in a while, though Nemo had been convinced that he wasn’t the type to mock him like the others did.
Halosaur, with his dark hair in braids and brown eyes focused solely on Nemo, let out a short laugh. The younger boy couldn’t quite tell whether it was a laugh of condescension or a genuine expression of humor. His face must have contorted slightly in frustration, as Halosaur’s own face twisted into something more serious. The other trainee reached into his pocket to grab something, then appeared to think better of it and let his hand fall back down to his side. Nemo raised an eyebrow at him.
“You heard me right. I’m giving up the volunteer spot,” replied Halosaur, his tone fairly relaxed. Tempted to look around to make sure that this really wasn’t a prank being pulled on him, the brown haired boy saw no one else in the general vicinity of their conversation.
“You’re giving up the volunteer spot? Why would you do that?” Nemo shook his head once more, unable to believe what he was hearing. The words that Halosaur had spoken to him moments before, when they’d first encountered each other, were still running through his mind. He couldn’t quite understand why the trainee would want him of all people to take his place.
It wasn’t that Nemo didn’t want the volunteer spot. In fact, he wanted it more than anything else in the world. In the games, he’d finally be able to prove himself. He’d be able to give his mother everything she deserved, able to make up for years of medical treatments that only increased their fishing boat’s quota. The games were a way out, a way to tell everyone that he was worthy.
“My sister. You remember her, right? Well, she’s really sick. I can’t justify going into the games when my family needs me. That’s why I backed out of the spot,” Halosaur responded with a nod. He spoke so plainly that Nemo had to narrow his eyes. He could tell that Halosaur was clearly trying to keep it together, that something in his eyes looked remorseful, but the matter-of-fact way he told Nemo about it made the trainee even more suspicious of him. Without another word, Halosaur pulled something out of his pocket.
Handing it over to Nemo, who took the piece of folded paper and unfurled it, Halosaur waited for the other boy to read the printed words. Nemo had to blink again. It was an official form stating the older trainee’s resignation from the volunteer position.
Continuing to read, he found the bottom line where a signature was signed in bold cursive next to a blank box. Apparently he hadn’t been kidding about resigning from the spot. Why would he go to Nemo to take the spot, though? That’s what confused the other trainee the most. Halosaur had always been friendly toward him, but they hadn’t talked in months.
“Are you sure? You earned the volunteer spot,” Nemo shook his head, frowning once more. Halosaur was twenty, meaning that he had two reapings left until he aged out of the career academy program. He’d get another chance next year, though there was no guarantee that he’d be able to get the volunteer position again. Nemo, on the other hand, was only seventeen. He had plenty of years ahead of him to try out for the games, and yet this opportunity had come barreling at him at lightning speed.
“You beat every other trainee your age in the tournament this year. If anyone’s going to be able to do it, it’ll be you,” replied Halosaur. Nemo had to nod. It was true, he’d surprised everyone and had won the tournament. Still, why would Halosaur come to him first? Before he could really say anything else, one of the trainers appeared from behind him.
Arowana was known to be one of the more lenient trainers, and she gave Nemo a quick nod before looking at Halosaur. The older trainee gestured toward the paper, causing Arowana to look between both of the two trainees.
“I talked to the other trainers. They’ve approved Nemo as your replacement if he wants the spot,” she quickly announced, something in her voice making Nemo frown. It was clear that she didn’t approve of the course of action that Halosaur was taking, and yet she was still trying to appear professional. This didn’t surprise him at all, given that the entire academy usually treated him as a joke.
“So, Nemo. Are you taking it or not?” asked Halosaur, finally turning back to Nemo and holding out the paper to him. Realizing that this might be his only chance, Nemo took the document, nodding back at the older trainee. Arowana let out a small sigh before handing Nemo a pen from her pocket. He read the letter again, then signed in the blank box.
It all felt too easy. If Arowana hadn’t been there, it would surely be some sort of joke. He couldn’t dwell on that, though. The trainer was already launching into a speech about the training that Nemo would have to do in the next week occurring before the reaping, and he didn’t have the luxury of drifting off into thought. Once she was done, she moved to leave, with Halosaur standing in front of Nemo. The younger boy’s wheelchair was off to the side, provided by the academy to ensure that he could move around.
“Hey, before I go, I just wanted to ask you something. You’ve been doing ok, right? I feel like we haven’t talked in months. You know, you were my first choice for taking my spot. I miss when we used to hang out,” Halosaur smiled, causing Nemo to shrug. Over time, he’d started to push everyone away, and Halosaur had been included in that. There was only so much condescension from the other trainees that he could take before it became too much for him to bear. He’d reached that point several months back.
“I’m fine. Thanks for the concern, though. I appreciate it,” replied Nemo, somewhat stiffly. The only reason he hadn’t fallen silent was because of what had just occurred. The words felt unnatural as they left his mouth, his heart starting to pound in his chest.
For a moment, it all suddenly felt real before fading back into a haze of disbelief. Halosaur clapped him on the shoulder before moving to leave the courtyard, leaving Nemo alone with his thoughts.
He had one week to throw himself into training. More importantly, he had to tell his crew about this new development.
Pre-Reapings Part Two
The familiar rocking of the ship was enough to comfort Nemo. For the entire afternoon, after returning from the academy, he’d slowly started to doubt whether he’d made the correct choice. It felt as though he’d signed his soul away, that he’d made a decision he couldn’t go back from. He was pretty sure that he could ask for the choice to be reversed if he wanted to, but where would that leave him? This might be his only chance to prove himself. Nemo couldn’t throw that away so quickly.
As he sat in the kitchen, peeling subpar quality potatoes acquired from the port market, he dared a glance at the man next to him. Carassus was a tall man, along with being a man of very few words. The two had exchanged a greeting when Nemo had reported to him to help make dinner, and that was about it. No other words had been exchanged between the two.
It took him several more minutes of work, all done while trying not to think about the impending week of training, for Nemo to plan the rest of his day. The crew typically ate dinner early on their port days, meaning that he’d have time for a swim before the sun got too low. This almost brought a smile to his normally stoic face, though his face went back to its typical expression quickly after.
Deciding that it might be prudent to start telling the rest of the crew about his recent news, he turned to Carassus. Talking to the older man came easier to him, especially since it seemed like Carassus wasn’t going to judge him.
“Halosaur gave up his volunteer spot today. He offered it to me. I took the spot,” Nemo quietly announced, not wanting to raise his voice in the small room. For a second, Carassus continued to peel potatoes, with Nemo doing the same. The silence wasn’t awkward, being more comfortable than anything else, and for a moment Nemo thought he wouldn’t get an answer.
“Congratulations,” replied Carassus, his low voice rumbling out through the cabin. This was the best that he’d get from the ship’s cook, though it did bring a glimmer of pride into his eyes. If Carassus approved, then he’d made the right choice.
The door to the galley opened, with a woman peeking her head into the small space. Seeing his mother, Nemo put down the potato peeler and gave her a respectful nod. She nodded back to him, then stepped fully into the galley. With three people inside it, the space was slightly more cramped, and Nemo could feel himself growing a bit uneasy.
“Is it true, Nemo? Jordan told me everything,” Captain Ariadne, being a fairly imposing woman, had an uncharacteristic expression of uncertainty on her face. This wasn’t surprising to him. Uncle Jordan was known for finding out about things before anyone else did, even though Nemo hadn’t told him directly about the volunteer spot. That was typical for the first mate.
“Yeah. I’m volunteering,” he replied with a slight tilt of his head. His words weren’t overly proud, but there was a component of pride in his voice that wavered when he saw his mother’s expression fall for a brief second before rising again.
“You’re sure about this? We can’t keep the ship at port for much longer, but there’s always been a spot in the career academy dormitories for you. I don’t want you to miss out on this opportunity because of us,” firmly responded his mother. Her words weren’t out of judgment or disappointment, as she was merely making sure that he knew what he was doing. He appreciated that.
“Yeah. Will you be able to keep up with the fishing quota?” Nemo asked, fully aware that his missing presence would mean one less pair of hands to help out with the ship’s work when they returned to the sea. The captain nodded, then Carassus cleared his throat. The sign to have this conversation somewhere other than the galley was clear enough.
Captain Ariadne made her way out of the galley and onto the ship’s main deck, with Nemo following her. He used the wall to propel himself, climbing through the ship with deft arms that were used to being his main source of motion.
On the main deck, Jordan quickly turned around from whatever he’d been doing. Probably having expected it to be his husband and not Nemo, his face never changed minus a small sparkle in his eyes dimming. Crossing his arms, he surveyed the port waters around him, then turned back to Nemo and his captain. A grin sprung to life on his features.
“Congrats. I guess we’ll need to find a replacement for you, right?” joked Uncle Jordan, causing Nemo to roll his eyes. Clearly the first mate had no faith in him winning. No one really would, and he was sure that it would be a consistent problem throughout training and the games. At least Uncle Jordan wasn’t joking about the time he’d wanted to throw him overboard as a baby.
“Jordan,” cautioned Captain Ariadne, causing her first mate to sigh before looking out at the horizon again. Nemo wasn’t very bothered by the man’s words, as he was used to this. No one really believed in him, which was why he’d distanced himself from almost everyone. No one could bother him if he closed himself off from the rest of the world.
“I’m going for a swim,” Nemo suddenly decided, not wanting to have this conversation any longer. He knew how it would end. Better for him to get in the water, where he was far more comfortable. The water was safe, the water was where he could truly shine.
As he moved away from his mother, he could hear her talking in hushed tones to Jordan, which didn’t exactly make him feel better. Instead of lingering, he prepared to slip into the water, then let the cold embrace of the ocean envelop him.
The Reaping
Being separated from the ship’s crew had been a new experience for Nemo. For almost all his life, he’d lived on the fishing boat, only venturing beyond the boundaries of the port when it came time for him to go to the career academy. While there had been a couple times that the crew had to leave the ship for repairs and stay in the port town, those times had been few and far between.
A week of staying in the career academy dormitories hadn’t been something he’d ever expected himself to ever do. If someone had told him a month ago that not only would he be volunteering for the games this year, but that he’d also have to stay on land, he would have laughed at them. Being at the academy had been the only way for him to really train properly, though.
It was the morning of the reaping. Nemo had woken up early, used to waking up at dawn with the ship’s crew, and the lack of movement under him made him uneasy. This was one of the many times that he’d briefly forgotten he wasn’t on a boat.
The small room he’d been given was comfortable, though not entirely useful to him. The academy hadn’t bothered figuring out anything that would actually be accessible for him, leading to Nemo having to make some adjustments of his own when he’d first arrived. He still had the academy provided wheelchair, and the room was small enough to allow him to move around without it.
Morning sunlight filtered through the window of the room. Not wanting to go out into the common areas of the dormitories, Nemo instead had chosen to practice doing stretches and exercises in the small space.
If he’d had the chance, he would have gone for an early morning practice session with the weapons at the academy training center, but the training center itself was closed for the day. Most district four citizens had the day off of work for the reaping, which included the academy staff. Nemo wouldn’t have wanted to make more work for them anyway.
A knock on the door made him freeze. The door opened, revealing one of the trainers that he’d been working with for the past week. Arowana had also been the one to supervise the transfer of the volunteer spot from Halosaur to Nemo.
“Nemo? It’s about time to start heading down to the reaping square. There’s a few things we need to talk about first, though,” Arowana informed him, somewhat awkwardly. She was younger than many of the other trainers, probably drawing the short straw and having to be the one to talk to the volunteers instead of getting to spend the day with her family.
“Sure,” he replied, pulling himself up from the floor and into a standing position. He moved over to sit on the edge of his bed, not looking at the trainer as he did so. Once he’d settled, Nemo glanced back up at Arowana.
“They’ve gone over the volunteering process with you, but if something happens, stay calm and don’t overreact. Don’t hesitate to volunteer immediately after the name is called. We’ve found that if the escort has time to ask for volunteers, things can go wrong quickly,” she warned with a nod. Nemo nodded back at her, understanding what she meant.
There had been incidents in previous years where the selected volunteer had been too slow, and someone else had volunteered in their place. The Capitol’s system meant that the volunteering process was law, and that even a selected volunteer might not be chosen if someone else got there first. The punishment for taking the spot could be intense, though, so trainees usually avoided going through with it. Nemo had briefly considered stealing the spot before he’d been given it, but had decided against it.
“Alright, got it. Am I supposed to head down there now?” responded Nemo, already preparing himself for the inevitable eyes that would watch him when he headed out into the hallway. Arowana nodded, then motioned for him to follow her. He sat down in his wheelchair, still somewhat uncomfortable with the premise of using it, then followed after the trainer.
They went out into the hallway and out into the lobby of the building, where three peacekeepers were waiting for them. He was surprised to see them, and even more surprised when they moved to follow him without a word. The academy must be increasing the security for the volunteers this year. Nemo had his suspicions about that, though none of them could be proven.
Outside, at the reaping pens, Nemo had found himself stationed near the very front of the massive crowd. He’d gone through all of the usual reaping day routines, continuously flanked by peacekeepers the entire time. The peacekeepers quickly became annoying, especially because they drew even more eyes than he normally was used to having on him.
Once he’d made his way to the front, he was slightly annoyed and partially relieved to find a chair and crutches waiting for him. The district four academy obviously wasn’t going to let him do anything on his own, but they did have the decency to make sure he could actually get up to the stage. This irritated Nemo immensely, as he was perfectly capable of moving around without their help.
He didn’t need their pity, nor did he need the pity of the other volunteer standing next to him. Granted, she appeared to be more frustrated with him than concerned, judging from the intense look of shock on her face when he settled in next to her.
Nemo had been told that Trevally Pisci wouldn’t be informed of the swap for some reason, given that the academy wanted to keep Halosaur’s choice as secret as possible. He personally thought that was a stupid idea, as it meant he wasn’t training with his district partner before the games. It also meant that everyone expected Halosaur to be at the front of the stands on reaping day.
Someone came over to whisper something to Trevally, who glanced rather unsubtly at him in return. She shook her head before her friend left, then turned to look at Nemo. Her eyes were narrowed, though her face was mostly neutral.
More people passed by to congratulate Trevally. Almost everyone looked at Nemo as though he had three heads, which wasn’t surprising at all. He was used to people looking at him strangely, even though he hated it more than anything else. By the time the reaping was starting, Nemo hadn’t gotten a single person coming to wish him an early good luck for the games.
He supposed he’d have the goodbye period in the justice building for that, though Trevally’s current parade of friends was rather annoying. Whatever. Nemo didn’t need them. There was no reason for him to feel jealous about something he didn’t want.
The district four escort went up to the stage. It was a different escort from the previous year, this time being a tall man with many tattoos. The name of the previous escort was lost to Nemo, though she hadn’t been that old. Escorts were cycled through all the time, he supposed, so it wasn’t the strangest that they’d gotten someone else this year.
Atro Alvex, the new escort, tapped the microphone with a finger before looking out over the crowd. The mayor’s speech had ended after what seemed like an eternity, leaving the Capitol anthem playing with Atro prepared for his main job.
Behind the escort and mayor, sitting up on the stage, were the district four victors. Nemo recognized all of them, though something intrigued him about the current lineup. Normally, the two mentors would sit closest to the middle of the stage. However, one of the victors sitting closest to the middle of the stage was Charax Tetra. She was the newest victor, only winning three years ago, and he was surprised that she’d be mentoring. Everyone knew that Charax had rarely been seen in public since her victory.
Atro made some sort of announcement, and the first slip was pulled. Almost immediately after the name was read, Trevally had her hand in the air and was proudly stating that she was volunteering. She was brought up to the stage, announced her name to the crowd, and then it was time for Nemo to carry out his part of the volunteer process.
“I volunteer as tribute,” stated Nemo into the microphones set up in front of him, standing up from his chair to make his way to the stage. He tucked his crutches under his arms, as it was a long walk and he didn’t want to overexert himself before the training period in the Capitol started. A plethora of gasps arose from the crowd. The wave of faces that turned to each other to whisper looked like a teeming sea full of fish, the features of the assembled population all blurring into each other.
Once Nemo had said his name to the crowd, Atro made him and Trevally shake hands. His calloused palm was left outstretched from a moment before she shook it, her hand quickly being pulled back after a second. Given that she was one of the older students, he hadn’t gotten to interact with her much before. That was probably a good thing, judging from her reaction.
As he stared out at the crowd, Nemo thought about why he was doing this. He could prove that he was capable of winning the games, he’d be able to provide more for his mother. Nemo would be able to finally give her the life she deserved, he’d finally be able to pay her back for everything she’d done for him over the years. His family would have better lives after he won.
Nemo was brought back to the edge of the stage, crutching his way over to the stairs. It took a second for him to manage to get down them without incident, but given that he’d gotten up them, going down was a lot easier.
Following the escort, with Trevally also in front of him, Nemo started to find himself surrounded by peacekeepers again. This time, they surrounded the whole group and not just him. They’d be taking a transport to the justice building, where he’d have to say goodbye to his mother and crew. He was convinced that it wouldn’t be a final goodbye, though he was still intent on making the most of it. Everything was slowly becoming real as he found himself inside the metal transport.
Goodbyes
Nemo had never been to the justice building before. This wasn’t exactly surprising, as he’d had no reason to visit it in the past. It did mean, however, that he was very tempted to look around and absorb the scenery as he made his way inside the towering marble structure. Instead of taking in the sights, he chose to keep his head high and stare straight ahead as he made his way to the room that he’d been assigned to receive others in. The peacekeepers stationed themselves both inside and outside the room.
The room itself was well-decorated, with blue curtains that let in the light from the bright summer sun, and a painting of the ocean next to them. Apparently the justice building had been built away from the water to prevent any storm damage, and therefore was slightly more removed from the academy and the port city that Nemo had spent most of his life near.
The first visitor to enter the room, shortly after Nemo had settled into an armchair, was Uncle Jordan. He might not have been Nemo’s real uncle, but that didn’t matter to the newly appointed tribute. Following Jordan was his husband, the ship’s cook. For a brief moment, with Nemo unsure of what to say to his family, he stayed seated in the same place.
The silence wasn’t awkward, and almost felt warm. It was nice just to be in the presence of people that he loved. However, there was the expectation that they were here to say goodbye, and therefore Nemo had to say something eventually.
“Congratulations, Nemo. I suppose it’s all my training that got you here, right?” joked Jordan, grinning at Nemo. There was something behind his eyes that felt more melancholy than the volunteer was used to seeing, something that made him think his uncle thought that this would be their last goodbye. How could someone he’d grown up around not have any faith in him?
Carassus nodded at his husband’s words before giving a small shake of his head. They both knew that Nemo’s determination and career academy training was the real thing that had gotten him this far. Still, Jordan had been making a joke, which they both understood. Nemo managed to crack a smile and reach out to shake his uncle’s hand.
“Goodbye, Uncle Jordan,” replied Nemo, his voice light. Back when he was a kid, this might have made him cry, but gone was the young boy who cried at any minor inconvenience. He’d long since learned that in order to gain any respect from everyone else, he had to be strong. Shaking his uncle’s hand and promising the two men in front of him that he’d be back was part of that.
Once Jordan and Carassus had made their exit, more of the crew showed up, quickly saying goodbye to Nemo in quick succession. They all had mixed responses to his departure, as some of them looked like they had more faith in him than others. It wasn’t long before the parade of almost everyone he’d known his entire life had entered and subsequently left.
With each passing visitor, Nemo came to realize that he was receiving far fewer visitors than his district partner. Maybe it was a combination of Trevally being so incredibly beloved by their career academy peers, or maybe it was the fact that he lived on a fishing boat. Either way, he couldn’t help feeling a little dejected. Surely everyone that he cared about would stop by.
The next person up was his mother. Captain Ariadne strode in with her usual confidence, immediately beelining toward her sun. She opened her arms up to Nemo, enveloping him in a hug that he tentatively returned. It had been a long time since he’d hugged his mother, though he supposed that if any occasion called for a hug, it would be now.
“You’re going to do great, Nemo. I believe in you,” she spoke, her voice never wavering. The usual glint of determination in her eyes had been replaced with something else, a similar look to Uncle Jordan’s. There was less sadness there, and his mother looked more resolute than the others had. Nemo nodded, not wanting to be the first one to pull away from the hug.
Eventually, they both let go, and they exchanged a few awkward words, neither knowing what to truly say. To Captain Ariadne, this might be a final goodbye, but to Nemo this was only the beginning of something else. Once he’d won the games, once he’d triumphed over the other tributes and had proven himself, he could come home and give her everything she deserved.
“I’ll- I’ll see you when you get home, ok? We’ll all be watching. You’ve got this. Don’t listen to anyone that says you don’t,” she continued. This time, her voice did break, causing Nemo to feel his shoulders curving in slightly.
“I know, mom. Goodbye,” he replied with a shake of his head as she moved to leave the room after the peacekeeper signaled that her time was up. Mother and son took one last look at each other before the doors shut ominously, the echo reverberating in his stomach. He realized that he hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast, and that he’d have to eat something on the train to keep his energy up. Once his mother was gone, he found the dread creeping in. However, there was one last guest.
When Halosaur entered the room, Nemo was surprised to see him. The peacekeeper told the other trainee that he didn’t have much time, to which Halosaur nodded and quickly walked over to where Nemo had sat back down in the armchair.
“Good luck, man. Trevally’s super smart, watch out for her,” Halosaur imparted what he must have thought to be a shining pearl of wisdom to Nemo, grinning whilst he did so. Nemo, who already knew that his district partner was smart, let out a quick sigh. He had questions that he wanted to ask Halosaur, questions that had bubbled up during the week of training he’d spent in the career academy. Halosaur didn’t seem very interested in answering them, though, as he was already heading back out the door.
“Thanks,” muttered Nemo as the doors were closed once more. He was left alone in the room with the peacekeeper, whose face was obscured by a helmet and a mask. Soon enough, the doors opened once again to reveal Atro, this year’s escort for district four.
“Well, let’s get going, shall we?” flourished Atro, motioning for Nemo to follow him out of the room. For a second, they looked at each other, then Nemo let out a long suffering sigh before picking up his crutches once more.
Train Rides
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve actually got to be kidding me,” immediately announced Trevally, the train beginning to move as she started to pace around the cabin. As she moved, she had to steady herself, her balance automatically fixing itself in the manner of a sailor gaining their sea legs. Nemo, on the other hand, had wheeled himself over to the table where he now sat staring at his newly announced district partner. She looked at him for a moment, then let out a loud sigh.
Nemo was used to being looked at with some semblance of pity. This wasn’t pity, though. This was annoyance. Trevally looked at him as though he was some sort of annoying bug, as if he was ruining all of her carefully laid plans. In a way, he was.
“Trevally, please. Have some manners,” replied Atro. The escort, with his sandy blonde hair and many tattoos, let out a sigh as well. Nemo found himself accidentally making eye contact with Atro, who gave him a respectful nod. He wasn’t quite sure what to do in response, instead staring at the escort with the same steely gaze that he’d had throughout the entire reaping.
“He’s seventeen! Why would Halosaur pick a kid? It makes no sense! There’s no precedent for a kid volunteering. You’ve got to be kidding me,” Trevally added, continuing to pace. Her words were more directed toward the mentors and less toward the others in the room, her eyes now fixed on the two victors as if they could give her some sort of answer to her questions.
“That’s what you’re concerned about? In that case, carry on,” remarked the escort, rolling his eyes slightly. Nemo already knew why Atro had been attempting to placate Trevally in the first place. Atro was being too friendly to Nemo, trying too hard to act as though he wasn’t worried about his health. It wasn’t unexpected from a Capitolite, it just made Nemo feel even more out of place.
Skerry also let out a sigh, then gestured for Trevally to sit down. The twenty year old did so unwillingly, plopping into her chair next to Nemo with an expression of irritation. Back behind them, sitting on the couch in front of the television, Charax was currently doing something on her tablet. If he had to guess, it probably had to do with the reaping recaps they’d be watching soon.
“Atro, I say this politely, but it’s not your job to worry about the tributes. Leave that to me and Charax,” Skerry spoke, waving a hand in the escort’s direction. He nodded, though he didn’t seem interested in leaving the matter alone.
From what Nemo remembered, this was Atro’s first year in district four, though he’d been working with district seven for a couple years prior. He supposed that this was considered a promotion, and that Atro probably was just trying to make himself look good. It didn’t matter that there weren’t any cameras shining on them. Atro surely wanted to make a good impression.
“Why wouldn’t Halosaur tell me the plan? I knew he wasn’t going to go through with volunteering, I just thought he’d… never mind. Nemo, what did he say to you?” asked Trevally, suddenly turning in her seat to look at her district partner.
Shrugging, Nemo thought back to his conversation with Halosaur a couple days before. He was under no obligation to tell Trevally anything, even if it would have been in the spirit of cooperation between the two.
“I don’t know why he didn’t tell you anything,” Nemo replied, meeting Trevally’s eyes. She looked like she wanted to say more, but instead sat back in her seat to look at Charax over on the couch. If she was looking to Charax for answers, then she probably wouldn’t get any. Everyone knew that the newly appointed mentor wouldn’t be able to help with anything in that area.
For a second, the train car fell silent. No one wanted to be the first one to speak, though it was clear they were all uncomfortable. Atro appeared as though he wanted to say something, though he stayed quiet as well.
“Are we ready to watch the reapings? I set up the recap so that it’ll automatically show the ones we’ve missed,” Charax broke the silence, standing up from the couch and grabbing something from a side table. She handed both Trevally and Nemo notebooks, along with pens, causing the two tributes to nod at her in appreciation. For a second, Charax turned back to go to the couch, then seemed to realize that she’d forgotten something. Her expression barely changed, as it rarely did, her attention turning to Nemo.
“I’ll be mentoring you, and Skerry will be mentoring Trevally,” added Charax flatly. Nemo felt his heart sink. He’d been hoping to get Skerry as his mentor. Given that it was Charax’s first year mentoring, and the victor was known to have been almost completely absent from the public eye after her games until a few months ago, he didn’t have high hopes for her mentoring abilities.
He thought back to when he’d watched Charax’s games. He’d only recently started at the career academy at that point, and it had been one of the few times when the ship had been docked for several weeks. Nemo didn’t remember much about her games, but there had never been any explanation for why she’d seemingly lost any personality she used to have before her victory.
Trevally looked over at Nemo, her expression being a kinder gesture that seemed to be telling him “good luck”. Maybe he’d be surprised, and both his district partner and mentor would turn out to be better than he’d thought. He doubted that, though.
Several platters of food and drinks were brought out by the train staff, all placed on the table in front of them. Skerry immediately took a glass of orange juice, motioning for the tributes to take whatever they wanted. Most of the food looked odd to Nemo, as it was full of things he’d never seen before. On the ship, they’d mainly eaten rations, and the career academy cafeteria hadn’t had this wide of an array of dishes either. To be better safe than sorry, he took a small plate of fruit and some greens.
“Alright, that should be it,” Charax gestured toward the television screen, the sound now muted. The reapings recap had finished playing, and Nemo’s notebook was full of hastily scrawled notes on the other tributes. It had taken long enough that they’d been able to watch the district one and two reapings in real time, with the reaping from the Capitol being last.
It still perplexed Nemo that there were tributes from the Capitol. He knew they were criminals, that they’d committed some sort of crime to warrant them being sent into the games, but the concept had never made much sense to him. Despite this, he still dutifully noted down his split second observations about the two tributes as soon as they appeared.
Atro had gone off to another part of the train during the recap, and had only just returned when Charax announced that the reapings were over. Nemo still wasn’t sure what to make of the escort, though he was leaning toward disliking him.
“The career pack looks strong this year. My best guess is that Apotheosis will be the leader. The Capitol already loves him, if the announcers are anything to go by, and he seems like the type to want control over the rest of the group,” Trevally began to speak, her eyes narrowing as she read out some of her notes. For a second, Nemo paused, then let her continue. She definitely seemed to know what she was doing, probably more so than he did. Granted, she’d had more academy training than him.
“Anelace, on the other hand, looks dangerous but might not be as much of a problem. See the way she was so concerned about her dress as she moved up to the stage? I can’t tell if that’s her being vain or putting up a front. I think the Capitol will also like her a lot,” added Trevally. She had no intention of slowing down, and it took Skerry holding up a hand to make her pause.
As Trevally stopped to catch her breath, Nemo looked at his own notes. From his observations, all of the other careers were older than him. That wasn’t surprising, as normally careers waited until their later reaping aged years to get the volunteer spot. His situation was atypical, and wasn’t exactly normal. Still, what had he been supposed to do? Give up his chance? That simply hadn’t been an option. Even Halosaur giving him the opportunity had been unprecedented.
“Can I continue?” asked Trevally, looking at her mentor. Her voice sounded a bit annoyed, though that was probably because Skerry had stopped her. Skerry nodded, though she looked at Nemo to see if he’d have any input on the other tributes.
“Kvasir looks like the type to follow Apotheosis around. Ecdysis will also be dangerous. She looks like the type that’ll betray us, so we’ll have to keep an eye on her. I predict that I’ll be the strategist of the pack. We’ll see if we work well together or not,” finished Trevally, sitting back in her chair with her hands folded once she stopped speaking.
Trying to ignore the fact that she hadn’t mentioned him, even though she mentioned herself, Nemo looked at her quizzically. How had she figured all of this out? He didn’t think he was bad at reading people, but he certainly couldn’t have gleaned that much information from seeing the other tributes ascend to their respective reaping stages in their districts.
“How can you be so sure about this?” he finally asked, causing everyone in the room to look at him. Trevally raised an eyebrow, then her face quickly shifted into a smile. She leaned forward, glancing around at everyone else.
“I’m never wrong. Plus, I’ve studied past games, and I know the patterns that happen every year. There’s usually a career pack leader, and someone always ends up betraying the pack. If you know the patterns, it’s easy to figure out who slots into each role,” she replied, shrugging as she did so. Personally, Nemo thought she was being a little too overconfident.
Looking down at his notes again, he frowned. He’d written more about the outlier tributes than the careers, and a thought suddenly occurred to him. He looked around until his eyes landed on Charax, who was back sitting on the couch behind him.
“The district thirteen reaping. You missed it,” he said, causing Charax to let out a sigh. Trevally blinked in surprise, then also turned to Charax. The mentor reluctantly picked up the remote, then the television flickered back to life. The reaping stage of district thirteen came into view, the video began to play, and everything went normally until it was time for the second tribute.
For a second, Nemo didn’t process what happened on the screen, only really focusing on it when Trevally’s hand flew to her mouth. The district thirteen boy had volunteered. He looked older than Nemo, and the entire crowd had fallen silent when he’d raised his hand. A group of peacekeepers swarmed around him as he walked up to the stage, a sly grin on his face.
“We need to keep an eye on him. His name was Aryl, right? This could be hard to deal with,” added Trevally, still looking stunned. Nemo, on the other hand, was more curious rather than worried. Outlier district volunteers rarely occurred.
“Has district thirteen ever had a volunteer?” Nemo asked, glancing over to Trevally, his eyes going to her instead of to the mentors. Before Skerry had even started to shake her head, Trevally was already doing the same.
“I don’t believe so. If they have, it hasn’t been recent,” she responded. The cabin grew silent again, and Nemo found himself staring out the window. The landscape that was passing by already looked different from anything he’d ever known. He wondered what the ship and its crew were doing back home. Was his mother proud of him? He certainly hoped she was. It had been hard to tell when they’d said goodbye, but he liked to think that the whole crew would be proud of him.
Stylists + Chariots
For Nemo, it was impossible to tell what his stylist would be like. He was expecting the worst, which was a good mindset to have, given that he was going into a veritable lion’s den of Capitolites. Much to his annoyance, even though he was prepared for it, his stylist was worse than he could have ever imagined. Ryo, as he’d introduced himself to Nemo, was a new level of condescending.
When he’d first entered the room, and had to deal with his prep team, Nemo felt the same level of shame that he’d felt from turning up at the career academy for the first time. The prep team didn’t care at all that he was a person, treating him as though he was a new shiny toy that they could make pretty. Their names quickly slipped his mind as he tried to tune their words out.
It took almost half an hour of being poked and prodded for the prep team to finally retreat. They’d cooed over him like he was a baby, looking as though someone had committed some horrible offense when he told them that he couldn’t stand for long.
Nemo was more than done with them by the time his stylist entered. He’d been given a set of linen clothes to wear while he waited, and wasn’t surprised in the slightest to see his stylist let out a heavy sigh as soon as he entered the room. Ryo, who must have also had some surname that he didn’t share with Nemo, practically glared at his styling charge when they both sat down together.
In some ways, Ryo was both a punch in the face and a breath of fresh air. As he sat down in front of Nemo, he appraised him with a raised eyebrow, then tapped wordlessly on the table to display a small hologram.
“We’ll make something work. Can you stand at all?” Ryo spoke with a bitter tone, almost as if it was Nemo’s fault that he’d been assigned to him. When the district four tribute nodded, not bothering to respond with words that would almost surely be rebuked, the stylist flicked the hologram away and stood up. The prep team reemerged from wherever they’d been hiding, then pulled out a clothing rack with a single garment bag on it. They wheeled it over to Nemo, and unzipped it to reveal his costume.
The costume itself was a vibrant blue, almost looking as though it had scales on it. There was an overskirt with a ruffled piece that appeared to be fins, with hints of red woven throughout. The entire thing was overly shiny and holographic, the light bouncing off of it in a way that made Nemo’s head hurt. Before he was made to wear it, though, he had to make a quick request.
“I can’t stand for very long without support. Do you have some sort of hip brace available?” asked Nemo, wincing as the words left his mouth. He absolutely hated advocating for himself, especially when it was for something involving his disability. Nemo much preferred to do things on his own whenever possible. To his surprise, Ryo nodded, though it was a curt nod.
After more work from the prep team to dress him and finish his makeup, he found himself being placed in front of a large mirror that spanned the entire wall. Not wanting to look at himself for very long, he simply nodded at the prep team.
The loading bay of the chariot coliseum was large enough to house all fourteen chariots and a large group of people that were working to make sure the parade went smoothly. With ceilings that went up to the bottom of the stands above, Nemo was surprised at how vast the place felt. Even back at the career academy, he’d never been in a place this large.
With his hip brace on, and crutches at his sides, Nemo managed to move over to where his district partner stood waiting for him. Trevally was dressed almost identically to him, though her skirt was longer and there was more orange than red in it.
She glanced over at her district partner, let out a sigh of her own, then stared straight ahead at their target. The district four chariot was almost identical to the other chariots, with the same white horses pulling it, minus the engraved numeral four in the side of it. Trevally began to move, not waiting for Nemo to catch up with her as she strode towards the chariot.
“I guess it’s time to meet the other careers. Why’d they get better outfits than we did?” complained Trevally, rolling her eyes as she finally stopped in front of the chariot. It was true, the outfits for districts one and two looked less ridiculous than what they’d been placed in. District one wore a gold and burgundy costume, while district two was dressed in silver.
“Luck of the draw, I guess,” replied Nemo with a shrug. He did his best to make his voice sound flat and uninterested, hiding any sort of nerves he might have had about the whole experience. Trevally’s mouth twitched, though she said nothing after that.
Their mentors had warned them that the other careers would most likely try to talk to them during the preparation period for the parade, so Nemo wasn’t surprised at all when the other career tributes started heading toward them.
As they approached, he went through their names again in his head. The shorter man was Apotheosis, though he wasn’t really that short in comparison to a normal person. Kvasir, the district two tribute, was just really tall. He towered over the rest of them, his eyes darting around to look at the rest of the gathered tributes near their assigned chariots.
Anelace was the girl from district one, with her makeup perfectly applied by the prep team and her nails long enough to resemble claws. The final member of the pack, Ecdysis, trailed behind Kvasir with a lazy gait that suggested she didn’t care about meeting the other careers. It was interesting that they picked the district four chariot to congregate at, though he wasn’t exactly surprised.
“District four! Nice to meet you. I’m Apotheosis, though you probably knew that already. You’re Trevally and Nemo, right?” grinned Apotheosis, nodding at the people that would most likely become his allies in the arena.
“Likewise. Your costumes are… interesting,” added Anelace as she examined her talonlike nails. Ecdysis and Kvasir looked at each other, with Kvasir giving the other tributes a respectful nod and Ecdysis crossing her arms. Trevally, upon hearing the insult to the costume that she wore, didn’t react in the way Nemo thought she would. Instead, she simply smiled at the district one tribute.
“Not like we could pick them. How was the train ride for you?” Trevally responded with a tilt of her head. Apotheosis was the one to answer, speaking both for his district partner and the rest of the group. The curly haired girl at Nemo’s side gave her district partner a subtle look of pride, probably due to her train ride predictions looking like they’d be correct.
“The food was great. They let our mentors have wine, for some reason, and didn’t even offer it to us,” quipped Apotheosis, causing Kvasir to let out a laugh. Trevally gave a polite smile back, while Ecdysis rolled their eyes.
“You’ve got one of the younger mentors this year, right? That’s a shame,” Anelace directed her question towards Nemo and Trevally, with Trevally being the one to nod. At this point, Nemo was trying not to feel like a fish out of water from the way that the other careers would occasionally glance down at him and his crutches. Clearly they didn’t like him.
He was used to this, however. As long as he was able to push his emotions away, he could be strong enough to not let it bother him. Kvasir, who was looking around, somehow had made eye contact with the district thirteen volunteer as the two outlier tributes made their way back to their chariot. Aryl grinned, then flipped him off, giving Nemo a wink when he spotted him looking.
The district two tribute’s mouth curled up in a snarl before turning his attention back to the group. Nemo’s attention was still on the tributes from thirteen, where the girl was trying to step between Aryl and his view of the careers. They looked like they were having a tense conversation as they wandered all the way back to the district thirteen chariot at the end of the line.
Before the chariot ride itself, there were several more minutes of Nemo standing awkwardly with the other careers as he tried not to let the pain in his legs bother him. The crutches and hip brace were helpful, but not helpful enough. He didn’t want to damage himself before training had even started. However, eventually, it was time for them to board the chariots.
As the vehicles rolled out onto the parade track, with Nemo standing stoically still and occasionally giving a small wave to the crowd, it wasn’t hard to notice that the majority of the crowd wasn’t cheering for him. District one and district two had gotten much louder cheers, which didn’t really surprise him. It still hurt, though he pretended once more like it didn’t bother him.
By the time he was removed from the chariot and he made his way to the wheelchair that had been provided, he didn’t even feel like talking to Atro. Nemo would let Trevally and Atro talk as they worked their way up to the district four apartment.