siren of the sea

Jackson nodded and rubbed his hand up and down her back. It was a lot to take in and a lot of planning to do. He was scared for Prim. He was scared for her mother. He couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to lose a child, but to lose both? How much bend could a parent take before they broke altogether? If she died, he knew he’d have to return to Twelve long enough to help her and make sure she was okay. It was still ingrained in him to take care of the people he used to know and be a part of. He had spent so long away from them that it was faded, but he knew it was still there. 

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Jackson said with a small breath. “It’s just… when you grow up in Twelve, it’s automatically different. But when you grow up in the Seam…” he trailed off, thinking back to his sickly father right before he died. He barely remembered his mother. He swallowed and shook his head. “…it’s harder than you think. We take care of each other in the Seam because that’s all we have.”

 If it wasn’t so tragic it would have been almost nice.  A community coming together to help each other was a sweet concept and were it not life or death, Marina almost would have wanted to live in a society like that.  Neighbors helping neighbors.  It was nice.  But she was glad Waverly would never grow up in that world.  She would never see it.

“it’s like a family.  You help each other because you have to.  I’ve never lived like that, but I think I can understand the sense of community that can spawn from desperation.”

Motherhood was a whole other journey in life, one Vesper herself wasn’t too sure she would take. She didn’t have the best parents growing up, and she trained kids every year to prepare for The Games, a reminder of the chance that her family could be ripped apart once again courtesy of The Games. “Well, good. Hopefully it’ll stay that way even when she gets older.” She even crossed her fingers for emphasis, the corner of her lips turning up in a smirk.

Marina smiled and watched her.  “We can only hope.”  She wanted Waverly to grow up into a confident and strong young woman.  While she wanted to keep her daughter as far away from the Games as possible, she knew that cloud would always be looming.  She had to be ready for that.  Jackson would agree and she knew he would help give their daughter everything she needed for a leg up in the odds.  “It still seems unreal to me.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be sure to do that.” Briella wasn’t worry about that. She had been told time and time again that the training center wasn’t a place for taking risks. “I’ll shine even more once training scores come out.” Though she wasn’t quite sure yet what she wanted to do for her training. Thankfully they had a few days left to figure it out.

Briella couldn’t help but shrug at Marina’s question. “I am keeping my options open.” It wasn’t much of an answer, but it was where she was right now too. There wasn’t any situation she would flat out tell the District Four mentor no. It wasn’t like Four’s tributes weren’t worth considering. “Not impressed with the guy from One though…” She told her to see Marina’s response. The kid was lackluster to say the least. A District One robot.

She was genuinely curious to see what the girl from Two would do for her training.  Scores were, arguably, the most important factor when it came to getting her tributes an alliance.  Sure, there was the issue of trust and skills that were useful, but knowing which tributes were dangerous and had high potential....that was the important thing.

However, her comment about the career pack and the boy from One had Marina wondering if she should tell her tributes to look elsewhere for their alliances this game.  “One definitely seems.....odd this year.  I think they’re getting so desperate for a victor they’ll send whoever they think can do the most damage.”

Rory kept his eyes trained on Waverly, a soft smile on his face as she babbled away. He hummed every so often, to let her know he was listening. He remembered how upset Posy used to get when people treated her as though she was stupid, even before she knew enough real Panemian words to actually make any sense to anyone.

“I feel honoured,” he replied, shifting up on the sofa to make room. Of everyone he’d met in the Capitol, he felt like Waverly’s opinion of him was one of the most important ones.

At Marina’s words, his gaze flicked back to the TV for a moment. “Yeah. I’m not really a people person, I figured it couldn’t hurt to take notes.” 

Should he ask for help? Marina had won the Games after all, and she’d had a recent victor in Lincoln Conway. After a brief internal struggle, he shifted around to look at her. “Do you have any tips?” he asked.

Waverly’s eyes lit up whenever Rory acknowledged her, only encouraging the infant to babble more.  It was as though she was trying to hold a whole conversation with him.  While the small girl was used to having these babble conversations with her parents, it was nice for her to interact with others in the same way.  Marina could tell Rory had experience with little kids.

Smiling slightly, she adjusted Waverly on her lap, allowing the infant to face Rory while they conversed.  “You’ve got experience with babies.  It shows.”  

His question didn’t surprise her.  Tributes often asked for help with things, but she also knew some tributes didn’t trust her.  Especially those from the outer districts just saw her as a career from Four.  “For the interview, you want to be yourself to a degree,” she started.  “And the Capitol is picky.....they know what they want to hear, but they don’t want you to say it just because they want to hear it.  If they feel like you aren’t being genuine you’ll lose them.  It’s hard to find a balance, but your escort can help, or Jackson, or even me.”

Jackson looked up at his girlfriend, smiling appreciatively at her as he leaned in to give her a sweet, longing kiss on the lips before pulling away. He gently pushed his forehead against hers and sighed, leaning up again. 

“I know,” he said. “Thank you for putting up with this. I wish you didn’t have to.”

He bent down and adjusted the knee brace on his left leg, wincing a little at the pain he was still experiencing from it. He licked his lips before sitting up, looking out over the training area.

Marina returned the kiss.  Simple moments of quiet intimacy was something she would never take for granted.  It allowed them the chance to just be themselves.

“You don’t have to thank me,” she told him after the kiss broke.  “I love you and I’ll be with you through all of it.”  That was part of being in a relationship, or so Marina thought.  “I just hate how much stress this is putting on you and wish I could help ease it away.”

Rory was most scared for his interview. He knew he couldn’t hope to do something as show-stealing as Peeta had when he confessed his love for Katniss in front of the entire nation, but he had to do something to improve Prim’s chances. Anything.

He was watching interviews from previous Games, analysing every answer and movement in search of some inspiration, when he heard the elevator doors opening.

Expecting Prim, he paused the TV and turned to look over the back of the sofa. Instead he found himself looking at Marina Zale. Marina had been receiving a lot of buzz in Twelve recently because she was the girlfriend of one of their only victors. She was probably one of the few victors from outside his district that he recognised, discounting the most recent ones.

His eyes dropped to the baby in her arms and he smiled softly, reaching up a hand to give Waverly a little wave.

“I haven’t seen him,” he told her mother. “You’re welcome to stay until he comes back, though. I’m just watching old interviews.”

Waverly was immediately entranced by Rory.  He waved at her and her tiny legs kicked out and she babbled happily, as if to tell him all about her adventures for the day.  Honestly, it was sweet and Marina was glad to see her daughter wasn’t nervous around the tribute.  She could only imagine being a tribute around a crying baby wouldn’t be high on a priority list.

“She likes you,” Marina chuckled.  “If you don’t mind the company that would be good.”  She could wait for Jackson to return and make small talk with the boy.  Marina knew Jackson was a little more concerned about getting Prim out than Rory, but she also knew he just desperately wanted a victor.

Her gaze moved to the paused tv when she sat down, noticing the image of Caesar frozen on screen.  “Interview research?” she asked while Waverly kept happily babbling to Rory.

“That’s right, you had your baby. Congratulations.” Vesper offered a genuine smile. Usually the Capitol news and gossip went ignored by her, but when it came to weddings and births, Vesper tried to keep that in her mind. It was nice to see the Victors finding their pockets of happiness even in Panem. It was sweet in all the grim and injustice. 

“Hopefully she’s not giving you too much trouble,” she added, giving another roll of her shoulder. 

Marina smiled genuinely. “Thank you.”  It was always nice when people were happy for her.  She adored her daughter.  Motherhood was a challenge but she loved every second of it so far.  “Oh not too much.  She just gets very upset when we have to leave her.  I don’t think she’s quite grasped object permanence yet.  It’s definitely an adventure but I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.”

“I am not completely foolish. I would work my way up to the hardest setting.” At the very least, if Briella found one of the other setting difficult, she would never attempt it with other people around. No one, sponsor or tribute, needed to see her struggle with anything. It wasn’t a good message to send going into the arena. “I certainly do want to try it before I go.” There wouldn’t be another chance to try it if she didn’t.

Briella paused for a moment wondering if she should even ask what was on her mind, but it didn’t hurt. Marina was one of the mentors for the District Four team. “Have you gotten to speak with your tributes much?”

Marina smiled at the girl.  “That’s good.  I’d hate to see you embarrass yourself.  It’s important to shine during training.”  Surely the District Two trainers had told her as much.  “You should try it though, just take it slow.  It could be a good way to get a feel for the unexpected.”

She paused for a brief moment, her gaze momentarily searching for her tributes.  “I’ve spoken with them some,” she admitted.  “They’re good kids.”  All tributes were good kids, at least for the most part.  There were a few exceptions in recent memory that Marina didn’t want to dwell on.   “What about you?  I’m interested to see what you all are thinking about a pack this year.”

The closer they got to the arena the more Marina had to do, but sometimes she needed a break.  That didn’t seem like too much to ask for.  She rode the elevator up to the penthouse level with Waverly happily babbling in her arms, tiny legs kicking out.  When the doors opened she stepped out onto the Twelfth floor in search of her boyfriend, but didn’t see him.

Instead she found his tribute.  A soft smile formed on her lips as she approached the boy.  Waverly kept babbling happily and Marina shifted her grip on the infant.  “Sorry to intrude,” she started softly.  “I was looking for Jackson.  Is he up here?”

Jackson felt her sit beside him and he couldn’t bring himself to look at her completely. She didn’t deserve this from him, but fate had other plans. He was struggling with the memory of the 74th Games and how close they had gotten to nabbing a victory from Katniss. Peeta, maybe. He played the Game smarter than most, but Katniss was a symbol. She had been a symbol for hope and he could feel his three fingers burning as he, too, lifted the honorable gesture once to her. Marina would never understand what it feels like to be a kid from the Seam, let alone District Twelve. He had to accept that. 

“I know,” Jackson told her. “but you won’t. It’s just hard to stomach right now.”

She reached over then, one hand resting on his knee.  Marina didn’t know what was rushing through her boyfriend’s mind, but she knew she had to be supportive.  It wasn’t easy.  She wanted to take him away from this place and make him forget all about the Everdeens, the tributes, the pressure to win, so they could just be a couple and a family.  That was what they needed, but Jackson was too stubborn.  He was too prideful to step back.

“Someday it will get easier,” she reassured him.  “And until that day you’ve got me here to help you through it.”

Jackson nodded. He could agree with that. He watched as the tall girl sparred with a trainer in the distance, but he couldn’t help but look over where Rory and Prim were at in the room, simply at a survival station. It felt too hauntingly familiar to the 74th. It was starting to make him feel sick to his stomach. 

“It feels too close to the 74th, Marina,” Jackson said in a low voice. “A couple of strong Careers and an Everdeen? The only thing we’re missing is another Rue and a Foxface.” He glanced over at the kid from Five. He looked a little lost as he sat by himself tinkering with a piece of rope. He didn’t seem as cunning as that girl from Five did a few years prior. “I don’t know what to do.”

She moved around to sit on the bench beside him, leaning into his side when she did.  This was a lot for him to handle and Marina knew that, but she also didn’t know how to make a difference.  The odds were Primrose would die just like her sister did and there was nothing either of them could really do about it.

Marina pressed a kiss to his cheek and sighed.  “I don’t know what to do about it either,” she told him, “but you can’t let it eat you alive.  If you do then it doesn’t matter what the outcome is.  Waverly and I will lose you either way.”

“Yeah,” she replied with a small nod, “just landed on my shoulder when he did a take-down move on me.” Vesper had been warming up before she was going to meet with her kids for some basic lessons. She hoped the kids from Ten would get far this year, further than just the first couple of days, anyway. Ten needed to bring home a Victor soon.

Vesper rolled her shoulder again and then shook out her arm, “I’ll live, I’ve dealt with worse.” She offered an assuring smile to Marina. “Did you just get here?”

Marina nodded in understanding.  While she wasn’t the best at hand to hand combat, she’d had her fair share of injuries like that over the years.  “I’m sure you have, but still I hope it feels better soon,” Marina told her.

She shrugged a little.  “Yeah, I was running a bit late.  My daughter was fussing about being left with the avox while Mommy and Daddy came to work with the tributes.”  That and she had to nurse her.  “Such is life with an infant.”

Jackson nodded, his eyes scanning the room for the other red head from District Four. She seemed odd to him, but he wasn’t going to say anything to Marina about it. He was worried about her and the Career pack in general that year. It felt too reminiscent of the 74th. His mind began to wander to Thresh and how he was holding up with everything feeling so mirrored from his year. With Prim and a star-crossed lover of her own and a strong Career pack – the only thing missing was a tiny little Rue for Prim to fall in love with. 

“That’s good,” Jackson said with a sigh. He paused for a moment before leaning his head up and looking around the room. “Who are you concerned with? As far as tributes? Who do you think poses the biggest threat?”

Marina sighed softly.  She felt comfortable there with Jackson.  It was a nice break from everything else she’d been dealing with.  This year was going to be hard on Jackson and she wanted to help him, but she also wanted to see her own tributes succeed.  Maybe that was the most difficult part of this relationship.

“The girl from One,” Marina told him.  “She’s so cold and emotionless.  She will do anything and won’t let humanity get in the way.”

Ares had barely spoken to Marina in the past. Maybe when he was a tribute. It hadn’t been recent, at least. So to know she was sitting next to him, that close, it was bothering him. He was suspicious of everyone and anyone in this building at this point so her words weren’t comforting as to whys he was sitting on the same bench as he was. 

“I’m taking a break, actually,” Ares said. He threw his walls up even harder around Marina. “There were a ton of other places you could have sat, Marina.”

She rolled her eyes when he spoke.  “This was the closest bench to the station I’d been at but if it’s going to bother you that much I’ll go.”  What the hell was his problem?  Was he trying to burn a potential career pack before it even began?  She stood up again.  “Have a nice day.”

“Thanks,” Briella told the Mentor from Four with a smile. It was nice to have her skills appreciated instead of marked up as attempts to be intimidating. Honestly she did want to be seen as a strong contender, but she wanted her skills to be appreciated too. Briella had spent many hours and hours honing her skills so they shined. Maybe too much so since it had landed her being chosen as the one that would volunteer for the games.

“Is it as hard as it’s rumored to be?” Briella asked because she knew she was going to try it, because she wanted to prove to herself she could do it. “I’ll get to them,” she promised because it was on her list of things to do. For the first training day, Briella needed to prove to the other Careers she was a worthy ally to have. “I know better than to ignore them. You never know what they’ll toss at you in the arena.”

“It depends on the settings you use,” she told her.  The simulator could be very difficult even for people like Glitter Rosseau, but it could also be a good way to practice.  “Honestly, I haven’t used the simulator in a long time.”  She wouldn’t be opposed to doing it again, but Marina spent most of her time during the training period working with her tributes on other skills, things they hadn’t covered during their time at the academy.

“If you want to give the simulator a chance, I’m sure you’ll do great.”

Jackson had to take a break after a while. While he had put a brace on his knee and he tried to take it easy, his body was still too sore to do too much. So he instructed Rory and Prim to find Serenity and stay with her while he took a break. As he sat on the bench, observing quietly with his mind wandering, he felt arms encircle his shoulders and he took in a deep, surprised breath of air and turned his head. Marina.

He lifted his hands and held onto her forearms and pressed them into his chest to keep her close while he leaned his head back against her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. 

“Missed you too,” Jackson said as he looked back out into the open training room. “They’re… as fine as they can be. Both volunteers so… they aren’t as shaken as some of the others.” He licked his lower lip. “Yours?”

Jackson held her close and Marina relaxed.  There was something nice about knowing they could just take time to be themselves despite all the chaos of the Games.  Honestly, she was worried about him with Prim and Rory.  She knew this was going to be hard for him no matter the outcome, so she wanted to be supportive.

She stayed in that position, letting him rest against her shoulder while she pondered what he said.  Just because they were volunteers didn’t mean they couldn’t be shaken.  From what Marina could tell they hadn’t been planning on volunteering until it happened.  That was different from how things operated in the Career districts.

“They’re doing well.  The girl, Delta, she’s determined but a sweetheart.”

Training meant they were both going to be busy.  Marina wasn’t thrilled about leaving Waverly with an avox while they dealt with the tributes, but she knew it was for the best.  She couldn’t very well just bring an infant to the training center.  What sort of mother would she be then?

She had worked with her tributes for awhile and observed some of the others before spotting her boyfriend sitting on one of the benches.  She came up behind him and put her arms around him.  “Missed you,” she started lightly.  “How’re your tributes doing?”  Marina knew she’d offer to help.  She wanted to make sure Jackson had all the support he could get, but she also wasn’t about to cross a line and upset him if he didn’t want that help.