sweet dreams are made of these /mentors/

[shimmer gleam stone]

Shimmer ran a hand through her hair as she studied the live broadcast of the Hunger Games. She had sponsors lined up for her tributes already, more waiting to meet with her. And with how people were talking about them, her charges would be well stocked…they'd stand a change, a huge chance, of getting near to the end. Unless they didn't ally with the other Careers…then their chances would be lowered, but not significantly. The blue eyes scanned the screen carefully, tapping her fingers against her chin.

Things were doing well so far. Nothing seemed off about her tributes. She'd studied them both in the sixty seconds before the gong had sounded. And she hadn't noticed anything worrying. No looks of regret, no longing glances, not even winning smiles. Her tributes were collected. Shimmer purposefully kept her gaze away from the mane of dreadlocks possessed by Atticus. She'd learned to do this in the short time she'd been with both of the tributes. It was better than constantly wanting to take a pair of scissors to the boy's hair.

As she pulled her eyes away from the screen, she heard the cannons start to blast. This was enough of a sign for her that she could leave her position and get something to eat or drink. It was now late enough in the day that she could start drinking without being criticized about it. After ten a.m. was always acceptable, right?

With a sigh, Shimmer summoned an avox and had him get her a bottle of whatever he could find. After the man left, she walked out into the hallway and leaned against the wall, her eyes drooping shut. She hadn't gotten a good night's rest the night before. She seldom slept well when the Games were going on. Being in the Capitol at this time of year brought on nightmares, along with a longing for someone who could never come back. It was one of the many reasons why she had started to hate coming to the Capitol.

[cotton jonnie weaver]

Cotton stared at the screen, searching for the blond hair of the small girl. As his gray eyes searched, he murmured, "Tabby, Tabby, where is the Tabby?" He completely ignored his boy tribute and found the blond hair. "TABBY!" He cried out excitedly, scaring an avox nearby. Cotton ignored them and pressed his nose to the glass of the screen, wanting to sink into the arena with her and help her. She reminded him of a more feminine version of himself when he was twelve. The same willingness to kill, the same bubbly nature... Yeah, it was like seeing the girl version of Cotton running around.

He remembered his time in the arena very clearly. However, it did not give him nightmares. It did not give him joy. It gave him nothing. It was just like watching a documentary of someone else's life. Not his own. However, he had not charged into the arena like she had. He had merely stood and watched as everyone ran around like maniacs. See unlike training, in the arena no one held back. They revealed all their secrets. When he had been satisfied with the knowledge gained, he had picked up a knife that others thought useless and crept back into the tropical paradise. Though, it turns out, get this, that the paradise was not paradise at all.

Nothing was able to be consumed without killing the consumer. It drove the tributes together. Except for Cotton. Once he had used the knife to cut his unnecessary clothing up, he threw the knife away, no longer having need for it. Then he struck at night, scoring a pair of night vision goggles. He ransacked the other tributes supplies, destroying what he did not need to eat instead of hiding it. When he last competition, a career, succumbed to thirst and drank some of the poisoned water, Cotton was declared the winner of the sixty-ninth hunger games.

Cotton blinked and his memories faded. He looked at his list of sponsors and frowned, it was much to small. Cotton then looked around furtively and picked up the list of sponsors that he stolen from the District Two mentor. He then picked up one of the phones, making calls to each of the sponsors. He heard a noise outside the room and followed it, sticking his curly head out the door. He found Shimmer, a fellow victor and mentor, leaning against the wall. "Hello Sunshine!" Cotton called loudly, his voice echoing down the hall.