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MOST OF THE DAY, HESTIA SLEPT. At night, her mind and body wouldn't allow her eyes to shut, her senses to turn off and allow the chance for another tribute to strike.
Tiredness caught up to her as the others awoke, eyelids falling slowly as she tried to stay awake. At times, she would find herself opening her jet-black eyes without having been aware they were closed.
"You can sleep, you know." It was the cowboy who first noticed her dozing off, nudging Mizzen and pointing at her slouching form. "We aren't going to kill you...yet."
Hestia fixed him with a harsh glare, eyes narrowed as she sat upright, appearing ready to attack.
"It was a joke." The boy held his hands out in surrender. Turning to Mizzen he widened his eye, "Tough crowd."
I was joking too. With a small groan, Hestia laid back down, shutting her eyes once more. It was rare for someone to realize when she was just kidding, her face and tone never quite hinting at playfulness the way others' did. On the rare occasion someone did realize, they hardly ever responded in a way that kept Hestia engaged.
"If that Festus boy comes, tell him to go away." She didn't peek to see if anyone nodded, allowing her body to go slack as her senses faded, sleep finally taking over.
She managed three hours asleep before Mizzen shook her away, eyes slightly fearful as she squinted up at him.
"Your mentor is here—" she rolled her eyes, and the boy quickened his words, "I told him to go away! Swear."
Pushing herself up so she was standing, she muttered to him that it was fine, eyes adjusting to the bright light. Once the spots of white disappeared from her vision, she spotted Festus, standing in the same spot as the day before, already looking at her.
Mizzen's mentor was present as well, something of a relief to Hestia. The boy played with a stick as he approached her, casting anxious glances at his District partner.
"You're back," Hestia all but teased, "Why?"
"Well," Festus wore his ever present smirk, "I was going to leave you alone, like you seem to want, but then I was in the cafeteria and realized it was double decker grilled cheese day, and it would be rude of me to let you die without having tasted the...magnificence of Capitol cheese and bread."
Bread and cheese likely produced in Districts Nine and Ten, though unaffordable for most, if not all, of its citizens.
