just under good | jaci & beck

From the moment she saw Perdita Leto's head roll to the ground, she knew that Beck would be shattered. And to make it worse, Dominic fell only minutes after.

The first time mentoring is always the hardest. Jacinta had to do it with her sister — after going through that, watching her die to that vicious District Six, she is unbreakable. She can watch the tributes from her district die without batting an eye.

Every Games is the same to her, and has been for six years. It's just a broken record playing on repeat. Twenty-three tributes die, one lives, the Capitol celebrates while the Districts mourn. The names and faces of the tributes since Mackenzie and Ike blur together in her mind. She wasn't mentoring for a long time, but even so, she doesn't think that would have changed anything.

Perdita Leto's death was unexpected and unsettling. Of all the tributes, Jacinta thought she had the best chance at winning the crown. She wasn't very likable during the interviews, but that was one of the reasons Jacinta warmed up to her. Perdita was cold and blunt, so much that she not even entertain Flickerman's frivolous questions. Those are not qualities that most people appreciate, but Jacinta does.

Dominic Merluccius, on the other hand — she never thought he was going to make it. He was too soft, too enamored with the boy from Nine. All her bets on him flew off the table when the two of them confessed their supposed love for each other. Jacinta doubts that if he was faced with having to kill Pisces Gem, he could have done what is necessary.

She would have. Jacinta was going to kill Clementa, if Ezen Moreno hadn't beaten her to it. Love, compassion — these things are weaknesses in the Arena. Dominic was destined to fail.

Jacinta understands Beck's distress. Two of his mentees just died only minutes apart, and this is his first time. It is not his feelings that make her brows slant and the corners of her mouth turn down into a slight frown — it's what he does with them. As soon as he sees her in the training room, his frustration erupts. She can abide that, but not Beck's declaration that he's going to tell the whole country how unfair the District Four tributes' deaths were.

She needs to talk some sense into him before he acts on his impulses.

"No," Jacinta deadpans. She picks up a dagger from the weapons rack. "You're not going to tell everyone. They might kill you for doing that, Beck."

Jacinta twirls the knife between her fingers, her furrowed expression reflecting in its blade.

"Or maybe the Capitol will let you live, and kill everyone you care about instead." She knows all too well of the Capitol's severity, how eager they are to punish. "So don't do something rash. Being upset doesn't give you an excuse to be stupid."