Hello! I'm Lia. This is my new Hunger Games fic. I will update this once in a week, I promise.
I read the first book about a year ago and became a fan of the Hunger Games but when I watched the film I became very interested in the character of Seneca Crane. Even though he wasn't really in the books I thought that bringing that kind of behind-the-scenes aspect to the Games was fascinating. I really loved the gamemaker scenes and especially Crane as a character. Even though he's kind of a bad guy I still don't feel like he's evil. You can just see that he has more to his personality than being evil. Crane is complex and I find that kind of characters really compelling somehow. I felt like searching some fanfiction about him but there wasn't really much of it so I decided to write my own. Seneca Crane is not the main character in my fic but he does have the second leading role. My main character is in fact an OC. I don't usually read fics with OCs but I really hope you give mine a chance. I've grown to love her when I've kind of got to know more and more of her along the writing process. I hope you like the story I want to share with you. Please enjoy!
"Where are you going?" Crane inquires suspiciously.
"Strolling", I respond without care.
Crane nods but I know he doesn't approve. But who cares. I kiss him goodbye and step out of the hotel room. I slam the door shut and walk idly towards the elevator. I caress the velvety walls as I go. There's no one else in the aisle and the only hearable sound is the low humming of the air conditioning. The atmosphere is a bit eerie but I can't help but love the quietness. Even the air conditioning doesn't bother me. Actually the sound gives me comfort. It reminds me of the sea at home. It's a lonely sound but that's just another thing that makes it feel comforting. I love solitude. I like people to an extent but I really need these kind of alone moments. Living with a person in a somewhat stuffy hotel room can get on your nerves. Crane is charming but I can't help that his constant imperious manner towards me gets me on the edge. It's not like getting ordered around is news to me but I'm really bad with respecting authorities and, you know, world is all about that so that's probably why I haven't still managed to fit in. I've never really connected with anyone. My mind is curious that way. They say I have an "inconvenient nature" which apparently makes me destined to fall out of society. Well, great for me.
As I reach the elevator a small avox boy appears around the corner and opens the door for me.
"To the roof, thanks", I tell him politely as I step in.
The boy smiles and pushes the button. Then he peeks at me curiously as if wanting to ask me something. He turns his head away timidly as our eyes meet.
"I guess I haven't been seen here before, huh", I state, "I'm the head gamemaker Crane's daughter. I've just moved here. My mother passed away recently."
The avox looks at me compassionately. It kinda annoys me because I'm pretty sure that his fate is much worse than the poor Capitol girl's with a single dad. The elevator stops and I try to reach for the door but the boy gets there first opening it for me. I give him an awkward smile and step into the cold.
It's very windy despite the force field guarding the roof. Not guarding, preventing the suicide attempts of the tributes that might take place there. The cold is nice though. It is a good change from the overly-heated, dim, sweaty hotel room where I'd been stuck for a week with Mr. Seneca Crane. Don't get me wrong. Living with Crane is a much better life than I'd ever have in district 4 training to be slaughtered for the entertainment of the Capitol. Now I'm here living the life of the crème-de-la-crème as Crane's 15-year-old daughter in a stuffy hotel that serves as the residence of the gamemakers during the Hunger Games season.
The building is attached to the Training Center where the tributes stay. That's how President Snow can keep an eye on both easily and if he needs anything from the gamemakers he can just simply summon them for a meeting in his mansion at any hour of the day. That's the perks of having everything basically on your backyard. The funny thing is that the residence of the tributes is much more "high-class" than of the gamemakers. A way to keep the tributes distracted with the marvelousness of the Capitol and forget all about the misery in their own district. Of course, I've lived my whole life in the combat academy so can't say that I've ever been starving or lived in poor conditions. They provided us the right amount of nutrition for building the stamina and the shape for the Games. The mentors were very strict about our diet unlike in the Capitol where you throw up to eat more. They were very strict about everything, the way we dressed, talked,behaved. That was all to raise us to the right state of mind. The state where you're a team player but trust no one, the state where you kill with no remorse and take pride in it, the state where you see everyone and everything as a competition or perhaps an utility on the way to the top and bringing pride to your district. Of course, as a counterbalance when we had holidays every once in awhile, everyone got crazy. We did all the things we weren't aloud to in school, got drunk and high, had sex, ate what we wanted and beat up some poor 10-year-olds who got in the way of our pack.
I don't really know why Crane took me but I'm genuinely thankful for it. He says he loves me but I'm not foolish enough to believe in such. You see, he invents different ways to torture and kill people like you and me, the common folk. I know I'm a Capitol girl now but my heart will always belong in district 4. In that way I'm a hypocrite. But yeah, I'm pretty sure Crane doesn't love. He's a sadist. You can see that he adores his job and well, for his defense, gets paid generously. Hell, even I'd accept the offer If I could, or maybe I wouldn't. But anyway "Mr. Crane" seems like a nice person when you meet him but he really isn't. He never does anything without gaining profit. He's calculative, intelligent and ambitious, very ambitious. That's just part of the allure, he's also charming, good-looking and a smooth talker. What? You thought he kidnapped me or something? Nah, the opposite, I begged him to take me with him. I kind of got carried away with all the curious and exotic things he told me about his world. I just had to get out of mine. A nice dull fisherman family, a sweet mother, an absent but protective father, two brothers and one sister, one of us a victor already and three of the siblings, including myself, in training to become killing machines and in our free time, when we weren't roaming the streets and bringing pride to our district, learning everything about fishing. No one would even notice if I was gone. Not sure if they have. My parents will still have a couple of victors and in the future a few dead children in their family. When I disappeared I just probably became one of the dead ones, a terrible accident at the academy, a slip of a battle axe or a miscalculated punch to my stomach. No one would ever be told I'd ran away because the fatal information of it would put President Snow's authority in horrid danger. Or no one just gives a shit. Surely some other persistent student will gladly take my place at the top of the class, as this year's volunteer.
Still I feel a bit guilty for leaving, running away like the coward that I am. But as I get used to being Crane's daughter the unpleasantness fades away and replaces itself with the feeling of security, the feeling of home. I repeat, feeling, just a feeling. I feel that everything in our so-called relationship is false but as long as the show goes on, everything's fine.
"The fuck you're doing here?" someone calls out.
"The fuck YOU're doing here?" I mimic.
The guy turns around looking annoyed.
"Who do you think you are? You're not even one of the tributes, are you?" he questions taking a few steps towards me.
I recognize him. Oh shit. It's Cato from my class. Just my luck. He's a tall, blond,
brawny guy who was in the top of the top in class. For a few years we've had a competition going on who's better. I've always been good at school but I was not the best at the team assignments so that's where I usually failed. I just can't stand when someone is as thick as a pretty big section of the Careers. I mean how could you think that swimming and fishing are useless in the arena. I mean really. Remember Annie Cresta? She won because she could swim. But Cato, as much as I hate to admit, is good with people. He knows exactly how to make them tick. His weakness is his temper. It leads him to rush actions. That's how I won a combat with him a couple of times even though he's probably twice my size.
I give him my most pleasant customer service smile and point out smugly:
"Well, I'm Hermia Crane, the daughter of Seneca Crane."
The boy's expression changes. My heart stops and I'm sure he knows who I am.
"Oh, well, nice to meet you. I'm Cato from district 2", he presents himself and offers his hand.
I shake it and smirk at him. He is as dumb as he looks. Or perhaps the new haircut Crane forced me to take was a good idea after all. I still miss my long chestnut locks though. Now they're just short bottle blond with the shade of lilac in them. Actually when I think about it, it's not quite unexpected that Cato doesn't recognize me as his good old Lynn since he's only seen me in sweaty training outfits and such and who the hell would suspect that their missing classmate would be found spending a pleasant time under the charitable wing of the divine Capitol and at the moment its most successful gamemaker, Mr. Seneca Crane, and wearing the latest Capitol couture and feasting on the wonders of the capitolian dishes made from the finest ingredients provided by the jolly workers of the districts. Okay, maybe my sarcasm is going too strong. Please, excuse me.
I walk slowly to the edge of the roof and look down wanting to clear my head. Everything looks so surreal, the people in their colorful wigs, the lights and the shops and just everything. It gives me the creeps even though it is very intriguing at the same time.
"So how old are you?" Cato who has creeped next to me asks.
"15", I lie.
"Huh, not too bad. I'm 18", he states visibly satisfied with himself and then continues, "You wanna hang out?"
"As in what?" I ask startled.
"Hang. Out. You know, with the guys, our gang, the careers, I mean", he explains himself.
I nod in agreement so Cato takes my hand and drags me to an elevator that I suppose leads to the Training Center. I'm weirded out but I decide to just roll with it to a point, of course. Cato presses the button lazily and we wait in an awkward silence. The door is opened by a red-headed avox girl.
"To four", Cato commands and the girl looks confused.
"Stop staring and do as you're told, ginger. Push the damn button because that's the only thing you're good for", he then adds and the avox looks a bit hurt but obeys.
We're there quickly and as the girl opens the door for us, Cato puts his arm around me. I don't stop him but I kind of give the red-head an apologetic smile as we walk past. As soon as we step out of the elevator, about a twelve-year-old boy corners us. Shit. He's from my district, my brother's best friend's little brother. I don't remember his name but I'm certain I know him. I try to hide my face by nuzzling into Cato's chest. I can feel him smirking.
"4, get out of the way", Cato tells the boy casually.
"What's your business here?" the boy questions.
Cato snorts and pushes the kid out of the way. He leads me into a big bed room where are one other boy and three more girls. The boy's skinny and even taller than Cato. One of the girls is small, pale and dark and has a lot of freckles, the second one looks like the Greek goddess Aphrodite or maybe Persephone, curvy but slim, athletic and classically beautiful and the last one is a fierce-looking girl from my district who has an intense gaze. She won't recognize me. I only know her because once on a family visit from the academy she stole some fish from the market and got arrested by a peacekeeper, so no reason why'd she know me. The careers are watching me like I'm prey. I smile to myself. Reminds me of old times back in the academy.
"Who's that?" the Aphrodite demands sounding jealous.
"Oh, this is Hermia. Hermia Crane", Cato replies plainly.
"Crane? As in…" the small girl starts, at the same time looking me up and down.
"Seneca Crane's daughter", Cato finishes.
The girl bursts out in laughter:
"You for real?"
The skinny guy puts his head in his hands looking amused and the rest of them just look at us judgingly. I turn to Cato but he looks as confused as I am so I take the lead.
"You want proof?" I challenge the small girl.
"Well, yeah", she sneers.
I pull my new ID out of my purse and pass it to her. She looks at it for a moment and gives me a half smile:
"Not bad."
The Greek goddess snatches the ID from the small girl's hands and looks at it as if trying to see if it's fake. The guy next to him peers at the ID briefly and then turns his gaze to me. I don't look away so we just stare at each other in silence.
"Give it here", the girl from my district sighs and the goddess throws it to her, "Yeah, she's real, so we're pass that? Now wanna smoke some?"
"Hell yeah", Cato cheers and goes to sit with the classical beauty.
The girl stands up and positions herself in Cato's lap resting her head on his chest. I just stand there awkwardly until Cato gestures me to sit beside him and the beauty. I squeeze in between them and the small girl.
"I'm Clove", the small girl says and offers me a joint.
I put it to my lips and she lights it. I breathe in the smoke and it tickles my throat. Soon the sweet smell of marijuana fills the whole room as the joint is passed to everyone. Cato and the beauty are cramped in a corner all over each other, the skinny boy and the district 4 girl lie on the bed and chat enthusiastically about fighting techniques and I sit on the floor with Clove drinking some kind of anise liquor which she has stolen from the kitchens.
"So how come you know Cato?" Clove asks smirking.
"We met on the roof today" I reply feeling a bit giddy.
Clove slams her palm to her thigh and laughs:
"That's so like him! He just met you was like: hey, wanna join and be my new thing? And then he just grabbed you and brought you here, am I right?
"Yeah, that was pretty much it though Cato seems to be pretty occupied with something else", I point out and glance in the direction of the two lovebirds.
"Oh, Glimmer. She just fools around with everything that moves, you name it. For fuck's sake, I wouldn't even be surprised if she had banged a fucking goat", Clove gloats.
"Well, then Cato and Glimmer must be perfect for eachother", I remark, "Have you ever…? Umm..."
Clove snorts and answers:
"I've hit it once with Glimmer when we were both drunk but Cato… I've known him way too long to be affected by his pretty boy charm. We're both from the same district, you see."
"Oh right", I response and take a gulp from the liquor bottle.
It tastes delicious and kind of liquorice-y. The skinny guy comes to us and asks if we have an empty bottle. Clove empties one of them and yells:
"Now you do!"
The guy laughs and asks us to play "spin the bottle". We agree and Clove separates Cato and Glimmer and forces them to join. We form a circle and put the bottle in the middle.
"Marvel, go first. This was your idea", Glimmer says gleefully to the skinny guy.
"You know, this is called "spin the bottle", Glimmer" the guy remarks knowingly.
"Well, spin the bottle then", the 4 girl says impatiently.
Marvel sighs and spins the bottle. It lands on me, of course.
"Truth or dare?" Marvel asks with a grin.
"Dare", I announce and give my most confident smile.
"Kiss Cato."