A for Arena
Disclaimer: As usual, I hold no claim to anything Hunger Games, the characters, places, basically anything you recognise. I'm just twisting it for my own amusement, and for some release from the torture that is a university law degree.
A/N: Possible spoilers for Mockingjay Part 2 if you have not read the book! This one is kinda AU as it deviates from the ending of the book. I started writing this after watching the Mockingjay movie for the second time, I absolutely love it, think it's the best one yet. Words in italics are taken from the book, missing sentences I didn't think relevant.
I rushed the end of this chapter, in my hurry to get it posted. I know it is slightly confusing. Each chapter is meant as a one-shot but I may continue some from other word prompts.
Letter: A
Word/Phrase: Arena
Timeline: During Mockingjay, after the remaining victors have decided on holding one more Hunger Games to include the children of the Capitol. Katniss does not shoot Coin, and they remain in the Capitol for the final games.
KPOV
"We hold another Hunger Games using Capitol children" says Coin.
"I vote yes... for Prim."
"Excellent. That carries the vote" says Coin.
A sharp jab in my side makes me scowl to the left of me. Haymitch looked smug as he turned back in his seat, the pen he had just poked me with, drawing lazy doodles on the page in front of him.
There were eight of us sat around the table, four of us willingly, to an extent; three were there under duress, and Coin, not allowing any of us to leave until we make some headway. We were instructed to begin thinking up ideas for the new arena. We were apparently in charge of making this Hunger Games, the biggest, and the last one ever. The 76th Hunger Games, to end the conflict in Panem.
Deep down, I knew this was a bad idea. But Like Johanna said, "It seems fair. Snow even has a granddaughter" I was doing this for Prim, to get my final revenge on the man who had ruined my life. For my father, Prim, Finnick. For little Rue. For everyone that died at the hands of the poisonous snake.
Enobaria was by far the victor most willing for this to go ahead, which concerned me slightly, seeing as she was from District 2, the district that always had the closest relationship with the Capitol. Johanna seemed enthusiastic enough to be helping design the arena, but Haymitch wasn't impressed. He had watched 46 tributes die on his watch; he did not want to be responsible for the deaths of more children.
Annie, Beetee and Peeta were angry. It was directed mainly at Coin, and me. It was down to us that this was happening, or so it seemed.
I looked back down at my paper. Written on it were little, random words, jotted down as they came to mind. I could feel Peeta's eyes boring into the top of my head, and dared a quick glance at him, without visibly looking at him.
I could tell he was mad at me but I felt like I had to make him understand why this was so important. Why I needed to do this. We all needed to see Snow suffer. I felt the blood fill my mouth as I bit the already sore inside of my cheek. The taste repulsed me, reminding me of the smell of blood on Snow's breath. I felt my imploring stare harden. Why was I so bothered about how Peeta felt? Snow deserved this. Nothing neither he, nor anyone could say would make me change my mind.
I looked over at Haymitch's pad, seeing his doodles had changed. He was drawing a map of Panem, the shape and sizes of the districts surprisingly accurate, considering how drunk he was. He had even written each districts trade, with a smaller doodle for each district.
Wait.
An idea.
Some way the final Hunger Games could happen. With no deaths caused.
I looked up and at each of the other seven people around the table. I could see not much of consequence on most of the pads, but now, the ideas were flowing, so fast I could not write them all down fast enough. I began scribbling; the sudden frantic noise of pen on paper made the rest of the room look up, each trying to read my notes.
I kept writing for minutes. I had pages and pages of notes but I was beginning to tire. Planning a way for children to fight to the death, children who had no idea what real life was like outside of the Capitol was taxing. As I slowed, Haymitch pulled the pad from under my hands and I dropped my head to the cool table. I felt his hand move to touch mine as he read my ideas, and I released a breath. I'd have one ally.
"Wow Katniss... who ever thought you, the girl on fire... would be capable of such... compassion." Haymitch almost sneered.
I raised my head to scowl at him and he laughed, eyeing each of the people around the table.
"Our Mockingjay has thought of it all. The arena, the challenges, the reaping process..." He looked over at me, and kept eye contact at his next sentence.
"A way to make the capitol suffer without killing their children."
I heard a collective gasp from half the victors, and a rather audible groan from Enobaria. I felt the flush of my cheeks as I sat up, trying to avoid looking at anyone who would argue. My eyes settled on Johanna. She looked... relieved.
I raised my brow in confusion and she shook her head minutely. I nodded, in understanding. We were not best friends. But we had a mutual understanding. A mutual hatred of the Capitol government, and a connection in the games that would never be broken.
I had forgotten Coin was even in the room until she spoke up.
"Excuse me... Soldier Everdeen. This was not the deal. We voted. We used democracy, unlike the Capitol, and we agreed. One more Hunger Games. All but one of at least 24 Capitol children would fight to the death. The districts of Panem have suffered. For years. Decades. And this is payback. Justice. With these Games, we would end Panem's hunger for justice."
"With all due respect Madam President..." My eyes widened as I heard Annie speak. She had not said much since she learned of Finnick's death. I turned to her, waiting for her to continue. "You have been in charge of District 13 for however long. You have not seen what the Hunger Games do to families of the reaped children. Of the fallen tributes. We have suffered through this for 75 years. Yes, I agree, letting these children fight to the death, would cause the families of the tributes to suffer such heartache. But what did these foolish Capitol people do? They were brainwashed into supporting the games, they were raised on it from birth. They are guilty of nothing but naivety, idiocy and foolishness. Miss Everdeen's idea... it seems plausible. We would let them know the fear that we face every year. But we do not sink to Snow's level. To the governments level. We do not kill them."
A loud clap to my left broke my gaze from Annie's. I could not stop my smile. Haymitch was grinning, clapping slowly, sarcastically, but it worked. Everyone but Coin and Enobaria smiled. Then laughed. Soon there was chatter, with questions aimed at Haymitch and I, asking for more details about my idea.
I blushed as Peeta smiled at me, then berated myself for allowing myself to look weak in front of him, the boy who a few months ago had tried to kill me. Had smiled a more sinister way as he had watched the life leave my eyes.
Haymitch cleared his throat and almost immediately, everyone was silent, apart from Beetee congratulating Annie for speaking up, offering his condolences for Finnick. As they turned their eyes to him, he looked to me, everyone following his lead.
"So here's the plan... We build the arena with 12 parts. With each section, a different district is represented. One section will be water; another will be mines, caves, tunnels. Each section will represent the trade from each district. There is not one cornucopia, instead in each section, will be the tools needed to survive. They must fight. Each other. Hunger. Face the traumas we do on a daily basis. They must learn the skills of each district. This will be the key to their survival. These children are not used to labour. Are not used to fighting to survive. They have always had enough to eat, have never had to work a day in their short lives. This becomes, not a fight to the death, instead, a survival of the fittest." I turned to Beetee, who seemed enthralled in what I was saying.
"Beetee, you said, in District 13, you were creating an instrument which, when inserted like a tracker, could be used to measure health. Heart rate, body temperature, blood toxicity etcetera is transmitted electronically to computers?" He nodded, and motioned for me to carry on, not needing to explain his invention, as I had pretty much covered everything.
"Each tribute gets this tracker. And we keep close monitoring of each tributes health. If it looks like they are about to expire from dehydration, from poisoning, from anything which would prevent them from surviving in the games, they are removed, via hovercraft, as the rest of the tributes hear a cannon. They are not dead. Whichever district the Capitol children seem to thrive in, they are moved to." I pause. I know I am rambling, but the words just keep tumbling out of my mouth, like they did words on the page. I take a deep breath, notice Haymitch's proud smile, and continue.
"These children, these tributes, they are removed from their families. They face one jot of the suffering us in the districts have been forced to face over the years. But we do not kill them. We allow them to survive, to thrive even, in a district where they may live in hardship. But they are alive. And at the end, the fittest, the one remaining tribute, the lone victor, is allowed to go back to the Capitol. Go back to his family. And live their life as normal."
Suddenly I was exhausted. This was too much. I was not cut out for this. I need my morphling supply. My father's hunting jacket which always bought me comfort. The old Peeta. Instead, all I had was a room full of tired victors, and Coin, who seemed dazed by what I had just said. But then Peeta began to clap. And suddenly the room was loud with claps and cheers.
Haymitch stood. He looked more sober now, than I had ever seen him.
"Ladies and gentleman, I give to you... the Survival Games!"
So this is the first one shot of my new idea. It was rushed. I am sorry. Updates will be really slow, I tried to get this out as I had a rare day off university today, but with exams coming up, I will not have the chance to write much. Stick with me. Reviews really help!
I hope you enjoy.
ClaireJKP.
