Chapter 1
Lara Steele, Age 15, Laboratory Assistant, Department for Toxicological and Biochemical Research, District 5
At least that is what it said on my keycard, which I had lost somewhere between my accommodation and the department. Why I am a lab assistant at my age? My parents used to be the directors of the department, before they died in an accident.
"Accident", my a**. Apparently my parents were working with a particularly complex form of poison and accidentally poked each other with a syringe. It was definite that the Capitol was behind all of it; their motive is still unknown to me.
Thus, the department ended up paying for my wellbeing and accommodation once they had passed on. Also I had very profound knowledge in the field of chemicals so the department saw it fit to let me work there. However, even though I might be considered a chemical genius by most people in the district, but I had serious "dropping and loosing" issues when it came down to mundane items like my key card.
Currently, I stand in front of the sliding doors to my department, fiddling with my long dark blonde hair thinking on how to get inside. It was already 10 in the morning so I expected there to be someone inside so I knocked on the glass and waited for 5 minutes. No response at all. I started waving franticly at the security camera "secretly" hidden in the light above the one large pair of sliding doors.
Our district mainly stands for Panem's energy supply, because of the new nuclear fusion plant; however we also do a lot of scientific research, whether it lay in the physics side or the chemical side.
I sit down on the small metal bench outside of the gray building and went over the periodic table in my head, reciting all atomic masses and symbols out loud. I reached the element Prunuminium when I see several white peace keeper uniforms making their way towards the building. In the grey streets of District 5 their white uniforms make them stick out like sore thumbs. They were incredibly obvious and any rioters or criminals could spot them from a mile away.
The 5 walked up to me. 1 larger one (I mean fat, I was just being polite) walks up to me and practically shouts at me, "Miss Steele, you have been chosen for the 73rd Hunger Games. You are to report to the main square immediately."
My facial expression must have been priceless at the moment, because I was at a loss of words. OF COURSE, today were the reapings. I managed put on my usual calm demeanor and was still processing the meaning of those words.
"Miss Steele, if you are not to come voluntarily we are to take you by force."
I was about to make a sarcastic remark like "who would come voluntarily" when my mouth managed to squeak out a small "alright" beforehand.
I follow the peacekeepers down the dusty grey alleys to the main square. Many young kids aged 12-18 were lined up waiting to be called to die. And I swear as soon as I arrived, every pair of eyeballs, swiveled towards me.
The peacekeeper ushered me to the stage, where a lady in a bright green wig greeted me hastily. She acted embarrassed of my tardiness and started fussing with my blouse. She turns around to the mike nearly tripping over on her heals and says in her usual affected capitol accent, "Now that that's completed, lets pick out our boy tribute."
"Now why couldn't you have done this while I was absent," I murmur under my breath. I hear a chuckle from behind me and look around seeing a REALLY handsome guy with sea green-blue-turquoise-CUSO4 (whatever you want to call them "sea coloured") eyes and messy copper, bronze hair. And when I say handsome, I mean handsome. There aren't a lot of hot guys in district 5, but this one takes the cherry from the cake from the fat peacekeeper.
While I stare at his amazing physique, he lifts up his index and middle finger and points them to my eyes and then to the boy now standing next to me. The boy next to me was at least a foot taller and seriously needed some food down his hatch. That boy was skinny as well, definitely not my type, so seeing I have to kill him in a matter of weeks doesn't seem to pose that much of a threat. I myself was never at a real shortage of food and was lucky and grateful of that. Many in people in District 5 working in the power plants don't earn enough money to buy substantial amounts of food.
The green haired lady finally wraps up her speech about the "oh so great Panem" and herds me and the boy (whose name I still don't know and probably can't be bothered to learn) like sheep to the Justice building.
I was sat in a small room with a couple of chairs and a table. This is allegedly where family and friends talk to you before you leave for the games, or slaughter house, both seem to have the same meaning of existence. Since I didn't have any family anymore and my range of friends is very limited I ended up sitting around for 15 minutes. At long last the peace keeper who was assigned guard duty (poor him, he had nothing to do) came in and continued herding me through red carpeted hallways to a bulletproof vehicle which drove us to a train station in the outskirts of town.
I was almost overjoyed to see the handsome guy from before sitting next to me in the car. He looks at me and radiates a dazzling smile.
"Hey, my name's Finnick Odair. I'm actually from District 4 but since your district doesn't have any capable mentors at the present I shall be filling in."
Pause, Finnick Odair! That's the guy who won in the 70th hunger games with the sponsor trident made out of gold. Before I start drooling on the prospect of having him as a mentor, I quickly regain hold of my mind and will it to be nice, polite and charming. After all, he is going to be my mentor and is my only lifeline in the Arena.
"I'm Lara, it's a pleasure to meet you sir."
"Drop the sir, I'm just Finnick to you," he says giving me a flirtatious wink. I melt into his eyes once again until an annoying capitol voice breaks my trance.
"WELL, since we are all getting to know each other now, my name is Glitzy and I'll be your esssscort this year," green-haired-lady-now-called-Glitzy (what kind of a name is that) says.
"I'm Aaron," says my fellow tribute now-called-Aaron.
"Ahhh, this will be like one happy vacation," Glitzy sighs happily.
All of a sudden I had this urge to lean over Finnick and just punch her in the bracket. Instead I go for a slightly more verbal assault.
"Yup, a vacation, with one big health risk, do they have health care in the capitol," I say in my best sarcastic voice.
"Awww, don't take it so seriously," whines Glitzy, "you already have Finnick as your mentor, what is there to worry about."
"Yeah, and a mentor is going to stop a spear being rammed continuously into my body."
"No, a mentor is going to prevent that from happening in the first place," speaks the godly Finnick himself in a slightly more serious tone. He moves his arm around my shoulder. He is surprisingly warm (as in body temperature, though I agree he has a warm personality)
"Ooooooo looky, we're heeerrrre," Glitzy coos loudly. The doors of the vehicle open and Finnick puts one arm underneath my leg and lifts me out of the car. I nearly squeal in delight, but catch myself in the last second.
"Is this really necessary?" I ask.
" Come on, lighten up a bit…"
We arrive at one of the rooms of the train. He kicks open the door and drops me into the bed.
"How am I supposed to lighten up if I am going to die in a couple of weeks," I ask almost angrily.
"Well, for one you aren't going to die…"
"What if I want to die. There isn't anything I want back at District 5. I don't have family or friends to fight for. And is life as a victor all that great. Yes you get fame and money, but in the end you just aid in killing 23 more kids every year. Not including all the special favors you have to do for the capitol."
With the last remark, Finnick's brow furrows in hurt. His eyes turn slightly sad.
"Dinner is at 6, make sure you're cleaned up and look presentable. With presentable I mean Glitzy- Standard or she will go nuts on you," he says. "And there is someone you are obliged to win for," he adds, "and that's for me."
"Get outta here," I say and throw a pillow in his direction.
Once Finnick had left I have a look around my room. The proper word to describe it is luxurious. It has an attached bathroom with a shower that spews all kinds of scented waters. For the next 20 minutes I analyze the different compounds forming these smells and to my surprise most of them are natural. "This stuff must cost a fortune," I say to myself, "vacation is right!"
I change out of my work attire into a blue dress which looks a bit like rippling water, if you catch my simile. I tie a blue ribbon into my blonde hair and turn to explore the train. I wonder around aimlessly and find the dining compartment. Compartment is an understatement. It was an incredibly long room with one incredibly long table, which was piled high with food I had never seen in my life. The variety ranged from meats to fish to vegetables I had never seen. Aaron and Glitzy were already seated at the table.
"Come join us darlllllinnng," Glitzy cries out.
Bloody hell, if she keeps on rolling out the words like that in her silly capitol accent I swear to god, I shall make sure she never utters another word for the rest of her life. But I calm my anger and smile at them and sit down next to Aaron, who still remains silent.
Seconds later, Finnick bursts through the door and gives us one of his most dazzling smiles, "anyone miss me, " he exclaims loudly.
"We saw you 30 minutes ago," I say in a monotone voice.
"Exactly, such a long time, "he winks at me and tousles my hair, "By the way, you're looking smashing tonight, "he addresses me.
"Why thank you," I reply, "you too."
"IIIIIII knoooooooooowwwwww, and look at herrrrrr posture its perrrrfect," squeaks Glitzy, "Finally a pair with decency and manners, come on take whatever you want," she points at the food.
After dinner we move to a lounge type compartment with a big screen I guess was the TV.
"Alright, we're going to have a look at your competition now and then we shall talk about your strengths and weaknesses. The earlier we start preparing the better," Finnick suggests.
He flops down next to me on the sofa and puts his arm around my shoulders again. My brain is about to go into "I-love-Finnick" mode however my rational mind tells me I should probably act like it doesn't bother me.
We watch the other tributes getting reaped. Of course the career tributes were all 18 years old, big, and way stronger than I was. However the people from the other districts appeared my age and somewhat resembled my physique.
Then I watched what I really wanted to see, my own reaping. Yeah I know, I should be analyzing the other tribute's behaviour patterns, speech patterns and muscle percentage etc. however I couldn't care less about that.
I watch as Glitzy calls out my name. Nobody responds. The crowed seems to be searching for me everywhere, and then the peacekeepers file out and go search for me.
"Well in the meantime, lets sing our glorious national anthem one more time," Glitzy .
After they started their dreary singing of "Oh wonderful Panem, we exist to serve the Capitol blah, blah, blah", the cameras focus on me being herded onto the stage. Thank goodness I don't look nervous or anything. Then I watch myself staring intently at Finnick with my mouth open.
I blush and Finnick tightens his grip on my shoulder.
Ah good District 6 reapings. We continue watching the reapings and finally Finnick claps off the TV.
"OK, so, so that I can help you in the arena I need to know your strengths," he says.
"Oh I don't have any," I say dryly.
Then I hear Aaron snort. That's the first sound I heard him make since I heard his name.
"You have no idea who she is do you, "he says directly to Finnick.
"No I don't, please enlighten me," Finnick replies.
"She is a chemical genius. She already works in the toxicology department in district 5 as more than just a lab assistant. She invented an alternative medicine to replace teeth by genetically enhancing human teeth with crocodile hormones. At the age of 10 she came up with her own antivenin for tracker jacker venom. That antivenin acted quicker and stronger than capitol medicine. Oh, and remember that nationwide black-out 6 years ago. That was caused because Lara designed her own miniature hydrogen bomb and set it off in a field in the outskirts of town," Aaron finishes. He isn't complimenting me. His voice is iced with disgust and resent.
An awkward silence enveloped the room. And then Aaron continued:
"You don't need to mentor us, she is going to win anyway. She's a monster or a mutt. She could kill us all right now with the snap of her finger."
