IMPORTANT NOTE {Please Read}: From now on each chapter will variate on Mako and Ariel's POV. For this chapter it is Mako, so next chapter will be Ariel.
The opening ceremonies are about to start. I keep falling over in this hideous shark costume. I watch the diamond studded tributes from District 1 ride off in their gold and white chariot. Their outfits remind me of an ancient style I read about in school
Roman I think. They wore "togas" back then. Then again, they also wore crowns of olive branches as well.
After three takes off, literally buzzing with electricity, I try to stand my ground as not to fall over.
Again.
I wrap my arm around Ariel's waist and smile.
"Just act like you love the costume," I say.
"Practice what you preach," she retorts, inching in closer to me as our aqua colored chariot moves out into the bright sun. I am used to the sunlight though, since we are constantly out in it back in District 4, whether it is fishing or swimming.
Mainly for me, it is just fishing. For Ariel, however, it is swimming
My heart drops when I hear multiple chuckles from the crowd, pointing at us. But I also hear a few "aww's" as well. I suppose our relationship compensates for our clown suits.
Out of nowhere, I get an idea. I wrap my arms around Ariel's waist and dip-kiss her. The crowd goes wild at that as we round the corner and park in front of President Snow II's mansion. The previous president passed away right after the 80th Games, under "mysterious" circumstances. His daughter, Agatha Snow assumed her role as President, though it is more of a monarchy since that is the case. I still have to wonder why they call them presidents and not kings or emperors. However, Agatha is twice as evil as her father. It is the President's job to determine the Quarter Quells, or so I am told.
I truly hate her for that.
"Welcome tributes!" Agatha booms out from the balcony of her mansion. "I now declare the One-Hundredth Annual Hunger Games, and the Fourth Quarter Quell officially open!"
Ariel doesn't say anything about the kiss. I am not surprised seeing as though she loves to make out.
Training days are starting today, which is also the day alliances will form. Everyone will expect Ariel and me to join the Careers.
That is not going to happen.
Ariel and I are escorted to a floor below the building we are staying at. Once we arrive at the gymnasium someone pins a piece of cloth with the number 4 on it.
"Annie told me to work on defense," I say. I am happy that Annie convinced Finnick to mentor Ariel instead of me. I'm sure Pretty boy is confused to the maximum about that though.
"But Finnick told me that I should work on weapons," Ariel adds.
"See you at lunch then," I say sadly. We part ways and for the first time I truly feel scared for Ariel because I am not there by her side to make sure she doesn't hurt herself or something.
I'm at the camouflage station, which I can already tell I am good at. Out of the corner of my eye I see a tiny figure over at the shelves where hundreds of paints and dyes are located. When I look up, I see the nine year old boy from District 5, standing on his tiptoes, trying to reach a jar of red berry extracts. I go over and take the jar down with ease for him. He cranes he neck to look at me. I must seem like a giant to him.
"Th-thank you," he says quietly, and then retreats to his sister's side. The sister leans down and whispers something into his ear, never taking her eyes off of me. In return, her brother suddenly looks back at me with a frightened expression and I can only imagine that the girl mentioned something about me being a career.
Judgemental girl.
I notice that everyone but the potential careers avoid Ariel as well. I suddenly feel insulted that people automatically rule 1, 2 and 4 out as careers. Then again those same districts have been careers for one hundred years at the most.
The man from District one comes over and joins me while I am at the knot tying section.
"You're Mako, right?" he says as he sits down to me. His voice is old and gruff, despite his forty year old appearance.
"Yea," I reply dully.
"I'm Garnet, my daughter over there is Sapphire."
"Ok."
It is quiet for a while.
"So," says Garnet. "Why are you working on all of these useless stations? Come over to the weapons with the rest of your group?"
I put down my knot and look up at him. He has jet black hair with streaks of grey, and a rough short beard. His eyes are just as dark. He already looks like trouble, despite his perfect smile.
"My group?" I say, standing up to face him. This is slightly unnerving because he is the only one taller than me that I have seen so far. Probably because he is the oldest.
No, I take that back. District seven's female tribute is paired up with her grandfather. However, he will not last very long so I should say the oldest tribute that stands as a threat. I could easily outrun him, but he is still intimidating.
"Well, you are a career," he says, obviously aware that I have no intentions of being one. "Of course it is your group."
"Thanks, but no thanks," I reply. "I'd rather not plan to be stabbed in the back."
This is not a good start. I am already making enemies. Garnet's face darkens and his eyebrows scrunch together.
"Look," he says, with fake politeness. "I realize it was not your choice to be here but…"
"Oh, you did your research."
"Listen to me here, boy…"
"I'd rather not. Thank you for the offer, though."
Garnet is obvious some sort of con-artist. For about five minutes he tries to convince me to join the careers. Ariel seems to notice the situation because she comes over to me side. When I wrap my arm around her waist, Garnet raises an eyebrow at us.
"Well, you're his girlfriend," he says to Ariel. "You convince him!"
Then he walks away.
"What was that all about?" Ariel asks.
"He is trying to make me join the careers."
Ariel pulls away a bit to look at me.
"What do you mean?" she says. "We're already careers."
Oh, no. They've already gotten into her head.
"Ariel! " This will be hard. "We can't be careers. I do not trust any of them. The guy from 1 obviously has a hidden agenda, like them all!"
"Garnet?" Ariel says lightly. "He's nice. So is Sapphire. Aid and Scalpel are cool too."
"The twins from 2? They're just as suspicious, if not more!"
"They're thirteen, Mako."
I am losing this conversation very quickly. Ariel is gullible and stubborn, always has been. It is going to be hard to convince her to break away from the career pack.
"Ariel, please," I beg. "Trust me. You know me more than anyone else and you know how good I am at identifying the good from the bad."
Ariel sighs and runs her fingers through her hair out of habit.
"Look, Mako," she says. "They've been nice to me. Aid taught me how to handle a spear!"
"None of them would blink twice at you if you were bleeding to death in the arena!"
That was harsh, but true. All of the careers I've seen in the past Games were not afraid to kill their own district partner, let alone fellow career. That is why I hate being stereotyped as one. I am not heartless like them.
"I'm going to practice archery with Sapphire. Come over when you've lost your ego inflation," says Ariel, walking away. That is the harshest thing I think I've ever heard her say to me.
Author's Note: Hey guys! I got a review a while back about how I should change the perspective to just one of my characters. Although they made a valid point I cannot pull away from one. I love my characters too much. So I compromised, splitting up each chapter into separate POV's. So next one will be Ariel's. Review and tell me what you think!
