The 74th Annual Hunger Games
Chapter 4 : The Arena
The Capitol
"Katniss! Time to wake up now!" I slowly open my eyes as Effie pulls off my blanket and points at some clothes I'll have to wear for today. She hurries off and leaves me alone, sitting up straight in my bed, terrified of shock. Waking me up like that is not a good thing to do if you want me to be nice. I just put on my black T-shirt and dark-brown trousers which are laid out for me and start moving over the floor. First I think of walking to Haymitch, but what is he capable of, anyway? The other mentors are probably eating at the moment, too. So, as childish as it is, I knock on a random door and wait for it to open. When it doesn't, I grumble. As I walk to another door, I find out that on each one is a name. This one sais Effie Trinket. I walk back in swift passes and check the board next to the door I just knocked on. It sais 'Peeta Mellark'. I could have guessed, it's quite logical. I think the game is no fun anymore and head up to the dining hall. I guess Effie is trying to extra please us today, because when I walk in, she starts saying all kinds of nonsense like "You look gorgeous, Katniss" and "What a nice day with wonderful people".
Yes, I love today. We're heading up to an arena where we'll be killed! Can you think of anything more wonderful? Well I can. I just want to go home. Back to Gale, Prim, my mother, Lady, even scabby Buttercup I miss. When I look around, I see Peeta looks quite annoyed too, so I just eat in quiet.
"At ten o'clock exactly you'll be heading to the arena. We won't come with you to the Launch Rooms, but your stylists will." The launch rooms are underground chambers where you prepare for the Games. Effie continues, "But for now, you're just going to have a great time in what may be the last few hours of your lives."
And I thought she was positive. Rins grumbles and even Haymitch eats quietly without talking. I make a mental note to look for water immediately in the arena, as I have been told. Or he's just so hangover he can't speak, or he's really going to miss us. I guess the first. Then I remember, I need to put on my MockingJay-pin. I can't forget that one.
I got it from Peeta and even though I will have to fight him today, I'll wear it. So I collect it at my room and notice on the clock that it is already a quarter to ten. Effie will be in a real hurry at this moment. So I quickly head back to the dining hall, where Effie is indeed already stressing her ears out. "Come on everyone! We need to be fast or you'll miss the flight!"
She guides us to the roof to find a huge thing standing in front of us. I've only seen it on television. Until now. It's not an airplane, not even a helicopter, it's a hovercraft.
I run to the giant thing and start stroking its smooth metal. I see Effie still panicking and waving me back, so I walk back to her. "OK, you all have to be very careful now. It would be nice if one of you will come back for once. I might be promoted to a better district…" I snap my fingers to get Effie out of her dreams. "Do you have any last advice for us then?" I ask our three mentors, on which, to my surprise, Haymitch answers, "Stay alive". And I realize that to my opinion, it's the best advice we've had so far. I hug the four people who I will never see
again, Rins, Haymitch, Tommy and, with a sudden stab of pain in my heart, Effie. The four people who escorted us through the beginning of the end. I'll be honest, I'm going to miss every one of them. Even Haymitch. I blink in the bright sunlight, taking one more look at them and turning, knowing that was the last glimpse I ever caught of them, and that all will be over in a few hours. The crazy thing is, I don't feel worried at all anymore. I feel limp, a bit clumsy maybe, but above all, I feel the fire burning inside me is roaring, growing stronger and stronger, never to burn out. As I move up the steps, I feel Peeta squeezing me in a friendly way in my hand, which somehow makes me feel more confident. The huge metal door closes behind us and we sit down on the comfortable seats marked with a big "12" on it. We're belted in automatically, still holding hands tightly as a woman with a syringe, grinning, injects something in both our arms.
"What's that?" I ask her, looking at my arm as if really interested, when in fact, I don't care at all what they do to me anymore.
"It's your tracker device." She answers eagerly, "of course the Gamemakers don't want to lose you guys!" Peeta and I shoot each other another look, this time a little less confident than we were about an hour ago. I don't know what's going on in Effie's head, but this is certainly not a fun way to spend our last hours. The flight takes about two hours, and when we finally land and I feel no movement at all under my feet anymore, I notice my hands have become sweaty, especially my right which is still holding Peeta's, now also moist, hand.
After a bit I realise everyone is leaving the hovercraft and I let Peeta pull me off with him. Then I'm escorted away from him, to an underground room which is completely empty except for Cinna, and an open tube on the ground, leading into the ceiling. Cinna puts me into some sort of raincoat, which I let him do as I'm not in much of a state to resist to anything now. Somewhere in the distance I hear his voice telling me there has to be something with trees, and that catches my attention. If the arena is full of trees, there might be woods. And in the woods I'm safe. I could hide. I could win.
"You expect woods?" I ask him hopefully.
"There is a chance, given the clothing you're given, that there are woods. Don't get overexcited though, you will still need to fight to the death." I grin.
"Isn't that a bunch of fun, then?" I sit down on the floor and a voice coming from the walls and ceiling tells us there are sixty seconds left. Left for goodbyes and last advices. But Cinna just pulls me up again and guides me towards the tube, leading out of the Launching Room, as Effie called this place. The moment I stand in the tube, a glass closes around me. I panic and hit it, but Cinna remains calm so I suppose this is what's meant to happen.
"Good luck." He mouths.
"Bye."
Where would Peeta be at this moment? Is he very far away, in some room opposite me? I don't know. I guess I will see when the tubes let us out into the open, into the arena. Suddenly, but expectedly as the voice just announced that there were thirty seconds left, the plate under my feet starts moving. I take one last glance at Cinna and close my eyes, feeling the tube guide me up. I open my eyes only when I sense a familiar smell. When I look around me, I see the great golden Cornucopia, with all its goods for those who dare to try and get them. Weapons, food, sleeping bags, all in backpacks and bags. The ones closest to the
Cornucopia are the most valuable. But what catches my attention is not the golden light reflecting off the Cornucopia, but the woods. All around this enormous open space are tall pine trees. I guess this I might stand a chance in here. All these years of practise with my father and Gale will come in handy.
I feel a cold breeze against my face and the announcers voice booms through the arena.
"Ten… nine… eight… seven…" I take a deep breath, "five… four…", I release it, "three… two… one…" A loud buzzer announces the start. The start of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The start of the end.