Chapter Four: Vanished
In the dark, we come out and play. We are its children, and we're here to stay. Running through, hungry for strays. No invitation, take me away.
Corvinus Kay, District Two Male
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock.
The territorial stare-off I've been having with Milla for the past ten minutes doesn't falter.
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock.
I could kill her now with the flick of my wrist, it's what I was born for. Unfortunately, I have to wait until I'm in the arena to start my massacre. And even then, I'm expected to be allies with Milla.
Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock.
"If this is some sort of primitive instinct to try and intimidate me, it's not working." Milla sneers, still refusing to avert her gaze.
"Then why are you still going on with it?" I reply, folding my arms and deepening my glare into her eyes. Apparently you're supposed to be able to tell everything about a person through their eyes. That doesn't apply to Milla. Good training, I guess.
"Your logic is flawed. If I was intimidated I'd have ran to my room to sob about my imminent death. I'm a Fiori, Corvinus. Fiori's aren't intimidated by little boys with more muscle than they know what to do with."
Her words ignite a rage inside of me. I volunteered because I am going to be the victor. No stupid, weak little girl is going to take that from me. I try to keep myself calm, but it's only a few seconds before I've flipped my chair over and am inches away from Milla's face, wishing so much that it was legal for me to break her neck right here.
"I hope your family of Fiori's enjoy watching your body turn up in a box on their doorstep."
She breaks into laughter, moving her chair backwards and wafting her hand in front of her nose in a pathetic little dig that she must think offends me.
"Is there anything else?" I growl.
"Yeah, actually there is," Milla stands up, patting me on the back, "I think we can say I won that little stare-off."
I'm ready to break her neck there and then, but I contain myself knowing the Gamemakers will never let a tribute win if they kill their district partner before the games even start. And as much as I despise her, I know Milla is a valuable ally.
"You two kids having fun?"
I turn to see Brutus enter the room, shortly followed by Cara. Unfortunately, I have to deal with another one of the Fiori's this year as Cara has been designated as my mentor. I'd much rather have Brutus, and I'm pretty sure Milla would much rather have her sister, but apparently it's against the rules for family to mentor family.
"We need to talk strategy, tough boy." Cara says, making an effort to make it sound like she has better places to be and better things to be doing.
"I don't need to talk about anything with you." I hiss back, proud at how much of a reaction I ignite within her.
"Fine. Feel free. Don't co-operate with your mentor. But when you're lying in the arena bleeding out in desperate need of medicine to save your life, don't expect me to pass any sponsor gifts through to you."
I feel my face drop as I realise how much I'm going to have to work with this Fiori girl. The chances of me lying anywhere bleeding out are ridiculously slim, so much so that I'm completely sure it won't happen, but I'm aware after studying years and years of the Games in the training centre that there have been rare years in which no weapons are in the cornucopia. In the event of that happening again, I'll need my mentor to send me a weapon.
"And we can't do this when we're in the Capitol, why?" I reply, staring out of the train window. I'm aware my argument to her is completely pathetic, but I refuse to give in to her, especially since she's Milla's sister. Cara seemingly ignores me though, and pulls herself up a chair and begins to speak again.
"What weapons can you use?" She sighs, sitting at the table and leaning her head in her hand.
"Anything."
"Specifically?"
"Something I can skewer someone with."
"So a sword." She says matter of factly, tapping her nails on the table.
"I can work with that."
"Damn it Corvinus!" She shouts, standing out of her chair and slamming her fist into the table, "I can't work with a pathetic little boy that won't even co-operate with me. Do you want to die?"
I look back at her, aware that she's totally different from her sister. Milla is calm, annoyingly calm. Whereas Cara makes up for what Milla lacks. One word wrong and I don't doubt that Cara would slit my throat. If it was legal, that is. I love it.
"I don't want to die. But I know you want me to. How else is your sister going to make it out of the arena alive unless I'm dead?"
She considers this for a minute, knowing inside of her that my words are true.
"I've been given the job of mentoring you. I intend to do just that. Milla has Brutus, she doesn't need me to look out for her; now can we get on with this?"
I nod to her, pulling out a chair across from her and sitting in it.
"I can use anything, but ideally a sword." I tell her, prompting a relieved nod that I'm actually going to co-operate.
"Obviously, I'm expecting to ally with Milla and whoever comes from One. If they're trained like we are, then the pair from Four too."
"Shit." Cara says, snapping her head to look at the clock.
"What?"
"The reapings re-cap. They're on now. Come on."
Emilie Silverwater, District Four Female
"Emilie! Faelen! Hurry up!"
"Just a second!" I reply to Junius, pulling my hair up and tying it into a ponytail. I sigh to myself and pull my hair down again, remembering I look better when it's not tied up. You can't do anything right unless you look good doing it.
"Emilie!"
Junius flying into my temporary bedroom on the train startles me, prompting a scream and I almost fly backwards into the plastic frame of my bed.
"Reapings re-cap. Starting now."
I nod to him, forcing myself not to scream in his face for making me jump. I see Misty, Mags and Faelen are all already in the sitting area, and Junius takes a seat next to Faelen, getting awkwardly close. Mags had already pre-warned Faelen about Junius, saying he always ends up falling for the male tribute that volunteers from our district.
"Come on, Emilie." Misty grins, patting on the seat next to her.
"Welcome citizens of Panem, to the reapings re-cap." Claudius Templesmith says as I take my seat next to Misty.
"Firstly, District One."
Both tributes from One are volunteers, unsurprisingly. The girl looks like a total bitch, whereas the boy just looks completely insane. That's always the thing about volunteers from One and Two, they can fight, but they're so unlikable. Although so far, I can't say I've been particularly drawn to Faelen either.
"Crap." Mags hisses as the screen switches to District Two. Misty looks at her confusedly for a second, before coming to the same realisation Mags has, whatever that may be.
"Milla Fiori. Everyone from that family that's even been in the Games has won." Mags sighs, and I can see in her eyes she's already given up on Faelen and I.
"That doesn't mean it's going to be the case this year." Faelen points out. There's something about that boys voice. It chills me.
"No, no it doesn't. But just watch out for her in the arena. Don't trust her." Misty adds, nudging Mags as if to tell her that we've caught on that Mags thinks both Faelen and I will die.
"Now to District Three." Claudius Templesmith announces, and the screen flicks on to the factory surrounded square of District Three. Both tributes from there look like the typical Three type, they'll no doubt die on the first day. And then the screen switches to home, with the blazing sun and the blue sea. For a second I miss home and regret volunteering, but not because I don't think I'll win – more of a temporary homesickness. I watch for a second time Faelen mount the stage, striking fear into every twelve year old at the front of the crowd. And then, there's me, accidentally knocking the twelve year old girl that had been reaped into the barrier. Oops.
"I look so disgusting!" I shriek.
"Emilie." Mags says calmly.
"What?"
"Shut up."
I sigh to myself and fold my arms, instantly feeling awful that I looked so disgusting on screen.
"Abyss is a mentor this year." Mags grins as the screen switches to District Five. I almost forget that our mentors forge friendships with the victors from other districts. It seems completely absurd for someone to communicate with anybody from outside of their district, it's forbidden. Of course, the rules don't apply to victors.
There's a complete contrast between the two tributes from Five. The girl, a steel-faced expression and a burning determination in her eyes, mounts the stage without even a flicker of fear. The boy, however, a fat, short little thing, instantly passes out as his name is called. Before I can stop myself I burst into laughter at the pathetic little boy, but then camera switches off so we don't get to see what happened after he fainted. The other districts don't stand out much, a tiny boy from Seven and his equally tiny district partner, a girl having a violent panic attack from Ten, a girl throwing a tantrum from Eleven. Apart from the pairs from One and Two, all of the tributes I've seen look like they'll be dying on the first day.
And I don't doubt it will be I killing many of them.
Sable Merona, District Six Male
"You know we're probably not going to last five minutes in the arena."
I nod to Bryher. She's right. The reapings re-cap proved any fears I had, six equally brutal looking tributes from One, Two and Four. Even from some of the outlying districts, a few of the tributes look intensely threatening. I'm not scared, but I'm definitely pissed.
"The Capitol deserve to burn for what they're doing to us." I hiss, snapping around to look at my district partner.
"Watch what you say, tough boy. This whole room is probably bugged. It's the best way to get to know their tributes."
"What can they do? Kill me?"
Bryher bursts into laughter and I soon do the same. It's either that or cry.
"How about that Snow? The Capitol burning and your children dying!" I yell, standing to my feet and wishing the President was in my room to hear this. The entire train ride I've been planning a speech to say to the President if I'm ever given the chance to meet him one on one. I doubt that's going to happen unless I win, and I know the chances of the Gamemakers allowing a tribute like me to win are incredibly slim. Especially if they're listening in to what I'm saying right now.
"Stop it!" Bryher laughs, punching my shoulder.
"What about it though? What could they really do, say we snook out in the middle of the night when we're in the Capitol and..."
"Stop. You know what they'd do if you caused trouble for them."
"Kill me?"
She shakes her head and points to the corner of the room, where a small bump in the ceiling is visible. Must be a microphone. I look back to Bryher, as she mouths they'd kill your family to me.
"Oh, yeah."
It's not unheard of. Many times victors have refused to abide by Snow's rules, and he's had their entire family executed. Apparently Snow tried to turn Pixie, my mentor, into a prostitute for the Capitol people's needs the day she turned sixteen. She refused. Now, she lives alone in her huge house in the victors village. I guess that's why she turned to morphling.
"And they wonder why there's an issue with morphling addiction in Six." I whisper to her.
"Even if we win, they took our lives from us the moment our names were called." She replies. I feel bad almost, that I've started all this talk of rebellious nature with Bryher who clearly has family at home that she cares about. Of course, I do too, but it's not hard to tell that Bryher doesn't want to risk enraging whoever is listening in on our conversation so that they order her family to be executed. I make a mental note to avoid that subject with her from now on.
"It's time for dinner, anyway." I tell her. We both walk out of my room, where we've been sat for the past hour since the reaping re-cap. Neither of us are stupid enough to fall for each other, but it's nice to have a form of companionship while we're waiting to be dropped into the arena and forced to butcher one another.
"Ah! Finally!" Otho shouts to us as we join him and our mentors at the dinner table. As if they were waiting for us to arrive, several waiters place mounds and mounds of food across the table. I wasn't hungry before dinner, but now all I can think about is stuffing myself with everything on this table. Bryher seemingly has the same feelings as me, and she begins piling her plate with everything she can get her hands on.
"So, I assume you two are going to be allies?" Blade asks while I'm putting a huge spoonful of rice on my plate. I'm about to answer, but Bryher cuts in before I can.
"Nope." She says simply.
I'm shocked. I feel hurt, almost. I knew it would be a short-lived friendship, but I thought we'd at least be allies in the arena until one of us died.
"Don't look so upset, Sable. If I wanted allies, you'd be at the top of my list. I refuse to let myself get attached to anybody while we're in the arena though, it'd slow me down."
I understand, almost. But I still can't help feel betrayed.
"I'll find other people to ally with, then." I reply, starting to stuff my face to try and hide the obvious upset expression on my face.
Alisa Cardale, District Eight Female
"Alisa, you haven't eaten a thing."
I'm pulled out of whatever I was deep in thought about to the sound of Kristina's voice. I half expect her to look concerned, but instead her stern expression makes me force myself to eat in order to prevent frustrating her any more. As my mentor, it's her responsibility to keep me alive, something that she has no chance of if I go into the arena weak from starvation.
"Sorry."
"Something on your mind?" Kristina asks me, this time appearing genuinely concerned.
"What, you mean other than the fact I'm about to be sent into an arena where I'll either die or turn into a murderer? Nope, nothing at all."
There's silence at the table and when I look up I see everyone staring at me, especially Aelia who looks genuinely pissed off that I'm actually upset about the fact I'm going into the Hunger Games. I always knew I'd hate the Capitol people, I just never thought I'd get the opportunity to actually meet one. Unfortunately, dealing with idiotic Capitol residents comes with the job description of tribute.
"I'm not apologising this time." I say solemnly, standing up and walking from the dining room to the other end of the train. I want to be as far away from that pretentious Capitol snob as I can.
"Don't worry, I hate her just as much as you do." Nick says, following me into the part of the train that contains the television. It's getting late and I know I'll have to sleep soon to stop myself looking completely drained when I reach the Capitol, I just can't bring myself to go to bed yet. Instead, Nick and I switch the television on to find the Games from last year being played. They always do replays during Games season until the Games actually begin. To get the people of the Capitol into the murderous spirit, I guess.
"I don't know if I have the stomach to watch this again." Nick says. I nod in agreement. Last year's Games were by far the worst I've ever seen, and by the way my parents reacted I'm guessing that's the way they feel about it too. Prime Willerton from District One won, which means he's going to be mentoring one of the menacing pair from District One.
"Let's just hope this year isn't as horrific as last year." Nick says under his breath, the fear evident in his voice. I nod again, too focused on the television to speak. It's at the moment when the pair from Two died, killed in a fight with the girl from District Four, who had been the favourite to win the whole way through the Games. She was tall and incredibly muscular, with a frightening face and an equally frightening attitude to murder. The pair from Two were well trained, of course, but the size of their opponent meant they eventually met their end. The brutal nature of her kills make me want to vomit, but I force myself to keep the little food I've eaten down knowing I'll need it to keep my strength up for when I'm in the arena.
"What're you doing?" I ask Nick as he grabs the remote and rapidly rewinds the show, heading all the way back to the bloodbath at the cornucopia on the first day. Thirteen tributes died, leaving the five careers and six others for them to hunt down.
"Thirteen died... they must have done something wrong. If we just look at the ones that survived the bloodbath, what their tactics were. I don't know. It could help us, I guess."
I once again nod as a reply, still unsure of Nick. We're district partners, so he's the most obvious choice for an ally, but I'll have to get to know him before I can decide whether or not I trust him.
"Oh my god."
Nick appears horrified and whimpers quietly under his breath as last years career pack begin the assault on the other tributes. The eventual victor, Prime Willerton from One, reaches the cornucopia at the same time as the boy from our district. Before he can even think about what's happening Prime shoots an arrow straight through his heart and he drops to the floor, dead. The girl from District Four has the most kills, slicing and dicing at the tributes with her sword. The pair from Two are equally as deadly, working as a double team to take down various tributes. The girl from District Four wildly cackles as she beheads her own district partner – who was one of the few reaped kids from District Four these days that nobody volunteered in place of.
"Well, I think I know what we're going to need if we're going to survive the bloodbath." I say.
"What?" Nick looks at me with hope that we might actually make it past the first day.
"Luck."
Covite Spinelly, District Ten Male
Hellick. Brade. Hiall. Elden. Arlena. Manda. Rycer.
Thinking of them all hurts. For the first time in my life, I had friends. I had a purpose. The Capitol tore all of that away from me. It's not fair.
But then again, when is life ever fair?
"You two need to sleep. You've got a busy few days ahead of you." Carolina tells Merino and I, the tone in her voice making it clear we aren't to argue. I'm about to ask where Angel is, but I guess she's probably passed out on her bed from drinking too much again. She occasionally emerges from her bedroom for food, but other than that she sits on her bed crying and drinking. Until she passes out, that is.
"Night." Merino whispers to the two of us, clearly too drained to actually speak. Carolina nods to her and then Merino is gone.
"So are you two making our lives easier and being allies, or do Angel and I have to mentor you separately?" Carolina asks.
"Well, I've not really had the chance to have a conversation with her yet."
If I'm honest, I'd happily ally with everyone, even someone as volatile as Merino. I'd rather be with somebody that's likely to burst into tears every five seconds than be on my own.
On my own. The thought makes me shudder. I hated being alone back in District Ten, never mind the arena.
"Yeah, yeah I noticed. Give her some time to calm down. We'll talk about it tomorrow at breakfast, for now you should get some sleep kiddo. I need to go sort Angel out." And with that, Carolina stands up and sweeps towards Angel's room. Despite all of her complaining, it's clear Carolina sees Angel as her best friend. They both went through the same thing, so I'm guessing they know how each other feel. Carolina is just better at hiding it.
"Night." I say quietly, aware that she's already gone and won't hear me. And I'm left alone, to ponder on the thought of my imminent death. Who's going to kill me? When will I die? Will they make it painful? After seeing the reapings re-cap I'm not entirely convinced that the careers are likely to show mercy. They look even more brutal than last years career pack.
"Angel, you need to get in that shower right now. You're covered in your own vomit."
I begin to catch some of the conversation between Carolina and Angel. From the tone in Carolina's voice, I can tell this is a regular occurrence.
"Leave me alone! I jus' need t- to sleep!"
As usual, Angel's words are slurred. I don't think I've ever seen that woman sober.
"What? So you can marinade yourself in vomit? I won't tell you again, Angel."
"I don't want a shower!"
"Angel."
"Fine!"
I can't help but laugh to myself at the situation. I know Angel turned to alcohol as a form of coping with her personal demons after winning, and although she was called one of the most beautiful victors in the history of the Games for a few years after her victory, she eventually began to pile on the pounds and is now a heavily overweight alcoholic.
"What are you doing prying on us, boy?"
I'm snapped out of my train of thought by Carolina swinging the door open and looking at me angrily.
"I wasn't prying, I was just going to bed. Night Carolina!" I run as fast as I can from the open door of Angel's bedroom to my room, slamming the door shut as soon as I enter. A young woman snaps up as I enter and looks like she's about to have a heart attack.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I say, talking quietly so that Carolina doesn't hear. I was told specifically by our escort, Verginia, that we must not speak to those that work on the train and in the Capitol that wear white. I'm not exactly sure why, but following rules set by people I don't like has never really been something I'm good at anyway.
"You don't have to be scared of me, I'll probably be dead in a few days anyway." I sigh, jumping on to my bed and placing my hands behind my head. The woman quickly scurries out of my room, not saying a word. Odd. I probably scared her away with my talk of death.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the victor of the forty-ninth Hunger Games, Covite Spinelly!" I say, imitating the voice of Claudius Templesmith. Ha. Those are words that I very much doubt I'll ever be hearing. Unfortunately, it seems like my death will be inevitable. I quickly clench my eyes shut to try and block out the thoughts of my death.
"Covite Spinelly, District Ten, dead."
Maddie Asherwyde, District Twelve Female
I'm torn from my sleep by a violent scream. I shoot up from my pillow, darting my head around my bedroom to try and work out where the sound is coming from. It takes a few seconds to register that it was me.
"Maddie?"
The door to my bedroom swings open and Karina appears, looking across at me sympathetically. I'm guessing this isn't the first time she's dealt with screams from the tributes she's been forced to mentor.
"I'm fine. Sorry."
It's morning now. It hits me that being on this train are my last moments of real freedom. Yes, I technically became the Capitol's rag doll the second I was reaped, but as soon as we get to the Capitol I'm officially taken into custody in the building in which the tributes reside.
"Breakfast is in a few minutes." Karina sighs, massaging her temples, "Xena's being even more loud than usual today."
Karina's very slight dig at the Capitol escort makes me laugh. Not because it's particularly funny, but because it's against a Capitolite. I despise them all.
"I'll get ready."
Karina leaves my room, continuing to rub her temples. I pity her. She knows she's going to have to watch her tributes die again, yet she continues to put on her brave face. If I was in her situation, I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to be as strong as she is. Although, I'm sure I'll never get the chance to prove myself wrong.
It's odd. The moment you're reaped you sort of accept that you're going to die. I had always imagined myself crying every night and begging the Capitolites to not send me to the arena, but I feel like I've gone into automatic mode. I'm going to die, why spend my last few days as a sobbing wreck?
I'm almost intimidated by the technology on the train. I'm not bothering to shower, I don't want to wash off the last remnants of home.
"How do you work this thing..." I say to myself, and am startled when an attendant dressed all in white bursts into the room and instructs me on how to use the electronic wardrobe. I look up to the attendant to thank them, and instantly recognise what they are.
An avox.
Since the education back home isn't too great, we often end up watching speeches from President Snow and videos made by the Capitol to keep the citizens of Panem in line. An avox is a traitor, and for their crimes they had their tongues cut out. I think that knowledge is the only reason many District Twelve citizens don't make a run for it in the woods.
"Thanks." I say, and the avox leaves as soon as they came.
Flicking through the screen on the wardrobe, I eventually decide on a long sleeved black silk top with baggy grey bottoms. Not the most flattering outfit, but I've decided vanity isn't the best trait to be carrying around when you're sure you'll be dying in a few days. May as well live the last few days of my life in comfort.
"Just in time." Xena grins, her eyes wildly darting over to me as she clasps her hands together. I almost regret leaving my room, and prepare myself to run away from our seemingly insane escort. In the end, my stomach overrules my brain and I sit next to Zander just as breakfast is served.
"We'll be arriving in the Capitol in approximately fifty minutes!" Xena cheers, her voice turning to a painful squeak as she speaks.
"When we get there, do not show any emotion to the cameras. Act like you're a robot. We'll talk about what angle you're going to play when we've got more time to decide on it. You understand?" Zander and I simultaneously nod as Karina feeds us with information.
"The Capitol reporters will be throwing endless questions at you. The Capitolites will be screaming your names. You may smile, but other than that, nothing."
"And if they aren't screaming our names?" Zander asks worriedly.
"You're practically celebrities now. Of course they will." Karina replies, tucking into whatever it is we've been served for breakfast.
"So, are you two excited?" Xena squeaks, looking at me enthusiastically.
"Excited? Are you kidding?" I reply, feeling the rage begin to boil inside of me. Oh shit. I've never been particularly good with holding in my anger.
"Yes! That's what I said isn't it?"
"Would you be excited if you were being forced to go to a city full of vile looking, sick in the head psychopaths to be prepared to be thrown into an arena with twenty-three other innocent children to be murdered? Are you fucking serious?"
"Maddie!" Karina snaps.
"I don't care. She's just as oblivious as the rest of them. All of you Capitolites are!"
Zander looks at me as if he's going to burst into tears. I'm guessing he's not too great at holding his emotions in either.
"You all worship the Hunger Games, you act as if it's something to be celebrated. One day I hope that you are made to go through what the people back home are going through right now. I hope your kid is murdered on national television, while everybody is watching, and then I really hope it is celebrated. The difference being, you would deserve it!"
"Maddie, that is enough!" Karina stands up from her chair, slams her first into the table and looks me dead in the eye, "If you have a problem with the Capitolites, fine. But make sure they don't find out about it. Their sponsors may be the only thing to keep you alive."
Xena bursts into tears and runs out of the room. It only makes me hate her more.
"Now, we're nearly at the Capitol. Eat up, you'll need your strength."
Here's the train rides. I originally wasn't going to do a train rides chapter, but when I worked out how many chapters I'd need in order to give each tribute at least two point of views before the Games begin I realised I'd have to. I hope you enjoyed it.
I tried to show the personalities of the tributes the best I could here. Corvinus, the typical District Two brute. Emilie, the narcissist. Sable, the anti-Capitol rebel. Alisa, quiet, to the point and introverted. Covite, desperate to make everybody like him. And finally, Maddie, unable to hold in her anger.
Before I forget, I'd just like to clear something up:
If I disliked your tribute, I wouldn't have accepted them. Remember only one can win, and other than the victor everyone else dies at some point. You submitted knowing your tribute only had a one in twenty-four chance in winning, so please don't hate me when I eventually kill off your tribute. I'll stress many times that where each tribute places will be done in an order that works best for the story, and since I am the author I'll be deciding on that. I'm not saying this because of anything anyone has said to me, I'm just saying it because I want to make sure I do before I forget.
If you want short profiles on each of the victors with pictures of what they looked like at their time of victory, go and look at the victors blog my best friend and I Becca (BeccaJoy) made for our canon world. It's on my profile.
I've also added escort names to the story blog, so if you're interested in that go ahead and look.
Some questions for you to answer in your review:
Which tribute's point of view was your favourite?
Do you like or dislike any of the tributes more after this chapter?
Do you think any of the tributes featured in this chapter could win, if so who?
Also, remember as well as answering the questions to actually review. The questions are simply something for you to add on, I am much more appreciative of actual critiques and reviews that will help me to improve my writing rather than a ten word review answering the questions in the shortest form you can think of.
Next chapter will be the Chariot Rides, and will feature point of views from the six districts not featured in this chapter, once again alternating in gender.
Also, I'm going to give it a shout out here because my favourite story on the site is being super underrated. You should all read Born to Die by BeccaJoy. It follows Cato and Clove on their last days before the Games and eventually them in the Games, as well as Audrina Prescott, Clove's sister and Cara Fiori-Prescott's daughter.
- Cosmoguy a.k.a Dom