Sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter up, I'm gonna try to write more of it soon. This chapter mainly revolves around the Games just from Effie's point of view as a viewer. The next chapter will be way more Hayffie related. Please review and let me know if you are liking the story!
Disclaimer: I am not Suzanne Collins...
Effie's POV
Waking up, I notice Haymitch isn't next to me. I climb out of bed and walk slowly to the living room. I find a note he left saying that he was going to get sponsors before the Games start. I sits down on the couch and turn on the screen. There is a countdown on screen until they begin- 30 minutes. I take a deep breath and then put on my make up and wig, in case there is any reason to go out of the penthouse today. I choose the gold wig and a bright blue dress. With 15 minutes still to spare, I pace the room nervously.
All too soon, the tributes are being lifted onto the platforms in the arena. The cornucopia lies in the middle of a huge body of water. There are 12 legs stretching out, for the tributes to run on to get to the cornucopia or away from it. The water is surrounded by a jungle. Caesar pops onto the screen along side Claudius Templesmith and talks about how each section of the jungle has a special threat inside of it.
The screen focuses in on each tributes face, usually coming back to favorites like Katniss, Peeta, or Finnick. Soon enough the screen goes to Mags, who's platform is next to Beetee's. Her face is paler than usual and she looks more afraid than I've ever seen her. At least she can swim well- some of the tributes might have problems with that.
The countdown finishes and the tributes dive into the water. Katniss and Finnick are the first to reach land and they both run towards the cornucopia. I notice that Finnick has on the bracelet I gave Haymitch. Soon enough Katniss realizes this to and allies with him. I smile, knowing that I told Haymitch to give the bracelet to him.
"Quick, Katniss- Mags found Peeta," Finnick says as they run towards Mags. The screen goes to Peeta who is fighting off a tribute right at the edge of his platform. The go under water and a cannon sounds. I move a hand over my mouth and my breathing stops. Peeta finally comes back up to the surface, spewing water, and everyone instantly lets out a sigh of relief.
The next problem that occurs is when Peeta hits the edge of the arena and a forcefield knocks him out. Even Caesar looks distressed as Finnick saves him. Whenever he's back on his feet, Katniss throws her arms around him, visibly shaking. She closes her eyes and a tear falls down her face. Caesar makes a comment about the "lethal lovers" and then the screen goes to show the career back- Cashmere, Gloss, Enobaria, and are a few sections over in the jungle, talking about ways to hunt down the others.
"We have to look for Katniss and Finnick- those are the two main threats right now," Gloss says informatively.
"What about Johanna? She's deadly," Cashmere tells him.
Enobaria scoffs, "She's with District 3 and Blight- she can't get very far with them. In a while she won't be able to stand them anymore and she'll kill them. That's when we should go for her."
Right after Katniss made her alliance with Finnick, Johanna went to save Beetee, who almost got killed getting a coil of wire. She got him and Wiress to follow her to a part of the jungle. Blight didn't seem too thrilled about the alliance but he agreed to it after a while. It was an odd alliance though- I would never have thought of Johanna allying with them.
"What about Katniss, then?" Brutus asks.
"She's with Peeta, Finnick and Mags. They won't be too hard to find- I can't imagine them able to move to quickly." Enobaria laughs and my heart sinks a little.
"We'll get them soon enough," Brutus says.
Shortly after, lightning starts to strike the tallest tree in their section. The careers make a bee line for the shore, though they are far enough away that it wouldn't electrocute them. The only thing they had to worry about was branches falling off the tree.
Nothing more happens until the next hour. The screen goes to Wiress, Beetee, Johanna, and Blight. The section they are in, Caesar informs us, has blood rain. It is designed to both mentally scare the tributes and take away their sight as it will be a heavy rainfall. Beetee looks up at the sky and sees it start to fall. Wiress looks at him with concern but he shakes his head.
"Looks to be just water- it'll be fine." He smiles and squeezes her hand. More drops fall and one lands on his glasses. He takes them off to inspect it and thats when he realizes that its blood. The screen zooms in on the bright red stain.
"Johanna!" He yells.
"What is it now, volts?" Johanna asks clearly annoyed.
"The rain- it's blood," he tells her. She looks up at the sky and thats when the rain starts coming down harder.
"RUN!" She yells at them. She runs towards them and tries to lead them towards the shore. Within a few seconds, she looses her sense of direction, unable to see through the blood. Wiress starts coughing up blood and Beetee tries to find her. The blood has now completely covered his glasses.
The rain continues on steadily, making it harder for the tributes to move. Johanna looks down in disgust- the blood covering about an inch of the forest floor. She stumbles around the jungle and finds Blight. She holds onto his hand for a moment, trying to keep him next to her, but the blood soaked his hand so much that he slides out from her grasp. He stumbles, wiping the blood from his eyes so he can try to see her, but instead he hits the forcefield. With a scream from him, he hits the ground and a cannon sounds.
"Blight?" Johanna calls out. "Beetee? Wiress?"
"We're here," Beetee tells her.
"Who? You and Wiress?" Johanna asks.
"Yes," Beetee tells her, "I don't know where Blight is."
Johanna stands still, and keeps her head down, trying to keep the blood from coating her face more. After a few more minutes, the blood rain stops and Johanna opens her eyes. Beetee and Wiress are a few yards away from her, Wiress mumbling about something and Beetee examining his wire.
I hold my breath as Johanna looks over and sees Blight, dead on the ground. She doesn't walk over to him or say anything as the hovercraft lifts him into the sky.
"C'mon," she says quietly, "Let's try to find a way out of here."
The blood is still covering the ground and the trees are stained dark red. I watch in disgust, wondering how they got so much blood just to make that part of the arena. The screen switches to Katniss, Peeta, Finnick, and Mags and I hope that nothing is going to hurt them, but I know that something probably will. A fog starts to descend from the highest point in that section and Caesar comes on the screen yet again.
"For the threat in section 3 we have fog," he says, "Now, it's not just any fog- but a poisonous one that will cause extreme pain and in some cases- death."
Haymitch's POV
The screen flicks back to Katniss, watching the descent of the fog. I know there is nothing I can get for them to save them from the fog right now- they just have to run. She reaches out to touch the fog, and I shake my head. I don't understand why she wouldn't be running already- obviously the fog is dangerous or at the least suspicious.
Katniss screams in pain and her hand blisters. "Run," she screams to the other, "the fog is poison." Finnick takes Mags on his back and runs alongside Peeta. They all slip past the fog, but it keeps coming in from the sides. Katniss falls and gets up, then Peeta falls and doesn't get up. Katniss drags him away from the fog but she can't get far like that. Finnick and Mags make their way to Katniss and Peeta. Finnick sets Mags down for a moment and inspects Peeta's burns.
"I can't carry him myself," Katniss says. Finnick looks at her and tries to figure out what to do. Mags touches Finnick's cheek and gives him a kiss. Then, she starts to walk into the fog.
"No, no, no…" I say as the cannon goes off. I watch the screen as Katniss and Finnick lift up Peeta and carry him, and then fall down the side of a hill.
"And they are out of the fog section," Caesar says in relief. I start running towards the training center, all of my thoughts on Effie.
So that's the chapter! Sorry there wasn't really any Hayffie at all, but there will be in the next chapter!