It was one in the morning and Ellie couldn't sleep leading her to the rooftop. She hanged nicely off the edge, her feet dangling many stories high. It was a nice night; not too cold. One of those nights where the air just felt wonderful. It made you feel like you could fly off but sadly, Ellie couldn't. She was stuck here in this building until the games. After the games was an unknown conclusion. Was she dead? Was she alive? It was all left upon to the odds.
"It's a really nice night out, you know?" A soft male voice came from behind Ellie. She nodded as the boy sat next to her.
"Peeta, right?" She smiled, he gave a gentle nod.
"Ellie, correct?" He smirked.
"Correct," Ellie said slightly turning to him. "I found it very nice out, tonight." Even though Peeta looked overall happy, there was still a sadness that loomed over him. It was quite obvious. Ellie popped her head in front of his. She was looking deeply into his eyes. "Is something wrong?" She frowned. "You look… upset?" Ellie backed away a little as Peeta looked down at his feet with a frown covering his face.
"Katniss," he responded with a hushed voice. "She's upset with me." Ellie raised a brow.
"Upset, why is she upset?"
"I told her that I preferred to train alone," he said with regret. Ellie's eyes lightened up.
"That's why Colin is mad at me."
"But, I did it-"
"To protect her?" Ellie questioned.
"Look, it's a really long story-"
"We have all night," Ellie says folding her legs. "I'm not going anywhere, and it looks like you're pretty comfortable." She smirked.
"I love her…," he stutters out. "I really care for her."
"Then…why would you-"
"Haymitch, my mentor…you'll see," he smiles getting up. "Plus, how do I know you don't have a…trick up your sleeve? You are a witch after all." He winked. "You're probably full of them. Goodnight." Ellie sat there completely dumbfounded for minutes until realizing she should get back to her floor before Lilac freaks and wakes the whole building with her screeching voice.
She slowly lifted her body off the edge of the tall building not wanting to leave; she was almost dragging herself, forcing to go inside. Going inside felt weird, it felt like a cage that they kept her captive in until she would be put into an arena until her last breath. Barbaric, the word that explained all of this, barbaric. Ellie slugged herself to the elevator with her arms tucked under her shirt. It was getting cold but it still would feel better than her room. She shook her head, that wasn't her room. It was a jail cell, a cage. A cage…just a cage. The whole building was a cage and the looks of it from the videos she saw, Panem was just a bigger cage.
She didn't even have to push a button for the elevator door to open, it just did. It made a little smirk appear on Ellies face, magic. Seeing those doors open was like magic. It reminded her of the home she longed to see again, the home she longed to breathe in. She wasn't thinking of Four Private Drive either but the one and only Hogwarts. Hogwarts was home, the home she loved. As she stepped in, the little bit of happiness disappeared…it wasn't magic though. It was technology. Everything this building…this place carried was sickening. The people were horrible. She pressed the number leading to her floor; a sigh escaped her chapped lips.
"Harry, only if you were here," she said quietly to herself. It was true, if Harry was here…something would either go terribly wrong to the point something good will happen, or something totally good will happen distracting everyone from the games. Ellie swallowed, shaking herself far from her thoughts and onto her floor.
"Where have you been?" Is the first thing Ellie hears but it wasn't an annoying voice like Lilac carried. "You had me worried sick!" Juno gasped dramatically. "Darling, you really should get your beauty sleep! We wouldn't want you getting circles, now, do we?" He eyed Ellie.
"No, Juno," she grumbled walking to her room.
"Don't slouch!" He says. Ellie straightens herself but her feet are still sliding across the floor. "Sweetie, please, I beg of you, pick up your feet." Ellie mutters something under breath but it wasn't hearable. "Good girl," Juno smiled to himself. That was the last thing Ellie heard before she went off to bed.
Ellie still wasn't sleepy as she twisted and turned in her covers. The events of the day, or now, the day before were running through her head. She kept repeating to herself that he deserved it but it still helped ease her mind. Ellie was so frightened that he would take it out on her in the arena. What if he tortures her? What if he humiliates her? Ellie started to feel sick to her stomach and frustrated she couldn't sleep one bit. Getting out of bed one more time and going into the bathroom, she looked on the counter and saw a little package. It was two sleeping pills but her body would only allow her to take one. Two wouldn't hurt but one was sufficient. She placed the big tablet on her tongue and drank some water to swallow it. The pill felt like a horrible rock forcing itself down a small dry aching tube.
"I better not be getting sick," she moaned out loud walking to bed and slipping herself in it. "Please, let me sleep. " She begged, not really to anyone but just begged over and over until her eyelids grew heavy and she fell asleep.
Ellie was thankful that she wasn't her brother. While she'll sleep peacefully, he'll sleep in pain. Nightmares haunted the poor boy every night.
"Rise and shine, Beautiful!" Lilac chimed through the doors of Ellie's bedroom. "Wakey, Wakey!" She giggled pulling Ellie out from under the covers.
"No!" She cried.
"Ellie Potter, we are not playing this game again. Get up!" Lilac snapped. Ellie, not wanting to hear Lilac anymore, got out of bed and put on her training outfit. Today was the day Remus and Bill would help her a bit with dueling and possibly some weapons.
"Morning," Ellie yawned. Remus and the rest smiled and gave polite mornings while Collin picked at his food ignoring Ellie. "Okay, then." She frowned at him and took her seat. She immediately started shoveling food on her plate. She wanted to have a nice breakfast for the long day ahead. Tomorrow would be the day where she should the Capital what she was made of.
"So, Ellie, you ready?" Ellie nodded at Tonks. Ellie could tell the young female was trying to be enthusiastic but her true emotions revealed pain and hurt.
"Yeah," she muffled through food. Lilac growled at Ellies poor table manners.
"Are you guys actually allowed to go in the training area?" Colin questioned after he finished.
"We were told we could, only Bill, Remus, and I are with you guys," Tonks smiled. "Moody has some business with Ministry. " Tonks shoveled some cereal in her mouth.
"Are Bill and Remus still training me, or is one of them going with Colin?" Ellie asked frowning at Colin.
"I'll go with you, Dora!" Bill smirked. "I think Ellie can handle just being with Remus."
"Would you stop talking, you all need to get down to the training-"
"We Know, Lilac!" Remus groaned. He got up and fixed himself before grabbing Ellie and pulling her closely to him. "We'll take a separate elevator." He holds her back with one arm.
"Why?" She looks up at the red haired man.
"Eh," he shrugs. He wants to talk to her but Lilac is watching them. "Yes, Lilac?" Lilac smiles and looks back at her fashion magazine. He smiles and walks into the opened doors. "Come on, Lily." Ellie blushed at her mother's name. It was that weird thing his and Sirius need. They'd call the Potter Twins by their parent's names; James and Lily. Remus sat comfortably back.
"What did you need to tell me?"
"Do you know what batty said about alliances?" He questioned.
"Batty?" Ellie snorted. "Who's Batty?"
"Lilac," Remus says with a wide smirk. "Anyway, you remember, right?"
"Of course, why? Do you think I should stay away?" Remus shakes his.
"No, no, of course not!"
"Then what?" Ellie urges for him to come out and say it.
"The Careers," he starts. "Use them, make a deal with them. You can't take Viktor down yourself and if you plan on coming home with Gabrielle, you have to take down Krum! The strong boy from two, he can take Krum down."
"Cato?" Ellie gasped. "But I knocked him into a wall!" She whined. "Remus, he's out to get me!" Ellie cried. "I swear, Marvel, the boy from one even said that they'll get me." He smiles and shakes his head.
"Lily, that's why you have to make a deal with them before the games," he says. "Tell them you are more experienced than most witches your age." It wasn't a complete lie but when your Godfather is Remus Lupin and your brother is Harry Potter, it does give you quite an advantage.
"And if they don't accept?"
"Make sure you get a high score." When the doors opened, the pair walked out briskly into the training room. "You're good with dueling and spells, but we need to find a weapon you are good at." He points at a knife. "Now," he starts before straightening himself. "Throw it like you are playing darts." Ellie nodded grabbing a knife. It was small but definitely could do some damage. "Throw it hard and hope you hit one of the targets."
Ellie, on three, threw the knife hard but sadly it only bounced off the dummy. As Remus sighed, there was a laugh in the distance. A slight growl came from her lips but Remus put a hand on her shoulder signaling for her to calm down.
"Ellie," He said sternly. "Don't." She nodded grabbing another knife. The anger building up made her throw the knife harder. This time, it stuck the dummy right in the chest. "Good!" Remus smiled. "Try to do it again!"
Ellie attempted it four more times; one went in the dummy's chest. Remus frowned shaking his head.
"Maybe you might do better with something heavier!" A voice came…his voice. Ellie turned around and saw him walking towards her. "I'm serious," he nods. "Try the axe!" Cato pointed to the axe. "It'll have a bit more grip. Sometimes throwing lighter objects is useless. "He grabs the axe. "Watch me!" He says in that cocky voice of his.
Remus eyed her to stay calm and make alliance. She sighed rolling her eyes. Ellie watched Cato as he harshly threw the axe at the dummy. The blade fully went into the middle of the chest. Bravo Cato. He smirks.
"Good, huh?"
"I guess," Ellie mutters. Remus pats her back. "I thought we were supposed to train…alone…in an empty area?" She moaned up at Remus.
"The world doesn't revolve around you princess," Cato smirked.
"You should try it," Remus hands her an axe ignoring the last sentence. Cato signals her to go.
Ellie throws the axe and to her luck, it went straight into the chest. She gave a sigh of relief but jumped and stiffened as she felt Cato rub her shoulder.
"Practice that, I think you've found your weapon," He smirked and walked back to the swords.
For hours on end, Ellie practice throwing her axes and to her surprise, it was going very well. Remus also practiced some heavy dueling with her. Now, it was time to get into the Career pack.
She spotted Cato at the end of training hurrying off to the elevators. Ellie ran after him hoping his partner wouldn't show.
"Cato!" She wanted to gag as she spoke his name. "Cato." The tall boy, who lands over a foot taller than Ellie, stopped and turned on his heels.
"Yes?" He questioned in that arrogant tone. "Going to fling me into another wall, freak?"
"Alliance?" She questioned. Cato laughed obnoxiously. "No, I'm serious. Please?"
"Why?" He snorted in that cocky tone. Ellie frowned wanting rip his eyeballs out of his sockets. "What could you possibly have that I need?"
"Magic, before you question it," she swallowed hard. "I can do magic other witches my age cant. Magic, dark magic that can help you."
"You're willing to help me?"
"Yes, but for one thing…Krum."
"Krum?" He eyed me.
"The Bulgarian tribute." She smiled. "I have a bother I need to go home to and a little girl to bring with me! I need someone to take down Krum."
"Get an eight tomorrow, and you're in." Was the last thing Cato said before they parted ways.
