City of Ruins
That morning Pandora was up before the sun. She sat on the edge of the bed, fully dressed. She wore leather boots, which her black pants had carefully been tucked into. A long sleeved, olive green sweater covered the black t-shirt that clung to her body. Her hair was pinned into a loose bun. It was the outfit Caradoc had assigned as her arena ensemble. She lowered her eyes to the sweater, wherever she was going it would be cold.
Sadly her eyes twitched to the windows, the sun was rising. It would only be a few more moment before Lux Halstead would knock on her door, but she didn't move. Instead she watched the sunrise, trying to enjoy it. Something told her this was the last time she would be able to enjoy a thing as simple as the sun. The rays of sunlight started to filter through the glass. They traveled along the plush carpet of her room, rising to her feet, then to her ankles. It wasn't long before she was covered in sunlight. Slowly, Pandora closed her eyes and drew a calm breathe in. She tried to fantasize that she was on the hillside, the one that they would climb up after a long morning of hunting. The hill that you could see all the buildings of District 7 from. She imagined that her brothers were beside her. They hadn't caught anything but it didn't matter, they were happy just to be by each other. Her hands rested on her thighs, the warmth of sunlight heated her cheeks. She fantasized about the smell of District 7, the rich pines laced the wind with sweetness.
"Pandora—"
Her eyes flashed open suddenly. The fantasy was gone, she was back in the Capitol. Her head jerked towards the door just as it opened. Halstead poked his head in. He stopped short for a moment, his eyes widened.
"You're up."
Her gaze lingered on him for only a short time before she turned her attention back to the windows of her bedroom, "I couldn't sleep."
"It will only be an hour now."
"I know."
She could hear him swallow and scratch at his neck but she kept her eyes on the window.
"Breakfast is here."
He disappeared behind the door. Pandora waited a few moments before rising to her feet. When she started walking it felt unnatural, like she wasn't really in her body. She could smell the food from the doorway of the main living area. Marius was already up. He had just put food into his mouth when she approached the table and adjusted her sweater.
Her hands grabbed for a roll and a jar of jam while she peered at Marius. He nodded to her, silently, in reply.
"Where's Catia?"
Halstead cleared his throat apprehensively, "She doesn't like goodbyes."
Pandora dropped her eyes, she hadn't thought of Catia as the sentimental type.
The rest of the breakfast was spent in silence. No one dared to utter another word, nor wanted to. Occasionally they would look at each other, their lips would move as if they were about to say something, but then the lips would pull into a frown, their brows would crease.
"Alright, it's time."
Pandora dabbed her napkin over her mouth and blinked her eyes away. She knew Marius was looking at her but she didn't look back, instead she climbed to her feet and steadied her breath.
Lux Halstead led them to the basement of the building and through a maze of tunnels. It felt like they had walked a long while before they stopped. Two guards beckoned from them to come forward, one had a device in his hand.
"What are they going to do?"
"Don't worry, it's just a chip—a tracking chip."
Without hesitation Marius extended his arm, letting one of the guards inject the chip. Pandora sadly followed Marius actions, but when the guard pulled up the sleeve of her sweater she winced. The place where Adric had drawn blood and given her the serum was bruised.
"What happened to you?" Marius asked suddenly.
Pandora silently shook her head, furrowing her brow at the guard, "Are you going to do it or just stand there?"
The guard scrunched his face in annoyance, harshly shooting the tracker into her arm without warning. She bit her lip in pain, pulling her sleeve down and corner-eyeing both guards before stepping back.
"Pandora—what was wrong with your arm?
Slowly she lifted her eyes to Marius and shrugged, "I'm just clumsy," she lied.
He stared at in speculation before looking away and pursing his lips. It was obvious he didn't believe her but Pandora didn't care. She was beyond worrying about Marius' suspicions.
"This is as far as I go," Halstead abruptly stammered taking the attention off of Pandora, which she was glad for. His glossy eyes peered at the door, "You just walk through there. You'll be separated. Caradoc will show you the way."
"Then what?"
Pandora twitched her eyes in surprise to Marius, suddenly he was so eager.
"Then you wait."
She was the first to move. Her hand grasped the handle of the door. With a firm tug it creaked. She let the heavy door glide open. Her back straightened as a shadow came into view. Caradoc took one step forward and cupped his hands together.
"Pandora, you're first. Follow me," his eyes shifted to Marius, "You wait here."
Pandora peered over her shoulder at Marius. He was smiling at her.
"See you on the other side, Pan."
Her lips tightened, her eyes studied his face.
"Bye," she whispered faintly, uneasy to look away from him. But as Caradoc pulled her into the corridor she averted her gaze.
The door closed behind them as they began walking. Her eyes spastically looked around. It smelt like a basement. They passed by several doors before they came to one marked 7F in bold white print.
The same long creak sang from the hinges as Caradoc opened the door and escorted Pandora inside.
She hesitated for a moment. Inside the room there was nothing but a pedestal and a table with a water pitcher and glass resting on it.
"I thought I was going into the arena?"
Caradoc laughed as he threw a jacket at her, "You are. Step on the pedestal and put this on."
Her eyes dropped to the jacket. A sweater and a jacket, wherever they were going it would be very cold.
She wrestled into the jacket and mechanically climbed onto the pedestal, suddenly feeling nauseous.
"Water—please—I would like water."
He rolled his eyes in annoyance, pouring her a glass. She chugged it, not knowing how long it would be until her next taste of water.
"Don't step off the pedestal until the countdown is over, or you'll be blown to pieces."
She widened her eyes in terror, wiggling her toes inside her boots.
Pandora handed the glass back to him, awkwardly. He nodded to her and adjusted his posture, "Good luck, Miss Sullivan."
Pandora mimicked his posture, nervously fidgeting with her hands, "T—Thank you."
Without another word he left the room. Silence fell. Although she tried to listen for any clues as to what would happen, there was nothing. Seconds turned into minutes before a voice crackled through hidden speakers.
"Initializing."
Suddenly a glass tube fell from the ceiling and surrounded her. Her eyes darted around the room and her hand pressed against the glass cautiously.
"Prepare for transportation."
She adjusted her jacket and sweater. Her eyes widened. Butterflies started buzzing in her stomach.
"In 3…2…"
She could hear her heartbeat.
"...1."
Pandora held her breath. She wanted to close her eyes but was too scared. Suddenly the pedestal started moving upward. Her eyes looked up at the ceiling just as a vault open and expelled dull light into the tube. She could feel an icy breeze as the pedestal moved towards the light.
The light was so blinding that it took her eyes a moment to adjust. She heard the crackled voice before she realized that she was standing the arena.
"20…19...18..."
Pandora blinked her eyes. They were standing in a city of ruins. The cornucopia was in the center of the square and each Tribute was dispersed around it. Rumble and debris lay scattered on the ground, piles of bricks and rocks were dotted around the square. Along the edges and moving outward skeletons of buildings and slanted constructions stood. The arena was a deserted city.
"10…9…8…"
Suddenly she realized what was about to happen, her eyes searched. Marius was a few yards away.
"7…6…"
He nodded to her. His body was hunched in preparation.
Thunder rumbled above.
Pandora clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes to the cornucopia. It was a sprint away. She studied the weapons and packs that waited.
"4…3…"
She tensed her muscles, feeling a strand of her hair fall from her bun as she positioned her feet to run. Lux Halstead had advised her to ignore the cornucopia and hide, but as she stared at the packs she knew she couldn't do that. An urban arena wasn't what she was expecting. In a forest she could make do without a pack, but not in a city of ruins.
White noise buzzed in her ears until she heard it. The opening cannon sounded. Her breath hitched as she broke into a run. She could hear screams wailing all around her as she stumbled over rubble, always keeping her eyes on the cornucopia. She gasped as she leapt over a pile of shrapnel and rolled onto the ground. When she lifted her eyes a backpack was within reach, her hand stretched for it swiftly. Within seconds she had slung the pack over her shoulder and climbed to her feet. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, but she ignored the impending fear that was creeping up inside her.
Smoke rose through the air, in confusion she looked for Marius but all she could see was blood splattering and mist. With a shake of her head she suddenly started sprinting. She was just to the edge of the square when she heard footsteps coming towards her fast, before she could prepare herself he flew through the rising smoke like a shadow, tossing her to the ground.
A groan of pain echoed from her lungs as she peered up at him, it was Petro from District 2. Her eyes widened at the axe in his hand.
She watched as he raised the axe, just as he began dropping the sharp edge towards her skull she rolled over. The metal axe sent sparks flying as it collided with the pile of rocks. She held her breath as she kicked him in the knee and grabbed for a brick. He had just regained balance when she smashed it against his head and shoved him away. She could hear his body drop as she bolted forward.
Her eyes burned from the smoke and blood ran down her temple but she didn't stop moving her feet. She wove through alleyways and nooks, never looking back. The farther she ran the more distant the screams of agony became.
Pandora ran for what seemed like forever. An hour and a few miles had past before she allowed her feet to slow into a walk. It was then that she heard it. The sound of waves crashing. Her brow furrowed in suspicion.
It was only a few more strides till she reached the end of a thin alleyway and stopped. Her brown eyes narrowed. Stretching for miles was a terrifying span of sea. The waves crashed into the buildings violently, lapping at the slanted streets vigorously. The breeze that blew in was icy and bit like a snake.
The clouds above bruised the sky with blue and black. A boom of thunder introduced the rain. As it fell from the sky, Pandora sniffed in dismay. Somewhere in District 7 her family was watching her on a television screen. She thought of all the charming she had done in her interview and suddenly none of it seemed worth it.
After a brief time she wiped the rain from her brow and unzipped the backpack, her eyes widened in anticipation. Inside the pack was a canteen, rope, and matches. Her lips parted in anxiety before she unscrewed the top of the canteen and held it into the air. It took some time to fill it with rainwater but once she had she took a small sip of it and zipped up the bag. Her eyes rose to the tops of the buildings. If she wanted to stay alive, her best bet was to stay high up.
Near the edge of the water was a door. She rubbed her hands together as she tried the handle, it didn't budge. Her jaw clenched as she thrust her shoulder against the door, still nothing.
In aggravation she let out a yell in kicked the door, frowning before walking away. She had only taken a few steps when she heard a creak behind her. Quickly she spun around, the door was suddenly ajar. Her eyes darted around the alleyway as she knelt down and picked up a piece of shrapnel. When she moved towards the door she tilted her head around vigilantly.
For all she knew another Tribute had followed her and was waiting for her inside.
She quietly moved towards it, as far as she could tell there were no signs of life.
How had the door opened?
She furrowed her brow and carefully pushed through. It was dark inside. She could barely see where she was going, but eventually she found a set of iron stairs. The metal screeched as she sprinted up the steps. The higher she went the better she could see, until finally she reached the top. There was a rusty door waiting for. Unlike the door downstairs, when she turned the knob it opened immediately.
It was obvious the building Pandora was in was designed to be a warehouse of some sort. Cavernous rooms connected together, with large windows expelling the arena's grey light inside. She didn't stop until she reached the farthest room and once she did she lifted her hand to the small cut near her ear. A rock had sliced her skin when Petro had pinned her.
She winced as she stared at the tinge of blood on her fingertips. It felt unreal. All of this. To be in the arena, to be hiding like a pathetic little girl, but she had no choice. Her eyes tiredly glanced to the windows. The sun was already starting to set. It was freezing but Pandora didn't dare start a fire, afraid that it would draw attention to her location. She could see her breath rise into the air as she lowered herself onto the hard floor and shivered.
Just as she reached the floor the cannons sounded. She counted the number of times it went off. 14. That meant that there were still 10 Tributes left.
A wave of nausea swept over her, along with a cool sweat. She had no idea how she was going to make it through these Games. Her eyes turned towards the sky as Panem's anthem played. Images of Tributes were projected onto the sky with their District number beneath them. She found herself praying silently, hoping that Scorch or Petro would be one of the images that appeared, but it was wishful thinking. The only pictures that were cast on the sky were the faces of the weak and gangly. Marius wasn't among them, which allowed her to breath a little better. She was surprised to see that Wisty wasn't among the first of the Tributes to die. Back in the training rooms she was sure that the tiny Tribute from District 4 would be the first to go, but maybe the little girl had more tricks up her sleeve then she had let on.
The warehouse creaked in response to the stormy breeze. Pandora pressed her cheek against the cold ground and pulled her knees to her torso. She would need to eat soon, but not now. Now she was tired. The sound of waves echoed through the foundations of the building to her ear. It was peaceful, eerily so, and though she was afraid her eyes slowly began to shut. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was the feeling of arctic wind cutting through her clothing and grasping her bones, like the icy hand of death.
