A/N: Okay... I honestly have no excuses. Well, I do. But I honestly don't think you guys want to hear about it. Or read about it.
Anyway, I'm back. We're snowed in here with over a foot of snow, and we aren't allowed to leave our houses! So I write...
I hope you guys are still reading this! Although, I can't blame you if you aren't :) Here you go!
There is the slightest rumble vibrating through the cold metal between my feet. It lasts a moment as the hovercraft rises into the air, before the shaking eases and the floor beneath me stills. The inside is separated into two sides, sectioned off slightly by two rectangular structures of metal that jut out from the walls.
The tribute seats line the walls, separated by several inches of thick metal. If I turn my head, I can just barely see over at the other tributes. Taller tributes don't have to strain to see over the top, but I am content with my height. I don't need to watch them. As soon as the bell sounds, and the Gallathorne Games have begun, they will be hunting me. Anticipating my death.
For now I stare ahead. As much as I don't want to look around, looking down seems almost cowardly. So I force myself to keep my head up, eyes towards the other wall.
Unfortunately for my sanity, that means I am staring directly at Zach.
His concentration is taken up by the Capitol attendant in front of him. The oddly uniformed woman has his arm in a tight grip, placing a metal tube against his arm. A sharp needle slides out from underneath it, and he doesn't blink as the tracker on the needle's tip is inserted deep into his arm.
Another attendant steps into my line of vision, and my gaze flickers to the matching tube in her hand. The attendant repeats the same process that she has done with every other tribute, and moments later there is a red spot on my arm, a swollen bump where the tracker was inserted.
-:-:-:-
I am sitting in a small round room. Waiting. For what? My death, eventually.
Peacekeepers dropped me off in here some time ago, and left me to wait. But I am okay with the waiting. Waiting puts off the Games. However, it also gives me plenty of time to think.
The events of the past few days have all caught up with me, leaving me in a gloomy depressed state that I am still fighting. The thoughts rush through my head, too quickly for me to concentrate on just one.
Star crossed lovers of District Twelve. Star crossed LOVERS! What were we thinking? What are we doing?!
A decade ago, during the 64th Gallathorne Games, a new rule was declared. Two tributes could be declared victors, as long as they were from the same district. But in the ten years since the rule was added, there have never been two simultaneous victors. No, if you are brave enough to attempt it, the Gamemakers ensure that it is twice as hard for you and your partner.
But, there have never been two tributes from the same district who have passed themselves off as lovers. Why? Because it's a stupid, insane idea! Because, if you truly love each other, it's a hopeless act that won't last. The entire point of the Gallathorne Games is that everyone is supposed to die to make a point to those who may be considering rebellion. It's a cocky slap in the face, a punch in the gut to everyone in the districts, even those who aren't parents. Siblings, cousins, friends. We all feel it. And it diminishes our population by 23 children every year.
Perhaps, however, this new angle could work. If there's one thing about the games that has never changed, it's the Capitol citizens love for a show, something new. I find some comfort in the fact. Capitol citizens, sponsors, they all love a good story. A scandalous drama. Maybe this could work in our favor. It has to work. Or else we die.
The doors swish open, interrupting my pleasant train of thought, and Peacekeepers swarm into the room. They clear from the doorway and one silently gestures for me to go.
The Peacekeepers escort is a time-honored tradition, solely comprised to make the esteemed guests feel safe and welcomed. Or, y'know, make sure we don't try to escape and off ourselves. That too.
I stand up stiffly and willingly walk through the doors. Well, maybe willingly isn't the right word. But if I don't go on my own two feet, the alternative is…..slightly rough.
The Peacekeepers follow me closely, a group of five shadowing my back like leeches.
My feet seem to grow heavier with each step down the long hall. I try not to dwell on what happens next, but the knowledge is heavier than my footsteps. As soon as I leave this hallway and move into the next room, the Games have begun.
I make it down the hall, halfway through, when Zach crosses through an intersecting hallway ahead, his own entourage of Peacekeepers several feet behind him.
And then I lose it.
My feet seem to take flight on their own, my mind blank.
I can hear the Peacekeepers react all at once, hesitating a moment before they begin their jumbled, tangled attempt at chasing me.
Zach's head whirls around as he hears the chaos, and his eyes widen as I draw near. He stops walking just as I come close, and his arms fly out to catch hold of me.
There are only seconds to spare. As slow as the Peacekeepers are with their armor on, it takes them only moments to catch up. Just enough time for me to frantically look into Zach's eyes.
"Promise it won't change!" My words come fast, rushed.
"What?" Confusion. I can't make myself understood.
"When we go into the arena, promise it'll be like last night. Not an act, at least!" My hands desperately grip his shoulders. I hate myself for acting clingy, but I need this. "Act for the audience, but not to me!"
My arms are roughly yanked behind my back as the Peacekeepers catch up to us and pull me away.
My words hadn't made any sense, but Zach nods. "You'll know when it's an act."
We are roughly separated. Zach continues down his winding hallway, and I am shoved through mine. The closest Peacekeeper's tight grip never leaves my arm.
A door to my right is opened without so much as a squeak, and the Peacekeepers deposit me inside. The door is shut behind me, and Macey is suddenly in my face, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug.
We are mostly silent. I open my mouth several times to speak, but no words come out. We end up standing silently in the room, wrapped in a hug. It only lasts for moments though, before a mechanical sounding voice blares through hidden speakers.
"30 seconds."
Macey pulls back and looks at me, any vestiges of earlier levity gone from her demeanor. She hesitates a moment, then pins something to my clothes, making sure to hide it from sight under my jacket.
The outfits for this year are confusing. A one piece suit made of a flexible rubbery material that could be for anything, really. Heat, cold, wet, dry. Anything is possible.
I look down just as Macey finishes attaching the golden item. It's the gallagher pin. My father's pin. The sight of it fills me with strength. She smiles and brings one finger to her mouth in the universal sign for shhh.
"Don't die," are her only words before the relative silence is interrupted again.
"10 seconds."
I nod slowly and head over to the round glass tube that will shoot me up to the surface, into the arena.
Despite all the earlier chaos and nervousness that had invaded my body (a foreign feeling for sure. If anything, it was a sign of how much this had shaken me. I was never nervous, never unsure. I couldn't be. My family depended on me) I was now steady as a rock. The gallagher pin, as small and silly as it seemed, gave me a newfound feeling of strength. My dad, if he hadn't died, would've believed in me, more than anyone else.
The platform under my feet slowly begins to rise. I meet Macey's gaze one more time before I am too high, and turn my face up towards the sun.
I am temporarily blinded ad the pedestal under my feet stops with a click. The glare of the sun's beams slowly fades as my eyes adjust, and I look around.
I am alone. I am stuck in a rocky orange hole, its width only just wide enough for me to stretch my arms out and touch either side. It ends just a few feet above my head. The only way out is up.
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Beep.
The bombs beneath the pedestal are deactivated, and I quickly begin my ascent. The rock is smooth and swooping, making the climb even harder as there aren't any hand or foot holds. I tighten my grip and quickly pull my weight up. My head rises above the edge quickly, and I am out.
I take a moment to stop and look around. The only surroundings I can see are tall walls of rock, rising up all around me. The color seems a mix between an assortment of oranges and a light brown, but the bright vibrate orange dominates. I am standing in a valley between the walls. I frown. What type of arena is this?
I follow the winding path of the valley. It quickly empties into a large empty area, the size of at least three Capital Squares, made up of the same orange stone. Tons of pathways enter into this arena, much like the one I came out of, seemingly tiny next to the vastness of this open dome.
Suddenly, it dawns on me.
The arena is a canyon. A seemingly endless canyon.
I break into a run as another tribute appears at the end of one of the pathways. The Cornucopia appears ahead of me, and I force my legs to move faster. It is made of the same rock as the canyon walls, and almost blends into its surroundings, except for the weapons spilling out of its mouth.
I get to the Cornucopia first, just before the other tribute behind me. I grab a bow and quiver, and then duck as I hear the familiar whirring of a weapon. I dip just in time, and an axe sticks into the wall right where my head had been. I concentrate on running, throwing one quick look over my shoulder to ensure there aren't any more axes.
The tribute who had thrown the axe is now lying on the ground, a knife sticking out of his back. I put on a burst of speed and my feet fly faster, weaving from side to side just in time to avoid a knife of my own.
I have no interest in being caught in the bloodbath.
All of my attention is taken up by running. The ground in this spot is not smooth or easy to navigate, as the hole had been. It is covered in rock; some smaller gravel, and some large boulders scattered around the canyon floor.
I run to the left into one of the tunnels branching off from the cornucopia and weave through the canyon walls. It is a bright orange maze, and I try hard to keep my bearings. I can't run in circles the whole day.
The rocks beneath my feet gradually grow finer, smaller, until I am walking on a fine white sand. The weather in the canyon is hot and humid, but a thin breeze manages to blow through the narrow walls, taller than they are wide. If I tilt my head back, I can just barely see a small patch of sky. What the Games technicians have programmed to look like the sky. In all actuality, it's a giant dome. A computer screen.
I turn sideways as I come to a very narrow spot. The walls leave only a foot between them, and I am just small enough to fit through.
I am standing in a small circle of sand, a thin pinpoint of concentrated sunlight landing right in the middle of it. There are several tunnels that branch off in other directions, but it can wait. I slide down onto the sand, exhaustion taking over my body. The bow and quiver land somewhere to my right.
I lie there for a few minutes before my brain starts to function again and all of the information that I learned in the Training Center comes rushing to the forefront.
Water. I need water.
And Zach.
But I try not to dwell on that one.
This is a slot canyon. The odds of there being a creek or body of water in here are slim to none, unless it rains. And the odds have never been in my favor.
A/N: For the record, you guys really should google slot canyons. They are gorgeous. And it will help you envision the arena.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Honestly guys, I have pretty much forgotten about this story, until I got a review a little while ago! The review is what got me going again. They seriously motivate!
I'll try to update soon. And I have a new story coming out, but I'm not going to post it until it's over halfway done, so that way I'll still have stuff to post. Especially since college starts in a week! Wish me luck :)
Adios!