I'd like to thank littlemisskigirl for help with the plot, and FireFrostFlare for reading and helping me edit. Without her, I would have to be explaining some of Riley's mysterious reappearances back from the dead... XD

Chapter 10: The Countdown

After getting home from the interviews somehow, I fall asleep. I wake up at least five times during the night, but I know I've got more sleep than most of the other tributes. Other than weapons, we've also been trained on how to think. I remember one of my trainers telling me that if I die, I die. Staying up all night isn't going to fix that. I'm sure that would have scared a lot of people, but somehow, it comforted me, and it let me sleep.

I am woken to Lana roughly shaking my shoulders. My eyes fly open because I remember what today is. How could I forget? In a few hours, I will be in the arena. "Get ready," Lana says flatly, but I think I see a bit of sadness behind her eyes. In the few days I've gotten to know her. She's definitely gotten to know me.

After I wash up, I dress in a simple t-shirt and jeans. It doesn't really matter what I wear. Once I get into to the Launch Room, Texia will give me what I'm going to wear for the arena. After I'm ready, I sit on my bed and take a look around. I'm not sure if I'll be able to come back to my room before we leave for the arena, and I want to remember the place. It was the last safe place I might ever sleep.

But soon, I have to go, and I make my way to the dining hall for breakfast. As I enter, Kyson gives me a grim nod and Lana tries for a smile. Even Careers get a little nervous on Launch day. We eat in near silence, and before long it's time to leave.

Before we walk to the elevators and Lana clasps my hands in hers. "Good luck," she tells me, "I think you can win."

I eye her skeptically and ask, "Really?" I have a feeling she tells that to all her tributes.

She half smiles. "Really," she says, "Now you have to win. For Riley."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. For Riley. That is why I'm here. To win for my lost brother.

"Now remember," she says solemnly, "I'll help you as much as I can. Try to get help from the other tributes in your alliance. But try not to trust them too much. Because keep in mind that they all want to win. So at the end of the day, they all want you dead."

It's not necessarily nice to hear, but I know she's right. Every single member of our pack would kill me in a second because they all want to win so bad. If I trust them too deeply, I'm going to end up with a knife in my back. So I smile grimly and nod. "I know."

Kyson calls out to us from the elevator and Lana releases my hands. Usually, mentors don't see the tributes on the Launch day, but somehow Lana got an exception. Lance was already down at the Game Headquarters and Lana was going as soon as we left.

We ride down the elevator in silence and Kyson and I board the hovercraft to the arena. The restraints descend over our heads and I look around at the other tributes. Most of them just seem scared. That's understandable. In a few hours a lot of us are going to be dead. The little girl from 6 looks like she's about to cry. Her blonde hair is tied into pigtails with pink ribbons and she looks more like a doll than ever. Another boy with dark curly hair is staring straight ahead, trying to look indifferent, but I can see the tears threatening at the edges of his eyes. Thorn's looking down at her hands, her straight black hair falling in front of her dark black eyes. It's hard to see her expression but it looks like she's smiling. Everyone else looks at least somewhat nervous except the tributes from 1. Caspian is smirking and Platinum has a satisfied expression on her face. I can't believe she actually finds joy in killing innocent children. A Gamemaker injects a tracker into my arm and I wince. I hear a little boy squeal when the Gamemaker comes to him.

I feel a jolt in my stomach as the hovercraft lifts off. I catch Astrid's eye and she gives me a weak smile. Next to her, Ryker nods bleakly, and I try to smile back. From the look on their faces, I'm pretty sure it didn't work.

After about an hour, the windows black out and I sit back in my seat. I try to relax and get a little more rest, but my heart is beating so fast I'm sure that everyone else can hear it. The arena is close by, and it's only a matter of minutes until people are going to be trying to kill me. I try to take deep breaths to calm myself, and even though my heart rate slows a little, my mind is still scattered and panicked. 'Pull yourself together,' I command myself, 'How are you going to survive the arena like this?'

Soon, the hovercraft begins to descend and the restraints lift. I feel the craft hitting solid ground and the doors slide open. Peacekeepers escort me to my launch room where I find Texia waiting for me. She smiles at me and hands me a pack containing my attire for the arena.

I open it up and dump out the clothes inside. The shirt is simple and black, fitted against my skin. The parts are black too, a little stretchy but not too absorbent. Over that, I slip on a black windbreaker and dark boots that have almost no padding in them. I tie my hair up with an elastic and look down at my clothes. Everything is black. That should be good for disguise at night, unless the Gamemakers decide to make it always daytime. That's an option. One year, the sun didn't rise for the entire Games and it was like night-time for two weeks. My mind starts racing, thinking of what the Gamemakers will put us in this year. It could really be anything, but I really wish I had an idea of what to expect. I hate being so blind.

As the minutes tick by Texia gives me some water and just sits by me silently. I wish Lana was here with me instead. Before long, an automated voice tells me to step inside my Launch Tube. Texia nods at me and smiles, gesturing to a clear glass tube.

I bite my lip and step inside, watching the glass slide in front of me, trapping me. I am standing on a small metal circle, and I know that when I rise into the arena, it will be the top of my podium. If I step off it before the gong rings to signal the start of the Games, the landmines around my pedestal will be set off and I'll be blown to bits before the Games even begin. I almost start hyperventilating, but I calm myself. In just over a minute the Games will start. I can't afford to lose my cool now.

I stare at the concrete walls until I register a faint wind coming from above my head. I tilt my head, and suddenly, I break the surface. The sunlight blinds me and I blink a few times to focus. I glance around, trying to get a feel of the arena.

It seems to be divided into quarters. Where I am standing, the ground is soft grass and behind me is a huge green forest. In another quarter, right behind where the tributes stand starts a picturesque blue lake, and I see an island out in the center of it. Another quarter has pitch black rock and there's an opening to a cave not too far in, and the last has grey stones with piles of boulders and rocks and a huge mountain looming in the background.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen," a voice booms out around us, "And let the 57th annual Hunger Games begin!"

A clock starts counting down and I realize that these are my last seconds before people will be trying to kill me.

50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45

I finger my bracelet and eye the mountain of supplies in the mouth of the Cornucopia.

30, 29, 28, 27

I glance around at the other tributes.

15, 14, 13

I can't do this. How can I kill? But how can I survive?

10, 9, 8, 7

I didn't think this through. I'm not a murderer. I can't kill.

3, 2

It's now or never.

1

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