CHAPTER TEN
The pill works really well, I wake up at the crack of dawn the next day. I see Fannia walk in, her expression somber. Today's the day I die. I walk slowly, to save my last moments. Fannia tries to get me talking, but I don't feel like talking. Eventually, Fannia just puts her hand on my shoulder as we walk in silence. Our footsteps echo through the empty hallway. Even the elevator, which always entertains me, can't do anything to cheer me up now. Once we reach the roof, we stand in the line in silence, with all the other tributes and mentors. I am tenth in the line. Once it is my turn, I mount the ladder as a current freezes me. A lady in a long white lab coat comes up to me holding a needle. I hate needles. I feel the sharp pain as she pushes my tracker deeper and deeper into my skin. I am then directed into a room where all the tributes are seated. I sit right next to Sapphire and Luna, who are both smiling with hatred towards me. "Ready to die, baby?" Sapphire asks. I shiver, and Luna grabs me, telling me to back off or she'll kill me right now. I sit silently in fear, while Luna and Sapphire, as well as the rest of the Careers, smile with pride.
Once the hovercraft lands, I am directed to a room where Fannia is already waiting for me. She has a box in her hands, and she opens it. Inside, there are many clothes, my arena uniform. Simple undergarments. One navy blue tank top with thin straps. One pair of khaki cargo pants. One red jacket that falls to my hips with a nice hood. Skin tight white socks. Black boots that lace up to my calves. Good for running, because of the flexible soles. I am just pulling on the jacket to finish my look as Fannia realizes something. "Wait. Pull on the hood." I do, and everything seems normal to me, but not to Fannia. She takes the strings hanging down from my hood and pulls them, but instead of tightening the hood, what seems like a water-proof helmet slides down to cover my face. I gasp, and Fannia smiles in recognition of what just happened. Fannia releases the strings, and my helmet slides back up. I then inspect the hood after I take off my jacket. A thin pane of what looks to be embroidery conceals the glass. "Expect water. And swimming." I nod as I pull on my jacket again. I then sit down on the sofas, drinking a glass of water in tiny sips and eating a slice of bread in tiny bites. I will die. "Ten seconds to launch." I hear a robotic feminine voice come on. I go and walk to the launch pad. I say goodbye to Fannia as the glass slides around me and I start to go up. Fannia nods and holds her head high, signaling me to do so as well. I lift my head up, and after being in pitch black darkness for a couple of seconds, I rise into the arena. I then hear a loud voice on the speakers, "Let the 73rd Annual Hunger Games begin!"