The Games
I say goodbye to Katiaa and Astrix. I thank them even though they really haven't done anything worth thanking.
"I guess I'll see you in the arena?" I say.
"Are you really asking me that?" jokes Addis.
"High five?" I say as I raise my hand up.
She slaps her hand against mine.
"Don't count out Five!" she says.
We both smile.
"Let's get going!" says Rose.
Rose escorts me to hovercraft that will be taking us to the arena. I wonder what it will be this year.
"I can only do so much for you Thales, the rest is up to you now. Are you ready?" says Rose.
I try to push her against the wall, but her reflexes are too quick. She spins me around like we are dancing; my back slams against the wall. She pushes her forearm up against my throat.
"What the hell are you trying to do," she screams at me.
One of the peacekeepers pulls out his baton.
"Hey! Let him go right now!" he yells.
I grab the back of her neck and pull her lips towards mine. This completely throws her off guard. She lets go of all her defenses. One of the peacekeepers shrugs his shoulders while the other one turns away embarrassed.
"I'm ready!" I say.
I walk towards the hovercraft and get on. Half the tributes have assembled, and I'm the last one to arrive. Neither Addis, nor the girl from eight is on board, they must be on another hovercraft. I see the girl and boy from One, the girl from Two, I see Oscar, the boy from Four, the boy and girl from Six, the girl from Seven, the boy from Eight, the girl from Nine, and the boy from Twelve.
"How nice of you to join us, Five!" say the loudmouth girl from Two.
"Please don't talk me to death before we even get to the arena," I say.
The boy from One starts laughing. He stops when the girl from One shoots him an evil look. I think he is more scared of her than I am. I feel the hovercraft begin to move. The boy from Twelve panics.
"We're all going to die! We're all going to die today!"
The careers start laughing.
"Speak for yourself!" says the girl from Two.
I wonder if she is really this tough or if she only feels tough because she has back up.
"Mommy! I want Mommy! I don't want to die!" shouts the girl from Nine.
The girl from One starts to mimic her. I realize the boy from Four isn't laughing. In fact, I can't tell if he is meditating or asleep. I still can't rule him out as a career. Oscar gives me a nod from the other side of the hovercraft. I wonder what's going through his mind. The boy from Eight is staring at me, I pretend not to notice.
I'm not sure how much time has passed when we finally arrive. I'm taken by the peacekeeper to room. In the center is a circular pad, I'm guessing will take me up to the arena. I see a bed with some clothes on it and an empty chair in the room. I start to undress when the door opens. It's Prada and I'm only in my boxers. I feel like this is a set up. She runs over and hugs me. I try to get free but she has the strength of a guy twice my age. Go figure! She starts crying uncontrollably. I take advantage of the moment and quickly change into my uniform for the arena.
"I'm going to be so heartbroken while you're gone!" says Prada.
"Get a hold of yourself!" I say as i struggle to fasten my belt.
"Here I have something for you Thales," says Prada after she regains her composure.
It's the necklace that Rose wears around her neck.
"She somehow got it approved by the officials. She said it's because it's from District Five," says Prada "But I've heard she is a popular one in the Capitol! Some have even said she is paid for certain services, but of course I don't listen to gossip!
"What do you mean?" I ask.
She sticks out her tongue.
"Oops! I said too much, just a little while ago. Well remember to take your shirt off in the arena and show off those abs sweetcakes!"
She slaps my butt so hard I leap onto the platform. As the plastic tube descends around me, the platform begins to rise. I hear Prada start sobbing again.
I'm consumed in darkness, but light starts to shine above. I rise from below the ground. I see the cornucopia. It's huge this year. The countdown begins.
"30...29...28..."
I look around for Addis. I don't see her; she must be on the other side of the cornucopia.
"23...22...21..."
The terrain looks grassy. I see weird tall trees with large leaves that sprout out at the top. In the distance I see a large mountain. Something about it makes me uneasy. Maybe it's because it's the only mountain I see.
"17...16...15"
I chill runs down my spines as I recognize what I see.
"10...9...8..."
It's a not a mountain, it's a volcano. I didn't think there were any in Panem, if we are in Panem at all.
"5...4...3...BOOM!
The explosion shakes me up a little bit. A few spaces away the District Twelve tribute has stepped off his platform early. I'll never know if he intended to die or simply lost it but I have no time to recollect myself. The horns sound the start of games and it's time to move.
THE END OF PART 1
...Will Addis die at the Cornucopia?
...How far will Thales make it in the Hunger Games?
...What will be the fate, of the girl from Eight?
STAY TUNED FOR MORE
(Thanks for reading!)