Chapter 11: Faraday

He slips out of bed and opens the door. He's careful with his movements. The others were headed to a party, but just in case. He makes it to the living room. Hm. No Peacekeeper by the elevator. He taps the up arrow button, willing it to move faster. He hops inside.

The door closes. He eyes the options, looking for the button he saw earlier. R.

Then he notices the rest. 1, 2, 4.

If his floor was unguarded…

No, it would never work. And in the miracle it did, he'd be dead before the countdown.

His finger presses R. He keeps his eyes on the others.

The door opens. A dim hallway leads to a steel door. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. Looking around, he swipes up a thin screw, plays with the lock. Open sesame.

The metal floor is cool under his feet. Looking around, he sees no one and moves forward. He reaches the railing and looks down. It's beautiful down there, a wave of colors and sounds and motions swimming about the city. Faraday leans on the railing and lets out a sigh. What are his parents doing with him gone? Mom is probably over at a friend's not wanting to be alone. Dad and Cord should be working second shift at the plant now. Dad's on his fourth cup of coffee. Cord's filling in for him. Bills don't stop coming just cause your kid gets Reaped. Emotion wells up in his chest. He takes his mind someplace else.

"Didn't expect to see you up here."

He turns around. A figure moves forward. It's the One girl. She glides towards Faraday, a mischievous smirk loose on her face. Still in that backless dress that made the crowd go nuts, the developed girl is captivating. Allure. It suits her.

Toned arms rest lazily on the rail. Breasts nearly spill out the red fabric. Her perfume is intoxicating.

"How did you get up here?" she asks, eyes locked on the activity below.

He regains his composure, throwing back her coy demeanor. "The same could be asked of you, Ms. One."

Fingers twirl her hair. A copycat of Diana's. It doesn't suit her but she makes it work. "Overheard Brilliance talking about it. Said it was a great place for fresh air. Wanted to see for myself. You?"

"I picked the lock," he says then smiles. "But I never expected to see such a beautiful sight."

As if practiced, she shuffles her generous bosom and smiles. "Since we're so close, I have a question."

"Is it about that six I scored in Training?"

"Yes," she admits, not missing a beat. "District Five isn't worth much. Last year, threes. Your partner, two. What did you do in there?"

He shrugs, playing off the evasive question. "You show me your talent, I show you mine."

Answering with a profanity-laced dismissal, Allure goes quiet with Faraday joining her. A short, dainty yawn eases out of her. For whatever reason, the act triggers something in Faraday.

"Go rest. Got a lot of killing to do tomorrow."

A laugh, soft and sly, slips through the silence. "They said it would be a hard sell with you."

"Tell your dim-witted accomplices they can...wait. Why was I being talked about?"

Allure only grins at the boy, whose curiosity is peaked for another reason now. "Because."

He rolls his shoulders. "Don't want any part of it. Whatever "it" is." Then it hits him. "You knew I was up here. How?"

"I checked your floor. Couldn't find you. Had to be the only other place."

The thought of the trained killer hovering over his bed sends chills down his spine. Just when did she check? How long was she there? What would she have done had she found him there? Maybe the floors should be guarded.

Silence falls again. Up on the big screens District Two brags about their excitement with an enthused Thalia nodding away. The scene switches to Allure, smiling and giggling to a roaring crowd. 'Such beauty!' the commentators rave. 'Sponsors, get your checkbooks ready!'

Faraday peers over to Allure. She watches herself with a strange sort of contempt, like a parent seeing their child make a fool of themselves.

"Would you believe me," she speaks, eyes glued to the screen. "if I told you being a Career sucked?"

Faraday's envy turns into disinterest. Oh for crying out loud. "Having a swift advantage over your competition. How cruel."

She doesn't play along. "It's more than that. Since we're "Careers" now, it's different. You're expected to do certain things. Act a certain way. I don't wanna do all the things they want me to do."

He picks at his fingernails as the girl speaks. "Why are you telling me this? You're supposed to be seducing me to my death. Stick with the program."

"I honestly don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

They both know why she's telling him all of this.

"Just felt the need to let it out."

He looks up from his nails and his eyes go wide. Replacing the sultry One girl giving him bedroom eyes is now a scared kid who's just another Tribute. And is she...crying?

Gah. Girls.

He extends out his arm and pats her bare shoulder. Her skin is smooth underneath his calloused hands. Awkward words of comfort spill out as she mumbles out apologies. 'I'm so sorry.' 'I'm not usually like this.' 'I don't know what came over me.'

A smooth melody moves through the streets and lifts through the air, up, up, up to the rooftop of the Training Center. It's a slowed down version of "Countdown", the Games' theme song.

Allure perks up. "Wanna dance?"

He's in her arms before he can reply. It's a clumsy show; she is a natural, he has two left feet. Allure in this season's best, Faraday in pajamas. District One, District Five. But they make it work.

Conversation flows more freely now. What they think about the competition, the crazy Capitolites, what's tasty and what's gross here, how annoying their district partners are. She jokes about his curly mess of hair, he teases about her laugh, her genuine one. It's loud and, being honest with himself, cute. They enjoy themselves and each other. This is the last time they will ever get to be this normal and they know it. Faraday doesn't understand what this is and he will never trust Allure, but he lets it happen. It's been a long week.

Then, the topic shifts to home.

"I don't miss it," she tells him, swaying to the beat. They do a turn and dip, Faraday barely following her movements. "I volunteered to show them I'm more than a pretty girl from One."

"You'd rather face the Arena than live in One? Your district's filthy rich."

She breaks eye contact for the first time since their dance. "There are worst things to fear than the Games Faraday."

He misses his step thinking about her statement. The Hunger Games is every district's nightmare. What could be worst than death?

He opens his mouth then sees her face. He doesn't push the issue. To cheer her up, he recalls the twenty-minute argument he had with stylist over his Opening Ceremony costume.

"She literally held me down and glued light bulbs to my skin."

"Oh wow," she giggles. The song ends. They are still in each other's arms, enjoying the closeness of another human being without pretense. Before he knows it, his lips meet hers. It's a quick peck, nothing special. They pull back at once, staring at each other in shock and want, then pull themselves right back in. They're locked in long, sloppy, desperate kisses. He holds his own this time around. He's eighteen. Been around the district. But she is clumsy in her movements. Inexperienced.

They pull back slow this time. Then, reality hits. They break away, too embarrassed to speak. A smile pops up on his face.

"Was this part of your plan?"

"No," she doesn't catch his teasing. "Brilliance would kill me if he knew what I did. Don't mix business with pleasure, Allure. Don't mix business with pleasure!"

She flees, repeating the mantra over and over.

"Hey!" he calls out before the door shuts. "Since you wanna know, I knew my way with a knife. Five's a rough place to be. Gotta know how to fight."

Allure peeps her head out. "Brilliance told me to loosen the zipper on my shirt. It worked. Goodbye District Five."


They meet at the Cornucopia. She hesitates. He doesn't. He steals her supplies. The others kill her off.

His stop in District One is uneventful. He accepts the bouquet, gives his speech, eat their food, and leave. Faraday never thinks about the pretty girl from One ever again.