Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus. They belong to their respective owners: Suzanne Collins and Rick Riordan.
Chapter Eleven
Dahlia wakes up, unsure where she is for a moment. Then her breathing hitches as the memories come rushing back. Yesterday, the reaping, all her worst nightmares come true. She wants to close her eyes again and go back to sleep. Even the nightmares she knows she'll have can't possibly be worse than this.
But she forces herself to get out of bed. She searches the chest of drawers and finds jeans and a strawberry red t-shirt, which she pulls on as quickly as possible. Then she glances at the clock- 8:00- and rushes out into the hall.
When she gets to the kitchen, everyone else is already there. Except Adair. Dahlia doesn't have a problem with that. At least she can avoid a boatload of teasing about being late. She sits down across from Seeder, Chaff and Toni.
"Hey," Chaff slurs, grinning sloppily at Dahlia. There's a glass in his hand, full to the brim with alcohol. Dahlia tries not to wrinkle her nose.
"Hello," she says politely. She looks at Toni. "So are we getting to the Capitol today?"
Toni looks up with a smile that actually has substance for once, while Seeder and Chaff lean forward, interested. "Yes," Toni says. "Oh, it's beautiful. You'll love it there, Delia, I promise."
Chaff snorts, but whether it's at the prospect of the Capitol being lovable, Toni's name flub, or just because he felt like it, Dahlia can't tell.
"It's Dahlia," Dahlia corrects.
Toni shrugs. "Whatever. Soon enough it won't matter either way."
Dahlia grits her teeth. "Right."
Seeder studies her. Chaff does too, but it's with that sloppy grin still. Dahlia can tell he's only half there. He chugs a little of his drink, then shoves a forkful of eggs in his mouth.
"You seem anxious to arrive," Seeder comments, still studying Dahlia carefully.
Dahlia shrugs. "Might as well get it over with," she says, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. Her voice trembles, but she holds down the tears that threaten to come.
Seeder, Chaff, and even Toni frowns. Seeder reaches across the table and covers Dahlia's hand with her own. "Dah-"
She's cut off by a loud Crash! from the hall. Dahlia jumps with everyone else.
"Adair?" Toni yells. Dahlia thinks bitterly, Oh, so she can remember his name, but not mine? What's with that?
Adair walks into the room, looking sheepish. His hair's a mess, and his obviously brand new green shirt already has a rip in it. "Yeah," he says. "It's me."
"What happened to you?" Toni demands, jumping up and rushing over. Dahlia can't help but snicker, and she catches Adair shooting a glare at her.
Dahlia sees the determined light in Toni's eyes. She's not doing this because she cares- she just wants to teach him manners. Yesterday's food thing must've really got to her.
So he's her little project. Well, that's hilarious, but it could be bad too. Toni might try to make all the sponsors go for Adair and not Dahlia, if she grows an attachment, anyway. Now that Dahlia thinks about it, though, there's a large chance they'll do that anyway. Adair's a good-looking guy- though not near as much as Barric Ember- and Dahlia is pretty average. All demigods are fairly attractive, of course, except maybe Hephaestus kids, but Dahlia's exactly that and nothing more. She's not an Aphrodite kid by anyone's standards.
Of course, Adair isn't either, but still.
While Dahlia glares at her eggs, Toni gets Adair straightened up, ordering him to go back to his room and change shirts. Once he's gone, she goes out into the hall, sees a broken vase, and gets one of the staff to clean up the mess. Pretty soon Adair is seated (at the head of the table, like he's so special), and digging into his eggs, with occasional reprimands from Toni: "Use your fork, Adair," "You see that white cloth next to the plate, sweetheart? That's called a napkin. It's there for a reason" (this one earns her a glare), and "No, no. Sit up straighter, and hold the fork like this." She demonstrates. Then, "There, see? Much better."
Adair is obviously not enjoying it, but Dahlia is fighting laughter, Chaff is chuckling under his breath, and even Seeder is suppressing a smile. He glares at all of them murderously, and Toni scolds him for that, too, and that's when Dahlia loses it. She bursts into a round of laughter, along with Chaff, who is now guffawing loudly.
Finally, Adair grabs the last bit of food off his plate and stuffs it in his mouth, in total defiance of Toni. Then he grins at her, his mouth still full of eggs. And, without another word, he gets up and glides from the room, on his cloud of confidence again. Dahlia stopped laughing a few minutes before, but at this she giggles. Toni's expression is priceless. But Dahlia still sees that determined gleam in her eyes. Toni and Adair have some very rough times ahead of them.
And then manners won't matter anymore, because we'll both probably be dead. Dahlia tries to shake that thought away as she gets up slowly and leaves the room.
Absently wandering the halls, she thinks about her dream, Diamond's theory that the "terrible fate" the prophecy talked about might just be getting into the Hunger Games itself. Dahlia doesn't think so.
It's not usually a good idea to disagree with an Athena kid. They're generally right, after all. But Diamond is freaking out. Her judgment has to be impaired. She's just desperate to get her friend out. They've been friends since the moment Dahlia stumbled across the camp border, two years ago. And being the only Athena kid in the entire camp, Diamond was always just someone to respect, and maybe even fear. She didn't have many friends, and the only close friend she had was Dahlia.
So Dahlia can see why'd she'd be desperate to get her back. But Mica's right, for once. It'd be pretty much impossible.
Dahlia takes a deep breath. She starts to tell herself that the dream might not even be real... but then she remembers the Hunger Games dreams, and how she ignored them. Look where that got her. So she can't ignore this. It has to be real.
Not that that fact helps her much. All it tells her is that Diamond and Mica are racing for the Capitol, Diamond with the wild hope that they might be able to save her, and that they'll probably witness all the mistakes she's sure to make over the next few days. And then, once she gets to the arena, they'll get to watch her die in some cruel way only the Games would allow.
Don't think like that, she scolds herself. There's a chance you could win. And then she remembers Diamond's view on that, and wonders if she might be right. Would it really be better to be a victor, sending kids off to die every year afterward, and having no way to help them? And she wouldn't be able to leave, either. She'd be in the limelight constantly if she won, stuck in the Victors' Village with no way to see her friends at camp without tipping the Capitol off to the existence of demigods.
Maybe it would be better if she died.
No. No, Dahlia. Don't think about that. After all, you're not even in the Games yet. And you're already worrying about them. Just focus on the present for now.
Dahlia knows that's not really true. She is in the Games. They started the moment her name was pulled out of that reaping ball. Everything she's done since then is being taken into account by her possible sponsors. They're already beginning to decide who to sponsor, and they've only seen the reaping.
The Games may not have officially started, she may not be running for her life or hiding in shadows, but she's already in the Games. The most important part, actually. And she's already messed up enough.
She runs her fingers through her hair and stops in front of a full-length mirror hanging randomly in the hallway. She stares dully at her reflection, and wonders vaguely why it's all watery. Then she touches her cheek and finds it wet. She's crying. She's been doing that a lot lately.
She lets out a shaky breath and wipes her eyes. The reflection clears up. She studies herself dully. Her golden-blonde hair, like wheat shining in the sunlight, is tangled and a little messy. Her eyes are red from crying, and her face is streaked with tears. But her t-shirt and jeans are still fine.
She needs to get cleaned up. She turns abruptly and heads for her room, where she grabs a brush and yanks it through her hair, wincing as it catches on the tangles. After she's done, she twists her hair up into a high ponytail and ties it off with the rubber band around her wrist. Then she goes into the bathroom, wets a towel, and rubs it over her face. Then she stares at herself in the mirror. Her eyes are still a little red, but she looks much better than before.
She runs back outside and almost crashes into Adair on the way to the living room, but manages to slam to a stop just in time and step aside. For a few seconds, they just stare at each other. Then Adair's familiar sarcastic smirk spreads over his face. "Hey."
"Hi, Adair," Dahlia says, a bit annoyed. Why'd she have to almost run into him, of all people? "What do you want?"
Adair's smirk grows more pronounced. "What, I'm not allowed to talk to you? We're both tributes, after all."
"Yes." Dahlia's voice drops to a whisper. "And tributes are enemies."
Adair steps forward, pivoting on his heel, so he's standing right next to her, facing the same way she is. He tosses his arm around her. "I dunno, sweetie. Maybe we they don't have to be." His mouth is right next to her ear.
She jerks away from him. "Don't touch me."
Adair sighs. "Why do you hate me so much?"
"I don't hate you, exactly," Dahlia says thoughtfully. "Just strongly dislike."
Adair rolls his eyes. "Right. Well, then why do you dislike me?"
Dahlia takes another step away from him, then looks over and raises her eyebrows. "Well, you pulling stunts like that on me doesn't help, you know."
Adair shrugs. "Yeah, and?"
Dahlia doesn't feel like having this conversation. "Can we just go? The others are probably waiting for us."
"They can wait a little longer. Now, answer the question."
Dahlia sighs. "Why do you care?"
Adair hesitates a moment. "I just do, ok? Now answer. The longer you stall, the longer you'll be stuck here."
"Fine," Dahlia snaps. If he really wants to know, then she'll let him know. And he'll probably regret asking.
Adair looks excited for some unfathomable reason. He puts his hand on Dahlia's arm, taking a step toward her to do so.
Dahlia lets out a breath and stares forward. "You were a menace," she begins, voice flat. "You and your friends were always haggling me and mine. You'd tease me, and put me down, and make me feel like a freak." At this, she grins. Turns out she is a freak. But she's rather proud of that fact now. Being a half-blood isn't always fun, but she's still proud she is one. At least she knows who she is now. Dahlia Okelley, daughter of Demeter.
"Oh." Adair sounds indifferent. "Yeah, I kinda did, didn't I?"
"You don't even care," Dahlia hisses. "Why'd you even ask me if you don't care?"
Adair shrugs. "I've always been curious. And"- he winks at her- "it distracted you."
"What does that have-" Suddenly Adair's lips are on hers, and she's staring at his closed eyelids, and for a moment she's so shocked that all she can do is stand there, frozen. Then she pulls away, suddenly angry. "What'd you do that for?!"
Adair opens his eyes and grins mischievously at her. "Do what?"
"Adair Labelle, I swear if you ever do that again, I will-"
He laughs. "Yeah, I know. Now come on." Then he turns and walks away, in the direction of the living room.
For a moment, Dahlia just stands there, fuming. Who does that guy think he is, just kissing her like that? She kicks the leg of a small table near her, so hard that it goes crashing to the floor and the vase and glass box on it shatter. Dahlia stares at the mess for a few moments, then turns on her heel and marches toward the living room.
When she walks in, everyone except Adair look at her curiously. Adair's just smirking at her, as usual, only this time she doesn't grace him with a look.
"What was that noise?" Toni asks.
Dahlia shrugs. "Knocked over a table in the hall by accident. No biggy."
Toni groans. She mutters something about stupid district kids and their clumsy habits. Dahlia wants to laugh and smack her at the same time. Punch her, just 'cause she's mad and she needs to let her anger out on someone (preferably Adair), and laugh, because she seriously doubts Capitol kids are any better, especially with all their weird implants. Chances are, they're more likely to knock things down.
"Did you call the maids?" Toni asks, annoyed.
"No."
And Toni groans again. Dahlia just shrugs. "They'll find it eventually."
"That's not the point." Toni's irritation just makes her weird accent sound even weirder, because her voice gets higher and higher with each word. She looks around. "I'll be right back." By the word "back", her voice is practically a squeak.
She gets up and leaves the room. The second she's gone, Dahlia walks over to Adair and punches him in the jaw. His head flies to one side, and he spits on the lush carpet. Then he turns his head back toward her, rubbing his jaw and glaring, the smirk completely gone. "What was that for?"
"I hate you," Dahlia hisses.
She hears the squeak of springs behind her as either Chaff or Seeder gets up, and she can feel two pairs of eyes boring into her back, but at the moment, she doesn't care.
Adair's smirk is back. "So I've been promoted to 'hate' now? C'mon, Dahli, you know you liked it."
Dahlia's fist clenches. "In your dreams, Labelle."
She hasn't had time to consider that, anyway. She's so mad right now that even if she did like it, she wouldn't care. Adair's stupid confident smirk widens- Dahlia just wants to smack it right off his stupid face- and he starts to lean toward her.
Her hand connects with his jaw, a loud SMACK! ringing out at the impact. Adair's head whips to the side again, and he steps back, almost stumbles, probably just an unconscious move, since there's no way the force of her hit could've caused that. He cries out softly, his hand flying to his cheek. "Dang, Dahli, when'd you get so strong?"
Seeder's voice, right behind Dahlia, asks, "What's this all about?" She sounds calm, and that makes Dahlia mad, even though she really has no reason to be. She whirls around and glares at the victor, then back at Adair. She feels surrounded, defeated, but still angry.
Adair pipes up, and Dahlia can hear the stupid smirk in his voice, in the way it overflows with snobby confidence: "She's mad 'cause I kissed her in the hallway."
Chaff's booming laugh starts up, and as Dahlia wheels back again to glare at Adair, she hears the squeal of the springs, telling her he's gotten up too.
"You did, did you?" Chaff guffaws before she can slap Adair again (though she does notice that he shrinks back from her a little, and she smiles). She feels a strong hand on her arm and finds herself wheeled around to face Chaff. He releases her arm and puts his hand under her chin, tilting her head up so he can look into her eyes. His roam all over her face, then he releases her chin and steps back, running his eyes up and down her body. Dahlia glares and crosses her arms over her chest.
Finally, Chaff nods. He glances at Adair and gives him a nod. "Not bad." As if Dahlia is just an object, no more important than that table she knocked over. She glares harder.
Adair gives a laugh, and Dahlia could swear there's a note of nervousness in it. "Thanks," he says. When he looks at Dahlia, though, she can see the apology in his eyes. She ignores him.
Behind her, Seeder huffs, obviously annoyed. "Chaff."
Chaff glances at her. He just grins and shrugs. "Sorry." He doesn't sound sorry, or look it.
"Right." Seeder gives Adair a withering look, then she says, "Now, let's all sit down."
And they do, in such a way that makes their alliances obvious. Adair and Dahlia sit on opposite sides of the room, the latter studiously ignoring all of the former's attempts at reconciliation. Seeder and Chaff both sit on the couch, at opposite ends, Seeder nearer to Dahlia, Chaff nearer to Adair. But they aren't as hostile. Seeder and Chaff exchange a knowing smile, watching their tributes. The implication makes Dahlia angrier. Do they honestly think she could've fallen for that...that menace? No. No way. Never. She crosses her arms and glares at the darkened screen.
This is how Toni finds them when she returns.
A/N: Hey, everyone! I'm back, with a 3,116 word chapter in tow. How cool is that?
And just in case anyone asks, I'll address the kissing thing here. I'm not planning on making anything much of it. So don't start shipping Adia (or whatever their couple name would be). I think the whole star-crossed lovers thing was portrayed pretty well in the original book, and I'm not planning on doing a repeat.
And with that, good-bye! See ya next time!
