Zefram Cartwright(District 6 Mentor)
I didn't sleep a wink last night though that's become so regular for me I doubt my body would know what to do if I did sleep before the games. It's gotten to the point where I almost expect to just keep going until I crash and most years my tributes die so early it isn't a problem but this year could be different. Of course that would require my tributes to be smart enough to survive past the blood bath, and while Jinx and Shoddy are decent I'm not holding my breath for a victor though I guess one of them could surprise me.
I make my way into the kitchen and I'm shocked to find Jinx and Shoddy sitting at the table with a look somewhere between dread and despair etched on their faces. After pouring myself a cup of coffee I make my way over to them and plop down in the chair across from them before turning toward Jinx and asking the question I know I should just avoid.
"So, what do you want to cover before you go?" It's a stupid question and I can't for the life of me figure out why I ask it every year though I guess it could just be a habit. Shoddy just glares at me, as if my question was somehow insulting or obscene. Jinx, however, seems to be trying to think of something to ask so I sit and wait to see if she comes up with anything.
"Well I know it's kind of pointless to ask now, but how would you suggest approaching the blood bath?"
"First off it's not pointless, your strategy should always be evolving even in the arena, as to the blood bath it really depends on you."
"Me?"
"Yes in the end you have to decide what to do and the arena should play a factor in how reckless you need to be early on. If the arena offers something in the way of food or water you don't necessarily need to risk fighting into the fray to get them, though just because the arena appears to have food and water available doesn't mean it's safe to consume. In the end, you have to weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself if fighting for supplies is worth the risk."
Jinx offers a half-hearted nod before slinking back into her chair and turning her attention to the food the Avox had brought in during the conversation. I watch as she and Shoddy poke at their omelets, but neither seems overly interested in eating anything.
"Both of you should eat. You don't know when you're going to get the chance again."
Both of them take a tentative bite and before long Shoddy has most of his eaten while Jinx continues to do more poking then eating. Deciding to give them some time I pick up my cup and make my way into the sitting room making sure to grab Zenobia by the arm on my way. The last thing they need is their airhead escort telling them how big today was as if they don't already know the games start in a few hours.
"What are you doing Zefram?"
"They need some time to themselves before the games and you're going to give it to them."
"They have a schedule to keep to and I won't be the reason they're behind."
"Then blame me but you will leave them alone until the Peacekeepers come to pick them up, do I make myself clear?"
She's not happy with me and I can tell she wants to argue about this but I calmly walk away before she has the chance to and after a moment she storms off for her room to get ready for the escort party later in the day. As I settle into a chair to enjoy the last of my coffee I can't help but wonder if I did enough for Jinx and Shoddy to win or if my last gesture will hurt them with sponsors in the long run? Regardless it's too late to speculate, I'll just have to trust in the abilities of my tributes and hope that this is the year I take one home alive.
Precious Almas-17(D1F)
This waiting is unbearable, I mean time seems to be standing still at precisely the time it should be speeding up and it's simply infuriating. I've waited my whole life for today and it's killing me that it's so close, having to listen to Hematite drill Verity and Velvet for last-minute advice is just making it worse. If you don't have it together by now nothing is going to help and his constant questions are starting to get on my nerves.
"Will you just shut up Hematite!?"
He turns to me with a look somewhere between amusement and contempt before offering me an apologetic smile and a few cheap words. "Sorry Precious I didn't know you had questions too."
"I don't but your voice is starting to get on my nerves and we aren't even in the arena yet, so do us both a favor and shut your trap before I have to shut it for you."
"Now now there's no reason to be so hostile Precious I was just offering, but I don't see what I'm hurting by talking to our mentors."
"Your questions are stupid Hematite that's the problem, and you'd damn well better know the answers to them already. If not then what the hell good are you going to be in the arena?!"
"Maybe I just don't have a one track mind and want to get the full picture before we go in, but you can't see that from your high horse can you?"
I dive toward him in a rage but find myself face to face with Verity instead while Velvet pulls Hematite from the room yelling at him for being childish the whole way. Verity pushes me back into my seat before calmly walking to the door and slamming it shut.
"I'm going to pretend the two of you are just on edge with the games so close and forget that happened, I suggest you do the same. In the meantime, you need to get it together because stunts like that will get you killed in the arena."
"He started it."
"If you let everything get to you like that you're in for a hell of a time. Last year I had a pompous ass for an ally Callum, he spent the entire time flirting with every girl in sight myself included. He was almost as unbearable to me as Hematite is to you but if I'd acted like you just did I'd be dead right now."
"I won't let him talk to me like that!"
"He's playing you Precious and you know it, just let it go and focus on the games."
She's right and I hate her for it, but that doesn't change the fact. Offering a curt nod, I get up and head for the door when an armed Peacekeeper barges in and turns toward me. "It's time to go Miss Almas."
He grabs my arm and all but drags me out into the foyer where Hematite is waiting with another guard. He drags me as far as the elevator before finally letting go and giving me a chance to work out the cramp in my arm from his less than comfortable grip. The last sight I see before the doors slam shut is Verity and Velvet exchanging words before their faces are cut off by the cold steel of the door.
We ride up to the roof where a hovercraft is waiting with a line of tributes formed up at the back waiting to board. As I take my place in the female line I can't help but feel excited, my dream is finally coming true, I'm really going into the arena. I take a moment to survey the other tributes and make a few mental notes about which ones I'd like to kill personally.
As the line starts to move a few of the younger tributes begin to sob but all I can do is smile, content with the image of their broken bodies lying at my feet as I ascend to the pinnacle of my life, winning the Hunger Games. It's enough to keep my happy until I finally finish the job and take my rightful place as a victor at least, and my happiness is all the really matters.
Leone Dander-16(D5M)
It feels like we've been standing here forever but in reality it's probably been maybe 10 minutes before the last tributes arrive and we slowly start to board the hovercraft. The line moves so slow it feels like an eternity before I'm standing next to a slightly intimidating Peacekeeper who nonchalantly motions for me to board the craft after nearly a minute of waiting.
The inside of the craft is dark and cramped and the seat I'm ushered into is far too small for comfort, but I manage to squeeze into it all the same. I look around the craft and manage to see Laci a few seats up and across from me and I'm pretty sure Acacia is a seat or two up from her, but the darkness makes it hard to tell for sure. The boy to my left makes a snide remark about fitting a sea cow into such a small seat, but I do my best to ignore him as the hold doors close and the craft softly rises into the crisp morning air.
"Hold out your arm boy."
"What the hell for?"
"I said hold out your arm, or would you rather a Peacekeeper hold it out for you?"
Reluctantly I stick out my right arm and the attendant who I assume is a man from the voice and appearance I can make out in the limited light sticks a needle into my arm and depresses the plunger as a sharp pain surges through my arm. I turn to look up at him with an inquisitive look on my face as he offers a short and snappy remark about the work he's doing.
"It's your tracking device. It'll help us keep track of you in the games and let us know when you finally die. Judging by the look of you, it shouldn't be that long a wait."
He turns and heads for the boy next to me who I assume is Shoddy because no one else would be dense enough to argue with him, this goes on for nearly a minute until he finally loses patience and calls for the Peacekeeper to come over and help. The guard quiets Shoddy with a quick jab to the gut before wrenching his arm out for the tech to implant the tracker and a second later the man is on his way down the line, the only good thing is no one else resists and in a matter of moments the trackers are implanted as the craft picks up speed.
We fly for a decent amount of time though the uncomfortable silence we're forced to endure makes it seem longer than it really is and by the time the craft starts to slow I'm cramping up something fierce due to the restrictive nature of my seat. Once the craft touches down the restraints on the seats release and I'm finally able to move around and get the blood flowing to the extremities that had been deprived for the majority of the trip. Luckily it takes them a few minutes to get the craft secured and the ramp lowered for us to disembark giving me plenty of time to get the feeling back in my legs.
We slowly start to file out as a pair of Peacekeepers escorts each tribute into the labyrinth below the arena, mine for what it's worth couldn't be more mismatched if they tried though the sight of the pistols on their belts stops me from making a stupid comment about the almost comical appearance.
They lead me down into the twisting maze of paths and before long I'm as confused and disoriented as I've ever been, but that's the point I guess. After walking for what I'm sure, is at least a mile they stop next to a door with the District Five crest in the center and my name engraved on a plaque above it. Taking post on either side of the door the shorter of the pair opens the door and ushers me inside with a sharp and threatening gesture. Taking a deep breath I force my legs to move as I enter the room and the door slams shut behind me, cutting me off from the life I use to have and sealing my fate in the process.
Win or lose I'm really about to go into the Hunger Games and the reality and finality of that is finally starting to sink in. I just hope I don't embarrass myself in there, and I really hope my little sister and girlfriend see me die. Even in death that would be too much guilt for me to bear.
Emorte Maydon-18(D2M)
I've been alone in this cold little room for far too long, I mean really what's the hold-up. How long can it possibly take to get everyone to their room so we can get this show on the road, there are a lot of important people waiting to see me win. A soft tap at the door catches my attention as my stylist excitedly enters the room with a big smile on her face.
"Emorte dear you look just fabulous today."
"Thanks, I think."
"Well I hope you're ready for today I know a lot of people out there are picking you to win, but don't let that put any pressure on you."
"I won't."
"Good, now your outfit for this year is right over here and I must say it's a definite step up from the abortion the tributes had to wear last year." She leads me behind a small curtain in the corner of the room to my outfit and I'm greeted by the sight of a pair of black cargo pants and a black shirt with a belt boots and socks and a grey vest with the District Two crest embroidered in white on the back. It's uninspiring to say the least, but I guess it'll do.
"Where do I change?"
"Right here dear, just leave your clothes on the bench there and someone will be along to collect them in a bit."
She scurries away and leaves me alone to change which I manage to accomplish despite the relatively small area I have to do it in. It's almost as if these rooms were designed for much smaller people and they repurposed them for us to use. It's a rather intriguing idea if I could figure out what on Earth would have been this far outside the Capital proper.
"You look wonderful dear, all the girls are going to go crazy when they see you in this!"
"Thanks. So when are the Games supposed to start?"
"Shouldn't be more than a few minutes. You're awfully eager to get in there aren't you?"
"Of course I am, the sooner they start the sooner I get to start killing."
"Well you won't have to wait long deer just a few more minutes and you'll be off."
We exchange small talk for another five or so minutes before a metallic sounding voice booms through the room with the instructions I've waited my whole life to here.
"The games will begin in 3 minutes, all tributes please proceed to your pods."
As I head for my pod I can't help but think I should say something to my stylist but the fact I never bothered to learn her name makes me think it would be weird to ask so all I do is offer a nod as I mount the plate that will take me to my destiny.
"30 seconds to launch, all tributes please proceed to your pods."
I wait for a few seconds before a tube descends around me and I'm rising slowly up the tube into a darkened shaft above. As I pass into the darkness I feel a sudden surge of anticipation and excitement. I can't place why I'm so excited but I know I'm in for a hell of a good time and I can't wait to get in the arena and prove to everyone just how great I am.
"It's finally happening, just you wait, dad, I'm going to make you proud."
Yuri Monroe-18(D9F)
I don't know how long I've been going up, but it's been long enough that my eyes have started to adjust to the darkness of the tunnel. Honestly I'm starting to feel a little claustrophobic but that's nothing compared to the shock my system receives when the plate opens up and I'm bathed in light.
It takes my eyes a minute to adjust to my new surroundings but when they do I'm amazed at what I see. Massive metal constructions filled with peaks and valleys I didn't think metal was capable of making and several deadly looking loops towering into the dull gray sky. While in the background all I make out with any certainty is a massive wheel spinning at a slow but steady pace and a bevy of flashing lights and noises demanding my attention be drawn to several other amazing sights.
Deciding to do a survey of the more immediate area I notice a large circular thing filled by a bevy of multi-colored wooden animals each one more spectacular than the one before. This too was spinning at a slow pace and as it went I notice it's filled with packs, boxes, and weapons.
It takes me a minute to realize this must be the cornucopia and once the implications of it start to sink in I realize just how dangerous this setup can be. With the gear in constant motion and multiple points to grab gear, it makes it all that much harder for anyone to seriously defend it not to mention prevent tributes from stealing better supplies with less risk.
I try to identify some of the tributes around me as the seconds tick by and the countdown to anarchy begins. I can see Ruby from 12 and Terr from 8 are to my left and right respectively while Anjelica, Aaron and Kelvin round out my six person grid and while I can't tell who's in each of the grids I can already tell this is going to be as chaotic as anything I've ever seen.
As the countdown reaches the 200 second mark a soft cool drizzle of rain starts to fall over the arena coating the stone like ground in a slippery and wet sheet of precipitation as the countdown reaches ever closer to its end.
When the clock reaches 100 a soft crackle begins to emanate around us as the voice of President Vale cuts through the cool wet air.
"Welcome tributes to the 101st Annual Hunger Games. As you can see we've got quite the treat in store for you this year and I hope each of you enjoys your time in our 'wonderful' amusement park. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!"
Allure Ricks(District 4 Mentor)
Well, it's safe to say the Game-Makers have outdone themselves this year and by the looks on most of the tributes faces we're in for a hell of a show this year. As the camera pans around the area I notice one recurring theme on the faces of most of the tributes and it's a more prominent this year than most, fear. Normally only the youngest and weakest tributes show fear when they first see the arena but this time I can see it etched on the faces of almost every tribute with a few exceptions.
I finally catch a glimpse of Mikelis sandwiched between the boy from 6 and the girl from 3 while the giant boy from 5 finds himself flanked by the girl from 10 and the boy from 2. At least one of his allies is near him which should help him when the games actually start in a minute or so.
Joyce is in much the same situation as her group of tributes contains her male ally from 1 along with the boys from 12 and 3 and the girls from 11 and 5 round out the 6 person grid to the left of the carousel that serves as this year's cornucopia. I think I see a series of cryptic nods between Joyce and Hematite, but it's gone almost as fast as I see it and I write it off as pre-game nerves between allies who barely know each other.
"Joyce are you ready to head down to the bar, the rest of the mentors are waiting for us?"
This is one of the things I'll never understand about being a Victor, why the other mentors insist on getting together to watch the bloodbath in the victor's lounge in the training center. It's been 9 years since I won the 92nd Games and every year since I've been part of the ritual and every year the purpose behind it escapes me, still I guess I should head down and mingle for a bit anyway. Worst case I make a few acquaintances who might be generous donors for my tributes late in the games.
"Sure Phox but we need to hurry, I don't want to miss the start."
"Then we had better get moving."
We quickly make our way to the elevator and press the button for the lounge just as the countdown starts to ring out from the TV, signalling the last minuet of several tributes all too short lives.
"60…..59…..58…..57."
A/N: Well it's finally here, the next chapter will be the epic beginning to the games at long last, I hope you're all as excited about this as I am :D
1. How was the chapter?
2. Favorite POV?
3. Impressions of the arena?
4. Who do you think will die in the bloodbath?
5. How many kills do you think will be in the bloodbath?
(I already have most of it mapped out I'm just curious as to how closely my decision match the projections all of you have for the carnage)
Now for the bad news, I'm going to Yellowstone next week so the next update won't be up until the week of the 17. I'm sorry for the delay but I'm really looking forward to this vacation so I hope all of you understand :)
Other than that thanks again for reading and remember to review :) I'll see you all when I get back for the epic Bloodbath :D