I wake up and feel better rested. I wake Marcus and we get up. Today's the day. I go to wake up Emma and Derek, who are both already awake.
"Didn't get any sleep?" I ask. They both shake their heads.
"Go ahead and get cleaned up. You're set to leave in an hour." I say, and they do. I go back to my room, where breakfast waits. I scarf it down.
I am not excited about today, and everyone is wearing a look of dread. I think back to this time last year, how scared I was. I look back to Marcus, who is lost in his thoughts. I wonder if he's thinking about what they're going to be thrown into. I know I am.
Time passes too quickly, because its time for Emma and Derek to leave. We get up and meet them at the elevator. Amber and Jonas are with them, and they will go with them until their final seconds outside the arena.
"Amber and Jonas will be with you guys until the last minute, but we have to stay here. Good luck." I say, barely audible. And to my surprise, Emma holds out her hand. I look down at it unsure, but I give her hand a sturdy shake.
"Stay safe. Remember, water and shelter is your number one priorities. Stay together." I say, and they nod. Amber ushers them into the elevator and I watch the doors slide together. All the mentors are supposed to meet in the lounge, so we go there.
We walk in and take a seat on the couch specifically marked for Kentucky's mentors. The individual screens are turned off, but the big screen in the front of the room is on, and they have a program on that's playing highlights from last year's games. Of course, being the victors, we are on there a lot, but they don't skip Sarah's, Kennedie's, Evan's, or Jake's death. I bury my face in my hands when they start to play them. I see them all the time in my dreams; I don't need to see them now. I feel like I might start crying, but I don't want to seem unstable or weak in front of the other mentors. So I just lift myself up, clench my teeth, and finish watching. It's hard, but I manage.
Once the program is over, they turn the TV off. All the mentors are in their seats. I hear the door open, and I look back to see President Stone standing in the doorway. Everyone starts to clap, and I force my hands to clap. He walks to the front of the room,
"Thank you, thank you. Today is a big day for us, the first day of the Hunger Games! I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret, we learned from last year, and we have plenty of new tricks up our sleeves." He says. I hear a few oohs and aahs from the other mentors, but all I'm thinking is that it's more terrible ways to watch innocent kids die.
"I just wanted to wish you and your tributes good luck," he looks directly at me, "and Happy Hunger Games!" He says, and everyone claps as he walks out. Happy? There's nothing happy about it. I notice something that's on the wall to my left, and its counting down. 25 minutes, 56 seconds it says. It must be counting down to the start of the games, and I watch the seconds tick away. Everyone else is chatting away, but I'm just watching the countdown. 'A watched clock never moves,' my mother used to say, and I'm hoping maybe it will stop all together, but of course, it only seems to move faster instead. Before I know it, it's down to five minute, and everyone is taking their seats. My individual screen flashes on, and it starts talking.
"Welcome. Please say your name into the microphone," and a little microphone pops out on the top.
"Annelise." I say.
"Hello, Annelise," it says in a metallic voice, "please scan your hand on the screen." It says, and I place my hand on the screen. It scans my hand, than the metallic voice comes back on.
"Thank you. Hand recognition confirmed. Only you are allowed to use this screen." It tells me. I guess they needed to make sure other mentors wouldn't sabotage other mentor's tributes. I look over at Marcus, who had to do the same thing. The screens are white, and I look back over at the countdown. One minute left. The screen in the front of the room flashes on, and it is two newscasters.
"Welcome, America, to this year's Hunger Games!" One says.
"We are moments away from the start of the games, and the tributes are preparing to launch. Let the games begin!" The other says. Then we see the arena before the tributes start rising up. The cornucopia is in an open field, and to the right is forest, with a mountain in the back. Farther back to the left is more forest. The arena this year looks stunning with the mountain, but then I'm reminded it's probably twice as dangerous.
The tributes rise on their plates, and our individual screens come on. Its split into two different pictures, Emma on one side, Derek on the other. I look over to Marcus's screen, and its set up the same way, but you can change it to focus on one tribute at a time. Emma and Derek are next to each other. All the tributes are wearing thick black coats, tan pants, and sturdy leather boots. The golden cornucopia is stocked with weapons and supplies, all spilling out from the mouth.
A voice booms out in the arena, Fredrick Swill, and he says,
"Let the games begin! Remain on your plates for sixty seconds." He says. Then another voice booms out, counting backwards from sixty. I hold my breath as the last few seconds tick away, and I stare at my screen in anticipation.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.