Orcus Samuels, District 2 Male, 18 -
Orcus was afraid of what was coming, but he knew that was unfair. After all, it had been his choice to train for this and he was far more prepared than most tributes.
Agnes entered his room early in the morning before the sun had even risen, and gave him a set of clothes to wear on the journey to the arena; simply a dark t-shirt and track pants.
Orcus pulled them on and Agnes led him through the Tribute Center, up to the roof, where a hovercraft was waiting for him.
"What about Beatrix?" he asked.
"She'll be coming up separately."
Orcus climbed into the hovercraft, taking a deep breath. There was no turning back now.
Brooke Cascade, District 4 Female, 17 -
Brooke took a seat in one of the many chairs placed in a row inside the hovercraft. She had been directed to it by one of the Peacekeepers; she supposed it was supposed to be random so that allies couldn't talk to each other last-minute.
Brooke was seated next to the girl from District 8. The seat to her right was empty but was quickly filled by the boy from District 10. Across from her was Alina. It was comforting that she at least could see an ally.
When all of the tributes had arrived, the Peacekeepers began walking up and down the aisles, buckling everyone in. The seats had bars to straps tributes in - Brooke supposed it was so no one would try to escape or attack each other.
A Peacekeeper came in front of her and pressed the bar all the way to her waist, so it was pressing against her bladder.
"Hey, watch it!" Brooke shouted, and the Peacekeeper took off a bit of pressure. He strapped her down and moved onto the girl from Eight.
Brooke looked across the room again and made eye-contact with Alina. Alina gave her a thumbs-up, which Brooke reluctantly returned. She was glad she still treated as an equal member of the Career pack, even after scoring a dismal 7 in training.
When all of the tributes had been secured, the hovercraft began to lift. Brooke felt her stomach drop - this was really happening.
Maximus Lorde, District 6 Male, 18 -
"What the hell is that?" Max demanded as a Peacekeeper came at him with a giant needle in hand.
The hovercraft had taken off roughly ten minutes ago, so they were on the way to the arena. They had also been served plates of breakfast, but only a few tributes touched their food. Max, who had gobbled it all down, thought that was stupid - this was probably the first full meal he'd get in a week. He wanted to eat all of that.
"It's to inject your tracker," the Peacekeeper said, pressing the cold tip of the needle against his forearm. Max yanked his arm away.
"Whoa, whoa! You're not injecting anything in me without my permission!"
"Either you give us permission, or we knock you out and do it then," the Peacekeeper said in a clearly annoyed tone.
Max reluctantly gave the Peacekeeper his arm. He tried to stay still, but the pain was sharp as the needle was jammed into his skin. Unlike some other tributes who were getting their trackers placed, Max didn't yell out. But he came close.
The Peacekeeper removed the needle, revealing a small, blue light shining under his skin. Max felt his stomach turn, and not just because of the air-sickness. He didn't like the idea of things being… injected. It freaked him out.
Max took his eyes off the tracker, and they landed on the boy sitting to his left, the boy from District 8. He was one of the people who hadn't touched his plate.
"Are you going to eat your blueberry muffin?" Max asked. When the boy shook his head, Max grabbed for it. His hand was slapped away by a nearby Peacekeeper.
"No sharing food!" they shouted.
"He said I could have it!" Max responded, but they ignored him. Rolling his eyes, Max looked back at the tracker. He gulped.
Polly Shadows, District 8 Female, 15 -
Every one of the tributes could feel the intensity of the situation when the hovercraft stopped. Polly felt her heart beat faster. She didn't deserve this! Why was she here? Because she was smart?
The Peacekeepers began releasing tributes one by one to go down under the arena. There was a trapdoor in the center of the room, where a ladder would take them down into their specific room. Then the door would close, the hovercraft would move, slightly, and then the door would reopen and someone else would go down the ladder.
Polly was one of the final tributes to be released from her seat. When the Peacekeepers unbuckled her and the trapdoor reopened, the only other tributes still seated were Maine, Thorn, Bran, and the girl from District 12 (whose name she couldn't remember).
Polly went down the ladder, into the depths of the arena.
Beau Lewis, District 10 Male, 18 -
Beau's stylist was the one waiting at the bottom of the ladder for him. The ladder retracted, and Beau was stuck beneath the arena.
The room was small, with only a bench, a mirror, and a glass tube extending from the floor to the ceiling - Beau knew that was where he'd be entering the arena.
"So, what are my clothes?" Beau asked his stylist gruffly, and the stylist directed him to the bench. On it was a simple outfit, not too unlike the casual one he was currently wearing.
Beau pulled it on, and was surprised at the casualness of it. It was simply a baggy pair of gray sweatpants and a tight brown t-shirt.
"Just this?" he asked, and the stylist nodded.
"It gives absolutely no clues about the arena, so I can't really help you out. You'll just have to wait and see."
"Great," Beau muttered.
Gaia Chambers, District 12 Female, 16 -
"Tributes, please enter your pods," a voice said over the speakers.
Gaia felt her heart begin to beat abnormally fast as her stylist lightly shoved her toward the pod. She shook her head in resistance, but her feet carried her inside anyway. The moment Gaia was within the tube, the glass slid shut behind her.
Gaia turned around in surprise, and upon realizing she was trapped, began to bang on the glass. Her stylist was saying something, but the glass was sound-proof.
The ground began to lift under her feet. Gaia was heading upward, toward the ceiling. She shielded her hands, sure she was about to crash into it, but a small section slid away enough for her to be lifted up into the arena.
It was dark. That was the first thing she realized. The arena was pitch-black, and she couldn't see a thing.
Then, a fire was started and the arena was bathed in light. Gaia gasped at what she saw.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls! I present to you, the tributes of the 25th Hunger Games! Stay in your seats, because this is going to be one hell of a show!"
The Games are about to begin! I didn't think I'd get here this fast, but hey, I'm not complaining. I know I've written considerably less than a lot of SYOT writers, but hopefully, it's still interesting!
Make sure to review! It's important more than ever right now!
- Logan