Chapter 13: Nikola Johnson
A/N: District Three at last! I hope you enjoy this one, and pls review and share your thoughts or new ideas! Cheers:)
Katniss winced. "The kid who's neck was snapped by Cato? That was his grandson?"
Peeta sighed. "Well, he was going into the Games anyway. These Games are usually rigged against relatives of Victors. There's almost no escaping."
They had a minute of silence for the boy who really only survived because there were no Careers in his Games. Not that anyone remembered that fact, of course.
Nikola Johnson
District 3
Aged 17
4 Kills
HOW TO AND HOW NOT TO WIN THE HUNGER GAMES
BY NIKOLA JOHNSON
Step 1: Volunteer for the Games
Nikola glanced at his watch, one of three that he made himself, of course. Making electronic watches was something he'd learned when he was nine. Five more minutes of pure torture, and he could go home and do some advanced coding homework. The school curriculum in Three was far too easy for him. He was already the best hacker around. Problem was, he wasn't particularly athletic or strong. District Three's once pristine air was covered in a blanket of smoke and carbon monoxide. Many died of lung cancer every year. As for Lake Michigan, well, it's a good swimming spot, but since everyone here's a nerd, there was no point. The escort pulled out a girl's name. "Techna Langley! " A nervous thirteen-year-old girl trembled as she walked up the stage, tears flowing down her face. Nikola vaguely knew Techna. Her father was a data analyst, just like his. The escort reached into the second bowl. His heart raced.
"Please not me, please not me," he begged quietly. He knew he didn't stand a chance, not against the Careers with their might and the Fours with their fishing prowess. The escort read out a name. It wasn't his.
It was his brother's.
"Magnetto Johnson!"
Nikola didn't even have to hesitate. Magnetto was twelve, had a paralysed left arm from a workplace accident, was bone thin and had only recently recovered from a sprained ankle. "I volunteer!"
Pro tip: If survival is your top priority, DO NOT volunteer!
Nikola's odds of survival were low, but that final act of love for his brother gained him a Capitol fanbase and a whole lot of sponsors.
The odds might just be in his favour.
Step 2: Analyse the Reapings carefully
Nikola sat in front of the TV, his notebook and pen in hand, waiting for the Reapings to start. The escort was in her bedroom, no doubt watching her own Capitol drama shows. Techna stood shyly at the door. Nikola turned and motioned for her to come in. Techna's eyes were red from crying, but she had her notebook ready. She wasn't giving up without a fight. "Allies?" Nikola offered. Techna nodded swiftly, giving him a grateful smile.
Pro tip: Having one ally is good, having too many isn't. The boys from Eight and Nine learnt this when the boy from Eleven killed them in their sleep.
The Reapings began. To Nikola's surprise, there were no Careers. Apparently, the volunteer from One had food poisoning before the Reaping, the girl chickened out, as did the male volunteer from Two. All the candidates for the female volunteer of Two fought each other so much, they ended up severely injuring one another. Nikola couldn't believe his luck. Beside him, Techna'e eyes gleamed. She turned to him. "The odds are in our favour." But Nikola wasn't fully convinced. He continued watching. The boy from Five, Sparky, was a strong tribute. From one look Nikola could tell Sparky could snap his neck with his bare hands in a heartbeat. But, he didn't seem too smart, slurring on his pronunciation and slandering those who focused on survival skills. Nikola made sure to exploit that.
Caution: Do not poke the Careers, or any strong tribute, for that matter. The girl from Two tried to intimidate Sparky. She placed 23rd after Sparky stabbed her during the Bloodbath.
Step 3: Be nice to your escort
Now this might seem like a useless step, but he/she can help with sponsors
Hebe Jumper was, erm, a fascinating woman. She was simply obsessed with body modifications. At the ripe old age of 21, she already had angel wings, ram horns, dragon scales, cat eyes, elf ears, a snake tongue and a dog nose. She wore a toilet bowl outfit, which intrigued Nikola. But he didn't want to make the mistake so many others before he had. "I like your dress," he said, lying right through his teeth. Even as he said it, he had an awful feeling in his mouth. That was the worst lie he'd ever told. He'd rather wear rags than to be put in that thing! But Hebe seamed to believe it.
She beamed and clapped her hands excitedly. "I'm glad you do! All those other savages before you said it was appalling!" Nikola managed a very, very forced smile. Hebe went on and on, chattering about Capitolian fashion, the Games, the savages of Three, blah, blah, blah. Nikola tried to listen eagerly. It was torturous. Techna eyed him warily as if he had lost his mind. Nikola felt like he would. But it soon paid off, because Hebe went around, chatting up her friends and family, chugging up sponsor funds for Nikola.
Pro tip: Do not talk about politics. The boy from Three last year did that, and they escort told the other tributes to kill him first to avenge the good name of President Ravenstill. He's a tyrannical dictator, but don't openly talk about it to a proud Capitolian like Hebe.
Step 4: Hope you have a good stylist (and be nice to him/her too!)
Nikola got an oddly plain-looking man named Eustatius. He was convinced, though, this guy would dress him up as a LED bulb or a battery, just like the past stylists. To his surprise, he got a pretty decent mechanical suit with glowing bulbs and a helmet with a tiny button. "Press that when your chariot moves out," he instructed in a fairly non-Capitol accent. Nikola stared at him. His hair, it's blonde but he could tell it's natural. The shade is so distinct, District One blonde? What's that shade doing here in the Capitol? He wore some makeup, but it's not a lot. There was no wig, no tattoos, no fancy alterations, nothing. That's when Nikola realised he was monologuing in his head again. He had an uncanny tendency to do that sometimes. Eustatius smiled, and whispered, "Between you and me, yes, I was born in District One. I escaped into the Capitol and disguised myself as an orphaned boy. With the Dark Days raging on, no one really noticed I was from One."
Nikola hopped on the chariot. The Career pack was gone this year, he could tell by the wary and sometimes awkward glances between the Ones and Twos. The real player here was Sparky. But that was a problem for later. As Nikola felt his chariot lurch forward, he barely remembered to press the button. Instantly, sparks of blue electricity shot into the night sky. Turning, he could see pink electricity had emitted from Techna's helmet. They swirled together, forming a huge '3' in the night sky. The crowd loved it. They were screaming, falling over, cheering them on. Problem was, Nikola had zero social skills. He felt queasy as he tried a friendly wave. Once the parade was over, he leapt out of the chariot and ran straight for the elevator.
Step 5: Train hard, harder than you've ever trained in your entire life!
Nikola went straight for the survival stations. He wasn't dumb. After all, Mags won because of her traps, basket weaving skills and fishhooks. Orchid had also made use of traps, so why couldn't he? Right as he was about to get started, though, Sparky grabbed him by the collar. Nikola froze. Uh oh. "You and that girl from your district can rearm landmines, right?" he snarled harshly.
Nikola's teeth were chattering, and he struggled to adjust his glasses. "Um, yeah..."
"Good." Sparky let him go with a forceful push and stormed off to taunt the sobbing Twelves.
Nikola shook his head. "That guy has issues.
Of course, Nikola had to learn some fighting skills. It turned out, he was pretty good with a spear and decent enough with knives. Huh, who could've guessed? Then again, he was nothing like Sparky or the Careers, but this was a good start. In comparison, Techna was struggling to even hold the spear. It was too heavy. He sighed, and went over to help her out.
Lunch arrived, and from what Nikola could tell, most of the tributes had formed small alliances and were sitting together. Sparky was the only one eating alone, glaring murderously at anyone who came near him. Nikola sat with Techna, whose hands were shaking from fright. Sparky had tormented her earlier on, and Nikola hadn't helped. He felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, I should've stood up for you," I told her gently.
Techna shook her head. "No, no need to apologise. I-I just want to get this stupid Games over with and die!" She broke down in a fit of sobs. Nikola embraced her, all the will to live seemingly extinguished by Sparky. He glanced at the boy from Five, looking with a hint of contempt. Nikola was going to murder Sparky.
Pro tip: Do not get too overly attached to anyone in training. Like, you're fighting for your life. The others won't matter. Caring too much will only make things harder in the end.
Step 6: Impress the Gamemakers (highly recommended, but Nikola failed badly at this)
Nikola couldn't understand. His spear-throwing had been good! He'd made a fishhook out on a pin! He'd broken the record at the edible plants station! Yet, here he was, staring at the screen as Bartomeus read out, "Nikola Johnson, with a score of, five.
Five! That was a disgrace! He cried out in objection, but there was nothing that could be done. Techna began bawling again when she received a score of two. The Threes were both doomed. Hebe gutted, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Seriously, you two! The fact that you're even in the Games is a huge honour! Why on earth do you keep crying? You should be crying happy tears! You should be bowing down and thanking President Ravenstill for this chance! You-" Nikola didn't let her finished. He went into his room and slammed the door shut.
Step 7: Ace your interview
Nikola gasped. His tuxedo was brilliant. Cyan electricity coursed through his collar and down his sleeves. It was brilliantly unique. Eustatius grinned broadly at his masterpiece. "It looks good, don't you think?"
Nikola nodded, a smile curling on his lips. "You've done brilliantly."
Eustatius beamed, and leaned over. "Definitely better than President Ravenstill's stylist."
Nikola's eyes widened. "Eustatius, you can't-"
"I'm not afraid of them," he said, raising his chin defiantly.
Nikola blinked, another monologue forming in his head, but he snapped himself back to the present. "Um, I should get going..."
Eustatius nodded. "Ace that interview, Nikola."
The crowd made Nikola dizzy. He really should've worked on his social skills before the Reaping! But it was too late now, and he had to suck it up. He managed a rather weak smile as he stumbled his way to Bartomeus. "Welcome, Nikola!" Bartomeus said in his usual chirpy voice. "It's nice to finally meet the boy who made sparks fly in the Tribute Parade!" The crowd whooped and cheered.
Breathe in, breathe out, Nikola reminded himself. "Well, erm, yeah, thank goodness I didn't let anything else fly." The crowd laughed at this, their faces bright with adoration.
Bartomeus chuckled. "Well, you've certainly made quite an impression here in the Capitol! Tell me, how are you enjoying yourself?"
Nikola suppressed a grumble, and blurted out, "I'm not enjoying myself."
The crowd gasped, and Bartomeus' smile disappeared. Nikola clamped a hand on his mouth. Shit! Now he'd really messed up! "Er, I mean, I'm loving it here, but I'd very much prefer to be in Three. It's more, uh, familiar. But this place is, er, brilliant!" The crowd seemed to buy it, and Bartomeus nodded, satisfied.
"Ah, I see. Anything in particular that you're impressed with?"
Nikola resisted the urge to scowl and say, This place is horrible! But he kept his cool, and said, "The girl from Five, she, wait, no!" his eyes widened as Bartomeus and the crowd raised their eyebrows, bearing sly smiles and even swooning. Nikola flushed red, and in the seats, the girl from Five, Janet, buried her face in her hands. "N-no, what I meant was, she showed Techna and me the roof. Of the Tribute Centre, I mean. T-the view's lovely!" He could see Eustatius giving him a thumbs up. Surprisingly, Shocker, the Victor from Five, seemed grateful. "Yeah, the Capitol's a lovely place."
The interview went on, and when, after three long minutes, the buzzer finally rang, Nikola hobbled off the stage, dazed. Janet ran up and slapped his cheek, still blushing furiously. "Ow!"
"What was that for?" she hissed, her hand reaching out to slap him again when Shocker stopped her. "Whoa, there, Janet. Nikola's just given you a good advantage!" He went on to explain some things to her, but the important thing was, he was leading her away. Away from Nikola. He heaved a sigh of relief, rubbing his now sore cheek, and tried to focus on Techna's interview.
Caution: Do not make that girl from (insert District number) or boy from (insert District number) mad.
Step 7: Don't fall off your pedestal
Because that's exactly what Matilda from Two did. She was a clumsy girl in training, and that wasn't going to change in the arena. So it was only a matter of time before she tripped on her shoelace and went tumbling headfirst into the landmines. Nikola was, unfortunately, standing on the pedestal to her left, and his glasses were splattered with blood. "Ew!" he gasped. The gong rang, and Nikola, whose vision was now blurred, tried to stumble away, but a strong hand pulled him back and knocked him out. Great. Dead in the opening Bloodbath. How wonderful. Even Magnetto would've done better!
Step 8: Have a useful skill
He woke up, birds chirping in the trees. The sky was blue, the sun is shining, Nikola couldn't help but ask, "Am I in Heaven?"
"No, bitch, you're in hell," a gruff voice answered. Sparky. Nikola bolted straight up but Sparky kicked him down. Nikola coughed, pain erupting in his chest. Techna was slumped against the Cornucopia, bound and gagged. Nikola glanced at Sparky, who held a spear to his throat. But how was he still alive? "Ten tributes are dead," he growled. "I killed eight of them. You're next if you try anything funny."
Nikola nodded swiftly. "No funny business, got it."
Sparky kicked his shin. "Good. Now, you and that wimp over there-" He pointed a dagger at Techna. "-you two are to rearm the landmines around the Cornucopia. Guard my supplies. If you do, I will kill you mercifully. But if you try anything-" He pressed the tip of the spear on Nikola's neck, just drawing to draw a drop of blood. Nikola didn't need him to say more. He got the message crystal clear.
Techna and Nikola spent the next two days rearming the landmines. it was dirty work, and Sparky smacked their rears with the end of his spear every now and then, just for the fun of it. But Nikola didn't intend on dying. No, because while Sparky was asleep, he received several sponsors. Sponsors that would help him make a weapon. A powerful tesla taser. Little by little, he assembled the parts when Sparky wasn't looking. He purposely stalled on the mines, just to prolong the duration of his stay at the Cornucopia. Sure he got beaten up badly but hey, at least he was still alive, right? Besides, he wanted to see Sparky become sparky.
The boy from Two wandered by on the fifth day. He was starved and saw a good opportunity to take food. Sparky and the Threes were fast asleep, so the boy took it as his cue to dash forward and grab a bowl of rice conveniently placed away from the three. It was safe, right? Wrong. Nikola woke up to the sound of a landmine blowing up, and a cannon booming in the distance. He nearly puked from the sight of the blood and gore. Worse still, he had murdered someone. And that leaves you writhing in guilt for the rest of your life.
Pro tip: Do not kill unless necessary, or by accident. In Nikola's case, one of his kills were out of self-defence and the other because the boy unknowingly stepped on his landmine. He felt less guilt than Shocker and Ragnar at the end of the day.
Step 9: Kill your strongest opponents
It was day six. Sparky was getting restless. But luckily, Nikola's weapon was ready. And as soon as Sparky came near, it was game over. Shame he went for Techna first. He grabbed the poor girl and snapped her neck. She couldn't even scream. That's when Nikola broke. He roared in anger and jammed his taser into Sparky's chest. Boom! The cannon boomed in three seconds. Nikola snarled viciously at Sparky. "You deserved that. For killing Techna. She's innocent! And yet..." He stopped and simply ran off, grabbing some supplies and a rubber glove to protect his hands from his own taser on his way out of the Cornucopia.
Caution: Lunging at strong tributes does not work every time. Nikola just got lucky.
There were only three tributes left. Nikola, Janet and the boy from Four, Seaward. Nikola really did not want to kill Janet, but she still hadn't forgiven him for humiliating her during the interviews. She was out for his blood. The arena was a forest with flowing rivers. Bridges interconnected them. It was almost like a maze of trees and bridges. Two days passed, and the Capitol citizens were getting bored. The Gamemakers called in their ever-reliable dog mutts. Comically, several companies decided to place adverts on these mutts, using the Games to advertise their brands. Nikola's glasses were shuttered, so he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing when the branded dog mutts approached. He squinted, and upon realisation, bolted off faster than ever. Not a chance he was getting mauled by those franchise freaks! He screamed and ran, holding his taser out in case of a surprise attack. He just screamed and screamed and ran in almost circles. He didn't realise when he bumped into Squidward and electrocuted him to a crisp. No, because those mutts were coming and they were coming fast! "Get away from me!" To his relief, they duly obliged. "Phew!" He heaved a sigh of relief and tilted his head. That's when he saw why they'd retreated. Janet was standing right in front of him with a hatchet. He gulped. "Um, hello, Janet. You look, uh nice?"
Janet snarled, hissing as the pair circled one another. "I'm going to tear you to bits, Three!"
Nikola didn't hesitate. Nah, he'd pass on the getting torn to bits part. Janet seemed nice in training, but he wanted to make it out alive. Back to Magnetto. Back to his family. Back to Cache, the girl in his year he had a crush on. His real sweetheart. Not Janet. Nikola charged forward and taser met hatchet. Janet yelped and dropped her weapon. Big mistake. Nikola had intended to press hard on the hatchet, and when she released it, he lurched forward and the taser burned her throat. Boom! The trumpets were like music to his ears. Well, they were music, but never mind. Nikola got up and dusted himself off. "Whew. What an adventure."
Pro tip: The Hunger Games should NOT be treated as an adventure. Just ignore Nikola's last line before leaving the arena.
Katniss didn't have much to say about Nikola, and the pair moved on. Peeta flipped the page, revealing a handsome, muscular boy with blonde hair and startling blue eyes. "Let me guess," she said. "District One Career? At least five kills?"
Peeta nodded. "Oh, how did you know," he murmured dryly. "Franc Montgomery. I think he was from a noble family or something.
VICTORS
District 1-Sapphire Huntington(4), Onyx Hibonite(9)
District 2-Ragnar Sveinsson(5), Reyna Boudicca(6), Draco Hadley(10)
District 3-Nikola Johnson(13)
District 4-Marina Bluebell(1), Mags Flanagan(11)
District 5-Shocker Crimson(8)
District 7-Hassan Greenwood(2)
District 10-Ringo Alvarez(7)
District 11-Orchid Bloom(12)
District 12-Axel Millar(3)
A/N: So, you might have figured it out by now, but Nikola's named after Nikola Tesla (hence the tesla taser and all that electricity stuff). Hope you enjoyed that and stay tuned for Franc Montgomery! Cheers:)