The Hotel: Dawn

A/N: A pretty short chapter (and an unedited one again, sorry) because a) it was Christmas Eve so I didn't have too much time to write today, and b) because this is mostly set-up for the next two parts of the chapter. Anyways, with that out of the way, here is The Hotel Part 1.

~Well, maybe it's the common curse

Maybe things get bad before they get worse~

Sparrow Kalani

Sparrow was almost out of water. The hotel had given her everything she had needed for the past few days. There was a giant package of water bottles behind the front desk, and a giant keychain too. The first room she had checked had a mini-fridge stocked with sodas and snacks, and she hadn't bothered checking any of the other rooms after that. The room had everything she needed. It was locked, and she had the only key, and there was enough food and water to last her a week once she dragged the package of plastic bottles over.

But she was down to her last bottle, and by the end of the day she would be out. The amount of cannons going off would already be enough to scare her, but that wasn't all. There were noises outside of her room. On the floors above her, and in the hallway too. Every night she would hear them walking around, shrill croaking sounds coming from them as they banged into the doors and walls.

She tried distracting herself as best she could. The room had a bookshelf, and she had buried herself inside of that escape. The books were all old, dust covering them and the pages wrinkly, but the words were still there. They were all stories that Sparrow had never heard before, exploring a world that was foreign to her. She wished that she could just stay in that room and keep on reading forever.

Sparrow knew she couldn't though. Eventually she would have to leave. They wouldn't let her sit in there until the Games were over. Even if she weren't about to run out of water, they would still find a way to make her come out.

Fragments of plans kept on scrambling in Sparrow's head, and she fought to find something to do, some sort of way to tackle the problem she was in the middle of. No matter how hard she focused, though, nothing came to her mind, no easy plan to escape unscathed. The mutts were out there waiting for her, and the moment she opened her door they would know. She just knew it.

So she couldn't leave her room, but she couldn't stay much longer either. There was a window, and she was on the first floor, but the window was boarded up with wooden planks. Sparrow heard them outside her window every night too, and wasn't sure if outside would be any safer than inside, even if she could get the boards off.

The best idea she could think of was to quickly leave and go into the room next door, locking that one behind her. Maybe that room would be just like the one she was in now, with more drinks and snacks to hold her over the rest of the time in the arena. Or maybe it would be empty and she'd have to try again with a new room. Maybe it would have mutts waiting inside of it. Maybe the mutts would get her the moment she walked into the hallway.

Nothing was certain, it was all just a guessing game that she had no control over and it scared her. She just needed some sort of way to think through it, but if there was anything there she was missing it. All she could do was keep on reading, and distract herself from the ticking clock that her quiet peace was on. She ignored the scratch in her throat, wanting to save that last bottle of water for as long as possible.

Trumpets went off, and Sparrow jumped in her chair, dropping the book she was holding onto the ground. The trumpets were followed by a brief rendition of the Panem Anthem, and then a speaker cut through the noise, loudly echoing throughout the entire arena.

"Tributes, congratulations on reaching the top nine!" Sparrow recognized the voice, it was the woman who had interviewed her. Her voice sounded almost robotic with its enthusiasm. "You've done well to make it this far, and to reward you all for your success, we have decided to set up a feast! If you're running low on water or food, you'll want to be sure to attend. The feast will be held at the second floor dining hall at the Red Royal Hotel, and will continue for the rest of the day. Good luck, and as always, may the odds be ever in your favor."

Sparrow froze in her seat, her arms glued to the armrest. Red Royal Hotel. That was the name that was plastered on the front of the hotel in giant, red letters that had stuck out against the brick background of the rest of the city. The building was one of the tallest in the entire city, and the sign was right up top, easy to see even from blocks away.

There were eight other tributes still left, and all of them would be coming to where she was. They were probably already on their way. If she left now they'd just run into her on the way out. But if she stayed put, how long would it take for just a single one of them to check the very first room on the first floor, right next to the entrance?

She felt panic rising in her chest, and for a moment it was like she couldn't breathe, her throat tightening as tiny prickles of pain ran across her chest. She stood up, pacing back and forth and forcing herself to breathe, she didn't have to think of any plan yet. She just had to calm down. She still had time. She had to. There was a way out still. She would find it, too. All she had to do was breathe. Just breathe, and think.

Ty Bale

Ty couldn't stop picturing her falling. The image was seared into his mind. She could have climbed over and left him down there with those mutts. But she came back. And now she was dead because of it. The arena was suddenly much quieter without her around.

He shouldn't have cared. She was a competitor, someone that needed to die in order for him to win. From the moment he got reaped, Ty told himself that he would do whatever it took to win. But Julie's death kept staying with him. He could have lied to himself and said the reason that he didn't sleep last night was because the mutts had scared him. It was partly true, after all.

But it was mostly her. Why had she come back for him? He tried to shake the thought, the feeling that he shouldn't be here, that it should have been him torn to shreds. For now he had to focus. They had called a feast, and Ty couldn't say no to that. Julie was gone, but he had to keep putting on a show, all by himself.

He was out of water, too. And the idea of a warm meal, something other than the flakey and dry energy bars and cold, disgusting cans of soup that they had been consisting on, well it sounded like it was worth just about any risk.

The hotel wasn't hard to find, it was gigantic, and the sign was in big, aggressive letters, high up towards the rooftop. Julie had pointed it out the night before while she was teaching him how to climb that tower. He got there just a couple of minutes after the announcement, and that had him confident that he was the first one there.

It was that confidence that led him directly to the staircase, up to the second floor, and into the large, open room that he could only assume was where the feast would be held. The scent of fresh, hot food filled his nostrils, and he felt like he might float towards the assortment that had been set up.

There was enough food for all nine of them, with plenty to spare, and Ty wondered for a brief moment if he might just be able to sit down and eat, and convince anyone that showed up that there was plenty to go around. Something told him that wouldn't work, though, and so he ran to the nearest table, zipped open his bag, and searched for anything he could stuff inside.

He started with the bread, wrapping it in the table cloth that adorned the tables and shoving the warm rolls into his backpack. He stopped for a quick second, and wondered how the table had managed to get arranged, and the food freshly prepared. The answer didn't interest him nearly as much as the smell of warm food, though, and he quickly put his attention back onto his task.

Ty was working on shoving a bunch of bananas into his bag when the door creaked open. His head snapped over to the source of the sound, and he nearly dropped the contents of his bag onto the floor as he leapt up in place.

The timid boy from District Ten poked his head through the crack, his entire body shaking as his eyes darted between Ty and the tables of food. His hands were empty, and there wasn't even a bag slung over his back. His shirt was torn, his skin pale as he continued to shiver, rubbing his arms.

Ty thought about what to do. He had a dagger at his belt. He could use it. It would be the easiest kill in Hunger Games history, and he'd be locked into the Final Eight. But something was giving him pause. Maybe it was logical. After all, the boy from Ten was popular in the Capitol, if he killed him here that would tank his popularity. No, he had to keep being the Capitol's favorite. He couldn't do anything to lose that title.

But there was more to it. That image of Julie falling still burned its way into his mind. She had come back for him. Why would she have come back for him?

"Pl-please don't hurt me," the boy stammered. He slipped his way through the door, his arms clinging to his shoulders as he walked closer, still keeping his distance from Ty as he walked to the other side of the room.

Ty paused. His brain felt like it was broken, unable to progress any further, make any conscious sort of thought, work his way through any decision. Only half realizing he was even speaking, he said, "How much food do you think you can carry?"

The boy froze in place, then quickly stammered out an answer. "I l-lost my backpack, but I can try to carry something."

Ty motioned to the center of the room, where a platter of sandwiches was laid out. "Grab that then." The boy didn't move. "Come on!" Ty urged him, looking toward the door nervously.

He didn't need to be asked again, hustling over and picking the plate up, then hurrying over to Ty, looking unsure what to do with himself. Ty felt the same way, and hoped that it didn't show. He wasn't even sure what he was doing. Maybe it was smart. Yeah, it was smart, that was it. The kid was the second most popular person in the arena, after him of course, so now they'd be sure to have sponsors supporting them if they were together. Plus, he's tiny and probably doesn't eat that much, getting him to help carry an extra platter of food would pay off.

Ty felt a surge of confidence in his decision as he motioned toward the door. "Come on, we'll go up a floor and find a room to wait in until the feast is over and everybody leaves this place."

The boy looked confused and uncertain, but he followed regardless, tailing Ty closely as the two burst through the door and rushed toward the staircase. They had to check seven doors on the third floor before finally finding one that was unlocked, and when they did Ty quickly slammed the door shut behind them, sliding the lock into place.

Ty slid to the ground against the door, letting out an exasperated sigh as he dropped his bag onto the floor. Jamie shakily placed the platter onto a table, then collapsed onto the bed, still shivering as he clutched his wrist.

"That food should last a few days," Ty said, letting out another sigh as he knocked his head back, staring up at the ceiling. "What do you say, us two could ride it out a few days together, at least until the numbers thin out a bit."

"Yeah," he said, his voice hollow as he squeezed his wrist. "Sounds like a plan."

Vivian Ostera

The timing of the feast was a bit awkward. A parachute had come to them earlier in the morning, a small supply of rations and a few bottles of water to fill up their dwindling supply. It was enough to last them a few more days, which should last until the Games are over at the rate they were going at. And then as if the Gamemakers wanted to laugh at them, not a moment later Coira Thompson's voice rang out through the arena.

Vivian thought that just meant they'd be able to skip it, let all the others show up and fight each other until it was just them two left. But Troy had different ideas. He was adamant that he had to go to the feast.

"Talon Olympus will be there, undoubtedly," he had announced, packing his bag.

"So what?" They had asked, trying to get a word in as he rapidly zipped his things away and prepared to leave.

He looked at them with a curious look, as if they were silly for asking. "He is the only warrior left in this arena to fight. If I cannot battle him, then, well." His voice cut off abruptly, and he stared off into the distance for a moment, before shaking his head. "I must fight him. He will be a worthy opponent."

Vivian knew not to argue any further than that. They understood it, in a way. Well, no, they didn't. Not really. They didn't understand why he felt like he needed to die, here and now. No matter how much he explained it, they never really understood it. He was willing to die just for some blind faith that he had placed in something so ridiculous and absurd.

But they couldn't make him want to stay alive. They shouldn't want to, anyways. He was still their opponent, as much as they forget it sometimes. He needed to die for them to win. They couldn't lose track of that. If he wanted to go out and get himself killed fighting District Two, so be it. If he managed to injure Talon in the process, Vivian would be able to win easily.

So why was it that they were following him to the hotel?

The streets seemed quieter than usual, like the Gamemakers wanted them all to get to the hotel without anything slowing them down. A fight was inevitable. District Two would be there. The others too, but none of them mattered. River and Marquise got high training scores, but they didn't scare Vivian. The rest weren't even worth worrying about.

The hotel was hard to miss, and they were there before long. The front entrance had wide swinging doors, and Troy blew through them confidently, no stealth or worry. Vivian kept their eyes peeled, watching every angle, waiting for District Two to be waiting behind some corner. They kept their hands on their drawstring, an arrow already nocked.

Vivian slipped through the door, and it wasn't District Two waiting for them. It was a twelve year old girl, the one from District Twelve whose name Vivian couldn't remember. She stood at the check-in counter, frozen in place, a deer caught in headlights as she stared at the District One pair.

She dropped the keys out of her hands and ran. Training took over and Vivian brought up her bow, closing one eye and aiming as she looked to turn the corner.

"Vivian."

Troy's voice came through, quiet and soft, and Vivian held still, their fingers clutching the feather of the arrow as the girl ran away, down the hall and out of sight. Their muscles clenched, and they released their grip on the string, the bow falling to their side.

They looked over to Troy, and he looked back at her, quirking a sad smile. "Thank you," he said.

"I should have shot her," Vivian said plainly, shouldering their bag and trudging forward. Around the corner, the girl was missing, no sign left of where she had run off to. The fire door was still swinging on its hinges. "It would have been one step closer to the end."

"It would have," Troy said. "Yet you didn't shoot." They paused and it was his turn to pass by them, a smile on his lips as he turned around, backpedaling as he spoke to her. "Never doubt your heart or your gut just because of what your mind tries to tell you."

Vivian sighed. "And what if my heart and gut both just say that I want to get out of this arena already?"

"If you truly felt that way so entirely," he said. "You would have shot her."

They opened their mouth, but clamped it shut when they realized they had no response to that. That was their opportunity to make the final eight and get a bit closer to making it out of this awful arena and finally become the victor they've worked toward being for so long. Did they really hold in their shot just because it was a kid? They knew what the Games meant, they knew what they would have to do in the arena. They wouldn't hesitate to do what had to be done to win.

So what was it that had stopped them? Never doubt your heart or your gut just because of what your mind tries to tell you. They heard his words again in their head, and they sighed, shaking their head as if to rid themselves of the thought.

But their heart and gut didn't listen, and Vivian kept on trudging along, following after Troy as he led them somewhere unknown, somewhere uncertain, somewhere that held no guarantees.

A/N: Yup there's a short little update for you. I might not actually be able to post tomorrow b/c Christmas will have me occupied for most of the day, and the chapter is gonna be a pretty long one. So I'll do my best to get one out but the finale might be pushed back one more day to December 30th. Guess y'all will find out tomorrow. Until then, have a happy holidays, and I'll see you all next time.

Trivia (1 point): I think it goes without saying some stuff is going down the next two updates. Any predictions?