Mac Dalton's POV:
I run my hands over the surface of the breast plate that covers my chest; I can feel ridges where the intricate workings of a circuit board have been carved into the thick plastic. Scrunching my hand into a fist I knock on my chest, it makes a satisfyingly solid sound.
"I could do with this once I get into the arena" I tell my stylist, who had earlier introduced himself as Marcus he looks at me curiously as he replies "Wish I could give it to you for the arena" he says "But the arena costumes are designed by a committee weeks before the reapings even happen."
"Sure" I reply, he didn't seem to have the charisma and excitable nature of the other stylists I'd seen along our journey to the chariot room. But I liked his calm demeanour and confidence in his work, it made me feel more confident in myself.
I'm blown away by the number of people who are starting to gather as we wander into the large room where the horses wait. I've never seen a real horse before so I keep my distance from them and the small gathering of tributes stood just in front of my horse by the District Two chariot.
The careers are beginning to gather, I watch as there are some tense hello's and shaking of hands, it's really awkward to watch really. Six people who are being forced into an alliance by their mentors. Unlike the rest of us they have no choice as to who they want to spend their time in the Capitol and the Arena with. At least the rest of us could even get some peace before we die if we decide to be alone. I'm going it alone, that fact has been decided for me, there's no way I can do what I need to do in that arena with another tribute tagging along. I've been trained in combat skills and I have a good knowledge of survival skills to so I guess I'd make a good ally to someone too, that's why I'm going to keep my skills to myself in the training, no point in attracting any unwanted attention.
"Penny for your thoughts" the small voice of Tek pipes up next to me. She'd snuck up on me quickly I realise; luckily she wasn't trying to kill me just yet.
"I'm thinking about the careers" I say, she looks up at them and gulps.
"They scare me"
I shake my head "Don't let them do that" I tell her "they're in the same position as the rest of us here."
"But they have the training and they already have allies"
"You'll find some allies" I tell her "People love to have a smart District Three tribute on their team."
"What about you."
"I'm going it alone"
"Why!?"
"Because there's only one winner" I focus on the Careers again, I know I'll have to do something in the games to cause this big distraction and though I still don't know what, killing a large number of careers at once usually gets the crowds so excited they wouldn't notice if Katniss Everdeen herself appeared between them and the viewing screens.
She gulps again "Promise you won't kill me" she says "I'd hate to go by the hand of my District partner"
"I promise" I say, it's unforgivable to kill your own partner in most of the Districts, it wouldn't be worth coming home if I did.
Hellios Baucch's POV:
I stand with my arms crossed over my chest as the District Four girl Lysandria or something introduces her District partner Cy. I don't really want to be stood here talking to these idiots I need to be with Cliona so we can start plotting how we are going to kill them. But of course we're going to have to be in career pack for a bit for protection so I stand here as I wonder how much longer Cliona will be.
"He's the Mayors son" District Four announces proudly. I see her game though she wants us to focus on him and imagine his life of privilege so when the time comes we'll turn on him not her.
"That's so cool" Olivia from Two replies "I'd love to be famous Cy what's it like?"
"It sucks" he replies coldly as he fiddles with the netted gloves he's been given to wear.
Olivia laughs which I'd started to notice she was prone to doing and I look her over, she's playing as much of a game as Four. Acting all friendly and constantly laughing, she's still a District Two trainee after all.
Her partner Cassius hasn't said much really, he's been fiddling with a ring on his finger and only half watching Four as she talks about life in Four as if we'd care.
"You got a girl back home?" I ask him and he looks surprised at the question.
"Yeah" he says "Got engaged recently; really want to get home to marry here."
"I want to get home to my brother" Four says
"Oh I have a brother too" Olivia laughs "what's yours like?"
I ignore the two girls as they continue to whiter on and decide to get Cassius on my side. A few simple lies and I know he'll be wrapped around my finger.
"I've got a girl too" I say "I need to get home for her too." Cassius nods.
"We'll make it a fair fight Baucch" he says formally.
"Thank you" I reply and we shake hands, so he's a fair fighter I think. Formal too, very well trained, and very predictable he'll have no chance against Cliona and me in that arena.
"Helios!" I look over to see Cliona stomping towards me in a much more embellished version of my suit and a large hat. I smirk a little before quickly hiding it again.
"I'll be right back" I tell Cassius.
I run over to Cliona and grab her arm "We're not a couple okay" I whisper in her ear "remember that"
"I'm not an idiot" she hisses back and I hold her arm as I help her over to the others.
"Not a fan of heels I see" Olivia laughs showing her own feet with heels twice the height of Cliona's "Amethyst warned me early on that I'd need to learn how to walk in them"
"Never had the need to in the training centre" Cliona snaps back, she isn't playing this right I realise. We need to make these other tributes like us if we want to survive the first night. I'll have to talk to her this evening and hope they put any rudeness today down to nerves or something.
"I can't do heels either Cliona" Four says "but luckily I've been given these flip-flops instead"
"No one asked you Four" Cliona replies
"Just being friendly One" Four replies "Unless you want me to be unfriendly already" she steps forward as Cy grabs her arm.
"Lysandra not now, remember what Roman said" he says, I figure they had the same talk we did, a harmonious career pack is a victorious career pack Mace had told us on the train.
"We're a team okay guys" Cassius says "Lets try and act that way for a few days at least, show the others whose in charge."
Lysandra nods and sticks out her hand to Cliona "allies" she asks.
"Sure, if I must" replies Cliona, "But I'm not going to touch you Four".
"ALL TRIBUTES TO THEIR CHARIOTS. ALL TRIBUTES TO THEIR CHARIOTS. THE PARADE WILL BEGIN IN THREE MINUTES"
Velorum Erwin's POV:
The day after my grandmother's funeral I'd felt free, I'd felt like I had District Twelve at my feet, I'd walked around the District with a spring in my step and enquired about some doing some odd jobs for an old man who kept pigs in the Seam. I was going to stay outside as long as possible I was going to earn some money and I was going to fill my house with things again.
Then I went to the reaping and my new life was dragged from under my feet as some ridiculous capitol man called my name into the crowd. My permanent bad mood from before Grandmother died returned in an instant and I had decided that screw it, the capitol aren't going to get anything else from me.
I wasn't going to tell them anything about me, in fact I wasn't going to say a word at all, maybe never again as I was bound to be dying in the next few weeks anyway.
The flaw in my plan was of course that no-body had noticed yet. Maddie and I had just spent the train journey in our separate rooms and my prep team and stylist had barely tried to talk to me either. As Maddie and I climbed onto our chariot, I help her up as I can see she's struggling with her injured arm.
"Thank you" she says as she grabs onto the bar in front of us with her working arm. I just nod as I grab on myself.
She takes a deep breath and looks ahead "I'm so nervous" She says "How about you?"
I don't say anything.
"You're not talking are you?" she says "I don't think you're shy like me though"
I keep looking forward, sure this kid isn't the aim of my silent protest but I've always stuck with something that I've started. That's why I stuck with Grandma till the very end, because when I start something I finish it. I'm stubborn like that.
The chariot starts to move with a jolt and we slowly make our way out of the underground area where we've been waiting and into the bright sunlight it takes an awful lot of effort not to shout out in shock.
The Capitol is so bright, so colourful and so large. I look up at the impressive buildings that tower above the crowds who are still more interested in the chariots up ahead of us. Maddie starts to wave at the crowd but keeps having to grab back on to the metal bar to regain her balance while I just keep looking around me wondering what kind of lives the people who live in these building have.
Up ahead I can see the tribute centre, it towers above all of the other buildings and I count about fifteen stories, we'll be on the top floor Maddie and me. Imagine the view I'd get from up there, it would be spectacular.
I feel like I'm getting a new view on life as I'm pulled through the capitol, that anything could be possible for me if I'd been born in the right place, if I'd been lucky.
The president's stage comes into view, it's as much a part of the show as we are with the seal of our country moulded into it and a microphone poised perfectly for a speech. That's when I see the great woman herself standing slowly to welcome the first tributes she hold out her hands and begins to wave to the crowd as the first four chariots enter the courtyard in front of her when...
There's a rumble deep bellow us and the ground begins to shake, my first thought is of a collapsed mine shaft. But there are none beneath our feet here, as far as I know the capitol is built on the most solid ground there is, that's when there's a second sound. Not a rumble like a collapsed mine but the sound of an explosion. Up ahead I can see that a portion of the stage that moments ago held the president been thrown up into the air in a rainstorm of rubble and smoke.
The horses driving our carriage go mad they rear up onto their rear legs and throw the carriage from their backs. Losing its balance the carriage collapses backwards and Maddie and I are thrown onto the floor.
Struggling to my feet I see the same has happened to the other tributes too and up in the crowds chaos has broken out with capitol people running in random directions and not noticing who they bash into all try to find and exit.
As I look back towards the podium I see how destroyed it truly is, somewhere under that rubble I realise is the president and by the way the surrounding peacekeepers are rushing to where she once stood. I'd say the outlook wasn't good for her.
Lysandra Seldin's POV:
Smoke and pain, that's all I can process in the moments after the defining sound that blew us into the air as we circled around the presidents podium. After that its pandemonium, horses have gotten loose from the chariots and charge back down the avenue, I see two tributes running towards the capitol hand in hand and Cy has started to scream.
"Your arm" he cries and I look down, my arm has twisted and hurts beyond compare, I reach my hand up to my head which also hurts and when I pull it away there seems to be blood everywhere.
"Fuck" I cry as I look away from it "how am I supposed to win now!" Cy stands up and helps me to my feet,
"Let's go inside" he says "It'll be safe in there."
I look around and study the wreckage, there's a small fire beside the president's podium and an army of peacekeepers moving rubble to try and free her from the wreckage. The tributes from One and Two looking mostly shocked and a little bruised have grouped together and also seem to be trying to get into the training centre. I watch as the boy from Three stands up and looks in shock at the dent in his solid looking vest as he helps his female tribute partner to her feet.
Behind me I can see the tributes further away from the all pulling themselves up from the floor where they must have been thrown like me to the floor.
"Lysandra your head" cries Olivia noticing us and running over.
"uhuh" I reply a little woozily, this was all too much for me, we were still in the capitol I was supposed to be safe still right?
"We need to get her inside" Cy says "There will be people to help in the tribute centre"
"I need to fight in the games" I whisper "Don't let me send me home." My head feels weak and I can't keep it up anymore, pushing my weight down onto Cy and Olivia I let myself lose consciousness.
"Lysandra, Lysandra" I wake up sitting on the floor in a large open room that I decide must be the lobby of the tribute centre. Marena is shaking my shoulder and still seems to be calling my name.
"Get off" I say pulling away from her "you're just making my arm hurt more"
"At least your conscious now" she says "I can get you upstairs"
"But my arm. It's broken" I knew what a broken bone felt like of course, I wouldn't be a successful tribute volunteer if I hadn't and I also knew it needed to be set as soon as possible if I was to have any chance of having a working arm in the games "I need to see a doctor".
"We have to get upstairs" she says "Their locking down the centre, they think the bomber could still be here"
"Bomber?" I had assumed it was just a large earth tremor, they happened from time to time back home. But the thought that another person could have wanted to disrupt the parade and harm us tributes and the president too seemed to change everything.
"I don't know anything else" she says "and a doctor has been called for your arm, he will meet us upstairs."
I let Marena take my weight as I still feel a bit wobbly and she helps me to the elevator, she bashes button number four and in moments we fly up a few stories before the door opens on Roman and Cy sitting on a couch watching what seems to be a live feed of downstairs.
"Lysandra come sit down" Roman says "A doctor has been called for your arm"
I sit down and stare at the screen; an army of peacekeepers are pulling at the rubble that is collapsed on top of the president's body.
"Is she still alive?" I ask
"We don't know yet" Roman replies, as he does so the elevator door opens again and a short man rushes in looking flustered "You have an injured tribute?" he asks his eyes darting rapidly around the room.
"She's broken her arm" Marena says, the doctor rushes over and places his bag by my feet. He pulls out a small device and begins to scan my arm; moments later he pulls it away looks at the screen for a moment and pulls out a syringe.
"Hairline fracture" he announces "easy to fix"
"Easy?" I say "last time I broke my arm it took weeks to repair. I only have four days till the games"
"You'll be fine in two" he announces as he sticks the needle in my arm and pumps in a thick feeling liquid. He pulls out a bandage from his bag and wraps my arm securely before pulling out an aerosol can and spraying on a thin layer of foam. I can feel the foam begin to harden as he places the can back in his bag and stands up. A quick look at my head and he declares it just a scratch before a quick goodbye to my mentors and he's gone.
I look down at my arm that has now completely hardened and gape open mouthed at the speed of the whole thing.
Marena looks at my arm "Impressive" she says "I'd love to get my hands on some of that stuff for the centre."
I'm about to ask if she even knows what any of it is when there is a shout from the television screen, the camera blurs a little as it focussed on a spot in the rubble where the President has just been found. We watch in silence as her body is removed and as medics run over to tend to her for a moment we're not sure what to think, is she dead? Is she alive? I can't tell.
A handheld camera runs over towards her amongst the medics and someone begins to perform CPR on her. I watch breath held for a few moments until she gasps for breath and her eyes shoot open for a moment before closing again. In that moment it felt as if the whole country had breathed a breath of relief. In my mind however all I can think of is the word Marena used before, bomber; there was someone who did this. A rebel, a terrorist, someone was going to pay the price.
A/N: Thanks to Zep for pre-reading the last two pov's and helping me realise that they needed more detail. I'm much happier with them now.
