Hope you guys like Chapter two. Please review and follow, it would mean a lot to me!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games; they belong to the genius that is Suzanne Collins.
I stand shaking as I wait to go on stage for the interview. Everything has gone well these past weeks considering the fact that tomorrow I'll be sent to a death match. The crowd went wild for me at the tribute parade and I won't go into detail but my outfit was brilliant. Let's just say it was stunning and flaming. What's more, I managed to score a 10 in training in which I excelled. I didn't do much really, just throw knives at things but apparently the Gamemakers liked it. Training was good too, though I didn't actually learn anything new but that worked to my favour because the other tributes are scared of me or envy me and the Careers were very impressed by my skills.
I don't know where to begin with the Careers. There's six of them, all from districts 1, 2 and 4 and they are dangerous. From four there is Acionna and Percy. I didn't think much of them at first. Neither are very tall or big or smart and Acionna seems more interested in preening her perfect golden curls than learning how to survive. But then I saw them fight and they have skills. Very fast, agile and good with spears and tridents. When I saw them throw, I made a mental note to not try and run from them.
From District 2 is Diana and Cai. They're much bigger than me and very strong. Diana fights mostly with swords and axes but can use most other weapons too. Cai however, will fight excellently with any sharp thing you hand him. But if there's one thing about them it's that they're too big to have that vital agility and I figure I could use their weight against them.
District 1 brings Valour and Sapphire. Valour is pretty good with a sword and stuff but is the weakest of the group. Sapphire though, is deadly. She is quick, smart, strong and skilled especially with knives and her abilities top mine any day. What's more, she isn't loyal to the alliance and could easily use a similar tactic to my own and kill us all. Yes, Sapphire is the one to beat and my parents and Haymitch agree.
Still, I managed to work my way into their alliance and though they clearly don't trust me, they accepted me which is trust enough for me to murder them. I think murder seems a more accurate word for the situation. As unsettling as it is, I have gotten quite used to the idea of murder.
A few days ago in training, I was watching the six over at the archery station. Most failed miserably and missed the target completely. They were just about to move on when, in a moment of not thinking, I made my way over to them.
"What do you want twelve?" snapped Diana.
"You need to pull back further," I said plainly, picking up a bow and demonstrating a perfect stance.
"So?" she said. So I just released the arrow, hitting the heart area on the target. She just blinked at me, mildly impressed.
"What else can you do?" she asked.
I went round from station to station with them, showing off as much as possible. I figured that everyone would know I'm a natural so why hide it? At the end, they gave each other looks before Sapphire said, "Meet you at the Bloodbath and make sure you get the bow."
So yes, I'm a Career but tomorrow night there will be no Careers. Ceasar is just finishing the interview with the girl Ivy from District 7 when Dell prods me.
"What?" I hiss.
"Quit daydreaming. It's not a good look on you."
"You quit sulking. It's not a good look on you," I retort.
Ever since he discovered I was with the Careers he hadn't spoken to me and we avoided each other like the plague. I think he was under some sort of illusion that I was going to have allies in there but that would never end well. I'd much rather stay away from him in the arena or else his infuriating personality would force me to kill him or I'd end up actually liking him and feel kind of guilty when he died. Basically, allies: not a good idea.
"I'm not sulking, I'm just mildly upset by the fact I have to enter a fight to the death tomorrow which I am not going to win," he says with a low growl.
"So you've accepted defeat then?" I whisper, not meeting his eye. It's a good thing he found out he wasn't winning by himself because I would hate to break it to him later on.
"And you're sure your winning? Well at least one person from District twelve will make it back to their families."
Despite how awful I feel about the things I'm saying, I continue, liking myself less and less with every word, "I'll send them a post card for you. Who should I make it out to?"
"Sage, Sarah, Cole, Troy and Brooke. Tell them not to put in any tesserae and I hope that my fifty slips will hold them up for a few months."
His words hit me hard and painfully like someone stabbing me in the back repeatedly. "Fifty," I say in disbelief.
"Yeah. Not everyone lives a life of luxury, Iris," I look at him to find he's tearing up but he looks away immediately, blushing.
Somewhere I hear Ceasar Flickerman introduce me and Dell jabs me in the back again, shoving me on stage. The second the lights find me I'm poised flawlessly and smiling at the crowd as the cheer and scream my name. It takes a few minutes for Ceasar to get their attention so in the mean time I wave and blow kisses to the audience. When we sit, he turns to me smiling and says, "So Iris, you have been here in the Capitol many times but what is it like to be here as a tribute?"
"Um… well it's different, Ceasar. There's the fact that you often find yourself stood in a room with people who are mentally calling for your blood so that's an interesting experience."
The crowd laughs at my response and as does Ceasar. I try not to think of how much joy it would bring me to kill them, the ones who will be entertained by my suffering.
Ceasar chuckles before adding, "You always say that the food here is great, how are you enjoying it now?"
"Let's just say it's a wonder I haven't put on weight in the past two weeks." The crowd falls into hysterics again and I take the opportunity to smile at them as I picture all their heads spontaneously exploding.
"So was it a surprise for you when you were reaped?" he asks.
No, not at all, "Well I guess it's a shock for everyone, you know. There's like thousands of names in there and some people had a lot more than me," is all I say, leaving off the part about President Snow planning my death for years.
"Yes," he agrees, "Honestly Iris, I don't know how we are going to be able to say goodbye to you."
"Oh well I'm coming back," I state as the people cheer, "Loosing the Hunger Games is not part of my plan and I'll be victor even if I have to kill every tribute in the damn arena." I hope I sound as fierce as I think I do.
Somewhere, the buzzer sounds and we both stand up. "I'm afraid we're out of time folks. Now Iris, farewell for now and we hope to see you back here in a while."
I get up and walk away from the applause and chanting of the Capitol and head straight toward my mother on the other side of the room. She embraces me tightly for a moment.
"Was that ok?" I ask shakily.
"It was great," she says, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
"The crowd loves you!" squeals Effie in concurrent.
I stare at the screen and see Dell stagger on. Instantly, I look away. I don't want to think about him or his Sage or his Sarah or Cole, Troy and Brooke. And I really don't want to think about how guilty I'll feel about his death. But it's not your fault, I try and convince myself, It's the Capitol's. I look around the room to try and block him out. Sapphire catches my eye and saunters over.
"What?" I say, more irritably than I intended.
"Just wondering if you have cold feet yet?" she says, innocently, "District Twelve isn't exactly "Career material" and you don't look like a killer."
"Did you not hear me?" I growl, "I'll kill anyone in there who stands in my way."
She tilts her head to the side as though inspecting me so I stare back at her. She's pretty. She has a tall, willowy figure, blond hair and pointed features. Her eyes are blue but not the bright, vivid kind like mine, they're cold and greyish; the eyes of a predator.
She smiles sweetly after a while, "Good." I will take great pleasure in killing her.
The interviews end and Ceasar finishes by reminding everyone to tune in tomorrow as if they have the option not to. Dell joins us and we head up to the tribute quarters in silence. Effie wishes me good luck before I go to my room. She looks slightly teary at the prospect of my death because, after all, the woman has known me forever.
Half way down the hall, Dell stops me. "Look," he says, "I know you don't like me and you really don't see anything in me," I already don't like where this is going, "But I was thinking, we're both from the same District and we both just want to get back to our families so maybe we could team up."
I hesitate, "Dell, I don't think that's a good idea,"
"Why?" he pushes.
I sigh, "I just don't really think that it would work out and I really don't want allies."
"Why not?"
"Because I already have a plan and it only involves me winning," I answer. He is really testing my patience.
"But maybe we could-"
"No, Dell."
"Fine," he snaps.
"Fine!"
I storm into my room and take off the black dress I wore for the interview and start to remove the makeup until I look like me again. But then I find myself thinking: who will I be tomorrow? One thing is certain though: I won't be me.
Though I need sleep badly, my mind keeps wondering to dark places and I think about what horrors the next day will hold. Somehow I end up outside my room at around midnight after admitting I will not get any sleep. I just wander up to the roof that my father showed me a few days ago. When I open the door, I find him sat there with my mother. I go over to them and we hug for I don't know how long. We just sit quietly and stare at the inky sky and the people below who don't have to deal with the Hunger Games or their family dying or President Snow trying to kill them.
When we release each other, my mother looks at me and takes my hand in hers. I feel her press something into my palm and when I look I find the mockingjay pin that she wore in her Games.
"To protect you," she whispers and kisses my forehead softly.
"Thank you," I reply quietly.
"Iris," I hear my father's voice next to me, "Promise me that when you're in the Games, that you'll only kill if there is no other choice. Please promise me."
"I promise," I say without thinking.
"Go get some sleep," he says so I stand up and return to my bed where I stay for the rest of the night.
When I wake, I'm quickly taken to a hovercraft filled with the other tributes where I eat as much food as possible without it coming back up. A woman comes over to me and shoves a needle in my forearm and I try and supress my pained cry. Diana snickers at me from the opposite side and I return the favour when she is caught off guard and practically screams as her tracker is inserted.
As we land, I am greeted by my mother who escorts me down to the launch room. I am so grateful for the pin right now and I hope it will help me cling to my sanity as I fight to live.
"Iris, I know what your father said last night but don't hesitate to kill if you have the opportunity," she says. I look at her in shock but she stares ahead.
Eventually we make it to the Stockyard where I will be prepared for my brutal slaughter. Cinna waits for me inside and fits me with a greenish coloured jacket and pins on the gold Mockingjay my mother gave me. We sit around the clean room for an age. He manages to keep me calm mostly but the fear and nausea is just building up inside me threatens to blow me up.
"Ten seconds to launch," says a voice.
Somehow I manage to drag myself to the glass tube in the corner and I stand in it shaking like crazy. I look at Cinna in terror but he nods reassuringly. The countdown reaches zero and I start to rise through the ground and up to the arena. Around me was a blinding white nothingness and then I am met with bright sunlight. I am stood in a clearing, surrounded by dense forest and ahead of me is the cornucopia, sparkling gold in all its glory.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the 93rd annual Hunger Games begin!"