District 10
Maddison Holland's POV – District 10 Female
The sun had just risen over the horizon when I got up and got ready for the day. By the time I had finished and walked out to the main sitting on the train, I had realized that I was the only one awake. Again.
It seemed like I was the only one here who didn't enjoy sleeping in. Everyone else would probably remain asleep for at least another three hours. The idea of sleeping in that long bothered me. There were only a handful hours each day and the idea of wasting a few of them on a little extra sleep just seemed so foreign to me. I honestly didn't get how the others can just waste their time in bed.
Then again, perhaps I was the odd one. Compared to everyone else on the train, I grew up in a different environment. I was raised on my family's ranch and I had been working on it since I was six. For the past ten years, I would wake up at the crack of dawn and start tending to the cattle. With the exception of a few breaks in the day, I'd continue working well past sunset. Every day was like that and my body was used to this routine. I doubt that I could sleep in even if wanted to.
A frown crept onto my face as I thought back to my life at home. I missed the work and the cows, but more than that, I missed my family. I missed my mother's lame jokes and her ability to make me laugh at any given moment. I missed my father's caring smile and I missed waking up and working with him every day. I missed my little brother Dustin and his innocence. His love for life was something I respected so much and being around him just made me happier. Hell, I even missed my older brothers Leon and Judd. Sure, we competed all the time, fought like rampaging bulls, and they had a tendency to act like a bunch of idiots, but they were always fun to go on adventures with and they were good guys.
We were all family and they all had been part of my life for as long as I can remember. These past few days on route to the Capitol did not feel the same at all. It felt weird just being away from my family and my home.
This desire to return home was what was fueling me. I was going to do anything I could to get back to my family! I don't care what I was going to have to do, even if it involved killing a few other people…
With that thought in my head, I walked over to the television screen and turned it on. I then turned on a rerun of the one hundred forty-ninth Hunger Games, the one from the previous year. Each morning and night, I turned on the previous Games and studies the strategies of the tributes. I made sure to note why certain tributes died and why the victors survived.
The television screen showed the video from where I stopped last night: at the final eight. The career pack had just dissolved and the remaining, living careers were fighting. It was a three-way showdown between the girl from District One, the boy from District Two, and the winner of last year's Games: Storm Geronimo, the boy from District Four. They were all fighting on the rubble and ruins of some ancient civilization from the time before Panem.
Storm and the girl from District One were in direct, melee-range combat. His axe clashed directly against her sword. From a distance, the boy from District Two was hiding behind a column with a bow in his hand. He was trying to hit them both from afar with his arrows. Storm and the girl were able to avoid his arrows while still continuing their fight.
Two minutes of straight fighting occurred before Storm jumped backwards away from the District One girl. He then tossed his axe as hard as he could at the boy from District Two. The Two boy, for some reason, was not expecting either him or the girl to go after him until they had killed the other. Therefore, he did not see the axe coming until it was buried deep into his forehead. He hit the ground hard and the sound of a cannon was heard in the distance.
Storm then ran over to the deceased body of the Two boy and pulled out his axe from his head. The girl from District One charged him, gripping her sword tightly. The District Four boy responded by kicking up some of the rubble with his foot upward as she got in close. She hesitated for a second as her vision became hazy from the dust, which gave Storm the opening he needed. The soon-to-be victor quickly entered his axe into her head. She was dead instantly.
The Two boy and the One girl should have been paying more attention. The guy should have realized he wasn't being as stealthy as he thought he was and that he could still be attacked. The girl, also, should have paid more attention to her surroundings and should have expected a dirty attack like Storm kicking up rubble. They were both strong tributes, but they both fucked up badly and that cost them their lives.
Hopefully, me learning from their mistakes would save mine!
Two hours passed by as I continued to watch the Games. The boy from Eleven died from an earthquake. The District Five girl was betrayed by her ally, the girl from District Twelve, and murdered. Storm was able to find the two tributes from District Eight and kill them both. There was only two tribute left: Storm and the girl from District Twelve. My eyes remained focused as I prepared to watch the final showdown.
"Watching the Games still, I see. How long have you been up?" A voice called out to me.
I turned around and saw Julian, District Ten's only living victor. He was a man in his early fifties that was completely bald. He was below average height and slightly chubby, but I could tell he was a capable man. He got his hands on a gun at the final six and was able to go town, earning himself three kills with his impeccable aim and ingenuity, causing him to win the one hundred thirty-seventh Hunger Games.
"I probably been up for a li'l over two hours." I answered with a shrug.
"I see." He said with a sigh as he walked over to see what Games I was watching. "Ah, so you are watching last year's? That was a painful year to follow. Storm was a real savage beast, you know?"
"I've noticed." I answered with a shiver. Some of his kills were rather graphic. I seriously hoped that I or anyone else this year died like a few of his victims. "But I'll be damned if I don't say he's good."
Watching Storm was fascinating to me. For someone who was referred to as a beast, he was very perceptive and aware of his environment at any moment. It made fighting against him nearly impossible.
That was something I respected him and something I was hoping to emulate in my Games. The arena's environment was everything, and I was going to use it to my advantage!
"He's good, but he thinks he knows everything and is genuinely rude to anyone he sees beneath him. He's kinda a horrible person." Julian mumbled in annoyance.
"I hear ya, but I still reckon I can learn a few things from him, y'know?" I responded.
Julian chuckled after I finished talking. I gave him a puzzled look, requesting him to elaborate. Eventually, he finally stopped and decided to explain his amusement. "I'm sorry, I know we talked about this earlier when we met, but your accent really is thick."
My frown developed almost instantaneously. The escort for District Ten, Jewel, already gave me crap about my accent when I met her. I didn't really like having to deal with another person about it.
"Why do ya even care bout it? You're from District Ten as well. Half of the damn population talks like this!" I retaliated with an eye roll.
"Again, I'm sorry. Again, it's just because of how thick your accent in particular is. Most girls your age don't have one as strong as that." He answered, still chuckling.
"Well, I ain't like most girls." I huffed in irritation.
Most of the girls in District Ten that were children of ranch workers acted, in my opinion, prissy. There were exceptions obviously, but most of them weren't willing to get down and do the work their parents and brothers did. It was always something that pissed me off. It just made me work harder in the ranch. They can act however they want and do whatever pleases them. I'd much rather get down-and-dirty with the cows to make money and do my own part for my family.
"I wasn't saying you were. Again, it was just a comment about your accent." Julian stated defensively, still laughing. "I wonder what Logan's accent sounds like."
I shuddered at the mention of my district partner. Logan was not a person that I had known prior to getting reaped and I would have preferred if it stayed that way. The boy was plain creepy. He barely, if ever, talked. The most he would do is grunt or give one or two word answers. Those answers were also nearly impossible to hear as he was so quiet. I was starting to wonder if the boy had a speech impediment or something.
That, however, was not the thing that truly bothered me about Logan. The boy was creepy. He always had this man-eating grin on his face and this evil look in his eyes. Whenever we were in the same room, he would glare at me. I could tell he hated me, but I couldn't really understand why. I had never met him before and I tried to be polite to him when we first met in the train. He simply would glare and, occasionally, drop his grin to give me a terrifying scowl.
The door to the room opened up again, causing me and Julian to turn our heads. Mentally, I cursed. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
"Good morning Logan. Sleep well?" Julian questioned.
Logan ignored the question as he walked into the room. He had a piece of toast in his hand and seemed to be concentrated on that alone. He simply walked by us, ignoring our existence, and sat down on the couch away from us.
"… and again, the silent treatment. I have no idea what I did to offend him." Julian whispered to me with a frown on his face.
"If ya find out, lemme know." I replied with a similar frown. Logan crept me out, but I was legitimately curious about what made him so mad and angry at us.
A few seconds of silence filled the room until our district escort, Jewel, entered the room. She immediately yawned and stretched in a dramatic fashion, showing off all the jewelry that decorated her clothes. It seemed as if they were all she cared about.
I wonder what came first: her name or her obsession with the stupid stones?
"I'm impressed to see you all up so early. Usually I'm the first one up at these things!" She exclaimed in an excited tone-of-voice. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her lack of self-awareness. She was always the last one to wake up. "Morning Julian and Maddison. Oh, and morning Logan."
Julian and I waved to her in response. Logan, once again, gave her no response. He simply continued to chew on his toast.
"Well, it is a good thing that we are all up so early. We have a busy, busy day ahead of us! After all, today is the day we are arriving at the Capitol!" She stated again happily. "Ah, it's going to be so good to be back home. I really miss being away from it for too long!"
Again, I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I agreed with her: I missed my home too. However, one of us was away due to her job while the other was going to be put into an arena to fight twenty-three other kids to the death.
"Jewel is right. Today is going to be a busy day for you two." Julian stated sharply. I turned my head to face him and, in my peripheral vision, I noticed Logan turn his head to face our mentor with disinterested eyes. "You both are going to meet up with your stylists and will get dressed for the Tribute Parade. The parade is the next opportunity you have to impress the viewers to earn sponsors, so it's very important to listen to your stylists, be cooperative, and try and stand out as much as possible."
"I don't care." Logan mumbled in response quietly. He proceeded to finish eating his toast and get up from his seat.
I shivered in response to hearing his voice. His silent treatment unnerved me greatly yeah, but it also made me forget how utterly terrifying his voice was. It was so quiet, eerie, and threatening. All I wanted was for him to go back to being quiet in the corner.
Julian was seemingly unfazed by Logan's voice and continued to lecture. "Logan, it is important to listen to this. There are many things that will benefit you and help you get out of the Games."
Logan, again, ignored Julian's words and continued to walk away. He stopped walking, however, when he passed a window. He noticed something and he turned to face it.
"Hmm?" He mumbled in his creepy voice. However, I could detect a little curiosity in it.
The boy stayed still, looking out the window with slightly widened eyes. Curiously, I walked over to another window and looked out. My eyes immediately widened as well and I could feel my mouth drop.
There, outside the window, was the Capitol. It was a giant, shiny city filled with tall steel buildings. There was a certain glow to it that made it shine in the sun compared to the surrounding environment around it.
On first glance, the Capitol was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. However, a little voice in the back of my head was quick to point out to me that, although it was beautiful, it was the most dangerous place I will ever step foot into.
"Marveling at the city, aren't ya? Most of you kids do that when you first see it. It really is something special." Jewel said with a content sigh.
"Ayup, it sure is something special alright…" I mumbled back my response, trying to overcome the nervous feeling that entered my body. I was here for a reason: to fight to the death. It was my job to kill the competition and come back to my family alive, and I was going to do everything I could to achieve that. I couldn't let the sight of some fancy city unnerve me. I was going to enter the Games fearless and was going to leave the Games a victor!
Logan Faber's POV – District 10 Male
After a few seconds of genuine curiosity, I walked away from the window and sat down on the couch. I failed to see what Jewel saw so beautiful in the city. The Capitol was no different than District Ten and the other districts. They were all cities built by mankind and were filled with people, living their lives day-by-day with no care for the other people around them.
The Capitol tried so hard to hide that fact. All the people had different colorations of skin and hair that I did not believe were biologically possible. They wore fancy clothes, purchased property and luxuries, and ate foods that a commoner in the Districts could never hope to afford. They covered their city with large buildings and bright lights. The people and the government went to such lengths to hide the fact that they, too, were humans just like the people in the districts. It absolutely disgusted me.
I couldn't wait to one day roam the Capitol and then coat the city's streets with the blood of its people.
I hated people. The human species was the most disgusting, vulgar group of creatures to ever walk the earth. They were selfish beings with no concern for the world around them. The world would be a better place without humans. Therefore, I made it my duty to make sure every human on the planet would one day be exterminated.
I learned this lesson young in my life. When I was twelve, I became fed up with society and decided something needed to be done about the evils of humanity. I proceeded to kill my first victim. It was a very rudimentary murder: the deceased was a neighbor of mine. He was the local butcher of the district and he was ill, so I visited him under the pretense of delivering him food and medication. Once I was inside his house, I found a machete in his kitchen and used it to murder him in the comfort of his home. Immediately after, I burned the body and ran away as if nothing happened. To the people of District Ten, the man simply disappeared.
Now, at seventeen, I had managed to kill forty-four different people. District Ten was on the lookout for a serial killer that had been plaguing them for the past five years. They had no clue that it was me. Not a single person had a hint about what I did, not even my parents. I took drastic measures to ensure that my mission to kill all humans remained a secret.
In the Hunger Games, however, I could be open about what I wanted to do: kill. This is why I entered the Games willingly. I was going to walk away with another twenty-three kills to add to my kill count, and I could hardly hide my excitement!
"We'll be arriving at our stop in about thirty minutes. Once we arrive, things are going to get hectic. We have a lot of things we need to do!" Jewel exclaimed, interrupting my thoughts. She then turned to face me and Maddison. "Do you two have your district tokens? If you leave them on this train, you will not be able to have them in the arena?"
"Uh huh. I'm wearin it." Maddison informed the Capitol lady in her terribly strong accent as she raised her hand. On her wrist was a bracelet made out of cheap rope. It was tied together rather poorly, making me think that it was created by a little kid. A little brother or sister perhaps?
"It's so precious!" Jewel stated as she studied it with a grin on her face.
Jewel was probably the most obnoxious human I had ever met to this point. She always talked with the same excited tone-of-voice about anything and everything. She had no genuine emotions from what I observed – everything about her seemed fake. That was probably the best word to describe her: her personality, the jewels she wore on her attire, and her overall demeanor were all fake. I had to barely contain myself from paying a visit to her in her sleep and slitting her throat with a dinner knife. With all the surveillance on the train, I doubt I could kill her without being caught on film.
For now, she would live. After the Games, however, and after I was more knowledgeable about Capitol security and how to avoid getting caught, she would be my first Capitol victim. I was already looking forward to making her death as slow and painful as I could make it.
"Logan?" My future-victim, again, interrupted my thoughts as she spoke my name. "What's your district token?"
A few seconds passed before I sighed.
"… I don't have one." I answered. I had no need for one. There was nothing in particular that tied me to District Ten. It was a place that I took up residence in: nothing more. Therefore, I didn't see the reason to bring a district token.
"Why don't you have one?" She questioned further.
My mouth twisted into a scowl as I glared at her. I did not enjoy conversation or interacting with other people. I thought I made that fact clear throughout this train ride to everyone, but clearly the idiotic woman from the Capitol did not understand that.
Jewel's eyes widened in surprise and fear before she turned away and started to begin conversation with Maddison. I resisted the urge to chuckle at the sight. Typical coward. If people thought my eyes and my scowl were scary, wait until they see me with a weapon…
The remainder of the train ride featured Jewel conversing with Maddison and Julian while I remained in the room sitting down, listening in to their conversation. I couldn't pretend to care much about what they were saying, but I still listened in for any information about my district partner. Maddison was a girl who worked on a ranch and, judging from her build, I could tell that she had a fighting chance in the Games. I was hoping she would be a challenge. I don't want all of my fights in the arena to be too easy. I wanted to take my time and enjoy the fight, then take my time torturing my victims and making sure they were completely broken before I finally ended their lives.
Unfortunately, the conversation did not feature any information that would be useful to know about her. They only talked about tips for the chariot parade and different ways that she could appeal to sponsors. Nothing about the topic was interesting or helpful to me at all.
I never understood the appeal or need for sponsorships. I did not want anyone's help in the arena. I wanted my hunts to be personal – it would just be me as the hunter and any tribute I found as the target. Foreign help, whether it be weaponry, food, or medicine, violated this desire of mine.
I didn't give a fuck about any Capitol sponsorships. Hell, I'll do everything I can to make sure I don't get any sponsors. No damn Capitol civilian with some extra money to spend will be helping me get out of the Games!
Thirty minutes had passed by rather slowly. Once the time had passed, I could feel the train starting to slow down. Soon, it came to a complete stop. We had arrived at our destination.
"Alright, it looks like it is time!" Jewel declared dramatically as she walked forward. She ran her hand through her hair before speaking. "Are you all ready?"
"Yes ma'am." Maddison piped up in a voice that contained both determination and fear.
Heh, I hope she's not scared yet. This experience was going to get much, much worse for her if she was.
"Before you all go out, I have one more piece of advice to give you." Julian started to speak. I figured it was probably more useless information about 'standing out' in the tribute parade, but I still turned to face him in the case it was something actually interesting. "You are both going to be escorted to the main building and led to the room where you will meet your prep team and your stylist. Along the way, there will probably be Capitol journalists and paparazzi. They will try and ask you questions and figure out who you are. You don't actually have to answer the questions, but don't treat them in a way that makes them think negatively of you. Believe me, bad publicity can kill a tribute's chances of getting out of the Games."
"Gotcha." Maddison replied almost immediately.
I rolled my eyes in response, giving no other reply to his useless advice.
Julian noticed my reaction and sighed. "Logan… please, take some of my advice. I'm just trying to get you out of the Games alive."
Immediately, I rushed forward at the man. I pinned him against the wall with my left elbow against his neck. My right hand was inches away from his face.
"AHH!" Jewel shrieked right after. "Logan!"
I paid no attention to the woman, or Maddison. Instead, I focused all of my attention on Julian. He was in his early fifties and was clearly out of shape compared to the sixteen year old boy that won his Hunger Games. Right now, his eyes were wide with surprise and, to a lesser extent, fear.
If this man was an example for a standard victor of the Hunger Games, then there wasn't a single chance I would lose this year.
"I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help. I will kill everyone else on my own. Now stay out of my way." I hissed into his face.
After my declaration, I released him. The man immediately fell to the ground and released a breath that I doubt he realized he was holding in. Pathetic. I almost wanted to end his life at that moment, but I realized that it wasn't opportune moment. Besides my concern about Capitol security and surveillance, I needed to meet my prep team, after all.
"… You're fucked up." Maddison spoke up.
I turned my attention towards my district partner. She was staring at me with wide eyes that were indeed filled with fear. However, I noticed that there was also a trace of anger. She slowly began to relax and started to glare at me.
"Julian's just tryin' to get us outta here. I don't give a damn if ya don't agree with his advice, but nothin he did deserved that treatment. Don't try and do that shit in front of me again." She stated in a cold voice.
… is… she threatening me?
I couldn't resist the urge to laugh. My laugh sounded throughout the train, echoing slightly. I noticed Jewel's eyes widened further in shock. It almost looked as if the Capitol woman was going to have an anxiety attack.
Maddison attempted to hide her fear, but I could see the traces of it returning in her eyes. If she was actually scared of me, then she would die by my hand. No one could hope to stand against me if they were even remotely afraid of me.
Unlike Jewel and Julian, Maddison was somebody I could kill. I could murder her in the arena in any fashion, however I liked, with no repercussions whatsoever. I wouldn't have to make any arrangements to hide the evidence of the murder.
"I'd watch who you threaten, Maddison. You may find yourself regretting it." I stated in between my laughter.
At that moment, the door to the train opened up and the peacekeepers came into the room. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Convenient timing. I was, for the first time, beginning to enjoy a conversation with someone else…
"Maddison Holland, Logan Faber, your prep team is waiting for you two. Follow us." One of the peacekeepers stated sharply.
Maddison nodded immediately and rushed over to them. I followed right behind with a smirk on my face.
I could tell she was a tough girl, and I had already gotten under her skin. I could already imagine what I could do the other tributes. And all of this was before the Games even started…
While Maddison and I were escorted out of the train, we were bombarded with Capitol men and women asking us personal questions. I didn't pay attention to a single one of them. My mind was focused on only one thing: the Hunger Games. I could hardly wait to begin my hunt and see how many tributes I could break.
District 3
Kaylee Harper's POV – District 3 Female
… I have never been so humiliated in all of my life!
After the peacekeepers escorted me and Ethan, my nerdy district partner, to our prep teams, I was stripped. They forced me to remove all of my clothes and I was required to sit down on a table fully naked while I waited for them to come back to the room after they finish their preparations to 'beautify' me.
I never considered myself self-cautious and I was certainly no prude, but I felt extremely uncomfortable being completely nude in front of a group of Capitol strangers that I had only just met. All I knew about them was their names: the two women on my team were named Ichi and Ni and the only man was named San.
A few minutes passed before my three stylists came up to me, each of them having grins on their faces.
"Sorry for the wait dearie. We had to ask the head stylist a few questions about his plans." Ichi apologized. "However, we know all about your outfit and, frankly, you're going to look gorgeous!"
"… what does it look like?" I questioned, bracing myself for the worst possible situation. District Three tributes usually were dressed similar to computers to represent the technology from our district. I seriously hoped the stylist was willing to experiment a little and try something new. Something told me that potential sponsors would not support a young woman that was wearing broken computer parts.
"You'll just have to wait and see. No spoilers!" She replied teasingly.
"Then what was the point of telling me something like that if you're going to make me wait for the information? I think I have a right to be informed about what the hell I'll be wearing in a little bit, considering I'm going to have to rely on it to get my damn sponsors!" I shouted back in response.
The eyes of my prep team members widened in surprise at my voice.
"Well, um, it was j-just because your stylist wanted to show it to you in person…" Ichi whimpered her answer. From the way she was reacting, I could tell that she was a woman who did not handle confrontation and well.
Perhaps I could have rephrased my thought to be a little more polite and less aggressive. However, I always considered me someone who was brutally honest. I would say my thoughts exactly how I thought them. It was how I have acted for the past eighteen years, and I wasn't going to change myself now. If I offended her or somebody else, then so be it.
My eyes turned away from her and looked at the other stylists in my prep team. I noticed that San was staring at me intently. Immediately, I felt myself becoming flushed with embarrassment.
"Take a picture. It'll last longer." I hissed at him. "Just stop gawking at my body dammit!"
"Hmm?" My comment seemed to snap San out of his thoughts. He then quickly held out his hands defensively. "I wasn't gawking! I'm sorry if it appeared that way. I was just studying you and trying to figure out how much work I was going to need to do."
"Sure you were." I rolled my eyes in response.
The man frowned in response. "No, I'm being serious. I'm not some pervert! I was just studying to see what needs to be done. We're going to have to do a lot of work. I can see potential in you to be beautiful, but your skin looks a little grimy and hardened. We're going to have to get work done on you now!"
"Grimy? Hardened?" I repeated the words with a frown on my face.
Those were words I wouldn't consider myself. I would've always considered myself 'average'. I looked like most women in the district my age. I worked in a department of the district that dealt with safety and health conditions in the various factories in District Three, and all the women my age looked exactly like me.
"Mhmm." Ni nodded for the group. "We don't have much time to waste, so let's get this thing started now!"
With those words, they moved the table further into the room. Everything else afterward seemed like a blur to me. They bathed me and scrubbed my skin really hard to remove any calluses and smudges in my skin. They were doing their all to make sure I didn't look 'grimy'. After the bathing, they then started to work on my hair and nails at the same time.
During the course of the process, Ichi, Ni, and San were all chatting away amicably about the latest news in the Capitol. They were talking about rumors of some Capitol celebrities to discussing the personal lives of President Draven. I didn't pay too much attention to the things they were saying exactly. I did not like people who were nosy and gossiped. Therefore, I remained quiet and spent my time thinking to myself about this nightmare scenario I was put in.
It was ironic that I was reaped into the Hunger Games during the last possible year. It was as if fate or some unknown god decided that it wanted another horrible thing to happen to me.
There was a trend in my life that once something good started to happen to me, something would happen to ruin it. I supposed life was normal for a poor district family growing up until I turned eight. That was when my brother died in a fire-related accident at the factory he was working in. I became so depressed that I turned to other substances to help me grieve: I started morphling and drinking at the very young age of nine.
Both substances comforted me and helped me feel better, but then my parents got upset with my behavior and attitude. That only encouraged me to continue my actions. I started to rebel against them on purpose. My relationship with my parents started to collapse and, after a very heated argument, they kicked me out of the house and forced me to find my own residence. Eventually, I was able to find my own place and earn my job. I managed to repair the relationship with my parents and I even met the man who I thought was the love of my life – my husband Renton.
We married at fifteen, something that wasn't completely uncommon in the districts. Still, my parents disapproved and my relationship with them was shattered once again. At the moment, I didn't care. I was blinded by love for my husband. However, that love began to fade over time. Renton and I started to fight more. He became less of a lover with each passing day and more like a roommate. It was depressing to me. A part of me wanted to leave him and get a divorce, but I realized that he was the one who made most of the money in the household. I simply could not leave him and be financially stable. I was trapped in a forced life due to my blind love as a fifteen year old.
My life started to get better recently when I met a man at my job, Harper. We became quick friends after he made a joke about my last name being his first name. Over time, our friendship developed further. I felt the guy truly understood me, and that was something I had been missing in my life. It did not take long before our affair started. It was mostly a physical relationship, but I couldn't deny the connection we had.
Things were starting to fall into a routine for me. Naturally, now was the time for me to get reaped into the Hunger Games.
Perhaps it was a good thing that I was put into the Hunger Games. My life, overall, has been pretty miserable. Maybe I'll die in the Hunger Games and I'll be finally put of my misery. I wasn't going to try and commit suicide in the Games. I was going to try and win, but I did realize the possible benefits if I were to die…
"Darling, are you okay?" San questioned me, breaking me away from my self-pitying thoughts. I noticed that the man currently had his hands right by my head, trying to braid quickly. "You seem a little tense right now."
"Don't call me tense!" I hissed. "But to answer your question, I'm just thinking of a few things. Maybe that's making me seem tense."
"What are you thinking about?" Ni questioned. She had just finished my fingernails and was now working on my toenails.
"A man maybe?" Ichi offered with a smile as she started to wax my body. "That's all I would be thinking about ten years ago when I was your age!"
"Fuck off. My thoughts are none of your business!" I shouted in response.
Ichi, unlike previously, was not fazed by my confrontation. Instead, her smile developed into a grin.
"It's something juicy, isn't it? Maybe more than one man? Two men? Three?" She continued to question.
"My, my! Our little tribute is quite the promiscuous little thing." San noted teasingly.
"I'll repeat myself: go fuck off." I shouted again, this time louder.
The three stylists didn't seem to pay attention to my words. They continued to talk to each other about how they imagined my sex life. Nosy people. I was starting to really dislike these three even more. They just couldn't let me have my privacy.
The topic was already uncomfortable because they did end up discussing a major concern for me. I was still very conflicted about the situation back home between Renton and Harper. Renton was my husband and I really did love him when we got married. The years since our marriage made me forget this, as we started to fight nearly every day. Sometimes they would just be verbal spars and other days we would actually be physically hitting each other. I'd slap him, he would hit me just as hard, and I'd then punch him even harder.
Over time, I had forgotten there was even anything positive about the man. It took me getting reaped and having him come visit me in the Justice Building to see a sign of the man I had fallen in love with. After our visit, I felt connected to him for the first time in three years!
On the other side, there was Harper. We had genuine connection since the moment we met and I found myself becoming more and more attracted to him. He, too, came to visit me in the Justice Building where he confessed that he loved me. No one, not even Renton in the early years of our relationship, had ever said that to me.
Those two men confused the hell out of me. I didn't know what I felt about them and what I was supposed to think. They both loved me, and I honestly felt that I loved them both. However, I did not like the idea of having two men in my life that I loved like that. It was easier to have sex with Harper when we only had a physical relationship and I had no emotional connection to Renton. Now, I felt guilt and confusion.
I needed resolution. I needed to do something about the mess I got myself in between the two and I wasn't able to do anything for as long as I was in the damn Capitol!
"Well, I think we just finished our work." Ni declared happily. "Why don't you tell us what you think?"
I pushed the thoughts of Renton and Harper out of my head as I stood up and looked at myself in a mirror. My eyes widened at the sight. My body was, indeed, removed any of the features that they considered hardened. My dark black hair was braided. Any excess hair on my body was completely removed. My fingernails were done and colored black.
I didn't look like myself at all.
"We did good, didn't we?" San commented smugly.
"… Last I heard, you weren't the judges. The head stylist, and the sponsors, are the ones who will decide if I'm good enough or not. So don't get too full of yourself yet." I exclaimed to him.
San's face, as did the faces of the other two stylists, immediately dropped. I could tell that I deeply offended them and hurt their feelings. I didn't care though. I didn't like them, so why should I care about how they feel?
"W-Well, tell us what the head stylist thinks when you meet with him. He should be here in about ten minutes… we just need to let him know we finished." Ni responded after a few seconds of silence.
I nodded. "Then go tell him or something!"
The three stylists in my prep team immediately left the room to go report to him. That left me alone with my reflection in the mirror and my thoughts.
As unnatural as I looked, I did realize that I was probably beautiful according to the standards of the Capitol. If this got me sponsors, then so be it. Any help I could get to get out of the arena was needed!
From years of watching the Hunger Games, I've noticed that the tributes that die are the ones who try to remain true to themselves once they get in the arena. They considered themselves too gentle. Killing would be impossible for them. I wouldn't be like them. I have gotten into a few street fights in my life and I knew that I was physically strong. I had no qualms acting brutal and I was going to do just that. If it meant me returning home, then I would do anything: even if meant killing a few kids younger and more innocent than me.
I had a lot of issues back home in District Three. There were still issues in my family that I needed to resolve. There was also my situation with Renton and Harper. I needed to be back home and fix them myself. I needed to get back home and try and repair the shitty life I had. I was going to make sure that happened.
Ethan Neurus's POV – District 3 Male
When the prep team finished their work with me, they quickly left the room to inform my stylist. I was left alone, not that it changed the overall atmosphere of the room. The three preparatory stylists did not communicate with me much and I made no attempts to talk to them except to answer any questions they had for me. I just remained completely nude and alone on the table, waiting anxiously for my stylist to arrive so I could converse with her.
I was very excited to get this out of the way and get on the chariots for the tribute parade. From what I have observed, the chariots seemed to become more complex and technological in their design as the years passed. I was very interested in the idea of seeing one up-close in person and seeing if I could understand how they were made.
Unfortunately, that was the only thing about the Hunger Games that I could say I was truly interested in. The training was going to be deplorable, the interview at the end of the training would be, at best, awkward and in terms of the actual Games, I was going to be lucky if I survived past the bloodbath. District Three tributes, in particular the male tributes, did not usually stand a chance in the Hunger Games and I was, unfortunately, more generic compared to previous tributes.
It said something about your chances when your parents, when they came to visit you in the Justice Building, knew that you had no chance of survival.
A few minutes passed before the door to the room I was in opened up. A woman with white skin and a skin tone that looked purple. There was a horn sticking out of her head and she looked completely unnatural and inhuman.
The plastic surgery in the Capitol seemed to have developed at an alarming rate. I was nervous to see what other types of people looked like here.
"You're Ethan, correct?" She spoke up in a gentle voice. I nodded in response, which caused her to smile at me. "My name is Soraka, and I am going to be your stylist during this whole experience. How are you doing?"
I was surprised at the sincerity in her voice. For someone who looked like a complete product of the atypical society she was from, she seemed like a nice woman. Perhaps it was too quick to judge, but I liked to assume that I had a decent read on other people. I felt more comfortable around her and decided I could probably speak my mind.
"To be frank, I'm not feeling up to par. I'm rather uncomfortable in my nude state. Would it be feasible to acquire any clothing?" I asked her politely.
The woman blinked in response, probably confused by 'word choice'. I had been told that I 'talked funny' from the peers my age at my job. I never fully understood that criticism. What was unusual about the way I talked?
"You… you want me to get you clothes?" She asked. I nodded in affirmation. That was what I had said. "Hold on one second."
Soraka walked over to a small closet and pulled out a blue bathrobe and handed it to me. I quickly put it on. It fit perfectly! It was seemingly designed for a boy my age with unusually tall height. I had a feeling that my prep team stylists were supposed to give this to me while I waited for my stylist.
"Better?" She asked politely.
"Much. I appreciate it." I answered with a smile.
Soraka's gentle smile appeared on her face again as she started to speak. "I'm glad. Anyway, I am supposed to go over your outfit for the reaping ceremony, but I can show that to you in a little bit. First, I wanted you to tell me a little about yourself."
I looked at the woman in front of me in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"You don't have to tell me much. Just whatever you feel comfortable talking about." She explained a little uneasily, running one of her hands through her white hair nervously.
"… You want to know about me?" I repeated her question in confusion.
The idea sounded so foreign to me. Not many people in District Three talked to me. I would often make attempts to communicate with kids my age and my co-workers at the factory, but I wouldn't get any success. I was considered nerdy even for the standards of District Three. No one really tried to get to know me. Even my district partner, Kaylee, seemed to ignore me on the train. The idea of someone from the Capitol of all places trying to get to know seemed so strange.
"Of course. This is actually my first year working as a stylist. We're going to be working with each other for a while, so I felt it would be best if we knew each other." She answered, the smile on her face growing even wider. "Besides, you seem like an interesting kid. I'm sure you have an interesting story to tell."
"Not really." I answered with a sigh. "I don't have much to say. My father became crippled two years ago after an incident at his work I guess, but that's not too unorthodox in the districts."
"He's crippled? That's horrible!" She exclaimed, her smile turning downwards into a frown.
"Not really. It really isn't too uncommon." I informed with a shrug, brushing off her pity. I wasn't the first kid to have a crippled parent and I certainly wasn't going to be the last.
It seemed as if you were a child in the districts, you had some variation of a sob story. Maybe your parents were deceased. Maybe you had to be the sole provider for your family due to whatever unfortunate circumstances occurred. Maybe you were shunned by family or the other people in the districts for an inconsequential difference in your character or your upbringing. It didn't really matter. It just seemed that life for district children was, in general, horrible.
"Well, what about your mother? Any siblings?" Soraka questioned.
"I am an only child. Also, I'd strongly prefer if we switched to a different topic of conversation." I answered immediately in a slightly cold tone. I did not enjoy my mother and she did not enjoy me. She was the last thing I wanted to have on my mind while I am here. I was already going into the Hunger Games on a death sentence. I didn't need another reason to be upset.
Soraka frowned again, but nodded in understanding. "Well, what do you back home? Do you work anywhere?"
"I do. I am employed in a factory that focuses on robotics. I work directly on the production line." I answered with pride evident in my voice.
Children as young as ten could get employed in the factories to work. They usually were responsible for menial tasks for the management and, at best, working in quality control. Actual production was done by adults: people with knowledge on the subject of robots and machinery. No children worked in actual production, with only one exception: me. I worked side-by-side with the adults on actual robot production.
Machinery fascinated me. I enjoyed studying the design of different products. Working in the factory was probably the most enjoyable experience of my day. I didn't feel worthless or odd at my position on the production line. I felt powerful whenever I had my hands on metal and I felt pride whenever I finished any product.
"Really?" Soraka's eyes widen in surprise. She seemed genuinely interested.
"Yes. I could inform you a little more of the specifics if you desire to know more." I told her.
My stylist nodded and I proceeded to let her know about how the factory works and a few of the products that I had been working on in my last few days at the factory. I paid close attention to her throughout the conversation, looking for any sign that I was boring her. She seemed to be entertained the whole time, much to my relief.
I could not remember having a conversation like this with anyone in my entire life. Most people simply ignored me whenever I tried to talk to them about my passions. Soraka was different. She actually listened to me.
It was actually fun to talk to her.
The conversation, however, was unfortunately not going to last forever. A few minutes passed before we had to continue with what were supposed to do and finish the final preparations for the tribute parade. Soraka stood up and gestured for me to follow her. She led me to a closet in the room that had a lock on the doors. She quickly entered in the code and opened it. I looked inside the closet doors and I openly gaped.
Inside the closet was a suit of pure metal. Each section looked something straight out of the production line I worked on. The suit was also accompanied with a helmet that covered the head well. If someone were to wear a suit like that in the arena, they would surely be safe from any potential attacks.
"I'm glad you work in robotics and seemed interested in the subject, because I, along with the other District Three stylist, decided to base your costume off of it. We designed a suit of pure metal to resemble a robot. That is one of the biggest recent developments from your district after all" She informed me with a wide smile. "What do you think? We had to consult with a few scientists and District Three victors that worked in the factories to make sure we designed it appropriately."
A wide grin developed on my face as I studied it. "The design behind the mechanics of the suit are ingenious! You have already surpassed any of my hopes for a suitable costume."
Soraka giggled in response. "I'm glad you like it so much. I hope you would! I'll give you some time to put it on. Just remember that the parade should be starting soon, so don't dawdle for too long!"
The stylist left the room, leaving me alone so I could put on the suit. I quickly took off the bathrobe and started to put on the suit, piece by piece.
All parts of the suit fit me perfectly. It was comfortable and easy to walk in, but I could tell that it would protect me from attacks. The material was made of pure metal and it was very durable.
I rushed over to the mirror and stared at my reflection. Wearing the suit of armor, I felt more confident than I had ever in my life. At the moment, I wasn't worried about potentially dying. I did not feel worthless, but rather, I felt powerful. I felt capable.
I felt invulnerable.
I needed to design a suit like this for the actual Hunger Games!
Immediately, I began to study the material of the suit. There was most likely going to be some form of metal in the cornucopia of the arena. Maybe the arena itself would have suitable resources. If there wasn't any available that I could safely obtain, I could probably hope to get a few sponsorships to supply me materials. No matter the case, I needed to design this suit for the arena or something similar. Metal-working and robotics were my passion in my life and, in my mind right now, they seemed like my one shot to get out of the arena alive.
Author's Note: And here is the next chapter everybody!
Now, I have finished the points-of-view of sixteen of the tributes. Just two more chapters you will have gotten to know them all. This is going to go by so fast for me! And hopefully for you all too :P
So yeah, what do you all think of these four? Maddison? Logan? Kaylee? Ethan? I'm interested to know! :)
Thank you all so much for the great reviews! I really appreciate all of you and everything you have all said!
Next chapter will begin right away. Off to work on the Chariot Rides/Tribute Parade. I'll see you all when I finish the chapter! :)