AN- Hi everyone! So sorry we haven't updated in a while. I hope this is sufficient enough for not updating. Please review. Disclaimer and enjoy.
Chapter 15:
"Aura, wake up." A light shake follows as the sound of curtains are thrown back but no light proceeds.
"Go away!"
"Come on, wake up!" More shaking.
"No!" The covers are ripped from me, but I still don't move.
"Don't make me call Finnick in here." she threatens. I growl at her threat and force my eyes open.
Ah, Marlene. How your early morning wake-up calls never cease to annoy me. Wait. It's the last day I'll wake up like this. The last few hours of friendly, loving company.
I decide to act cranky and go along with Marlene's annoyance. Mornings won't be like this anymore, and I have a feeling that I won't have much morning left. I shake that last thought out of my head and try to replace it with determination.
"Fine..." I say and sit up in bed.
"Come on, breakfast." she says. I move towards the dresser but she stops me. "You can...you can stay in your Pajamas if you want."
I grin. Maybe Marlene knows what I'm getting at, to enjoy the last morning here with the never ending luxuries of the Capitol.
"Thanks." We head down the hall to the dining room and Finnick and Lachlan are there. But the only sound in the room is our footsteps and clanking of silverware against plates. Not a mumble, skirmish, or peep from either one. Looks like it'll be one emotional goodbye in a few hours. That is, if we even get a goodbye.
I take a seat and pile everything I see onto my plate, even that disgusting mystery meat covered in some kind of viscous blue liquid. I have to get as many nutrients as I can before I starve to death in the arena.
There's no talking from anyone during the meal and it's sinking me more and more towards thinking of what the next few hours of preparation will be like. Quietness and sorrow? Or happiness and excitement to cover up feelings?
Lachlan is looking at me with a weird expression on his face as I gobble down everything. I'm not psychic, but I can tell he's thinking "This is the girl I kissed yesterday?"
Yes she is, Lachlan. Yes she is. And she's preparing to save us both.
Don't look at me like that! I think and glance sideways at him. He backs off and stares into his bowl of oatmeal and something that's half eaten.
I should really tell him why I'm shoving spoonfuls in my mouth at this rate, but I can't really speak with all this food in my mouth and throat.
By the time I swallow it all and try to speak, Sander tells us its time to go. Dang it!
Lachlan and I go into our respected dressing rooms and I prepare for whatever emotions are on the other side.
Opening the door, I find a lined up Prep crew dressed in neutral colors. They have calm, unemotional faces. Either they've done this before, or they've worked very hard trying not to have their emotions over take them.
Laguna comes in with a straight face, but I can see she's struggling not to cry. I'm probably one of her masterpieces in her long career.
All I do is stand there as I watch her cross the room and go into the wardrobe room, and shut the door.
This is the Prep team's signal to start their work, going over the same tasks they've done all this time. I follow ever single one of their instructions without word and pretty soon, I'm standing in front of them again with a light blue robe on, with my nails cleaned and cut, my hair left down and washed, and my skin scrubbed of all dirty oils that seeped into it.
Trinna walks up to me and the unemotional mask she's had on, comes off. And next thing I know, Glycia and Montris come up to me too and trap me in a group hug. And we're all crying.
"We just wanted you to know that we're proud of you, no matter what happens." Glycia says through tears. "That we were honored to be your Prep team."
"I-I should be the one that's honored," I tell them. "You all have been so nice and kind. You're like a family to me." And that calls for more hugging and crying.
A sharp cough sounds and I turn my head and see Laguna by the wardrobe doorway. Montris removes himself from me and gives me a kiss on the cheek before stepping away and near the door. Glycia does the same and whispers 'good luck' before trying to coax a crying Trinna off of me. She resorts to tearing Trinna from me.
They exit for the last time, and Laguna pulls me into a warm hug. I feel a tear on my shoulder as she puts her arm behind me and guides me to the elevators. I spot Lachlan and Wolfe at the elevators already.
The way we arrive, the way we stand anxiously reminds me of the Chariots, when all we had to worry about was if Panem liked us or not. We stand the same way today, but now we worry for our lives.
When the elevator goes up, we're ushered out and boarded onto sleek black hovercrafts; just me, Lachlan, Wolfe, and Laguna. I turn to Marlene and Finnick who are standing near the craft. With tears filling my eyes, I walk up to them and both hug them. As I pull away from Finnick, he holds me in place and looks me in the eye.
"Aura," he says holding back tears just like I am. "You're just like the sister I never had. Please do you're best in the arena, and always know I'm proud of both you and Lachlan."
I nod and move aside so Lachlan can shake hands with both our mentors. We board the craft as we catch one last glimpse of our mentors waving at us. The door closes and we're off. I look down out the wide windows- a crowd gathers on the street below while up here, they look like ants.
We're given a quick injection above the arm and told that it's to keep track every tribute in the arena. It stings and a small lump forms there.
The trip there is short and silent; when we're there we're filed into a huge marbled building and led down, down, down underneath it into the catacombs. It's silent now. No one is allowed to know the location of the arena until after the Games to avoid interference from anyone except the Gamemakers.
As we're being led down, Lachlan's hand finds its way into mine for a split second before letting go for the last time before the Games are to begin.
Every tribute is send into a dim room as their Stylists come around and help them into the uniform.
All Tributes have to wear the same thing. The uniform is light grey sweats and a thin long-sleeved T-shirt of the same color with a utility belt hung around the waist. A white coat with smooth grey fur around the hood with a small blue number four completes the look with tawny boots and a white beanie along with my District token. I pull my hair into a high ponytail quickly as I fix my bracelet onto my wrist.
Laguna grabs me by the shoulders and brings me into a hug. "We're all counting on you two. Good luck." She kisses me on both cheeks and I wrap my arms around her and I don't want to let go. I don't want to leave the comfort of civilized life. But I have to.
She helps me into a tube that will take me up to the Arena where the Games will begin. The glass closes and she lays her hand on the glass and I line mine up with it. She's lead away by Peacemakers and I'm in the tube for a matter of minutes before it begins to move.
I panic for a split second being in a confined space that small, but push it away as a voice booms above me. "Welcome Tributes! In front of you is the Cornucopia which has various supplies that you will need during your time in this Arena. You must stay on the plate below your feet for a full sixty seconds before the gong sounds. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."
The voice stops and my ride is over. Behind the glass is a gleaming golden Cornucopia with different weapons and supplies about a few hundred yards away. Pure white surrounds the golden horn, nothing else. The glass slides up and vanishes and I'm tempted to move towards the supplies. But I freeze when I hear an explosion to the right of me. I glance around and scarlet bleeds onto the white snow as screams sound. One Tribute down. Twenty Three more to go.
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