I do not own The Hunger Games, but the plot of this story and original characters are mine.
I divided this chapter into two parts because having I was afraid it'd be too long.
Chapter 8
As the rest of the group comes back into the conference room, the tension has dropped immensely. Everyone has seemed to have forgotten the incident between Contessa and Dimitri. Seneca Crane takes his seat at the head of the table. "Now that we've all cooled down, let's get to what really matters: the Games." He pulls up a projection that shows the arena from a bird's eye view. "This year's arena will be similar to last years in that the Cornucopia will be in the center." He zooms on this with his pointer. The main water source will be to the south. To east and north there will be a mixed deciduous forest." To the west there will be a field of grain. This will be a new addition this year."
"I think we've tried this before," Elmo said "But something went wrong with the wheat. It didn't grow or something. The conditions weren't right. Even with our advanced technology we still managed to screw it up."
"This year we brought a few of the best farmers from District 9 and 11 to ensure that the conditions were correct. In exchange, their children were taken out of the Reaping and they will get some upcoming rations for the year," Seneca answers.
"What's the update on the wildlife in the arena?" Plutarch asks.
Lupe clears his throat. "They all seem to be thriving, even the trees and trackerjackers. There was some concern about the grain and what surprises to put in the there, and we're still working on that. This year's theme we're trying to make the arena as natural as the ones our ancestors came here and lived in a thousand years ago. The arena mimics the terrain of the Appalachian Mountains. The field portion of the arena is supposed to represent a valley."
"Is the arena actually sloped?" Sixten asks.
"As much as it can be without breaking building codes," He chuckles. "We want our tributes to be somewhat safe. It would be a downer if the arena collapsed or something."
"Or we have another Haymitch Abernarthy," Elina says.
"Him," Contessa snorts. "He's not as smart as he'd like to think he is. Now Finnick Odair, now that's a real man."
"Any other updates?" Seneca says quickly turning the topics. I suspect that Haymitch is not a popular topic. I make a note to ask Dimitri what Haymitch did later when we are alone.
A glass of wine appears in front of me. "Trust me, you want it," he says softly. I am slightly annoyed at him. Contessa's threat of him wanting to take advantage of me stands out in my mind. I do not like it.
"Are we going to have mutts this year?" Avis asks.
"Lupe?" Seneca says. "You're in charge of the wild things and things that go bump in the night. What say you?"
"Well, there's the trackerjackers . However, this year we plan on taking the mutts to a new level. For the finale, I plan to make the mutts resemble the dead tributes. You know, it'll up the horror and entertain the audiences."
Suddenly, I am grateful for the wine. I take a sip and it burns my throat. I wonder what Emily would think is she found out what her uncle does for the Games. Suddenly, I am afraid what my role is. I am also afraid of the power they trust me with. You have people like Contessa who do things out of spite. If she doesn't like a specific candidate, she can kill them on her shift.
Dimitri pokes me in the elbow and slides another croissant to me. I shove it hastily in my mouth to hide my emotions. There is some more discussion about the wildlife and the threat of trackerjackers to the contestant.
"If anything, they'll have fun hallucinations," Avis said.
"Yeah, but we can't show that. We don't have the technology to show what's on other people's minds," Elmo says "It'll just look like their half dead."
Sixten asks. "What are the purposes of the mockingjays? Surely they aren't just decorations?"
"Didn't we decide to record screams of family members and have them transfer through forest. If they aren't unhinged, then that will do it," Dimitri says. "They'll remember that forever. It'll drive them mad. Possibly incite a blood bath."
"A taste of what to expect if they don't obey the Capitol," Elina says, "I like it. Very good, Dimitri."
"Better yet, if the tributes from a district are close." A cold smile plays on his lips. His scars make his smile look demonic. "The audience will eat it up as the still living tribute dashes to find their district mate, heading straight into enemy lines."
The conversation of the Gamemakers meander a bit as they talk about other possible dangers to include in the arena. Then Seneca pulls our attention to our tributes.
"In front of you is the information of this year's tributes. Please look read through them. As you know, the Opening Ceremony is tomorrow evening. Don't forget the party before hand. It is not required that you come, but it is strongly encouraged. Now, that's all I have. How about we go take a look at the arena?"
I take another draught of my wine. It burns going down. I can't believe that I'm drinking this early in the morning. I certainly don't intend to make it a habit. I gather up things and follow Lupe and the other out of the conference room. Contessa stays behind. I assume it's because of her blisters.
"How do we get to the arena since the tributes come in through launch rooms?" I ask Dimitri.
"We take an elevator to the second floor and enter through a door there. The first floor is the launch rooms. The door will be sealed off with a force field once the Games start." We stop at a glass elevator that overlooks the arena. This too will be sealed off once the Games start. Dimitri, Elmo, Avis, Elina, and I step into it. Avis presses a button and we fly down at a dizzying speed through the trees and finally to a pair of metal doors. I guess when you're a Gamemaker, you have to be able to get to places fast. Or maybe it's the wine. The other Gamemakers seem to not notice the speed.
When the doors open, my mother is waiting. She is already wearing a bulletproof vest. I step out of the elevator; she hugs me and then Dimitri. "It's so good to see you," she says. "Contessa's not here?"
Dimitri rolls his eyes. "She has blisters from walking maybe a hundred feet. You know how she is. God forbid if she gets dirty."
"Darling, I brought you a change of clothes. You don't want to be tramping through the arena and heels." She hands me a bag and points me to the nearest bathroom. I go in and change quickly. My mother has picked out a pair of jeans and a blue button up shirt and a brown belt. I pull my badge over my head and walk out. My mother and Dimitri are waiting for me. The rest of the Gamemakers have already left.
My mother takes my bag and clothes and puts them back into the golf cart. Dimitri hands me a bulletproof vest. "It should fit." He and my mother are wearing one as well.
"Since the area is over three hundred square miles," my mother says. "We're going to take a cart to explore some of it."
Before the Games, all trace of previous human activity would be removed. Then again, in the beginning, the tributes would be too busy running for their lives to notice tire tracks or anything else.
I am surprised when my mother offers to take the backseat of the cart and allow me to sit with Dimitri in the front. An Avox opens a large set of metal doors and we drive into the arena. Once the heavy doors close behind us, I feel like I have been transferred in hundred years back in time. The cart bumps over various roots and rocks as Dimitri drives. I can see the tire tracks of the other Gamemakers. We reach the Cornucopia. Its golden horn rises in the sky. It is both the death and salvation for the tributes. We get out of the cart and walk around the area. Dimitri puts a hand up to his eyes and surveys the area around it. I see wires poking out of the ground. Mines. Dimitri almost steps on one. I grab his sleeves, which catches him off balance.
"Careful," I shout, grabbing his arm. "Don't step on the mines."
He chuckles and puts his hand on mine. "Relax, they're disabled. All the traps minus the trackerjackers are not active. They won't be until that morning."
"This is quite impressive," My mother says, "I see Elmo got his damn wheat to grow. Plutarch!" She waves in his direction. He shouts something back at her that I can't quite understand. My mother hurries off towards him.
"Here, I want to show you something," Dimitri takes my wrist and pulls me towards the Cornucopia. We walk a little ways and then we stop. He points to a silver plate that is strategically placed in the brown dirt. There is one every fifty feet around the golden horn. "This is where the tributes come up. When the gong goes off they can step off their plate."
"What happens if they go before?"
He stares at me grimly. "It's game over. They explode. This place is mined. What they show on television is only half of it. There's a lot of blood even if they don't step on the mines. As Gamemakers, we have to find the right balance of blood and gore. We want to keep them enticed, but not completely gross them out either."
"How can you tell where the mines are?"
"When you're running like hell, you pray that you won't find out," He is still holding my wrist. He points to an uneven area in the dirt. "See how that's uneven? I bet that's one. They have mines in all the Hunger Games." He kicks the surface and there is a dull clang. "Every single fucking time." His eyes become misty as he stares at the Cornucopia. No doubt, he is remembering his own Games. A single tear rolls down his cheek. He wipes it away quickly and looks around.
"Come on; let's go see Oscar's damn grain."
I catch his arm, and look around quickly. There is no one near us. "How are you a Gamemaker?" I whisper. "Doesn't it hurt you?
Dimitri looks sad and his voice is pained. "Why are you doing it?"
"I—"
He puts a finger to my lips. "There's your answer. Don't ask me again."
"Sorry," I say softly.
"You want to see the wheat or the forest?"
I have never seen either of them in real life. "Wheat."
"You know music, wasn't there a song about amber waves of grain? Something about shining seas, and brotherhood?"
"America the Beautiful? Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for ambers waves of grain?" I sing.
He frowned and hums the tune back to me. "It sounds familiar, though my memory isn't that great any more, thanks to the Capitol. Can you play it?"
"I might have a copy of the music lying around. Those songs are taboo," I say. "The Capitol banned them long before the Games started, though no one probably knows them now."
It makes me nervous that we are standing in the middle of the Hunger Games arena talking about treason and plot. Then again, music has been used to fuel revolutions in the past, such as the peace movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Though back in those days, people weren't watched like they are now. I'm sure cameras are watching us as we speak. Dimitri wouldn't put me in obvious danger like this would he?"
"I've done worse things than sing taboo songs. Plus they've got bigger fish to fry," Dimitri says. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me close to him. I awkwardly wrap my arms around his waist. "Besides, if you wanted to start a revolution, the Games are a perfect time to start one." He murmurs in my ear. "But you didn't hear that from me."
He unwraps his arm around my shoulder and guides me back to the waiting cart. He starts it and we speed off "To wheat!"
"Then we'd lose everything." My mind is still stuck on his previous words. I figure we're safe enough to discuss it over the hum of the engine. The cart jolts over the uneven terrain. We're going too fast for the camera's to catch anything. "Our lives, homes, families," I continue. "The way we live."
His hazel eyes pierce mine as he stops the cart. "A lot of us have nothing to lose."
A/n: So, obviously I don't own "America the Beautiful." If I did, I'd be rich and well… I'm not so… please read and review.