Fire is catching

Chapter 3

I'm overwhelmed by the luxurious interior designs inside of the train. Thick soft carpets are laid out on the ground, the furniture is made of mahagony and even the glasses which stand on the table are made of a crystal.

I sit down in a big, dark red armchair, close my eyes and take in what just happened. I take a deep breath and try to calm down as I almost start to panic threatened by the upcoming events.

Sebastian sits next to me and looks out of the window and I'm happy that he doesn't try to start a conversation. We sit there for about 15 minutes until the door opens and two people, a woman and a man walk in. I know both of them, Angel and Raido, they're two of district 8's victors.

The woman, Angel, stretches out her hand I quickly stand up and shake it.

"Hello Lucy, my name is Angel and I won the 66th Hunger Games, I'll be your mentor."

Angel has long icy blue hair and indigo colored eyes. She wears a furry coat that looks like wings and a white fluffy dress paired with a pair of dark blue gloves. If I didn't know that she's from district 8, I would think that she jumped right out of a capitol fashion magazine.

"Let's have a little private talk okay honey?" she says and guides me over to another big room with sofas, armchairs and pillows everywhere.

"You're the mayor's daughter, aren't you?"

I nod.

"That's good, that's very good. At least you didn't starve and worked yourself down to the bones like most of the kids in 8 right?" a wicked smile crosses her lips, "And if I'm not completely wrong, you'll have to be Layla's daughter right? Does this mean you are a Stellar Spirit mage just like I am?"

I nod again and Angel claps her hands all excited.

"Excellent, maybe one of my tributes will finally win this year".

I could punch her for this sentence but I keep calm. Angel is really popular in the capitol so she could maybe get me some sponsors. I hate myself for this cold way of thinking, but if I want to have a little chance of survival, I'll have to be like this.

"Okay then Lucy, I'll give you a try. Let's start with some basics shall we? Tell me honey, what's the most important thing in the games? The one thing you have to get?"

I think and then come up with an answer: "Water".

"Excellent, what a smart girl you are. No matter how strong your magic power is, everybody needs water. I've seen a lot of great tributes die because of dehydration, I myself almost died because of it."

Her facial expression suddenly changes, as if she had taken of her mask for a second and I see who Angel really is, I see her scars from the games. I remember her games a little and know that they were especially brutal. She must have been through a lot, I shouldn't judge her.

"The other thing you desperately have to get are magic coins."

"What are magic coins?" I ask.

"They are a little trick of the capitol to make the games more interesting. Before you enter the arena they put a little chip into your skin that not only tracks you but also seals away any magic power that you have. Technically you can't use magic in the arena".

I hold my breath as I see my chances of survival sink dramatically.

"That's why you need magic coins. They allow you to use magic, you have to put them in the hole in this chip that is in your arm and then you can use your magic power temporarily. But once you've used a magic coin, you're power is sealed away and you'd have to use a new one. So magic is something extremely rare in the arena. That's why you shouldn't underestimate the importance of physical abilities."

"Where can I get those coins?"

"Most of them are stored in or around the Cornucopia. You have to get some because your big advantage is that you not only have magic power, but also know how to use it. Most of the tributes, except the ones from 1,2 and 4 either have little or no magic power at all. And as, I'm sorry but, as you're physical skills aren't the best, you have to count on your magic. I mean you're a wealthy girl that never really had to work. You're not paper thin, but you're thin, you don't have many muscles, no fighting experience…., let's just say you'll use your magic ok?" Angel says and gives me a cheerful smile.

"Let's go and have dinner".

The smell is delicious, I have never seen so much food at once. All kinds of dishes are served, things that I don't even know. By looking at Sebastian's expression it must be even more startling for him, there's maybe more food on this table than he has ever eaten in his entire life.

I try to eat a little, and I have to admit that it's really good, but I still have the feeling of sickness in my stomach that makes me think that I could throw up right now.

"Lucy, come on, you have to eat a little more. Who knows, this might be the last time you can eat such delicious food", Angel says, chewing some lamb.

I'm shocked by what she just said, I mean it's true, this could be one of my last meals but it still seems kind of rude.

"I'm really pleased by your excellent manners Miss Heartfilia.", Miranda says, changing the subject. "Most of the tributes simply don't know how to behave, terrible, isn't it?" she shoots an angry glare at Sebastian who is eating a chicken wing with his hands and I chuckle. He put so much food on his plate, how on earth is he going to eat it all?

As soon as I can, I leave the table and go to my room.

I take a long, hot shower and then change into a plain white top and some pyjama pants. I curl up in the big bed and pull the blankets over my head so that I'm surrounded by total darkness, all I hear is my own breath.

Finally I can let out all the emotions I've held back since my name was drawn out of that glass bowl back home. I tried so hard to be strong, but what's the point of being strong when you'll be dead in a few days? Tears start running down my cheeks and I just lie there in my bed, sobbing and crying not knowing what to do.

I have to admit that I don't want to die, I want to live, I haven't accepted the fact of my near death although I should have. My opinions are divided, my mind tells me to give up because I know my chances of winning are so low that it's more probable that President Snow is a passionate ballet dancer, but my heart clings onto the small spark of hope which doesn't want to accept my death.

So I don't know what to do: give up or live on? I think of all the people that hope for my return, every step I make from now on will be seen on TV, I can't let the people I love see how I don't even try to live. I think of my mother, how she always smiled even when she was suffering so much from her disease, how she never gave up until the very end.

I'm her daughter.

I have to make her proud.

I will give my best to survive.

I will try.

I feel a little better after I've made that decision but I still can't stop crying, I'm so ashamed of myself.

A knock on my door makes me sit up in bed. "Honey, I know you're tired, but you should watch the recap of the reaping", Angel's soft voice purrs.

I get up, wipe away the tears and throw over a knitted cardigan before I leave my room. My eyes must be red from the crying because when Angel sees me she just gives me a pitiful glance.

Raido, Miranda, Angel, Sebastian and I sit down on the sofa and stare at the big magic screen.

I'm surprised District 1 female tribute, Mirajane Strauss, is no volunteer. Usually all the tributes from 1 and 2 are volunteers.

So are Gajeel Redfox and Erza Scarlet from District 2, both volunteers, eager to win the games, the event they've trained their whole lives for. Both of them look so incredibly strong, it makes me sick when I think of fighting them.

The careers from District 4, Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser also look like trained mages.

My heart aches when I see the female tribute of District 6, Wendy Marvel, a little fragile girl, not older than 13, but nobody takes her place. Poor girl, she's so young, how is she supposed to face somebody like Erza Scarlet who is a trained killer? These games are so unfair. But since when is life fair?

The other districts tributes look all the same, thin, exhausted, not familiar with magic.

When I see my own reaping I curse myself for standing still so long before I finally make my way to the stage. I look so ridiculous, the careers have probably already spotted me as an easy kill. I'm not surprised by the fact that they cut out the reaping of Emilia Johnson completely. The capitol acts as if that incident never happened. No mistake was made, of course not.

Then the reaping recap is almost over, just leaving district 12.

District 12 is always the worst district, almost all of the children are starved. Their physical abilities are also limited and I bet that only a handful of them have ever used magic before.

Now that I think of it, I've actually never seen a tribute from district 12 make it down to the final 8.

The girl from district 12 has the typical olive skin, brown hair and grey eyes. As Effie Trinket, the escort of District 12, reads out the girl's name, the tribute starts to cry and breaks down. Then she stands up and tries to run away, but the peace keepers immediately catch her and drag her to the stage. I see three little children crying, most probably her siblings and I really can't blame the girl.

Being chosen as a tribute is similar to being sentenced to death.

After this, the male tribute is chosen.

Effie Trinket reads out the name all excited: "Natsu Dragneel".

An athletic looking, pink haired boy steps forward and walks to the stage confidently. I look at him totally surprised. He doesn't look like he's from district 12 at all: The pink hair, his muscular build and the most perplexing thing, his smile.

He was just chosen to be a tribute in the 71st Hunger Games, he will be forced to fight to the death against 23 other tributes and still this boy is standing on the stage and grinning as if it was his birthday.

I'm not sure whether I should love or hate this.

Looking at their facial expressions, Miranda and Angel are just as surprised as I am.

"Look at him", Angel whispers and then claps her hands, "Well Lucy and Sebastian, looks like this is going to be a tough year".

Authors Note: What do you think about the district matching? I tried to put the characters into districts that suit them.

Gajeel: "I'm a career. I like that. *gehe*"

Erza: "Does district 2 have cake? I hope so author! Otherwise you'll be…."

Author: "O.o I'd better run…."

Juvia: "I'm in the same district as Gray-sama! Juvia is going to be with him aaaaaaalll the time."

Natsu: "Why am I in the loser district?! Anyway, I'm all fired up about the games. I'm going to beat you all!" *evil laugh*

Well then, I hope you enjoyed the 3rd chapter of 'Fire is catching'. Reviews, follows and favorites are very appreciated and make me update faster. ;)