Chapter 5-Smashing Current

Holy crap, there were so many people in the city! They were going crazy as we rode by them in our carriage. Roan and I were waving to everyone. I was remembering what Katniss had done during her Opening Ceremony as I started to blow kisses to everyone.

This made them go crazy.

"Nicki! Nicki!" Were these people seriously rooting for me? Seriously? I was sort of taken aback. No one had ever paid me so much attention except maybe my dad, but even he wasn't like this.

Dad, was he watching this insanity?

"Blow a kiss," Roan whispered from his place near me. His voice startled me a bit because I was too lost in thought. I supposed the wave bit was getting old, so I mixed it up a bit. A wave here, kiss there. It actually worked out well. I got many smiles from oddly dressed people. "I think they like you," Roan said observantly.

"They like you too," I said just as I saw a woman blow a kiss at Roan, hoping he'd give her one too. This was crazier than I'd thought. Some of the people were so smashed drunk that they tried to jump out to catch on to a carriage.

"Holy hell, did you see that?" I asked Roan, having just witnessed some dude jump out and literally try to grab hold of a carriage that I thought might be District 8. I wasn't sure really, all the carriages looked the same on the outside.

"Yeah, look," Roan directed my eyes to some people who were trying to grab hold of our carriage. I gasped. Was this how they said they liked you in the Capitol?

Seneca POV

I walked in to the training center the next day. I was meeting with the Game Makers. Plutarch, my second in command and advisor in arena design, was waiting with our team. I greeted all of them as I took my seat at the head of the table. "Everything's set Seneca," one Game-Maker said.

"Good," I said.

I was surprised when the door opened to reveal Jeff, the Everdeen sisters' driver. The first thing I could think of was something was amiss. "Yes?" The Game Maker on my right, Tybee, asked.

"Miss Everdeen was wondering if she could come in or if this was a bad time, Mr. Crane."

"Which Everdeen?"

'Miss Prim, sir. Miss Katniss is off mentoring her tributes with Mr. Mellark. Interviews are tonight with Caesar, so I expect they want their tributes ready. So is this a good time for Primrose?" Anytime, in my mind, was good to see Prim. I knew she was five years my junior, she fifteen and me twenty, but I was drawn to her. Her fresh and pure face with her beautiful hair.

"Send her in," I said.

"She'll be right in," Jeff exited and we Game-Makers were going through a last minute recap of the booby traps we had set for the tributes while in the arena when a young woman of nearly sixteen appeared. She was wearing purple and it complimented her greatly. I stood up and she smiled at me, "Hey."

"Hey," I said smiling. I bent down and planted a kiss on her cheek. Prim was probably up to my shoulder on me, she was maybe 5'3 if that compared to my six feet. I led her to the chair I occupied at the head of the table. "Don't tell anyone you know what we said.'

"Never."

We went on, making sure everything was in place in the arena and we test ran our board that gave us full control of the arena and what was there. Claudius was all set to announce, and we had talked yesterday in regards to any announcements that might need to be made to the tributes whilst in the arena. Everything was as good as set.

Katniss POV

"Prim's in love with Seneca?' Peeta asked me, more shocked than disgusted as I thought he might be. We had gotten on to the subject of Nicki in the Games while Blithe and Tansy were styling them for interviews tonight. I still had no luck at pulling Nicki out, but maybe I was being a bit overprotective. She wasn't weak after all.

"Yeah. I can't believe I never told you. It was kind if obvious when she turned fifteen that she was in love. I think it's okay because he's twenty and soon five years won't matter much age wise. My mom was sixteen when she married my twenty two year old dad," I pointed out.

"She was?" Peeta asked as if he didn't believe me.

"True story. So yeah, she and Seneca are fine with me. Plus, I love Seneca to death."

"He did help you guys out a lot.'

"Yeah, and I owe him, you know for making Prim happy and plus all the other things he's done."

Prim POV

After Seneca was done with his meeting, he took me to lunch at this fancy bistro in the City Circle. I loved being with Seneca. I'd had a crush on him ever since Katniss and I had moved here eleven months ago, just after Nicki went back to 5. It took me a very long time to tell Seneca I loved him.

As we were walking, Seneca picked me up, kissed me gently and spun me around. I laughed, "I missed you yesterday," I said.

"Mm, sorry darling. Games meetings," he said.

"I know," I said, enjoying the view of the Capitol from Seneca's shoulders. The city was bright today and recaps of the ceremony were everywhere, as were anticipations for interviews and training scores. Once inside the bistro we got a round table close by a TV. Seneca let me in first and then got in. I leaned against him as I watched all the hype.

I ordered some juice to drink and Seneca mirrored me and did the same although I don't know why. He was old enough to drink surely. I watched Caesar Flickerman comment on the opening parade and then flash to recaps. Each districts' tributes were matched up with the district's industry. From District 1, 3, and 4 there were these huge boys and hard faced looking girls. They must be the Careers for this year. Careers, as Katniss said, were tributes who trained from the time they were seven and even volunteered if their names were not picked.

"And oh, lock at Oregano and Parsley the tributes from District 1. They just looked stunning in their bejeweled dress and suit.' I looked and saw a girl in a dress that looked to be divided in to a top, middle and bottom section by jewels.

"Wow," I said. I hadn't really noticed the dress that Parsley (was that the girl or was the girl Oregano?) in her cool dress. I had been way too focused on the fact that my dear friend was going to go in to the Games and die.

Nicki POV

I was listening to Gemmy and Vi squeal excitedly over tonight. "Oh Nicki, you're going to look so beautiful tonight,' Vi squealed in her accent. She was the one doing the final touches on ripping every hair on me except on my head off.

Rip!

Holy shit, at this rate I'm gonna look like a naked mole rat when they're done I thought. I drowned out their words with my anxious thoughts. I had been really thinking since last night. What would the arena be like? Would I be first to die? Third? Twelfth?

Either way, I wasn't coming back.

It made common sense. I wasn't Katniss. She survived; it was the Katniss way of life: survival. Not mine, not a chance. This would not go well.

"Oh honey you're going to be smashing," Gemmy gushed.

Correction: I'll be the one smashed