On the day of the Tribute Parade, Molly woke up with a huge headache. As she placed her feet on the floor, they ached. She had not went through much training or excersizing, so, feeling achy did not make sense to her. At least this was bearable compared to the pain from getting her entire body waxed. She was even starting to fear it again upon noticing her leg and arm hair starting to grow back, and, of course, she had not forgotten Meena's comment about ripping the hair from... there.
Molly could not even imagine what would be going through Sherlock's mind if they did the same to him. After that thought popped into her mind, she slapped her forehead with her palm to put the thought out of her head. She thought about other things to distract her as she got dressed, such as, how she would look as she stood on the Chariots. Would she smile and wave, or look fierce?
She planned it out in her head as she headed to the table for breakfast. It smelled delicious, as always. Tim and Mycroft were there, of course. They always waited for Molly.
No one waited for Sherlock. He was always late for breakfast. Whether he slept in, or was deliberately wasting time, Molly did not know, nor did she ask. It was none of her business what he was up to, and she would rather not become friends with him. That choice could end in disaster. She spoke with him and asked how he was doing. His answer to the latter was always "fine", but she continued to ask. Maybe he would open up one day. But the day of the Games was getting closer, and with each passing day, Sherlock seemed to close up rather than open.
She frequently had arguments with herself about Sherlock.
I will just keep trying until he finally gives a different answer.
But if you keep trying, then you will be making an effort to be his friend, and one of you could die anyway, and if he dies first, you'll cry.
Yes, I know, but I may cry anyway, even if I stay far away from him. Besides, he may need a friend. I can just fake it.
How will you do that? You know you like him.
Shut up.
Sometimes, she even mentally slapped herself, and she was sure Sherlock had noticed. He was strange, and for some reason, that just pulled Molly in. When Sherlock finally came in for breakfast, he was actually the first one to speak. That never happened.
"No need to be nervous, Molly," He said as he placed a piece of toast on his plate. A smile flashed across his face. "It's not time to worry yet. Just the first glimpse of the other Tributes, see who we are up against. Try to relax."
She blinked in surprise, staring at him. He could tell she was nervous just by looking at her. It was not the first time he had showed how he could read someone like an open book, a book published in large print to allow him to read it from a mile away, let alone close up.
"I'm fine," Molly said. She was only half lying. She was fine until his deduction.
He smirked as he looked back at her. "Come now, Molly. It's obvious you had a hard time sleeping last night, going by the bags under your eyes, the headache, and the way your hand shakes as you eat, shows how nervous you are. The last time I saw you like this was a few days before the Reaping."
That's right. He was there that day. The day Molly talked to Katie and Anna about how worried she was about the Reaping. When Katie had said she would volunteer for Molly.
Molly almost forgot that Sherlock was also there, at the small park, sitting under a tree, writing in a book. He was far enough away that Molly was sure he did not overhear their conversation, but she had not realized until now that he had actually noticed that she and her friends were there. She never saw him look up at them, not that she stared at him the entire time, but she glanced at him multiple times and he never tore his gaze away from the pages before him.
"Though, I must ask," Sherlock said. "You were more nervous this year than the last four years. Why?"
He noticed that, too? Molly Thought.
"I'm not sure," She answered truthfully. "Just a feeling."
Sherlock snickered as he rolled his eyes.
"What?" Molly demanded.
"What is it with everyone and feelings?" He replied in a mocking tone.
He was about to say more, when Mycroft shushed him. Molly had not noticed that Hewa and Fordan had walked in. Hewa smiled at Molly, excited for what the rest of the day would bring.
Seeing the confident smile on Hewa's face felt like a punch in the gut for Molly. Was she the only one nervous for the Tribute Parade? It was not the fact that she would be in from of thousands of people. It was the fact that this marks the first major event to occur after the Reaping. The Games just crept closer and closer.
Molly sighed in relief. Hewa had decided not to tear anymore hair from her body. Apparently, Molly looked "good enough".
"Fran, you work on finger and toe nails," Hewa ordered. "Jordy, you work on her hair, and Meena, you have makeup. I will go and fetch her outfit!"
She seems too excited, Molly thought to herself. Hewa seemed serious when they first met, and now, Hewa could not hide her excitement. Molly thought that it must be because Hewa was finally at work.
Soon, Molly was standing in front of a mirror, looking at her outfit. She was not sure what she thought of it. She was supposed to be dressed as a Peacekeeper - because District 2 is the one who supplies Peacekeepers, which is how Molly's father became a Peacekeeper - But this did not look like anything a Peacekeeper would wear.
It was a one piece, white, sparkley outfit. It was tight around the torso area and covered the front of her neck. Her back left bare. The sleeve of her right arm and left leg were both short, showing off skin. The sleeve of her left arm and right leg were long and reached her wrist and ankle. It was soft on the inside and smooth on the outside.
Eventually, she was reunited with Sherlock, and they were standing on their Chariot. Sherlock was also, of course, dressed as a Peacekeeper, though, he was more modest. His outfit was fitting, just like Molly's. His shoulders and chest shown. He had never looked very masculine, but Molly had seen Sherlock's strength. She had also seen some of the other Tributes, and a few of the boys looked much stronger than Sherlock. Maybe he was not as strong as these other boys, but the good thing about how Sherlock looked was, everyone would underestimate him. Whether he could beat them in a fist fight or not, they would be surprised by his strength. She had no doubt.
"Just smile," Hewa told Molly in a calm voice. This was the first time Hewa was calm all day. "Show off that beautiful smile of yours. Make people notice you. Don't be nervous."
Molly nodded to show she was listening, but even as she took a deep breath to calm herself, the feeling did not go away. She thought she saw Sherlock cock an eyebrow at her, but she ignored him.
Molly's hands were gripping on the Chariot in front of her. The horses hooked to the Chariots started walking forward. It jerked forward a little as they started, which scared Molly, but only slightly. It was still enough that Sherlock noticed. He placed his hand on top of hers and leaned toward her ear so she could hear him as he whispered to her.
"It will be okay, Molly Hooper," His breath ran down her neck, making her slightly shiver, but at least it calmed her.
She nodded, and continued to breathe deeply. She stared ahead at the girl in front of her from District 1. Her and the boy were dressed up in jewels. That was about it. They were covered in every precious jewel you can think of. They glittered and glowed as they passed the audience of the Capitol. They were glorious.
They waved at the crowd, proud to be Tributes in the Games. Districts 1 and 2 were defined as Career Districts. They were spoiled by the Capitol. Both Districts were even known to work together in the Games. They would get rid of everyone before betraying eachother. Molly was not sure she liked the idea, but she thought it might help her live longer than if she spent the Games all alone.
She looked around at the crowd. They were standing, cheering and clapping. Molly could not understand what these people thought was so great about the games, but when their attention was on her, she could not help but smile. And then, she felt better. She no longer felt scared. In fact, she felt the total opposite of scared. It also helped that Sherlock still had not removed his hand from hers.
As the Tributes lined up side by side, Molly looked to her right. The Tributes from District 3 were looking up. Molly also looked up, just as a man walked over to the side of the balcony. Molly knew this man. After all, a dog must know the master it is serving.
"Welcome Tributes!" The President announced. President Cerberus Snow. He was not alone. A young boy was standing next to him. The Presidents arm was around his sons shoulders. The Presidents son, Coriolanus Snow, looked down at the Tributes with a sly smile. If it was possible, it seemed to Molly that there was more evil inside the young boy's heart than in his fathers.
"We welcome you to the Capitol! Enjoy your stay. Work hard."
As the President continued his speach, Molly looked to her left, over at the Tributes from District 1. The girl was staring at Molly. She was very beautiful, but there was something that did not sit right with her. Even more so with the boy who was staring intently at Sherlock. Molly realized that Sherlock was also staring at them. Molly could sense that a silent conversation was going on with the two boys. She did not like the feeling, and she did not trust those Tributes. But even as they all headed back to their stylists, Molly knew that the Tributes from District 1 were going to be part of hers and Sherlocks life during the Games. She just did not know if that was a good thing.
As Molly, Sherlock, Mycroft and Tim greenwood sat down for dinner, Tim and Mycroft chatted on, as usual. Molly wanted to ask Sherlock about what he noticed about the Tributes of District 1, but she did not have to.
"I am not sure if we can trust them," Sherlock mumbled. She thought he was speaking to himself, but as she looked up at him, he was staring at her. "The boy from District 1, he is going to want to team up during the Games. He has a plan, and I do not trust it, even when I do not know it."
Molly smiled a little. "So, um, is it possible that you don't trust them because of a feeling?"
Sherlock stopped chewing on his food and faced her, swallowing whatever was in his mouth. "Molly, feelings are illogical. I simply noticed how they acted before, during and after the Tribute Parade. Feelings have nothing to do with this situation."
Molly continued to smile. He spoke with conviction, but Molly still did not believe him. She let the subject go though and finished up her dinner.
"Remember, your training starts tomorrow," Mycroft reminded the Tributes as they finished dinner. "I do not want you being late. Sherlock."
Sherlock rolled his eyes, but did not say anything as he went to his room. Molly said goodnight and headed to bed.
For once, she had no thoughts of home. She was too tired to think. When she had almost fully slipped into unconscienceness, the last thought she had was remembering the feeling of Sherlocks warm, strong hand on hers as the horses pulled their Chariot. The thought lead her into a beautiful dream, one which she was sad to wake up from.
(AN: I am sorry that this one is kind of short. I just get these random brain cramps :p haha but anyway, I try to work on my chapters as often as possible and I will keep on going until this story is finished! :) Thank you soooo much for following and favoriting this story! It means so much! :) Reviews are greatly appreciated! 3)