Bianihz Sinclair's POV:
The centre is buzzing with life when I enter it and I almost bash into an Avox carrying a stack of paperwork. She bows her head deeply as she scuttles past me and I lose her in the crowd before I get a chance to apologise. I turn around a few times and begin to feel wobbly, instinctively I touch my tummy. Something feels different here, different from last time.
"Bian, do you even know where we need to go?" Pan asks me as he links his arm with mine steadying me.
I shake my head "they keep moving things" I tell him "I have no idea where to go" I'm breathing deeply now.
"Whats the panic?" Pan asks "You've done this before you know. Anyway you know there's no pressure from me and Booster if you don't make it far."
"There's pressure from Victoria" I reply as we join a line waiting to speak to a lady at a large help desk.
Pan chuckles "I'm much more worries about your health than some District girl's, didn't you tell me how you weren't too bothered about how the games go only the other night."
I shrug "It just feels different now I've actually met her. Look you wouldn't understand." Pan opens his mouth to reply but we're rather rudely interrupted
"Bian, Pan the golden couple, what are you doing in that loser line?" Over by the doorway Invictus has wandered into the centre, followed by a small crowd of female groupies. He strides towards us and grabs my hand unlinking my arm from Pan's,
"What do you think you're doing?!" Pan says as Invictus lifts my hand and kisses it gently before releasing me. The assembled horde of girls behind him sighs deeply and jealously, making a 'one moment' gesture spins around to face them.
"Gamers only past this point I'm afraid girls" They collectively slink away as Pan and I reluctantly follow him to an elevator "Gamers only buddy" he says patting Pan on the shoulder.
"I'm staying with Bianhz" he proclaims, jerking his shoulder free from Invictus' hand "I'm here to protect her from the likes of you." Invictus smiles in reply and as we reach the elevator guarded by a peacekeeper he holds out a hand blocking Pan from entering,
"I'm sorry sir, gamers only beyond this point"
"But that's ridiculous" Pan says "I'm this woman's fiancé you can't expect me to leave her to it alone."
"After the tributes have left for the arena then you may enter the gaming floor" he states
"What a stupid rule" Pan snaps "I'll be having words with your superiors mate" "Rules is rules" he replies simply, if he weren't wearing that silly helmet I'd guess he were smiling.
"Pan I'll be fine, I'd just forgotten that this is how they do it" I tell him "I'll see you down here this evening okay?" I give him a kiss.
"Okay" Pan says as he watches as Invictus and I enter the elevator without him, I smile and wave as the doors close, he doesn't return the favour, choosing instead to continue to glare at Invictus.
"So now we're all alone" Invictus says stepping towards me.
"Screw off pig" I reply "Whatever happened between you and I in the past it's over now. I have Pan."
I turn around to face the door of the elevator, wishing this journey would hurry up.
"So you really don't remember" he laughs "That's okay though it's a whole week till we start the games, plenty of time to remind you" he smiles reaching over and holding my shoulder, I spin around and slap him at the exact moment that the doors of the elevator open to reveal an audience for our little scene.
Constantinos Brakus' POV:
"Slut" shouts Invictus as Bianhz slaps him firmly on the face, I smile. I've wanted to slap that smirk off his face for a few years now. But it's just not done in polite society; Bian however will probably just claim baby hormones and get away with it.
"Gamers!" calls a tall man from the front of the long corridor; "your rooms have been set up. Find the one with your name on it and we'll be ready to start the process in about ten minutes." I know this routine well after all my years of gaming and none of the technology has changed drastically in about fifteen years. So when I enter my small room with its three screens, deluxe gaming chair, and command keypad I feel like I've come home again.
"Oh I've missed you chair" I say as I stroke the chair, the memory foam below my fingers reacts to my every movement. As I sit down it works its magic and I feel as though I'm sitting on a cloud. The wait until Ole is hooked up to my system is a long one, as I nervously stretch my fingers and line up my keypad in the perfect spot on my knee. Eventually a small loading symbol appears on my screen, I slip on my head set and wait till I can see what he sees.
"Ouch, fuck that hurt" Ole cries as I get him online.
"Where did it hurt?" I ask, lower neck pain was usual the first few times the hardware in his body was activated.
"My neck" he speaks carefully "So you're in my head now Const?"
"Sure am" I reply "Now I'm gonna move your head a bit, there may be another sharp pain but then it'll stop. Okay?"
"Not got much of a choice do I" he says as I move his head slowly firstly to the left then to the right "Ouch" he says as I finish, I carefully repeat the moves.
"It hurt the second time?" I ask
"No"
"Good. Means you've took to the system well." I turn his head to the right again to see that we are indeed stood in a private room in front of us is the usual white door that leads to the training room. Focusing into his hearing I can hear cries of pain and tears from the other tributes who seem to be struggling with the system, without warning I make Ole lift his hand.
"What the!" he exclaims as I watch as he watches his hand lift in-front of his face "I'll never get used to this." I'm told.
"You will" I reply "we have three days to get you to a place where your mind will work with mine and you won't even realise it's not you controlling your movement."
"That sounds like a lot to manage in three days."
"That's what losers say" I tell him with a hint of irritation "and we are not losers, okay."
"Yes sir." He pauses "I was trying to salute then by the way."
I laugh and send his hand into a salute; "Now let's do this thing!" I declare as we head towards the door.
Cleo Jackson's POV:
"It hurts so much" Ellia cries "They never said it would hurt. I'm not even in the arena yet."
I take my fingers off the controls. "You're fighting it too much" I tell the girl, "Just relax and trust me"
"I can't" she cries "I just can't."
"You will or you'll die, I'm not going out in the bloodbath." I'd told myself I wouldn't get frustrated with Ellia, but we'd been at this for at least an hour and we hadn't even left the starting room yet. I could just picture the rest of them out there training with weapons and practising complicated jumps and moves.
I just couldn't wait anymore, Ellia would have to get used to the pain as we trained. I bite my tongue as I send Ellia walking towards the door, she continues to cry and complain but I block it out as I concentrate on the moves to have her open the door and step out. The training room is just as beautiful as I'm imagined it to be, five times larger than Gran's flat. It's marble walks stretch around the room as we watch as twenty three other tributes move seamlesly around as they fight and jump and whoo!
A small figure rolls towards us and jumps up into Ellia's face, the small girl who had just performed the move has a look of fear in her eyes probably matched by Ellia's.
"Max says welcome to the training floor newbie" she says with little enthusiasm, before she is pulled into a fighting stance.
I laugh at her awkward stance and Ellia takes the initiative to copy me; "You're tribute looks stupid stood like that, Maximus" she says her calm demeanour barely resembling the sobbing girl from minuets ago.
The girl relaxes a look of extreme concentration on her face "Max would like me to tell you that I will be killing you in the arena District Six and that your gamer will never be a star like him" she frowns "He adds that he would however like to see you..." she pauses and sighs "like to see you suck his dick"
"Ugh what a pig" I growl as the District Three girl is forced to run to the other side of the hall.
"That poor girl" sighs Ellia "I hope he doesn't hurt her too much."
"You still in pain?" I ask curiously
"Yes" she replies "But it's fuelling me now, in a way I can't really explain"
"Don't explain it then" I say "just fight with me and we'll show them all not to count us out so soon."
A/N: I know it's been ages since I updated – writers block and all that jazz. (I'm actually struggling to get any writing done recently with real life filling my mind). The two gamer POV's I missed here will be the next chapter. I'm also planning on this being a very short games just to warn you as the story isn't exactly going how I planned on it going.