Princess of the Sea
By: CyanideMuffins7
Chapter 8: And the Curtain Rises
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Hunger Games, the trilogy or any of the characters Suzanne Collins has created. I only take credit for the characters I have created and the plot I have made.
I lay in bed, full knowing what I just did. I wanted nothing to do with Lena or the Careers, therefore I should just walk alone. At least there was no one who would burden me to join me the Careers.
It seemed like to me another restless night. Tomorrow, I will be thrown into the fray. It will begin. I will eventually have to kill everyone I have met, Lena, Hei, Coda, and the boy from District 12. But my thoughts turned into anxiety. Will I have the courage to kill a human being? Killing a human is different than killing an animal, or spearing a fish. If you kill an animal, it's for your own survival. You have no thoughts about the animal's life, all you know is that you need it to feed your own family. But a human…it's just different. But time will catch up to me, and I will have to kill a human for my own survival.
My eyes close and my mind drifts into a deep sleep. My dream was coated with fear as I dreamt fishing out at sea in a small boat. I couldn't smell the salty sea air, I couldn't see the sun reflect the ocean, I couldn't hear the waves crashing against the boat and I couldn't feel the boat bobbing back and forth. The sensation of home was gone. I felt nothing.
My eyes slowly opened to Nex standing over me, watching me sleep.
"Sala-M was right, you sleep quite peacefully." He commented as he gently placed a simple outfit at the edge of my bed. It didn't feel like it was the morning, and yet Nex was already requesting that I change. I switch out of my nightgown and into the simple outfit. I make sure I have my necklace on before Nex escorts me to the roof where a hovercraft slowly drops down a metal ladder to the ground. Nex allows me to go first, so I begin to climb the ladder until I reach the opening. A man in white coat approached me. Before I could react, he injects the needle from the syringe he was carrying into my forearm. I wince, but it doesn't hurt as much.
"Don't worry, it's just the tracker to make sure we know where you are." The man in the white coat reassured.
I sat next to Nex on the hovercraft. He was very quiet most of the way there, what with the occasional cough and sigh. But mostly breakfast made it less awkward. I ate the extravagant food while Nex ate very little surprisingly. He only ate the fruit and he was done. I felt actually self-conscious that I'm eating more than he did. It was a few hours later until when we arrived near the arena and escorted to the Launch Station.
It's hard to believe that Evan and Ian were launched into these tubes and into their doom. Now, I would be stepping onto that metal plate and filling in the family's shoes.
I shower and dress myself in the rather comfortable outfit that I'm required to wear. Dark green cargo pants with a thin gray zip up jacket that shielded an olive green beater. The boots were like my combat boots back home, except these were new without a speck of dirt on them. I tuck my necklace under my shirt as Nex gently brushes my hair.
When I was finally prepped and ready to go, I still had to wait. So this gave me a chance to talk to Nex, maybe even throw a goodbye in somewhere. Before I can open my mouth, he already beat me to it.
"What do you think about your time here?" Nex said casually like I'm just a tourist.
"It was alright. I never expected to meet such kind people from the Capitol." I admit as I take a seat on the soft cream couch.
"Like who?" He asked as he took a seat next to me.
"Well there's you, my prep team, and that…" I stop myself from finishing the sentence. I was going to say, that Avox boy, but if I tell Nex that, there are bound to be cameras listening in on us. Then the Avox will be punished.
"Avox?" Nex questioned with an arched eyebrow. Damn. How did he know that was who I was talking about?
"How did…" I begin, but Nex seems to answer before I can ask the question, "I was the one that found you weren't in your room and I had the Avox boy look for you. He was in that room for quite a while until he came out. I can only assume you were talking with him."
Ah, so he was spying on me. There doesn't have to be cameras placed around here if Nex was around.
"I was just venting and he was willing to listen. It's a shame they can't speak." I say slightly fidgeting in my seat in anxiety.
"His name is Nimbus, if that's what you're wondering." Nex said while staring off into the distance. How did Nex know his name? Did he know the Avox before he had his tongue removed? I felt a variety of questions boil inside of me, but a red light beside the glass tube lit up. It was time for my departure.
I stand up and head over to the tube. I carefully step onto the metal plate, then turning to face Nex. Wait. Finnick didn't give me any advice on the arena. What was I supposed to do if I'm stuck in a desert or in a snowy terrain?
"Nex, did Finnick tell you anything to relay to me?" I ask him as Nex approaches me. "He said to only get what you need, look for water, and have grace."
Nex manages his charming smile, but on impulse, I hug him. I just needed something to get me going. I caught him off guard, but he hugged me back.
"Win for 4." He whispered before he released me. Once he stepped away from the tube, a glass door slide closed. The metal plate launched me up.
I tightened my fists as I keep my eyes in front of me while my vision was in complete darkness. I quickly run everything through my mind.
I am Pandora Marshall from District 4. I'm fierce. I'm fighting for Valentine, Dad, Nex and Nimbus…
The darkness then quickly turned to light, and the Cornucopia was right before my eyes, adorned with food, weapons and clothes pouring from the mouth. The smell of stale mud and fresh air fill my nose while my eyes pick up willow trees all around us. Only a swamp was to be my battlefield.
The voice of the famous Hunger Games announcer bellowed in the air, "Ladies and Gentleman, let the seventy first Hunger Games begin!"
…And I'm going to win for them.