Mako's POV (again whole chapter)
My night is filled with nightmares, which I do not normally have.
My dreams are filled with children, but they all come in groups of three: Two boys, and a girl. Exactly the number and set of children Ariel and I wanted. They all crowd around me, laughter filling the air. But it is not pleasant.
It sounds so sinister.
Suddenly, the children around me morph in to the different tributes. Some fight each other, and a few come for me. I am tackled to the ground, the laughter still ringing in my ears. Garnet pins me down, pressing a knife down onto my neck
"Great score on the session, Mako," he sneers. "Too bad for your girlfriend's little '5'."
He then turns to Ariel who had been running for me, and flings the knife into her throat, blood spurting everywhere. I scream for her, but she just falls to the ground, lifeless. Blood leaks out more than it should and starts to fill up the arena. I try to keep my head up, but Garnet pins he down and I am submerged in crimson. In my vision, I see my private session.
I walk in and the Gamemakers are all relatively sober. I go over to the station with the swords and pick out two matching short ones. I set up all the dummies in a strategic order and then attack them. Each slice is unhesitant and swift. I slash at their stomachs and cut off their heads, leaving no dummy unscathed. Every target and dummy is at my mercy, and by the end of my session, I stand sweaty and still burning with anger from Ariel and my…dispute. All that is left, scattered about my feet, is stuffing and torn up cloth. I still have ten minutes left so I twirl the swords around a bit, flipping them and catching them behind my back. I am just showing off by now, but is that not what we are supposed to do?
The Gamemakers stare at me in awe; only one of them comes to their senses enough to dismiss me. I fling the swords to the side and enter the elevator, smashing the number 4 button and crumbling against the wall. I continuously hit the back of my head against the wall until I reach my floor, and even then I do not stop hitting random things. A passing Avox makes an effort to give a good bit of distance between us until he is out of my sight.
I am in my room when I guess someone senses my boredom and sends in some videos of previous Games. Like I give a damn of what happened in the past Games. But then again, it probably isn't that bad of an idea to see what other people used as a strategy. I sift through the tapes and find Finnick's, Annie's and the winner of the second Quarter Quell, Haymitch Abernathy. That must have been hell, facing forty seven other opponents. I watch that one and I have to give the Gamemakers props for the arena. It is really creative the way they turned something beautiful into something so deadly. I feel bad for one of Haymitch's partners, Maysilee who gets skewered by a bunch of pink birds. It almost looks, while she is dying, that Haymitch likes her a little bit. He holds her hand, the only part of her that is not bleeding out of little holes from the long beaks of the birds.
I wake up again, then drift back to sleep, just after seeing a glimpse of sunlight coming from my room. It must be four in the morning at least.
I am back in District 4, the day they announce the fourth Quarter Quell.
"So," says my sister, Ray, after the t.v. shuts off, "who do you think Ariel would be paired with since all the men in her family died in that fishing accident?"
True. And her dog, Killer, doesn't count.
"Maybe they'd stick you in," says Ray as she collapses onto the couch next to me. Her swollen pregnant belly peeks out of her shirt as she leans back to stretch. Her husband, Columbus, has not come back from the shipyard so Ray usually just stays with me. I like ships but I would much rather fish.
"I hope not," I respond to her comment. "I'd make sure she wins anyway."
Ray gives me a disappointed look because she knows I am not kidding. I love Ariel with everything I am, which really isn't all that much. She could do so much better than me.
"Mako," says Ray, harshly, "look I was just kidding. They'll probably pick some distant cousin, if she has one. Besides, she probably won't even be picked. I'm sure all the girls are signing up for tessarae's right now."
Sick joke, Ray. Sick joke. I roll my eyes, unknown of how accurate Ray's sick joke is.
I wake up again. This time it is full on morning and I have to get up. I dread today. We have to work on our interview. The only way that translates to me is that I have to talk in front of cameras and crowds of people.
I. Hate. Crowds.
Annie tries her best to stay slightly sane in order to get a grasp on how I should portray myself. We go through excited, deadly, and even bored, but I cannot pull any of them off without sounding scripted.
"How would you be if you were going to be yourself?" Annie asks so quickly I have to think about what she said before understanding her. I shrug; bored would be close, but not close enough.
"I don't know," I mumble. "Maybe "F. you, Capitol.'"
Annie glares at me, but her stare is broken when she suddenly twitches.
"Ok," she sighs. "Other than that, what do you have? What can we use?"
I think. I could use my... ex-relationship with Ariel, but how would she take that.
"I might have one thing," I say slowly. "Annie, what is today?"
She cocks her head sideways.
"The 27th," she says. "Why?"
Three years. Today we would have been together for three years. I was even planning to propose to Ariel with an old tradition our District forgot long ago. But not for some people.
I reach into my pocket and pull out a bracelet. Back when rings were too expensive and hard to come by, a man would normally make a bracelet out of his soon-to-be finance's favorite things. The charms that represent Ariel and her life I had to buy. But the rest of the bracelet, I made.
Annie takes it in her hands and examines the intricate designs on the beads surrounding the nautical themed charms. Ariel loves the ocean, always has. Whenever she got the chance she would jump into the waves and swim for hours. The charms include a sailboat, two different colored anchors, two helms, and her favorite animal, a dolphin.
Annie nods approvingly then smiles as she says, "We'll blow Peeta Mellark's performance out of the water."
Author's Note: This chapter was indeed SHORT. I know. To be honest it was more of a filler chapter, but I wanted to get to know Mako's thoughts and fears a little more. So what did you think? REVIEW.