Airiel's POV (surprise)
The smell of antiseptic and fresh linen.
Drip, drip, drip, ringing in my ears.
There is something soft beneath me.
There is a blinding light when I open my eyes. It's all white and brighter than day, and then I know.
I'm dead. I have to be dead. My eyes adjust to the lights of Heaven and I see an angel approaching me. Long pure white hair in a strange looking robe; it's more like a coat. But she's holding a clip board. Why do angels need clip boards? She doesn't have any wings or a halo, but she does have multiple golden symbols etched into her skin from where I can see, wrapping around her fingers and weaving around her eyes and down her neck.
"Can you hear me, Ariel?" the voice is muffled, and it sounds raspy. I thought angels were supposed to have wonderful voices. She approaches me and snaps her fingers in my ears. It no longer sounds like I am underwater.
Water, water- why does that sound familiar?
"Can you see me?"
The angel shines a bright light into my eyes that frequently changes colors. I try to move my arm to shield my eyes, but I can't. I'm tied down by a series of belts and straps. I start to panic. I'm being tortured! This isn't Heaven.
This is Hell.
I try to scream, but my throat stings and burns. It's dry. My tongue feels like sand. The angel- er, demon, walks over to a wall, presses a button I had not seen before and the wall opens up to a tall window that overlooks tall buildings and busy streets. Afternoon sunlight streams in and burns my eyes. I'm not in Hell.
But the Capitol is close enough.
The angel—demon- nurse takes a bag of fluids connected to my arm and inserts a purplish liquid that flows down a tube and into my arm. My racing and panicking mind starts to slow and my senses become numb again.
"Come with me Ariel," says the nurse as she releases me from my bed. "Your prep team is waiting."
Prep team? That sounds familiar too. I feel so loopy, only a tiny bit aware of being seated in a wheelchair and carted off to a familiar looking woman and a team of colorful people behind her start grabbing at me. They fiddle with my hair, nails, and my skin. One of the team members raises my hands over my head and shrugs the top of a dress over me. She suddenly moves slowly, almost cautiously as she straightens out the dress around my torso. I manage to break away for a moment and take a look at all of them as some of the drug wears off. The whole time I am thinking one thing.
Where is Mako?
I ask this to everyone in front of me, but no one will answer. I am so confused. All I remember is… is… water… salt water… and blood. Salt water and blood.
The arena.
The Hunger Games!
Mako kissing me… and then I blacked out…
And then I died… didn't I?
The drug has worn off by now and I am in hysterics, grabbing my stylist (whose name I now remember is Angel—ironic) and am near to strangling her.
"What is going on?" I demand loudly, shaking Angel by her shoulders. I try to blink through my blue glitter covered eyelashes. My dress is padded at my chest and it feels weird. I'm wearing flats for shoes, but I am still dizzy as if I were wearing heels or something. I feel thirsty, but drowning, overwhelmed by the strong scent of perfume.
People around me are hustling and bustling everywhere as I am escorted to some location that no one will tell me of. They just ignore me; almost try to avoid me, as if I am a plague. My hair falls in ringlets around my face, tiny blue and green streaks dyed into them.
I hear the roar of a crowd.
I smell the strong scent of some sort of flower. Roses?
I see faces frantically moving around me, and I finally manage to see someone I recognize.
"Finnick!" I call, pushing through the crowd to reach him. At first, he doesn't seem to hear me.
"Finnick!" I call louder. He finally sees me as I fun into him after tripping over a long electrical cord on the ground.
"Ariel?" He sounds surprised. "What are you doing? You're about to go on!"
I hold his shirt in a death grip, trying to calm the dizzy spell in my head. My legs are still wobbly. I haven't walked properly in so long.
"What's going on?" I ask for the millionth time. "Where's Mako?"
Finnick holds me up by my arms as he stares at me like I'm insane—but he's not sure why I'm insane. For a long time he just looks at me as if he's trying to find the words to say.
"A-Ariel," he says. "What are you talking about? Mako-"
"Places, places everyone!" shouts someone with a headset. "We're almost on! Get the victor into place!"
I turn to Finnick with what must only look like shock and confusion.
"Victor?" I say. "What is he—hey!"
Two people grab me and pull me away from Finnick. I fight to stay and cling to Finnick's shirt, but they are too strong.
And I am exhausted.
"Finnick!" I yell back hoarsely. "What do they mean? Finnick!"
Before I know it, the two people situate me on a platform and tell me so stand still.
"What? Why?" I protest. When they back away, I hear a familiar voice echoing above me. Augustus Flickerman!
He is announcing Angel and her team, and then Finnick and Annie disappear on a platform. I don't see anyone else I recognize, that is until the ground rumbles beneath me and I shoot upward into a lit up stage where I see Annie and Finnick sitting to the side with the rest of my team.
My brain is still numb from whatever drug they gave me. I must look like an idiot looking around wildly, trying to figure out what's going on.
There is a single elaborately adorned chair that Augustus Flickerman guides me to and gently sits me down. The crowd suddenly goes silent, hushing one another. Multiple television screens appear from the stage, from above, and from the walls. Some big, and some medium sized for everyone to see.
To see what, I don't know.
Music starts to play and the giant screen closest to me (which really isn't that close) comes to life. I am sobering up from the drugs and beginning to put the pieces together.
This is the entire recap of the 100th Hunger Games.
It starts from the reaping; there I am, terrified as ever. And then there's Mako.
Mako!
I nearly fall out of my seat, death gripping the arm rests. It is all I can do not to scream his name out. There is this upbeat music with steel drums in the background that sounds very native to District 4.
The bloodbath is cut short since I didn't do much other than act terrified. I do notice how Mako gets to the Cornucopia before me.
It takes a lot of editing to make me look not like a total weakling. For a while, it shows Mako swimming through the tunnels, and then there are shots of a few other tributes. Scurry is getting a lot of camera time, especially when he is chased by jellyfish.
It starts to pick up after the career pack goes hunting and I kill the girl from 11. From then they frequently show Aid glaring at me when my back is turned, just waiting to avenge Scalpel's death. I shiver.
The part where Mako is nearly killed by jellyfish makes me almost jump out of the chair. I feel overwhelming gratitude for Scurry for saving Mako's life.
There's the huge battle where I kill Sapphire, and then the heart-wrenching reunion between Mako and me. The crowd aww's for a moment and I start to tear up. I'm not sure why. I'm still so confused.
Our encounter with District 12 must have been a highlight because the crowd murmurs and moves to the edges of their seats.
The feast is almost unbearable to watch. I now know why Mako didn't go into detail about how Aid died. I am terrified of sharks. But what horrifies me more is when Garnet mercilessly decapitates Rue after practically torturing her.
The moment comes where Mako and I are herded to Garnet via giant squid. I can still feel the trident piercing my flesh and lung. No doubt the worst pain I've ever experienced. I can't peel my eyes from the fight between Mako and Garnet, but I am forced to turn away when Garnet is killed.
I start to hear sniffles already coming from the audience. They've seen the whole story. And things are coming back to me only as I watch them.
Mako cradles me as I bleed out and suffocate. I remember this, only vaguely. My eyes are glued to the screen after I black out. Mako takes his mask off and then mine to kiss me. Then he puts his mask on for a moment to take a deep breath, and then secures his mask to my face, allowing me to breathe in my unconsciousness.
"No," I whisper, digging my nails into the arm rests. Mako reaches for my belt. There rests the knife I took from the girl from 11. He pulls it out slowly.
"No," I say a little louder, covering my mouth in horror.
He wouldn't! He didn't! He can't.
He glances at me, floating lifelessly, and then turns his back to me. The water reflects off his sad face, full of resolve. There is a pause and then he flips the knife around. My voice catches in my throat as I watch him extend his arms. Before I can blink I watch in sheer terror as Mako thrusts the knife straight into his heart.
"No!" I scream, standing up. My knees turn to jelly beneath me and I collapse to the floor. Tears stream from my eyes and I can barely breathe. The canon blasts through the speakers of the theater and heavier hysterical sobs overcome me as I bury my face in my hands.
The canon, oh the canon!
There's no doubt all eyes are on me, but I don't care. I lean against the chair that must be bolted to the floor; otherwise it would have slid away from my weight. I'm a crumpled mess as I sob, crying out Mako's name. There must be more footage playing because the theater remains dark for a while. But even when the lights come back up, I haven't moved.
I start to hiccup violently from crying. My face feels sticky from so much makeup streaming down my face and neck. Augustus tries to coax me up but I slap his hand away and scream, "Get away from me!" My voice cracks, making me sound like an injured bird or something.
He stutters for a moment.
"Uh." He pauses. "Why don't we come back to the crowning after this commercial break?"
The Capitol Anthem blasts and then we are off the air. I must look pathetic. Multiple people try to give me medication or pick me up but I just scream at them to get away, sometimes shouting words that don't make any sense.
The Capitol is in for a long commercial break.
A/N: *twitch twitch* I think I'm having withdrawl symptoms from not ending a chapter in a cliff hanger FOR ONCE. My goal for this chapter was to make at least one reader cry... *eyes readers for tears*