Chapter 9: Prepare For Launch

Later that evening…

With his interview outfit carelessly flung onto his bed, Darien changed into some comfier clothes, a red t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and black and white sneakers. Ariani had already gone to bed, and both their escort and stylists were out running errands, so he was alone with his thoughts. He paced around the room, deciding whether to go to bed or to sift through his thoughts. He chose the latter, considering he couldn't sleep anyway. The Hunger Games would begin tomorrow and his stomach was in knots over it. He had to get out. He couldn't go in there only to be massacred by the Careers. But there was no way out. Was there?

Wait. There was hope. There was hope for him to escape. He had an idea! Darien crept out of the District 8 living quarters before running outside onto the balcony. Luckily there were no guards or other tributes, so Darien had the place to himself. There was an apparent lack of darkness, as the Capitol buildings were illuminated by neon lights. Down below, the streets were mostly empty, save for a few stragglers who were still on their way home after a night out on the town. Darien knew that jumping from this high off the ground would probably result in his death, which was fine considering that there was one giant force field lining the edge of the balcony anyway. Luckily there was another way to go about it. Darien struggled with footing at first, but soon he managed to climb on top of the air ventilation shaft lodged in the corner of the balcony, perfectly fitting in like a puzzle piece. The ventilation shaft was pretty tall, so Darien wondered if he could make it past the force field due to the its height. There was only one way to find out. He crouched down as he shifted his body to face the neighboring building with a similar looking roof. The two skyscrapers were practically glued together, so this should be an easy jump. However, Darien wanted to time it properly so that he could have as much air as possible, in hopes of overcoming the force field obstacle. He took a deep breath as he repositioned himself, before launching himself off the ventilation shaft and into the air, before gracefully landing and rolling over on the roof of the next building.

Phew! I made it. Wait… Did he make it past the force field? Darien paused to see if a blast of psychic energy would throw him back onto the balcony where he once was, but when none came, he breathed a sigh of relief. He started to wonder how he was going to descend to the ground, when out of the corner of his eye he saw a rusted glint hanging off the side. He turned around, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw a fire escape a few feet away. He smiled at his luck as he climbed down the fire escape, thanking his lucky stars that the fire escape was long enough for him to reach the ground without breaking any bones.

The moment his feet touched the pavement, he took off running. Away from the training center, the arena, and most likely his death. Between the darkness and the lack of Peacekeepers roaming around, Darien was unstoppable. Despite the brightness of the Capitol, Darien used his stealth to be covered by the shadows of the unlit areas. Darien ran for so long that he actually made it out of the city, his heels no longer clacking against the concrete but instead thumping in the grass. Darien waited until the Capitol was far behind him before he stopped for a breather. The only things Darien could see ahead were trees, bushes, and whatever game was lurking in between them. He guessed that he was entering the forest that was blocked off from the outlying districts, but he didn't have much clue as to where he was. Still, it was better than being trapped in the Capitol. Darien continued deeper into the forest, the night increasing in darkness now that the Capitol's bright lights were behind him.

Darien's feet began to drag along the grass as he grew tired, so he decided to travel a few more feet before settling on a resting place for the night. He jumped up and began climbing one of the trees surrounding him, pushing himself halfway up the tree before reaching a branch that was thick enough to hold his weight. He steadied himself as he leaned back against the trunk to get situated. He stared up at the moonlit sky for a few minutes, before he smiled again and closed his eyes. He could finally say it. He was free.

The next morning, Aeris gulped as her stylist walked her to the launch room. Today was the day. She was entering the arena. A few days ago at training, she and Naoko had discussed a strategy going into the bloodbath (all of which were Naoko's ideas, of course, since Aeris had none). Both of them would flee the bloodbath when the gong sounded, but towards the end of the carnage they would split up and sneak into the Cornucopia from each side to grab food, weapons, and other supplies. Aeris reviewed the plan in her head while her stylist nudged her towards the circular metal place that would bring her up into the arena. It was a good plan. Aeris only hoped that she wouldn't mess up and get herself killed for her family and the rest of the country to see.

"Don't forget this." Aeris turned as Natalia handed her a tiny trinket. It was a tiny charm in the image of a cow, a part of her mother's charm bracelet before it had fallen off due to its age. Aeris smiled; it reminded her of her pet cow, Lucy, back home. Aeris' smile didn't last long. She started to miss Lucy. She was her best friend besides her mom, who was now caring for Lucy until Aeris returned home - if she returned home.

"Thanks." Aeris graciously took the charm and stuffed it in the pocket of her jacket. In addition to missing her pet cow, Aeris was missing her family even more now. Tears welled up in her eyes. She was most likely not going to make it home. Aeris sniffled as a pang of sadness struck her heart. Before she even realized it, she burst into tears. Natalia ran over and gave Aeris a hug. If she didn't feel sorry for her and the other tributes before, she certainly did now.

"There, there, don't cry," Natalia said soothingly, using her freshly painted green nails to wipe off Aeris' tears. "Be strong. Don't think that just because you're twelve you don't have a shot at winning this, because you have just as good of a chance as everybody else. You can do this."

"T-Thanks," Aeris responded, sniffling and letting out a small hiccup as she latched onto Natalia for support. "You're the best, Natalia." Aeris and Natalia remained locked in their friendly embrace for another moment, before slowly breaking away.

"Prepare for launch," a female voice said through the intercom. Aeris rubbed her eyes to dry the rest of her tears before turning around and stepping onto the metal plate. The District 10 girl bit her lip nervously as she waved goodbye to the kind-hearted Natalia.

"B-Bye Natalia," Aeris mumbled, still gazing at her stylist as the glass cylinder lowered, securing her inside.

"Good luck, little one," Natalia replied, waving back. "Remember, you can do this." Aeris couldn't help but smile, even more so when Natalia blew a few air kisses and gave her a quick thumbs-up.

Darien woke up leisurely, running a hand through his slightly messy hair and scratching his back as he looked down below him. The forest was as green and empty as it was when he first hid here last night. Darien sat up in a sitting position as he contemplated where to go next. He obviously couldn't go home, otherwise Peacekeepers would recognize him and ship him back to the Capitol, and returning to the Capitol was definitely out of the question as well. The only thing he could really do was leave Panem altogether. Wander through the woods and survive off the land until he either found or started another civilization. He may as well get a move on to widen the distance between him and the Capitol, so he carefully climbed down the tree and began running. Luckily he wasn't hungry yet, thanks to the big dinner he had before running away, so he was free to travel as long and far as he could before his stomach began rumbling. Darien ran through the woods, the tiny woodland animals hiding from him as he passed by. He wondered when and where he would find land that was not a part of Panem, but he figured it had to take some time. He covered a large portion of the woods as he continued running for what felt like hours, before reaching the edge of the forest and stumbling upon a plain grassland area. Was this a part of Panem? Or had he left the country already? He stopped to catch his breath and think, when it suddenly became windier. Darien thought nothing of it at first, but the winds soon startled him as they became more gusty and turbulent.

He was ready to contemplate the weather patterns of Panem, when he glanced up at the sky and found the source of the wind. Much to his horror, a helicopter was flying past, practically looming over him like a dark cloud. Darien turned around and retreated back inside the woods, but the air was still windy, so the helicopter must have been following him. He sidestepped past some fallen branches and ducked behind two trees that stood close together. Darien held his breath and silently prayed that he would remain undetected. However, his prayers were ignored when he heard loud voices behind him.

"Hey you! Where do you think you're going?!" Darien turned his head and saw a pack of Peacekeepers charging towards him, loaded guns in hand. The District 8 boy turned yet again and ran once more in the opposite direction, faster than he had before. He barely cleared half a mile before the Peacekeepers pounced on him, tackling him to the ground. Darien received a face full of dirt and grass as two Peacekeepers grabbed his arms and yanked him to his feet, before ushering him out of the woods. The helicopter had landed and was waiting for them in the grassy area, quickly taking off once more once the escaped tribute and guards had boarded. Darien, ignoring the dirty glares the Peacekeepers were shooting at him, mentally cursed himself as he was loaded into the aircraft, and continued to do so all the way back to the Capitol, where the dreaded Hunger Games awaited him.

The tributes were now ready for launch. Even Darien had been carted back to the Capitol in time for the start of the Games. They finished saying goodbye to their stylists and adjusting their attire, and were sealed inside their glass cylinders, standing on their metal plates. The countdown began as the cylinders started lifting the tributes inside the arena. The tributes were brought into a forestland arena, where trees, bushes, and other greenery popped up everywhere. The arena was darkened by the shadows the trees cast on the ground, save for the Cornucopia, which was merely plain grassland. The number of seconds decreased as the tributes peeked at one another, scrutinizing and sizing each other up. With the exception of a few strong tributes who seemed eager for battle, everyone looked terrified. Tension filled the arena as the numbers lowered, before reaching zero.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the 2nd annual Hunger Games begin!"

Then the gong sounded.