Hey guys!
I know I apologize for late updates a LOT! But that's because I tend to get writers block rather often :P
Plus I give myself waaaaay too much work to do at once.
But that's enough of my self pitying, I do bring it upon myself after all, you're all here for the new chapter!
So in this we'll be meeting our tributes, and possibly be seeing the chariot rides...I don't know yet.
But anyway, be sure to leave a review letting me know what you think!
Chapter Nineteen: Too soon.
I enter my new bedroom, noting the more lavish interior design and decorating. Even the bed is covered in thick silk blankets, and now I have a canopy over it as well.
I only glance at this briefly before heading to my closet, scrolling through the options on the touch pad, I eventually find something that resembles an outfit I have at home.
Casual jean shorts and a coral tank top with minimal beading around the scoop neck. I slip out of my dress, wipe my face clean of makeup, and dress in the clothes I selected.
I look in the mirror, and feel satisfied now that I look like myself. I linger at the mirror, remembering how just one short year ago, I was on this very train on my way to be trained and dressed up for slaughter.
The eyes staring back into mine aren't the same eyes that looked back a year ago. Their older, they've seen horrors my old eyes could never even imagine. They're heavy, worn, but there's that unmistakable glint to them, the spark of a survivor.
I blink and turn away from the mirror, slipping back out into the car, I walk toward the main lounge car, knowing Dash and the tributes will be waiting for me.
I pause just outside the door, hearing low voices. My hand shakes as I reach for the button that will slide the door open, and with a deep breath, I press it.
The door slides open, and three sets of eyes are instantly on me. I force a small smile onto my face as I walk into the car, my eyes looking over our tributes.
Lisa is even smaller then I thought, her tiny frame dwarfed by the large couch she's perched on. Her large eyes and delicate features reminding me of a fairy. She gives me a smile, and I feel my heart wrench.
Ryder is sitting relaxed on an armchair, his outward appearance calm and casual, but I can tell he's tense. Maybe it takes a victor to notice things like that.
Dash grins at me from his sprawled position on the love seat, and motions to the barely vacant seat beside him. I shoot him a scolding look, and sit next to Lisa on the couch.
He shrugs and straightens up slightly.
"Alright, now that we're all here, why don't we talk some?"
Lisa casts a nervous glance at me, seeming...intimidated? By me?
I give her a warm smile, the kind I usually reserved for reassuring Will. It seems to relax her some, and she gives me a shy smile in return.
"Why would we want to talk?"
Ryder asks, he has a low, almost silky voice, and I can just imagine the Capitol girls swooning over him.
"To get to know each other."
Dash replies, his tone cheerful as he pastes another grin on his face.
"Right, cause I just can't wait to get to know the Capitol boy-toy, and the lady of the sea."
He turns to me with a sneer as he says the last bit, openly displaying his disgust of us.
Dash's attitude changes instantly. He sits up straight and stares straight at Ryder with a hard look, Capitol Dash long gone, he's all Dash the victor as he says warningly.
"Listen here, you can hate Mags and I, you can sneer and scoff at what we say, or how we act, but like it or not we're here to try and save your sorry ass. You might want to think about that before you disregard everything we say."
Ryder's eyebrows raise slightly in surprise, at Dash's sudden mood swing or what he said, either way, it seems to have gotten to him.
"Guess the Capitolites aren't the only ones who wear masks."
He remarks, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
"No, they're not."
I reply.
"Ryder, please try and remember that we do know what you're going through, we were right where you are at some point so we do understand. And no matter what we say or do, we are looking out for you."
He stares at me for a moment.
"It must be rough for you, being back here when you were in my spot last year."
I'm taken by surprise, not trusting my voice, I just nod.
"I'm sorry about your brother."
"Yeah, me too."
He lets out a sigh and rubs his forehead.
"Well, I guess we're stuck with you guys either way. Might as well take all the help we can get."
I don't miss the fact that he says 'we' and not 'I'. That alone is monumentally informative about his character.
"Great!"
Dash says, rubbing his hands together.
"Why don't we start off by watching a recap of the reaping? See what you two are up against."
As Dash turns on the glass TV screen and finds the proper channel, I scoot slightly closer to Lisa and pull my legs up onto the couch.
"Hey."
I say gently, giving her a smile.
She glances at me and fiddles with the hem of her shirt.
"Um, hi."
She replies quietly.
"Everything is going to be alright. I'm going to look out for you."
She turns to me with those enormous eyes, confusion and hope written on her face.
"Really?"
I nod.
"Really."
She smiles and then scoots slightly closer to me, letting her shoulder rest against mine.
I catch Ryder watching us, and give him a smile as well.
His brows furrow for the briefest of seconds, confused. We don't have time to interact further as Dash finally finds the recap and all of our attention is drawn to the screen.
My heart sinks when I see the careers. All four tributes volunteered, and they're all in the upper teens.
Queen has wide narrow eyes the color of ice, and sleek almost white hair. If I had to use one word to describe her, it would be cold. Everything about her screams it, from her tall, slim figure to the way she carries herself. Even her voice is light and piercing.
Her District partner, Jasper, isn't much better. To the casual eye he would appear an easy target, small and thin, his pale skin and short, shaggy raven hair making him look almost sickly. But I can see the hidden danger in the way he moves. He's wiry and quick, moving like liquid up onto the stage. There's a savage glint in his dark gray eyes that has my instincts on high alert.
Vince and Trina aren't much better, both larger than the District one tributes, but just as mean looking.
Vince's enormous build and broad shoulders scream strength, and the long scar running down the side of his neck and disappearing under the neckline of his shirt proves that he's trouble.
Trina is tall, really tall. She has to be at least six foot, and the defined muscles in her bare arms says she can take care of herself. The only other thing that really stands out to me besides her height, is her hair. Short and choppy, and fiery red.
The other tributes are of varying shapes and sizes, only a few really standing out to me.
The female from District three is deaf, she had to be pushed towards the stage and signaled that she had been picked. She won't make it five minutes in the arena.
The tributes from Seven and Ten are much different from the Rival pack, small and not very capable looking.
The only tributes who appear to pose a threat to the career pack besides Ryder, are the boy from District nine, the girl from Eleven, and the boy from six.
The tributes from District twelve look half starved, their skin clinging onto their bones for dear life. I immediately feel a stab of pain for them, and for Kaden, his tributes don't stand a chance.
After the recap is done, Dash turns the screen off and turns to us.
"So, what did you guys think of the other tributes?"
"I don't trust the girl from five."
Both Dash and I turn to Ryder in surprise.
"The girl from five?"
Dash questions as I try to recall her in my mind.
All I remember is her slightly curly light brown hair and her skinny figure.
"Yeah, she looks sneaky."
Dash's eyebrows raise in surprise, but he nods thoughtfully.
"Good. Always trust your instincts, how about you Lisa?"
She shrugs.
"The tributes from District one and two scare me."
"The careers."
I murmur, remembering the careers in my own games.
"Don't let them intimidate you."
She gives me a small smile and then Dash begins to discuss how to deal with other tributes during training and in the arena. I let him take the lead, he has far more experience than I do after all.
I vaguely remember going to eat dinner, and Pixie gushing about the Capitol and their stylists and the latest fashion and other things of the sort. I tune her out, feeling drained by her Capitolite side. How she can do this is beyond me, I guess she's had years of practice.
I can tell Ryder and Lisa are eager to escape the tiring conversation just as much as I am, and I know that they most likely want to be alone right now. I stand up and give Pixie a bright smile.
"That all sounds lovely, but I think our tributes are a little tired, they should get some rest so they're fresh for the capitol!"
I force enthusiasm into my voice, and Pixie catches on, smiling brightly and clapping her hands together excitedly.
"Yes! Of course that sounds best!"
I glance at Dash, who has fallen into a quiet and rather broody mood. I'm guessing Pixie wants to escape to her room as well, de-capitolite herself and rest.
"I'll show them to their rooms so you can get some rest."
Pixie smiles and walks over to me, giving me a large hug.
"Oh you're such a dear! I'll see you bright an early in the morning!"
With a wave she disappears out the door, heading to wherever her room is located. I turn back to my tributes and let out an over enthusiastic sigh of relief, which earns me a laugh from Lisa, and the smallest of smiles from Ryder.
"Come on you two, I'll show you where you'll be staying the night."
They stand up and follow me out of the car.
"Let me tell you, if there's one good thing about the Capitol, it's their beds. Oh! And the showers, man I dream about the showers here."
Lisa giggles at my dreamy look, but Ryder just raises his eyebrows skeptically.
"What's so special about them?"
I shake my head and shoot him a mysterious smile.
"You'll just have to find out for yourself."
I stop in their car and motion to the doors across the hall from each other.
"This is your room Lisa, and that one's yours Ryder. Try and get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be tiring. Trust me."
Ryder nods.
"Thanks for the advice."
He quickly disappears in his room, but Lisa lingers for a moment.
"Did you need something Lisa?"
I barely have time to finish the question before her arms seize my waist tightly. I'm taken off guard by the sudden hug, but I quickly recover and wrap my arms around her small shoulders.
"Thank you."
She whispers before releasing me and fleeing into her room.
I stand in the hall for a moment, trying to file my thoughts and emotions into an orderly fashion. Finally, I take a deep breath, and return to the main car looking for Dash. He's not there, probably retreated to his bedroom. I decide not to bother him, and quietly slip into my own room.
A pair of fluffy pajama pants and a silk tank top are just what I need to relax. I climb into the monstrous bed, and sink down into the thick mattress. I let out a sigh as I snuggle under the heavy blankets, and let my head sink into the pillows.
Sleep soon has me under its spell, and the emotional stress of the day, and comfort of my bed has me dragged deep into the realms of sleep. The peace is short-lived, as my subconscious releases all the suppressed emotions and fears I've kept locked away, pushing far back into the recesses of my mind all day.
The nightmares are relentless, and I find myself unable to wake up, struggling to make my mind realize that the horrors I'm seeing aren't real. I scream and sit up in bed, clutching the sheets tightly as I take deep breaths, my body covered in cold sweat and trembling. I try to force my mind to calm down.
Dash runs into my room, and I sob in relief through my tears.
"Dash!"
I almost scream his name, waiting for him to climb up onto the bed and comfort me.
"Mags, you need to be quiet."
I frown at his cold tone, confusion stemming the flow of tears.
"Wh-what?"
He stands beside the bed and grabs my arm.
"You need to stop screaming."
I try to pull my arm free, but his grip only tightens, dragging me to the edge of the bed.
"Don't make a sound."
I gasp when I see the long knife in his hand, and struggle to get free.
"Dash! What are you doing?"
He holds me down and pressed the knife tip to my chest.
"Sorry, Mags. Only one gets out alive, remember?"
I hold his wrist and try to keep him from putting any more pressure on the knife.
"What? No, we're out of the arena, Dash."
He shakes his head, and presses down on the knife slightly, causing pain to shoot through me.
"No, you're wrong. Our lives are the arena, the Capitol wanted you to think you were safe, we're all just pawns Mags, no one is safe."
"Dash please!"
I scream, pushing against his arm.
"Dash!"
He wrenches his arm free and plunges the dagger into my shoulder.
I scream and curl up on the bed, holding my hands to my head tightly.
"Mags! Calm down, I'm right here, it's okay."
I scream and recoil away from his arms, unable to fully wake up, unable to shake the nightmare away.
His arms quickly encircle me, and hold me against his chest tightly, pinning my arms down.
I continue to scream and struggle in his arms, trying to get free.
"I'm not going to hurt you, shhh, it's okay."
My energy finally gives out and I stop struggling, sobbing brokenly in his arms, I close my eyes tightly.
Dash keeps his arms wrapped tightly around me, kissing my temple and murmuring calming things in my ear. I'm still partially asleep, so I don't really hear him, but his deep voice and strong arms are soothing, and after about an hour I feel my body relax.
He stays with me all night, never once letting me leave his arms, for which I'm thankful. With my head resting against his chest, listening to his heartbeat all night keeps me calm, makes me feel safe and protected.
Sometime after I've calmed down, he pulls the covers up over us and lies back on the pillows. With a weary sigh, I allow myself to slip back into sleep, knowing he'll keep the nightmares away.