Greetings readers!

So in this chapter we will be seeing the tributes and mentors arriving in the Capitol, the chariot rides, and most likely Mags and Dash meeting up with the other mentors. I'm not sure, we'll see where this chapter goes!

As always, your thoughts are greatly appreciated, and I always try my best to reply to all reviews.

Thanks so much for reading!

Chapter Twenty: The sound of Drums.

I wake up with a start, gasping as I try to remember where I am. "Felix? Felix!"

A hand is on my shoulder in an instant, and the bed shifts as he sits up.

I stare at his silhouette in the dark, something is off.

"Mags, it's okay."

Dash's low voice brings reality crashing back, and I swallow hard as I remember where we are.

"Hey, are you alright?" Dash asks concerned, his hand shifting slightly as I begin to shake. His arm gently wraps around my shoulders, and he pulls me against him.

"I-I thought I was back h-home." I stammer, curling up against his side and burying my face against his chest.

He rubs my back soothingly. "I'm sorry."

I sniff and take several deep breaths, willing my body to stop shaking. I am Mags Flint, I survived the Hunger Games, I am a Mentor, and I have a responsibility to my tributes. I can do this. I can't let the Capitol win.

"Do you want to go back to sleep?" Dash murmurs into my hair, his hand slowly moving back and forth between my shoulders, easing the tense muscles.

I sit up slightly, and glance toward the window. "What time is it?"

Dash shifts and looks at his watch. "Around four-thirty."

I sigh and weigh my options, allowing my body to relax against his. "When will we arrive in the Capitol?"

"Sometime around nine, they'll take Ryder and Lisa to be prepped and dressed, then the chariot rides will happen around noon. We go to our floor in the training center and prep our tributes for training in the morning."

I absentmindedly run my fingertips across the silk sheets in a methodical rhythm. "Where will we be while they're getting prepped?"

"Meeting with the other mentors, probably in the Cave."

I frown and tilt my head back slightly so I can see his face. "The Cave?"

He nods. "Yeah, that's what we've nicknamed the place we stay during the games. It's underground so..." He shrugs and then lets out a sigh as he relaxes back into the pillows.

"What's it like?"

"Well, there's a room for each District where the mentors sit and watch the games. They have all these screens that track the tributes movements, so we can keep an eye on them. Then there's a lounge, a really big dining room, and bedrooms for all of us. Oh, and a really big garden area so we can get fresh air."

"So...do we take turns watching the tributes?"

He nods. "Yeah that's usually how it works."

I close my eyes and rest my head against his chest. "You going to stay awake?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep anyway."

"Good, don't let me sleep past seven. Got it?"

"Got it."

I wake up to Dash tickling the bottom of my feet. Before I can stop, instinct takes over and I kick him in the jaw.

He falls off the bed with a surprised shout, and I can't help laughing as I crawl to the end of the bed and look down at him, lying on the ground and rubbing his sore jaw. "Take that! You should know better than to surprise me, especially when I'm asleep."

He stands up ruefully, and stretches his jaw. "Yeah, don't know what came over me."

I grin and hop out of bed, walk over to my closet and begin sorting through the clothes. "Keep it in mind. Now get out, I'm going to get dressed." I pause and turn to face him, growing serious. "Plus, it would probably be best if you weren't seen leaving my room."

He nods. "Ah, right, good point. Well I'll see you at breakfast then."

I give him an idle wave as he walks out, and then choose a simple pair of white shorts and a turquoise chiffon, sleeveless top.

After dressing and running the special brush that creates thick loose curls through my hair, I walk out and find my way to the dining car. Ryder and Lisa are seated in front of heaping plates, already devouring everything in sight. I take a seat just as Dash is warning them not to overdo it.

"He's right. Take it from someone who knows, eating all this rich food you're not used to can make you ill."

Lisa smiles and takes a sip of her frothy chocolate drink. "Sorry, it's hard not to eat everything in sight. It's all so delicious."

Dash chuckles and nods. "Well, stick to the more hearty foods, filling up on pastries and sweet things will only add bad body weight, we want you two to gain good muscle weight."

Ryder nods, then glances at the windows as the car goes dark. "What's going on?"

"Ah, we've arrived at the Capitol. The train has to pass through a tunnel to gain access."

The car is flooded with light once again, and our tributes rush to the windows to get their first look of the Capitol.

"It's so...fake looking."

I raise my eyebrows at Lisa's comment.

"I mean, it's really pretty and grand and all that, I've just never seen anything like it. It hardly seems real." She adds quickly after seeing the look of shock on my face.

"I understand exactly what you mean Lisa. And there's definitely nowhere else quite like it."

Dash clears his throat and stands up. "We'll most likely run into some paparazzi once we exit the train."

I reassure both of them quickly. "It will be fine. They'll snap some photos while Dash and I take you to the waiting car."

Ryder nods, but Lisa still looks a little nervous.

"Lisa, I want you to smile and wave at everyone, Ryder, do neither, be strong and silent. Can you do that for me?"

They both nod.

"Good."

Suddenly the train slows, and we all turn to look at the door. Dash glances at me and raises his eyebrows in a "are you okay" gesture. I nod and give him a small smile.

He responds with a nod, and moves to the door.

Lisa, Ryder and I follow. We wait until the train comes to a full stop, and as the humming dies down, the screams of the crowd just outside can be heard.

I glance over at Lisa, and see that her hands are trembling. I slide my hand into hers, and give her fingers a light squeeze. "Hey, it's going to be alright, I'm right here."

She smiles, and holds onto my hand tightly. Then the train doors are opening, and the sound of the crowd escalates. Dash pushes a way through, drawing attention to himself by grinning, winking, and waving at the crowd, answering a few questions the reporters throw at him.

I ignore the cameras and pull Lisa toward the waiting car, making sure Ryder is right on our tail.

Lisa is smiling and waving shyly at the crowd, while Ryder acts as if they don't exist. Before I know it we're at the car, and I've ushered them both inside. I turn back to the crowd to find Dash, and am suddenly overwhelmed by all the noise.

People are crowding around me, microphones and cameras shoved into my face, voices, so many voices. Shouting, talking, asking questions.

"Mags! Over here!"

"Lady of the Sea, what do you think of this years tributes?"

"Which of your tributes has the better chance?"

"Miss Flint! Is it true that you and Dash are romantically involved?"

"Mags!"

"Miss Flint!"

"Lady of the Sea!"

The breath leaves my lungs and refuses to return, my body starts trembling and my vision starts to swim. I reach for the car door but find I'm hemmed in on all sides.

I feel panic building in my chest, only growing worse when I find I am still unable to breathe. Just as I'm about to collapse into a pile and scream, Dash is at my side with an arm around my waist.

"I'm afraid Mags didn't get very much sleep last night, so she's very tired and won't be able to answer any of your questions." He ignores the implied remarks and rather racy speculation on why I didn't get much sleep last night, and guides me to the car, keeping his arm wrapped firmly around me.

I manage a tight smile and a small wave just before we slide into the car and pull free of the crowd.

The car ride is silent. Dash not wanting to address my condition in front of the tributes. He does however, keep both of my hands held firmly between his own until they stop shaking.

Before I know it we are pulling to a stop outside the remake center, and Lisa and Ryder are exiting the car.

Dash glances at me before saying. "Why don't you stay in the car? I'll run them in and give them a rundown of what's going to happen, I'll be back in a minute." He doesn't give me time to answer before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

I let out a breath and slouch in the back seat, letting my head fall back and rest against the cushion. Sure enough, Dash is back in a little under five minutes, and the car starts moving again.

"You alright?"

I open my eyes and turn my head to look at him. "Yeah, I'll be fine. How did they do?"

He shrugs. "Lisa was a little nervous, but brightened up a lot once the prep team showed up and started fawning over her."

I laugh slightly and close my eyes again. "Oh I'm sure they absolutely love her. So are we going to the Cave now?"

Dash nods. "We'll meet up with the other mentors and then head to the chariot launch point to see our tributes off."

"So...will Kaden and Eliza be there?"

"Yeah, Kaden is the only mentor District twelve has, Eliza as well."

"What about the other mentors? I don't really remember them from the tour."

Dash shrugs. "They're alright I guess. District one and two are the ones you have to look out for, Riker and Ebony tend to fight a lot, they have that whole 'male dominance' thing going on. Tara and Zane usually keep to themselves, but they're really sly, don't trust a word either of them says. Three doesn't have a victor yet, there's us, then Leo from five. He's a joker, always trying to keep us all laughing and in good spirits. No one for six, You've met Eliza, after her comes James from eight. He's more on the shy side, doesn't talk much. Then there's Heather from eleven, and Kaden from twelve."

"What do the tributes without mentors do?"

He shrugs. "Try and figure it out themselves. They tend to get a little more attention from the trainers, but they're mostly on their own."

"That's terrible."

"It is. But that's the way things are. Stick close to me when we're around the other mentors, you're new, so they'll all be trying to get to you."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Riker and Ebony will, uh...well, let's just say they're not the most...honorable guys, they tend to get aggressive with women. But don't worry about it, they're egomaniacs but they're not stupid, they wouldn't dare do anything to you. Learned the hard way that female victors aren't to be messed with." He added with a chuckle. "I'll never forget Riker's face when Eliza...well let's just say he was incapacitated for a while."

I wrinkle my nose, thinking of the men I've come across who acted the same way. "What about the others?"

"Tara and Zane will try and get you to join up with them, only to get a feel for your tributes so they can tell their own how to deal with them."

"That's disgraceful."

"Yep. Basically, stay away from one and two. You'll be fine with the others, although James isn't very social so you probably won't be talking with him at all."

"Got it. I'll probably just stick with Eliza and you."

He grins. "Sounds good. Well, here we are."

The car stops and we step out into the sunlight, confronted by a wide black building.

"The garden's up on the roof, but most of it's underground." Dash says, casually slipping his hand into mine. "Come on, we just have time to give you a tour and introduce you to the other mentors before we've got to head back."

I can't help feeling a little apprehensive as Dash leads me toward the intimidating black building. I'm moments away from the place where I'll be watching twenty-three children brutally slaughter each other, while I sit back and watch, almost completely helpless.

I don't know how I'm supposed to do this.