As per the suggestion of a few readers, due to the lengthy detail and attention I give to each tribute, I will not be doing a reaping for every district. Instead I will overlap the events leading up to the ringing of the gong. (Don't worry, all tributes will get to have their story told, they may just be out of order) District 2 will focus on Goodbyes and the trip to the Capitol. Enjoy...
Karenna POV
Of all the stupid dumb luck. Last summer I decided that I had trained well enough to volunteer for the Games, but I was beat out by another girl. This year, with the Quarter Quell they announced they weren't taking volunteers. I was so furious that I threw my anger into my training and am now pretty damn good with an axe. Then the stars align and I am reaped! A rush of hot adrenaline coursed through me, only to be doused by the announcement of the male tribute from Two, Amino Jenner. I might not get along that well with my twin, and we couldn't be more different, but I love him and am not looking forward to having to kill him in the arena. Hopefully someone else does it for me and will save me the trouble.
Because we're related, the Mayor went ahead and had us say our goodbyes together. Mom holds us so tight that I can hear Amino gasp for air next to me.
"Both my babies are in the Games." Mom says and then releases us. She cups each of our cheeks and smiles. "You two work together and you'll make it far, one of you might even win." Mom is looking at me when she says this. I know parents aren't supposed to have favorites, and mom is trying to give hope to us both, but I know that she's meaning me. I've been training, she's been coaching me. I wish that the Mayor would have kept the goodbyes separate so that mom could speak freely. It's not like she would tell me to kill Amino or anything, just that she wouldn't have to put on a face of thinking he can make it.
"Karenna, you watch out for your brother in there." Daddy says, not caring if he hurts Amino's feelings. I think for a second how much of a burden watching out for someone else can be. In the reruns of previous Games, they frequently show the star-crossed lovers one and I marvel at how Katniss struggled to protect Peeta. I always swore that I'd never do something so stupid when I finally made it to the Games, and here I am with my own anchor.
"I don't need anyone to watch over me," Amino seems more angry than hurt when he talks. "Especially not my little sister." Little. Please, he was born maybe three minutes before me, and I'm actually almost an inch taller than him, and with heels, I tower over him. It irks me that he always refers to me that way, emphasizing the "little".
"That's fine," I say, my voice getting an edge. "Like I want to be tethered to my useless big brother anyways." I put even more emphasis on big than he put on little, showing him that I don't think he's all that big. I mean, I think I might even be a bit more muscular than him. Not that he ever dresses in a way to show off any muscles he might have. Like now, he's wearing a long sleeve gray button up and black slacks with a white tie and black dress shoes. He looks very dapper and smart, not at all like he's about to go into the Games. I, at least, look sassy and fierce with my combat boots, flirty black dress with the slender silver trim at the waist creating the illusion of curves that aren't nearly as pronounced as I'd like. The short sleeves show off my toned arms, and my legs are killer, if I do say so myself. His brown hair is cropped short and styled simply with the front tips flipped up. I spent at least an hour working on my long blonde hair applying mousse, gel and hair spray, curling and crunching so that it looked tousled and fresh, like I'd rolled out of bed with just a little bit of bedhead. I put on layers of make up, preparing for the cameras, he put on his glasses. Boys have it so easy.
"Maybe if you had done more training we wouldn't be so … concerned." Mom says gently. More training? Try any training, I doubt he's ever even picked up a sword.
"I'll be fine." Amino says and storms away to look out the window at the reaping celebration going on out in the street.
Mom and Daddy look at him for a minute, their sadness pulling their mouths into frowns. I don't know whether their obvious worry over him as a sign that they care more about him dying in the arena, or a sign that they think I can win this thing. Mom turns back to me and smiles, but I can see that the smile is wavering. She not convinced I can win this. It stings a little, but I know that she's not fully aware of how hard I've trained this last year.
"I can win this mom," I say. "I know I can."
"Of course you can honey." Her words are supposed to be encouraging, but they're bordering on empty platitudes. "We'll start packing for victor's village."
"Good luck princess." Daddy kisses me on the top of my head and glances over at Amino. "Son."
Amino nods his head slightly, acknowledging daddy, but doesn't leave the window. I give one last kiss to mom and they leave.
"Why do you have to be so sullen?" I ask Amino as soon as the door closes. I swear, he can make any event boring.
"Why do you have to be so obtuse?" He counters. My hackles raise and I can feel a fist balling up.
"Obtuse? I've actually been training for this, I have a chance of winning! Not like you! I bet you don't even make it out of the bloodbath. And if you think I'm gonna ally with you in the arena, then you're the one being obtuse." Amino turns from the window at that and I clap my hands over my mouth as soon as the words are out. I don't mean it, of course I'm going to team up with him. I can't lose my other half! "I'm so sorry. That was out of line, I'm just a little freaked out right now. I mean, yeah, I wanted to go into the Games, but I didn't want you going into them, especially at the same time."
"I know." Amino smiles at me and then his face hardens, looking past me. There are only a few times that I've ever seen him look hard, last time was when he found an abused puppy in our neighborhood. I turn and see my friends, my very best friends, crowded in the doorway. All thoughts of Amino are washed from my mind as I squeal at them. Viper and Katrina rush towards me, practically tackling me in a group hug. Viper is my sparring partner and Katrina has been working with me on my axe swings. They both know how badly I wanted to volunteer and are as thrilled as I am that I was reaped.
"Ohmygosh!" Katrina says, her excitement rushing all her words into one. "Ok, so I have your Victor Karenna logins, I'm gonna keep up the vlog for you so that your fans don't miss out on a single dose."
"Friends." Viper corrects. "She has friends, not fans."
"I think when you get past 150 you have to start calling them fans, and she's well over 180 by now." Katrina says. "We are the inner circle, her real friends."
I laugh at the argument, it's the same one that we always have, sometimes I even join in. I don't really care what they're labeled, I am just thrilled to have such a huge team of supporters. They may even sponsor me in the games.
"Oh Karenna, I know you want this, but I'm so worried for you!" Milia bursts out, wiping her tear streaked cheeks. "You have no idea who is gonna get reaped, what if there is some huge beast of a guy in One, or some psychopath?"
"Oh honey," I pull Milia into a hug. She's a year younger than me and at 16 the games are a little more scary for her than they are for me. "I'm smart, I'm capable, I can win this."
I feel strong arms wrap around me from behind and feel moisture of tears on my back, I glance at the arms and see light brown hair and a tattoo of a pickaxe inked on taught muscled, tan forearms. Justin. My heart kicks into overdrive. His embrace is surprising, I've always wondered how it would feel to be wrapped in his arms, wishing he would hug me. And it's finally happened, though it's a little awkward with Milia hugging me at the same time and the two of them blubbering like babies. Milia I expected the tears from, Justin's crying is a shock to me. I've always had a crush on him but seeing him like this, I feel a little let down, crying all over me is definitely not hot.
"I wish you weren't going." he whispers against my neck, the soft breath tickling my insides and the lust returns, crying or no.
Milia, thank god, has the good sense to let go of me and let me turn to Justin. I skirt my eyes from his spoltchy red face and focus on his well sculpted arms instead.
"Why? We've never really been that close," I say. "I mean, we've hardly even talked."
"Well, you're kinda hard to get alone." he says, sniffing. He reaches out and cups my arm, pulling me slightly closer. His eyes have dried enough that I can look at him again without feeling the crushing disappointment. I gaze into his amazing eyes, marveling at how one is blue and the other is half blue, half green. His gaze is piercing and mesmerizing. "You've always got a crowd of around you, girlfriends... guys."
Guys? He cares that I have guy friends? I glance over at Viper and he cocks an eyebrow back at me. "You mean you wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah," Justin gives me a wavering smile and strokes his hand up my arms, a trail of goose bumps chases his touch. I swallow hard, he's so flipping gorgeous when he smiles. "For a while now, I was just trying to pick a good time to get you alone. Not that I'll ever get a chance now." His face crumples again and I look down so I don't have to see those gross splotches again.
"We can leave." Viper offers, ready to haul the others away. Justin glances over my shoulder to the wall clock and takes a nervous step back.
"No, it's ok." he wipes his nose on his sleeve and I almost gag. "I gotta go, I just wanted to say goodbye." He almost trips over himself as he runs out the door. My gaze follows him and that's when I see Freste, standing just inside the door. She's not saying anything, just watching us all with a slight smile on her face. She's been my best friend since we first shared crayons in school. She never really talks much in crowds, but I know I can always find her by my side. She's so loyal.
I look over at the clock ticking over Amino's head, there is still time to visit so I sit down on the couch and talk to Katrina about the vlog.
Amino POV
The rage inside me takes a while to tamp down. I can't believe that Justin Piper, the little shit, had the nerve to say goodbye to my sister. He's lucky that her other friends were in the room because I would have strangled him if he'd tried anything with my sister. Sweet Karenna. She spends too much time talking and being the center of attention to listen and observe. If she were a little quieter she'd have seen through the tears to the dangerous man inside. Besotted as she is, she can't sense the predator in him. She doesn't know that he had rape on his mind.
I stood back and watched the little tableau unfold, the tears, the touches, I could hear the change is his tone as he worked his charm. When Viper offered to leave, I stepped away from the wall, ready to act if Justin made a move. My movement drew his attention and he saw me for the first time. I could almost taste the fear in the air. I couldn't help but smile as he ran out of the room. I studied Viper for a minute to see if he was in league with Justin, but it seemed like he was just trying to give my sister a minute alone with her crush. He's just as oblivious to the intent as Karenna.
With Justin gone I can feel the tension melting from me and I lean back against the wall to watch the others.
I think about what Karenna and my parents said about my needing to be watched over and needing my little sister. Their ignorance is almost funny. They assume I don't train for the games because I don't go down to the dojo with Karenna, or practice swordplay with mother. In truth I've been training harder than my sister. I've learned survival techniques, I have built up strength and endurance, I've learned to use my hands as weapons. They have no idea that I can kill a man in mere seconds, not that it's something I've actually timed.
Every action I take is calculated, even the way I dress. People look at my monochromatic dress, glasses and slight build and immediately think "nerd." The lethality below the surface doesn't often find it's way out. There isn't a lot that can get me worked up, but I don't abide by abuse of animals, and I won't let anyone hurt my little sister. There are some, like Justin, who sense the danger within me; those who are predators often sense the danger in others. That is the reason I could sense what Justin was hoping for, also, I know that he has raped one other girl. She commit suicide shortly after so he was saved from the whole community finding out, but I've kept a close eye on Karenna when ever he is nearby; that's the real reason why he has never had a chance to get her alone.
With my guard slightly relaxed I gaze past Karenna to Freste. Her slender neck calls out to me and I feel a slight twinge of regret. I'll never have my opportunity with her now. Like Justin, I was biding my time, though my intent is, of course, entirely different than his.
The hour grinds down and the peacekeepers escort Karenna's friends out. Freste smiles at me and waves when she leaves, it's the closest thing I have to a visitor. I walk over to Karenna and she grasps my hand, together we walk out the door to the sleek car waiting to take us to the train station.
Karenna POV
The train station is bustling with activity. With two tributes, an escort and seventeen victors -most of them with luggage- it's quite an event to get everyone boarded. We won't need all 17 victors as mentors of course, but most of them go to the capitol every year to enjoy the Games with everyone in the capitol. I wonder who our mentors are going to be.
I hope I get Swift, her win at the Games three years ago was so amazing. It was down to her and the boy from Four, She's already bleeding and unable to move her right arm because of fighting off some mutts and he comes running at her with a harpoon, ready to shoot. You know she's just a gonner, then out of nowhere, she pulls up a loaded crossbow and with her left hand fires an arrow straight through his neck. It was gruesome, but how she came back from behind, it was awesome.
Chelle, our escort, leads Amino and I first to a sitting room. "You will be meeting your mentors soon; as soon as they are decided."
The districts that have more than one male or female victor have a sort of reaping for the mentors. If no one volunteers at the outset, or they have more than one volunteer, then they do a drawing. Not thirty seconds after Chelle seats us, the door opens and Amino and I turn to see our mentors enter the room. I'm a little crushed that Swift isn't my mentor, but Caliveria would be a cool mentor too. I don't really remember her Games, it was twelve years ago, before I really paid attention to the Games and her games were less climactic than some others so they don't really dominate the highlight reels each year. She is often at the dojo though, assisting the Sensei with training; she's a good teacher. Amino isn't as lucky with his mentor. Roman is in his mid-forties and balding with a bit of a gut. I know absolutely nothing about him beyond what his appearance tells me. He's dressed similarly to Amino with a gray-scale color scheme, but what looks dapper on Amino comes across as drab on the mentor.
"We should be arriving to the Capitol within the hour, if you would like to freshen up you're welcome to do that now." Chelle indicates a hand to the corridor to his left. I start in that direction and he leads me to my suite of rooms. They're a little cramped, but nicely appointed. I check my make up and decide that what I want to do more than anything else is take a nap.
Amino POV
Karenna goes off to her room leaving me in the sitting room with the mentors. Caliveria also excuses herself but Roman stays in the sitting room with me. He's quiet, which suits me just fine. I spy a chess board off to the side and ask if he wants to play. He agrees and we settle in to a game. I love chess but almost never get to play for real. No one in my family likes the game, they would rather play checkers, knuckle or Omaha, games that take no strategy and rely mostly on luck. I wouldn't want to play them anyways, there is no challenge. I'm glad that Roman wanted to play, I can use the game as a litmus test, to see if he even understands strategy. No point in taking advice from someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. Only a few moves into the game it's clear that while he looks sloppy, he has a sharp mind, and he does know what he's doing.
"So, Roman," I say, initiating a conversation for perhaps the first time in my life. "Do you have any idea what kind of arena I'll be going in to?" Mentors aren't supposed to have this information, but I know that some of the smart ones get close to gamemakers to increase their tributes chances. Roman strikes me as the type.
"Why would I know that?" He cocks an eyebrow at me then glances at the corner of the ceiling above my left shoulder. Cameras. Of course there are cameras, the Capitol films everything. This conversation will take a little bit of finesse, but I'm feeling more and more confident that Roman can hold his own with being covert.
"I was just wondering if they had some sort of cycle or pattern that you've noticed." I say and move my knight. "Check."
He studies the board for a minute before answering then smiles, moving a bishop. Damn. That was a good move. "Well, I suppose if I looked at patterns I would guess that we were looking at a rather chilly Games this year."
Chilly, so it's probably going to be snowing. Great, the years with colder temps end up being full of gamemaker surprises, Mutts, traps, things like that. On the other hand, they are also the years that the supply packs are usually more plentiful. He's given my an idea for what I should focus on when we get to the training center though. I claim one of Roman's knights. Our stacks of claimed pieces are nearly the same size, I'm wondering if we'll have time to finish the game before we arrive at the Capitol.
"What year was your games?" I ask. I don't have the names and faces of all the victors memorized, but I do remember how each of the games were won. I particularly hate the years when a mediocre tribute wins out of sheer luck. Like the one with the obnoxious star crossed lovers. The girl from District Twelve was okay, I suppose, she at least had some decent moments but she got lucky with those muttations. Two would have had those games won if he hadn't fallen off the cornucopia. Don't get me started on the useless boy from twelve. He should have been killed the first day. No skills, not a tactical bone in his body. It was a mistake by the career pack to think that allying with him would help them in taking out the girl. I suppose since both of them were killed in the third Quarter Quell the scales balanced out.
"The 147th games. Check." He smiles at me and I can see how good his move is, I have a couple of options, but none of them are good. I start to move a rook, but change my mind and move a pawn instead. The 147th games, that year the winner had used a poisoned blow dart and hid in the trees picking off tributes. It was smart, he stayed out of danger, had a long range weapon and with the poison he was sure to have a kill shot, as long as he hit the target. There was another girl who used the same tactic in the second Quarter Quell, got pretty far too, but one of her district partners won instead. And that sonofabitch earned it, outsmarting not only the other players, but the arena itself using the force field around it as a weapon. "Checkmate."
I study the board, ready to dispute the loss, but I can't he's tied a noose nicely around me. Rage flares for a second that I've actually lost, but I squelch it and hold my hand out in congratulations. He shakes it firmly. "Well played."
Chelle walks through the compartment at a brisk clip and glances our direction. "We'll be arriving shortly, put that silly game away."
Anger furrows my brow, ignorant people often don't grasp the technical complexities of a well played chess game, writing it off as for the nerds. That's the problem with society, the frivolous is glorified while anything that requires intellect is regulated to a game. I had resigned to going into the Games with my usual goal of protecting my sister, but now... I'm here to win The Games. It's about time we had another victor with intelligence and cunning.
Now that we're into District 2, Favorites? Least Favorite? Predictions? How do you like the new format? District 3 will have the train ride and prep teams.