Anticipation Shivers

Spring and the coming of a new Hunger Games filled the streets with a fervor Pandora wished she could forget. Crowds were gathering in preparation for the celebrations. It would all start over again in a few days. The ceremonies, the interviews…the violence.

Days had passed since Finnick had left for District 4.

Today was the Reaping.

All over Panem, children from the various Districts would be blindly chosen to compete. Her stomach swirled with anxiety and knots at the thought of this.

At the end of Energy Corridor and the beginning of the central sector of the Capitol she stopped. Her eyes briefly glanced over the embellished architecture before she quickly leapt around cars and through crowds of people.

Her eyes blinked harshly at a few camera flashes that followed her.

She arched her eyebrow as a doorman bowed to her. Pandora was dreading what was about to happen. It was bad enough that the Hunger Games were here once more, but now she had an interview with Caesar Flickerman. Caradoc and several other officials had set it up in the hopes that it would properly warm up the audiences of Panem for the games. She was there to promote the games, to pretend that she loved every minute of them.

Together with Caesar, Pandora would watch the Reapings and answer questions and comments about the arena and the ceremonies.

She apprehensively nibbled on her bottom lip as she ascended glass steps to a small enclave, catching her reflection in a pristinely cleaned window as she grabbed the railing. Her skirt was made of black and deep violet taffeta, which matched a long sleeve plum shirt above and her black stocking below. Glimmers of violet sparkled from the corners of her eyes. Her dark hair had been pulled back into a silky ponytail.

Her heels pressed against the glass staircase as she steadied her nerves.

Within seconds she was well into the core of the building.

The corridor to the studio was long and narrow. Small windows let in a few rays of sunshine, and even more noise. Her eyes focused on the black door intently, over and over she was thinking up things to say.

The silver knob reflected a warped image of her. Suddenly she paused, her eyes squinting at her distorted reflection. A pain shook her. The longer she stared at the reflection, the more her head hurt.

With unexplained panic she shook her and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her eyes closed as the headache slowly past. It was only a small one, but it was draining to experience, not like any other headache she had experienced.

Quickly she shook the panic out of her arm and opened her eyes.

Just when she was about to reach for the knob again, she felt the door give way. In surprise she took a step back and furrowed her brow.

"Adric? What are you doing here?"

His dark eyes widened for a second, apparently he was surprised too.

"Looking for you actually."

"What for?"

"It's a secret."

Over the past year Adric and Pandora were by no means mutual friends, but it was as if she couldn't shake him. He acted like her watchdog, a notion that she found completely ridiculous and Finnick dislike greatly. No matter how much she tried to push Adric away he was there. Although the night at the military ball was far behind them, it still strained their discussions together. Mironov had been gunning for Pandora to continue speaking with Adric. From what she could gather, Viktor Mironov and Adric were close, a fact that she found strange because the two had relatively nothing in common.

"What kind of secret?"

He grinned widely, tucking his blond hair under his officer's cap, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you. But you'll like it. Just—don't say anything, yea? Nothing. I'm serious not a word."

"I hardly think this is appropriate."

"Let's just say you owe me one, kid."

A short man with a microphone in hand unexpectedly popped his head out from behind Adric's lean body, "Miss Sullivan!? What are you doing out there? We're on in 5!"

Pandora pursed her lips and nodded, "I'll be right in."

She waited for the man to disappear before she adjusted her shirt and peered back to Adric, "We'll see what I owe you."

"Don't get snappy, I'm serious. But look—I'll wait for you outside, and then after we'll go together."

He rushed passed her quickly.

As she whirled around to look at him she creased her brow in confusion, "Go where?!"

Another grinned widened on his face as he lifted his cap and bowed to her boyishly, "You'll just have to see!"

A deep sigh murmured from her lungs. Surprises. In the Capitol surprises were never good, at least that's what Pandora had discovered.

She paused for a moment in order to collect her thoughts. Her lips moved as she rehearsed her smile and charm. When she had a chance to catch her breath she let the door swing open.

The camera crew was babbling about the time and angles. A silver stage was set up against a white backdrop. Caesar Flickerman was already seated at the table, makeup artists were dolling him up. When he saw Pandora he flashed his pearly teeth at her.

"Pandora Sullivan!"

She adjusted the bracelet around her wrist and smiled, "Hello, Caesar."

He was sporting orange hair and a suit of the same color. It was very loud, almost blinding.

The leather seat creaked as she sat down and winked at him, "You look dashing."

"We're on in 2 minutes!" A member of the crew yelled, "Get those stylists off the stage!"

"Me? Oh-ho—but what about you? Beautiful as always."

"You're too kind."

As the stylists started to scatter Caesar leaned forward and grabbed her hand, "Now, don't you get scared—of course…what am I saying? The fearless Pandora Sullivan, scared?!" The most animated laugh boomed from him as he slipped his hand away and waved off his own comment.

"One minute!"

Her eyebrow arched as she scooted her chair closer to him, "Just don't make the questions hard, yea?"

"You have my word, Pandora."

They shared a brief smile before the lights above the stage started to brighten. The red lights above all the cameras flickered.

"We're on in 3…"

She rubbed her lips together and cupped her hands on the table.

"…2…"

Slowly a smile formed on her heart-shaped lips.

"1."

"Hello and welcome! As you all know today is the today it all begins. The start of the 70th Hunger Games!"

As if anticipating applause he stopped, though there was no in-person audience present he nodded out of habit and gave a quick chuckle.

"Today I'm sitting with someone who has filled the streets of the Capitol with her beauty and poise, a Victor of the Hunger Games, and probably one of the most well known faces in Panem history…Pandora Sullivan."

Pandora nodded politely, "Thank you, Caesar. It's great to be here."

"For days now Panem has been going crazy with the anticipation of this year's reaping…"

"Yes, it's always interesting to see the contenders," Pandora swiftly responded, "And I know how nerve racking it can be for the ones chosen…believe me."

"Oh I do," Caesar winked at the camera before continuing, "But you'll agree the atmosphere just becomes so much more magical when the Hunger Games are going on?"

Her first instinct was to grimace but she kept her façade up. Inside she felt nauseous. She was remembering her arena, her other Tributes, her pain…nothing was magical about it.

"Yes, it's thrilling, Caesar. The games are a good incentive for the youth of Panem to gain not only honor for their District, but also their family and lineage. It may be a difficult experience, but a rewarding one as well."

She hated herself immediately for saying all these lies.

"Now before we get started, you and Finnick Odair have been dating for some time, is that correct?"

"Caesar!" she pretended to be shy, it wasn't hard to morph her anger into bashfulness for the cameras.

"Come now, we're all friends here."

She let out a laugh and nodded charmingly, "Yes, Caesar. We have been for some time."

"Now, I just have to know. When are you leaving him for me?"

A few of the cameramen started smiling, they were eating up every minute of this exchange. Pandora continued to laugh too, but in her eyes there was an edge.

"Well, you know I don't discuss my personal life."

Caesar chuckled and gave her shoulder a nice pat before leaning onto the table, "Alright, alright…I get the hint. It's hard to compete with one of the youngest Victor's in Hunger Games' history, and one that's so handsome."

Pandora smiled, though truthfully she wanted to get up and leave. It was the beginning of the viewing and interview and she was already done.

"No more joking around! Let's get to all the good stuff. The Reapings are the first traditional step in the Hunger Games. It's the time where we give one female and male the opportunity to compete in the arena for their home District. Now throughout history we've seen Tributes of all shapes, sizes, and stamina picked and it always a wonder to watch. So without further ado let's get started, shall we!?"

Pandora could feel her nails digging in her palms. She cleared her throat timidly. If she didn't continue to smile she would fall apart.

The viewing started backward. District 12 was up first. Both Tributes looked underfed and shell shocked.

Pandora stared at the screen with repressed sadness.

Her District was painful. She nervously leaned forward, wondering if Dash's name would be called. President Snow had promised that none of her siblings would be reaped but she didn't know if that was a lie or not. Familiar faces dotted the screens. Frankly she wanted to see her brother in the crowd, to see his beautiful face, to see how much he had grown. Her heart hurt at the mere of idea of this.

When the screen finally did go black she could feel adrenaline rushing through her veins.

Around District 6 Caesar started in again.

"Now, look at that—" He pointed to the male Tribute from 6 with his pen and laughed.

The boy was smiling, he was actually smiling. It was shocking for Pandora to see someone from an outlying District so happy.

"That is a boy that looks like he deserves to win, don't you think?"

"You better watch out for him, he might charm all of Panem when the opening ceremonies start," Pandora swiftly added, trying to regain some of the composure she had lost.

"Quite right!" Caesar exclaimed with a slap of the knee and hardy laugh.

District 4 was coming up.

Her back straightened. She hadn't seen Finnick in a week, it felt like an eternity. Caesar corner-eyed her, as if he knew what her reaction would be.

"Onto District 4!"

The screen changed.

The familiar steps Pandora had once given a speech on came into view. The crowd of children anxiously waited. District 4 was a Career District, it wasn't uncommon for someone to volunteer, but it seemed that this time around no one was going to.

Her eyes searched the background for Finnick. After a brief second she could see him standing near the doors. His face looked grave and cool.

The names were being picked. First was the male. He was stalky with wild looking hair and small eyes. He didn't look like he'd last very long in the arena to be honest.

Second came the female.

Her hair was long and dark. When the cameras did a close up of the two Tributes, Pandora noticed that the girl's eyes were the same shade of green as Finnick's. The Capitol representative said her name was Annie Cresta.

"Some promising Tributes we have there," Caesar slowly said to the cameras.

After a brief second Pandora tore her eyes away from the screens and smiled at Flickerman. She was glad that he didn't say anything more about District 4 or Finnick.

The viewing continued on this way. Though when it came to District 1 and 2 Pandora found that she was less empathic, a tinge of sadness lingered at the back of her throat. As usual there were volunteers, older and stronger volunteers. They cheered with the crowd as they jumped onstage to receive more applause.

When the screen went black, Pandora leaned into the chair and turned her face to Caesar. He was already revving up to speak again.

"Wow! What a crew!"

Her eyes widened. She needed to play along, to say something, but suddenly she was tongue-tied, "Uh—yes—some promising Tributes, of course we won't know how promising till the ceremonies start."

Pandora's ears perked up to the roar of the crowd on the streets. They were fueled and ready for the games. She could hear them cheering through the thick walls of the building, it was so loud it made the floor hum.

Her eyes shifted to the cameras.

From the shadows of the pressroom Pandora could see the silhouette of the Head Gamemaker, Artorius Flemming, he was up next for an interview. A small bit of relief filled her, at least her time was almost over.

"Pandora—"

"Yes, Caesar?"

"As a Victor, and, obviously, a previous Tribute. What do you think are captivating attributes for the winner of the Hunger Games?"

She licked her lips and delicately tilted her head, "Honestly, I think it has nothing to do with brawn or strength. It's about speed. It's about resourcefulness and, most importantly, likeability. No one wants to root for a Tribute that is smug or cowardly, after all."

Pandora wanted to die, she was reminding herself of Catia Lawson.

"Well, I'm sure we can expect all of that this year!" Caesar cooed, "Pandora, thank you for your time."

She held out her hand, letting him kiss it before she smiled, "No, Caesar, thank you."

Her smile vanished as soon as she was in the darkness. Her eyes twitched to Artorius Flemming, he was drinking some kind of tonic, no doubt spiked with booze. As he caught her gaze he lifted his glass and greeted her with a silent nod.

She replied with a reserved smile.

The mobs outside were still cheering as she moved through the corridors and down the steps.

"Ready?" Adric asked as he stood to his feet. He had been waiting near the foyer.

Her face was drench in stoic irritation, "I don't know what you're up to."

"I'm up to nothing, just follow me."

Once outside she had to cup her hand over her ears. The crowd was so loud it was painful. Adric quickly grabbed her wrist when he saw that she was slowing down. A few pedestrians tried to grab at her, but they quickly staggered back when they noticed Adric's officer uniform and gun.

He opened the car door up for her but she didn't move.

"I'd rather walk."

"Are you serious? You'll be jumped…"

Her eyes narrowed. She clenched her jaw and shoved past him, climbing into the car. All she wanted was to be left alone, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.

Her fingers slowly traced the glass windows. She wondered what Finnick was doing right now. Probably introducing himself to the Tributes, already working on their game plan. Butterflies whirled in her stomach. She just wanted him to come back already.

"That was good show you put on up there."

Her glance moved to Adric, her head leaned onto the seat, "At least I'm good at something, even if it is deception."

He smiled and looked away, "Don't be sad, Finnick will be back tonight."

"I wasn't thinking about—"

"Yes, you were."

She parted her lips, trying to disguise her startled reaction.

"You're prying, Adric,"she managed after a long pause.

"I prefer the word thoughtful."

"I'm sure you do."

Again, he grinned.

"So where are we going?"

"The PSO."

"If this is some kind of joke?"

"No, it's not a joke."

Her eyes dissected him. "I'm not in the mood for this."

"You're never in the mood for anything."

She waited for a few heartbeats to speak. Her eyes peered outside then to the front of the car. Suddenly she could feel every part of her body. Nerves were buzzing, her head felt dizzy.

"Why will I owe you one?"

"It was just an expression, Pandora. I think you can live the rest of your life knowing that you don't owe me anything. Not after everything that you've been through," his voice seemed to cut off at the final words, he cautiously looked to the driver.

Adric was a well-trained soldier. He was good at remaining indifferent and reserved, but underneath it Pandora knew that Adric Pedersen remembered every nasty thing she had ever said to him. She clenched her jaw, recalling how angry she was when she told him that she hated him the night at the Military Ball.

Her eyes dropped.

Not after everything you've been through

Adric's words replayed over and over.

She wished that were true. The terrible truth was that she owed a lot of people. There was a burden on her shoulders and it grew larger and larger everyday.

"Tell me something, Adric."

"Hm?"

"How did you get to be the way you are?"

He corner-eyed her, "How do you mean?"

"I've met your father a few times. Each time he has been very unpleasant, prickly even. How is that you smile so much? Are you that delusional?"

"You're asking me why I'm not more like my father?"

"Is that a strange question to ask? It seems to me that you should be. After all you did follow his profession."

He crossed his arms, uncomfortable at the fact that Pandora had mentioned his father.

"Now who's prying?"

"At least I admit I'm prying."

His eyes moved to the window, "I didn't have much choice of career, Pandora. I was born into being a soldier. However, if you're asking me why I'm not more like my father, I guess I'd reply with one question. How do you know?"

"What?"

"You don't know my father, you hardly enjoy speaking to me…how do you know I'm not—what was the word you used?—prickly and elitist like my father?"

She furrowed her brow, "You're not."

"No?" Without a smile he shrugged, "Perhaps I'm only nice to you."

"I hardly think that's true."

He pulled his cap off and neatened his electric blond hair. Slowly a disguised smile formed on his face, "Careful, Pandora, it almost sounds like you're complimenting me."

Quickly she turned away. Her fingers traced the hem of her skirt.

"I never used the word elitist," she whispered after a short silence.

"I know. I decided to add that on, seemed appropriate. Why do you think he hates you so much?"

"He hates me?"

"Don't tell me you're surprised."

Suddenly she wondered why she was getting caught up in this conversation. Of course General Pedersen would hate her, she wasn't a Capitol elite pureblood, not even close. She was just some grimy girl from District 7 who was stupid enough to sign her life away to a mad man. General Pedersen had to know the deal President Snow had made with her so long ago. Quickly she remembered his judging gaze and pallid skin, the memory sent shivered through her body.

They were pulling in front of the PSO building. Before the car came to a full stop Adric opened the door and waved for Pandora to follow. She slowly obeyed, cautious of where he was taking her.

Although she knew that it couldn't be a terrible surprise her mind was still spinning. With every turn they took and corridor they meandered down her eyes anxiously peered around. She was looking for any clues or signs, of course there were none to be found.

Adric was walking vigilantly. Pandora noticed that he seemed guarded and attentive. His eyes darted around, his steps were slow. It was strange, almost as if he was trying to slip through the hallways unnoticed.

After many different levels of clearance they reached the final elevator. One that Pandora had never been in. Throughout her whole year in the Capitol, every time Pandora went to the PSO she was only admitted onto the floor with Mironov's office. Now, with Adric, they were bypassing that floor. Her eyes gazed at the numbers changing above the door. They were going to the top most tiers of the building.

She was wringing her fingers and hands together so harshly that it hurt, but she ignored the pain, continuing to stare at the changing number.

"Don't be nervous," Adric whispered just as the doors opened.

The windowless corridor was cold. Unlike Mironov's floor everything was sealed off. There was no glass, only marble and steel. The doors seemed to be made of metal, with numbers painted on them.

"What are—what are we doing here?"

"I told you already."

Suddenly Pandora felt unnerved. She abruptly came to a stop and shook her head with wide eyes, "I—I don't know what this is. I don't want any part of it."

"Pandora," he calmly sang, "It's a good surprise."

"I don't believe you."

"Just—" he tried to reach out to her but she batted his hand away and stumbled back.

"No! Tell me!"

Her voice echoed.

Instantly he rushed to her cupped his hand over her mouth.

His glare was a warning, "Whisper, okay?"

He looked nervous, "You have to ruin everything don't you? What do you think I'm going to do to you? Kill you?"

Her eyes filled with instinctive fear at his words.

He furrowed his brow, insulted that she would even think he was serious.

"Pandora—please just trust me."

"I want you to tell me why I'm here. Is it because I'm a candidate?!"

She gasped, surprised at her own words. She should have never said that.

Adric took a step forward. His dark eyes studied her face with confusion and questions.

"What? What do you mean candidate?"

He didn't know. Truthfully she was surprised. Her eyes twitched from the floor to his face, "I don't—I don't know what I'm saying—"

"Look, if I tell you, will you just agree to follow me? You have to be quiet though, Pandora. I need you to."

She swallowed the dryness in her throat, looking up at Adric. She took in a breath, thinking over his proposal before replying.

"Yes," she agreed, "Yes, I will."

He smiled and loosened the top button of his uniform.

"I'm taking you to see your family."

Pandora let out a harsh gasp. Her hand covered her mouth. Her deep brown eyes shockingly froze on his face.

A single word caught in her throat and rattled her senses.

"How?!" she shouted with a whisper.