They took me from the room through another door that slid open behind us and half carried, half dragged me down a long white hall with no distinguishing features. I wanted to resist them, to fight back and in fact my mind was screaming for me to do so, but it was no use. My body could not react as I was too weak from the aftereffects of the drugs they had used on me and from the electric bracelet. At least my mind was somewhat alert now. Maybe it wasn't fully awake, but it was enough for me to piece together my thoughts on what the strange man had said. No. He wasn't just a strange man. I knew who he was or who he was trying to be. President Snow, ruler of Panem and creator of the Hunger Games. The title would be fitting for him, except he had taken the role just a bit further by kidnapping his tributes. Of course he had already taken this one step further by actually taking the book and making it a reality.
Reaching the end of the hall, I was forced into what looked like a circular elevator that had only enough room for myself and the two guards. Silently, a chrome door slid shut and the elevator began to move down with a speed that made me feel slightly weightless. Before I could adjust myself to the feeling, the elevator came to a halt and I was pushed out into an open, cement room just as the door was opening. The guards did not follow me as they rode the elevator back up to wherever we had come from and I was left alone in a place that reminded me of an empty warehouse. Only I wasn't alone. As my eyes adjusted to the dim lights of the room I could see the figures of eleven others who were with me, all of whom were clothed in a simple blue robe that barely reached their knees. Looking down, I realized that I wore the same thing and instantly knew who the others were. They had also been kidnapped by the man who thought himself as President Snow and they were the ones who must survive a game that they had once thought was only fiction.
I could see them looking at me as I was the last to arrive. Their eyes, which were made dark by the shadows, were filled with varying degrees of fear and disbelief. I knew I reflected those same feelings in my own eyes and I instantly felt connected with the eleven who stood there even though we had never previously met. We were the twelve taken from our families and removed from our normal lives without any warning. We were the twelve who must face those from the suddenly real Panem with no hope for rescue. No one knew we were here. No one knew that we were going to be forced to kill or be killed and no one will ever know.
As I stared at the faces of those with me, I was caught by one young man who stood nearly opposite from myself and I felt a sickening dread settle in my stomach. Despite several differences that made me question it, I recognized the young man's face and the realization of it caused my chest to clench painfully as my heart skipped a beat. Without even thinking I began to stumble towards him, breaking into a run as my fear gave me strength. He looked up when he heard me running and the look of shock and recognition on his face only confirmed my fears. We collided then and I wrapped shaking arms around him as I felt him do the same with me. Tears streamed down my face, but they were not from happiness as I now held my little brother who had also been captured for the Games.
I felt the others staring at us, but I ignored them as I took his head in my hands to study his features.
"Look at you." I whispered, my voice clogged. "What have they done to you?"
I ran a thumb over Justin's cheek, wiping away a tear as I traced a faint scar that had not been there before. One other scar marked his face, running from his newly sculpted right eyebrow to the edge of his hair line. Despite the sheen of sweat that covered him and the drained colour from his face, I saw that he had a deep tan that matched his dark, shaggy hair. I brushed away the hair that hung over his eyes, remembering when he had muddy blond hair instead and lighter skin. At least his eyes were still the same bright blue that matched my own, but that almost made it harder to accept what had happened to him.
"What have they done to you?" I asked again, this time feeling anger slip into my voice. They had taken Justin. They had taken my little brother for the Games.
Justin smiled slightly, but the expression did not reach his eyes as they suddenly seemed cold. He was just as angry to see me in this situation as I was to see him. Justin was always acting as if he were the older sibling by being overly protective. Of course being six feet of lean muscle also helped to establish him as the older brother type.
"What have they done to me?" Justin murmured, holding me by my shoulders. "What about you? I can hardly recognize you anymore."
About to answer, I was stopped by the sounds of grating, concrete doors opening around us, releasing a bright, white light that nearly blinded me. There were twelve doors, one for each of us, and from each opening emerged two guards who began taking us away one by one. As a pair of guards came for us, Justin quickly wrapped me in his arms, holding me tight for what could be the last time.
"Listen carefully, Emma." he whispered urgently as the others began to panic and cry out. "We can't recognize each other outside of this room. If they know that we are related somehow they will rip us apart. You have to survive this, Emma. Do you understand?"
I nodded against his shoulder just as I felt two guards grab me from behind. Instinctively my arms locked around him and I kissed his cheek, tasting the tears that ran down both our faces. "You have to survive this too." I told him, almost pleading. "Justin, you have to stay alive...Please."
Suddenly we were torn apart and dragged to two different doors that could likely separate us forever. Something clicked inside me as I watched them take Justin away and I began to struggle against the guards' grasps. The same thing happened with him, but by then it was too late as we were already taken through our doors. Breaking from his captors' grips, Justin lunged for his door just as it was closing.
"Don't fight them, Emma!" he yelled desperately. "Don't show them your fear!"
The guards released me as my door closed shut and I fell against it, feeling almost numb to everything that had happened. I could still hear the screams of the others as they were dragged away, but I no longer cared about them. They had taken my brother. The only one I would have given my life to protect. I shuddered, realizing that soon I might have to.
"Well, well, well." trilled a high pitched voice from behind me. "Aren't you a pretty little thing."
Slowly I turned against the door and met the gazes of three vibrantly dressed creatures standing over me, clasping their hands in delight. A woman with bright yellow hair and dressed in a form fitting blue dress, stood in the middle of the group, smiling widely and showing perfectly white teeth. Delicately, she took me by my hands and had me stand up before her so that she could wipe away my tears with a heavily scented handkerchief. The two by her sides, who looked to be two men, began circling me as if they were studying some rare creature.
"My name is Prema." the woman said with a flourish of her now damp handkerchief. "I will be your stylist for the Hunger Games. Come, precious. Let us prepare you for the opening ceremonies"
New York, New York:
"Hold on just a little longer." Alice Royal called out to her friends who stood in the middle of Time Square.
Carefully she aimed her smartphone at the three girls smiling and waving at her, positioning the camera app just right so that she could capture the Coca-Cola sign behind them. Satisfied at last, Alice lightly touched the screen and heard the responding animated snap as she took their picture. With a smile, she lowered her phone to view the finished product as her three friends gathered around, but the picture would not show. Suddenly her screen went black as well as every other screen in Time Square as if someone had thrown a switch, plunging the area in semi darkness. Instantly every person halted in what they were doing as they stared in confusion at their unresponsive phones or at the dead screens. Cars screeched to a halt and the sound of countless doors opening and shutting echoed all around them.
Within seconds of the sudden blackout, blue words began to appear on every screen that was present: "The World Is Watching."
After a moment the words blinked out and everyone was bathed in the bright light of the screens as they showed two men sitting behind a desk, narrating what looked like a parade.
Aurora, North Carolina:
Sally Price sat with her head held in her hands, wishing she could cry but knowing that she could not. She needed to stay strong, to stay aware of things and not turn into a complete mess. She could become a complete mess later when she was alone in her room with no one else to watch her. Her husband, David sat beside her, slowly rubbing her back as he conversed with the head of the Police Department over their two missing children.
It was one thing to have to see your only daughter be abducted and be unable to stop it. It was an entirely different thing to tell your husband and find out your son had been stolen as well on the same night no less. Sally almost couldn't comprehend it as only twelve hours beforehand she had been in New York and had two children. Now they were both gone and she couldn't understand why.
"I'm afraid we can't help you further, Mr. Price." said Chief Barker sadly. "The nature of your children's kidnapping has led us to submit the case to the FBI since it will more or less be something that involves a ransom. I wish we could do more, but it's better in their hands."
"I understand." David replied wearily. "Can you just...give us their number so we can keep in touch."
Chief Barker nodded and began writing down on a yellow sticky note when a young police officer entered the room. The officer leaned down and whispered in the Chief's ear who absently listened as he tore off the sticky note and handed it to David. Suddenly he straightened in his seat as something the officer said caught his attention.
"All the screens?" he questioned hoarsely.
The officer nodded and Chief Barker rose abruptly from his seat and swiftly left the room, followed by the officer. Sally and David were not far behind him as they entered the large main room of the police department. Everyone in there was silent as their attention was trained on several television sets that lined one wall, all of which held the same image. Music blared from the screens as what looked like twelve chariots pulled by horses were drawn out before cheering crowds. As two men kept up a lively banter on the parade, the camera shifted over the faces of the chariots' occupants. Gradually the line of chariots came to a halt around a towering building that held an open balcony lined with seated men and women wearing green and black robes.
After a moment the music fell silent and an older man dressed all in white stepped up to a stone podium to address the crowd.
"Welcome to the eighth annual Hunger Games!" He paused with satisfied smile, waiting for roaring crowd to settle down. "As you know, each year we take one male and female tribute from each district to compete for honour and glory and the chance for everlasting fame. This year was different as we had made the selection private up until now. May I introduce to you the brave young men and women who are this years tributes."
As the crowds cheered once more, the cameras zoomed in on each and every face, pausing just long enough for the audience to get a good look. Those in the police station shifted nervously as the faces passed, most showing teens who could barely contain their fear. When the cameras had reached the male tribute of District Four an audible gasp was heard and Sally stumbled towards the screens with David right behind her. Although he was different she had recognized him almost immediately. She had seen him in his eyes.
David rounded on the room, pointing towards the screen. "That was our son!" he shouted. "What the hell is our son doing there?!"
"In one week," continued the speaker. "Our tributes will enter the Games where only one can win."
"Oh my God." David spun around at the sound of his wife as the Police Department erupted into a frenzy and saw Sally staring at him with tears flowing down her face. Her hand was pressed against a screen even though the image had switched to the two happy narrators as they expressed their feelings over the opening ceremonies.
"David, I saw her." she whimpered. "They have Emma too."
The Pentagon:
"Find out what the hell is going on!" ordered the Secretary of Defence, Roger Wilson. "Now! Before we lose the connection!"
The tech room at the Pentagon was in absolute chaos as each screen portrayed what could be the greatest threat the United States had ever faced. The Hunger Games. Wilson stared grimly out over it all, struggling to stay calm. Several calls had come in when the tributes were shown, each claiming that on tribute or another was a family's missing child. The last had come in for both the District 4 boy and the District 12 girl. Siblings, captured on the same day just hours before. In all honesty, Wilson knew exactly how these families felt as he had recognized the District 9 tribute as his daughter. He had known it was her as soon as he saw her wide, terrified eyes.
"Do we have their signal yet?!" He barked out over the noise.
"No, sir." replied a technician that stood next to him. "Something is blocking it, but this block is different. We can't breach it, sir. It's not even encoded."
"Just break through the damn thing." Wilson responded gruffly, feeling his face flush. "We need to find wherever they are so we can get everyone ho-"
His words died out before he could even complete them as the screens began to flicker, causing the images to look distorted.
"H-Happy Hunger-ger Games-Games." jittered an announcer with slick blue hair. "And ma-ay t-the odds be-e ever in your-your fav-or..."
"May the odds be ever in your favour." agreed a gravelly voice as the screens went black.
Suddenly the man in the white suit appeared, smiling from every available screen as the room grew absolutely silent. Gripping the platform's railing, Wilson leaned out towards the closest screen as he studied every single detail about the man. This was the one who had stolen his daughter. This was the man he was going to hunt down. A woman stepped up behind him and silently handed him a slip of paper with a message written on it: Connection lost. Recording.
"You must know by now that twelve of your own have been selected to compete in the Hunger Games." said the man. "They will be set against twelve of my own-"
New York, New York:
"-Where they must fight to survive or otherwise be killed. Only one can win. You cannot find them. You cannot save them."
Vancouver, Canada:
"When the Games begin the whole-"
Berlin, Germany:
"-World-"
Hong Kong, China:
"-Will-"
London, Great Britain:
"-Be-"
Aurora, North Carolina:
"-Watching."
The Pentagon:
"You said that it could not be done. You said that this will never happen and so now, every year, there will be the Hunger Games. Every year twelve more of your own will be selected to compete...Let the Hunger Games begin!"