Please review!
The Hunger Games
I woke up feeling groggy and unrested. My limbs felt heavy and my head pounded. This was not good. I would not be happy if I was still feeling this shit when the gong rang, it might cost me my life.
The silent servants handed me a soft fluffy dressing gown which I flung over the lacy underwear I wore for bed last night. I slipped into some slippers and was led out of my room.
I looked across the hall and saw Theo just about to leave his room too. I sneak him a smile, and he grins back before I am rushed into the glass elevator.
Stood at the entrance were Alexandria and Brutus and May. They all looked as though they had been up for a while.
Alexandria gives me a rare smile and wishes me good luck. She looked as though she wanted to say more but how can she quickly help me go over my training in these final moments?
Brutus comes forward and clasps my arm, giving me a respectful nod. That is probably the most sentimental thing Brutus is capable of.
May just squeals and gets excited, bouncing up and down and pulling me into a surprisingly strong hug. I stand stoic and glare at her until she releases me.
We go down below the training floor and open up to a cockpit. 4 hovercrafts wait, ready to escort the tributes to the arena. Amelie waits outside the closest one and rushes over to me with a teary smile. I grin back at her, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
She looked like she had been up for hours.
Amelie took me from the Avoxes and helped me up into the Hovercraft. We walked quickly through the enormous hangar and into a small sitting room. There were plush chairs and a coffee table, covered with a bounty of breakfast foods. A coffee machine stood on a cabinet.
Amelie walked off to make us both a hot chocolate while I helped myself to as much food as I could. There would be easily accessible food in the arena from being a career, but nothing that tastes anywhere near as good as the food from the Capitol. And with my new metabolism I seem to be constantly starving.
I eat about half of the buffet before we set off. An orderly comes just as we take off and her purple hair contrasts with her white lab coat.
She injects the tracker into my and I watch in awe as it flashes beneath my flesh. I push hard onto it to see if it hurts, it doesn't but I leave a small bruise. The orderly also hands me a pink colourful pill.
"What does this do?" I ask in curiosity before popping it into my mouth.
"It stops your period sweetie. Not forever, don't worry. If you win, we give you another pill to start it up again. It's the same with the boys mostly. Stops them getting a bit sexually excited, stops facial hair and things like that!" she said in a sweet voice.
I didn't like the thought of my periods stopping, being afraid that it might not start up again. And I was due within the next few days. But I guess it did make sense, was a bit disgusting to watch someone change a tampon and horny boys don't make for a good killing show.
Amelie tries to make conversation but soon stops trying, knowing I'm not in the mood to talk. I guess she thinks it may be because I am nervous, but in fact I am bottled up with excitement I can barely contain myself.
I was going to a launch room and I would be the only tribute to ever go inside. And then the Games would begin and my dream would become a stark reality. All that hard work training and fighting and sacrificing… and I am finally here.
My sister would be proud.
The Capitol whizzes past underneath us like a blur, and then so do some of the districts. To my disappointment I don't spot District 2. I watch the sun rise and the sky go from a deep, relentless black to a soft warm blue glow. We go past a grey looking district and then all of a sudden the windows go black.
We are in temporary darkness before lights flicker on. This process has been explained to me time and time again. The shutters come down because we are nearing the arena.
Amelie smiles at me with apprehension. "It's nearly time Olivia. You ready?" I nod eagerly, and gulp down the water she passes me.
I think to how my family would be reacting to this. They would all have been up for hours. My mother making a huge breakfast to try calm her churning nerves in her stomach. My father would have gone for a walk to clear his head. Emerald and Ruby would still be in bed, pretending to be asleep, not wanting today to arrive. And my brother Alec. Well he would be going about the house making sure everyone is okay. Helping mother with breakfast. Lacing up fathers boots. Dressing Ruby and Emerald. Doing anything he can to distract himself of what would happen within the next few hours.
And then there are my friends who are undoubtedly rooting for me. My trainer Annabeth would have already taken somebody on by now, but I know her attention will be focused on me, watching the screens in the training centre instead of watching some other girls aim. The ginger twins, Riley and Ryder. My fellow trials survivors, Cherry and Lolita, dying with envy. And the two other 18 year old girls who managed to get permission before I did. My friend Paris, who was horribly disfigured during the street trial after she tried to steal some bread and someone threw acid onto her is now strongly against the games. I assume she is steeling herself for the worst: that I won't return. And if I do, she will not talk to me ever again.
Most people in District 2 will avoid me when I return. I would be glorified, and being a victor makes people nervous. So many go through the trials but never make it to the Games and even fewer win.
I would be revered from a distance.
I take a nap to try refresh myself and wake up two hours later to Amelie shaking me. We had arrived.
We are escorted by some peacekeepers and I feel a sudden pang of homesickness. I know some of these soldiers came from District 2 and got the best promotion possible. They walk me down but they don't seem to be guarding me, knowing that any volunteer would want to be here. There would be no attempting escape from me.
There was a deafening hum in the chambers I was walking through. I could barely hear myself think. There were wide caverns full of discarded equipment and empty cages that once held mutts. And then there was a pristine white corridor that circled round. The Launch Rooms.
I follow Amelie into the Launch Room which was mine. On the door was 'District Two Tribute: OLIVIA BELLONA' embossed in marble. I stroked the material gently and I was ushered in.
This room was even more simplistic than the hovercraft. Simple white leather couches. White walls and white carpet. A chrome tube stood at the end of the room with flashing blue lights and a clear glass door. The tube to take me into the arena. A white door stood to the left and when I looked in I saw a small bathroom. The sink was full of beauty products.
Amelie told me to have a nice long shower; we still had two hours until the games begun.
I felt the hard beat of water on my back pleasant and relaxing. This would be one of the last luxuries I have before I am shipped off into the Games. I hope it won't be the last luxury ever.
I absorb some of the water; storing it within me should I need it later on.
I wash myself with berry smelling soaps and shampoos, vigorously washing myself. I removed every speck of dirt off my body until I was pink and raw.
The cold air stung my skin as I emerged, and wrapped in a towel I met Amelie in the sitting room.
The outfit for the Games had been delivered in a blue bag. The bag laid discarded on the floor and the items of clothing were neatly set out on the coffee table while Amelie examined them carefully.
"What are you doing?" I ask as I move towards her on the sofa.
She looks up from her work. "I'm just trying to see what conditions these clothes are made for. But I seriously cannot gauge anything sweetheart, you're gonna have to go in knowing nothing! These are just like regular clothes to go into town hun!" I looked at her in surprise, and then examined the clothes set out below.
I slipped on some black cotton pants and a bra. I wasn't given an undershirt. And something that confused me. I had to wear a pair of gold and black fishnet tights, dark acid stained short shorts that were ripped, and a crop top made of thick dark blue velvet, the colour of my eyes prior to the games, and included three quarter sleeves. Some socks to go over my tights and some boots. I was disappointed to see that they weren't made for running, a cool burgundy colour and were extremely comfy. I was handed a coat which reached my mid-thigh and was a dark grey. I put it on and found it was surprisingly warm. It had large lapels and buttons. A belt wrapped around the waist. I had a pair of sunglasses that were tinted really dark and were completely circular, with a thin wire frame.
"What is this?!" I ask in disbelief, looking at myself in madness.
Amelie bites her lip and shakes her head. She has no idea what my outfit is supposed to do. They are supposed to protect from the elements we will be exposed to in the arena, to make us comfortable… not stylish!
Amelie walks out into the bathroom and returns with a makeup kit. I look at her with disbelief, my hair beginning to whip around me wildly in a fevered frenzy. What was happening? This was nothing like what had been explained to me. No makeup, no fancy outfit. Just a plain simple face; plain simple survival clothes. That was it.
Amelie quietly dabbed makeup onto my face, and I was horrified to see that my tattoos around my eyes had extended. I looked away quickly, not wanting to see how much of a freak I had become.
She dabbed away at my flaws covering them up, she threaded silver wire into my hair into small braids, and elongated my eyelashes. She then sprayed my face, to undoubtedly try to keep the makeup on during the remainder of the games.
Once she had finished she reached into her pocket and pulled out my district token.
I looked at it with a mix of longing and resentment. I slipped the macaroni necklace round my neck and wore it proudly.
Amelie smiled at me. "You look amazing. Right, so I've been able to think of some stuff for you. Those shoes you're wearing were very popular before Panem and the world went kapoot! Doc Martens I think. Very high fashion. And that's all I can get. You're clothes are meant to look good and style, not for comfort or survival." Amelie says, biting her lip. I shrug, I'll know in the next half hour.
I sip water while I listen to Amelie babble on about the bets for the tributes this year. Theo and I are both competing for the number one tribute being bet on, which I acknowledge with a hint of pride for District 2. This is how it should be.
A red light then begins to flash throughout the room, giving it an eerie feel. I give a nervous smile to Amelie and she pulls me into a tight hug.
"Good luck!" She whispers and I grin at her. My body coursing with energy I step into the glass tube and as I'm in it the glass door shuts behind me. Immediately I stop hearing the loud siren.
The platform began to rise and I felt my palms get sweaty and heart rate quicken. Was I ready for this? Was I capable? Would I be dead within the next hour? Would it be my face in the sky tonight? Would my body be returned to my family tomorrow? Or would I survive?
I watch as Amelie's face fades from agonizingly slowly as I rise and rise. And then I am thrown into darkness.
I feel as though I have been swallowed by the darkness. It is infinite. There is no light. I cannot tell if I am still rising on the platform or if I have stopped. Have I stopped? How long have I been down here?
And then there is brightness. I blink away at it and wait for my eyes to adjust to the surroundings. And what I see chills me to the bone.
Around me are my fellow 23 tributes. But it is not them I pay attention to.
Directly 200 ft ahead of me lay the glittering cornucopia, leaden with goods and weapons. I see the glittering array of knives and adjust my body to run towards there.
The countdown signals ten seconds have passed. We have 50 left.
We were on a playing field. It was large, extremely large, with white paint to mark a football pitch or hockey pitch. The grass was trimmed to perfection. Behind some tributes lay a small park, with a small swing set, seesaw and slide. And beyond that was a plethora of homes. Brightly pastel coloured homes. From my vantage point it seemed to be completely flat land around us. There was one estate of homes north and north east. East, south east and south seemed to house a shopping centre, streets of shops and restaurants. And to the west was a vast expense of fields and beyond that a single farmhouse.
30 seconds.
On my left stood Cosmo the Cyclops, the boy who was previously blind. Once again I feel a hint of pity for him as I watch him gulp in his surroundings. On my right stood Cain, the boy who volunteered for his little brother. His mutation 'Death Mist' was contained in a berry which he obviously hadn't eaten yet. He looked like he was about to be sick.
5 people down on my left stood Theo, who was luckily positioned next to India. He nods at me, and I smile.
My other career allies lay scattered far away from me, which puts me off a bit. Cinder is two people down on my right and I feel a sudden urge to rip out her throat. I calm down these thoughts. There is a blood bath to get through.
10 seconds.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
The gong rings and everyone is a blur of motion. I hear my heart thud loud in my ears as I push my body forward as fast as I can. Electra whizzes past and is in the cornucopia in minutes. I see her looking through the rack of knives, and I push myself harder. No, she was not going to take a single one of my beauties.
That water from the shower really did the trick. My legs with their new found strength, added with a buzz of energy pushed me faster than I have ever moved before. The wind stings my skin and my coat flaps out around me. I ignore it all.
I'm at the cornucopia. The only other person there is Electra. She took too long looking for supplies. The water from her canister bursts out and drenches her, momentarily blinding her. This gives me the distraction I need. I fly over, grabbing a knife from her belt and plunge it into her chest. Her stark blue eyes lock onto mine as I fling her doomed body to the ground.
I tear off my coat and grab a long sword. This would be more efficient than a knife in a battle like this.
I jump back into the fray, but remembering my plan I don't look for victims.
Other tributes arrive at the cornucopia. Felicity swoops in and kicks me in the head, grabbing a backpack on the way out. I contemplate throwing my sword but at the speed she's going I know I would miss. And plus, good for her diving straight in to get good supplies, I'm almost proud of her kicking me in the head.
Iowan arrives next, and I quickly throw him my sword. He nods gratefully. I know I don't need to distract the careers, they know the plan, the 'ruse' for the four girls. Instead of distracting them from the girls I ask Clio to watch which direction they head off to. She nods and we leap back into the battle.
I grab a handful of knives and leave the cornucopia. I scan the survivors. I watch in anger as I see District 11, Black Berry rush off into the town leaden with 3 backpacks. I chase after him slowly and then, with all the strength I possess I throw the knife and it hits him in the back of his neck, sinking in hilt deep.
Before I can admire my handiwork a tribute barges past me, sword in hand. In his haste he cuts my arm, and to my horror my blood is thick and congealed.
I yell in anger and charge after the boy. He turns around in surprise, but it quickly turns into anger, and desperation.
It was Kinglsey. Oh dear god Iowan would be jealous. I grin at him with malice and a little bit of sadistic joy. I relished in it. He poised, ready to fight. And without warning I leaped at him, slashing at his face with my two remaining knives. He cried out in pain and tries to trot away on his little goat legs but I punch him in the face, dazing him.
To my dismay he wriggled out from me and kicked me in the side of the head with one of his hooves.
Pain burst from the back of my eyes and I was helpless as Kingsley loomed over me, ready to kill me. I didn't close my eyes, accepting my fate. I stared him down, daring him to end me.
He never did. Theo swooped in, his wings bringing darkness and death instead of sunlight that burned behind them. Kingsley attempted to slash at Theo, but he was too quick. He grabbed him under the arms and flew as high up as he could with Kingsley struggling from his grasp. And when he was high enough, he dropped Kingsley like a sack of potatoes.
He landed two feet away from me, his body in a broken, disjointed position. He was still twitching when I got up and left.
"Was India and the girls okay?" I ask, breathless as Theo and I run back into the cornucopia to restock weapons.
"Yeah, saw where they went too. Tell you later." And then he was off, picking up stragglers that had managed to escape and dropping them from impossible heights.
I rush out the entrance, prepared to continue the battle, but almost everyone had gone. Bodies littered the ground, and most of my allies were still locked in combat. Iowan was wrestling with someone, so I quickly jogged over there and slit the tributes throat, her blood gushing onto Iowan. It was Shape-shifter Leone from 5. He glared at me and trotted forward, crushing the girls' skull in his anger, but I just shrugged. One more to the kill list.
Sunshine was sat on the grass, singing softly to the dwarf, Jonas from District 3. I see Pisces locked in combat with Hart, who had shifted into half wolf and decided against helping him. Maybe they will kill each other.
I approach Sunshine and listen in on what she is singing. Her voice was beautiful, but she was singing about death, destruction, pain, illness, anything that would give a normal person nightmares. The boy seemed completely entranced.
"Hand me your knife." Sunshine quickly snaps at me. Surprised, I hand it over and watch in horror as she hands it to Jonas. He is crying now, snot dribbling down his little face. He raises the knife, and holds it there.
Sunshine stops singing.
The only sound after that was the sound of his bloodcurdling screaming as he plunged the knife into his own chest.
I look at Sunshine, revolted. She smiles sweetly at me, obviously not thinking how terrible that was.
I quickly walk away from her and sit in the cornucopia. Clio and Iowan are already seated, knowing there is no one else to fight.
Theo shortly joins us, his hands stained with blood. He would have looked completely deadly if it weren't for that little smile playing on his mouth. I couldn't help but return it, and soon all four of us are boasting about our kills.
And then Sunshine comes and interrupts us.
"Pisces is dead and Hart is getting away."
We all leap up and rush out of the horn to see Hart's fading figure race across the field, through the deserted park and into the suburbs.
The fighting obviously over, the gongs ring. 8 cannons signal 8 deaths in the bloodbath. A fair amount, but there were still 15 people left for me to kill. Theo among them.
Clio only managed to get one kill, Webster the boy with shrinking potion from 6 by impaling him with a trident from his mouth.
Iowan got one, but as he has reminded us about a hundred times, he could have handled Leone. He managed to take down Cameo the Minotaur from 12, which impressed me a little considering how bulky he was.
Theo took down Kingsley and Cosmo, both by lifting them up and dropping them. But Cosmo apparently stood back up and shook himself, walking away.
"It doesn't count technically, but I killed him if he was human!" he said with a smile. I punched him in the shoulder, which earned me a wounded look.
Sunshine only got Jonas, holding him hostage until she could sing to him in private. She looked her normal self, overly pretty, but a bit too happy considering when I first met her she was the epitome of misery.
And then Pisces was brutally ripped apart my Hart. I almost feel guilty for not helping him out, and shake my head. No. I cannot go soft, not here. He is dead and that means I am one step closer to home.
And I got the most kills. 3, not a lot but more than some, which I was proud to admit.
Iowan was positively fuming when he discovered that Kingsley was dead and he had no part in it. He then wandered over to where the body lie. I dreaded what he might do, but what I saw was even more sick. He actually shat onto Kingsley's dead body, and then with his hooves smeared it all in.
"You are disgusting." I say, trying hard not to gag. He gives me a wounded look and I think from then on never to piss him off.
We go towards the bodies and pick up the weapons that have ended them, or some supplies they might have gotten. To my dismay I saw that each tribute was dressed similarly to me, in fashion clothes. There was one boy in flipflops, no wonder he couldn't make his escape.
I order our group to collect up a few weapons and we head to the park to allow the hovercraft to come down and lift up the bodies.
We wait ten minutes and still no hovercraft. I almost order everyone to move further back when one of the bodies I had assumed dead, jumped up and ran into the cornucopia and then sped off.
We watched in amazement as the little figure of Oscar blurred out of sight and into the town.
"That little cunt!" Iowan spat, and before I could help myself my hand was up and speeding towards his face. The impact stung my hand, but nothing on Iowans face, leaving a bright red stain on his cheek.
"I hate that word." I growl menacingly.
He glared at me, suddenly furious. He stopped his hooves and flicked his tail, ready to charge at me.
"Now now, you wouldn't want to do that now Iowan, would you?" I ask tauntingly, slowly twirling a knife between my fingers.
Before either of us strike, the hovercraft appears to collect the bodies with their giant claws. To my disgust I see that Pisces is collected in several little pieces. Clio looks like she is about to throw up so I soothingly pat her back to calm her down. That seems to do the trick,
According to my internal clock it seems to be around 1, so I order everyone back and Sunshine offers to make something for lunch.
I quietly ask everyone to talk loudly about random stuff and make as much noise as they can while I pull Theo towards the back of the cornucopia. My allies nod, knowing what I am asking and that I will tell them if I have the chance. But I know I have to watch what I say in case their mentors manage to get word to their tributes.
"So where are they set up for the night?"
"First house in the estate, the pink one with a purple roof." I nod, looking over there.
"Can they hear us? I tried but I can barely make out anything, not when I'm this thirsty."
He strains to listen. "They can hear people talking, but they aren't sure about what exactly everyone is talking about. Cotton wants them to leave us, but India is the one that is keeping them all there. They are going to set up a plan, to discern whether we're faithful or not. If not we die." He said matter-of-factly. And then his eyes go wide in terror and he grabs my arm. "Who did this to you?" he asks, furious. I pull my arm away from him cautiously.
"It was Kingsley Theo, it's alright. Some water and it will heal nicely." I say, smiling at him, almost afraid of another outburst.
He nods in thought. "I should have made him suffer more." I laugh as though he is joking, but I know he is not.
"Theo..." I say before he walks off.
"Yes?"
"I'm glad you're not dead." I say with a small smile. He grins back at me and ducks out of the cornucopia.
Why did he care so much that Kingsley had cut me? He knew first-hand how easily I could heal, and plus we talked about being just friends. He was being over protective, and if he couldn't control himself he might die because of me, and that is a terrible thing to do. The worst thing possible to commit in the games. Killing your own district partner was completely disgraceful. The only situation it was acceptable in was the final two.
The other districts were the enemies, not us.
And I was going to do anything and everything in my power to make sure it was either him or me that won. Any other victor was unthinkable. I couldn't explain it, and maybe that was what he was thinking too. That the world would be a different, horrible place if he or I were not in it.