"After interest in the Games drops to an all time low, President Snow is determined to regain the once amazing popularity. Twelve tributes. One 'arena.' And one game-changing twist. Welcome to the 80th Hunger Games, the Rebirth."
~ The Rebirth Games ~
Chapter Three:
Hello
The scent of soft vanilla soothes my nostrils as my eyes begin to open. I find myself sprawled across thick blue bedsheets. When I look around, I instantly recognize where I am. The vibration of the floor. The swift sound of wheels racing across the tracks. When I stand up to look out the window, I know that I was right. The train glides across a steady bridge towering above a large cliffside of some sorts.
I watch as choppy waves crash against the rocky landscape and fall back down like avalanches. The sea extends out into the distance and seemingly never ends. I know where I'm heading, and my sleep felt like the last time I could get before all this Games madness begins. I'm heading to the Capitol.
The sky is tainted with a carbon black shade. Whatever happened in that Justice Building was just a mere few hours ago. Upon walking towards the shut door, I notice that I'm clothed differently. Now I wear sheets of grey material and I can almost blend in with the walls. I open the door slowly and peer both ways down the hall. Lines of blocked doorways all guide to a single gigantic one at the end. I step outside, tiptoe slowly and brace myself for anyone to jump out behind a door at any second. But all remains calm.
I want answers. I need answers. And I will get them.
Reaching the end of the hall, I press my palm against the door and it zips open in a flash. The next room is filled with a long desk filled with chairs, completely covered with exquisite foods. Finnick stands in front of me, sipping on a china cup with a slice of chocolate cake in his hand. He sniggers, resting both down onto the table in front of him.
"Take whatever you can eat."
"Where is Maris?"
"And who exactly is Maris?" he asks me.
"You know who," I say. "Where is she?"
Finnick laughs. "I have no idea who you're talking about. You should take a glass of the punch." He waves his hand across the room to the gigantic glass bowl filled with a cherry red liquid. "It takes splendid."
"You know something about her. Why was she screaming in my face in the Justice Building?" I ask.
Finnick sighs, gingerly stepping forward. I try to walk back but the door slides shut behind me. I tap on it, trying to open it back up, but it doesn't make a budge.
"Honestly, I don't know. I lied to you a second ago because I didn't want you to think there was any sort of bigger picture here.."
"Well that just makes you seem more suspicious," I say.
"Oh, you see?" he calls out loudly. "Look Danix. You're a bright young lad. You can start believing in your crazy theories or I could, you know, start preparing you for the Games."
"Maris would never say anything like that to me for no reason!" I snap. But his voice rings louder.
"I don't care! After all, in just a few days, Snow is going to throw whatever he has planned right at you! And if you keep yapping on like this, you're just going to fall and crumble once you reach the arena!"
I take a single step forward. "Fine. Prepare me. Tell me what you need to do."
Finnick smirks and drops down onto the plush sofa near him. "Take a seat."
I sit down beside him, trying not to open up to him too much. Especially not after what happened earlier. I can't. At least not for now. At least not until he opens up to me. He picks up the remote from the glass table in front of him and presses a red button. A holographic image appears just a few meters in front of us. An image of the District 1 Justice Building.
"The other tributes," he says as a zoom in shows a tall, muscular man. He has short, spiked black hair. His tight grey tank top only makes his thick muscles bulge even more.
"Igneous Vullup from District 1. I was speaking to Gloss, his mentor, over a holographic transmition about an hour ago. He says he seems deadly but brainless."
"Sounds like my kind of guy," I joke, Finnick chuckling. Yes. Crack him up with so many jokes that he thinks I've forgotten the last two minutes already..
The image cuts to the another guy, except he's much more slender. He has his arms crossed, his eyebrows arched and a wicked grin on his face. Already, I don't like the looks of him. He seems like a psychotic murderer.
"Apparently his name is 'Obedience.' His parents are clearly affected by the Capitol lifestyle," says Finnick. I can't even hold it in. I just burst out laughing. Obedience. And before I ask for the surname, an image of a girl pops up. But she doesn't look buff or murderous. No, she looks innocent. I can't tell for sure, but she looks about five and a half feet tall. Her blonde hair swirls over her shoulders and drapes down in curtains. Her face seems somewhat pale, but her pink lips certainly give off a gorgeous glow.
I'm too distracted by her that I just hear a mumble from Finnick's mouth. Her white shirt is tucked into her blue dress so scruffily, but I can't help but find the naturality so attracting.
"Why are you leaned forward?"
I can hear Finnick's voice loud and clear. And just like he said, I am leaning forward. I quickly fall back against a cushion behind me.
"I'll repeat it again.. Her name is Trenlea Wrinn from District 3.. Probably a weakling. She's going to be a bloodbath victim for sure." Despite my feelings for her, I know what Finnick said is probably true. I can't help from feel pain from her. She looks like a nervous wreck, and from a long camera view, I can still see her slightly shaking.
"Thank god we don't have tribute partners," I say. "That way we don't have to get close to one another before we're forced to kill each other."
"About that.." Finnick whispers, a somewhat unsettled tone to his voice. I stare at him straight in the eyes. "What do you mean?"
He points towards the opposite end of the room to a whole new door. A door that I haven't noticed yet. "Through there. The last room on the left." A wave of distrust washes through me. I'm ready for someone to grab me and inject me with another syringe behind the door. Or I'm ready for Finnick to do it himself. I'm not fearful. No, I've got my shield up. I'm prepared for him.
I rise out of my seat, glare right at him as he watches the rest of the tributes on the hologram. I cautiously walk towards the door, it opens up and there's nothing but a dark hallway. When I step inside, it slams to a close behind me.
Never has a walk felt so long before. Door after door, but I can so clearly see the end just meters in front of me. And that's when I see a faint glow up ahead on the right. It can't be whatever Finnick wanted me to see; that was on the left and at the end. I reach the light spreading across the floor and push open the ajar door. I instantly see helmetless Peacekeepers, males and females huddled around, sipping on mugs.I hear a quiet muffled voice of some sort. A cry? A plead for help? Or is it someone laughing? Whatever it is, one of the Peacekeepers frowns at me and slams the door in my face.
I'm sealed into darkness as I walk the rest of the way. I'm blind, touching the walls with the tips of my fingers to guide me. My foot kicks against the wall in front and I know I've reached the end. I pat the wallpaper with my palms until I feel smooth wood to my right. A door.
I eventually find the hard doorknob, twist it and my eyes are pierced by light. A gasp shocks my ears instantly. The lamp sitting on the bedside table lights up her face.
"Who are you?"
Who am I? She's asking me, yet I know exactly who she is.
"Trenlea."
Her voice follows mine all too quickly, even though I can see her rattling with fear. "Tren for short," her hollow voice whispers. "Hello.."
"I'm Danix.. Danix Tides. I'm from District 4."
"I'm from 3.." she continues.
"And I sort of thought that each District got their own train, so.."
"Me too," she says. "I guess you're the reason why we had an unexpected stop earlier. For you."
"What do you mean by 'we'?" I ask.
"Oh, Mr. Latier and I.." she says. "You may recognize him as Beetee."
Author's Note:
Hello! And that's the name of the chapter.. Hello!
Welcome to Chapter Three of The Rebirth Games: Hello! And it's 'Hello' because we said hello to three new tributes, and we said it twice to one of them.. Hello to Trenlea, Igneous and... Obedience. I knew I had to had a weird name for him, so Obedience just popped into my mind for some reason. xD
So why is Danix and Trenlea on the same train? Someone has got some explaining to do in the next chapter.. And that last sentence just confirmed that Beetee is coming to play! That's what I love about these stories about the Games. Authors get to include so many fan favorites from the books/movies without including so many new characters. It's nice to have that nostalgia. And you'll certainly be seeing more in the future, even if they're basically in it for one paragraph in the entire story. It's just nice to see them pop in!
Whether you liked this chapter or disliked it, please leave a review if you have time! I'd love to hear your thoughts as we begin our journey to the Games. :)
Also, any ideas on what the Games will be about? I definitely promised something game-changing, and it definitely will. After all, we only have 12 tributes! :O
If you liked this chapter, I hope you stay tuned for the next one!
Thank you so much for reading, byeeeee! :D