"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 Seven:

Invitation

The water almost seems to appear out of thin air. It bursts to life at the front of my cart, blocking out all my sight. It splashes in my face, like a stormy boat ride back in District 4. Choppy waves roll up either side of the chariot and tower into the air. I hear the crowd cheering as I'm completely encased in the fountain. I look up, watching as it shoots straight into the air and showers down onto the ground. I am truly a raining cloud right now.

The water settles, but not quite fully. I'm able to see straight ahead, all around. But I can still see the waves flowing around the base of the chariot. Good thing the horse is far enough ahead to not get caught in the water. I look up, stare straight ahead and see the other tributes.

Igneous and his horse both pull into the circular entrance to the Tribute Center up ahead while Obedience follows after. I stick up my hand and wave to the crowds with a smile on my face. One of my last appearances to the public before the Games. Tren pulls into the circle and I follow just behind her. The waves around the chariot start to drain and evaporate into the air almost instantly. They spread across the ground and vanish, leaving the stone completely dry. My horse slowly comes to a stop after four beats of its heels and I look up at the Tribute Center.

Peering out from over a small balcony is President Snow and Umbree. They both look out across the crowds and Snow catches me eye. For the first time, we both share identical contact. And for some reason, I can almost hear him send a message through his brain to mine.

"Well done."

The rest of the chariots pull up beside me and Umbree steps up to the microphone.

"Welcome!" she calls out, instantly hushing all the crowds. "Welcome to the eightieth annual Hunger Games.. This year, the Games will prove that they can be more than a mere spectacle. This year is all about change."

I instantly listen up, hoping that I gain any sort of new information.

"Twelve tributes will enter the arena, except this is going to be no fight to the death.. This year, death will come to the tributes, and if they ever want it to stop, they must chase after death itself... Here at the Capitol, we hope you all enjoy what we have got planned. May the odds be ever in your favor!"

Nope. Nothing new.

One by one, the horses pull us through a narrow tunnel in the Tribute Center to a large open room. It's almost identical to the one we were in before the Games. Beetee and Finnick both appear out of the blue in front of my very eyes.

"We missed the parade. Too busy trying to get over here," says Finnick. "What did you think?"

"The water," I say.

"Yes, the water.. I had it set up so it would automatically appear after a minute of riding. Technicians here helped me do it."

Of course Finnick would want something unique and different for me. And of course he didn't tell me about it. He's all about lies.. I still can't trust him, and I'm not sure I ever will even if I find out what Maris meant. Sorry, not if. When I find out what Maris meant..

Tren and Beetee both hug while Finnick leads us into a small elevator off to the left. We enter it and I instantly admire the soft humming music inside. Just as the doors slide to a close, they spring back open. Are enters alongside a girl covered in patches of colored fabrics. I can only guess she's from District 8, the District of textiles.

"Nice to see you again," I say to Are. He nods his head.

"Hey. The other elevator was broken.. This is Mara." I instantly notice her short hair. It's not quite blonde, it almost looks sort of.. peachy. She wears dark shades of black eyeshadow under her lids and she has quite a small build. She's short in size and looks like she could barely pull a weight. But of course, she looks quite energetic. I'm guessing that from the way she taps her foot rapidly on the floor.

"Nice to meet you guys," she says with a cheery smile, a stick of bubblegum caught in her teeth. She chews it with her mouth open, making odd squelching sounds. "Hope you enjoyed the show."

"You too," I say. And that's when the silence begins. One another all stare at each other, not knowing what to say as she continues to smile. "Uh.." Finnick whispers just before the doors open with a bell. "This is our stop."

"We'll see you guys later," says Tren and we all push out past Are and Mara. The doors shut and I glare at her.

"Are you crazy?" I ask. "You do know that it's not good to make friends. Eventually we'll have to kill them.

"So? Remember what Umbree said? It's not going to be a fight to the death. It could be anything.."

"You're right, Trenlea. Clearly Danix here hasn't picked up on a word I have said in the past.." boasts Finnick. "Remember on the train when I said that you need friendships to survive these Games?"

"No.." I whisper, totally prepared for what I'm going to say next. "All I remember is you letting slip that there are going to be several victors!" Finnick sighs. "You're still at this, aren't you? It's getting quite pathetic! If you say one more word while we walk to our rooms, I will feed you to the mutts.." I make a gesture by zipping my mouth and throwing away the invisble key. I glare at Finnick with a grin on my face and he huffs. "Good."

The rooms are absolutely insane. There are neon colors everywhere, glowing chandeliers, a minature train moving around the dinner table holding plates; everything. But one of the first things I notice is the small slip of paper sitting on one of the plates on the moving train. I wait for it to ring around a lap across the table, then I swipe it up. I unfold it and read its contents.

Dear Mr. Tides and Ms. Wrinn,

You both have been invited to an afternoon dinner at President Coriolanus Snow's mansion.

And escort will arrive to bring you at 7pm sharp. We hope that you enjoy your time.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

"What an eventful day.." coughs President Snow before he sips on his glass of wine. The flickering fire burns in the background, making the soft sofas even more comfortable. "We've got a fine batch of tributes."

"Indeed we do," says Umbree as she fiddles with candles across the mantlepiece of the fire.

"I want them all dead."

Umbree spins after hearing the words. "Well of course they will die. They're entering the Games after all.."

"Yes," continues Snow. "But I want them dead in marvellous ways.. We have a nation out those doors, and over fifty percent of them didn't watch last year's Games.. Every other year we got full one hundred percentages."

"Don't worry, sir. We have a story to tell," says Umbree. "And boy, it will be quite a story for one of those tributes.."

Author's Note:

Ooooooh! We're having a dinner at Snow's mansion! :D

Hello everybody! Welcome to Chapter Seven of The Rebirth Games, Invitation! Invitation because clearly Danix and Tren just got a invitation to Snow's dinner. Exciting! If you're wondering, I have cut the training sections of the Games out of this story for two reasons: A. They take too long. B. The tributes don't need training for these Games... ;) Well, they do in a way, but it's not a main focus.

Whether you liked this chapter or not, please leave a review if you want to! I love the support this story is getting and I hope you all enjoy what I have in store for the Games! What did you think of that cliffhanger? Actually, what did you think of Umbree's final lines? It may or may not be hinting at something coming up in the Games. ;)))

So that's it for today.. Stay tuned for the next chapter! I think we should be entering the arena in exactly three chapters.. EXCITING! Are you ready? Or more importantly, are you ready to get your heads wrapped around in a complex - in the words of Umbree.. - 'story'?!

Remember, take a guess as to what these Games will be about! I'd love to hear your predictions! Remember: I have the entire thing planned out from finish to end. This story wasn't a thing where I thought of major events halfway through. No, I have had the end of this story planned before I started it. Very unusual for me considering I usually find out about a quarter/halfway through. This way, there will hopefully be no plotholes.

"But MockingClove, why would a simple FanFiction story have the possibility to contain plotholes?!"

You'll understand once we get to the Games. There are going to be twists and turns right up until the very end. ;)

Thank you all so much for reading, byeeeeee! :D