Chapter 74: Commencement

A peacekeeper stands beside Lorcan. The delivery tube is in front of him. He has never felt so alone. This is the moment where Lorcan decides he needs to be strong…strong for Peeta, strong for his fellow Tributes, strong for the family who has abandoned him. There is no going back. The only thing for him to do is to push forward, into an unknown arena and an unknown future. He hopes he will be brave and not let anyone down. Lorcan takes a deep breath as he enters the delivery tube with both determination and dread.

The first thing that assaults his senses is the deafening silence of the tube. It is dead air and nothing penetrates it, only the sound of his rapidly beating heart. Claustrophobic and all encompassing, this tube will take him from one world into the next…the world of the Capitol Games. As the ascent begins it is slow and agonizing, as Lorcan waits to be confronted with what could be the last place on earth he will see while he is still alive. He hopes it is beautiful, so that any final vision will remind him of all that is good in the world. He knows there is good, he knows he is here to promote the good and Lorcan knows Peeta would not have allowed this to happen to him if ultimate good was not the hoped for outcome. He was doing this for Peeta.

Lorcan rises to a world of shadows. The woods are thick and the air is scented with dampness. Beside him is a warning light to advise him when he can take flight from his marker, but not yet. It is counting down slowly, backwards from 60, and Lorcan uses the time to look around and try to discover the route he will use for his escape. Straight ahead, at the base of a large pine tree, is a black backpack. It must contain some of the supplies he needs and Lorcan wonders what items the Gamemakers have provided. Hopefully some wire for a snare, as Lorcan knows food and water will be essential for survival, while warmth and shelter will be his second priority.

20, 19, 18…the numbers continue to count down as Lorcan's fear rises and he prepares to launch himself from the marker ready to head for the trees.

Blinded by the sun, as the tube delivers her into the arena, Ebony Snow finds herself in a desolate and frozen landscape. Defiant, and determined to beat the Gamemakers at whatever type of game they are playing, she reflects on the eleven years she had spent living with her Grandfather and hopes she has learnt more than a strategy or two that she can use to keep herself alive. Ebony quickly puts on the sunglasses provided and begins to take in the arena. She is facing a range of small mountains, maybe three in total. She decides this must be their destination as they have been told they will need to find the exit to the second arena somewhere within this one. Apart from the mountains, there are only a few rocky outcrops and sparsely dotted pine trees. The landscape is barren, and not at all inviting…especially if you want to remain hidden from your enemy.

Ebony Snow had been to the mountain ranges at the edge of District One on a number of occasions with her Grandfather and their family. They had spent time during the winter months skiing, sledding and enjoying some of the finer perks of Capitol life. She has plenty of well-honed skills to bring to this arctic landscape and would be feeling confident except for one thing. She is alone. There are no servants or avoxes to do her bidding or guards to ensure her safety. Ebony needs to find food, shelter and ultimately will need to confront people who want to kill her. She is no longer the pampered granddaughter of Coriolanus Snow, but a Tribute in a deadly game, one her Grandfather had championed. Was he really going to let her die? Maybe he thought she could win. Was he really going to take a chance on the outcome? Obviously he was. Ebony knows now…something she had probably always known. She is just another piece in his games and the Games are about to begin.

As the countdown continues, Ebony notices a backpack lying at the base of a rocky outcrop to her left. Though some distance away, it lies shimmering and bright orange in the sunlight. In order to grab it, she needs to move away from the mountain, and thankfully, so far, she doesn't see any other Tributes waiting to alight their markers. Ebony guesses that they must have been delivered to other areas around the base of the mountains which are currently hidden from her view. That's good. It will give her the time she needs to gather her backpack and prepare for what lies ahead. She needs to make her way to the mountain before nightfall. The cold is already beginning to creep into her bones as she listens to the final countdown from the Capitol. 10, 9, 8…

Coriolanus Snow is watching. He had caused a stir with his propaganda video and was delighted with the outcry it had caused. The citizens of Panem were protesting against their government, some of them calling for it to be overthrown, and this was just the opportunity he needed. Katniss Everdeen had also gone on the offensive, after the Government had played nicely into his hands, aligning themselves with his rhetoric of an unstable and vengeful Victor. The Mockingjay was still trying to convince the people that he was the enemy and that right was on her side, but now the Games had begun and only time would tell how the obvious hypocrisy would play out with the population of Panem.

Coriolanus Snow has reluctantly decided to allow his granddaughter to be used as a piece in the Capitol Games. It may eventually generate sympathy for his cause, but in truth it was her humiliation that had caused his change of heart. He found it hard to stomach the sight of her now, after she had been paraded, not once, but twice, in the flag of the new government of Panem. She had sat meekly during Caesar Flickerman's interview of the mentors and had, for some unknown reason, allowed the Stylists to put her hair in a braid which hung over her right shoulder, just like Katniss Everdeen. Snow remembers her wearing it like that before and how he commented on it at the time. He felt the same disgust then as he does now and wants to distance himself from this child made to look like a traitor.

Peeta, in the meantime, has allowed Katniss to minister to his heart, while her mother has ministered to his wounds. After reassuring everyone that he would be OK, Katniss has taken Peeta to their bed, refusing to leave him alone in his grief and his pain. They hold each other in that same embrace…the one that always helped to banish Katniss' nightmares. It is an embrace of understanding, trust and mutual love, only this time it is Peeta who needs to be comforted and Katniss who is providing the relief. Peeta just needs to feels Katniss in his arms. She is his reassurance that everything will be OK and Peeta knows that as long as he has her, he has a purpose. At the same time, Katniss knows she has what she needs to survive. Peeta.

The residents of Panem have finally tuned into the Games. The Government is grateful now for the distraction that these Games will provide and the timing could not have been better, in light of Snow's propaganda offensive. These are no ordinary Games and, rather than focus on the Government's hypocrisy, the people are enthusiastic, if not excited, to see the Capitol children go through what their own children have had to endure. It is with a degree of delight that they await the words "Let the Capitol Games begin" and anticipate the Tributes taking off from their markers to begin the fight to survive. The decision has been made to stagger the Tributes' entrance into the various arenas an hour apart. This is for the peoples viewing pleasure. That way they can watch the launch for each arena and see how the Tributes fare in the first hour. The Government has spared no expense in bringing to the people what will be the biggest event since Katniss Everdeen put her arrow through Alma Coin's heart.

Tonight Katniss hopes she has not put an arrow through her own heart as she watches Peeta finally fall asleep.