Chapter 22
NARRATOR | Verity MacIntyre, District 5
"Alright, this is it," Safira sighs. She called us all together, and we've gathered in the corner of the backstage area. In the background, I listen as Wyatt's interview drags on.
"This is the last time we're all going to gather like this before the Games," Safira tells us, taking a quick look at each of us. "All of our work here is done now."
"You all did great," I jump in, trying to take this advantage to integrate myself into my new group. "Ashlyn, that story about your family was perfect. That'll definitely work in our favor."
Ashlyn offers me a small smile. Her story was flimsy and lacked substance - she just sobbed about how much she misses her younger sister - but I can sense hesitation from her, and I need her to know that I'm on her team.
"We don't know what the Gamemakers are going to do tomorrow, but we have to be prepared for anything," Safira says. "Our first priority is finding each other, second priority is gathering supplies to last us in the Arena. Don't put yourself in danger unless you have to."
"We'll be fine," Ansel smiles. "We've been training long enough now, I think. Let's go prove that we've always been the strongest team in here."
Ashlyn puts her hand in the middle of our group, and the others grab onto it. I rest my hand on top.
"Sleep well, you guys," Eddie says, pulling his hand from beneath mine. He turns to the elevator, and Ashlyn follows close behind. Safira gives me a nod before following them.
I take a look around the room - Wyatt has finished his interview now, and the mentors have all left. Only Jordinia Jackson from District Eleven remains - it seems that she was left behind by the other mentors to watch over us, and she glances at me before following Ashlyn and Eddie towards the elevators. Avoxes are packing up the chairs, and two Peacekeepers chat to each other across the room; I'm pretty much the only one left in here.
Or so I thought. When I turn around, Ansel is still standing next to me.
"Woah," I say, jumping back a bit. "Didn't realize you were still here."
"Just wanted to check on you before we went up," Ansel shrugs. "We never really got the chance to talk - I feel like you've mostly been dealing with Safira. But we're going to be working together tomorrow. I just wanted you to know that you're an important member of this team even though you were the last to join."
"Thanks, Ansel," I say with a smile. I don't need to be convinced of anything, but it's reassuring to know that Ansel thinks of me that way. "It's okay - I understand you're all close. I chose to wait until the last day to join you all, and I have to deal with the consequences. I'm sure we'll have time in the Arena to get to know each other better. I'm excited for that."
"Me too," Ansel beams. "I feel a lot safer with you on our side."
I just nod - if Ansel knew the irony of what he was saying, he'd be shocked. Ansel definitely isn't any safer with me standing next to him, but he can't know that.
"I'm gonna head up," Ansel says. "You coming?"
"I'm going to use the bathroom," I lie. "But you go ahead."
Ansel bids me goodnight, sliding into the elevator and out of sight.
I sigh as the elevator doors close. Finally, it's time to finish this scheme that I've been laying out for days.
I glance around at the Avoxes scattered across the room; none of them seem to be watching me very closely. It's late at night, and they have jobs to do. The Peacekeepers don't seem to notice that I'm still here - one advantage of my small stature.
I make my way along the back wall, pulling my key card out of my pocket. Only mentors can get back here, so I had to steal one of Simon's when he wasn't looking. I swipe the card against a slot in the door, and it clicks open.
I slip through the door as quickly as I can, clicking it shut behind me. If the blueprints I stole from Simon's room are correct, it should be back here...
I slide down the hallway, squinting at the doors as I pass. The hallway is almost completely dark; the only light coming in is coming through a window at the end of the hall, and it's not giving me much to work with. Still, I can make out the large numerals scrawled on the doors. 6M, 6F, 7M... 7F.
I slide the door open - I was prepared to pick the lock, but the stylists were dumb enough to leave it unlocked - and click the lights on. Violet's dressing room seems identical to mine, but the articles of clothing scattered around the messy room look nicer than the garments in mine. Naturally, the District Seven tributes have better stylists than we do - they've done better historically in the Games.
It only takes a minute to find Violet's outfit for the Arena, tucked away in a closet. It's a shockingly basic composition, only consisting of a pair of thick pants and some sort of long-sleeved thermal shirt. The black shirt has the number 7 painted on the shoulder, and it looks tight-fitting. That'll make this harder... but not impossible.
I feel the pants, looking for any pockets, and I find a few small ones running down the legs. Perfect; I doubt the stylists will check these tomorrow, and if they do, they'll hardly know what they're looking at. I slip the middle pocket open, sliding the payload in.
I close the pocket, returning the pants to their hanger and shutting the closet. I feel exhilarated as I flip the lights off, slipping down the hallway and back towards the elevator. If I pull this off, I will be remembered as the smartest tribute to ever pass through the Hunger Games.
When I open the door to the backstage area, Simon is searching the room frantically. I'm startled by his presence, but not shocked. He hasn't been the most observant or careful mentor, but he's decently competent. He should've known better than to leave me here unsupervised, but at least he realized his mistake at some point.
"Verity, what are you doing!" Simon hisses, marching over to me and grabbing me by the arm. "Do you want to get us both killed?"
"Don't be stupid," I huff as Simon drags me to the elevator. "You know I'd never get caught."
"You don't know how many cameras are around here," Simon tells me; I look across the room to see that the Peacekeepers who were here earlier have gone.
"It was dark in there," I point out.
"What could you possibly need to go into the stylists' rooms for?" Simon asks, allowing the elevator to scan his face before turning to face me. "You'll be in the Arena tomorrow, Verity. You were going to see the outfits tomorrow morning anyway."
"Curiosity got the best of me," I shrug. "Looks like it'll be chilly, though. They gave us thermal shirts, but no jacket or anything. Knowing that ahead of time could give us an advantage."
Simon just shakes his head. "Keep us out of trouble until tomorrow, please," he begs me as our elevator stops at the District Five suite. "You and Matty need all the favor in the Capitol you can get."
"Of course," I say as sweetly as I can, but Simon has no idea what he's talking about. I don't need anything from the Capitol to win these Games; the only gift I need in the Arena is my mind.
"Get some sleep," Simon says, sending me to my room. "And give me my card back."
I pass the uptight man his key card - I won't be needing it for what I have planned next.
I follow Simon's orders, heading straight to my room. I wait a few minutes, listening for the sound of Simon's door shutting. Finally, when the coast is clear, I scamper down the hallway to the stairwell.
The door to the stairwell squeaks as I open it, and the sound echoes through the chamber. I quickly climb the stairs; it's only two stories up, so it doesn't take long.
When I arrive on the seventh floor, I wait a second to catch my breath before pulling the door open. Typically, I wouldn't be allowed through this door for security reasons - each floor requires fingerprint scans to open - but I told Violet earlier to prop the door open, and it looks like she followed through with her end of the plan. I pick up a discarded shoe from next to the door, carrying it down the hall with me.
District Seven's floor looks related to District Five's, but the decor is entirely different. The carpet is green, and golden branches extend out of the walls. The ceiling is painted to mimic the canopy of trees; in my suite, the whole place is covered in tacky lightning bolts.
I pass another door marked M. The male tribute, Ansel. I spoke to him only a few minutes ago; is he sleeping now? Does he have any suspicion of what is happening right under his nose, or is he completely oblivious?
I shake my head, continuing down the hall. I need to get this over with and get to bed.
Violet answers her door after the first knock. "Come in," she whispers, glancing behind me as I step into her room.
"So?" she asks, clearly nervous. "All good?"
"All good," I confirm with a smile. "But listen carefully, I'm only going to be able to tell you this once."
Violet nods, taking a seat at the foot of her bed as I launch into my explanation.
"The packets have been placed in the middle pocket of your pants," I tell her slowly. "They should be there when you put them on tomorrow."
"Got it," Violet mutters.
"These packets are very special, so keep them safe," I continue. "I stole them from training. They're made of powder, and they're extremely flammable. When you throw them into fire, they create massive clouds of colored smoke."
"Well, that's not gonna help us," Violet says, concerned. "Everyone will know where we are if we do that."
"That's not my problem," I shrug. "My guess is that most of the others will be afraid of it, actually. People are afraid of things they don't know about, and this will be something they won't recognize. I will recognize it, though, and that's what matters. Signal to me with that, and I'll find you in the Arena. From there, we can make a plan of action."
"Perfect," Violet says, her face breaking into a grin. "I owe you everything, Verity. If this works, and you help me kill Safira, I will protect you all the way to the end. I can promise you that."
"Deal," I say, shaking the other girl's hand. What I don't point out is that I haven't made any promises. Violet thinks she has the upper hand, but I've never guaranteed that I'll help her kill Safira Holland. I've just given her the tools to make that a possibility.
Right now, I have both sides of this war sitting in the palm of my hand. One of them will help me win the Hunger Games, and the other will fall to pave the way for my Victory. But who will rise, and who will fall... only time can tell.
A/N - Plot twisttt! What are your thoughts on Verity's betrayal? Did anyone see it coming? The Games will start at the end of next chapter, so we're nearly there!
Also, I'll be including a little 'excerpt' of Valentina and Venia's broadcast at the end of every day, and this will include the Betting Odds of all of the tributes after each day of the Games. This will help show who is in the lead and who are the underdogs of the Games in the eyes of the Capitol... and these odds will change every day as the circumstances of the tributes change! Here are the final betting odds of all 24 tributes right before the Games begin:
Odds of Victory
1. Safira Holland, District 2 (3-1)
2. Judah Avellino, District 2 (3-1)
3. Violet Chappelle, District 7 (4-1)
4. Corbin Woodward, District 10 (5-1)
5. Verity MacIntyre, District 5 (5-1)
6. Vinny Fuentes, District 8 (6-1)
7. Eddie James, District 11 (7-1)
8. Ansel Voltaire, District 7 (9-1)
9. Otto Sheffield, District 1 (10-1)
10. Evelyn Tan, District 4 (11-1)
11. Easton Rodgers, District 9 (11-1)
12. Declan Davidson, District 4 (12-1)
13. Ashlyn Ramsay, District 11 (12-1)
14. Heather Sullivan, District 9 (14-1)
15. Wyatt Aldridge, District 12 (14-1)
16. Kylie McCook, District 10 (17-1)
17. Dina Phillips, District 6 (19-1)
18. Lucas Li, District 6 (21-1)
19. Minna Feinberg, District 3 (23-1)
20. Karla Hayes, District 8 (23-1)
21. Eliza Pattison, District 1 (29-1)
22. Matty Rivera, District 5 (31-1)
23. Twila Pollard, District 12 (34-1)
24. Devin Molina, District 3 (40-1)