Chapter 23
NARRATOR | Various
POV: Caius Thorntree, Head Gamemaker
My champagne glass clinks as Noctiluna Goodyear sets it down on the table. She pours her own class, settling into the seat across from me; I glance out the window behind her to see that the Capitol streets ten stories below us are completely empty.
"To another successful Games, Mr. Thorntree," Goodyear purrs, raising her glass to meet mine. I offer the eclectic woman a smile, but it's not genuine. Noctiluna may be good at what she does, but she's scared me from the moment my father promoted her. Unpredictable people tend to have that effect on me.
"You know, I tried to make wolves out of glass this year," Noctiluna says, her eyes distorting as she peers through her champagne at me. "I thought glass-plated armor instead of skin might do the trick. It was a stupid idea, though - nobody around here wants a window into a wolf's innards, I suppose."
I try my best not to shudder. Goodyear is the head of the Hunger Games research labs, the ones who genetically design the muttations for the Arena. This meeting will be a short one, thankfully - Noctiluna was insistent that we meet this morning, but I have to stop by Venia and Valentina's studio for an interview by ten. The Games are slated to begin at noon, and just by looking at the city streets, I can tell that the entire city is anxiously awaiting its start.
"Those glass wolves would have been great," I nod, pretending to give them some thought. "You're right, of course, about the innards. We have to put on a show."
"Well, you claim you want a show, Caius," Goodyear shrugs. "Yet no muttations at the Bloodbath... people will be disappointed."
"It's the right choice," I sigh. Not this again - ever since I started working with Noctiluna, she hasn't stopped forcing her gruesome muttations down my throat. Last year, she made porcupine muttations that acted like leeches, sucking the blood from the tributes, and they were a smashing hit in the Capitol. Porcupines were voted the Capitol's favorite animal this year, and Noctiluna's been trying to get herself back in the headlines ever since.
"Just one or two porcupines in the Cornucopia," she's told me every time. "Just for laughs - I'll make them less lethal, I promise!"
Unfortunately for Noctiluna, these are my Games, not hers. If she wants to cover my Arena in porcupines, she'll have to take over the job herself.
"The plans are set," I remind my coworker. "You know how much I love your... creations. But let's make people wait. Keep them wondering what's happening next. It would be stupid to show all of our cards right at the start."
"Of course," Goodyear says, swirling her glass around before setting it down again. "You won't be disappointed, I'm sure. We have quite the collection of creations this year, and I wouldn't want them to go to waste..."
"They won't," I reassure her. While Noctiluna might be pretending that she loves her laboratory pets, she really just wants to be the star of the Capitol again like she was last year. She deserves it - those porcupines were genius - but she's not the only one shooting for the stars this year. I have to remind her who's really in charge here. This is my show, and it has to be perfect.
POV: Devin Molina, District 3
"Rise and shine!" Gloria, our escort, sings from outside my door. "Big day today!"
I groan as I force myself out of bed. I wonder if Gloria knows how cruel she's been acting - singing and dancing as she leads Minna and me to our deaths. She seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that we aren't celebrating our own sacrifice with her.
Minna looks just as pissed as I feel when I see her in the common room. "Good morning," she sighs, but I can see the anxiety on her face. We both know that the time has come. There's no running from this any longer; in a few hours, we will be in the Hunger Games, and both of us will probably be dead.
I probably feel less anxious than Minna, because I know I don't stand a chance in there. I know that there is no hope for me - honestly, part of me is excited that this will all finally be over. This nightmare of a week will finally come to an end, and I'll finally be set free.
"Alright, you two," Gloria says gleefully. "Let's get you down the stylists. Oh, you two are going to look fabulous!"
I sigh, following Gloria and Minna to the elevator. Today is going to be a long day, and I hope it'll be my last.
POV: Violet Chappelle, District 7
"You know, Violet, I have no idea what the Arena could be," Fuschia sighs, throwing her hands up in the air. "Based on this outfit, it could be anything! And Caius has been so tight-lipped about the whole thing..."
I try not to let my face slip as Fuschia blabbers on. My stylist has been chatty from the moment I met her, and while it's been annoying in the past, it's exactly what I need right now. I let Fuschia distract herself as I feel down the side of my pants. In the middle pocket...
I slip the pocket open, reaching my fingers inside and feeling the presence of a small object. Perfect.
"Whatever the Arena is, I'll be fine," I tell Fuschia. "I've trained for everything, I'm sure."
"Oh, that's right," Fuschia says, waving her hand at me. "You know, you're the talk of the town, Violet! I'm so honored to have been your stylist. You look beautiful."
"I feel it," I say with a fake smile. I clench my fists behind my back; every second I spend in here is another second wasted. I need to get into that Arena... after all these years, it's almost time to fulfill my destiny.
"Well, it's time for you to go, dear," Fuschia says, finally glancing up at the clock on the wall. "Wouldn't want you to be late, now, would we?"
POV: Eliza Pattison, District 1
Only thirty minutes left now... time is ticking down.
That's what Minetta is saying, anyway. I barely listen to her as she goes through the rest of our schedule today. We've just left the stylists, and my stylist has pulled my hair back so tightly that my scalp hurts. My head throbs, and I can hardly focus on where I'm walking as Minetta guides us to the hovercraft.
"This is it, my children," Minetta says softly with a smile. She's always been more understated than the other Capitol escorts, which I especially appreciate now with my headache. Minetta offers Otto and me an embrace before she sends us on our way, but I notice that she clings to Otto for a little bit longer. I think they knew each other before all of this - Otto's family is very rich, so I wouldn't be surprised.
"Your mentors will be waiting for you upon arrival at the Arena," she tells us. "Good luck, both of you!"
Otto and I walk across the loading bay to the hovercraft; as soon as Minetta leaves us, we're surrounded by a group of Peacekeepers. One of them grabs my arms, startling me, but I keep my mouth shut and my eyes forward as they drag me down the loading bay.
When we reach the hovercraft, some of the other tributes have already arrived, but others are still missing. The rest must be right behind us - from what I heard from Minetta, we're scheduled to leave in a few minutes.
"Good luck," someone says from next to me, and it takes me a moment to realize Otto is actually talking to me. This is the first time he's spoken to me since we were Reaped.
"You too," I exhale, feeling some of the tension in my body escape as I speak. Otto nods in my direction before entering the hovercraft and taking his seat.
I take my seat across from Otto; as the District One tributes, we're seated right at the entrance. As I sit, a woman dressed in all white approaches me, grabbing my arm without a word and sticking a needle deep into it. I squeal a bit at the sharp pain, gasping as the woman pulls the needle back and turns to approach someone further into the hovercraft.
"I wish they'd warn us," the girl next to me grumbles sympathetically, and I realize that it's Safira from District Two. I shrink under her gaze - this girl is practically a celebrity in the Capitol - but she just smiles.
"They're the trackers," I hear the boy from Four explain to his District partner. "So the Gamemakers know where we are in the Arena."
I shudder at the idea that there is a tracker embedded within me, like some beast being hunted and killed. That's what I am, though; to the Capitol, I'm just another nameless animal about to be slaughtered.
The final tributes arrive, and the entrance to the hovercraft slams shut with a bang. The room shakes, and we take off to the Arena.
POV: Kylie McCook, District 10
My goodbyes to Lovina are fairly short. I was never really close to my mentor, and she was never good with words.
"Keep me safe," is the only thing I tell her before I step into my tube, and she promises that she will.
My knees feel weak as my platform lifts me upward. I expect the feel the rush of fresh air, but I'm met with a wave of warm, dusty air, causing me to choke as I'm lifted into the Arena.
I open my eyes, taking in my surroundings, and my heart drops. We're not in the Arena... we've been lifted into some sort of containment chamber.
I look around at the other tributes, who look equally as confused. We're positioned in a circle at the edges of a small, dark room. Only a few strips of artificial light at the sides of the circular chamber illuminate the space. I look around for exits, but I find none.
This can't be it - are we really expected to fight to the death right now in this tiny, dark room? And that's it? What about the power that was promised to us, and what about the Hunger Games?
I try to look around for Minna, but it's too dark to see. My search is interrupted by a robotic voice, which is so loud it makes me jump.
"Welcome to the Arena of the 98th Hunger Games", the voice groans. At the center of the room, a small orb shines blue, illuminating the faces of the tributes across from me.
"In these Hunger Games, the thing you covet is power," the voice tells us. "Every one of you wants power, but only one of you can possess it. The possession of this power may help you reach the ultimate power of the Hunger Games, the power of life."
The voice continues. "In the ancient mythology of the lands you are about to enter, the sapphire gemstone signified immense power. Those who possessed the sapphire possessed power over the land and its inhabitants. For you, this will be the same. Hidden in the Cornucopia will be a single sapphire bracelet. The owner of this bracelet will be granted an advantage: each night, a gift will be delivered to the owner that could give them the advantage they need to win the Hunger Games."
The blue orb flashes, and a holographic image of the sapphire bracelet appears. So this is the power we've been waiting to hear about... Even a small gift could go a long way in a place like the Arena.
"Be warned that this power comes with its cost. At the start of each night, the location of the sapphire will be pinpointed for all of the tributes to see. This pinpoint is stationary and will not follow the sapphire, but will still be useful to track down its general location."
Of course there's another twist; nothing comes for free in these Games. Despite the setback, I'll still be vying for that sapphire. It could mean the difference between life and death, and one stationary pinpoint won't be hard to outrun. Still, one question remains: where is the Cornucopia?
The ground beneath me shakes, and it feels like we're being pulled upward. The boy next to me falls to his knees; I try my best to keep my footing.
"Currently, you are in a containment hovercraft being lifted to 7,000 feet above the Arena," the robotic voice reveals, and some of the other tributes gasp around me. The number doesn't mean much to me, but I can tell that we're going to be falling from the sky, and that's enough to scare me senseless.
"Is that a lot?" I hear the girl from One, Eliza, whisper from next to me, and I glance over to see Dina nodding. She's from District Six, so she probably knows a thing or two about these hovercraft.
"In front of you are parachutes, each in a small bag," the voice reveals, and I glance to the floor to see miniature pouches littered across the empty space inside the circle of tributes. "When the countdown reaches zero, you will have twenty seconds to grab a parachute and attach it to your body. Each parachute can carry the weight of only one person. You may notice that there are not twenty-four parachutes."
A chill runs down my entire body. All I can envision is falling from the sky to my death, flattened on the ground with my limbs broken... I feel like I'm about to throw up. I take a quick survey of the parachutes, and I manage to count twenty-three.
"This concludes your introductory announcements," the orb tells us. "Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor."
Next to me, the girl from Nine is sobbing. I try to calm my nerves, taking a close look at the other tributes until I find Minna. She gives me a thumbs-up, and I return her gesture. Taking a quick scan of the floor, I spot the bag closest to me.
Come on, Kylie. Grab that bag and you'll be fine.
The orb has produced a holographic countdown, and it's ticking down rapidly. Five, four, three, two... one...
I dive from my platform as the clock hits zero, tumbling to the ground and snatching the bag. I hold the parachute close to my stomach as the other tributes begin to scream around me.
POV: Matty Rivera, District 5
My eyes widen as I watch the boy from Eight dive and grab my parachute from the ground. I jump from my pedestal, trying to find another bag to cling to, but all I can see is a mess of limbs as tributes scramble over each other to grab something. One by one, tributes untangle themselves from the group, scurrying away with a bag in their hands.
Come on, grab something...
I see a flash of yellow signifying another bag, and I throw myself into the pile of tributes to grab it. I reach beneath someone - I think it's the girl from Three - and grab a strap of the bag, but it's quickly ripped from my hand. I grunt as I'm flung to the ground; with my light frame, it's easy for the others to throw me around.
I need to grab something now, or I'm done for. We only have twenty seconds, and time is running out. Around me, the other tributes are ripping open their bags and pulling the straps over their shoulders.
Panic begins to rise through my body as I frantically look around, and I realize that there's only one bag left. I can hear my mother's voice in my ear - dive, MatÃas! - and I move to grab it, but it's right at someone's feet, and they pick it up.
I glance up to see the bag in Verity's hands. She already has a parachute on her back, so why is she picking up the last bag? After all this time, could she finally be looking out for her own District partner?
Verity glances at me, and I motion for her to throw it. She looks to the other side of the room, where another girl seems to be making the same motion. It's the girl from Eleven... the one who Verity claims she's in an alliance with.
All I can do is hope for Verity to throw me the parachute. Please, for once, look out for your own District partner...
Verity glances back at me, conflicted, before she makes her decision. She throws the bag at the girl, and I feel myself diving in that direction before I even have time to think.
The girl grunts as I grab her leg, but she holds the bag in her hand.
"Please!" I beg. "Please, don't let me die like this..."
All of a sudden, I'm a puddle of emotions at this girl's feet. I'm so terrified that I can barely move. The thought of falling all that way to my death... I'd rather this girl just snap my neck now and get it over with.
The robot's voice returns, sending shockwaves through my body. "Latch deploying in five, four, three..."
"I'm so sorry," the girl from Eleven sobs, looking down at me as tears spill down her face. "I have to do this."
The girl kicks with immense force, knocking me to the ground. I try to grab onto the nearest leg - at least I can try to steal someone's parachute midair - but I'm too late. The ground opens up beneath us, sending us plummeting into the Arena below.
A/N - Annnd the Games have finally begun! I'm sooo proud of this skydiving idea, I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner but it's one of my favorite ideas in this story so far :) I was originally planning this story last summer right around the release of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom so this was definitely inspired by the diving aspect of that game! Poor Matty though, that is definitely not the way I'd want to die for sure...
Now that the Games have begun, does anyone have any favorite tributes? Let me know - I always love to hear your thoughts!
~S