The Incoming Storm: The Tale of the 325th Hunger Games

Chapter 5

We wait our turn, and once the District 8 chariot has cleared the doors, ours begins to move. Leto and Nyx wave goodbye and we are out on the streets. Spotlights shine down on us, blinding me for a moment. The roar of the crowd reverberates in my chest.

Flowers rain down around us, occasionally I hear "District 9!" or "Bran look here!" or "Amey! Amey! I love you!" It amazes me how fast these people have become attached to us. I smile and wave to the crowds, children blow kisses and I blow them back. Screens project the parade all over, and I see my face along with the others pop up periodically.

We curve our way through the Capitol streets, going between fancy storefronts, restaurants, and apartments. People hang out the windows waving, throwing confetti and balloons into the air. The noise is deafening, like a tornado alarm. No matter how overwhelming it is, I continue waving and smiling, and standing.

After about half an hour of parading, we emerge in the City Center. There is a large ring with each district seal on it in order of the 12 districts. We take our place on the District 9 seal and stop. We are sitting in the circle just outside the Presidential Mansion. Lights and fountains decorate the home. As the District 12 chariot halts on its spot, President Ring rises from her seat and takes the podium on a stage in front of her mansion. The lights dim and fountains shorten. The roar of the crowd becomes quiet. The anthem plays, and we get to see a facial shot of each tribute in their outfit. Once the anthem ends, a spotlight appears on her and all of the screens around the circle display her face.

"Tributes, welcome to the 325th Hunger Games, and more importantly welcome to the 13th Quarter Quell!" There is a cheer from the crowd. President Ring raises her hand and the crowd's cheers drop off. "As you all know, the Hunger Games is a tradition of district pride and honor, founded 325 years ago following the Darkest Days our society has ever faced. Since then, these games have become so much more. A beacon of hope, a beacon of honor, and a beacon of competition!

"In this game especially, participation is the highest honor one can have and is a chance to prove yourself to all of Panem. The tradition of the Hunger Games is in the very roots of our great country. In my very history, in fact, even my ancestors were among the first mentors of the games.

"To the sole victor standing before me tonight, I wish the odds be ever in your favor. To the rest, I thank you for your dignity and daring, and your service to your country. With this, it is my privilege to say: Let the 325th Hunger Games BEGIN!"

The crowd explodes louder than ever before. The lights are back and fireworks light up the sky, each bang sending a shock through my body. The chariots begin to move again, and we make a circle around the City Center. As we pass by President Ring, I get a good look at her, her skin is smooth, almost too smooth, and her hair is perfectly curled. She is wearing a golden suit that is almost simple when compared to the other Capitol citizens.

Before long, we are leaving the circle and weaving down more streets, all the while fireworks explode in the sky.

We travel the streets for another half an hour before I can tell we are making our way back out of the city. Here the buildings aren't quite as tall, though they are still massive compared to anything we have back in the districts. The last segment of the parade is the long road that leads to the District Plaza, our home for the next few days.

Citizens line the way up to the gate blocking the island from the outside world. When we finally cross through the gate we are free from view. I'm positive this place is monitored, but they very rarely if ever show the inside of the plaza. The only time I remember them showing it was when they blew up the District 2 tower. They did it with the Cloud, a flying fortress that hides behind the mountains, and guards the Capitol. Rumor has it there is one per district, but no one knows for sure. The only one ever used was the one here in the Capitol. That one serves the alternate purpose of also being a place to watch the games, and the bottom is equipped with dozens of screens.

We loop around to the District 9 tower. Each of the buildings is identical and is 12 stories tall. The first story is a lobby with shrines to each victor, and the top 3 floors are the tribute penthouse. The middle floors are for the victors who don't need to mentor. It was actually in this very place the original Hunger Games were fought, in a massive stadium.

To think of those people back then, before the arenas and muttations and traps. It was a different game back then, far, far different. The newest building on the plaza was the District 2 tower, which was rebuilt after its destruction.

We are met my Quin and Maizer outside of the tower, and we deboard our chariot. Once all of the tributes are cleared of their chariots, the horses take off back through the gate which closes behind them. It immediately hums to life, indicating that it is electrified. Of course, we won't be leaving our towers let alone the plaza unless supervised, but who's to stop them from making a show of it.

We enter the lobby of our tower with a large number 9 above its doors. It is a large area with several golden columns that match the colors of the cars that carried us to the Remake Center. In the very center of the room is a ten-foot-tall obelisk made from a shiny black stone. Etched in silver on the obelisk is a list of the sixteen District 9 victors as well as the number of the games. At the very bottom of the list is "Quin O - 301".

Around the room are portraits of all of our past victors. Despite the itchiness of my costume, I take a moment to explore the room. Each portrait depicts the victor in the outfit from their victory interview holding their signature weapon. Along the tops of the golden frames made to look like grain is a small plaque with their name and game.

The first one I lay eyes on is Ri Pain, a much younger version of her, maybe 16 or 17. She is wearing an extremely large pea-green dress and holds the staff she'd used to win her games. The next portrait is Maizer's, this one was more dynamic than Ri's and depicted him in a dark green suit while throwing the spear he'd use to win his games while wielding a knife in his left hand. Finally, I come to Quin's portrait that depicts her wearing an elegant golden gown while holding a thin silver sword across her chest.

I wonder if I will have my portrait placed in this hallway someday. As unlikely as it is, I wonder what my portrait will look like. I mean it is impossible to know until I figure out what weapon I use and what outfit I will wear... and of course, I need to win to get a portrait, and that is looking pretty hard at the moment.