The Tribute | Max Verstappen

Chapter Two

Cheers!

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The eagerness to fight back slowly tickles away like the sand in an hourglass when one knows what happens when fought back. When the consequences are so vividly painted across every wall. Max decided that he won't, he had not enough information just yet to even think about fighting back, which he realised as the train finally came to a stop and he glanced through the window to see all these people cheering for them, high and colourful wigs on their heads, their cloths at best strange. Max had only ever seen Helmut, who came from the capitol to them to reap them, wearing a wig and such colourful cloths. He just thought the old fuck to be odd, seemed like everyone in the capitol was indeed equally as odd. Made up to the point of being unrecognisable. Maybe that was exactly the point behind it.

Shimmer seemed to beam at all the colourful people, delighted with their freedom of what to wear as she followed close behind Helmut, her new best friend upon promising her that she would get to wear a costume even more extravagant than the ones which were worn by these people. Max felt so oddly out of place as he followed Shimmer, the peacekeeper standing left and right from them, building them a path and holding the people back from touching them.

Noah quickened her step to walk next to him, her outfit paler than the ones from the people of the capitol also a lot more practical but what really made the difference was her chestnut-coloured hair, waves and long enough to reach over her chest and the fact that she wore no such makeup.

"Smile." Noah muttered to him, she herself wearing a neutral expression as usual, while Max glanced at her as they walked together, an eyebrow slightly raised. He had to smile but she could give them a neutral look at best and that would be enough? A bit unfair in Max's book, but he would learn soon that not many things in the capitol were fair.

"You wanna survive the arena, you gotta make friends." Noah added after a moment in which Max would have had enough time to let his frown morph into a smile, but his refusal caused Noah to step in again, reminding him that he was nothing but a sheep brought to the slaughterer. Nevertheless, he smiled, which caused Noah to glance at him this time, her eyebrow raised just the way Max had raised it before.

"Or better not." She joked upon seeing Max's forced smile, which caused him to look at her for a moment the frown was back, causing Noah to shake her head before Max tried another smile.

"What's happening now?" Max wanted to know, his eyes on Helmut's and Shimmer's back, who were talking delighted while pointing out things they could see from their walk on the makeshift path.

"Medical." She answered easily. "They will make you all pretty for tonight." Noah said with a mischievous smile, while Max glanced at the building they were led into.

"Tonight?"

"The opening ceremony. You know, stuffing you into a terrible costume and parading you around on a chariot with her." Noah told him, nodding forward towards Shimmer, who was pointing at a big water fountain by the side before they entered the building and not much more was seen, for her to point at while her arm was wrapped around Helmut's.

"How terrible?" Max wanted to know, which caused Noah to snort under her breath. A strange sound coming from a creature like her, but somehow it made Max smile slightly.

"Oh, not that terrible, if you like being a tree."

"My favourite thing to be." He joked back, before they suddenly came to a stop and Helmut turned around to look at his tributes and the only victor District Seven has.

"I fear children, I can't go further than this." He spoke, his ton sad, but nothing of it showed on his face, Noah guessed he couldn't move it any longer after all the alterations he had had.