The Direction Games: A One Direction Fan Fiction

10

10

   I’d barely managed to sleep at all last night, and, this morning, I awoke before I even saw sunlight streaming through the windows. Today was the day I was entering into my grave.

   I didn’t see Taylor, Simon or Katy in the morning. The only person I saw was Caroline, who gave me a simple outfit to wear for the time being. The final decisions of the outfit I would wear in the arena would be made in large chambers under the arena itself.

   We ate in my room quickly, and Caroline, then, guided me up to the rooftop garden Taylor had shown me that first night. The other tributes were there with their stylists, including Taylor and Louise.

   Out of the blue sky, a Capitol hovercraft appeared, and dropped down to our level, sending a gust of wind blowing over our crowd. Peacekeepers appeared from its doors, and announced for all tributes to follow them.

   “I’ll see you under the arena,” Caroline said to me, resting her hand on my shoulder.

   I nodded and proceeded on in a wave of the other tributes. We entered into the hovercraft, a large, shiny, white ship. Taylor strode, confidently, beside me with her head held high.

   They led us into a small room, just an area with benches on either side of the room, where we were asked to sit by district number again, and alternating in a pattern of boy, girl, boy, girl. Then, there was a pause – just motionless silence – and the hovercraft started to move swiftly. There was just a lunge, and after that, we didn’t feel like we were moving at all.

   Another, lone Peacekeeper entered, and made her way to the District One tributes. As she moved along to each tribute from every district, they all cringed, some even gasping. When she reached us, I saw why.

   “What’s that?” Taylor asked her, pointing slightly to a long, white thing in her hand that looked like the tool they used to draw blood on the Reaping day.

   “It’s your tracker chips,” she said. She grabbed Taylor’s wrist and placed it to her forearm. “How else will we find you in the arena?” I watched Taylor cringe, as the Peacekeeper pushed the button on the end. Under Taylor’s skin were two red flashes, before it was normal, with only a slight bump to distinguish where it was.

   She took a step to her right, where I was sitting, and proceeded to do the same to my, grabbing my right wrist and placing the white thing on my forearm. I bit my lip, and cringed like the other twenty-three tributes had as the needle inserted the metal tracking device under my skin. She took the white thing away, my chip blinked twice and all that was left was a bump of skin.

   The ride lasted half an hour before the windows automatically blacked out, telling me we were growing closer to the arena, where we would be forced to kill each other.

   I felt the hovercraft land with a jerk, and more Peacekeepers came to us, escorting all twenty-four tributes out, and to different elevators that would lead deep into the ground to, what The Capitol called the Launch Room. Back home, we called it the Stockyard, where animals went to be slaughtered, like we would be.

   My elevator led me down, and I stepped off to see Caroline’s smiling face. She waved to me, and led me into one of the Launch Rooms. Everything was new. I’d be the first, and last, tribute to use this room. After the battles, the arenas were historic sites, where Capitol tourists would come and remark at the places where tributes took their last breaths.

   I was fighting to keep down the contents of my stomach as I showered. Today was the day the games would begin. Today was the first day of having my life at risk.

   They brought the outfit I would be wearing in the arena, and Caroline helped me dress into it. Not even she knew ahead of time what it was. Every tribute was dressed the same in an outfit predesigned by The Capitol. This year, it was simply tawny pants, a light green shirt, brown belt and a thin, hooded, black jacket made to deflect body heat.

   “Wait,” Caroline said just before I slipped on the jacket.

   I turned to face her and saw her, arm outstretched in my direction, holding the navy blue blazer I’d worn on the Reaping day and brought to The Capitol with me.

   “You’re allowed to bring one thing from your district,” she told me. “Like curls and dimples, this is your trademark.”

   I had no choice but to smile. “Thanks,” I said, taking it from her and slipping it over my shoulders. It felt good to have something from my past on me, something to remind me of home, and of everything I was fighting to see again.

   She helped me into the black jacket, turned me around and zipped it. “If I could bet on these games,” she breathed, “I’d definitely bet on you, Harry.”

   “Really?” I asked, looking up into her dark eyes.

   “You can do this,” she purred. “I believe you can win this. Just follow Simon’s orders – run away and find a sustainable water source – and this will all be easy.”

   I nodded.

   She took my hand in hers, and led me over to the couches on one wall of the room, and sat with me, still holding my hand, and running her fingers through my curls, like Gemma did when we were back in District Twelve’s Justice Building; like she did whenever I was afraid or upset. We remained that way, silently, until a female voice announced it was time to prepare for the launch.

   Caroline stood with me and led me over to a platform. “Win this for me, Harry,” she said. “I already have ideas for your post-game interview costumes. I can’t make them work on just any blazing boy.”

   That brought a fraction of a smile to my face.

   Caroline took both of my hands, leaned in, and kissed my cheek. She stepped back from me and watched as a glass tube fell down around me. She shot me a sad grin, and lifted her chin high, showing me I was to do the same.

   A few seconds passed before I was shot up into darkness. About fifteen seconds later, light appeared above me, and I felt the sky over my head. A wind wafted around me, carrying the smell of forest, what we smelled at the edge of District Twelve.

   Lastly, the voice of this year’s Head Gamemaker, Xanthius Naia, blared over the arena, “Ladies and gentlemen, let the Twenty-fifth Annual Hunger Games begin!”