❝FIRE ON FIRE WOULD NORMALLY
KILL US, BUT THIS MUCH DESIRE,
TOGETHER WE'RE WINNERS❞
in which a girl from district 4
meets a boy from district 2
during the 74th annual
hunger games.
[the hunge...
——☆ FIRE ON FIRE chapter twelve: 74th hunger games
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LILIA AWOKE WITH A START, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, maybe an hour or two at most. Pushing herself to a standing position, the girl quickly dressed in a simple shirt and leggings. After brushing her teeth and splashing cold water on her face, she took a moment to breathe.
When stepping out into the hallway, Lilia noticed that Adrian was already gone. She walked towards the common area, where a Capitol attendant was waiting for her with a blank expression.
"It's time to go," he said, gesturing towards the door.
Lilia nodded, following him without a word. They walked in silence for a few minutes before approaching the hovercraft that would take her and the other tributes to the arena.
When entering the hovercraft and taking her seat, Lilia eyed the other tributes who sat silently in their seats.
"Your arm, please," a woman echoed.
The girl quickly spotted Cato, who was sitting on the other side of the hovercraft, three seats down. His gaze was fixated straight ahead as he leaned forward, letting his elbows rest on his knees.
The girl then searched for Adrian, who she found at the end of the row, his eyes focused on the ground. Before she could get his attention, the Capitol attendant approached her with a small device in her hand.
"This is your tracking device," the woman explained, injecting a small chip into her arm.
Lilia nodded, feeling a sharp sting as the chip was secured.
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As they approached the arena, the hovercraft slowly lowered to a stop. One by one, the tributes were escorted to an underground facility beneath the arena.
"Right this way."
Lilia tried her best to calm her breathing as she was led to a small room where her stylist, Vayda, was waiting for her.
When she entered, Vayda greeted her with a soft smile.
"Lilia," she called. "It's time."
The blonde girl nodded, stepping forward to stand in the center of the room. She held out her arms as Vayda began the process of dressing her for the Games.
First, she put on a pair of thick pants, followed by a dark green shirt. A brown belt was fastened around her waist, and then Vayda handed her a hooded black jacket that fell to her thighs.
"The jacket will keep you warm," Vayda said, adjusting the hood.
Lilia nodded.
Finally, Vayda helped her into a pair of boots. When finishing, she stepped back to study the girl, her eyes showing a hint of sadness.
"Thank you, Vayda," Lilia spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
Vayda gave her a small, sad smile before stepping back, "Good luck, Lilia."
A voice appeared from the intercom, announcing, "10 seconds."
With one last look at her stylist, Lilia turned towards the metal tube in the center of the room. After stepping inside, the door instantly sealed shut behind her.
The last thing she could see was Vayda's face before the space around her grew dark. The tube began to rise, lifting her up towards a bright light.
When entering the arena, the first thing Lilia could sense was the smell of pine. Pine trees. Blinking rapidly, Lilia adjusted to her surroundings. The arena was a large, towering forest. A part of her felt relieved by this — at least it wasn't a dry desert or ancient city covered in ruins.
Around her, the other tributes were positioned around the arena, each standing on a metal pedestal of their own. At the center, a large Cornucopia was placed, surrounded by a series of weapons, supplies, food, and other miscellaneous items.
The girl sucked in a sharp breath as the countdown began, the numbers appearing above her in the sky. Lilia quickly scanned the tributes, searching for familiar faces.
Where is Adrian?
Her eyes moved from one tribute to the next, but he was nowhere in sight. Instead, her gaze landed on Cato, who was five spaces to her left.
The boy stood tall, with his knees slightly bent, his eyes locked on the Cornucopia, and his hands clenched into fists behind him.
Fifteen seconds.
The memory of his words from the night before flashed in her mind, "Stick with me. The first few minutes are going to be chaos."
Ten seconds.
Lilia took one last deep breath, her eyes briefly closing as she prepared herself. She knew she was fast, faster than most of the other tributes. She just had to make it to the Cornucopia before them, and grab what she needed.
Five seconds.
Her eyes snapped open, locking onto the weapons closest to her. A spear, a sword, and a few knives were in her direct path.
Three.
Two.
One.
The gong sounded, and Lilia bolted off her pedestal, sprinting towards the Cornucopia. She barely registered the other tributes around her as she quickly moved through the grass, eyes fixated on the weapons in front of her.
Grab the spear.
Within a matter of seconds, she was there. Her hand reached out, first grabbing the spear, and then the sword. She spun around just in time to see a boy from District 5 lunging at her with a knife.
Without hesitation, Lilia drove the spear forward, piercing his chest. His eyes widened in shock, and he fell to the ground.
There was no time to think, no time to process what she had done.
In a swift movement, she yanked the spear out of the boy and spun around to see a girl from District 9 with a sword raised. Lilia quickly dodged her swing, the weapon whirring past her head, and drove her sword into the girl's side. The girl let out a cry before falling to the ground.
Lilia's chest heaved as she took in the scene around her. Several bodies were scattered on the ground, and the atmosphere filled with the sounds of screams and cries of fallen tributes.
"Find Cato", she thought.
Lilia scanned the area, her eyes darting in panic.
In a matter of seconds, she spotted him, his blonde hair flashing in the crowd as he fought off two tributes with brutal blows to the head and chest. They were no match for him.
"Cato!" Lilia shouted, her voice cutting through the scene. "Cato!"
The boy turned, his eyes locking onto hers, and for a brief moment, a flicker of relief passed over his face. Without hesitation, Cato Hadley raced towards her, cutting down another tribute who got in his way.
One by one, the other tributes fell, their lives ending mere minutes into the Games. Once the area cleared, the sounds of screams and cries began to fade, replaced by an eerie silence.
Lilia's chest heaved as she caught her breath, her muscles burning from the excursion. She turned, her eyes scanning the bodies scattered around the Cornucopia, searching for one face, one person.
