The Hunger Games: Fight To Survive (HTTYD/Animation Crossover AU)

If It Came Down to It...

Foolishly, I hoped, for once, for my mind and body to be in sync. To finally cooperate and understand the important of rest for me. To not let the images of fire and reminder that tomorrow marked my last true freedom have a hold on me. But alas, I laid awake, staring at the same, dull-coloured ceiling.

With nothing else, I thought back to the interviews. After almost passing out upon leaving the stage, everything else felt like a blur. I remembered meeting up with Eret, Gothi, and Mala. I remembered completely ignoring Mala's fake excitement but confused by Eret's concern. It didn't feel right for him, in my eyes. I remembered being escorted into a small room backstage to watch the rest of the interviews. Later, I realised it was a personal decision to make, so I must have said yes.

Astrid was there, too. I didn't speak to her, and I don't think she spoke to me as well. It was our last day together, most likely our last time seeing each other until tomorrow, where the lurking feelings of survival and death will take over without room for simple conversation, and apart from a standard greeting, we said nothing. Even after the interviews as we took the elevator to our apartments.

Maybe I should have said something first, instead of waiting for her. But then again, I was never good at starting conversation. Maybe she was judging me for the things I said in the interview, though what I said wasn't anything new to her. Or maybe, as always, I was overthinking the reasoning behind it. Either way, it didn't help my current state. All I wanted was to get some sleep before the Games. One decent sleep for once in my life, but it seemed that was always a pipe dream.

Groaning in annoyance, I sat up and shifted over to the edge of my bed. Clearly, this was a losing battle and fighting it was only going to make it worst. I was aware it wasn't a great mindset to have, especially for the Games. But just for the tonight, as I attached my prosthetic leg and headed for the door, I allowed it.

I left the bedroom, walking into the darkness of the hallway, where I immediately found myself glancing at the door opposite mine – Astrid's bedroom. But just as the thought of knocking on it and asking her to come inside crossed my mind, I quickly averted my eyes and made my way down the staircase. She was probably already asleep, getting her much-needed rest for tomorrow, and the last thing she needed was some idiot disrupting it.

When I reached the bottom to the main room, its dead silence, along with the continuing shadows from upstairs, began to rub me the wrong way. For a place that was usually lively, partially due to Mala's aggressive enthusiasm, it irked me that currently, there was nothing. Not even the Avoxes were stationed at their spots.

As the urge to remain there grew less and less, my peripheral vision caught something else. This time, it was the elevator door, and another idea came to mind. I was unclear as to whether tributes were allowed on the roof of the Training Centre. The only thing I was told, or more accurately overheard Mala mention, was that there was a force field surrounding the building to stop anyone from falling or even jumping themselves. I could only imagine the number of incidents that occurred for the Capitol to implement such a thing. There was a chance I could get caught, maybe even killed for trespassing before the Games even start. But the longer I stood in the empty space of the apartment, the more my anxiousness crawled against my skin. So, with nothing else, and the thought of my bedroom adding to the discomfort, I pressed the button, calling the elevator.

Luckily, the elevator didn't make any noise as it arrived, opening its doors. For once, I was thankfully for the advance technology the Capitol possessed. Upon entering, and pushing the button for the roof, the elevator door closed and within rapid time, arrived at its destination. As I stepped out, I immediately felt the tightness within me evaporate, causing me to exhale a breath I didn't know I was holding. It made me wonder why I never tried to come here beforehand. I even welcomed the slight chilly air as I breathed it in, cooling my entire body.