The Hunger Games-One Direction Edition

Chapter Four

Lauren’s Point of View

At first, the cameras focus on Niall’s downcast expression, but then they catch his glance in my direction. The cameras are all on me now, my mouth opened in shock. I close my mouth and look down at my hands resting in my lap, feeling the burning sensation in my cheeks. I know the blush on my face was unmistakable, and there are a few cries that echo around the audience.

“That is a bad piece of luck,” Caesar replies, real pain in his voice.

“Yeah, no good,” Niall agrees, barely able to raise his eyes to meet Caesar’s.

“Wouldn’t you just love to bring her back out?” Caesar asks, and the crowd yells their answer. “Sadly, Miss Lauren’s time has been used up. Well, best of luck to you, Niall Horan, and I believe I speak for all of Panem when I say our hearts are with you.” The roar of the crowd is deafening, and I raise my head in respect and I can’t help but notice we, Niall and myself, are on all of the screens, and in the minds of the viewers, the few feet that separate us two can never be breached. As soon as we are given the signal to leave, I rush to an elevator that doesn’t have the members of One Direction or District 12 to escape the crowds. We drop off two tributes and their mentors before I arrive, alone, to District 12’s floor. I step off the elevator as Niall does, and I rush up to him and smack him across the face, his eyes wide with shock and his expression mixed with confusion and anger.

“What was that for?” he demands, a hand gently touching the red mark on his cheek.

“You! You had no right to be saying those things about me!” I snapped, trembling with rage. The elevator opens and in walks Adrienne, Effie, Cinna and Portia, their expressions mixed.

“What is going on here?” Effie asks, her voice rising as she sees the mark on Niall’s face, the angry glares and expressions. Adrienne looks at me, seeing my fists clenching.

“Was this your idea? Making me look like a love struck girl? A fool?” I growl, and Niall touches my hand.

“No. It’s my idea, and she only helped me with it,” he calmly answers even though I snatch my hand away from his touch.

“Why? It made me look like an idiot!”

“He made you look desirable! What’s going to get you more sponsors- a silly girl or a heartbreaker that makes the boys all around Panem fall at your feet?”Adrienne replies, and I pause to think about my interview. I was a girl spinning in a dress, dedicated to my family and barely even seen as humble. Nothing to remember about that.

“Was I believable? Would you believe that I was in love too?” I quietly ask, shamed.

“I did, with the blush and how you avoided the cameras,” Portia assures me, the others adding their thoughts of agreement. We head to dinner, and I glance at Niall.

I mouth, “I need to talk to you later tonight.” He nods and gently smiles and I feel the embarrassment burn on my cheeks. I sit next to him and gently touch his hand under the table, meeting his glance and my heart melting at his smile as he intertwined his fingers through mine and kept our hands on his leg, as if to comfort me. We go to watch the interviews, and I’m told that I am charming. But really, Niall has the audience’s attention from the second he smiles at the cameras throughout the interview. Then his confession and the footage of me made beautiful by Cinna, then desirable by Niall’s proclaimed love. Altogether, I am unforgettable in the Games.

The anthem plays and the screen goes black, and I know our final good-bye to Effie and Adrienne are given here. Effie takes our hands and wishes us luck before she gives each of us a kiss on the cheek, then she hurries out of the room with tears in her eyes. Adrienne has a shy smile on her face as I hug her, and Niall hugs her awkwardly before we stand silent for a few moments.

“Well, any advice?” I ask quietly.

“Get out of the bloodbath. Run for cover and find a source of water. And mainly, stay alive,” she instructs, and we nod before we go to our quarters. We will be up at dawn to be prepared for the Games, but after two long hours, I know I will not be able to sleep tonight. I go to the door up to the roof to get some fresh air, and as I close the door behind me, I see the outline of his form as he stares at the lights of the Capitol.

I stand next to him, and I look out at the Capitol’s sparkling beams of light. He smiles and before I realize what he was doing, he has an arm wrapped around my waist and I lay my head on his shoulder, his gentle touch and warmth comforting me. We stand like this for a little while, and then he sits us down on a bench. I take a deep breath to start my apology.

“Niall, I’m sorry about your face,” I begin, and he softly laughs, rubbing my arm to calm me down.

“Lauren, it’s fine, really!” he insists, and I smile. “So what kept you up?”

“Thoughts of how I could die, who could kill me,” I admit, embarrassed that I didn’t even think of my family.

“Well…I was thinking of how I wanted to die as myself, if that makes any sense.”

I nod. “You don’t want the Gamemakers to change you in the arena.”

“Exactly.”We sit in silence, then before I even noticed I had begun to doze off, he leads me to my quarters and I crawl into my bed and fall asleep after he tucks me into bed, my last waking thought about his touch and his laugh echoing in my ears. I wake up about five hours later and take a hot shower to help wake my senses, wash away all of the make-up and perfumes. Cinna gets me before dawn and gives me a simple shift to wear before we go to the roof and a hovercraft comes to retrieve us. I place my hands and feet on the rungs and I am frozen by some sort of current as I am lifted into the hovercraft. A tracker is inserted into my arm, since the Gamemakers wouldn’t be able to lose a tribute, and what a pain it would be to try and find them in the arena.

I am released and Cinna guides me to a room where breakfast is served, and I stuff myself even though I doubt I am able to keep it down for long. The ladder takes us down to an underground chamber known as the Launch Room. I dress in the undergarments, tawny pants, a light green blouse, a sturdy brown belt and a hooded jacket made with a thin material that reflects body heat and that falls to my thighs. I have boots on that are made from soft leather and flexible soles, which are good for running, fit over skintight socks. Cinna attaches my pin to my shirt, and I pause then nod at him when he mouths, “Token?”

I do a few simple motions and sigh. “It fits perfectly.” Cinna nods and gestures at the food, which I turn down, but I do drink a few glasses of water to settle my stomach. A female voice announces that it is time for the launch, and I walk over to step onto the metal circular plate. I smile at Cinna as the glass cylinder lowers and he motions to keep my head high. I softly wave at him as he gives me a cheery thumbs-up. I take a deep breath as the cylinder begins to rise, straightening my back to stand as high and tall as I physically can.

I raise my chin up to meet my opponents as I am in darkness for a little over ten seconds, then I feel the plate moving me up into open air. For a few moments, my eyes widen to adjust to the dazzling sunlight, and then I catch the faint smell of pine trees in the distance. Then I hear the legendary announcer, Cladius Templesmith, as his voice rumbles all around me like thunder.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games begin!”