A Crafted Kind of Games: A Hunger Games Fanfic

Chapter Seven

Adam and I were whisked off the train by Julio and Anna, cameras flashing all around us. Adam nudged me. 

"You might wanna smile."  

"Why? These people are sick." I muttered. This kind of talk would not be appreciated by President Snow.  

"True, but you need sponsors just as much as I do. Come on. Smile."  

I sigh heavily, and then put on my most dazzling smile, waving at the crowd and blowing kisses to the cameras. It was sickeningly fake. I'd much rather be hiding my face, but Adams's right. I'll need the sponsors if I have any hope of getting out alive.  

When we reach the Training Center, we are quickly ushered inside, and the tall metal doors slide shut.  

No cameras are in here, and I remove the fake smile from my face.  

Adam gawks at me.  

"Geez, where'd that girl come from?"  

He pointed directly towards me, and I scoffed.  

I didn't try to make a comeback. I was terrible at coming up with them and I always sounded stupid. 

I walk after Julio and Anna, Adam following close behind me. They lead us into a rectangular glass room that has a panel with 12 buttons on it.  

Anna explains, "This is the elevator. To get to your floor, just press 10, the number of your district. Okay?" 

It seems simple enough to me, and I nod my head. Adam does the same.  

Anna presses the button that reads: "10", and suddenly, the whole room shoots upward, almost making my knees buckle with the sudden speed.  

Adam was taken aback by the sudden speed. "JASON I'M SO STARTLED!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.  

I gave him a strange look, as did everyone else in the elevator.  

The glass doors slide open, and we step out into our new home for the next week.  

Adam and I walk through the doors, and I gasp. The whole place is huge! It was also full of the most expensive looking furniture I had ever seen.  

Anna turns to Adam. "Who on earth is Jason?" She asks. I'd like to know myself.  

Adam looks at the ground.  

"Umm, Jason was my brother. It was kind of a joke between us when I was scared."  

Julio looked confused. "What do you mean by 'was'?"  

Adam became very interested in his shoes, but he answered Julio's question with a shaky voice. 

"He...he transferred to another district one day. He was mad at us, he hated his job. One day, I just woke up in our room and he was gone, with nothing but a note in his place."  

Anna's normally cold eyes softened, and she went beside Adam and gave him a hug.  

Suddenly, a memory came flooding back to me.  

"Wait, which district did your brother transfer to?" I asked.  

"I don't know."  

I walked over to the living room and switched on the tv. Good. The Reapings were still on. 

I rewound the Reapings to District Five, where I was sure I heard someone named Jason was Reaped. I paused directly when they zoomed in on the boy's face.  

He looked as though he could be related to Adam.  

"Adam. Come look at this." I said, hearing a tone of urgency in my voice.  

Adam walked through the door, and I pointed at the screen.  

"What, Skylar?" He wasn't very happy about his brother. I could tell that much.  

"Adam...I think I found him." I pointed to the screen.  

Adam turned to the screen, and his mouth fell open.  

"It's...it's Jason." 

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The song on the right is "Atrium" by Fractal.