A Crafted Kind of Games: A Hunger Games Fanfic

Chapter Nine

Effie lead me to a giant room that was underneath the Training Center.

All around, there were all sorts of chariots, tributes next to them. I tried to breath deeply, but my breath rattled in fear.

Almost half the tributes must have been bigger than I was.

Effie and I made our way through the maze of chariots, until she finally stopped at a silver and black one, drawn by light brown horses. Adam was already there, leaning against the chariot, staring off into space.

He was dressed in an outfit extremely similar to mine, like Effie said. He had a long sleeved black plaid shirt, with overalls that went down to his ankles. His hat was coal black, but I didn't see a token on him.

The one thing that took me aback was his eyes. They were no longer red, but an almost unnoticeable pink. I already knew, but even a Capitol viewer could tell that he had been crying.

"Hey." I said, barely audible. He looked at me. "Hey." No emotion crossed his face.

He went back to staring, and I followed his eyes to see what he was looking at. I understood as soon as my eyes locked on to what, or should I say, who Adam was staring at.

Jason.

He and his district partner, I think her name was Maddie, are talking to one another, but it's clear in their facial expressions that they want to be friends.

District Five is power, so Jason is in an almost neon green shirt, pants, shoes, and cape that goes down to his waist. The whole outfit glows faintly, leaving the impression that his clothes are covered in toxic nuclear liquid. (A/N: Don't know what it's really called) Maddie wears almost the same outfit, except she's in a skirt, not pants, and instead of a cape, her stylist must have put neon green extensions in her hair, because even though they're far away, I can see bright flashes of green from her hair.

I look at Adam. "Do you think he knows?" I ask. He turns and stares at me. "No. I don't think he knows I'm over here."

"But, he must have seen the Reapings. He has to know that you're here."

As if on cue, I see Jason break away from his conversation with Maddie. He looks around the huge room. I watch as his eyes lock on Adam, and I swear I see a tear in his eye.

I nudge Adam and point towards Jason. He moves his head to look, but Jason's eyes snap back to the floor.

Adam looks back at me, a puzzled expression on his face. "What?" He asks.

I don't want him to break down again, so I lie through my teeth.

"Never mind." I say. He turns away, and I look around at all the other tributes.

Suddenly, the sound of trumpets blast through the air, and I jump.

Ceasar Flickerman's voice comes over the speakers, warming up the crowd before it's time to go.

Effie shoos us onto our chariot, and I grasp onto the ledge. Adam leans towards me.

"Might wanna bring that girl from the train station back." He whispers, and I have to bite my lip so I don't shoot back a retort.

"And here they come, this year's tributes!" Ceasar yells to the crowd, and they respond with a defeaning roar of applause and cheering as the District One tributes roll out on their chariots.

I roll my eyes. Both of them are milking the crowd for all it's worth.

4....5....

Jason's chariot rolls out, and the crowd screams in admiration. I spot a flash of pain register on Adam's face, but he quickly dismisses it.

7.....8

My palms are sweaty. This is getting nerve wrecking.

Bam. We're live to all of Panem.

I throw on a dazzling, but extremely fake, smile and wave to the crowd.

My other hand grasps the chariot, and my fingers are going numb. I deal with it, though. My nerves might make me fall out of this thing.

The crowd is deafening, screaming and clapping and stomping.

I steal a glance at Adam, and he looks nauseous to me, and he's not smiling or waving. He's looking straight ahead, as if the entire audience was below him. Huh.

I catch a glimpse of us on the screen, and the first thing I think is: "Holy crap." I swore that a cowgirl costume would've been boring, but with the sparkles catching every single bit of light, I seem to be glowing.

Adam looks dangerous, the black making him almost blend into night. Since he's not smiling or waving, the effect is even more dark.

When we're next to each other, we look like the devil and an angel.

And it's amazing. I silently thank Effie and her partner, Frias, for this.

Our chariot stops at the City Circle, and I keep the smile on my face as President Snow steps up to his podium. I hope that my smile disguises my hatred for this man. He could call off the Games, right here, right now. But no. He'd rather watch 23 innocent kids die.

He makes his speech, but I don't listen. I'm too busy trying to keep the smile on my face.

Suddenly, the chariot jerks, and we're moving again. I continue to wave to the crowd as we roll back to the Training Center. I hear a few teenage Capitol girls scream Adam's name, and it's all I can do to keep from laughing.

Our chariot stops in the Training Center, and I pull my hand off of the chariot and try to work the stiffness out of my fingers.

Anna, Julio, Effie and Frias are all waiting for us.

"That was wonderful!" Effie squeals. Anna nods, and Julio speaks. "Very nice." He smiles.

"Come on, let's go back to your floor. Tomorrow's a big day." Anna says, and we all climb into the elevator.

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The song on the right is "Eclipse" by Jason Stokes, aka MinecraftUniverse :)