Love is not a game (Hunger Games Fan Fiction)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: 

I can feel myself suffocating as I stare hard at the two familiar faces on the screen in front of me. I'm trying to remember every little detail of my dream, down to the last freckle. My head begins to hurt and the room around me spins. The last thing I see is Cloves scared and confused face before I fall to the ground, knocking myself out cold. 

I wish I could say that my sleep was peaceful, I really do. Sadly, nothing has been peaceful since the reaping. My constant nightmares have made me become terrified to close my eyes. This one had to be the worst of them all. 

As I fell from the Cornucopia's safety, I saw the mutts running towards me. They were eager for a good meal. The Game makers were eager for a good show it seems. I felt a searing pain run through my spine as I collided with the ground. I could feel the pain as if it were real, making the nightmare much more torturous. The mutts were surrounding me now, challenging me to run from them. I tried to stand but the pain in my back had paralysed me. I was a goner. The mutt from my previous dreams, with its glimmering green eyes and wavy blonde locks, was the first to attack me. I lay there, helplessly writhing in pain as the mutt pierced its two inch fangs into my stomach. I screamed out in pain, tears streaming down my face. I looked up to the Cornucopia and saw the girl with olive skin and dark hair pointing her bow and arrow at my head. I knew that if she missed, the Game Makers would continue this torture all night. All they cared about was putting on a good show. The poison from the mutts' fangs flowed through my blood stream. I felt like my veins were on fire. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an arrow flying through the air towards my head.  

I awoke with a scream and looked around shakily. Standing from the foreign bed, I looked around at my surroundings.  

"Where the heck am I?" I wondered out loud. 

"In your room, silly!" A high pitched voice chirped from behind me. I spun around in surprise, looking for the familiar voice that had spoken before. I came face to face with Lorielle. She was smiling like the Cheshire cat, it was really creepy. "You gave us all quite a scare this morning." She continued, seeing my puzzled expression. I had no idea what she was talking about. Suddenly, everything came back to me. The tributes from my dream. I felt my head becoming dizzy with confusion and sat down on the bed to stop from fainting again.  

"There's no time for sitting, Cato." Lorielle scolded me, causing me to jump up from my place on the bed. Lorielle gestured for me to follow her. Obediently, I walked out of the door and trailed behind her as we travelled through carriage after carriage before coming to a stop. 

"Where are we?" I asked, confused. I expected her to be taking me to dinner but instead, we were standing in a drab grey room. 

Spinning me around to face a large window, Lorielle simply smiled at me. "The Capitol, of course." She responded, excitement in her voice. It was then that I saw Cloves face pressed up against the window in pure amazement. I slowly walked over to join her, losing my breath at the beautiful sight in front of me. The Capitol seemed to shimmer, giving it the illusion that it was made of gems. The water reflected off of the bright sun and seemed to dance in the rays. I pressed my face against the glass, hoping to somehow get closer to the beauty of the Capitol in any way possible. The train pulled into a station full of over excited Capitol citizens, all dressed ridiculously. I felt as if we were in a circus.  

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As soon as we had arrived at the Capitol, Clove and I were shown to our rooms. They were just as spectacular as I had imagined. Every piece of technology imaginable was at my access and the showers came with lots of buttons that would wash you thoroughly and even dye your skin a certain colour. The whole room smelt fruity and delicious and I sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the scent. 

Unexpectedly, Lorielle appeared in the doorway without knocking. "Dinnertime!" She called and I followed her towards a door with the words 'Dining Room' carved elegantly into the door. Lorielle pushed open the door and I followed her inside slowly. The dining room was very similar to the one on the train. I made my way over to where Clove and Avalius were already seated. They looked like they were having an important discussion.  

As soon as I sat down, they both looked up at me and studied my face for any signs of craziness. Relieved that I appeared to be sane, they returned to their discussion. 

"Team up with the tributes from one, okay? They have had just as much training as you. Feel free to team up with anyone else as long as they don't weaken you. That boy from 11 might be useful." Avalius said, glancing between the two of us. "I want you two to stick together for as long as possible. When it starts getting narrowed down, you can split up. You'll be stronger together though."  

Clove and I looked at each other in discomfort. I certainly didn't want to witness- or cause- Cloves death. I could tell that she was thinking the same thing. 

"Do we form alliances in training or in the arena?" She asked Avalius, turning to face him. Avalius looked thoughtful for a second before opening his mouth to respond. 

"If you make an impression in training, you may not have to be the one to ask." He responded. "Training would probably be the best time to form alliances though" He added quickly.  

"Speaking of training, when does it start?" I asked curiously. I wanted time to prepare myself to impress the other tributes. 

A large smile spread across his face. "I'd say in about twenty minutes." He answered. My eyes widened and my heartbeat quickened.

I have twenty minutes until I meet my murderers.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Author's Note: 

The next chapter will hopefully be up by tomorrow. Stay tuned for training because that's pretty much what the whole next chapter will be about. Sorry for rushing the story, I just can't wait until they get into the arena :) 

Vote, comment and share  

-Emily :)