The 76th Hunger Games

Chapter 13

     The outfit is laid out on the table: Black pants, olive green shirt, dark brown waterproof jacket, brown hiking boots that will be good for running and walking. "Jonette? We need to go." Cecelia murmurs. I nod silently and change quickly into the clothes. They fit perfectly. I follow Cecelia out the door and down the pristine white hall. At the end of this hall, there is a metal door. We approach it and it slides open, letting daylight pour in. I squint and shield my eyes with my hand. When my vision clears, I see a massive hovercraft. "Oh, wow." I say. Cecelia turns to me and puts her hands on my shoulders. "This is the last time I'll see you unless you win." She says.

"What?" I ask.

"I don't get to go on the hovercraft. You won't see me again unless you win and come home." She says. I nod and swallow. She pulls me in for a hug. "It'll be okay. I'll send you gifts whenever you need them." She says softly. I nod and we pull away. Cecelia gives me one last confident smile and walks back into the building. I take a deep breath and approach the hovercraft.

     There are twenty-four seats in the hovercraft. Most are occupied. Clove and Mason are sitting beside each other. Clove smiles at me reassuringly and I smile back. I sit in a seat near the middle and lean back. Within the minute all the seats are full. A lady wearing what looks like a white plastic bag comes by. "Give me your arm." She says.

"Why?" I ask. She responds by shoving a needle into my forearm and slowly pushing down the syringe. Ow. I think it's my tracker. Guess they can't lose a tribute. Mason flinches when his tracker is put in. We should be taking off for the arena soon. Soon enough, the hovercraft begins to vibrate. I shut my eyes tightly. Then it is smooth, gliding without a bump. I open my eyes and see the other tributes. The pair from District 1 seem relaxed. The other tributes look nervous and even terrified. I feel like I can relate. We start to lose altitude slowly. The door opens and we all file out. I walk down a narrow white hall to a room on the end. When I get in, Melinda is waiting for me. I sit on a chair and try to stop trembling. "I'm going to do your hair now, get it out of your face." She says. I nod. She walks over and combs and tugs and hands me a mirror. A braid runs along the right side of my side-part and goes down into a braid down my back, which Melinda has twirled into a low bun.

"Thanks." I say.

"Thirty seconds."  Says a voice over a speaker on the wall. I start hyperventilating. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. This can't be happening. I start to panic. This is a nightmare. Melinda pulls me into a hug. "Shh, don't cry. It's okay." She says, and that's when I notice the tears streaming down my cheeks. I wipe my face with my sleeve and take some slow deep breaths.

"Twenty seconds."  I smile weakly at Melinda and stand straighter, taller. I am ready. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. 

"Fifteen seconds."  I should be getting on the plate soon.

"Ten seconds."  I start walking towards the plate. I stop and turn to look at Melinda. She smiles reassuringly.

"Five seconds."  I step on the plate and wait. A glass tube encases me and I can hear nothing but my rapid breath and the pounding of my heart. The tube begins to rise and daylight shines above me. I close my eyes for a few seconds. When I open them, my heart nearly stops. A plain of short green grass, the golden horn, the surrounding forest, the countdown.