The sharp rays of light that sliced through the curtains felt like stabbing bolts to my sleepy eyes. As my vision slowly focused on the two faces hovering over me I slowly realized what occasion it was.
"Oh no no no" I groaned covering my face with my hands.
"Sweetie, today is the day," Angela said her voice sounded strained and pitiful. After what happened yesterday, there was no way Katniss Everdeen would let me live. The cuts on my hands and face from yesterday no longer stung but made any contact painful. I wouldn't survive 10 seconds in the arena in this status. I opened my mouth to ask Angela question but she quickly shut up me up and grabbed my arm pulling me out of the bed. Enobaria yanked me through hallway after hallway then finally through a doorway that led to the exit of the training center. Outside in the grassy field, a huge hovercraft awaited me. I followed Enobaria to the hovercraft and slowly climbed up the drop-down stairs. This hovercraft would take me to the place feared by all yet I had never felt so calm in my life. It was as if standing still forever would freeze time. So I stood there, halfway up the stairs until I heard an impatient cough from behind.
"Alice will you please move?" Jake asked impatiently. I glared at him then ran up the stairs into the hovercraft. Inside the hovercraft, all the other tributes were already seated in rank order. I rushed over to Tessa and sat beside her then was squished as Jake sat down beside me. The closeness of our bodies was unsettling and uncomfortable. Part of me wanted to apologize to Jake for the last night but an invisible glue kept my lips shut. The hovercraft lifted off the ground and took to the sky soaring like a free bird. Inside the bird felt like a prison as we knew that one by one we would get dragged to the gallows for our framed crimes. The 40-minute ride to the arena was tedious and horrifying silent. None of the tributes acknowledged each other knowing that the person next to them could be the one stabbing them in the back less than 10 minutes later.
Suddenly the mountainous scenery outside the windows dissipated into darkness. Someone gasped and said, "we're here". My brain froze and panic started crashing in like waves. I hadn't really been scared until this point.
It's really happening. I'm really going into the arena.
For some reason I felt more excited than frightened, I think I was so scared that my dopamine system got messed up. The hovercraft landed on the grand firmly and the exit door opened, letting a dozen of nurses swarm in with needles. One dashed over to me and asked me for my arm. Knowing what was coming I closed my eyes and winced as the sharp needle was injected into my skin. I touched the bumpy part of my arm where my tracker was located still flinching slightly. I climbed down the stairs and dropped to the ground where all the mentors and stylists stood waiting. I found Angela and Jake's stylist waiting for us on the outskirts of the crowd. I gently tapped Jake on the shoulder to get his attention and without a word, the two of us pushed past the crowd to our stylists. Angela held my hand and pulled me towards the launch building. We walked past the rank one area to the rank 2 section. One room was marked with the name Rank 2, Female, Alice Snow and I was pulled into it. Inside was a tube that would push me up to the arena when the time came and a small table with my tribute uniform.
"Expect rough weather," Angela said, "Face masks are only for polluted oxygen or freezing air".
The uniform was a water and fire resistant silver jacket with a thick but light cargo pants that matched with the jacket. All the pockets and sleeves were marked with a green 2. After slipping into the uniform I stepped into the silver boots. The outside was leather coated with silicon, the inside was a soft warm fur. Angela handed me the black mouth cover which I slipped on with ease. Angela kissed me gently on the cheek and pulled me into her arms squeezing me tightly as tears flooded her eyes. She slipped the black rose pin into my simple ponytail right before the intercom came to life and Katniss Everdeen announced that there was only 1 minute before catacombs would be lifted up into the arena. I stared up at the ceiling reviewing my plan with Tessa and Henry when the games started. I would run into the cornucopia and grab weapons and on the way out Tessa and Henry would cover for me.
"Tributes please stand in your catacombs" Katniss Everdeen's tone dead voice filled the intercom once again. Angela let go of my hand and nodded her head. I stepped into the catacomb whose glass doors immediately closed around me as if I was a dangerous prisoner.
"We are all proud of you Alice. Head high!" Angela called as the plate beneath me started pushing me up. I clung gently to the glass watching Angela shrink beneath me. Suddenly the glass walls around me disappeared and the scenery of icy mountains became my surroundings.
"60, 59, 58, 57" an invisible timer sounded and my eyes searched frantically for Tessa and Henry and found them 3 or 4 tributes to my right.
"45, 44, 43, 42" I started looking at my surroundings and noticed we were in the valley between one icy mountain, the one I was facing, and a burnt out rock mountain, behind me.
"20, 19, 18, 17" I closed my eyes as the seconds ticked away.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Let the 1st Capitol Games begin!"
That's when I ran, as if my life depended on it.
YOU ARE READING
The Capitol Games
Fanfiction[Book 1 of The Capitol Games series] It had been done. Katniss had cast her vote, Haymitch following with her choice. The Capitol children would have a Hunger Games to let them have a taste of their own medicine and Katniss would make sure they had...
