singularity
The Capitol is dark, for lack of a better word. The street lights are dimmer than I've seen in previous nights. There are no far-away noises of booming bass music, no sudden loud whoops in the middle of the night, nothing. Only a few cars wind through the empty streets of the Capitol, all seemingly sober, automatic; the way they drive leads me to believe that perhaps these people own self-driving cars, the kind that allow you to sit back and enjoy the ride no matter where you're going. No one is walking at this time of night, either. It's... quiet.
It gives me a sense of calmness, a moment of tranquility before the Games tomorrow.
From my position on the apartment rooftop, I sigh through my nostrils and wrap myself in the feeling of the cold air blowing through my platinum blonde hair, welcoming the goosebumps that pop up all over my skin. It's been a while since I've done this, sitting under the night sky and observing a peaceful city, but I had never dreamed of waiting my way through the night alone. Back in Two, David was always there to join me after training under Mom's watch, de-stressing ourselves by enjoying the fresh air and resting in comfortable silence.
I wonder what Dave's doing now. He's probably being the idiotic twin he is, fooling around with Duncan, furthering his progress on being a master of irony--anything but thinking about me the night before we go into the Arena. Maybe he's mirroring what I'm doing right now, sitting outside under a swath of stars and reminiscing the past. Perhaps he's venting by beating up his favorite punching bag; I wonder if he finally managed to bring up the idea of using a sword to tear it apart instead of having the decade-old thing hang out in house any longer.
Thinking of home makes my heart heavy. I feel alone, on this barren rooftop except for the few plants for decoration. Leaves rustle in the light wind, a sound much more pleasant than the harsh sound of weapons scraping against each other during sparring.
If I were Cronos, titan of time, then I would extend this moment as long as I could before entering that godforsaken Arena.
"Can't sleep either?" a familiar voice questions from behind me, soft despite his personality, and I look back at the tall figure standing idly by the door that leads back down into the apartment. I tilt my head at Nereus, the corner of my lip quirking upwards, as he joins me on the floor and looks out at the view. "And it's cold out here. Why are you wearing a tank top out here?"
"Don't worry, I got good blood circulation. And the Games are tomorrow. I'm thinking of all the ways I could kill myself within the first five minutes," I murmur back sarcastically. Nereus huffs in amusement.
"By the way you use that mouth of yours, somebody's gonna knock those shades off your face and shove a dagger down your throat the moment you reach the Cornucopia."
"Shut the fuck up."
We snicker to ourselves and the scene establishes itself in my head--two near-strangers, tribute partners that only talk when we're within five feet of one another, giggling like idiots over baseless humor. We feel like normal teens, alone on this rooftop. We'll sit here without a care in the world if we want to. We can have late-night talks into the early hours of the morning, we decide if we're gonna sleep on the roof or crash on the sofas when we walk inside, and we'll avoid death tomorrow.
Yep. Normal teens. Normal lives.
"... Do you think the Gamemakers will expose us like they always do? 'Cause it's all they're ever good at," Nereus mumbles, leaning back and putting his palms on the floor to support himself. He glances at me as he waits for the answer. I shrug, looking back over the city. My eyebrows furrow in thought.
"It's what I'm afraid of, to be honest," I confess.
He stares at me confusedly.
"How so?"
YOU ARE READING
death valley
Action'Cause we are alive, here in Death Valley; But don't take love off the table yet!
