The mindscape games (on hiatus/possibly discontinued)

Parade

Virgil's POV:

I saw Reina in a black dress similar to the design of my suit and I tapped her on the shoulder.
"It's so good to see a familiar face" I said and sighed, she laughed and gasped at my hair.
"Wow Virge, your hair!" I nodded and ran my fingers through it.
"I like the color purple," I said quietly and we both laughed a little. "Elli explained to you the fire thing yeah?" I asked and she nodded her head. I looked around getting a look at the other tributes to stop on a couple of them from different districts all looking directly at me.
"Um, Reina?" I asked and she tilted her head at me in question. "Who are they?" I asked and pointed subtly in their directions, their gazes never leaving me. She looked over and then smirked deviously as she looked back to me.
"That is district one's tribute, Roman Prince." She said and pointed to the tallest one
"then there is district two's tribute Patton Morales." She pointed to a boy a little shorter than Roman who wore simple glasses. "And then that's Logan BlackBerry, district three's tribute. By the looks of it they all have their eyes set for you~ and from my knowledge they all are very gay." She told me and I blushed at hearing her mention their clear fixed gazes on me.
"why would guys as cute as them have the hots for me" I hissed at her and she just continued to giggle.
"Well I'd try to not look like a tomato because they are all walking over here as we speak" she responded and I widened my eyes in surprise. I turned around and sure enough Roman was already halfway to us already. He stopped in front of us and offered his hand to me with a smirk.
"Roman Prince, district 1, and what's your name?" He asked and I felt like my heart was going to break my rib cage open.
"Virgil Shade, district 6, nice to meet you... I guess?" I said awkwardly and shook his hand.
"Huh, I didn't know district 6 can hold such stunning people." He complimented and I heard Reina giggle again.
"maybe it's because our district doesn't have the luxuries you have here in district 1 or the capitol" I suggested smartly and sassily and he smiled even wider.
"That's probably true, but I do have to compliment your hair, the indigo is a very nice touch" he said and I smiled sheepishly.
"I like purple so I thought why not try something new" I told him, he was about to say something else until Patton interrupted.
"Hi! I'm Patton Morales from district 2! It's a pleasure to meet you!" He beamed enthusiastically and I was startled a little from his giddy behavior.
"Oh hi, I'm Virgil Shade from district 6" I greeted back and shook his hand.
"You interrupted our conversation Pat" Roman grumbled in annoyance and Patton just giggled.
"Sorry Ro, but I couldn't help but say hi to such a handsome fellow!" Patton reasoned and I tried to hide my face that was beet red from all the compliments.
"I agree with Patton, how could we not introduce ourselves to him and not be polite?" Logan added as he finally arrived himself.
"Salutations, I am Logan BlackBerry from district 3" he greeted and nodded his head to me.
"Virgil Shade from district 6" I repeated again and he nodded. "Wait, do you guys all know each other?" I asked and they all nodded to show a definite yes.
"In district 1 I had to travel a lot, and these two became my best friends" Roman explained and they both nodded in agreement. "Shame we were all picked this year for the games" he added with a sigh and I could see Patton's smile falter. An alarm sounded that shook them all out of their moment of sadness and they all gave me warm smiles.
"And that is our cue to get going, see you soon Virge yeah?" Patton asked already calling me by my nickname from back home. I nodded and they all dispersed to go to their own chariots.
"Oh they totally have the hots for you" Reina whispered to me as we walked to our chariot and I punched her harshly in the arm "worth it!" She added and we laughed together as we climbed on.
With each announcement of each district going off and the loud cheering I felt my anxiety creep back up my throat. We were finally announced and our chariot moved forward with the pull of the two midnight black horses.
"here you go ladies and gentlemen! District 6's tributes! Their male tribute Virgil Shade being the district's first ever volunteer so he could replace his little brother. Isn't that sweet ladies and gentlemen?" Caesar the show host asked and some of the crowd awe'd at my action. "Then there is their female tribute Reina Storm! But before I say anything else folks I have to say that these two are serious! Not a single smile on either of their faces, it's like looking at statues!" He joked and almost the whole crowd laughed.
"Now, Reina" I whispered to her and she gave a small nod. We pressed the button together and the fake flames consumed our bodies and the outside of the chariot causing the whole crowd to gasp in shock.
"will you look at that? Isn't that something you don't see every day?" Caesar announced in shock, me and Reina held up our hands together and looked out to the crowd. "Absolutely stunning ladies and gentlemen, you can just hear them saying, 'I'm from district six and I'm proud!' Give them a big hand you guys!" He exclaimed and the crowd erupted into the loudest cheers and applause I'd heard all night. The parade finished and I hugged Reina tightly.
"oh thank god that's over!" I said with a relieved smile and she hugged back.
"Well tomorrow we have Caesar's show interview live. I think that is going to be worse." She said and I groaned in defeat.
"I'll be dead before the hunger games even start" I complained and she laughed at my joke. Our representative found us soon enough and we followed behind her with Luna around the large building until we settled in an elevator.
    "Every year, the districts cycle over where they stay before the games, this year, you two get the grand hotel Suite!" She cried and the elevator opened to reveal where we would be staying. "If you need anything just call me, or Luna! Oh if you need to know, my names Ginny Dusk." She added while we all walked into the room. "I suggest we have dinner and if you two don't need anything then we'll head right off to bed!" She announced and as soon as she finished several servants or servers came in holding large trays of mouth watering food. Me and Reina shared a look as our stomachs quietly growled and quickly sat down. We dug in right away of course keeping our composure and manners and didn't stop until we were both full. I looked over to Luna and placed my hands in my lap.
    "Is there any way I can contact my brother? Let him know that I'm ok?" I asked and she though for a moment before nodding, she left the room for a minute or two before coming back in holding a phone and handed it to me.
    "I already dialed in and asked for him, he should be there soon" Luna told me and I nodded and mouthed 'thank you' to her as I got up to go speak to him, as I escaped into a separate and empty room. After a minute or so of silence I heard his voice and I almost broke down crying at just hearing it.
    "Virgil?" He asked and I laughed in relief while starting to tear up, he began to hiccup and laugh himself and it took us a moment or two to calm down.
    "Hey Janus you little snake, I just wanted to call to let you know that I'm ok over here, you wouldn't believe all the fancy stuff they have over here. Not to mention I've now learned the hard way about how painful it is just to look nice" I joked and heard him giggle on the other end. "You did what I told you right? You're with Remy?" I asked and heard him sniffle a little.
    "Yeah I did what you asked, he was really upset when I came over" he answered and I sighed deeply.
    "You be good for Remy ok? You're probably going to be..." I stopped so I wouldn't let loose a choked out sob at having to tell my brother that I might not come back. "T-to be s-staying with him for a while. So you don't cause him trouble o-okay?" I stuttered and heard him hiccup and sob a little on his own end.
    "Y-your not coming back... are y-you?" He asked sounding so broken.
    "Janus you listen to me, you know I can fight, and I can fight like hell. I promise to you right here and now that I will do everything and I mean everything to get back to you and I will do whatever it takes to win these games." I assured him.
    "O-ok," He responded back shakily.
    "And you can see me on TV too, did you see me for the parade?" I asked to try and lighten the mood and hiccuped up a chuckle and heard him giggle as well.
    "I-I thought you actually set yourself on fire!" He exclaimed and sniffed as he erupted into a fit of giggles.
    "Well I'm here with no burns in sight" I reassured him, and let out a deep sigh. "I have to go soon, remember to stay out of trouble for Remy's sake and tell him I say hi will you?" I asked him, starting to regretfully wrap up the conversation.
    "Ok," he promised me,
    "I love you Janus" I said and felt the tears prick my eyes again, I looked up quickly while biting my quivering lip to attempt to keep keep my tears at bay so I could seem strong for Janus.
    "I love you to V-Virge" he stuttered on my name and heard him begin to cry again.
    "I'll try and call you again when I get the chance, so for now bye you little rascal" I told him and I knew although I couldn't see him that he was nodding to try and show he understood me.
   "O-ok, Bye..." He said goodbye trying to drag out the call for as long as he could.
    "Bye" I finished and shakily took the phone away from my ear and ended the call. I pinched the bridge of my nose and not even a few seconds later the water works activated and I was harshly sobbing. I covered my mouth and started to sink down to squat on the floor while my other hand wrapped over my stomach as I hunched over. After awhile I felt a hand calmingly rub my back, and whoever it was I collapsed and hugged their waist and sobbed into their side. They continued to calmly rub my back and with their other hand, softly ran their fingers through my hair and massaged my scalp while gently rocking us back and forth. I don't know how long I cried for I just knew it felt like hours until it finally reduced to only a few hiccups. I looked up to see who comforted me and Reina smiled back down to me. "T-thank you, you didn't have to d-do that" I told her and sat up wiping away the remaining wet streaks on my face. She shook her head with a soft smile still tugging at her lips.
    "Us tributes got to stick together yeah? How's your brother doing?" She asked and readjusted herself to sit comfortably as I did the same.
    "Hopefully handling this a lot better than I am, I don't think he knows just how much I've done for him in the past and what I'd do for him now" I admitted and wiped my now runny nose on my bare arm.
    "Did something happen when he was little?" She asked and I nodded my head.
    "Our parents both had to work in the coal mines, my mom not so much so she could take care of us from time to time. On Janus's 4th birthday our mom took us near the mine to surprise our dad when he got out. I just remember the ground shaking violently and a loud bang hurting my ears. My mom put Janus down who knew how to walk and run by then and told us to wait before running into the mine. I wasn't looking... and Janus wandered to close... then an explosion went off that collapsed the mine killing both my parents and giving Janus a scar across half his face making him look half serpent that he'll get bullied for at school. I blamed myself that day for him getting hurt and now that it was only us, I was determined to make sure he would never get hurt again if I could help it" I admitted to her, and she game me a look of not pity but sympathy, empathy, and sorrow.
    "So when his name got called..." she realized and I nodded.
    "I volunteered myself because I knew it was the only way to save him." I finished for her.
"Well, That was a really brave and heroic thing to do, we should head to bed though, we got a big day ahead of us" Reina suggested and I nodded in agreement. I made sure the rest of the tear streaks were gone and that my nose stopped running before we left the room and I handed the phone to Luna.
"Thank you Luna, that meant a lot to me" I told her gratefully and she nodded with a sad smile.
"No problem squirt, now go and head to bed before Ginny has all our heads" she joked while ruffling up my hair and pushed me off into the direction of what I assumed to be my room while Reina went off to her own. I closed the door behind me and looked at the luxurious lay out. A grand king-sized bed sat in the middle against the wall, and there was a large window overlooking the capitol. On a coffee table that matched the sofa and chair set was a remote with different labeled buttons. I picked it up curiously and randomly pressed one of the buttons. The window came to life and instead of the capitol it was a beautiful beach with waves that calmly crashed against the shores. I'd only heard stories of what oceans looked like and to see one for the first time was intriguing. I pressed another button and it was now a desert, pressing button after button I scrolled through the settings until I stopped on one abruptly. In front of me was a forest, a scene I was all to familiar with, and the wildlife sounds quietly echoed through the room. I put the remote down and sighed almost in relief. The forest was something I was used to, tracking animals, hunting, and listening to every sound was something I had grown accustomed to. And over time the forest itself became apart of what I classified as home, the other part that I called home was just Janus, it wasn't a location but him himself. Because wherever we went or would go he would always be there. Before I started crying again I managed to shake my head out of the thoughts and looked around the room to see if I could find any sleepwear. And sure enough on the night stand next to the bed was a neatly folded pair of silk satin pajamas. There was a bin in the corner labeled laundry so I put the clothes I was recently wearing in there and slipped on the cool and soft material. Climbing under the sheets of the bed I looked over to the artificial forest background and almost instantly fell asleep.