ᵗʳⁱᵇᵘᵗᵉ

‧₊˚🏹✩ ₊˚⊹

[ let the games begin ]

𝐏𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐚'𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫.

I pinned my arm across his neck, Effie gasping as I spat out, "What the hell was that?! You don't talk to me, and then you say you have a crush on me? You say you want to train alone? Is that how you want to play? Huh?!"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Haymitch yelled, ripping me away from the terrified boy. 

"Let's start right now!"

"Hey!" Haymitch let out a breath, looking back between the two of us. "He did you a favor."

"He made me look weak," I snapped. 

"He made you look desirable," he hissed lowly. "Which in your case, can't hurt, sweetheart."

"He's right, Y/N," Cinna said, and I glanced over at him. 

"Of course, I'm right. Now, I can sell the star-crossed lovers from District 12-."

"We are not star-crossed lovers!" I interrupted, glaring at Peeta.

"It's a television show!" Haymitch huffed. "And being in love with that boy might just get you sponsors, which could save your damn life." He sighed, pinching at his eyes, and turned to Peeta. "Okay. Why don't you get out of here? Maybe I can deliver you both in one piece tomorrow."

Peeta walked towards the stairs, Portia next to him, and he glanced back at me before continuing. 

"Manners!" Effie jabbed her finger at me.

That night, I laid awake in bed, desperately trying to sleep, but the sounds of the Capitol still partying denied me the pleasure. I decided to get out of bed, the blush pink night gown Effie had gifted me my first night here shifting across my legs.

Leaving my room, I played with a piece of my H/C hair, threading the strands through my fingers. When I stepped down the staircase, a small movement caught my eye. 

There, sitting by the floor-to-roof window, was Peeta.

"You too?" I called. Peeta turned his head, finding me walking towards him. The darkness of the room masked his gulp as he scanned me from head to toe, cheeks heating up.

"Mm. Hey," he greeted. 

"Can't sleep?"

"No. Of course not."

I stopped near him, crossing my arms. "I'm sorry I went after you."

Peeta looked up at me, and I bit my lip, waiting for his response. "You know, I meant that as a compliment."

"I know," I smiled, and he returned it. I slowly sat down opposite, pressing my back against the cool, polished stone column. We both stared out the window, listening to the screams and cheers of the Capitol. "Listen to them."

"Yeah," he mumbled. "I just don't want them to change me."

"How would they change you?" I asked, staring at him with furrowed brows. 

"I don't know. They'd turn me into something I'm not. I just don't want to be another piece in their game, you know?"

"You mean you won't kill anyone?"

"No." The answer was so simple, and I almost scoffed. You can never know one's actions when put in a situation like the Hunger Games. "I mean, I'm sure I would, just like anybody else when the time came, but I just keep wishing that I could think of a way to show them that they don't own me. If I'm gonna die, I want to still be me. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah," I nodded softly. "I just can't afford to think like that. I have my sister."

"Yeah, I know." There was silence between us, and I found myself observing the blonde boy in front of me. He seemed to sense my gaze, because he returned it for a moment, before sighing. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

I summed up a gentle smile. "See you tomorrow."

Peeta stood from his spot, leaving me at the window. Tomorrow. It was so close. I wish it wasn't.

The elevator descended, and I stared directly at the metal doors as Haymitch continued to explain, "They'll put all kinds of stuff right in front, right in the mouth of the Cornucopia. There'll even be a bow there. Don't go for it."

"Why not?" I questioned.

"It's a bloodbath. They're trying to pull you in. That's not your game. You turn, run, find high ground, look for water. Water's your new best friend. Ah, don't step off that pedestal early or they'll blow you sky high."

"I won't."

The doors opened, revealing a hovercraft ahead. Haymitch watched the aircraft, before stopping me with a gentle hand, turning me to face him. "Y/N, you can do this."

He glanced at the airplane again, before looking back to me with a smile. A Haymitch smile. "Thanks." He patted my cheek, giving me a little push. 

I started to walk to the hovercraft, soon entering the cockpit, where I was strapped down to a metal seat. Soon, a woman came out with a small device. She went to Rue first, demanding, "Give me your arm." 

I watched as the little girl held out her arm, and the nurse inserted the thick needle from the device inside. She soon came to me, repeating the order like she had done for everyone else. "What is that?" I asked. 

She didn't answer for a moment, instead inserting the needle. I watched as something crackling entered my skin. "Your tracker."

After a moment or so, the hovercraft suddenly lifted with a shuffle, and I watched from the corner of my eye as Clove smirked, already seemingly excited for the Games.

I was escorted off the hovercraft by a Peacekeeper, and he stayed by my side, leading me towards one of the 24 rooms. He shut the door without a word, and I stared at Cinna, who was standing in the middle of the room. Wordlessly, I fell into his arms, and he wrapped them around me. 

"Here," he said as I leaned back with a stuttered breath. Cinna grabbed a jacket that was hanging on one of the steel rods. Placing it over my shoulders, I turned, and he zipped it up. But before reaching the top, he unclicked one of the buttons, revealing something gold. The Mockingjay pin. I gasped, and he simply pressed his finger to his lips, softly shushing me.

"Thank you," I whispered. 

"30 seconds," an electronic voice stated over the speakers.

Cinna placed his hands on my shoulders. "I'm not allowed to bet, but if I could, I'd bet on you." My lip quivered, my heart so desperately screaming to cry, but my head denied it. Cinna placed a kiss to my cheek, before pressing his forehead to mine.

"I'm scared."

"20 seconds."

"I know."

I leaned back, glancing over to the glass tube across from us. I ventured over to it as the voice came again, "10 seconds."

I entered the tube, and there was a mechanical hiss as it closed. I spun around as it all suddenly became quiet. Cinna watched with unushered tears, and all he could do was nod his head as the platform suddenly lifted. My hands pressed against the glass, and suddenly, they weren't against anything. 

I could feel a soft breeze whisp through my fingers instead. Upon opening my eyes, I discovered endless green. The biome setting for the Games was a forest, with towering trees, and this center circle for the Cornucopia, where I analyzed all the supplies. Closer to the mouth, just like Haymitch had said, were the weapons. I saw the stainless-steel bow, leaning against a large, black supplies box.

There were steady beats, indicating the seconds, and I turned my head when I found Peeta. He shook his head at me, silently screaming for me to remember what Haymitch said. 

And then the timer hit 0. 

A loud horn was bursting through my ears as I stepped off the platform. Most of the other contestants were already halfway there. I watched as Marvel hacked a young boy with a sharp knife. I flinched backwards as Cato plunged his sword into another.

My eyes followed a random girl from one of the middle districts grab one of the outer bags, dashing off into the woods. I saw another pack far behind her, and I focused on it as I broke off into a run. 

My fingers clasped around the hook, and I sprinted off towards the forest. But of course, I tripped. My foot caught onto a small rock, sending me tumbling to the ground. I turned on my back, finding a boy approaching me with a square-shaped weapon. But he abruptly stopped, before dropping down in front of me.

Behind him stood Clove. She huffed loudly, grabbing another one of her small knives and throwing it at me. My eyes widened with fear as I raised the bag. The knife struck the pack, and I scrambled to stand. Once I was up, I wasted no time, disappearing into the trees. 

I slashed branches and leaves away from my path as I heaved deep breaths, quickening my pace. Suddenly, a flash of red appeared, and I crashed into a hard body. We both grunted loudly, and I sprang up on my knees. 

It was Fox Face. And she looked terrified. I moved forward slightly, and a frightened gasp escaped her. As we made eye contact, an unspoken truce seemed to settle between us. I took off, and she followed suit, running in the opposite direction. 

There was faint yelling behind me, so I forced my legs to move faster. I gained momentum as I ran down a hill, but my heart leaped out of my throat when I saw another Tribute. I veered off to the side, hoping to avoid her, and she did the same. 

I ran through a thick trove of white and green leaves, whacking them from my eyesight, but suddenly, I had nothing to run on. I was about to scream but bit my tongue as I slid down a steep hill. Rocks and twigs pierced my skin, earning pained groans, but otherwise, I was fine as I came to a stop. 

I looked around, venturing up towards a broken tree trunk. I was far away enough to settle for possible ten or so minutes, but I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I panted as I took off the backpack I snagged, wishing to see the contents. 

Inside, I found a bundle of rope, a small metal water bottle, which sadly held none, coiled wire, a thin black sleeping bag and a pack of matches. 

As I was inspecting the latter of the materials, a sudden boom went off, and I flinched, looking around in confusion. Multiple went off, so I began counting.

"...eight...nine..." I mouthed. "Ten...eleven...twelve." The Fallen Tributes.

I couldn't help but smile when I felt a small flutter against my finger. It was a shimmering dark blue butterfly, and as I lifted it closer to inspect it, the creature flew from its perch. 

For most of the day, I trekked around the forest. I discovered moss, and the leaves near it were damp, which led me to a rocky cavern, where there was water. I drank a hearty amount, before filling my cannister to the brim. 

I had caught a squirrel and cooked it in a small fire underneath a set of two lumped together boulders. The second it was cooked, I squashed the flames, covering it up with unburnt leaves and twigs. 

Near the end of the day, I had started to evaluate the largest trees around. I finally settled on one, beginning to scale it, digging my hands into any crevices to help me reach one of the highest and thickest branches. 

I slid down the trunk, taking the rope from my bag and wrapping it around my legs and the branch. Securing it with a tight enough to knot to keep me secure, but not to cut off any circulation, I finally stopped movement, leaning my head back against the wood.

Suddenly, I heard the faintest whirring and clicking in my ear. I turned around in my roping, staring at a jutted-out hole in the tree.

But my attention was pulled away at the sound of music playing. It echoed through the forest, and I glanced up at the sky where the Panem symbol was portrayed, the words, The Fallen, below it.

It disappeared after the District 9 girl was shown, leaving the arena silent except for the sounds of birds and crickets. 

I leaned back again, when the distinct smell of smoke filled my nose. I reached around to the side where I saw the yellow, luminating lights of a fire in the distance. I rolled my eyes at their stupidity but lurched back up when I heard a girl's earsplitting scream.

Another canon sounded, and I pressed my body to the tree when I heard laughter from below. The Careers.

"Wait! Did you see the look on her face?" Marvel asked as he cackled. 

"How stupid can you get?" Clove questioned with disbelief. 

"A fire?"

Glimmer twirled back around to Cato, who watched as she dramatically cried, "'Oh no! Please don't kill me! Oh, no!'"

"That's actually a good impression," Cato praised as they stepped close to one another. He then turned to the side, throwing his head to the side as he called, "Hey, Lover Boy! You sure she went this way?"

And there he was. Peeta. 

I clenched my jaw as he walked out from behind him, nodding, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"You better be."

"Yeah, that was her snare we found back there," Peeta added, gesturing over in the distance. 

I let out a silent scoff, blinking rapidly. How could he? After he talked about how he didn't want to disgrace his name, and yet, he joins the Careers?

"Are you sure we shouldn't just kill him now?" Glimmer inquired. 

"Nah. He's our best chance of finding her," Cato responded. 

"God, you're like obsessed with her."

"Obsessed with the thought of her blood on my sword?"

"Oh my God," she chuckled. "Let's go." The pair followed after their District partners and Peeta as I stared at their retreating forms.

I hate that I was tearing up, my eyelids welling up. I hate that he betrayed me. I hate that I cared enough to be affected. I think I hate Peeta Mellark.