As pissed as I was about being snatched in my skivvies, I knew that there wasn't any real escape, not now. If I ran, what would they do? Probably shoot me on sight. Or, if I was that valuable, they'd find a way to catch up with me and probably knock me out until we were mid-flight. Still, I couldn't help but entertain the idea, wondering if I could just give the Peacekeepers a run for their money. The car pulled to a stop just below the hovercraft and the girl next to me was still crying. I sighed, ignoring her, because frankly I didn't know what I'd do with her if I had to. Kids are not my thing.
A peacekeeper opened my car door, hovering closely because he probably knew I was gonna make a run for it. Gripping my arm tight, he pulled me from the backseat, reminding me that I was in nothing but a terry cloth robe and boxers. The gravel hurt my bare feet as the Peacekeeper dragged me out, but before another could descend upon me, I made my move anyways. Yanking my arm from his grip, I burst into a run in the direction opposite of the hovercraft. If I got away, I knew I could never go home. If they shot me on sight, I definitely wouldn't go home. And if I go to the Games, I have a 1 in 24 chance of getting back home. The odds were not in my favor.
I woke up later, not sure how much later, to find myself strapped into a seat. My arms were restrained, my legs bloodied and bruised. I groaned a little as I tested my straps, realizing that I wasn't going to be getting up until they wanted to let me. My head swelled, a headache settling into my forehead where I just knew a large bump had formed. By the time I realized that other tributes were around me, my head was throbbing. Down the row from me, the little girl they'd taken with me was talking to some older girl. Other tributes were chatting, paying no mind to me whatsoever. And you know what? I liked it that way.
What I wouldn't have given for a glass of water and some morphling, but I knew that asking wouldn't get me anywhere. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to fall back asleep. It had to be something like 5 am by that time, I had no idea how all these people were carrying on with casual conversations after all of this had happened. I mean, we'd just been kidnapped from our homes and our districts the night before Reaping, and told that we had no choice. So there we all were, strapped in together, and this is what they wanted to do? Make friends and small talk. Well no fucking thank you.
Between my headache and the sound of girls' voices ringing in my ears, I realized I wasn't going to get to fall back asleep. After asking and being denied the chance to free my wrists from the restraints, I settled in on trying to read everyone, trying to listen in on their conversations. Some people were scared, others angry and vowing their vengeance, while others were just trying to distract themselves from the truth of the situation. When I got an idea of who was the most vulnerable of the group, I made a note of it before closing my eyes again, if only to appear as if I was asleep.
My mind raced, back and forth, as I ran scenario after scenario through my head. Who was going to end up the weakest? Who would be of value to me? How could I play this game in order to get ahead? Running a con here would be different than anything I've ever done before, but I knew I could do it. If I could target a few tributes, the most vulnerable ones, or the most valuable, I might find a way to get ahead of the game and the others.
I got lost in my own head, formulating plan after plan, option after option, for what felt like eternity, because the next thing I knew, we were preparing to land. Peacekeepers walked the aisles once we hit ground, unstrapping each tribute one by one and escorting them off. Some tributes took more than one Peacekeeper, some didn't need a single one. But they left me for last, poking at me a little and being general assholes because they could exert power and control over me. I winced when they scraped against my cuts but said nothing. They were watching me now.
Escorted by 4 Peacekeepers, I made my exit. The group of tributes were waiting patiently for whatever was to come next. And as I stood there in the early hours of the morning, all I could see was the shimmery silver of their souls, soon to be departed, all but one. Some shone brighter than others, those were the ones who were already doubting themselves, ready to give up. Those were the ones easiest to prey on. And prey I would.
I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms, frustrated. The least they could have done was leave us with some entertainment, maybe even some food and water for the trip. That's what they did with all the normal tributes on their trains, right? Instead we were strapped down and forced to bear hours upon hours in this piece of incarceration machinery.
And it was only fitting that I, who had wanted nothing to do with the Hunger Games from the start, would be seated in between the two boys from One and Two. Huge Careers that dwarfed me even though I was on the taller end of the girls. And while Leo had been pleasant, I couldn't make any promises about the giant Adonis that was seated to my right.
I had seen the tributes from One on television every year during our mandatory viewing sessions. Careers, every one of them. Huge brutes that weren't afraid to snap poor children's necks as soon as they caught up with them.
I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. It seemed he had only woken up as Leo and I were talking.
Sisterly Advice || Rowan & Marlee || Hovercraft to the Capitol
There was no train, no sense of formality or tradition. They’d thrown out every single piece of the puzzle to shake things up this year. It was becoming increasingly clear that this wasn’t going to be the same old shit when I was strapped into a chair in a hovercraft across from the mayor’s son. The other tributes around me were all in various stages of undress, pyjamas and nightgowns denoting that I hadn’t been the only one to be sound asleep when the peacekeepers ripped me from my home.
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, tugging the oversized nightshirt down my thighs as I tried to get comfortable. It was then that I heard the soft sniffling coming from the little girl beside me. Her hair was still in pigtails and her pink pyjamas made her look out of place on this journey. I reached out a gloved hand, touching her arm as an offer of comfort. “It’ll be okay, don’t let them see you cry okay?”
No Way Out | | Anatolia + Mallory | | Hovercraft Ride
The president will pay for this! Sooner or later, I know that the gods will strike him down. Putting all of their children into a death-match? Surely that will go over well with the Twelve Olympians! The vile little idiot clearly has not thought this through. I can vouch that he will rue this once under the cruel jurisdiction of Hades.
I will stand for no such thing. I make the sly motions pointing to rising out of my seat and going after the closest peacekeeper, but I see him withdraw a taser and what looks to be a gun. I sneer as I cross my arms.
Why has Zeus not taken down this hovercraft yet? It is flying in his domain, after all, and he has the power to bring it down to the earth safely. I murmur a quick prayer to Zeus about this idea.
I look around the hovercraft, having absolutely no intention of chatting with my opponents at this moment. It is quite unnecessary to do so right now. I shall just wait until training to find out the nature of their skills. I have no other reason to converse with them, obviously.
The only person worth speaking to is Mallory, who sits beside me. I know that she must be just as irate with the government as I am at this very moment in time. "It seems that these children are who we shall be up against in the arena. We must keep close eyes on all of them. It will give us the advantage," I assert. It never is too early to be constructing plans of strategy. I do not plan on wasting any time in doing so.
Im thrown over the shoulder of a peacekeeper as he enters a loading bay of a hovercraft. Inside I see a group of kids strapped down, and I can only assume that these are the other tributes.
Ana it close behind me screaming at another peacekeeper who is having trouble keeping her still. We are eventually set down in seats along with the other tributes and the thing takes off short after.
To my left theres another girl, I don't know anything about her and i know she's not even from 7. "This is so fucked." I say to myself and perhaps a little louder than i expected.
The hovercraft was closing its doors and the last poor souls from District Twelve had boarded the deathmobile. After spending the entire night in silence, the other children on the hovercraft all seemed to be feeling a little awkward about our predicament, so it took a while for people to start talking. But inevitably, as teenagers tend to do, they began to turn in their seats and chat with those sitting next to them, making polite small talk to distract from the traumatizing situations we had all been forced into.
I was perfectly content with sitting by myself and not talking. With so many young people in close quarters, this had the potential to turn back into high school. And while I was a fan of the books and lab equipment the school provided me, the social scene was not my cup of tea. And that's all this hovercraft seemed to be.
But then, as if reading my thoughts, the blond District Two boy seated next to me turned to introduce himself. And while I had to admit to myself that he wasn't the worst looking out of the bunch, my gut told me I was too awkward to engage in conversation with this guy. He seemed all too similar to the kinds who had locked me into classrooms after school at age 12.
"I'm good," I said softly, hoping he would back off.
Knowing that couldn’t be good, I did the first thing that came to my head and tried to unlock the belt that had kept me on my seat the whole time. I barely had the time to touch the buckle that a guard had already raised his gun at me and, with a cold tone, ordered me to let go of my belt. Staring at him, I obeyed, but not without a sudden urge to smash his head. It’d have to wait.
Beaten, I laid back in my seat again and payed attention to my neighbours. I had barely noticed them before, but now there was all I could do. Maybe it’ll help me figure out why the hell I was taken here.
