#hinger games

Getting off the train, we see a few other tributes already there, being escorted off by peacekeepers. They escort us all into a van, all twenty-four of us shoved into it, and the door locked as the van starts moving.

As we go, I scout my opponents. As usual, the kids from districts one and two look excited to be there. The careers. They're specially trained for the games to win. They go and pick off the weak ones first. As long as I can show, somehow, that I am not weak, I could potentially last even just a day or two longer.

Then there's Gaius and I from District 3. Gaius is short, but not lacking in muscle, and as he mentioned earlier, he can box. We also share the same home ground of 3. It's definitely a potential ally.

The boys and girls from four and five look just older than Gaius. However, six looks just younger.

The girl from Seven looks extremely scared, and rightfully so. She's small, scrawny, and if I were to guess, either twelve or thirteen in age. Poor child.

The boy from seven, though, is staring straight into my soul for some reason. He's slightly taller than myself and is either seventeen or eighteen, but he's just.. staring at me. No one else, just me.

Eight and Nine are both average looking, fine build, alright height, perhaps not too hard to take down.

The two from ten look similar. Siblings? Or maybe cousins? Or maybe an affair!

No, I can't say that. They're probably family.

A seventeen and a sixteen year old from eleven. The guy keeps flirting with the girl. What a creep.

The two from 12 look the same as they normally do. Thin, scared, and scrawn. They're not even particularly clean. District twelve have only ever won twice in all the fifty-five previous games. There is more of a chance of a career tribute being the first to die than district twelve winning the hunger games.

The van is filled with quiet mutters of the careers, most likely choosing who to pick off first. Thank god we have to wear handcuffs, or half of us would have been ripped to bits by now.

I turn around to find that Gaius is no longer behind me and is instead talking to the young girl from seven. He seems to be reassuring her, as if you could reassure someone whilst they're on the journey to death, am I right? I do feel slightly bad, though, that it took my district partner to calm her, and her own didn't even try. No. This guy is still staring at me. Can he look anywhere else! He then has the audacity to wink at me. Ew, gross. I just roll my eyes and look away.

Soon enough, the van comes to a complete stop, and peacekeepers take us out in order of districts, and Gaius is forced to leave his little friend for now.

They take us off and lead us into a tall building and into a clean looking elevator. We ride, of course, to only floor three before the doors open to show..

Another door.

The peacekeepers push open this second door, and a white apartment is shown on the inside. It's not too small, and quite nice looking. There's a main room and a bathroom, and four other doors, which I assume lead to bedrooms. One for each of us and the mentors.

We turn around, and the peacekeepers uncuff us before leaving and locking the door. There's a table in the middle of the room, layer with a white table cloth and empty glasses.

Nothing too fancy, but still nice.

Also at the table is Wiress and Beetee. They smile, and Beetee nods in our direction as Wiress waves.

"Looks quite good, eh?" Beetee says. And in fairness, it does. Too bad we won't be staying here for long, and we are actually here to prolong our deaths.

"Your two rooms are on that side." He points to the left. One of the doors there say 'district 3, boy' and the other 'district 3, girl'. I nod and walk into the girl one, and I presume Gaius sticks around to talk.

The room itself is quite nice, too. Not large, but not cramped. A window with a view of the capitol, a nice comfy looking double bed and a nightstand. There is also a wardrobe filled with a couple of changes of clothes and pyjamas that should fit me. Atop the nightstand is a vase with a single rose in it. The vase is quite plain. Clear with about a two inch thick plastic base with a button and a-

What is that?

I lean down to get a closer look, kneeling down by the bedside.

It's a camera. A camera. Woah. I knew the Capitol was controlling, but they can't even offer basic privacy? Why would they want a camera in the space I'd be getting changed in? I turn the vase and the camera around to face the wall, though I do not doubt there are multiple more hidden cameras about this room that I probably won't find.

It makes me sick to the stomach. Do they want to shy on me getting changed? Or is it a simple design error? What would they even do with that footage?

I lay myself straight down onto the bed, not getting changed now for obvious reasons. No one comes to check in on me, thank god, and I just toss and turn for a while, thinking about where other micro-cameras could be hidden.

I didn't know the Capitol was like that.