𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟕𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ✔️

𝕀𝕀𝕀

The train car is cold and lonely. After we pull away from the station, Salacia sits both of us down at a table.

"There are a few important things I need to let you both know as we head to the Capitol," she says in her stupid accent.

"You both will be mentored this year by a Capitol-hired mentor, Nereus. He is waiting for you in the Capitol and is excited to welcome you both, I'm sure. Tomorrow, we will arrive at the Capitol. Nereus and I will bring you to your stylists, who will prepare you for the Opening Ceremonies."

While Salacia rattles off our schedule, I look across the table at Aurora. She's purposefully avoiding my gaze, I can tell. Why is she ignoring me?

"Understood?" Salacia asks next to me, and I realize she's done with her rant. I nod my head.

We're dismissed to go to our individual cars to sleep, but before I head out, I try to stop Aurora, putting my hand on my shoulder.

Aurora turns at my touch, pulling my hand off her shoulder. She looks exhausted.

"Not tonight," she says quietly, her voice shaking slightly. "Please. I can't."

I watch her walk away from me, into her car. My heart is thumping. It breaks my heart to see her like this, but I have to respect her wishes. She's been through a very difficult week, and she's about to have another one.

Without anything else to do, I head to my own car to watch the Reapings. If I want to have any chance of surviving in the Arena, I have to be prepared.

District 1's Reaping is shown first. The boy, whose name is Phoenix, was the son of a rebel war general, and he's Reaped with his girlfriend. The two of them look both well-fed and strong, meaning they're strong competitors.

The District 2 tributes don't look like Careers, but they still look strong. Their names are Axel and Vesta, and they look like siblings. I'm less interested in the tributes themselves, and more in the District I see on-screen. District 2 is mostly rubble. It looks like a hell zone. I shudder a bit as I see the extent of the damage. I'm glad District 4 wasn't a massive battleground during the war like some of the other Districts.

After District 2 is Three. The two tributes who are Reaped are both tiny, and they must be only thirteen or fourteen. I feel bad for them, but I'm sure they'll die early in the Games. Who knows, though - maybe they're really smart or something. I don't want to underestimate anyone.

And then it's District 4. The broadcast I'm watching is live, so I can't skip over it. I force myself to watch as Aurora is escorted to the stage, where Salacia is grinning savagely at her. Aurora looks even more beautiful on screen. I wish I could talk to her.

After Aurora, I'm brought to the stage. I shudder as I watch the Peacekeepers rip me from Asher and rush me to the stage. I look defeated as I stand next to Aurora on the stage. I feel defeated, too.

The Reapings pass fairly fast. Most of the tributes look weak, and many of the Districts that are shown on-screen look destroyed just like District 2. In District 12, the District just looks like a pile of rubble, yet somehow there is a small crowd of teenagers eligible to be Reaped. How could people possibly be living in such a place?

I'm sure the Capitol has been saving special brutality for the District 12 Reapings, but the female tribute is a short, feisty-looking girl named Selina who I don't recognize. I'm confused about how she's related to a rebel leader, but then I see the male tribute.

The last tribute called on the broadcast is the District 12 male tribute. His name is Rory Hawthorne, and it's obvious why he's been Reaped. He's Katniss Everdeen's cousin. Any relation to Katniss is a death sentence at this point. The two kids don't even look at each other as their escort walks them from the stage.

I switch the broadcast off, undressing and slipping under the covers of my luxurious bed. Many of the other tributes on the broadcast looked weak, a stark reminder of the costs of war. Then again, I may be strong, but I don't know if I'm willing to kill any of these kids. What am I going to do?

Out of the 24 tributes I just saw, only one will exit the Arena alive. And I don't think the odds are in anyone's favor.

Thoughts on Chapter 3?

I got a review on the last chapter (on FFN.net) and the reviewer was confused why both Griff and Aurora were Reaped (i.e. why wouldn't one of them volunteer like Katniss and Peeta?). In case you missed it, it was announced by President Snow in Chapter 1 that one child connected to the rebellion would be Reaped in each District along with another tribute that they have a close connection with. So Aurora was Reaped along with her boyfriend as a part of this twist. That's why Griff knows he's going to be Reaped after Aurora is chosen. Hope that makes more sense.

Also - at the end of this chapter Griff says that Rory Hawthorne is Katniss's cousin. That wasn't a mistake - remember that in the actual series, Panem is told that Gale and Katniss are cousins. This was to erase any rumors that the two were dating. Since that's still the lie that is being told, Griff still thinks Rory is Katniss's cousin.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

~S