The Hunger Games: A New Journey Begins

Chapter 6

The carriage started moving outside and we stood there trying to keep our balance. We saw District 6 go along in front of us, in an old fashioned blue train with a smile on the front. The people on it were in biking uniforms, although I didn't give them much thought because I was too focused on what we were going to do. That meant it was time for our entrance.

"Oh! There's District 7!" As we rode over I could see hundreds of people watching in pink and green, cheering for us as we rolled by. So many colors to see in the Capitol, so many styles and fashions. The breeze blew the opposite way we were going, making my hair fly back. The carriage abruptly made a complete stop in the middle of the parade, and we stood there, my eyes wide open, trying to take everything in. I could hear cheering, crying, laughing, and specks of conversation. Cyrus started to smirk and shoot finger guns to the hundreds of people out in the crowd that looked like they got their fashion sense from a unicorn. Trying to earn sponsors, was she? I would not wave. What's even the point of waving if all those people are just going to watch us die, only to be remembered as those kids who sucked at that game. I continued observing, noticing that even the president of PANEM was there. I squinted my eyes. Yes, it was him. He had grey colored hair with sparks of white, like glitter, shining in everyone's face, telling everyone that they weren't as great as him. His eyes were a dull grey-green and ivory skin that wrinkled like a crumpled paper, although he did look good for being well over 80 years old. He sternly looked at us, a thin smile spreading across his face, showing no teeth. I locked my gaze on him. We're just entertainment for him. Thinking about that made me furious. I stood there until Cyrus nudged me with her elbow to wave. I didn't budge.

The wheels of the carriage began to rotate again as the horses went towards the end of the street, where we, I assumed, would be taken off.

A squad of peacekeepers escorted us out of the carriage and into a ginormous building. The entrance was a giant metal door, and the guy did some routines to get in. We continued walking through the room, which had decor like an old-fashioned hotel lobby, with roman columns and fancy couches. We headed towards another elevator and soon were directed into a long plain white hallway that was hospital-like. They shoved us through one of the doors. It was a lounge and dining room with two doors off to the side.

"Go get ready for bed" one of the peacekeepers sighed. Finally I can take this makeup and outfit off. We scattered each into different rooms, which were our bedrooms, apparently.

After Cyrus and I changed out of our costumes, Harry phoned us via the plasma television in the lounge, and told us to "Get some rest you two, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." I had no idea what she was talking about but I was ready to go to bed either way. As I walked back to my room I thought to myself, oh please help me get out of this somehow. In my room, I went to my screen, clicked it on, and plopped on my bed, exhausted. The screen started playing the catch ups on the hunger games. It showed us on the carriages and soon an interviewer (who was named Habab Duncan) was interviewing the head gamemaker. He had long hair and sort of looked like a model, except for the fact that his head was crooked. He had some red makeup on with a jazz hat. They began to converse.

"What is your big idea for the arena, Sidero? " Habab keenly asked.

"I thought that the whole forest idea had gotten boring. I wanted to experiment with the climate and landscape." Sidero Kennedy replied, his head oddly resting towards the side.

"So what is it?" Habab Duncan adjusted his wig.

"Drumroll everyone" the gamemaker started slapping his thighs but no one joined in with him. He continued anyway. I was scared of the reveal. Why couldn't they do a forest like every other time? That was where I was raised and trained for, possibly my only advantage. I couldn't do this. I was hoping for big greenlands full of livestock, plants, and water to keep me alive. But typical Hunger Games, they never do what you want.

"A desert!" Sidero Kennedy exclaimed. "Spanning in diameter over 9 miles, the Hunger Games arena just got better! There are many new challenges the tributes must face. Stay in tune for the Hunger Games or you know what!" It started showing footage of the arena, the artificial terrain inside of a gigantic arena. As I looked at the arena I became immensely disappointed. The arena had the look of hot deserts and canyons. No water, no animals, and barely any plants. I clicked off the screen. Just great.