Sea Of Secrets [1]

Seven

   "You shouldn't have acted in such a way with Snow, Coral" Finnick talks behind me as I walk to my room. Tonight has been a long night and all I want is my bed, my pillows, and my blankets to comfort and pull me and drag me to sleep. "He could do something extreme and over the top, you could have just handed him your life"

   "We are all in the palm of his hand Finnick, we all are, all the Districts, all the people in the Capital, everyone. He has the upper hand on me, on everyone. If you do something he doesn't like, you're out. You're done with. We are all pawns in his games. You should know that" I spit as I slam my bedroom door in his face. "And go away" I yell

   President Snows offer was so absurd , so stupid, so upsetting. I would never marry someone that I just met, that I knew nothing about. My brother would not be happy with him, and I wouldn't either. Snow will probably put me through hell in the arena, but it doesn't matter because I will die anyways. Sam will have the pleasure of killing me, just like he wants to.

   Tomorrow is the start of the hunger games, and I throw off my clothes and go lay in bed. I want to just absorb into the bed, to become one with it. I don't want to die, but I don't want to kill. I would rather die then kill someone who had a chance at winning the games.

   Sleep does not come easily to me. My mind races with thoughts of the arena, of my death, of what Snow said to me earlier tonight, and of my brother. He will miss me greatly when I am gone. I think of what the arena will be like, and what will come after death. I think of my parents and I think of Sam, who will most likely win the Hunger Games. I think of what I will never have again. I will never experience love, I will never experience the taste of food again, and I will never experience the world and what it has to offer. That night, before the Hunger Games, I cried myself to sleep because I knew I was going to die.

{~}

   The next morning I was woken up early to get breakfast in my stomach and then I was taken to the rooftop where the hovercraft waited for me. Finnick , and my designers and stylists were there to wish me fair well.

   "Win? Okay?" Finnick pulls me aside from everyone as he says this. "I'll get as many sponsors as I can to help you in the arena"

   "Finnick, I can't kill people, I just can't" I look down at my feet, then to his eyes "I won't survive"

   "Then hide, hide away in trees or find a place to hide" he seems like he is pleading.

   "Why do you care if I win or not?"

   "Because I...lo..because I am your sponsor, and plus you have a brother at home who needs you"

   "I'll try and hide , but I don't know where I will be going. It might be a desert for all I know. It might be snowy , it might be hot and humid. I'm not promising to come out alive though. I'm weak, and I'm not willing to kill"

   "Coral, we need to leave" a woman from the hovercraft yells at me. She is in a white coat , and has piercing blue eyes. She looks like one of us, normal. I look back at Finnick and hug him.

   "I'll try" I whisper into his chest.

   The hovercraft ladder drops down , and before stepping onto it, I wave one last time to everyone, and say my goodbyes. I will ever see them again. I hold onto the ladder tightly, but I know that I won't fall off. The Capitol has a meconium that holds us tightly to the ladder, I bet many tributes had tried to end their lives by falling off.

   As I take a seat in the hovercraft the woman with the white coat comes over , holding a syringe in her hand. "This is your tracker , stay still so I can insert it" she rolls up the sleeve to my forearm and I feel the needle going deep into my skin. I can feel the metal piece being placed. Sam must have his own hovercraft, because I see him nowhere around.

   I snack on the food that they have for me, but I don't want to eat too much because if I do want to run and hide, I don't want the food weighing me down.

   The hovercraft lands , and with a jolt I am almost thrown from my seat. Cruz Caesar is waiting for me down in the catacombs that are under the arena.

   "I know you will like this arena , Coral. It's beautiful. I toured it after another hunger games was held here" he leads me to a room called the launching room.

   "Toured?" I ask sitting down in a chair next to the door.

   "Yes, the Capitol citizens can tour the arena after the games are done. We go on vacation for about a month, we stay down here in the catacombs. We can re-watch the games , tour the arena , see where deaths took place, and even partake in reenactments. That's my favorite part" he smiles at me and he seems so proud of the fact that he did it, that he not only saw the hunger games when it was on every television of everyone's home, but wanted to re-watch it and even take part in reenactments.

   "That's sick" I say "how can you do that? Don't you see the games are disgusting and gross? That it's not at all fun?"

   "Yes, but the disgustingness , and gore make it fun" he opens the door with a smirk when someone knocks on it. My arena outfit is passed onto him. "Ah, thank you" he says to the other person.

   He hands me the clothes , and helps me stand, helping me into them. Tight black pants , with brown combat boots , and a black belt are on the bottom half of my body. On the top half I am wearing a soft blue blouse, with a hooded jacket that goes down to my knees.

   "Expect some cool nights, the material is designed to reflect body heat" he zips up my jacket half way and looks at me sadly "win for me Coral, win" he smiles and leaves the room, giving me a warm goodbye hug. He shuts the door and I hear it lock from the outside. They obviously don't want me to escape.

   I jump when the large television in the room starts up. The face of President Snow is staring at me.

   "Hello Coral , and welcome to the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Now I know we talked yesterday, and I was not at all impressed with how you handled yourself in my presence. You not only broke my heart with your words, but broke the heart of my eldest grandson by saying no to marriage. As you know, you must have a consequence to your actions. The video I am going to show you is being show to all of District Four , to Finnick, Mags, and Allesandra. May the odds be ever in your favor" his face disappears and I am now watching District Four. Everyone is outside, watching someone little being drug onto the stage. He is screaming and crying.

   Liam.

   I race to the television, my hand covering my mouth as I try not to scream and cry.

   "No , no , no" I sob as he is put in front of everyone.

   "Let this be a lesson to all who disrespect President Snow" a peacekeeper yells to the crowd who are all in shock, knowing that this is my brother, that this is what I have done to myself.

   My legs give out as the gun goes off. I hit the floor as soon as I see the blood pouring from my brother. I scream and I cry and I moan for all of this to not be true. I scream for this to just be a dream. I cry for my brother, for my mistakes, for my parents who would be so ashamed of me. I moan for death to come to me fast, to come to me quick.

   It seems like hours that I am on the floor crying and soaking my shirt in my salty tears.

   I sit up against the wall, clearing my tears. I have to avenge my brothers death. I have to set this right. As a male voice announces that it is time to prepare for launch, only one thought is in my mind.

   I will kill and win the Hunger Games, and I will kill President Snow.