Stargazer • The Hunger Games

SIX

CHAPTER SIX
❝The Ocean❞

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"Cold, so cold" I shivered. Hunter had put me in some strange stretchy white material that covered my body from the neck down. Hunter had explained that projections will make the plain material come to life but even with a thorough explanation I still did not understand it.

"Your hair isn't doing its job properly," Eric chuckled. He pulled me into a hug and rubbed his hands up and down my back. A futile attempt to warm the both of us up. Eric was always the one to tease me about my hair. It was a constant thing and I had gotten used to it.

"My hair is perfectly fine," I reply into his neck. My hair was in a half up do with one braid wrapping around the back, the border between the 'up' and the 'down'. I tilt my head so I can study Eric's face. The makeover did him well. His shaggy gold hair had morphed into a neater shaggy style. From the distance I was from his face, I could make out the fine stage makeup that Eric had been made to wear. 'To enhance his natural beauty' he had told me.

"What you looking at Alice?" Eric's eyes caught mine.

"You look nice with your new look," I smirked at him.

Eric's chest vibrated with a laugh. He wrapped his arms tighter around me, "I guess you didn't turn out that bad either."

I laughed back at him before wriggling from his hug. Our little moment had not gone unnoticed by other tributes. We were all in a large room with the chariots, waiting to be paraded. The room echoed and picked up the slightest noise. So it was not surprising that people near us were focusing their attention on us. In all the misery and determination, Eric and I were a bubble of happiness, a reminder of what everyone else left behind.

"Keep that for the camera," Millie instructed from behind us. It was the first time I had seen her without Aiden next to her. "Now instead of you two bonding why don't you go meet some other tributes?"

"I don't want to," I whispered to her.

"Why not?"

"Because they will all want to kill me and they will all get killed. I don't want an alliance," I whispered back to her.

"Don't worry about that," Millie rolled her eyes at me before grabbing my hand and dragging me away from Eric, "Go find Aiden, Eric," She ordered towards him before taking me to meet some deadly strangers.

"Bella!" Millie called towards a mentor standing near the district seven chariot. Straight away the mentor, Bella, spun around with delight on her face.

"Oh Millie it has been too long!" Bella embraced Millie in a hug, leaving me standing next to my mentor awkwardly. When they let go I took in Bella's features. She had straight brown hair to her waist that had a handful of silver strands. Her eyes were a light brown and her skin the same tone. I remembered Bella from Hunger Games re-runs. She had won the 5th game. Bella looked at me with her brown eyes and smiled, "You must be Alice. What a pleasure to meet you!"

"No what a pleasure to meet you," I reply, shaking Bella's hand. Bella had won the games at the age of thirteen with pure luck, smarts and forest knowledge. She had become many children's role models over the 29 years since the games.

"Alice this is Clover and Moss, the district seven tributes," Millie pointed out to the two tributes. I remembered their reaping well. The plant named children were siblings. Clover was only twelve and looked a lot like the twins back home. Moss was fifteen with shoulder length blonde hair and green eyes. Them being chosen to fight to the death gave Eric and I a run for our money.