Stargazer • The Hunger Games

NINE

CHAPTER NINE
❝Beginning Of The End❞

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"May the odds be ever in your favour." Millie smirked at me. Her eyes were dull, she did not seem like the person who was good at saying goodbye. Right now I was standing out on a tarmac, about to go into the hovercraft that would take the tributes to the arena. It was windy below the hovercraft, causing Millie's blonde hair to whip in my face.

"If the past few days are any indicator I say that they are not in my favour." I chuckle glumly.

Millie pulls me into a tight hug, squeezing me before letting me go. "Alice, just do your very best. Okay?"

"Okay." I agree into her hair. She pulls me away and motions towards the hovercraft. She was gesturing to the beginning of the end. I smiled one last time at Millie before walking to the entrance. It looked like I was the last tribute to enter the hovercraft as everyone else was seated. I sat in the only remaining seat which was next to Moss and across from Eric. Both the boys wore an expressionless mask, their eyes looking at the ground.

"Arm please." A woman in a white coat held out her hand. I held out my arm for her and she probed it with a strange looking instrument. I watched as light went from the device to inside my arm near my elbow. A dull pain accompanied the light.

"What is it?"" My free arm went to touch where the light was. It quickly faded away, my arm looked normal once more.

"Your tracker." The woman said shortly before walking away from me and the other tributes.

I looked around at the twenty-three other faces in the room. The careers had smiles on their faces, their eyes showed bloodlust. Most of the others were like Moss and Eric, showing no expression and keeping to themselves. A few of the girls from the outer districts were crying, already showing weakness. They knew that they were less than half an hour away from death. And for me? I did not know what expression I was showing but to me it felt like curiosity. It was interesting, seeing what tributes go through before the beginning of the games. I was doing a good job at keeping my looming fear from being shown. At once I felt the hovercraft lift off into the sky. A dull noise filled my ears as we flew. I was more scared about flying than I was about what came next.

The trip in the hovercraft lasted ten or so minutes. I knew our trip was over when the craft jolted and the hum of the craft ceased. We all unbuckled ourselves from the seats and one by one a Peacekeeper guided us away to get ready. I stood silently, my eyes on my shoes for a minute before a Peacekeeper touched my arm, pulling me towards the exit. I looked up at him and then at Eric. His eyes met mine for only a second but it was enough, it was long enough to give me the confidence about what comes next.

The hovercraft had landed inside a large metal hanger filled with other official capitol planes. My Peacekeeper followed a yellow line through a door and he led me through a long narrow corridor. The place was cool and sterile. I had a feeling that we were below the arena. "You stylist is waiting to get you ready." My Peacekeeper said. His voice was gravely and very deep. I smiled at him before entering the room . It was shades of grey and white with a metal table and bench and a few other things. The only nice thing inside was my stylist Hunter. Hunter had her curly dark red hair out, framing her face. Her freckles seemed darker than usual and her eyes had taken on the shade of grey, reflecting on the room around her. I quickly ran up to her, embracing Hunter in a desperate hug. In the days that I was in the Capitol Hunter had grown on me. She was so friendly, open to everything. She had started to feel like the sister I never had.

"I need to get you ready." Hunter said firmly. I could tell she was fighting back tears. I had already had quite a few from my prep team this morning when they cleaned me for a final time. Their tears seemed superficial but deep down I knew that the three shallow prep team members honestly liked everyone. I knew that they were rooting for me.