The Hunger Games - Through the Fire and Flames - Book 1

Chapter 12

I moved around the room in what seemed like a bit of a daze. It was as if my mind and body already knew what to do all I had to do was draw my weapons and the last was just reflex. I moved swiftly like water flowing effortlessly down stream and then it was over. I stood there with my machette at my side and breathed.

The room around me was silent, were the Game Makers even watching? I slowly turned around and all eyes were on me, and their lips were moving quickly as if they were having a conversation. The tension began rising so high I felt my heart speed up. Finally they dismissed me and I thanked them for their time before I left the room. When I emerged everyone was gone. Where did my parents go I thought to myself. I shrugged my shoulders before I headed to the elevators to go to the twelvth floor. I wanted to get a bit of rest in and take a shower before I was called to dinner, during then I would find out my score and possibly the reason my brother broke into tears.

After a quick shower I dressed in a pair of simple pants and a tshirt that Cinna had set out for me and then laid down on my bed to relax. Automatically the memory of my brother breaking down when he came out of the room crossed my mind and it made me wonder what happened. Did they tell him his score was going to be so low that his chances of survival without sponsors was none or did they tell him something more harsh. Whatever happened it sure had him torn to pieces.

An hour and a half later my mother came to gather me for dinner and I willingly went. I wanted to see my brother, I wanted to understand what happened to make him cry like that. The moment I joined the table I knew he had been crying recently. His eyes were red rimmed and his nose had a pink tint to it. I looked at him and he quickly looked away.

Just like everyone else at the table -with the exception of my brother- I pulled a plate to myself and began filling it with my favorites before I dug in. Halfway through dinner the report came on that showed us our scores. I only paid close attention to those that were in my pack of allies.

Ethan from District 1 gathered a 7 and his sister Essence an 8. Phoenix managed a 6 along with Mitchelle and Rayda from 3. Layla gathered a 2 and her sister from District 5 a 4. Colt roused a 9, Tyne a 9, Raider a 6 and Naomi a fair 5. What struck me odd was that my brother managed a 1 and I a 12.

I turned my head to look at him and so did everyone else. We all wanted an explanation as to what happened. Sure he wasn't the best but he should of atleast gotten a 6.

"What happened?" My father spoke demandedly.

My brother looked up from the table and I could see his eyes were wet again, he was about to cry. "I went into the room and they said before I began they had some bad news to tell me." He took a labored breath before he spoke again. "They said Seta died, there was a gas leak in their home. They think it happened during the night because they were found dead in their beds. Her entire family is gone." My brother said in strangled words. "After that news I couldn't go on I just left." My brother rose to his feet and left.

I soon followed as I for some reason grew sad. I went to the elevator and took the familiar trip to the 12th floor and headed to my room where I just threw myself into bed. I cried for several minutes. The thought of the pain my brother was going through was catastrophic to my mind. How was he supposed to keep himself grounded tomorrow, with the shape he's in right now he could get taken out pretty fast in the arena.

Then it dawned on me. They wanted an interesting game. The idea that Seta's death wasn't a coincidence struck me. Was the Capitol that desperate for a good game that they would kill innocent for a reaction. No doubt crossed my mind, not even for a second.

My father walked in and sat beside me on my bed, there were traces of tears strung along his cheek bones. I rose my hand up and wiped them away.

"How is he doing?" I asked my father.

He shook his head. "Your brother is in no emotional state to be going into that arena tomorrow. They had to knock him out with medicine because he was trying to kill himself by attempting to jump off the roof."

I gasped from shock as I listened to my fathers words. My own brother tried to end his life. I just stared at my father. So many things I wanted to say but knowing we were constantly watched I knew it wasn't safe to speak freely. My father understood my lack of words for me really wanting to talk so he offered to show me the beautiful garden on the roof.

Heading up the remaining floors we reached the roof and made our way to the garden that got alot of the wind more than any other spot on the roof making it impossible to be heard.

"You think it wasn't an accident, the gas leak?" I asked my father.

He pulled me into a hug and buried his face into my hair. "I know it wasn't an accident. Just remember that no matter what happens to him you must do your best to survive. Please I need atleast one of my children to return to me."

I nodded my head. "He's not going to last is he?" I asked my father.

"He scored a 1 and no one knows why so they won't worry too much about killing him off. He will last for a day or two at the least." My father replied.

I wanted more than anything to walk down to my brothers room and slap him. Yell at him and tell him he wasn't allowed to leave me. Shout at him to try his hardest but I would be talking to nothing more then an empty shell of a humans body.

After my father made me promise to give my all we headed back down to District 12's floor. My father tucked me into bed and wished me goodluck. I wouldn't see my mother and father again until I made it out of the Arena at the end. If I did make it out.

It seemed like only yesterday that I had stepped up to save my best friend and now I was hours away from going into the arena. My allies and I made plans of where to meet up the moment we started. Several of the arenas that were favored for the games since the time they first began was the 'Clock' which terrified me from the things I heard about it. The arena my parents played in and another that was like a rainforest with the acception of it constantly flooding at random times. We created hand signs that only our group knew. If we were to go for the trees in the north it was our small finger and thumb risen to the air. To the south was an index finger salute and for the nearest water was a fist. Those first 60 seconds in the arena were the ones that would make or break us as a whole. We need to think and think fast then have our minds made up before the time was up.

I closed my eyes after the time ticked past midnight and tried my best to sleep. I couldn't. My mind was racing and it wouldn't stop. Every few minutes I thought back to my brother and how it would affect me when he was lost. I thought about not being able to keep my promise and go home to my parents at the end. I thought about everything. The next morning when I woke I took a long shower and got ready. In just a short period of time I would be on the hover craft heading to the arena where the clocks that counted down the minutes for life began.