lethal 。 𝔠𝔞𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔞𝔡𝔩𝔢𝔶

003 ─── the capitol .

lethal
003  ─── the capitol .

" i won't pretend to be something i'm not "

rowan's view

            ℑ snarled at the screen, suddenly more pissed off after watching only 30 seconds of Caesar Flickerman's Hunger Games Best Moments program.

After it became apparent that there was nothing to do other than watch Haymitch stumble around drunk, I retreated to my room and turned on a view board, turning on the only channel there is. Every year, Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith decided to give the Tributes a preview of what might happen in the days to come, before they re-played all of the Reapings. For some Tributes, it might've been a blessing, but I would rather not watch, even though I was doing exactly that.

"One of my favorite years," Claudius said, watching the tape play the 68th Hunger Games, one of the most devastating Hunger Games ever. It was set in a remote desert with heat-soaked ruins, where the District 2 boy, Roy Viceoren, bashed his last opponent in the head with a rock until there was nothing but broken skull and blood left.

"And one of my favorite arenas," Caesar grinned, watching as Roy stood up, the mangled body of his opponent at his feet.

"Yeah, I bet it is," I muttered under my breath. The only thing keeping me fairly sane was the fact that I was in warm, fuzzy clothes, and I was wearing slippers... slippers!... on my feet. I was very cozy, curled up on the couch, watching the re-runs from the sanctuary of my room, which was one of the most luxurious and plush rooms I'd ever been in in my life. If I won, then Prim, Katniss, Mom and I would move to the Victor's Village, where we'd want for nothing for the rest of our lives.

"This moment is the one you never forget. The moment when a Tribute becomes a Victor," Caesar said as the cannon sounds, marking the end of the 68th Hunger Games, prompting a wince from me.

I was going to have to get used to that sound. That sound meant one step closer to home, one step closer to getting out of the arena. But all I heard is the sound of death, the sound of hopes and dreams dying.

I was going to have to hear 23 of those. And I was going to have to like it.

𝔛

I had to sit through 30 minutes of that re-run bullshit before they finally got to the good part: this year's reapings. As much as I was going to hate watching myself, this was necessary if I wanted to build a strategy, and learn about my opponents.

First up was the District 1 Reaping Ceremony, where Marvel Hayes, a lean, brunette boy, and Glimmer Ivoree, a blonde girl, were chosen.

As soon as they were picked, I could tell their strategies. The boy was already fading in the shadow of the girl, marking her as the social one, but you could tell by the boy's biceps and lack of muscles elsewhere that his talent was spears. And since he went to the District One  Academy, he was probably good at it too.