100th Hunger Games

Chapter 23

Seth Country's POV: (District Nine)

The group in front of me slowly gets smaller as Laurel leads us down the train corridor, dropping off my fellow tributes at their rooms as she goes.

"This one is Krystal's." Laurel announces as she comes to a stop.

I push my way through then group, and nod at my sister Krystal who smiles sadly at me before walking into her room across the hall.

"... and this is Seth's."

I open the door that Laurel gestured to just wide enough for me to slip past it before closing it behind me. I take in my surroundings as I take another step into the room. A bed large enough to hold my entire family comfortably sits in the middle of the room with a large wardrobe across from it. A large window on the far side of the room reveals the world outside as it blurs together from the speed of the train.

I sigh and run a hand through my styled hair. I walk over to the wardrobe and change out of my worn yellow dress shirt and black trousers and into a simple pair of pants and a soft blue shirt that I find inside the wardrobe. I fold my reaping clothes and tuck them under one of the pillows on my bed, something to remind me of home. I take a deep breath and leave 'my' room only to run straight into my sister who has also changed.

"Oh good." I sigh. "We need to make a plan, but first let's go and watch the recap of the reaping."

"Okay." Krystal replies, pulling me into a side hug. "I'm not glad that we're here, but at least we won't be alone in the arena."

"I feel the same way." I nod.

We walk out of the corridor filled with doors, and I try to find something that will help me remember where my room is later. Krystal and I enter the common lounge quarters and settle onto a black velvet couch beside a few of our fellow tributes.

As we watch the recap of the reaping, a few tributes stand out to me; a girl named Amber from our district who looks angry as she takes her place on the justice building platform, a pale boy named Trace who's from District Twelve who towers over the rest of the tributes from his District, a girl named Sadie who is apparently the daughter of Twelve's mayor, and a girl named Hazel, also from District Twelve who looks like she's ready to start fighting as soon as possible.
When the recap is over, I take Krystal's hand and we walk back down the train corridor to her room that's just across the hall from mine.

"We need to make a plan." I say as Krystal and I sit down on a bench beside the window, watching the world blur together.

"Agreed." Krystal nods.

"Okay, I think that we should really play up the twins thing." I start, my voice just above a whisper.

"Alright." Krystal agrees with a shrug.

~*~

Glancing down at my chariot costume nervously, I bite my lip. It's a skin tight spandex suit that matches the color of my skin and makes me appear almost completely naked except it's designed to look like grains are covering me from my thighs to my stomach. It's not exactly flattering and I'm not too excited about appearing this way on national television but there's nothing I can do. Zyna, my stylist reenters the room holding a pair of simple leather shoes that have been designed to look as though they are weaved from grains. She sets them on the floor and motions for me to put them on. I do as she says and slip the shoes on.

"You're ready. I'll take you down to the chariots." Zyna says. I nod and she leads to me the elevator that we stand silently inside until we reach the bottom floor where the twenty four horse drawn chariots are lined up.

I step out of the elevator and Zyna follows, walking over to talk to some of the other stylists. I find Krystal who is wearing a short sleeveless dress that looks like it's woven from grains in the crowd.

"Well you look... interesting." She giggles.

"Hey, quiet you." I tease. I can't help but laugh as well.

We watch the other tributes for a few minutes as we wait to be assigned to our chariots. There are several boys and girls from twelve who wear coal miner outfits that are incredibly unoriginal, one boy from twelve who wears nothing but black underwear and is covered in coal dust. There's a girl from nine who is dressed as a loaf of bread who I feel extremely sorry for, a girl from twelve with a lampshade on her head, and two girls from nine who are naked and covered in flour. My costume seems perfectly fine in comparison.

"Everyone line up!" Someone calls, whistling to get the attention of all the tributes.

We do as we're told and line up. Five people dressed in all black stand each tribute next to a chariot and we are told to climb in. I climb into the chariot next to me that is driven by a beautiful black horse. An opening in the wall in front of the first chariot appears and slowly grows in size. Outside, the Capitol anthem begins to play and the first chariot moves out into the street, closely followed by the second. The crowd roars to life, cheering as each chariots exit the training center. I take a deep breath, and my chariot rolls out into the street as well. I put on a happy face, waving to the conceited and cruel citizens of the Capitol.