A Whole New Game: A Hunger Games Story

Chapter 12: The Thirteenth District

Athena

    The girl and boy from 12, Katniss and Peeta, still sit at the table with me after Eleanor leaves to find Cato, who had rudely stormed out after the meeting. After his district partner had admitted her secret, he had been furious, though if it was directly towards her, I could not say for sure. I do know that if I were the boy from 1, I would watch myself. He did not seem happy.

I decide to get up and walk around. I'm not supposed to. They had put me in a wheelchair, which seems dumb to me. It's my arm that's amputated, not my legs. Getting out of the chair is harder than expected though, and I notice as I stand that I receive pitied gazes from both Katniss and Peeta. I look away. I hate being looked at like this, like I'm an injured animal or a helpless child. If they only knew the things I've gone through, the thing's I've seen. I walk out of the room, sick of the empty condolences.

As I walk down a hall, I begin thinking about Clove and the burden she hid until now. If I am being honest with myself, it's the least surprising thing that has happened to me in the past few hours, probably weeks. I still couldn't get past the fact that I had actually been in the arena, let alone make it out of the alive (though mutilated). I am still in shock that my heart pounds in my chest, still ache for my baby sister, off and alone back home in District 5. My hand creeps toward the bandaged stump that was once my arm, the warm stub absently bobbing at my side. I see the lacerations where the razor-like teeth had torn into my flesh, I feel the pain shoot all the way to my non-existent fingertips.

An announcement suddenly echoes though the speakers overhead. "This is your captain speaking; we are now making our descent. Prepare for landing."

Down the hall is a window. I make my way over and peer out curiously. At first, all I see is forest, racing underneath, and then, within a blink of an eye, District 13 appears.

I had grown up hearing about the "Dark Days." That was the first time the districts had rebelled against the Capitol, only there were thirteen districts instead of twelve. Long story short, the Capitol won and completely obliterated District 13, or so we thought. Every now and then back in the districts, we are shown clips of 13, buildings still smoldering from the nuclear waste, wind still rustling up ash from the ruins. This however, is a very different scene.

We are still fairly high up, but I can just make out an enormous clearing with an electric fence warding off the forest, the trees trying to force their way in like a fervent riot. As the hovercraft descends, I am able to see more, and I gaze out in wonder and confusion. I still spy ruins, bits of rubble and dirt of what used to be a town. Scattered bricks are all that remain of houses, fallen metal beams show what looked like a massive factory that had been brought to the ground. A lone chimney stands in the skeleton of a home. One building stands out from the rest; a flat, one-storied with small windows in a neat little row near the bottom, a satellite type device perched on top. The entire building is made of concrete and seems to be entirely intact, almost modern, despite its demolished surroundings.

The hovercraft lowers to the terrain next to the structure. I start to panic; we are coming in too fast. We are going to crash. But suddenly, the ground opens up underneath us and we descend into the earth. I can't see much out the window, but I catch a glimpse of the words "Hanger 3" painted in white on the walls of a dark tunnel. The hovercraft slows and finally lands with a shudder.

Another announcement echoes over the craft. "This is your Captain speaking; we have now grounded in Hanger 3. Please make sure you wait for someone to guide you to your designated living area before leaving the hovercraft. Welcome to District 13!"

Eleanor

God, this place is awful. An entire civilization underground, whose moronic idea was that? I don't like being within 10 feet of these people, let alone trapped underground with them. At least Cato's here, but even he's pissed off right now. And how am I supposed to survive without sunlight? My tan is going to fade...