Illusions (A Hunger Games AU)

•THREE•

Most of the other Overseers have time to see their family before they head over to the main part of the land. Not for us, haha. We just have twenty minutes to collect our things and say a few (most likely final) goodbyes before we leave for the big city.

Still overcame with surprise, I hurried down to my room and collected a few things I might need, or just felt comforting to me. The Peacekeepers mostly confiscate everything though, so the backpack I was using felt empty. I didn't really have any close friends here, so goodbyes weren't that needed. While watching my final minutes in the ARI come to an end, I quietly sang songs to myself to relieve what I was feeling inside. This still couldn't be real. I'll wake up in a few minutes and realise it was all a nightmare. But the petrifying shock felt way too realistic even for a lucid dream.

We had to be put in groups with one of the five Mentors before we could finally get this over with and leave for the city. As we had more than the expected number of tributes this year, some of us had to be put into groups of three instead of the usual two. I got quite lucky, as that girl Jaymi was in the same group as me. Along with a boy who had similar purple hair to me, but a lot darker and straight with bangs instead of curly. I think I've seen him around before, he was the boy who let me stand in front of him when watching Control's speech. I think his name was Phillip if I remember correctly.

We entered our assigned spaceship for quick travel to the capital city of the whole Overseerian lands. So did our mentor, who introduced himself as Ian. The other two seemed to know him, but I was clueless to who he was. There was a new rule introduced a few years ago where any adult ARI members who either regretted their crimes, had good behaviour and social skills, or were framed could help out at the children's centre instead of doing dangerous missions. This help also included being a mentor in some cases. We all took our seats and expected conversation to start happening, but an awkward silence filled the room just like whenever the Peacekeepers entered our dining room.

We had a representative from the city on our ship too, Azure, a 3rd Generation Overseer. I'm not exactly sure what she was the Overseer of, but I'm guessing definitely not fashion from the outfit she was wearing. Is that really what some people wear in the city? I'm guessing your generation must also be very important in the community as she stated that instead of what she actually oversees.

I looked straight at the food on the of the table, elegantly decorated with herbs and spices. I don't think I've ever eaten something that fancy in my life, even before my time at the ARI. It looks so appetising that I had to resist the urge to lunge straight to the table and eat the whole thing in 5 seconds. That fancy Overseer woman wouldn't be happy about that at all, with her horrific looking turquoise hair and pastel pink earrings in the shape of rabbits. Just like the tributes, little rabbits getting hunted just so people can have a little bit of fun. At least she tried to start conversation.

Nobody here exactly wanted conversation though, even the usually bubbly Jaymi feeling sick with nerves. Phillip just sat there, completely silent, reading some novel in the corner. He seemed calm, almost too calm for the situation. Her voice just felt like poison travelling through the air, ruining our inner thoughts of panic, loss and victory. Eventually we did have to discuss actual mentoring with Ian, but our lunch (and the rest of the afternoon) was spent in silence. We had calmed down a little by then, anyway.

"The best advice I can give you three is to try and get sponsors. Act likeable. Train hard." Ian explained this to us, when Phillip asked for more than the obvious, like not to die. I could tell he was way too tired for this just from his voice. Nobody was exactly talking much, and it was nice for someone with a calmer voice to add sound to the quiet room, even if he yawned in the middle of his sentence. Honestly, any voice would sound calm compared to that rich city accent.

That seemed to remove the silence looming over the room. Jaymi turned to me and started talking about how we should be allies. Phillip muttered something in another language I couldn't make out, I'm guessing probably annoyed at her. This is going to be an interesting ride.