Part 18

                                    

                                          

🆃🅷🅴 Tributes are airlifted in a hovercraft, Estella and Aries seated beside each other. She busied herself with the new vehicle she had never ridden before while he kept a watchful eye on her. No one talked, and no tributes made a noise, just eyeing one another or the floor.
A nurse carrying a nasty-looking syringe approaches Aries first. "Be still, please. This is your tracker." He scowled at the woman though Estella carefully nudged him which made him nod. The nurse injects his forearm, painfully, causing him to hiss, and moves on to Estella.
Aries stares out the window, seeing the wilderness below, making eye contact with Estella, both having a feeling they won't be seeing each other in a while.
Then the windows suddenly blackout, screens rising. "I guess we're getting close," Peeta spoke out in the tranquility. Soon the Tributes were forced to ride in silence in a blackout van also. Fists clenching, unclenching, feet tapping, throats clearing, Cato doing push-ups which pester Aries more than the bothersome noises happening.
The van disappears into a tunnel. Minutes later, a peacekeeper separates them all, one leads Aries to a door. On it, the words: 'This Launch Room, 74th Hunger Games by Aries White - Male, District 5.'
Aries stayed unruffled in the dressing room, and the prep team had him dressed and ready for the game. In simple marine cargo pants, a tight black short-sleeved shirt, a thin hooded shade jacket, and leather boots over socks. He fidgets with his finger as he calms himself by taking in a deep breath, his focus was taken away when someone he least expected greeted him.
Dennis, "Expect some cold nights. The jacket's designed to reflect body heat."
Aries stares at him for a moment before ignoring the man and focusing back on his breathing, speaking when he wanders what Estella is doing, "How's Estella?" The mentor sighed, he expected this reaction if he went to Aries before his launch. No matter how he expected it, it did kind of hurt.
"She's with Poppy and Iphigenia, they are giving her some tips." No reply to that either, just unobtrusively doing their own business. Aries with his world, Dennis reading his body language. "Do you want to talk, Aries?" the younger male stared once more before shaking his head, and denying the request. Dennis didn't accept that answer, he took Aries's hand, and there were no words.
Just dread, hanging in the room.
That is until they hear a gong and their eyes lock as the voice echoes loudly: "Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin!" So, this is it. He shuts his eyes tight and opens them again now no longer holding a worried look but a predator reading to kill. Dennis gave a sullen nod, trying to be of comfort but Aries could see he was fighting tears.
"... Don't worry about us. Focus on helping us on the outside. Worst comes to worst, I get to meet my bloody parents." Aries spoke kindly, a hint of humor, for once to Dennis as he moved to a circle cut into the floor. The mentor is scared for the tribute while the tribute isn't even flinching. Their eyes meet once more and Aries gives an apologizing smile that frightens the poor mentor, "... I regret not knowing you more, Dennis. About raising my voice to you. No hard feelings?"
"... None."
Aries smirked, as the circle platform rose, pushing him up, he took the last chance to thank Dennis. The ceiling above him opened into darkness. He stands on the platform, rising through a pitch-black cylinder, heart thumping. "Tributes, the Arena is about to be revealed to you. Do not leave your platform until the countdown has concluded. The penalty will be severe."
The platform soon rises, and Aries's mind keeps him occupied with memory lanes, from his birth to the moment he was chosen as tribute for this year's Hunger Games. Then, a blinding light from above caught his attention. It was daylight, Aries's cylinder now emerged from blackness to the arena and he saw it, at last: It was a forest, and to his right was a lake.
To his left, sparse piney wood. It was happening, no more a nightmare.
All around him, the 23 other tributes, each emerging just as he does, their platforms settling now. Aries was able to get eyes on Estella but the problem is they were considered far from each other, if they were to team up it would be troublesome because with their distance, for now as he expected they would have to go different ways, Estella was thinking the same.
24 sets of eyes landing on the very same thing. 100 yards from here, a giant golden cornucopia, its mouth 20 feet high, spilling over with life itself: food, water containers, fire-starters, medicine, blankets, backpacks, and weapons. Aries knew immediately it was going to be a bloodbath there.
"Good Luck! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"
A clock begins to tick down. 60, 59, 58, 57... Aries scans Estella once more, they make a telepathic communication. Estella gazed at the nearest bag to her, it seemed to load on her needs and she could survive on that for a few days before gazing into the forest behind her.
Aries understood, she wasn't going anywhere near the war zone. As he smirks at her, she immediately has a worried look on but rolls her eyes, of course, Aries intends to participate in the combat. "Be careful." Estella mouths. This is one of the things he likes about his partner, she won't stop his enjoyment.
Aries scans the Cornucopia, all those weapons. Knives, spears, maces, clubs. And his favorite, serrated sword. 40 seconds, 39, 38. There's nothing but a plain of hardpacked dirt between him and that sword, besides the fact that the 23 other Tributes might be running for it too, particularly Cato.
Meanwhile, Estella didn't fret that much for Aries, she knew he'd keep his promise can come back to her. Estella swallows hard, her breaths shallow. Watching the others: Cato, Clove, Marvel, Glimmer, Thresh, Bravura.
They all look so steely like Aries. Of course, they aren't terrified too. They don't see it, but Rue does, Estella tries to get the small girl's attention, and when she gets it, she motions for her to take a deep breath following Estella's hand gesture. The little thing is trembling so badly, Fox-Face too.
20 seconds, 19, 18.
Estella noticed Katniss eyeing something that was like the whole world to her. A bow and arrow, she didn't mind as it wasn't her target at first, she knew Katniss had to have it. Then she sees Peeta, looking right at Katniss, shaking his head as if to talk Katniss out of running for it. Nine seconds, 8, eyes darting, 6, 5, hands clenched, 3, 2.
Bravura can't wait any longer, he steps off his platform just as the clock hits one, and: he explodes, just like that. A landmine sent pieces of him spraying in all directions, Estella frowned and looked away.
The countdown stops.
No one breathes. Or blinks.
We hear a cannon blast.
Then the clock resumes, back to one, zero. Estella promptly refocuses on her task and a loud gong goes off. It has begun.
The Tributes burst from their platforms, racing for the Cornucopia, Aries being one of them.