Into Thin Air: The Forty-Second Hunger Games

Chapter 13

My sister is coming home today so she'll want me to hang out with her. I'll try to write anyway.

Azure Doyle

I didn't expect to see Onyx, but I knew exactly what I was looking at as soon as I saw him. I'd heard tales of those scars. We only ever saw them on hardcore dudes. Word was they were part of some secret Capitol assassin group. The Capitol had done good by me, so I wasn't sniffing into their dirty business. I'd help Onyx as much as I could, but I didn't think he needed much help.

Ava Hanson

I was minding my own business getting ready to train with Pray when she suddenly darted to one side, scaring the crap out of me. She sprinted down the hall and ran into a bathroom.

"Are you okay?" I called through the stall door. The door flew open and she sauntered out.

"It's nothing," she insisted, and she washed her hands like nothing was wrong.

"You just threw up all over! Do you have food poisoning or something?" I asked.

"Nah, I just got sick of bleeding everywhere once a month," she said.

"What's that supposed-" I said. No way. No way. Silver Claws Jager had s*x. Rudolph was the bravest man in Panem.

Pray Jager

So I was pregnant. Maybe I got bored ending life and decided to switch things up for once. Or maybe I just wanted to live vicariously through my little future Career. I was the same mentor as ever.

"So, what brings you to the Games," I asked Tuesday.

"I want to write this really cool article," she said.

"What? You came here to write an article? You're nuts!" I said. What was Two coming to? I didn't want to train some wannabe writer. I wasn't going to be easy on her, either. She better be ready.

Acee Hal

"So... you're pregnant," I said.

"Yeah," she said as we both looked at her watermelon belly. I'd been afraid this would happen ever since I started mentoring. That or a Siamese twin Tribute. Or both.

"I think your best chance is the sponsors," I said. "You... you can't really fight with... that. But there are plenty of Capitol moms. Play that up and hope the Careers don't want the hit in likeability."

Careen Ellis

Whatever Rain was thinking, she was wrong.

"I was really good in the Academy. Even though I was young, I was the best," she said.

"Sure. None of them other girls twice your size were better," I said. "Especially not Jackie Sloop, the girl they

"They were wrong. They should have picked me," she said.

"If they should have, they would have," I said.

"They didn't get mad when I volunteered," Rain argued.

"No, they didn't. Do you know why? I do. Because they always consult the Victors when they pick volunteers. They saw me again after. You know what they said? They said they're not mad. Because you're cute. You'll get sponsors. The Careers won't go after you- at first. And you know where all that sponsor money is going?" I asked.

"I'd like a dagger. And some armor," Rain said.

"It's going to Shane," I said. "They're not mad because you'll get sponsors, which they're sending to Shane. Because he can win," I said. "You're not their darling. You're their sacrifice."

Rain's eyes went wide, and her jaw dropped. I felt guilty when she started to cry and fled the car. I'd go after her when she'd started to recover. She could still win if we did everything right. She just had to know where she actually stood.

Erwin Jackson

"You volunteered for this."

I couldn't respect a volunteer. Anyone who got into this willingly wasn't worth help. Slater, by volunteering, clearly told me that he was willing to kill people and his training told me he actually wanted to kill people. I'd been through that. I still remembered a little glass bird that dropped from a girl's hand as I won the Games. It was good for him that he trained, because he wasn't getting anything from me.

Toby Cash

Lucius seemed like a nice boy. He was polite and quiet. He didn't say much to me, probably because I looked so sad.

I wasn't sad because of him, though. I was trying to do right by him and be there for him, but it was so hard. Every part of me was screaming in pain and I was shaking uncontrollably. My vision was blurry and I felt thirstier than I ever had since the Games. I knew what would solve all of those problems, but I couldn't do that. I had to last another week. Then I could go back.

Sequoia Wilson

Bugs. That is so gross. Lily liked bugs. Nasty, crawly, skittering bugs. Gross termites that crawled out of rotton wood. Fat caterpillars hiding under leaves.

I should have been more encouraging. It was the only thing I'd gotten out of her. She was scrunched into a corner, already thinking about stronger Tributes and what they were going to do to her. She'd barely spoken until a spider darted across the table, making me dive for cover. She scooped the horrible thing up with a cup and dumped it out in her hand. That girl was ready for the Games. She was ready for anything.

Tillo Peters

What a waste of time. Martha was another lost cause, just like Alice. It was a farce that I was forced to stick around and "mentor" her. I couldn't make a purse out of a pig's ear. She was probably a nice enough girl, but this was stupid. She wasn't winning. Why did I have to be stuck here in the Capitol rubbing elbows with painted-faced clowns until she went into the Arena and let me go an hour later? I won my Games, but I was still a Tribute. Every year I had to sacrifice another week of my life pretending the kids they sent me had a shot. I was starting to think the Reaping in Nine was rigged. The Capitol probably hated me as much as I hated them.

Chimera Ilium

"It's so nice to really meet you," I said to Caine. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"What is it?" Caine asked. He looked confused, probably because to him, I already seemed rich and glamorous. What could he possibly do to help?

"I love being an escort, but I'm not meant to be a mentor. I don't like seeing all you kids die every year. That's why I was hoping you could win. Then you'd be the mentor and I could stick to the fun stuff," I said. Caine looked at me like I was nuts, and I realized where I went wrong.

"Mentoring will be fun for you. You're from the Districts, so you like that stuff. You wouldn't like mentoring anyway. District kids don't care about fashion and manners. I didn't mean to be a hog. It's better for both of us if you win," I said. He still looked at me like I was nuts.

Bambi Kirkland

Something was wrong with that kid. He was sitting still as a statue except his hand, which kept petting a sock. I thought maybe he was in shock, but he looked at me when I moved, and he'd answer questions. He was weird, though. He was creeping me out. I needed help on this on. I knew someone else who acted like this kid. I needed Cornflower.

"He talks, but it's like he's reading a script. His face is all wrong," I said as we walked back to the car. Cornflower and the boy regarded each other with mirroring sideways glances.

"Yeah, he's one of us," Cornflower said, using the phrase she always did when someone wasn't quite right in the head. She had a radar for it. I was getting good at it too just from just exposure. Cornflower fetched Briar so we could stay in the same room in case I needed more help.

"So, you excited for the Capitol?" I asked "Socks". He looked at my lips while I talked, which just weirded me out more. It looked like he was trying to guess at my expression.

"I'm sure it will be fun," he said. I put on a more obvious smile to make things easier.

"You really like socks, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah I love socks!" he said. It was the most genuine thing I'd heard from him so far.

"What's so cool about socks?" I asked.

"They're like a tube for your feet," he said. I'd never look at socks the same way again.

Nubu Sanders

Gray was one of those people that bottled everything up. I could tell right away.

"You don't have to be sad if I die. It's not your fault," he said. That wasn't going to stop me, but it was nice of him to try. I tried the same thing with Demi.

"Don't worry about that. We have to get you back home. Even if I wasn't sad, your family will be," I said. He needed motivation to win. Other than not dying, which wasn't enough for some people.

"I've seen what happens to Victors. They're not the same. I don't know if it's worth it to win," he said. He didn't mean it, but it still cut me. Victors

"It doesn't have to be that way. We can't control what happens all the time, but we decide how we react to it. If you don't want to change, that will make it harder to win, but it's still possible. Not all Victors killed people," I said.

"I might change my mind when things are real," Gray said. After seeing the second Resurrection Games, I knew what fear and pressure could do to someone who had been my friend in the Arena. Gray was right. People changed, even if they didn't want to. I didn't know what to hope for him. If he won, he probably wouldn't be the same. The people who deserved to win most were the ones that achieved it the least.