Arena (*Hunger Games Fanfic*)

Chapter 7

I imagined the residents of Senatia to be grand and colorful, like Oddius. I expected big feathery hats and purple lipstick, with rainbow scarves and turqoise eyelashes, along with themselves being drenched in glitter.

I was wrong.

I stepped out of the train, and hundreds of men and women, clad in black and white, cheered for us. A large neon signs above read JUDAEA-SILIUS AND LUCERNA.

I walked through the direct line to where the rest of the tributes were. The crowds were held back by armed guards, with electric spears and rifles. The train station was unreal, once I got a look at it.

At least five-hundred benches were scattered around, with giant screens of train schedules in articulate areas. It was confusing, but amazing.

Hecatia bowed to them all, and humbly shoved me in front of her. I looked at Silius, expecting him to be in a grumpy mood, but he waved and smiled, as well as blowing kisses towards screaming girls. I was glad to see him being his old self.

I then turned to Oddius, and saw his heart break. His outrageous outfit was the complete opposite of these boring people. It was almost funny, since he had great hopes of seeing replicas of himself, but only saw the opposite.

We walked into the central of the terminal, and another train pulled up. ATTICA-OLIVINA AND KLION.

I saw two beautiful, people emerge, dressed in white clothing and smiling shyly. Olivina, the female, seemed to be fifteen, with blonde hair. She seemed like the type of girl to get a lot of attention. Klion was huge, and seemed to be seventeen. He had dusty blonde hair, and looked outgoing, smiling and waving.

Oddius guided us through the terminal. We dodged employees of the train station, and came upon a hotel connected to our terminal. A small passageway filled with artificial light went into our hotel, where we would be staying.

Once we entered the lobby, I was stunned. A crystal chandelier was above us, illuminating the golden room. Several men smoking cigarettes turned their attention towards us, and the armed oremus' around us gave them risky looks.

I wanted to experience the feeling of luxury once more, just one last time before my death. Oddius put his arm against my back and pushed me forward, shoving us into the elevators.

I had never been in an elevator before, but I knew they took you to the top of tall buildings. Inside the petite elevator was a small silver keypad. Dreary electronic music played, and I suddenly decided I didn't like elevators. The small area, the bright lights; it wasn't natural.

Oddius tapped the number twenty-six on the pad. The button turned yellow and the doors shut closed, sealing me in the fate of a small mechanical box to take me up twenty-six stories into the air.

I stood for a few moments, and then heard the buzz of the elevator starting to rise. Eventually, a loud ding surprised me, and the doors opened.

"Welcome to the penthouses!" Oddius smiled and pushed us forward. We were in a hallway, with a door on the left and one on the right.

Hecatia unlocked the doors with a white card, and opened them.

"Silius, you're on the right, Lucy, you take the right." Hecatia told us. "Before you go, remember, Oddius and I are on the bottom floor. If there is an emergency, just press the red button above the headstand on your bed. If you need something, don't hesistate to come downstairs. Dinner will be in a couple of hours."

She slinked back into the elevator, along with Oddius, and they waved. The elevator doors shut, and I was about to go back into my room when Silius tapped my shoulder.

"Lucerna...I'm sorry." He began. "For everything. I'm sorry that we were picked to participate in these stupid games. I'm sorry that I was a jerk on the train. I'm sorry that I was suspicious of Hecatia, but that lady has something up her sleeve." Tears streamed down my blonde brothers face, and I began to sob.

"I know...it's so awful." I said. "I have never really thought about the Hunger Games until now. I tried to forget them, but...it's so hard to forget that you will never see your parents, brother, and anybody you like again. I don't wanna go." 

Silius gave me a hug, and I steadied my breath. Silius never touched me, much less hugged me. I heard my brother's heavy sighs, and I knew that the conversation was done. He released me and went back into his room, as I did.

Inside my penthouse, there was a golden shine from the setting Senatian sun. My penthouse was beautiful and colorful, but all I saw was black. I went to the giant glass windows, and looked out of them.

The Senatian skyline was unreal. Giant skyscrapers around the hotel made me feel small. Smaller buildings were closer to the ground, with tiny streets, filled with people walking. I remembered reading in a book that there used to be vehicles called 'cars', but they were all ripped apart to conserve metal.

Senatia was a giant city, and I could see the ocean at the distant horizon. We were along what was known as the Meditteranean Sea, and Judaea was somewhat near it.

I turned around, and explored the penthouse. It had a functional kitchen, stocked with goodies and fresh foods. I had a dining room table that could sit twelve, but I was alone  here. There was also a huge television, a king bed with fiery red sheets, and a tiled bathroom.

But all I wanted was rest. I hopped on my couch and tried to find how to turn the television on. I finally found a sleek black object, and pressed the green button, which evidentally turned the set on.  It was programmed to see Senatian television, which was just a bunch of court cases.

I flipped through the channels, and something caught my eyes. It was a news station, but something was off. The title read BREAKING NEWS: NEW PANEM CANCELS MEETING WITH THE EMPIRE'S GREAT EMPEROR.

I yawned as I slowly drifted asleep.