The Hunger Games

ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

"There will be a big thing in the middle of the arena stocked with supplies and weapons that will help you. That's the cornucopia. Don't go there right away, though. It'll be a blood bath. Everyone tries to get there at once." Charles said. Him and Aspen were on their way to the hovercraft to head to the arena.

"Okay." Aspen nodded, taking in all of the information Charles was telling her.

"Here. Take this." He said, handing her what looked like a pen. Aspen gave him a confused look, but took it anyway.

"What's this?" She asked.

"It's a special pen you're not supposed to have, so you have to hide it in a pocket or something. Only click it when you need it. It'll become a sword." He said.

Aspen looked down at the white, thin pen with furrowed brows. Then, she looked back up at Charles and shoved it in her bra.

"Are you allowed to go on the hovercraft with me?" She asked.

"Usually, no. But with my dad, I was able to pull some strings." Charles answered.

Aspen smiled. Before she could respond, the door to where her and Charles were standing opened up.

She looked ahead, and saw a big hovercraft with large stairs leading up to it. It was intimidating to say the least.

"Charles..." Aspen started, two of them stepping out of the elevator. Charles grabbed Pen's wrist, stopping her from continuing to talk. He looked to the left and right of them, and saw two peacemakers standing there, guarding the doors. Charles gave Aspen a warning look, which she understood.

They looked forward and walked toward the hovercraft together, Aspen nervous of what was coming.

Charles and Aspen went seperate ways as soon as they entered the hovercraft. Charles went to a room the pilot was located, and Aspen went with the other tributes. She saw Katniss, Michael and Peeta, and all of them made eye contact. None of them said anything to each other, though, and Aspen just went to her seat.

"Give me your arm." A female peacekeeper said, holding a device in her hand. Aspen looked up at her, recognizing it to be a tracker.

"They already gave me one when I first got here." She said, remembering how she punched a peacekeeper in the dick and was forced a tracker in her arm.

The peacekeeper standing in front of her only continued to hold out her hand.

"Your arm." She said, more stern.

"Are you deaf? I already have one." Pen repeated.

She held out her arm to show the peacekeeper where the tracker was put, but the peacekeeper grabbed her arm harshly and held the device up to it. Even though Aspen tried to pull away, it was no use.

When all of the tributes had trackers in their arms and were ready to go, the lights in the hovercraft altered. There was no turbulence, but Aspen could tell they were up in the air.

She was exited off the hovercraft with two peacekeepers side by side to her. It reminded her of something like a prison.

From there, Pen was lead to a room where Edda was waiting for her.

Aspen turned around and looked at the close door. She put her hand on it, but didn't pull, knowing it was probably locked. When she turned back around, Edda had open arms.

She hugged Edda right away, and Edda hugged back.

"Oh, dear. I always tear up at this part." She said. Aspen pulled away as Edda wiped her face. Once she did, she pointed down at a table that was next to her.

"I picked this outfit out for you. Made it myself." She said, smiling. Aspen smiled as well, and looked to the corner of the room to see a curtain on a rod set up so she could change.

"Thanks, Edda." Pen said.

She made her way over to the curtain, pulled it back, and changed into the outfit Edda came up with. It was flattering but practical, and thick to protect her against whatever was awaiting her in the arena above them. She also saw an area in the waistband of her pants Edda designed for swords to be stored. She smiled at it, thankful to have a stylist who cared about her so much.

Pen made sure to tuck the pen Charles gave her safety away in one of the many pockets on her. When she came back out from behind the curtain, Edda clapped her hands.

"You look wonderful, darling! Absolutely wonderful." She said. Aspen smiled. She was just about to thank Edda again before someone new stepped into the room.

There, she saw Charles being as quiet as possible, trying to sneak in and not grab anyone's attention. As soon as the door was shut again, he walked over to Aspen and the two joined each other in a tight hug.

"I don't know if I can do this." Pen whispered, Charles and her holding on to each other. He pulled his head away and put both hands on her neck.

"Look at me. I promise you, everything is going to be okay." He said, staring at Aspen's eyes. She nodded her head, trying her best to believe him.

She stared at his chest.

"30 seconds." A robotic voice said.

Edda sighed and wiped away another set of tears coming. Aspen walked up and gave Edda one last hug.

"Go get em', girl." Edda nodded. Aspen nodded too, smiling. She then felt Charle's big hand on her back, and she slowly and carefully walked towards a long tube, big enough for her to go in.

Before she stepped inside, she turned around and looked at Charle's chest.

"20 seconds."

He looked down at her, and pulled her in for another tight hug.

"Pen..." He said. She shook her head, having a feeling she knew what he was going to say. But she couldn't hear him say that when she didn't feel the same way back.

"10 seconds."

So, instead of saying anything, Charles grabbed Aspen's face and kissed her. He didn't care if Edda saw. He just kissed her, then and there.

Aspen was the first to pull away. All she could think of was the fact that those lips against hers weren't Gale's. That the strong hands reaching out to protect her werent Gale's.

And that Gale wasn't there right now with her.

"I just had to do that once." Charles said.

Then, he put both of his hands on Aspen's shoulders and pushed her into the tube, where it closed almost immedietly. Aspen watched Charlie and Edda's faces slowly disappear as the tube pushed her up.

A white light blinded Aspen for a second until her eyes could process her standing there, in the arena with the rest of the tributes, scared for her life.