The Games The Capital Forgot

The Last Night

The only other tribute who concerned he was Mark from District 6. He was insane on all accounts and clearly headed for an even bigger breakdown. I didn't like insanity, because I didn't know what to expect from these people. They were wild cards in my book, nothing they did could be predicted. Perhaps that is why I feared them, both him and Cheshire.

I was torn from my thoughts as I heard the door handle to my room turn. I squinted at the sudden light, trying not to be irritated as I watched a familiar freckled face pop through the crack.

"Heyo." Jack said grinning, my nose could smell faint traces of alcohol drifting into my room with him.

Jack was most definitely at the bottom of my list of people that I was concerned about. The boy wouldn't even look at me unless he was tipsy, to seek me out he had to be completely drunk no doubt. "Leave me alone, before I slaughter you." I snapped turning back to my papers, waiting for him to close the door.

Instead he turned on the light and stepped inside.

"As you can smell, I prepared myself to talk to you because you scare the living fudge out of me." Jack said plunking down beside me on the floor.

I stared at him, wondering how what would happen if I killed him before the games actually started. "Jack, I told you to leave."

"No! Please? Come on, you are probably going to kill me tomorrow, all I want are some answers. And cake. I really want cake." He said distractedly before shaking himself out of his self induced trance and refocusing himself. "I want answers more than cake though. You have to look at this whole situation from my perspective. I was innocently doing my janitorly duty of cleaning a factory back in Eight, you kill my boss and lock me in a closet. The peacekeepers come and blame me then lock me in a cell with this scary man who tried to lick me, then, to make matters worse I end up getting blackmailed into volunteering. You are the reason I am here. I have a family back home who was relying on me for food-" He rambled disorientedly before I cut him off.

"I guarantee you that everyone here has a story incredibly incredibly similar to that, you aren't special." I said looking down at my notes, just wanting him to leave.

Jack snorted, "I hardly think that everyone here was licked by an ape man."

I rolled my eyes, "I meant about your family. Everyone here has a family that they whine about getting back to, but in reality they are going to die. The tributes whose heads are led by their hearts are the first ones to go because emotions are incredibly moronic impulses. The tribute that wins will be one that keeps her head straight."

"Like you?" Jack frowned.

I sent him a tight, irked smile. He smiled back completely oblivious to my irritation. "Honestly? No. I don't expect to win. My odds are 1 out of 24. I am going to make it further than anyone expected though, mark my words."

Jack looked down at his lap, his shaggy black hair fell like a curtain over his features making it impossible for me to see his expression. "So...." He began slowly, "what are you fighting to stay alive for? Your family?"

"No Jack, I'm fighting for me."

"Don't you have people you love?" Jack asked looking up at me and squinting in confusion, as if standing alone was a foreign and terrifying subject to him.

"No, I don't need to love, or hope, or dream or feel."

Jack sat back and shook his head. "Well that my friend is come sucky life, you are missing out on a shitload of awesomeness- wait was that sarcasm? I've never really gotten sarcasm."

By this point I was on the verge of calling security to drag him out of the room. "No, it wasn't sarcasm and I am not your friend, would you please leave now?"

Jack's big, dumb blue eyes opened a little more, "Was that sarcasm?"

I sent him one long, penetrating glare. "No and you are leaving now before I make you leave. I have things to do." I growled gesturing to my papers, but almost immediately regretted it as Jack reached over to touch my papers. I slapped his hand away. "Leave Jack."

He threw his head back and let out one long dramatic sigh. "Fine, but first answer one question. Why did you kill my boss?"

I stared at him for one long, drawn out moment. I briefly debated on telling him or not before I came to my conclusion, the only conclusion that I ever really came to. "I had to kill him, he raped my sister and he had to pay."

Jack's face contorted into surprised repulsion, "That's awful! I have a sister, I can't imagine someone hurting her like that....." He stopped and looked at me as if something occurred to him. "Wait.... Are you lying? Just a minute ago you said you didn't have a family."

I grinned, genuinely surprised he had picked up on my inconsistency, "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Darling, you will never know, now get out."

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself, clearly thinking better of pressing the issue further. I didn't take my eyes off of Jack as he stood and left, his face riddled with confusion. No one understood me and quite frankly I hoped they never did.

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The time has come for sponsorships, this is how they will work. They are not something you have to commit to now. At the end of each chapter, starting next chapter I will post a list of tributes that are in danger of being killed. Each person reading this book has exactly one save, meaning that you can comment the tribute's name at the end of the chapter and they will instantly get a pass to the next chapter.

If you have any question please feel free to ask.

~ a.k.a