As Jade got off her chariot with Jeno to greet Jaehyun, Taeyong, Johnny, and Ten, she felt eyes staring through the back of her head. She turned to meet the same black-haired boy's eyes. Jaehyun noticed the exchange and quickly spoke, making Jade break eye contact.
"District 2, also a Career district. Not a bad idea." Jaehyun said. Jade watched as Jeno rolled his eyes.
"Great, now I have to third wheel." Jeno grumbled but Taeyong shook his head.
"Jaehyun's got a point Jeno. Career pack is a must." Taeyong told them. Johnny wrapped their arms around the two.
"Why don't we talk about this somewhere else." Johnny said as he began to guide then out. Jade gave the boy one last glance before they made they made their way out.
...
As tributes of District 1, they stayed on the first floor, which Jade honestly didn't mind. They had a huge feast that night, eating the delicious Capitol food which was only slightly better than what she was used to.
Once they had finished and changed back into their casual clothes, Jaehyun and Taeyong sat them down in the couches to brief them.
"You'll be training tomorrow with the other tributes. You're both already well trained in combat so I'd say stick to survival skills. The last thing you want to do is die of something stupid." Jaehyun told them. Jade and Jeno nodded, noticing the seriousness in Jaehyun's voice.
"First, let's familiarize ourselves with the other tributes." Taeyong said, allowing the projector to project the various tributes during their reaping on the screen.
"We spoke to some of the other mentors when you were all putting on a big show, gathering information. We can also tell you a bit of information from what we observed." Jaehyun said.
"First up is District 2, a Career district. Always befriend them and make them your allies." Taeyong said. Jade gulped as she looked at the screen. There the boy was, no emotion on his face as he was announced as the male tribute. Even when the crowds were cheering for him, he showed nothing on his face.
"Until you're the only ones remaining. Then you kill them." Jeno added.
"Precisely." Jaehyun said, proud of Jeno's words but Taeyong shook his head.
"What is District 2 known for?" Taeyong asked them.
"They're ruthless." Jade said, her voice soft. Taeyong nodded.
"They kill for the thrill and you two should learn to as well." Taeyong advised them.
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." Jade said, a smirk appearing in her face.
"Precisely." Jaehyun said before turning to the screen.
"The girl is Kang Bora. She's fast and aggressive but apparently she's also careless. Watch her when you train and notice any other flaws she might have." Jaehyun told them.
"The boy is Huang Renjun." Renjun. God, even his name was beautiful.
"That's Jade's boy toy." Jeno said, earning a smack.
"Shut up." Jade hissed as Taeyong continued.
"Well he's also the District 2's pride. There's already been bets made on him winning even though training hasn't even started." Taeyong told him.
"Their mentors wouldn't stop talking about him. His biggest weapon? He has no heart." Jaehyun said, rubbing his forehead as he recalled the conversation he had.
Well, there goes my chances. Jade thought but quickly shook it out her head. She couldn't fall for any of the boys here. Eventually, they would become her prey. If she became attached to anyone, it would only make them harder to kill.
"Let's move on to District 3. To be honest, forget about the girl. She's young and won't be helpful. The boy on the other hand... " Taeyong's voice trailed off as they stared at the screen.
"Zhong Chenle. We heard their mentors whispering about how he might stand a decent chance. Not really sure what his specialty is but probably something about technology. Not a bad idea to get him on your side." Jaehyun continued for him.
"Next is the last career district, District 4. Girl is Jin Hyewon. Strong and a good swimmer. The boy is Lee Donghyuck or Haechan. Complete Capitol's lady's man, pulled a whole Poseidon look today during the parade. Wouldn't be surprised if he fought with a trident as well." Taeyong said.
"Haechan will probably get a lot of sponsors. He's definitely in it to win it so keep him close by." Jaehyun noted.
"The rest aren't that interesting. There's Na Jaemin from District 11 who seems to be built like Jeno, probably from working in the fields but I doubt he'll stand a chance." Taeyong said.
"Guess Jeno has to say goodbye." Jade snickered, giving Jeno a wave. Jeno glared back at her, not amused.
"I heard that District 7 has an axe thrower but looking at their two scrawny tributes, I doubt it." Jaehyun commented.
"Yeah, the male looks like a deer caught in the headlights." Jeno said with a smirk.
"He'll probably get killed in the initial bloodbath." Jade said to the group, their two mentors nodding in agreement.
Jaehyun clapped his hands together.
"That's it for today folks. Training starts tomorrow. Don't forget to intimidate the tributes, show them who's boss and make sure you form your career pack." Jaehyun instructed.
"Intimidation is what we're known for. Use it well." Taeyong said. Jade and Jeno nodded before they all slowly made it back into their rooms.
...
Jade was wearing her nightgown as she sat on her bed, staring out her large window. She had the ability to change it to any scenery she liked, yet she kept it off, looking at the city instead. She sighed before quietly making her way out of her room, towards the balcony. Luckily, everyone else was already asleep.
Jade took a deep breath as she stood there, the wind blowing through her hair. She closed her eyes, taking it all in.
I'm finally here. I finally made it. I did it.
"Can't sleep either?" The voice made Jade jump, turning around to see where it came from but it didn't sound like it was from the same level.
It was from above.
A small chuckle rang through the night as Jade looked up to see the boy looking down at her from the floor above. It was Renjun.
Renjun was wearing his black pyjamas, his dark hair loosely covering his forehead with a huge smirk on his face as he stared down at her. Jade watched as he climbed over the railing of his balcony before hoping down to hers.
Jade eyes widened as she took in the boy who was now standing beside her. Were they breaking the rules. Were there even rules about this?
Renjun must had been reading her thoughts as he quickly answered her question.
"I don't think the Capitol really cares what we do at night, as long as we stay in our chambers." Renjun made his way to the edge of the balcony. He dropped a small rock down. The rock barely fell before it hit an invisible wall, bouncing back up. Renjun effortlessly caught it back in his hands. Forcefield.
"We can't escape, even if we tried." Renjun told her. Jade was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say and she hated that. Renjun made her feel weak, vulnerable.
"You're awfully quiet. I thought District 1 was full of chatterboxes." Renjun pointed out. Jade gave him a glare that seemed to have taken him by surprise as she noticed his eyes widen the slightest. A small act that you would only see if you paid attention to the smallest detail.
"Some of us have class." Jade replied coldly. Good, keep it up. Be ruthless like him. But the small shrug Renjun gave was anything but that as he stuck out his hand.
"Huang Renjun, District 2." Renjun said, introducing himself. She held back the urge to tell him that she already knew him, deciding to follow his lead instead.
"Jung Jadelyn but you can call me Jade." Jade said. If Renjun knew anything about her, he didn't show it.
"Nice to meet you, Jade." Renjun said as they shook hands. They were meant to be enemies but the handshake felt... Friendly?
"You too." Jade said before turning away. She couldn't help but blush from the contact so she decided to lean forward against the railing instead.
"The night, it's beautiful isn't it?" Renjun said as he leaned beside her. Jade could feel his eyes staring holes into the side of her head.
"It's calm." Jade replied. "The silence is deafening."
The small laugh that left Renjun's lips sounded like a song sung by an angel and Jade hated it. She hated how perfect Renjun was, how he looked, how he sounded, how he acted. There was not a single flaw to him and Jade knew that would make him so much harder to kill.
The next motion caught Jade off guard. Her hair had been blowing into her face and she let it, avoiding Renjun's eyes. But Renjun had other plans. He had reached out his long slender fingers, lightly brushing her face as he tucked the strands of hair behind her ear. His hand stayed rested under her chin for a moment too long as Jade turned to face him, looking at him in the eyes. But the passion in his eyes were gone, instead, the dark orbs were soft as he looked into her eyes before taking his hand away.
"Watching you eat your hair was uncomfortable." Renjun said as he stared back into the night. Jade couldn't help but smile as she noticed the tips of his ears turn the slightest colour of pink.
"Thanks." Jade replied softly, as her eyes followed his as they stared at the Capitol in silence. They stood there for what seemed like an eternity before Renjun finally broke the silence.
"As much as I enjoy being here, I believe I should head back and get some rest. I'll see you at training in the morning." Renjun said, a small smile on his face.
"Goodnight." Jade replied as she stared at the boy. Renjun stood on her railing, lightly jumping to grab onto his before easily pulling himself up.
"Goodnight Jade." Renjun said to her before disappearing inside.
Jade took a deep breath as she brought her hand up her ear, her fingers tracing the same path Renjun had made moments ago.
Jade was screwed. She had found her weak spot. And it was Huang Renjun.
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Sorry renjun has me whipped.... but look at how cute our lil maknaes are hehehe