The Loric Games

Chapter 20: Last Night

John's (Number Four) POV

I can't sleep. I'm still waiting for Christina to give us the signal for one last meeting on the roof before the games begin. I know there's no getting out and if we attack now, innocent people will die, more than the twenty four that are going into the arena. 

I had called Sarah when I got back to my room. She was overjoyed to hear my voice as I was to hear hers. She said that they, except Ella, had all watched the interviews. She said she teared up when I proclaimed my love to her and that she also said I looked very handsome in my suit. I asked her how Ella was and she said the same as before. They had managed to get some fluid into her, One had snuck to a hospital in the district and stolen an IV, which they had inserted into Ella to keep her hydrated. They say that they're scared and that they sleep in shifts in case her condition changed. I wanted desperately to be there, to hold Sarah again and be near Ella. Try and comfort Ella and come back with some kind of solution to her predicament. 

At least I know that Christina has made some kind of contact with Ella, telepathically. She needs to share what she saw. For all we know, the vision that Ella is stuck in could be the future and we are all going to die...maybe in the Games...?

"John!" I hear.

"Six where are you?" I whisper.

"In front of you. Take my hand, we need to go to the roof."

I reach out, feeling like a blind man trying to find Six's hand. Once I feel her skin clasp onto mine I know I've become transparent too. I can't help but blush slightly when I feel Six's warm grip, I guess my feelings for her haven't fully subsided. We slip out to the elevator and take it up to floor twelve. We slip along the hall, past the District Twelve's door. As we go, I hear voices. We start to go to the roof when I realize that it's already unlocked and there are faint voices heard. I first think it's Christina and the others, but these are voices I don't recognize. I stop short and suck in a breath. Six grips my hand tightly. We can both see the tributes of District 12 sitting and talking in our usual meeting spot.

"Crap!" She hisses. "Why aren't they in bed like normal human beings?"

"What about us?" I smirk.

"We're not human beings!" Six snaps

I know we're stuck until the two leave, but it could be hours before that happens. I'm sure all the tributes have some form of insomnia, about to go to their imminent death, but I can't help but wonder what they're talking about. We slip through the ajar door and stand behind it.

The streets are loud and the wind is extremely high, but despite it all, I can hear the tributes' conversation.

 "Are they in costumes?" Katniss asks

 "Who could tell?" Peeta answers. "With all the crazy clothes they wear here. Couldn't sleep, either?" 

"Couldn't turn my mind off," Katniss says. 

"Thinking about your family?" he asks."No," I admit a bit guiltily. 

"All I can do is wonder about tomorrow.Which is pointless, of course." 

 "I really am sorry about your hands." she apologizes for the fight that must have broken out when Peeta declared his undying love for Katniss. My mentor called it the "star-crossed lovers" ploy, as if the rest of us don't have those situations already, we chose to keep them private. I can understand where Peeta is coming from, neither of them have legacies, so they have to rely on sponsors to keep them alive and if the love ploy works in their favour, I'm all for it

"It doesn't matter, Katniss," he says. "I've never been a contender in these Games anyway." 

"That's no way to be thinking," she snaps.