𓏲 . SURVIVAL GAME . .៹♡
                                                    CHAPTER THREE
                                                 ─── SUGAR CUBE

Once Velren arrived at the capitol he was bombarded by a multitude of bight colors; people clambered around, waving and screaming out to them as the train slowed, pulling into the station. He and Celestia stood right next to each other, refusing to smile or wave back, refusing to even acknowledge any of the people around them.

As soon as the two District 13 tributes arrived in the new training center, they were split up in a frenzy to get prepared for the opening parade. They were one of the last districts to arrive, so they were rushed off in a hurry.

Velren gritted his teeth as Liam  ripped a strip of cloth from his leg and pulled out the hair underneath. "Sorry!" he whispered in his silly Capitol accent. "You're just so hairy!"

"But there is one piece of good news. This is the last one. Ready?" Liam asked as Benjamin tended to his near-perfect eyebrows and Tom tended to his three-day beard. Velren gripped the edge of the table he was sitting on and nodded. Liam ripped the last strip of paper that removed the hair from his legs with a loud riiip!

"So, all done! Shall we go and get Isabella?" Benjamin asked, and stepped back at about the same time as Tom. Everyone stepped back to inspect Velren and look for flaws or imperfections on the naked body. "Let's go then!" grinned Tom.

Velren waited for Isabella to appear. His eyes searched every crevice of the room's cold white walls and floor tiles. The Remake Center really hadn't changed.

"Velren Black!" He snapped his head up to be engulfed in a tight embrace.  Isabella didn't care that he was naked. She broke apart from Velren and told him that he could put on his robe. "It's been two years, what a shame that we had to meet like this...Which is why I'm going to make this year be your best! You're going to be absolutely gorgeous!"

Velren let Isabella lead him into a room where the three other helpers were waiting for their arrival and preparing everything for the costume of his chariot. Isabella turned to Velren, with an affectionate yet mysterious gleam in her blue eyes. "So Velren, you still have no fear of fire, do you?"

Hours later and he stood facing himself in a floor length mirror. He was unrecognizable. Gorgeous, but unrecognizable. His outfit was either the most sensational or the deadliest costume of the opening ceremony.

He wore a long, black coat with intricate details and embroideries. The coat had a royal yet ominous aura. The clothing was meticulously crafted, with dark, noble fabrics and delicate details. The color palette of his outfit mainly consisted of various dark tones, especially black. Isabella had embedded a unique feature – the ability to ignite the outfit, setting it ablaze like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

His hair was styled so that it looked wavy and straight, but felt stiff. Velren felt strong, even as he  decided to head down to the ground floor of the Remake Center, where the tributes and their chariots gathered before the opening ceremonies.

He hoped to find his sister, but she had not arrived yet. Unlike the year before last, when all the tributes were practically glued to their chariots, the scene was very social. The victors, both this year's tributes and their mentors, stood in small groups, chatting. Of course, they all knew each other, and he knew almost no one. He wasn't really the type to go around introducing himself. So, he stroked the neck of one of his horses, trying not to be noticed. It didn't work.

The crunching reached his ear before he even knew he was beside him, and when he turned his head, Finnick Odair's famous sea-green eyes were only inches from his. He popped a sugar cube into his mouth and leaned against Velren's horse.

"Hello, Velren." Finnick said, as if they had known each other for years, even though they had never actually met. "Hello, Finnick. " Velren replied just as casually, although he felt uncomfortable at his closeness, especially since he was got so much bare skin  exposed.

A net. Just a net, was wrapped and knotted intricately around his groin and other areas of the body so that he technically couldn't be called naked, but he was as close as it could get. Velren was sure that Finnick's stylist thought the more the audience saw of Finnick, the better.

"Do you want a sugar cube?" he asked, picking one up and showing it to him. "I mean it's supposed to be for the horses but, who cares about them right? They got years to eat sugar, whereas you and I... well, if we see something sweet, we better grab it quickly."

"I prefer chocolate." Velren said. Finnick gave him a suggestive look . "Just chocolate?" he teased, a mischievous grin on his face. Velren caught on and breathed out a short laugh before elbowing him in the rib. "You're disgusting, Finnick Odair. " he mockingly grimaced, though there was a playful glint in his eyes "But I would love to borrow that outfit someday."

"You look pretty terrifying in that getup." Finnick retaliated. Velren gave him a strained look, as if he would like to kill him at this moment. "What happened to the pretty little boy clothes?" "I outgrew them." Velren coolly replied.  "You certainly did." Finnick said back to him with an ever-growing smile.

"Why are you torturing this poor boy?" interjected a girl who bore a striking resemblance to the boy in front of Velren. Aurora Odair. "I'm not!" Finnick defended himself, holding his hand out towards his sister to show her the sparkling white cube in his palm of his hand.  "Do you want a sugar cube?" "No thanks." Aurora replied.

"Shame about this Quell thing." Finnick said to Velren, ignoring the elbow Aurora digs into his side in warning. "Now, you . . . you could've made out like a bandit in The Capitol. Jewels, money, anything you wanted."

Velren stomach twisted at the comment. "Well I don't like jewels and I haven't dealt with anything as common as money in years....So, what did you do with all your wealth anyway?" "Just like you, I haven't dealt with anything as common as money in years. "Finnick replied simply as he scrunched up his face, thinking in that strange brain of his.

Velren cocked an eyebrow. "Well then how do people pay for the pleasure of your company?" he asked. Finnick looked down at his feet, not breaking his smile, and tilted his head so that his lips were almost in contact with Velren's. "With secrets. " Velren barely heard him say. "What about you,  Boy on Fire? Any secrets worth my time?"

Velren stepped away from him. A mischievous glint danced in  his eyes as he responded with a hint of danger, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Finnick's lips curled into a sly grin. "Ah, but maybe some secrets are worth the risk." he suggested.

Velren glanced over Finnick's shoulder and Aurora followed in the direction as well to see Celestia and Isabella walking into the room. Finnick resumed his conversation with Velren. "Your sister is coming." He stepped back, threw another sugar cube into his mouth and chewed it slowly. "I'll see you later,Velren. Have a good day." he said before he walked away.

Aurora lingered for a moment longer, her sea-green eyes meet Velren's brown eyes. "I'm sorry for the way my brother behaved - he can often be a jerk." She apologized with a small laugh. "Good luck out there, Boy on Fire. You're gonna need it." she added as Celestia reached them, dressed in an outfit identical to Velren's. Aurora nodded her head at the girl. "Celestia." Celestia smiled slightly, nodding back. "Aurora."

"What did they want?" Celestia asked her brother as soon as she was out of earshot. Velren hesitated for a moment before he leaned closer to her ear. "Finnick offered me sugar cube and wanted to know all my secrets. And Aurora came to apologize for his behavior." he whispered to her.  Celestia couldn't help but let out a laugh. "As if you had any secrets." she teased and punched Velren playfully on the chest.

Before Velren could say anything about his sister's comment, a man shouted that the tributes must be on their chariots. "No waving and smiling this time." Isabella began to explain as they made their way to the chariot. "I want you to look straight ahead as if the audience and this whole event are beneath you two."

"Good, I'm not a big fan of waving anyway." Velren replied. Celestia nodded to show she agreed with her brother. "Press here when you're ready, good luck." Isabella smiled softly as she handed Velren the small remote control.

Velren thanked her and hugged her one last time before he got into the chariot first. Then he offered his hand to Celestia which she gladly took, and stepped into the chariot. They intertwined their hands, as the first of the chariots started moving.

"Nervous?" Verlen asked his sister once he noticed her being strangely quiet. "It's been three years." Celestia began with a sigh. "At least the costumes are better this time. " she smiled at him and he returned the smile.

As their chariot started to roll out, both the siblings lifted the head up a bit, showing no emotion whatsoever, like Isabella told them to.  When Velren pressed the remote control, the flames on Velren and Celestia's clothes began to flicker and dance, creating a mesmerizing display of fire.

People started chanting their last name out, and they pointed at the twins. "Black, Black, Black, Black!" The people chanted, obviously excited by the fact that the Black twins would be participating in the games.

Velren and Celestia entered the elevator after the opening ceremony, along with Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch. The doors almost closed when a hand found its way in and pulled the door open again.

Johanna Mason stepped through and pressed the seventh floor button. She wore a dress decorated with gears that hugged her body in all the right ways, with the tree-trunk collar. Her hair was in a smooth high ponytail.

Johanna let her eyes wander through the elevator, first looking at Haymitch, then Katniss, then Peeta, then Celestia, and as she looked at Velren, she grinned. "You guys look amazing." she said.

Before Katniss could say thank you, she continued on. The stunning girl swiftly turned around. "My stylist is such an idiot. District 7, lumber, trees.." she groaned while she loosened her high ponytail andlet her dark hair dance in the air before she let her hair fall down onto her shoulders.

Then she reached for her bracelet and simply threw it on the floor. "I'd love to put my axe in her face." she muttered as she threw another piece of jewelry on the ground following her bracelet. Celestia suppressed a laugh and pursed her lips, while Katniss turned her head and looked at Haymitch. The blond man grinned at her with a shrug, obviously enjoying the scene just as much as Peeta and Velren.

"So what do you think, now that the whole world wants to sleep with you?" Johanna asked one of the five as she turned back to them. "I don't think the whole world-" Katniss began, only to be cut off by Johanna. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Velren." Johanna said with a raised eyebrow, and Velren gave her a glare. "Okay." Katniss muttered under her breath while she rolled her eyes.

Johanna then turned her back to Velren. "Unzip?" she asked him. Velren looked at his sister first, then his gaze traveled to Haymitch. Velren suppressed a grin as his gaze landed on Haymitch before he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, um, sure." he said quietly and tugged down on the zipper to unzip her dress.

Haymtich gave Velren a thumbs up while Celestia tried to stifle a laugh as she saw the look of horror on Katniss's face. Johanna turned on her heels and quickly proceeded to pull down her outfit with a groan.

Katniss just stared at the ceiling, annoyed, while Peeta and Velren tried to look at the floor. Haymitch grinned from ear to ear and Celestia tried her best not to laugh. Before anyone could say anything, the elevator stopped on the seventh floor.

"Thanks, let's do it again some time. " Johanna grinned as she looked at Velren before her gaze fell on Haymitch again, to whom she winked. Johnana  left the elevator and made sure that the others stayed behind on their own. "No, we have to thank you. " Haymitch chuckled before the door closed. "Johanna Mason, District 7. " he added.

━━ AUTHORS NOTE

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

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Until next time<3