It's the year for the 71st Hunger Games and I out of all people am sitting on this damn train heading from District 7 to the Captiol. I sit down beside my district partner, Aden, and take down the messy bun from my hair.
"You seem upset," Aden mentions to me, "anything I can do to help?"
"Help me get off this train," I tell him. I'm being serious. If someone offered me a way to get off the train right now I would take the offer in a heartbeat.
Aden laughs, "well I can't help you then."
We sit in silence for a little bit, then walks in our mentor. Blight was one of the remaining Victor's for District 7. He sits down in front of me and starts to laugh.
"Welcome to your new life," he says as he swings his feet onto the coffee table, "enjoy it while it lasts." I glance over towards Aden and then he decides to speak up. "Umm, so what do we do now?" he says as he clears his throat, "will we be watching the other reapings?"
Personally, I don't want to watch any of the other reapings. I don't want to get any attachments to people I will have to end up killing or possibly be killed by.
"We aren't watching any of the reapings," Blight says, "we will be talking about your angle and how to find it."
Angles? Isn't that the way people act during the games to help keep them alive? If that was the case I would have some finding to do. There was one guy during the 65th games, Finnick, who used his charm to help keep him alive. And it worked!
"Why won't we be watching the other reapings?" I ask, not that I have a problem with the way he does his mentoring.
"Because I don't want the ideas that tributes are stronger than you stuck in your head," he snaps, "body appearance doesn't mean everything."
Body appearance doesn't mean everything, that's it! I think I have an idea on what I want to use for my angle. Most people in the games bet on the strongest tribute, but what if that tribute hid their strength? Weakness could be my strength.
When Blight finishes talking on how to find our angles he hands Aden and I tapes.
"What are these?" I ask him, "I thought we weren't watching the other reapings."
"These are tapes from last year's games," he says, "I would like you two watch them so you have an idea of what to expect in your games."
I take the tape from his hand and go to my new room. The rooms have a light, floral blue wallpaper. The bed has a wooden drawer on the left side and a small dresser under the bed. I put my tape into the TV provided by the Capitol and begin to watch last year's games.
"Ladies and gentleman, let the 70th Hunger Games begin," Claudius' voice annunciates through the arena. The clock begins to do the usual count down. When the time is up all the tributes run to the Cornucopia.
"Smart," I laugh and continue to watch.
Most people stayed along the edge and were able to get a backpack, the others went to the middle and got their throats slit.
The cameras focus on the Career pack taking supplies from the Cornucopia, then they head off to the woods to set up camp.
The arena is a forest, not uncommon, there is a dam in the western half of the arena. Hopefully my arena will be a forest, at least I can get water.
Day after day passes during these games until something interesting happens. A boy is walking towards the river with his district partner when out of nowhere another tribute beheads the boy. You can hear his partner scream and then she flips out and starts to choke the other tribute until the cannon goes off.
I remember watching that clip with my family at home last year. My mother felt extremely bad for the girl. We all knew it would happen sooner or later, it just decided to happen sooner.
I watch the girl run away from the corpse and climb into the trees and cry. She would remain up in that tree for the remainder of the games. As the games progressed the gamemakers got bored. The dam starts to break until the entire arena floods.
There were three remaining tributes. The boy from District 2, the girl from District 1, and the girl who went psycho. The girl was the first to die, she drowned at least one minute into the flooding.
As I continue to watch the video, Blight comes in hear my opinion on the video. "What do you think?" he asks. As I get ready to speak the cannon for the boy goes off and the psycho girl wins the games.
"I think that girl is insane and needs help," I tell him.
Blight gives a small laugh, "Annie Cresta, she's a sweet girl."
"She's an insane girl," I say.
"I got to talk to her after the Tribute Parade, very nice girl," Blight says, "she's been in therapy since the incident."
I feel bad for what I said now, but it was the truth. "Does she have any family?"
"No, all her family is gone," Blight sighed, "Finnick is the only one she has."
Finnick must have been her mentor. For someone who was known as the Capitol sex symbol he sure had a caring heart. He probably had his reasons for everything.
Blight sighed and stood up, "I'll let you get settled in for the night. Have a good sleep."
"You too," I tell him.
I take off my clothes from the Reaping and put them in the drawer under the bed. Already inside the drawer were a pair of yellow pajamas. I put on the pajamas and get into bed. As I look around my room I notice all the finery in just this very room.
"I'm not giving into all of this," I tell myself, "this won't distract me from what all of you in the Capitol are doing to us."
I go to sleep before my anger gets too far. Tomorrow we would be arriving at the horrid, dreaded Capitol.
I couldn't be less excited.