Chapter 2

As the Peacekeepers lead us into the Justice Building, the realization of what I've done hits me full force. I'm going to die in the next few weeks, if I'm lucky. I walk into the room and sit down on a couch. Surely no one will visit me. I'll be darned if I can pick out a handful of people who know my name. For me, it's more of an I know them, they have no idea who I am situation. I didn't even have to volunteer, I mean, that's why it's called volunteering! I didn't know her and she didn't know me, why'd I do it? I need to ignore that glaring fact and start thinking in Tribute Mode. I do believe I have a chance because of the hunting. A slim chance perhaps, but a chance all the same. The tributes from 1, 2, and, 4 are what worry me the most since they are the Career districts, and they train for this all their life (illegally, mind you). I'm strong, but I definitely can't overpower anyone close to even Chase's size, so that will be one my many, many downfalls. Other things that won't serve me well in the arena is that, as I said, poor at self-combat and besides the weapons I've used in the forest, I've never used any other weapons like maces, spears, axes, etc. Hopefully my luck will change with those during Training. I move away from that and think about what I'm good at. I can shoot very well, I rarely miss my mark as a matter-of-fact and I'm good with throwing knives. I can climb trees and because of my lean and slender build the branches don't break. I'm also good at healing plants but not medicines, and I know my edible plants. One thing that I find myself surprisingly good at is moving without being seen or heard. Usually I just move with the shadows and if somebody spots me I stay still, but there has to be something more because I'm never caught. Now socially, that's a different matter. I would like to believe, (that when people approach me) I'm nice, kind, and generous, but because of my 'oddness' I don't get to exercise those traits very often. I'm the kind of person that if someone sees me walking in their direction they cross the street. I'm seen as an outsider, and I suppose people find me tenebrous, but really, I think myself to be quite charming at times. Hopefully I can use that to con the Capitol citizens into sponsoring me. Wonder what the people at home will think of that. My thoughts get interrupted as I hear the door open. I look in that direction, mildly surprised. I see the girl that I volunteered for and her family rush in. They pull me up from the couch and encase me in a bone-crushing hug, as I stare wide-eyed at them. I don't even know who these people are, can I trust them? Before I can pull away, they all start an incessant babble of incoherent words. I begin to hear snippets of their sentences.

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"I was so scared for my poor Dee Dee!"

"MOM!"

"Why'd you do it?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Hey, you're that weird girl people talk about in my class! Ain't that right Horatio?"

"Yuppers, that's got to be her Carson!"

"Boys, that's rude!"

"Sorry, Mom."

Finally I couldn't take it; if they keep this up, I honestly believe I would explode.

"Would everyone just shut up?" Humph. Maybe that's why I come across as sullen and hostile. I hear a jumble of apologies/comments.

I shake my head, "No, no. I should be the one apologizing, but seriously, one at a time." I give them a meaningful look. They all nod their heads, agreeing that they were a smidge hasty.

"Oh, also, I would appreciate it if you didn't call me 'that weird girl.'" I have on a sad smile on my face as they look at me with pity.

"Oh sweetie we didn't mean that," the lady I presume to be Deirdre's mother says.

"Save it. Y'all know it's true. I even think I've given up any hope," I explain. They are silent at that. That's a first.

I sit back down and pat the seats next to me and gesture to the surrounding chairs. "Come on and sit down. We don't have much time. I suppose you came in here for a reason. Now's your chance."

The 2 young boys sit on another small couch, Deirdre sits next to me, and her parents sit in separate chairs. After much awkward clearing of throats Deirdre grabs my hand. "I'm not scared of you," she says quietly.

"Neither are we!" her brothers pipe in.

"I am sure you're sweet at heart," her mother smiles at me.

I look back at her and say, "Thank you very much, but I don't need reassuring." The door opens and a Peacekeepers inform us that we have 1 minute left. Her family looks at me. "Thank you so much for saving our daughter." I nod and smile at them. They get up and start to go out.

"Will anybody else be visiting you?" Deirdre asks quietly.

"I doubt that, Deirdre." I look down at her District 5 features and smile. She quietly nods and smiles back. Then she says something I never would've expected.

"I'm rooting for you, Aaliyah."

Her family is then ushered out the door and I am being led out a few moments later. I am put into a car to be transported into a train station. I put a scowl on my face as we reach the train station. There are cameras and reporters everywhere. It's disgusting how excited and hungry they are. There is a large screen there and I see both of us. I look irritated and murderous almost, while Chase looks neutral. I wonder how he's handling this. We stand for a little bit as the reporters take pictures of us together. Finally we can step into the train and the doors close behind us. Quickly, the train speeds off and I am thrown to the floor by the acceleration rate. I suppose the same happens to Chase because he lands on my ankle which causes a sickening crack. I let out a shriek of pain as my ankle twists.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Chase quickly scrambles up which only causes more pain. I bite my lip as the tears start flowing down my face. Chase looks at me unsurely.

"Hold on I can get a Capitol attendant. Maybe they can help." At the sound of someone from the Capitol helping me I feel even worse. I crawl onto my hands and knees and push myself up. I lean against a wall, using it to support my left side. I give him a tight smile and tell him I'm all right.

His eyebrows knit together and he gives me an innocent smile. "Okay then will you walk with me to the kitchen?" My face converts back into a scowl. Oh that's so not cool. He gives me this look that says, 'two can play at that game.' Why does he care so much anyways? Is it because he feels guilty for spraining my ankle? I look down at my ankle and see that it has already swelled to twice its size. Great, that's just fantastic. In a week I'll be heading into the arena and my ankle is sprained.

"Well? I'm begging now, Aaliyah." I give him a look of pure loathing.

"Whatever you want, Chase." I gently begin to put some pressure on my ankle and collapse. I feel searing pain through my ankle and the tears start to come back. Chase looks down on me with a slightly amused face and offers me a hand.

"You need some help there?" I grab his hand and begin to hop on one foot. He takes one of my arms and wraps it around his shoulders. I gratefully lean against him and he begins to drag me along. I can't bear to put any weight on my ankle so he's almost dragging my body along the floor.

"We aren't making much progress, you know." Chase puts his arms under my knees and begins to carry me. I yell of protest escapes my lips.

"What? Are you telling me you don't need my help?" He abruptly drops me to the ground, but holds onto my arms which forces me onto my ankle.

I shriek and he picks me up again. I give him the most evil look I can muster, but it seems to amuse him even more.

"You're not as vicious as everyone thinks you are, huh?" I gasp with surprise, I guess. Why? I have no idea. I suppose he heard because he just chuckles at that. He keeps walking and finds Annatelle who shows us where our rooms are. Chase walks to my room and gently sets me down on the bed.

"Should I get help now? It may be worth it."

"I don't want their help, but maybe you could get some supplies for me." He shrugs which I take as a yes because he leaves. I unzip my shoe and attempt to take it off without hurting it, but to no avail. I try and wriggle it out as carefully as I can, but it's impossible. I decide that quicker is better. I yank my shoe off which causes me to scream. I haven't felt pain this… painful for a long time. Chase runs into the room to check in on me.

"Are you okay? I heard you scream." I wave my shoe at him.

"Just a little trouble is all." He comes over to me with a tube and some gauze in his hands. He begins to rub it into my foot and wraps the gauze around my foot. He leaves for a second and comes back with a drink for me. It tastes horrendous but he makes me finish every last drop of it.

"It's bone-mending medicine. Your ankle should feel fine soon enough." I get back up and lean against Chase. I look into his chocolate brown eyes and practically melt into them. I can't believe I've never noticed how cute he looks. Wait, what am I thinking! I'll have to kill him if I want to come back, but then again as I said, I have nothing to live for. That's a different perspective on life; all these years trying to survive only to die in the hands of the Capitol. Oh well, it seems like they've always been out to get me. When I notice I'm still looking at him I blush beet red and look away.

"Thank you," I tell him.

"For what?"

"For helping me with my foot and everything."

He practically laughs at that. "No problem, I was the one that screwed it up in the first place." I just smile as I use him as my support to get to the dining room. After 15 grueling minutes of walking I finally get there and plop down on my seat. This ankle problem is gonna suck. I've noticed that I've started to pant a little and tiny beads of sweat drop of my forehead.

Chase is looking at me kinda funny, "Are you okay? You look kind of… stressed."

"Ummm, yah I'm fine, it's just the ankle I guess."

"Whatever you say." As soon as he finishes our mentor walks into the room. She is in her early 20's, I think. If I remember, she won the 16th Hunger Games when she was 17. She's a standard 5, red hair, piercing green eyes. She's quite pretty, with her rounded face and almond shaped eyes. She looks at both of us critically; walking around in circles and speaking to herself. I look at Chase and he shrugs. I decide to break the silence.

"Hello," I stick out my hand, "my name is Aaliyah."

She looks at me and smiles, "Nice to meet you, but it would be nicer under different circumstance," she says almost to herself. "I'm Jordan," she looks over at Chase, "and you are?"

He hastily gets up almost knocking over the chair. He sticks out his hand, "Chase Gregory, nice to meet you." She shakes it and gestures for us to sit down. We all take a seat as attendants rush out with food. I notice the absence of Annatelle and mention it to them. They all just shake their heads and shrug their shoulders. That's odd since she is the escort and is the one always on time.

I start to eat my food which is fantastic. I can barely describe the delicacies in front of me. Although I'm curious to try everything, I'm not sure I should, so I settle on eating a green pea soup which is good enough for now. I look up and notice that Jordan is sizing both of us up.

"So what's your stories?" Both Chase and I look at each other and I gesture for him to go first. He shrugs, which I notice he does a lot, and begins his story.

"I honestly don't have one. My parents are power plant workers who I usually don't see because of their long hours. I go to school, and, yes, I do hunt in the forest because the money my parents get isn't sufficient enough to feed us. I have a little sister, Nicki who is 11, and a younger brother, Aaron who is 6. I love my family more than anything and would sacrifice anything for them." I almost have a tear falling down my face at his sincerity; it reminds me of my little brother and I almost can't stand it. Jordan smiles and then raises her eyebrows at me. Starting time.

"It's a long story, you know."

Jordan shrugs and says, "Well we have time." I tell them everything starting from the very beginning. I've never told anyone this much. No one has ever stuck around me for this long and there is no reason to tell anybody I know. I even tell them of what I suspect of the Capitol. No need to, of course, but the Hunger Games is coming up; no need to hold anything back. How much trouble could I get into? I'm a dead man walking.

When I'm done I lean back in my chair and sigh. I look around and see Jordan staring at me with a sad smile and a tear in her eye. I'm more eager to see what Chase is like, surprisingly enough, but oh well. He is looking at me rather critically with a puzzled look in his eyes. I have no idea what to think so I just brush the thought away.

Jordan finally breaks the silence, "Okay, do you want to watch the Reapings?" Chase shrugs and I just nod. I use some crutches that a Capitol attendant gave me and follow Jordan as she leads us into the sitting area which I passed earlier this afternoon. She steps back to let us pass but pulls me aside and whispers into my ear, "I'm so sorry." She then points to the sofa and I carefully sit down next to Chase. She sits down on a separate chair and presses a button on a remote. The screen comes on as the Reapings begin. District 1 starts first and I see a pair of blondes with green eyes come onto the stage. They are both bigger than me and have quite a bit of muscle, although the girl has a more lean body. District 2, 3, and 4's Tributes are rather large and scare me quite a bit. District 3's are large, but still have a more nerdy look and a friendlier smile that doesn't scream I want to kill you. I then see District 5 and I see the scene from just earlier today play again. I see Deirdre get called and I volunteer. I look calm as I walk up. Then I see Chase walk up with the same blasé demeanor. We are one of the smallest pair of tributes, but at least Chase is on par. I'm probably at least 5 inches shorter than all of them, save Chase who only has 2 inches on me. I look and all of them are larger than me. This year the tributes seem more vicious than usual. From what I can tell I am one of the youngest because all of the tributes reaped were 16 and up. I suddenly feel really scared for my life and shudder at the thought. I get up and start saying good night to everyone.

"Night Jordan. It was nice to meet you."

"Sleep well. Tomorrow will be a long day." I nod then turn towards Chase. I clear my throat.

"Good night Chase. Thanks for the help. I'll see you in the morning." He just looks back at me and nods. I start to move using my crutches. They really are quite inconvenient and hard to use. I start moving and turn the corner when I hear Chase saying good night and coming my direction. I continue moving until I actually get tired. I begin to lean against the wall and slide a little. I am actually starting to make good progress when I hear someone sniggering behind me. Who could it be?

I look back in irritation. "Do you need something? I'm clearly busy."

"I want to talk to you, seriously." I raise my eyebrows but gesture ahead to my room.

"After you." Now it's his turn to raise his eyebrows at me.

"Come on, I'll help. It'll be faster." After realizing refusing him would be futile I give in and lean up against him. We finally make it to my room and I sit cross legged on the bed, taking great care of my ankle. I pat the spot next to me and Chase gingerly sits down next to me. He sits there silently for a minute or two so I decide to get the ball rolling.

"So, something serious you wanted to talk about?"

He looks at me kind of surprised but shrugs. Now is as good a time as any, his face seemed to say.

"I just want to say sorry."

I look at him with a quizzical look. "What do you mean? What are you sorry for?"

"You know, how people make fun, I guess, and talk behind your back. But mostly I'm also sorry about what happened to you. It must've been terrible. I never really knew that about you."

My face instantly hardens. "I don't need your sympathy. No one knows what it's like and if y'all took just a minute to actually get to know me, then maybe some of y'all would actually know that. Don't act as if you care now all of a sudden!" I practically spit that out at him, my voice rising as I got more angry. Chase looked at me kind of surprised at me and scared at the same time. I get up and move to the other side of the room. I look out of the window and then point to the door.

"I'm sorry, but I think you should leave now." I whisper. In reply, I hear the door click shut and footsteps receding into the distance. I regret my sudden outburst, but I just couldn't contain it. To clear my mind I decide to go take a shower. I step into the bathroom and take off my clothes. I get into the shower only to become befuddled by all the buttons. I cautiously press some of them until I figure them out by the small symbols on them. I come out smelling like the forest; a mixture of fresh stream water, pine trees, and flowers. As soon as I step out I am dried my air vents on the side, then I stick my hand in a container-like thing which sends electric currents though my hair which dries and untangles it. I quickly step into some soft shorts and a baggy top. I slip in between the silken covers and fall asleep with thoughts of Chase on my mind.