The district fell eerily silent. The Capitol has taken the son of two well known inventors, and a girl who is obviously barely surviving to fight in their games. It's wrong and everyone knows it. "Don't you all want to applaud your tributes, District Three?" Venesia screeches to a crowd bathed in cold fury.
"Galileo Tesla!" Cord called. "Galileo! Emma !"
"Galileo! Emma! Galileo! Emma!" The chanting spread from the seventeen year olds' sections to all the teens sections, to the citizens. In one motion, the people of District Three raised their fists in the air as they chanted our names. Two Peacekeepers literally grabbed us and nearly dragged us to the Justice Building. They shoved me into a small room with a dark blue plush carpet and a bright red leather loveseat. I sat down and waited for people to come in to say goodbye. My electronics teacher from the Academy came in as did a few people that Dad knows from his inventing work. I had spent nearly all last summer helping him with stuff as basically his right hand man. Until now. I knew I'll see my parents last. The peacekeeper lead me out and Vanesia took Emma and me to the tribute train.
"Well, we're finally off to the Capitol!" Vanesia cheered before flouncing off to her room. I looked around the main car and I saw them. My parents were sitting on a couch. My mother was sitting on my dad's lap curled up and sobbing uncontrollably. In the one hour span between the start of the Reaping until now, they seem to have aged twenty years.
"Shh, honey, we'll get to help him." Dad said soothingly. "Honey, they're here. Galileo's here, baby." My mom raised her head slowly and stared at me as tears streamed down from her large sad eyes. Slowly I came over to her and Dad.
"Hey, Mom." I whispered as she stood up shakily. In one motion, she wrapped her arms around me a second before her knees gave way. I held her frail frame against me as she wept into my shirt. I bent down and scooped her up like I've seen Dad do a million times. "Where's your room?" I asked Dad.
"Down the hall, son." He said, his voice barely above a whisper as it constricted before tears trickled down his face. "Thank you."
"No problem, Dad." I said trying to keep my voice even. I carried Mom to her and Dad's room and lay her down on the bed. I gently take out her bun running my fingers through her hair like I've seen Dad do. She lay balled up on her side, her shoulders shaking with sobs. "Hey, Mom, I'll be talking with Dad. He'll probably check on you later." I said as I pulled the covers over her. She gripped my hand until her knuckles turn white. I knelt down and looked into her face lined with sadness. She fell asleep with tears streaming down her face. I closed the door quietly and came out into the 'living room' of our car before Dad wraps me in a hug.
"Son - I'll - I'll talk to both of you later." He said through his tears before leaving to check on Mom.
"Ok." I said understandingly. I knew Mom and Dad would think of a plan for us as our mentors, but I figured they probably need time to themselves. Being victors of the 54th and 46th Hunger Games didn't grant immunity for their son - me - from going into this one. They had no guarantee that I would make it out alive.
"You can sit on a chair, you know." I say gently smiling at Emma who was sitting on the floor staring at the carpet.
"You've been on this train before?" Emma asked me quietly, running her hands through the plush carpet.
"Nope." I replied plopping down next to her. Her eyes widened. "I spend the first few weeks of the summer at a friend's house." She nodded.
"Do your parents talk about their games much?" She asked cautiously.
"Nope. We just try and blend in with the neighborhood, you know." I replied lightly. Emma nodded again. "Hey, Emma, I think we can get some snacks. You hungry?" Emma shrugged. I tracked down Vanesia and soon Emma and I were snacking on rolls similar to ours back home, some crackers, and a salty meat that's known as summer sausage. The reality of my parents being my mentors hit me. I knew leaving has hit Emma as she stared at the table and picked at her food.
"I'll try and help you win." Emma said suddenly. I looked at her oddly. "Your parents can't loose you."
"Yours can't loose you either." I countered. Emma shrugged. "Look, Emma, don't not try just because my parents are our mentors, ok? Do you promise?" She nodded slowly. "Emma, don't worry. They'll help you too." She nodded again.
"I hope your mom feels better." She whispered.
"Yeah." I paused. "Once Dad gets her focused on the task at hand, she'll feel better. I remember bringing her tea and her engineering manuals when she was feeling bad and laying around in bed." I chuckled at the memory. "My parents are nerds." I suddenly said chuckling. "Dad once wired a microchip in such a way that it would light up and spell Mom's name." Emma laughed.
"My dad proposed to Mom by writing, 'Will you marry me?' in the soot covering the machines they worked in. We laughed thinking about our parents.
"My mom has to repair our toaster almost every other day. That thing is as old as Panem itself. Once she spent half an hour working on it. Dad was convinced it had bit the soot, but she finally got it working. She smacked Dad on the rear with a spatula and said, 'I am your - Mrs. Fix-It, genius!'" Emma and I laugh as I hear Dad come in. "I'm glad you get to meet her."
"I'm glad you get to meet Leo too." Dad says joining us. "Once Leo was helping me with putting together some components for a small machine, and we were working with super-glue. Well, he was eight and still had a tendency to pick his nose." I blush knowing exactly what's coming next. "So, he thinks nothing of it and goes digging for something up there, and suddenly I hear, 'Dad!'" Dad does a very accurate impression of a high nasaly voice. "My finger got stuck!"
"DAD!" I yelped. That was one of his favorite stories to tell about me.
"Wiress freaked out for about a minute and then started laughing at him." Dad stopped to laugh some more. "So, we walk him to the urgent-care clinic and they manage to get him unstuck, but the look on his face when he realized his predicament was priceless!"
"Dad," I groaned giving him my mock-serious face. "Please limit embarrassing stories to one a day while we're away, please?" Dad just laughed, but I noticed the sadness was still in his eyes.
"Don't worry, son." He said patting me on the back. "I won't embarrass you. Too much." He smiled. "I will do everything in my power to help both of you, ok?"
"Ok." Emma and I replied smiling.
"Dad -" I pause. "I - I'm not happy I'm going into the Games, but -" I paused choosing my words carefully. "I wouldn't want any other mentor except you."
"Thanks, son." Dad said wrapping me in a hug. "I know whatever happens, you will make your mother and I proud." He released me and took Emma's hands in his. "Dear, I also know you will represent our district well. Wiress and I will do everything we can to help you too." She smiled. We watched the scenery change as we came closer to the Capitol. Dad reminded us that we had our smarts and determination, and that was something the Capitol could never take away.
