Don't own Hunger Games.
Alto POV
When the Anthem is finished playing, a few Peacekeepers take Katniss and I into the Justice Building...
Hah! Justice Building. What a damn joke...
They set us up in separate rooms, giving us one hour to say goodby to loved ones. As I said before, I technically don't have a family, but I consider my friends my family. That's all I really need. I guess you could say I knew my parents a little; not my dad anyway. My mom, I remember a few things, but I never really thought deeply about it. I've heard people throw around ideas: maybe my parents left me, maybe they were killed and I was the only one to survive. But it doesn't matter in the end. They're not here; there's no reason to dwell in the past.
I glance at every aspect of the room. I can easily say it's one of the most expensive rooms I've ever seen, let alone stayed in. Almost everything seems to be made of velvet: the walls, carpet, the cloths, cushions, even this strange chair I'm in seems to be made of it, including the sheet that's covering it. I had to run my hands thorough the material. I've never felt anything so soft and smooth, the only thing close to it being bear fur. It's taking my mind off the situation, which I'm grateful for. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about this. I mean, these are the Games: one winner, twenty three losers, and the losers pay the ultimate price. I couldn't let Peeta take that.
I do expect a few visitors, though I already know who's going to be first just as the young man in question walks in, his blue eyes meeting my red.
"Peeta." I regard.
"Alto." He nods as he takes a seat on the couch I'm sitting in. "I shouldn't be surprised by this. You were always one to hog all the glory."
"Come now Peeta. You have some glory too. My glory is just more badass then yours." I elbow him lightly. He punches my shoulder.
"Screw you Alto." We both chuckle a little, doing anything to get these events out of our heads.
"I could have gone instead." He says in a serious tone after a moment of silence, looking at me. I place a hand on his shoulder.
"Key word: could. Yes, you could have gone, but I decided to take the fall."
"Why wouldn't you let me take the fall?"
"You are not ready for this."
He gives me a look. "This isn't making me feel better."
"I'm more prepared for this then you are."
"So now I'm too stupid and weak to survive?" Peeta sounded hurt.
"That's not what I'm saying." I point at him. "Between me, you, and everyone else in twelve, who do you think is more likely make it out of there alive?"
He looks at me, then the ceiling, blinking a few times before looking at his feet, "You would." He grumbled.
"Yes. That may not make it easier for anyone, but we may have a chance to change things around here."
"Yeah, I know." He replies with what sounds like a tired voice. There's a knock on the door before it opens, signaling that our time is up. We both stand and embrace before he walks out the door, giving a thumbs up.
A few others come; more friends and an old man who I could call a father.
The boy has tan skin like mine, only his hair is a dark red, with his eyes a light yellow. Those eyes always scared me a little, more so at night when they seemed to glow.
The girl could pass off being Peeta's older sister. That's enough said.
The old man was pale, his white beard reaching down past his chest. His head still had hair; not a bald spot in sight, and his eyes were an emerald green.
"Nlron. Fash." My smile grew slightly. "Old man."
"Good to see you in a good mood." Nlron popped himself on the arm rest.
"Have to keep myself occupied, least I start to panic. I already kind of am." I noticed I was starting to take deeper breaths.
"Hey, calm down Alto." Fash stood behind me, rubbing my shoulders, which immediately forced me to breath normally and I slumped slightly, the tension in my body starting to fade.
"Thanks Fash." I was grateful for Fash. She was like a big sister to me, always there when I needed her.
"Your welcome." She replied.
"Why don't you ever give me any massages?" Nlron asked.
"Because you don't need them. That and all the comments you make."
"Come on, can you blame-"
"Yes." She automatically responded. The Old Man laughed.
"Well my boy, It seems you have a Game to win."
"It seems like that, doesn't it?" I reply.
"Don't worry about a thing Alto. I'll make sure they brush their teeth and tuck them in like you always do." He smiled.
"Hey!" The two teen shouted.
"Thanks for that Old Man." I look him in the eyes now. "Do...do you think I have a chance?"
"Without a doubt Alto. You're the brightest young man I've ever had the privilege of knowing. It might not be easy, but you will make it through." He answered without hesitation.
"You'll be fine Alto." Fash reassured.
"You'll crush them." Nlron smirked.
"Thanks guys." There's a knock then, and we all embrace before they leave, though Nlron shouts something on his way out.
"Kick some ass Alto!"
A few other friends come, including Peeta's parents. They all wish me luck, and I see a few tears in some, which causes me to tear up a little. In essence, I am saying my last goodby. There's a very good chance I may not walk away from this, and now it's starting to pummel itself into my mind. It's the end of the hour and I'm told that I have one more visitor, though from what I remember I already saw all my friends.
'Strange, who could this be?'
To surprise, it's Katniss's mother and her thirteen year old sister Prim. It was Prim right? They both walk into the room and they a seat in the two chairs in front if me. They just stare at me, not a single word leaving their mouths. Now as to why they're here, I haven't the slightest idea. Maybe they're getting a feel of who Katniss is up against. They're just staring at me; Prim's face shows some curiosity while her mother simply stares at me. It send a slight shiver down my spine. Her eyes are wandering all over me, trying to read my body. Here eyes lower slightly, her already pale skin paling slightly more, as if coming to the assumption that Katniss isn't likely to get out of this alive. We stay like that until our time is up, in which they both stand and make their way to the door.
"She'll be alright."
They stop at my comment, both staring at me. I don't know what made me say it, but I said it. It kills me to see her like this. I don't know if it helps, but she nods and continues out the door. Prim's the last out the door, but she gives me a wave and a sad smile.
"Good luck." She says quietly before she's gone.
For what remaining time I have, I begin formulating different contingencies that I could use in the Games. They're so many things that could happen in there, who knows, maybe they'd bomb the arena this year. Before long, the Peacekeepers are in the room, and they escort me to another thing I haven't been in; a car, painted a bland black. It's a relatively short ride to the train station with another car following us, holding Katniss. When we do reach the station it's already filled to the brim with reporters, cameras setup, ready to catch the Tributes' faces.
I can't look weak, so I put on an annoyed look on my face and once I exit the car, I cross my arms to make myself look more aggressive. My eyes flicker to one of the screens that are broadcasting.
"Hmph." I grunt in satisfaction. I look bigger then I'm suppose to be; that's good. I turn to the car that was behind us to see Katniss already out, a bored look on her face. I'm not too sure if she was crying, but she seems too strong to do that. She looks at me, giving me the same expression before making her way to the entrance of the train. We're forced to stand there, letting the reporters get all the footage they can get for a few minutes before we enter the train. Once inside, it speeds forward towards the Capital.
I'm surprised at how fast this thing flys. I nearly feel anything but this train's moving easily past two hundred. From what Effie said we'll make it to the Capital in a day. And as amazing as it sounds, this train's even more luxurious then the Justice Building. After a brief tour, Effie takes us to our rooms. They have everything someone would need for a prolonged trip somewhere: a bed that could hold five people, a dressing room that has who knows how many cloths and that's nearly the size of the bed room itself, and of course a private restroom. Effie states that supper will be ready soon, and I spend some time exploring the room, looking through all the rooms and familiarizing myself with the different features it has. When I'm satisfied, I go the the bathroom. I needed a hot shower to calm my already ragged nerves. I was doing a very good job of hiding it though, at least I thing I am.
I strip down and enter the shower, giving a questionable look at the shower, multiple buttons and dials lining the wall, each a different color.
"It's a shower not a Hovercraft." I say to myself as I glanced at everything. I press a blue button and a strange smelling blue foamy substance covers me from head to toe.
"Um, soap I guess?" I can't really place the smell. It smells salty and fresh. I push another one, black this time, and some brush makes contact with my back as it starts scrubbing.
"Ow, ow, ow!" I press the button again, making the brushes disappear.
"Come on already damn it. Do we really need all this? I just want water."
After a minute or dial turning, button clicking, multiple curses, and several falls, I press a white button and water finally shoots out of the shower head.
"What the hell man." I wash off all the foam from my body, not bothering to really wash. I'm already over this shower. I throw on some jeans and black shirt before exiting the room and making y way to the dinning room.
Just like my room, the thing is huge, with the table about the size of the bed. The food had yet to make it there, but I didn't mind. I found a chair, plopped myself in it and waited. I wait, arms crossed, eyes closed, taking in the silence even at the speeds were were traveling. That was always something that calmed me. When I'm alone with an empty mind, everything just seems so...peaceful. That peace was interrupted after a few minutes when Effie and Katniss enter.
"Where's Haymitch?" Effie asks.
"In his room drinking away like always. Maybe taking a nap. Perhaps he fell and knocked himself cold." I give her an annoyed look. "How the hell should I know?"
Effie gives me a glare which I pay no attention to, and motions Katniss to take a seat. She chooses the chair on my right, and after she's settled in, we are served:
Carrot soup with green salad, lamb chops, mashed potatoes, cheese, fruit and chocolate cake.
And Effie told us to save room for more.
I don't bother listening to her, staring greedily at the food presented before us. By glancing at Katniss, I can tell she's having trouble keeping herself seated. We wait twenty agonizing seconds until Effie tells us to dig in, and that's what we do; dig in.
I've had a lot of food in front of me before, but I was never able to eat all of it. Most hunts I would give a majority to the others while I took leftovers. They'd always protested against that, but I insisted; I wouldn't have it any other way. Now that there's food that I don't have to hunt, and I don't technically have to share, I went all out. The Chocolate cake was the first to fall to my frenzy. The lamb chops were the next. I was going to eat to my hearts content.
"At least you two have manors." Effie comments. I'm to busy stuffing my face, but then did I notice I was still acting sane with all this food here. It's certainly not what I had expected. As for the manors, I was taught by the Old Man, and Kantiss from her mother most likely.
By the time our stomachs are full, both Katniss and I are regretting eating so much at one time. We've never eaten so much, so our bodies aren't use to being full, and they're reacting violently to it. I can feel the food clawing up my throat, while Katniss is gaging slightly, her face a pale shade of green.
After we collect ourselves, we head to a compartment to watch a recap of the Reapings. It goes through District order: one through twelve. While we are watching it, I'm paying very close attention to any of the tributes that could pose a threat to me. Thresh, the giant from District eleven, is the immediate first, even in front of those two Career tributes in two: Cato and Clove. That's saying a lot, since that Cato looks like a rather blood thirsty bastard. Rue's another I need to look out for. She's small, but small is far from meaning harmless. She could easily sink a knife in your throat as easily as I can breath. Katniss, the girl in question who's sitting next to me, is another I need to watch for. I've seen her use a bow, and that's something I don't want coming my way. She also has basic know how in using knifes, and I've seen her throw them. If anything, I need to keep the bow away from her. I know it sounds statistic, but it's not like I have a choice. If I had the option or the ability, I'd try keeping everyone alive. Unfortunately that's not going to happen.
The broadcast finally reaches the District Twelve portion. To obviously starts with with Effie calling Prim up, with Katniss volunteering soon after, that boy Gale dragging Prim away, Haymitch falling from the stage and nearly killing himself, Peeta's name being pulled, then me volunteering for him.
"Your mentor has a lot to learn about presentation. A lot about televised behavior." Effie says, trying her hardest to fix her wig, which seemed to list severely to the right.
I chuckle slightly. "What's there to learn? Haymitch is like this every year; drunk beyond comprehension."
"More like every day." Katniss adds, chuckling with me.
"Haymitch isn't ever sober enough to learn or retain anything as of late." I finish.
"Yes." Effie replies, though she sounds like she's hissing now. "How odd you two find it amusing. You know your mentor is the lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!"
A door swings open, Haymitch stumbles in, and in a slurred voice asks. "I missed supper?" He then vomits on the floor and he falls right on it.
"Oh my god." I face palm.
"So laugh away!" Effie cries, as she maneuvers over Haymitch and out of the room.
Be both glance at Haymitch, who's content to stay on the floor. I turn to Katniss.
"This drunk bastard's our mentor?"
She sighs, but nodes, and I shake my head.
"We're so utterly screwed."