Camilla arrives with my replacement shoes shortly before Thresh and Rue emerge from their goodbyes. The sweet little girl looks teary, so I give her a big hug to cheer her up. Thresh looks positively scary, so no hug for him, especially since he treated me so rudely.
"Quick quick! We mustn't be late for your train ride!" I declare, glaring at Chaff, who stumbles over to the filthy doors. "Now, you will be escorted by car to the train station, and then you will meet with your… mentors" I say, lingering on the word "mentors" Chaff is NOT forgiven. "Now, out! We are on a tight schedule!" I guide the tributes out through the door, and into the now deserted square. "The sooner we get out of here…" I mumble to myself, District 11 has never been my favourite, nor has it been the favourite of anyone else in the Capitol, the people are far too needy. "Did you get to say goodbye to your family, Rue my dear?" I ask sweetly as I gently push them into the car. "You can say something you know, I'm not that scary" Thresh gives a little cough, which I think might be a laugh. "You know what? I take it back! I don't think you're going to win!" I snap at him. The sooner we get onto the comfort of the train, and in the presence of my wardrobe, the happier I'll be, and maybe then I'll accept Thresh's apology.
I remind myself that I'm a very professional escort and that I should not let my own feelings, however justified they might be, get into the way of my job.
The car pulls into a small, dingy station at which the gleaming train waits for us. As far as anyone should be concerned, the train is the most beautiful thing in District 11, besides myself, and that is saying something.
"I suggest you both get tidied up before meeting your mentors, those clothes are far to 'District'" I state. Then I climb up the step onto the train.
I immediately breathe fresh, air-conditioned air, and start for my compartment.
When I get there, I pull off my wig and frilly green gown, and replace them with equally gorgeous attire. A bright red wig that curls down my shoulders, gold lipstick and eyeliner, and a frock made of pieces of fabric shaped like leaves and fruit—I want to show at least some pride for District 11, however forced it may be. But it's my job to support the District, so I have to push through it.
"Camilla! Camilla! Get in here now and tell me how I look!" Camilla comes quickly and I purse my lips. "Faster next time please"
"You look excellent Livia, good enough for the President!" She tells me, I blush because it's true.
We make our way down to the living car to wait for Thresh and Rue and the mentors. "Camilla, you can leave now" I remind her. Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I put up with her.
After a long while, Rue arrives, followed closely by Thresh. "Where are your mentors?" I demand. "I don't know, I think they might be talking about what to do with us" Rue says quietly.
"Thank you, Rue for telling me, but they really must be here. We don't have time for them to discuss amongst themselves" I tell her. She has changed into a simple shirt and skirt. Thresh, however; hasn't even bothered to wash his face. "Thresh dear, would you go and wash up please? You need to look presentable for your mentors"
While Thresh washes up, I talk to darling Rue; she's interesting enough for District 11, and very sweet and humble.
Seeder, Chaff, Hive, Blossom and Leef enter before Thresh returns. They demand I leave, which is rude, but I respect the others, if not Chaff.
"Remember, Rue darling—if you need anything, let me know so I can get someone to do it for you" I say kindly, as I slip out of the door.
I decide to take a nap, I need the beauty sleep. So I prepare myself for bed, I change into my sleep-preparation attire and plaster several important creams on my face before changing into my sleepwear, dark blue with little electric studded lights so it looks like I'm the night sky. I remove some of the creams so I can apply makeup, before I drift off into a pleasant sleep.
When I wake, the train is slowing down, I glance at the diamond encrusted clock, and see that it's almost 7 o'clock; we should be arriving in the Capitol at 10. I select a truly delightful mauve dress that looks like puffy pink clouds, and decide not to wear a wig. Instead I put in some temporary purple hair dye into my real hair, and style it to look eye-catching; the cameras will be trained on me. Well, I suppose maybe the tributes would be on camera as well…
I walk into the living car and have some dinner with the tributes; both look like they haven't even seen a decent plate of food ever in their lives. I don't understand it, they should have more than enough food, since they live in District 11, after all; they farm all sorts of it.
Never mind, that's their problem, if they haven't eaten decently, then that's because they obviously chose not to. I'm very smart with these things, so I decide that that must be it.
"Now, when we arrive at the Capitol, I will expect that you two will conduct yourselves with grace and decorum, you need to make a good impression"
Little Rue takes up the knife and fork that she so rudely ignored earlier, but the large beast continues to eat with his hands! I can't even stand the thought of it, neither can Effie; we're both very particular about these things. At least I got District 11.
Both tributes are silent things, never noticing when the new dishes arrive, never looking up from their plates of food, just eating silently.
"Well, your mentors aren't being much of a help, the only one still conscious is Seeder, and she's decided to nap, so you two have already wasted a perfectly good day trying to strategize, so I thought that we might just watch the Reapings, and then maybe we could study the Games, I brought some old videos along." I look at the two, they don't acknowledge me or anything; they just sit there, silently.
"Look, I understand you want to eat, the food is rather marvellous, but we really should get you to focus on the Games"
Just then, Seeder walks in, as far as Victors go, she's a teensy bit tolerable; she doesn't have that funny smell that the others do. I briefly explain what I was planning to do with the tributes, she sits down slowly.
"Thank you, Livia" She speaks softly. "But it isn't your job to mentor the tributes. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to let me deal with them" Seeder pulls over a bowl of something, and begins to eat.
"I am merely trying to help the tributes!" I yell indignantly.
"The 'tributes' have names, you know" She mutters, swirling around her spoon in her bowl.
"Then I will leave you to it" I huff away. Who is she to tell me what I can or can't do? In my opinion, the escort ranks higher than the victor, after all, we are from the Capitol, and they are from the districts!
The rest of the train ride is uneventful, unless you count old Hive's heart almost stopping. He won the first Games, and is something like 90 or so; still, he is relatively smart.
I decide to refuge in the bar car, where I am annoyed to find Chaff and Leef unconscious on the floor. Sitting in a squashy armchair is Blossom; she's looking out of the window with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Hello!" I trill, she looks over to me, she's only about 25 or something, very young with lovely chocolate hair, but has the eyes of a woman much older… is this what the Hunger Games did to her…?
Nonsense! The games are fun, the Capitol likes them and the districts like them. I don't know where that thought came from, but I don't like it, it made me think too uncomfortably, I don't like it one bit.
I push the idea out of my mind, and pour myself a glass of wine, and then I walk over and join Blossom, who is slowly coming out of her trance-like state.
Blossom was reaped only the year before I became escort, and guess what? The old escort got promoted to District 3, and I got stuck with 11!
But, if I'm lucky, I can get Rue's sweetness and Thresh's strength to help me, I will get a promotion for sure! And then I won't have to sit around with people like Chaff.
"Hello, Livia…" Blossom starts, but quickly trails off. "Livia…" She begins again.
"Yes dear? What can I do for you?" I say, I have to admit, I am a little bit disgruntled, it's not my job to look after the mentors, but I won't be rude, as so many others have been…
"Could you please hand me that little satchel?" She asks me.
"Camilla! Camilla!" I demand, she comes rushing in a few moments later, in her nightclothes. "Excuse me Camilla, but who told you you could go to bed?" I ask her, it was very ignorant of her not to tell me first. What if I need her during the night?
"Could you give Blossom her satchel?" I ask kindly, I'm a very kind person, always willing to help!
The world around the train slowly changes into mountains with snow capped tips, announcing our arrival in the Capitol, the train is swallowed by a tunnel as we make our way under the mountains to the glorious Capitol.