Ch 2

My brother is only twelve years old and it's not fair at all that he has to be here. But at least I know were he is at at all times. I never have to worry if the capital has dragged him off to some torture chamber, at least there is a way that both of us can make it out of here without my agreeing to Love's deal.

When I previously arrived at the capital a week ago I had prepared myself to play their stupid game, so I had stood in front of the mirror for an hour making sure every piece of my blood hair was in place. I had put it up in a braid as best I could, but it still wasn't as great as when mom use to do it for me. I wore a light blue dress that went a little above the knee to bring out the deepness of my gray eyes. The sparky blue tool that made the dress flare up like a ballerina had made my legs itch. God dammit I hated that fucking dress.

I also made sure that every inch of my long exposed legs were hairless and smooth, and that the strap of my open toed black high heels were perfectly in place. I ended the outfit with sparky sliver nail polish.

I had felt trapped under all that puffed up fabric, but that is how they want you to feel. So I tried to master my walk in my heels by walking up and down the halls of the train to the point that I couldn't stand it anymore. I then decided it was time to get to work on my bother.

For him I had pulled out a light blue silk shirt, and an ugly silver tie, with white slacks, and white jacket to match. How is this considered fashionable I will never know, all I really care about in clothes is practicality. Next had I tried to pull his curly brown hair, back with gel, but it just looked awful. So then I had to wash it all out, and just decided to trim the unruly mess. When I was done he looked at least fifteen. He is unusually tall for his age, standing at five feet seven inches, which is five inches taller than me. I remember thinking to myself as I stared into his deep blue eyes that he might actually get out of this alive. He can win this. But I could never let the capital know that this was my plan, so I again double checked my appearance. I then had splashed some water on my face. "You can do this. You can get your bother out." I told myself. I then steeped out of the bathroom and prepared myself to be bombarded with cameras, and their stupid questions.

But what I was actually received by, or rather who I was received by- nothing could have prepared me for. When I stepped off that train I had found myself in the presence of President Love. The only sound was the loud bang of the train door being firmly sealed behind me, leaving only me and Love. My bother still inside.

"I brought you here to discuss your freedom, your ticket out of this mess." She hissed at me in a snaky voice emerging from the dark night into the light of the creaky lamp post swaying in the wind. It had to have been at least 2 in the morning. She had casper white, long, stringy, blond hair that went down to her thigh in an effort to appear glamorous. She wore a tight black dress that went down to the floor and flared up in deep red ruffles at the bottom. It dragged on the floor as though she just walked through a fresh pool of blood of all those she murder. The dress was accompanied by what should have been an elegant sheer white fox fur coat. But instead it was covered in red awful glitter to match her dress, but mostly to bring out her burning red eyes.

Her eyes were the most distributing feature of all her twisted features. It was as though all the left over blood of those she killed that hadn't stained her dress was gathered up and poured into her eyes. Her long pointed jagged nose was a result of many failed attempts to fix it's natural awfulness. The complexion of her skin was tight and pulled back. Which forced you to stare deep into her blood thirsty eyes. Where her bestial soul laid in wait, just waiting to attack. She must have had something special planed after this.

"My freedom?" I asked.

"Yesss your ticket out of the arena." she confirmed

"Well what do I have to do to prevent me and brother from ever having to step into that arena?"

"My dear Prim, to get out of the arena you must first enter it. All you have to do is stay alive. Just run and hide. If you can mange to stay alive until there are only five tributes left including yourself, then we shall talk details. You need first prove to me that you are strong enough to carry out the mission, to prove to me you can live the life your freedom will require of you. Until then though, may the odds be ever in your favor." She then turned around and gracefully slithered away.

Behind me the train door had slid back open and I was yanked back inside only to have been shoved out the adjacent door into the penetrating lights of the cameras. In that exact moment I agreed to myself not to take whatever President Love's deal was. I was going to survive this entirely on my own.

All the camera's were being shoved in my face, along with all their intrusive questions. "Mrs. Mellark what do you think your mother would say if she could see you now?" Asked one of the ugly florescent yellow skinned male interviewers, but with a surprisingly sentential voice. It seems that today's capital fashion is more ugly than ever, and the brightness of his skin stung my eyes. God what is wrong with these people! How can they think this makes them look desirable, it just makes them look like terrible monsters. What is exactly what they are.

"Well I think she would be quite proud." I answered back with a camera ready smile. I still to this day have no idea where I found that answer. I have learned throughout the course of my life that as long as I just make myself say something, the right thing will come out.

"Why do you think your mother would be proud Mrs. Mellark?" asked the same ugly man pushing me for more.

"Well because I am following in my mother's footsteps, and after all isn't that what every parent wants? Plus my mother did vote to continue the tradition of the hunger games once the capital was defeated."

"Yes but the capital has re-arisen." said the ugly man

"Yes it has" I said.

Then they went after my bother and shoved the cameras in his face.

Unlike me, my bother was tormented by a rather perky purple capital woman with nasty blue hair, and wide greens murky eyes."Young man, what were your father's parting words to you?" she asked.

"He told me to stay alive" he answered back in his cold, cutting, sarcastic voice and everyone laughed.

"Well isn't that rather good advice?" she laughed. " Do you plan on following it?"

"No I want to die." Everyone laughed again. Clearly embarrassed and feed up the woman answered back

"Well hopefully you will." Then like that the cameras were gone.

That night as I laid awake in my oversized bed in my oversized temporary room, I ponder the validity of my brother's statement. I analyzed the look in his eyes, the tone of his voice. And for some reason I honestly believe that he meant what he said. That he wants to die, but I am not going to let him. I am going to get both of us out of here, what ever it takes- except Love's deal.