CHAPTER 2: THE TRAIN
THE JUSTICE BUILDING WASN'T somewhere Hale often visited, the last time being the one and only time that she signed up for tessarae. May's paranoia leading up to those games was so great that it was guaranteed that Hale would never have to do such a thing again. However, the done deed was done and those extra few slips from years ago could possibly have been why Hale, out of all people, was chosen. She kept on thinking why no-one had volunteered, not Luna Harwood who was considered the greatest student at the career training centre, or Melisse Raye who had lost her entire family in a boating accident and had nothing left to lose.
In the end, she whittled it down to superstition. Maybe Hale just wasn't lucky enough. Maybe she should've thrown a penny into the sea when she caught that large tuna last week or maybe she should've looked away any time a black cat crossed her path. Maybe this was just her fate. Books were sparse in District 4 but Hale had read a select few, trading and swapping in order to get the aged pages. She had read of old gods and goddesses, religions and what they praised. She had read of a benevolent god, bestowing free will upon humanity but always knowing their fate. She knew of the Fates, three witch-like creatures who threaded and snipped at the strings of human life, bringing it and taking it as they pleased. She wondered if she should pray. If any of these higher beings were listening, they would hear that Hale's heart was hammering like a hummingbird's wings and this was her way of saying, she wanted to live.
The barrel of a peacekeeper's gun was pressed softly against her back and for the first time in a while, Hale noticed how fragile she was. She always thought she was the rough sort of girl, from years of working on a boat, making nets, handling ropes and all the other sorts of things that came with being a fisherman. May and Rosia had soft, delicate hands as they were both seamstresses and Hale's were hard and calloused. Yet now, she felt more scared than she did when she was caught in a riptide or was nearly bitten by a water moccasin- and all she was doing now was walking.
She was stumbling over her own feet as they lead the way to the Justice Building but then again, she never had very good land legs. Hale was scared of saying goodbye because a goodbye meant that she was never coming back and Hale wanted to come back.
The waiting room inside the building was very pretty, with scenic seaside paintings strung up on every wall, and small stained glass windows with pictures of multi-coloured shells and fishes. She tapped her foot anxiously, the sound loud as a drum in the near empty room. Rosia and May's arrival came like a flood, everything exploding at once. She ran to them and they welcomed her into her arms.
"I can't, I can't do it," Hale sobbed into her mother's blouse, tears streaming down her face. "Please don't make me do it, please, May."
"Hush, baby," May whispered softly, stroking her daughter's hair. "Think of the sea."
Rosia took her trembling sister into her arms, crying silent tears of her own. "You do whatever you have to do, understand? Whatever."
Hale looked up at her sister, knowing this was a confession of some sorts. She would make her sins and her family would forgive them.
"Baby, don't cry because this isn't goodbye. You're coming back to us and I don't care how you do it. You are coming home."
Her mother had a strong grip on the girl's shoulder at this point, determination in her eyes. "And I wish I had longer to just stay and hold you but there are so many people who love you here. We're all waiting on you."
May gave her one last hug and Hale breathed in deep, taking in her mother's scent. She placed a tender kiss on Hale's forehead and then it was as if she was a ghost. Rosia trailed behind for slightly longer, her hands clutching at Hale's own. "I love you, Hale. Don't leave me."
And then she too, was gone.
It was only a second alone but the loneliness seemed to last a lifetime before Cassian burst into the room. This time, Hale smiled, happy. She was glad to see this face again, even if it was the last time. Cassian strode up to her, eyes so deadly serious. His arms enveloped her body and it was almost crushing her but she didn't mind, not this time.
"You give them hell," he murmured into her ear, never letting her go in the process.
"Hey, Cas," she managed weakly, hugging him back just as hard.
"No I'm serious, Hale," he said with a 'no-bullshit' tone that she rarely ever heard from him.
"When are you ever?"
"Now. Make them regret the day they ever came to know the name Hale Vincoré."
Hale shook her head, knowing that she made a weak first impression. "They won't even look twice at me."
"Then make them look!" He said explosively, shaking her slightly. "Or maybe don't. Be invisible, like Johanna Mason and then cut them down like weeds. Just win."
"I'm not like that, Cas. I can't do that. I can't hurt them like they want me to."
"I know, I know but Hale. Hale, please. You have to win. You always have to win whatever competition it is when it's you and me. This is no different. You will win."
"I'll try," Hale said with a nervous laugh. Cassian immediately took Hale's face in his hands, squeezing slightly.
"You'll do more than that. You will be okay."
The peacekeepers knocked hard on the door once, and her best friend was leaving. He gave her a wink and that smile that made everything feel okay. "Stay alive, sunshine."
Hale didn't expect any more visitors after Cassian but to her surprise, six more bumbled through the door. It was her crew, the people she worked with for the past couple of years. Some were large, tattooed men and some were scrawny teenagers, working because they had no alternative. All of them were tanned and bore the scars of the work, just like Hale. And they all had tears glinting in their eyes, but didn't dare let them fall.
"I'm sorry," began Tin, the oldest of them all, pulling her in for a gentle hug.
"At least we'll get to see your pretty face on screen all the time," Ilya, only a few years older than Hale herself, joked, making light of the situation. Hale smiled sadly and pulled them all in for a group hug.
"Finley, don't get tangled in the nets now that I'm not here to help you. Sierre, don't bully Finley without me. Thank you guys, truly and honestly, for being here."
"It's not the same if you're not here. You're irreplaceable," Sierre said comfortingly, placing her hand on top of Hale's.
"I'd appreciate it if you could be slightly kinder to Rosia and May seen as, uh, I won't be working, please?"
"Of course," Tin agreed, nodding his head profusely. "We also wanted to give you this- if you'll take it."
Hale took in her hands what seemed like a gold coin till she looked closely and saw the imprint. It was the seal of the boat. The name 'St Celestine' embossed so tiny that she had to squint to read. Along with that, a small angel fish adorned it and on the reverse side, a boat much like their own. Hale had never seen anything like this before and would have surely mistaken it for some sort of pirate treasure had she seen this in the sand.
"Is this the seal of the ship?" She asked, nearly breathless at such a valuable object.
"It's real gold as well. There's only two of these in the world and now you have one of them."
"Oh, Tin. How can I keep this? How can I-"
"Just survive for us. We ain't a crew without you, honey."
When her time was up, her arms were aching from holding on too tight and they reached out, desperately trying to hold on to the last few good things she had- and then they were gone. She was left with the cold peacekeepers who may as well be made out of stone, prodding at her back, making sure she didn't step out of line.
She joined with the others promptly, Lukos looking ahead with steely eyes but by her side, and Finnick and Mags trailing slightly behind them. Winona was leading them, beaming at all the cameras pushed towards their faces on the way, a feat Hale could not manage. A grimace was fixated on her face, reflecting badly on the girl. Her first impressions hadn't gone too well- she wasn't cut-throat enough to smirk and be happy at the prospect of a fight to the death and yet, she wasn't lovely enough to smile and wave at the reporters.
Entering the train was a relief, a getaway from the masses that surrounded them. Hale was stunned by the train car so much so that Finnick had to shake her out of her stupor. She jumped back quickly, surprised at his touch. "Lavish, isn't it?"
"A slight understatement," Hale mumbled, knowing that this dining car was larger than any living room or dining room she had seen in district four.
"If you think this is nice, wait till you see the Capitol!" Winona chirped in, fluffing cushions on the sofa that clearly didn't need to be fluffed.
"Can I sit?" Hale asked hesitantly, not knowing if she was given some liberty due to her impending death or if manners were required to survive in this world.
"Honey, you can sit and watch the Reapings after you eat and settle but firstly, you need to talk to your mentors." Hale was surprised at Winona's soft tone- she didn't expect this kindness from a Capitol woman. The lady smiled at her before going off to do whatever business, leaving Lukos and Hale in the hands of Finnick and Mags.
"So," said Lukos, speaking for the first time. "How do I win?"
Hale didn't know whether she should be insulted, or if she should just nod- it was dangerous to make enemies so soon. She knew she had a very little chance of going home but that didn't mean she wouldn't try in the Games. Finnick cocked an eyebrow, then smirked a little.
"Confident, then? You think the two of you are on different skill levels?"
"I believe so."
This, Hale did not doubt. Hale was a fisherman and Lukos was a boy who probably went to the academy everyday. In fact, she wondered if he would have volunteered had he not been reaped.
"Then I suppose we'll have to train you separately. Lukos, you're with Mags. Hale, you're with me." Lukos' mouth fell open at this, clearly irritated by the decision made.
"What? How is she going to help me?" Mags just smiled, as if what he had said didn't affect her. "She's like 90 and dying."
Finnick frowned, moving closer to Mags so he could clutch her arm. "Don't talk to her that way."
"I hate to break it to you," Hale turned to the angry boy, "but unless you let Mags help you, dying is more of your concern than hers."
Lukos had nothing to say to this, huffing and turning away from the group. Mags began pulling gently at his arm, trying to show him something.
"Come on, I'll show you to your room." Finnick lead the way to a door with a golden number four and the generic female gender sign. She pushed it open to find a large, clean suite with a bed large enough to fit five people in.
"Holy shit," Hale whispered, not knowing how such a big room could fit inside the train.
"It's nice, right?" Hale nodded at Finnick without even looking away. "Thank you for just then, with Mags and your partner. You have a real good soul, I can tell."
Hale smiled slightly, placing herself down on the bed. "I'm afraid that's not enough to win, Finnick."
"I will help you win. I mean, that's why I chose you. I also wouldn't be able to work with someone so ignorant as Lukos and yeah, maybe he's better trained but so what? I saw potential in you and I saw greatness. You can do this, Hale."
Hale scooted away from Finnick, not believing much of what he said. "You saw what in me? You don't even know me! I appreciate the pep talk but inspiration and ambition are nothing against knives and swords."
She moved towards what she thought to be the wardrobe, hoping she could find some clothes and take another shower. She felt dirty and sweaty and hot, just like at the end of the day on the boats. Finnick caught her arm, pulling her back gently before she shook himself out of his grip, cradling her arm as if it had been burnt.
"You're not nothing and you're not about to die anytime soon. I've seen your hands and they are fishermen's hands. Do you work on a boat?" Hale replied with a nod.
"Brilliant," Finnick said with a grin, seating them both on the bed again. "What else do you do? What do your parents and your family do?"
"Apart from me, the rest of my family are seamstresses. I gut fish and I swim- I don't know what else really."
"Brilliant," Finnick repeated. Hale had a clear look of confusion on her face, waiting for her mentor to explain to her how fishing would help her in the arena.
"You can swim- althought just about everybody in District 4 can- which means you'll have the upper hand in a water-based arena. You said your family were seamstresses which means you must know the most basic things about stitching, which is good for wounds and cuts. You can make nets, useful with rope, you can fish and gut fish, so you can hunt for food and you must be handy with a knife, yes?"
Hale was more than handy with a knife. On some days where they had no work, Hale and Cassian would go to shallow waters and catch fish with small knives and whoever had caught the smallest fish by dark was declared the winner- Hale, of course, nearly always won.
"I suppose," she said vaguely, not knowing if she was on the same level that he expected of her.
"Hale, you are so much more than you think you are. Don't give up on yourself. Have a shower then come out to eat, we'll be waiting."
We'll be waiting. It was the second time Hale had heard something along those lines today. It sounded as if everyone else was standing still while Hale was going a hundred miles a minute but it was just the opposite. Everyone else will keep moving, going on but Hale would stay 17 forever, doomed to wait on a life she would never get back.
Just before Finnick left the room, he turned to give her some advice he doubted she would want to hear.
"Gutting a fish is a... bloody job. It prepares you."
With that, he left. It made Hale think about that time, a year or two ago when the ship had sailed out too far and a great white suddenly descended upon them like the plague. It had taken a bite out of the timber and no knives that Hale or the crew threw at it seemed to hurt it. It was so invincible, taunting them for nearly an hour, the crew throwing out nearly everything they had caught that day to appease the creature but it wasn't enough. It was Hale, who had made a makeshift spear out of the broken timber on the lower decks, whittling a point that was nearly sharp as any blade. The next time it opened its jaws, expecting a feast of rotting carps, it received a spear down its oesophagus and straight through its fleshy body.
The cheer was so loud that Hale had saved them, that she almost didn't feel guilty. But she did, she felt so terrible when they hauled it onto their boat and had to look away. It really was a thing of beauty and Hale had killed it. It hurt her to even kill a beast, how was she expected to kill a child just like herself?
Hale could gut fish easily, because it is all she had ever known. Hale could not gut people because people are not fish.