Chapter Two- To the Capitol!
Dinner was not what I expected. There were mountains of food, anything you could possibly want! Jared looks like he's about to pass out from how much food he's shoveling in his little mouth. I try a different approach. I try to be a lady. Sitting straight up with excellent posture, and using a fork properly. I remember when my mother would try to teach me how important it was to be a lady. I was too young then, just wanting to play outside with my friends. Now I wish I would have listened.
Dinner was silent as well. Jared and I didn't talk unless Quarter asked us a question. Mr. Abernathy only drank.
"So, Madigan, do you have brothers or sisters?" Quarter asked me once. I'm starting to feel bad for her. She has to do this every year. Small talk with tributes, and then watch them die. People are probably mean to her, I think.
"I have four brothers," I respond. Mr. Abernathy makes what I think to be a chuckling noise but then he chokes on his wine. I ignore it, "You're actually friends with Avery, aren't you, Jared?" When I mention Avery, Jared's face lights up, but then he remembers where he is and his eyes get scared again. He nods and then continues to eat.
"Four brothers? I bet your mother has a busy day!" Quarter continues.
"She actually died a couple of years ago," I respond and Mr. Abernathy makes that chuckling noise again, except this time he doesn't choke on his drink and he continues to laugh so much he bangs on the table a couple of times.
"Just shut the hell up!" he tells Quarter. I'm actually appalled with his behavior now. I didn't think he was this bad. I only thought he was a drunk, but now I now that he's rude and just plain mean. I can tell I have an appalled look on my face because Mr. Abernathy looks at me and then laughs some more.
"Hey!" He says all of a sudden while looking at me, "I know you!" And points at me. He… knows me? I've seen him before, yes, but it was never anything special. I always smiled at him when he passed by (which wasn't that much) and I think I sang him a song once or twice when I was younger. "You sing, don't you?" He asked.
I finish sipping my water and nod, "I used to, years ago. But then I had to sell my guitar and get a real job. I clean clothes now."
Now it's Quarter's turn to look appalled, "But what about school, dear?"
"Oh, I go to school," I reply, "But I had to get a job to help my dad."
I look back at Mr. Abernathy and he's still looking at me, "It's a shame…" he said in a softer tone, "You had a pretty voice." Then he goes back to drinking.
After dinner, I go to my room and wonder what to do. Quarter told me that we'd be at the Capitol late at night, so it might be best if I got some sleep. I look at the bed and see how beautiful it is. When I look at it for a second more, I see myself dead on it. I gasp in shock and know that I'm not going to be able to sleep in that bed. I look at myself in the mirror to reassure myself that I am still alive.
I'm wearing a light green dress that used to be my mother's, and I'm also wearing her simple leather sandals as well. I look in the closet and see that an outfit is waiting for me. It's a simple outfit, consisting of a pair of khaki pants and a white tee shirt. I take off my dress and put on the clothes. I lay my mother's dress on the bed, and for some reason, I smell it. I breathe in the aroma of home. Of my mother. She always used to wear this dress. When I was young, I would go running to her after school, and my mother would always be there; wearing that green dress with the halter top.
I wish I could go back to that moment, and live it over and over again. How I would tell her I love her one last time, how I would hug her, kiss her.
I put those memories in the back of my head and move on. All I hope is that she's watching down on me right now, and she knows what I'm thinking. I shove my hair in a ponytail and sit on the floor until a cheery knock wakes me up.
"We're at the Capitol!" Quarter exclaims while I try to remember where the hell I am.
I yawn, push myself off the ground, and wonder how long I was out. Quarter, Mr. Abernathy, Jared, and I step out of the train and suddenly, I am in awe.
Lights are everywhere and colors flood my eyes and I notice how truly beautiful the Capitol is. People are everywhere, making hand gestures and talking in that silly accent of theirs. They're all wearing silly clothes and funny makeup so they almost look ridiculous. But now I see why they have to dress like this, they have to keep up with their ever changing city. Then suddenly, something my mother told me once comes to mind, "Don't judge a book by its cover," Even though the Capitol is so beautiful, it still feels the need to kill 23 children a year, willingly. It's not beautiful. The Capitol is a dirty, terrible, filthy book disguised by an extravagant cover.
A/N: Uh… Oh! I wanted to say something that would bug me if I were you, readers! The reason why Madigan is calling Haymitch, 'Mr. Abernathy' is because she was raised in a very nice household where her mother taught her how to be a lady, and where her father taught her to be respectful. Even though Haymitch is Haymitch, he is a survivor, and Madigan finds that to be a very respectable trait, so she calls him by his formal name. I can't really think of a way to skillfully put that in the story, so I decided to just plain out tell ya'll. Don't worry, though, soon enough they'll be on first name basis(:
Bears, Beets Battle Star Gallactica, Madii