Chapter 2
Horror. The only thing I feel as I am escorted to the train and into "My room" (on the train). There are some spare clothes but I can't be bothered to change. I look down at my mother's ring. My eyes water up and a tear drop falls on the red gem in the middle on the ring. There's a knock on my door. "Come out to the dining carriage when you're ready, dear!" I hear a cheery voice call. It's that funny looking capitol woman. She reminds me of my mother this morning. I smell the delicious breakfast again. As the breakfast smell fades, a new one takes its place. I think something must be prepared in the dining room. I step out of my room and look across to the dining carriage. I'm contemplating on going in when the sight of Cato talking to our "mentor" turns me around. I can't bare him. I go back to my room and sit on the bed. I wish I could just climb under the covers and pop up to be back in District Two. I'll have to face Cato sometime. But it doesn't have to be now. I lie down on the bed and rest my head on the pillow. Just as I'm about to close my eyes, I hear the door knob twist. I'm bolt upright, now. 'Just leave me alone!' I'm screaming inside my head but I don't feel like talking to say it aloud, but when the door opens and someone walks in, I know I should've. It' Cato.
Now I would happily to go to the dinning carriage and lock Cato in here. That's exactly what I would do if he wasn't blocking the door. I feel trapped. I am trapped. I clench my fists. My eyes must have gone cold because he looks a bit worried. "I didn't expect you to react like that." I almost shudder at his words. How did he expect me to react? He kissed me in front of all of District Two! He kissed me in front of all PANEM! What was I supposed to do? Go with it? I would've looked so stupid!(then again I did swear at him) I didn't want it to look like I actually wanted him!( although all the girls in Two are crazy about him.)I realize that I'm hyperventilating. I manage to slow my breathing down. "Well, I do expect you to knock." I say coldly. "You know, I didn't appreciate you swearing in my face." He says. What? How could he say that? "Excuse me?" I say in disbelief. Cato looks a bit taken aback. "You embarrassed me so much with your 'charm'" I yell. I'm hyperventilating again. "OK. I'm sorry about that." He says. "So, if that's all…"I start but he cuts me off. "They want you in the dining carriage." "Leave now!" I yell, finishing my sentence. As he backs up out the door, he grins at my tantrum and then walks down the hall way. Thank God, that's over. He frustrates me so much. I decide I better go to the dining carriage now. We might watch the other reapings. I prepare myself to socialize with people that I want nothing to do with.
I walk out of my room, still in my mother's navy blue dress. They are waiting for me. The capitol woman tells me that we will soon move to the lounge after we have had dinner to watch the reaping's. The food looks lovely but I feel too sick to eat. Lots of boy's have liked me in the past but none have the guts to do something that crazy in front of a crowd! "Darling, you really should eat." I look up to see the capitol lady smiling at me. I look back down at my clean plate. "Not hungry." She frowns and turns her head back up to everyone else. "We arrive in the capitol tomorrow." She says with a smile. "We all have a huge day ahead of us!" that capitol accent is really starting to piss me off now. "As soon as we've finished the reaping's, off to bed with all of you."
We wonder to the lounge carriage and I take a seat on a couch. Cato makes a good choice of sitting as far away from me as possible. His eyes catch mine. I hold his gaze for five seconds exactly, to make it look dramatic and then turn to the TV slowly. I learnt this move from Joan. It drives the boys crazy. Once she did it to a boy when I was with her. He gave her a stare as if to say, "I want to kill you." And she gave him a look back saying, "I want to kiss you." It clearly worked because the boy blushed and smiled back. Then we both felt really bad because we started laughing and he ran away with tears pricked in his eyes. I realize people are staring at me because I have started chuckling.
I try to calm myself down. We watch the reaping in silence. A girl called 'Glimmer' and a boy called 'Marvel' are reaped from One. They look like good fighters. Especially Marvel. I'm not really switched on for the rest. I completely tune out on the next on. District Two. My district. I don't want to watch that disaster again. I'm pulled back to reality when a twelve year old is reaped from District Eleven. Then a boy about 5 times her size is reaped. In District Twelve, another twelve year old is reaped but a girl who is about sixteen volunteers for her. Apparently, they are sisters. And then last, a boy who looks about the same age as the girl that volunteered is reaped. He looks like a boy that will get wiped out in the first five seconds of the games. Then President Snow shows up and starts on a speech. I just stand up without a word and walk back to my room. I flop onto the bed, still wearing the dress, and close my eyes. When I wake, there is a set of clothes, rested out on my bed. I shudder at the thought of someone coming into my room while I was a sleep. I decide I may as well get dressed today. I'm starving and I can smell something wonderful coming from the dining carriage. I walk out of the room and into the dining carriage. Everyone is already there. "We arrive in in an hour." The capitol lady informs me. I still don't know her name yet. I eat breakfast and start to walk back to my room. Cato's going to his too. I get in before he passes. To be honest, I kind of get excited when something happens, but scared that I won't be able to think of something to throw in his face if he does something stupid again. It's like running through a maze and you don't have time to stop and think. You always have to think ahead. All of a sudden, I feel the urge to run out and start talking to him. I wack myself in the face to stop my brain from responding to my urge. For the next hour, I walk around my room and look through everything. But there's something on my mind that won't let me concentrate. It's Cato. He's stuck in my head and he will not get out. I suddenly walk out of my room and find myself about to knock on Cato's door. But to do what? Nothing. There is nothing to do and nothing to say. I don't even want to be here! I don't know what drove me here. I walk back to my room and think of what I will do to feel better. I feel the train pull up. We must be in the Capitol. I hear Cato leave his room and walk past. I should probably do the same. I open my door and head out. I'm escorted to a large building. "Now, when you get inside, there will be a prep team waiting for you. Then you will meet your stylist for the games" says the capitol woman. I enter the building and walk in. As I was told, I am greeted by a prep team. I expected there to be a bit of bonding time but to my surprise, they took me into a room and started working on me straight away. "You have such hairy legs!" one man said as he applied waxing strips to my legs. "So, Clove is it?" another man says. I give him a confused look and reply with a nod. I look down. I'm not very good with meeting new people. "Well that Cato might cause you a bit of trouble." Now I want to say something. "Yes, I haven't come up with a strategy yet." I say. The man Grins. "You do need a strategy don't you?" he says still grinning. "Yes, I can image how hard to get that boy would be." I completely freeze. "What?" I say in disbelief. The other man rips off the waxing strips and I scream in pain.