Hello...I'm sorry it's been a long time. I had complete mind blank. I can't promise you updates to be regular, I'll fit them in when I have time, but I still appreciate reviews and all that brilliant stuff. Thanks for reading, I'll try to update as quick as I can, just for you.
CHAPTER TWO
I follow Caleb as he shows me around the house. I had hoped that it would be Lewis to do this, but I think he's still in his room. We head into the basement, and I'm intrigued to see that there's a whole load of security stuff by the side of a metal door. Caleb rolls his sleeve up and presses the cap of the phoenix watch into a little score on one of the panels. A green light blinks on, and a screen lights up, displaying the words 'Caleb Harper. Confirm identity.' I ponder silently why he doesn't have Hawthorne for a surname, when another panel slides out, which just is a shiny black colour. Caleb presses his thumb onto the panel, and lights under the panel turn on, silvery lights blink and there's a technical sounding whir. The panel slides back into the wall.
"Confirmed." A calm voice announces, "Caleb Harper."
The door slides open and he steps through. The door immediately closes before I can get in.
"Hey!" I yell.
The door slides open. Caleb shrugs.
"Sorry, you're not on the system yet, and the security stuff immediately shuts out anyone unauthorised. I had to let you in." He gestures to a box containing a keypad. The room I'm in now is split into two sections. One has a long table with chairs crammed into every space, and the other has a line of computers of screens on a desk, with swirly chairs pushed into it, opposite everyone computer. Caleb leads me down to the end of the room, where there's a door. He knocks once, but this is apparently completely a courtesy as he strolls inside straight afterwards. A figure is slumped behind a single desk, with a computer, even though giant screens dominate the walls. Caleb presses a finger to his lips and winks at me. I take this as a que to stay silent. He creeps up to the figure behind the desk and leans towards it. Then yells in its ear. The figure jolts and lets out a shrill squeak, it's hand smacks down on a button that turns all the screens on. There must be cameras somewhere in the room because the screens suddenly are fixed onto images of me, Caleb, and the figure. The figure is awake now, and I'm surprised. It's a girl, a few years older than me, with an amazing explosion of mahogany coloured curls. She glares at Caleb from her seat. Caleb, grins like the cat who got the cream. The girl looks at me curiously, then smiles. She rises from her seat and comes and hugs me. It's sudden, considering I don't know her, but I hug back because she seems nice. She releases me.
"You must be Talia."
I nod, a slightly confused expression on my face, as I see on the wall screens.
"Sorry about that hug, I watched your Games, and just wanted to comfort you, I really felt bad for you when Lewis died. And then came back to life. I can't believe he's related to this jerk." She jabs her thumb in Caleb's direction.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" I ask.
"Behold," announces Caleb, "Our head of technology, and computers, and all that crap."
"It's not crap." The girl snaps irritably, "If it weren't for all of this, we would have no idea what goes on in the Capitol, and then where would we be?"
Caleb shuts up, considering. I like this girl. She smiles at me.
"I'm Maria Trent. Head of technology and computers and all that useful stuff."
"Also, my girlfriend." Caleb adds.
Maria fixes him with a dagger glare.
"That was one time, and I was drunk. I hate you, let's not forget that, 'kay?"
"That was a clever joke."
"What?"
"'Kay? As in my name?"
Maria and I fix him with confused looks.
"Kay-leb?" he pronounces his name phonetically.
"I get it. It's just not funny." Maria says.
"Whatever. You love me really."
"I really don't."
Maria claps her hands together.
"So, what can I do for you?"
"We need to put her on the system." Caleb answers for me.
Maria goes back to her computer and starts rapidly typing. She gestures for me to come over.
She rummages for something in her desk, but comes out empty handed.
"Hold out your hand." She commands. I do so.
She reaches towards it, then I feel a sharp stab as she presses something into my palm and quickly retracts it. I look to see her holding a tiny syringe, now containing a little of my blood. She does some more difficult looking things on the computer with ease, getting my blood into a little dome that is connected to the computer. My necklace and fingerprint are also loaded onto the computer. She finishes with a flourish.
"Done!"
"You're really quick with that. I don't mean to pry, but how old are you? I thought people in District 2 worked with stone?" I ask.
"I'm eighteen, like Caleb. I'm originally from District 3, Electronics, where I learnt everything. But I moved here when I was sixteen."
"Why?"
"Because I was alone. My parents died when I was a little girl, and my brother was killed in the Hunger Games. I moved here because I knew people who lived here that I could stay with."
"I'm sorry." I say a little bit lamely. I never know what to say to people who have dead relatives, I feel a bit stupid saying sorry, because it's not as if I killed them. But what are you meant to say?
"S'ok. I'm lucky not to have been reaped."
I notice her cheek is now slightly tear stained, so I decide to leave it.
"I'm going to go and find Lewis. He must need to be put on the system as well."
"Ok. I'll see you around."
I walk towards the door. Then stop, I have to know the password, I turn to ask, and find Caleb standing there.
"Need some help?" he says, faux-innocently.
"Yes." I say, grudgingly.
He smirks as he leans past me to type in the code. The door slides open, and I don't expect him to follow me outside, but he does. I can't help my curiosity when a question falls from my lips.
"Why is your name Harper?"
"Excuse me?"
"The security things said your name was Caleb Harper. Why? You said you were Lewis' brother."
"That I am. Harper is my mum's maiden name and I prefer to go by that."
His eyes warn me that this is a touchy subject. I keep my mouth closed.
"So, how do you like District 2?"
"It's ok."
"So you mean, no? Well, you know what they say. Home is where the heart is."
"In a way. Home is with people you love. Not just a building. Home came with me, with Mum, with Dad, with Ethan, with Lewis. As long as we're all together, I'm happy."
"Admirable sentiment. Sadly, my family isn't exactly functional."
"What?"
"Well, most of them were in another district."
"Why did you stay here?"
"Like I said, my family isn't exactly functional. Maybe I'll tell you more when I've decided whether I like you or not. Or when we know each other. My brother will tell you things about me, I'm sure. Most might be true, maybe over exaggerated, but I'm not as bad a person as he'll say."
"You're a bad person then?"
"I like to say I am. It's fun playing the bad boy."
"But you're not?"
"I told you Talia. I'll tell you more about me when we know each other."
Damn him. Damn my curiosity.
"Now, go and find your boyfriend and go and see Maria again. I'm going down there now, so if you're not there with Lewis in five minutes, I'll know you're eating each other's faces."
"Must you put it in such crude terms?"
"Yes. Cutting, crude humour is a top weapon in my arsenal."
He spins on his heel and walks off again. He is a very strange person, I think, as I climb the stairs to find Lewis.
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