Ch. 2

Broken

Mom and Ted showed up in Justice Building. Ted let go of Mom's hand and ran toward me crying. Ted rolled himself up into a ball on my lap hugging me tight. The room was filled with Ted's crying voice. I looked up to see Mom shaking with not fear, but anger. She looked like she wanted to yell at someone, but she had no one who she could yell at.

"Mom, is Dad coming?" My voice was calm and strange enough. I felt calm too. I guessed this was how a person feels when one acknowledges one's upcoming death.

"No, he's at work! He wouldn't even get to see his son in person for the last time before his son dies!" Mom finally broke down crying while hiding her face with her two hands. I listened to Mom and Ted's crying in silence until the Peacekeepers came inside to force my family out of the room. Ted clung to me, frightened of the Peacekeepers. I held on to Ted tightly with one arm and I tousled his messy honey-brown hair with my free hand.

"Don't worry. I will come back." I smiled assuring at him. His watery blue eyes stared at me timidly. The Peacekeepers had already forced Mom to leave the room. Now, they stole Ted from my arm and started to leave the room.

"Promise?" Ted's question was more like a struggling squeak as he tried his best to free himself from a tall Peacekeeper who was holding him with one arm.

"Promise!" I shouted as Ted left the room with the Peacekeepers. When I was left alone in my room, my calmness disappeared and filled me with restlessness instead. I started to pace the room nervously.

"You look like a crazy person, Kay. Stop pacing." Huh, I didn't even hear him coming. I turned my head to see Evan and others standing in the door way. Evan sighed softly and walked up to me.

"I could guess how you feel right now, but you must–"

"This is bullshit!"

"Gale, watch your language." Fabian glared at Gale then turned his attention back to me. He seemed to be trying to put up a brave front, but his teary eyes and contorted face gave him away. Jack put his hand on Fabian's shoulder as he faced me with a wry smile.

"Win the damn Game." Jack hugged me tight. Then as soon as Jack let go of me, Fabian hugged me too tight making me gasping for air. I had to punch him to make him let me go. I took a deep breath remembering that he came in first place in a District 12 wrestling contest. My attention refocused as Gale grabbed me by the shoulders.

"You better win. Do whatever you have to do to come back home." Gale spoke firmly as if he was trying to brainwash me to do exactly that. I could only give him a wry smile in response.

"It's time to leave for Capitol." The Peacekeepers entered the room to escort me to the train. Before they could force me to leave, Evan pressed a rusty pendant necklace into my hand.

"Don't forget. Survive. That's the first step for everything."

Even before I could say thanks, Peacekeepers dragged me to the train. After Madge and I boarded the train, I finally got to see my token in detail. Jabberjay? I looked at it more carefully and concluded that I wasn't wrong. It was a jabberjay shaped pendant necklace. Oh wait, it's a locket pendant. I tried to open it, but it didn't open. Huh, I guess it's broken. What a gift. Broken token for Game of Death.

o0o

"Don't just stand there! Freshen up before you come for lunch." Effie gestured at the avoxes to help Madge and I to ready for lunch. I was escorted by a black haired avox boy. He looked little bit older than me. I felt strange to be served by someone who's older than me. Avox boy brought me to my personal room. The room was large and decorated with luxury goods. I couldn't help but to just stare at the room. Is this truly my room? In my whole life, I never would thought I get to have a such room. Then suddenly I felt impatient push from my back. I looked back to see the boy frowning at me. He quickly escorted me further into a bathroom.

The boy left me in the bathroom letting me enjoy the bath. It felt great to live in luxury. Only it could last forever... I looked at closed door where avox boy had left. I wonder what he had done to become an avox. Does anyone deserve to be an avox? I don't think so.

When I was done with bath, he escorted me to a dressing area and started to dress me into new clean clothes. I looked at myself in the mirror and I never have been so clean in my life. Then through mirror, I saw my token being placed on my neck. The rusty pendant necklace looked out of place, just like me. The luxury and I don't go together. I turned my heard toward the boy as I asked him for his name. He looked at me with a bitter smile.

Then I remembered that he's an avox who couldn't speak. However, before I could apologize, he grabbed a pen and paper, and began to write on the paper. Soon after, he hold up the paper in front of me.

"Ernest." I read the word written on the paper out loud. Then I looked at him with a smile as I introduced myself. "Hello, Ernest, I'm Kay."

o0o

Everyone gathered on the table for lunch. I gasped at the food on the table. They were all high class food that I never imagined myself ever eating. I slowly took bite of juicy steak. This definitely tasted like heaven. I looked up from my food to see Madge eating the steak with elegance. How could you even eat elegantly? It makes no sense to me that she almost looked funny. But I noticed that Effie was also eating in same manner. Haymitch was the only one who was eating in a rough manner like me. I didn't really want to look similar a drunkard even if he was a Victor, so I tried my best to mimic Madge's manner of eating. Effie praised us for our good manner and scolded Haymitch for never learning to eat properly.

After we finished lunch, we decided to finally prepare for our upcoming Hunger Game. I couldn't really trust Haymitch because of his drinking habit, but I had no other choice. We listened to his advice, which happened to be very direct yet vague.

"Here's some advice. Stay alive."

"Very helpful." Madge spoke with a hint of bitterness.

"Haymitch, you said that to every single tribute before them, and it obviously didn't work." Effie glared at him. "I finally got well-mannered tributes. My work will be much better if Mentor knows how to behave oneself! Don't you think it's time for you to retire?"

"Only if I could, even if you didn't say a word, I would have already quit this fucking Mentoring!" Haymitch growled at her almost trying to actually bite her. He threateningly held up his hand with the bottle of alcohol. He seemed to be debating if he should throw it at her or not. He's definitely too drunk right now. I slowly walked further away from them. Madge looked back at me with understanding. She sighed before standing up to leave.

"I believe our Mentor needs to sober up before we continue this discussion. We should resume this talk at dinner." Effie and Haymitch looked back at us realizing that they have been quarreling in front of us. They quickly put distance between themselves and agreed to resume the talk at dinner. As soon as they gave the signal for us to leave, I ran to my room. My temporary room before I face the Hunger Game...

Ernest was waiting for me in my room. When I ran inside the room, Ernest looked startled at me then quickly turning into worried expression. He hugged me knowing that I needed comfort.

Unhelpful Escort, unhelpful Mentor, delicately raised fellow tribute that I might have to kill, and 22 strangers that I might also have to kill. I might not return home.