"Oh, there you are!" The Capitol escort rises from her seat to greet me as I enter the train, leaning down from the height of her clunky heels to kiss either side of my face. "Dear, you are so beautiful," she beams, taking my chin and turning my head to examine me more clearly. Her smile falters, as I'm assuming she's noticed the dirt and scars on my skin, and purses her lips into a tight smile. "Maybe just a little bit of work could be done..."
The train door slides open behind me, revealing a disheveled blond boy, much taller than I. "Welcome, welcome!" the lady coos, pushing past me and embracing the Ramsey. I've known him my whole life. But I never gave him much thought. It was clear to me he was a follower, sticking to Majoris as if he were his only chance in life. They had sort of a group at school. You didn't talk to them unless they talked to you first.
"Great," the lady beams, dimples caving on either side of her pale face. "I'm Frostine, your Capitol escort." She claps her gloved hands together and takes in a deep breath, admiring the pleasant scent of the train. "This will be your home for the night as we head to the Capitol for your training and preparations. There's food, drinks, entertainment over there; help yourselves." She strides over to the other side of the room, her hand on the door handle. "We're expecting to arrive midday tommorow," she adds, opening the door as the train takes motion. "Oh, and one more thing. Your mentor will arrive shortly. She's in the other room. I wouldn't disturb her if I were you." There's a dull seriousness hanging in the air. "Well, I suppose I can't talk your ears off all evening!" And finally, she exits the room, allowing me to enjoy the silence for a moment.
If I weren't so caught up in my own mind, this silence would be pretty awkward. Ramsey curses something under his breath and storms off to the middle of the room, grabbing a glass bottle of liqour and taking a long swig. I watch him in disbelief, rolling my eyes to the side and staring out the window, watching the forests of 7 pass by.
"Better drink up now why you still can," I hear Ramsey suggest, pressing the bottle to his lips again and wincing at the strong taste.
Biting the inside of my lip absentmindedly, I carry myself to the middle of the train, sitting across from him on a plush chair, much softer than the ones back home, and for the first time, I get a good look at him. He has harsh features, probably to match his personality, which I don't quite know at all. All I know about him is that he spent his freetime tormenting the younger classmates with his group, and probably doesn't have much sympathy from the rest of the kids back home.
"Well?" he questions, raising the bottle and waving it in front of my face. I ignore his offer, turning my head coldly to the side, trying to keep up with the trees passing in the window. He scoffs and shrugs, taking yet another long gulp, until the bottle is nearly half gone. "Don't act like you're better than me. We'll both be dead in a matter of weeks. None of this matters anymore."
We sit in silence for a long moment. I have nothing to say to him, nor any desire to talk with anyone right now. The trees outside slowly disperse as we assumingly near District 6. The bottle of liquor in Ramsey's white knuckles quickly dissapears. The sky outside changes from a light shade of blue to a darker grey.
Ramsey stands from his chair, stumbling over himself and falling right away. He groans and throws the bottle across the room, sending glass shattering down the wall and me jumping up from my seat. "Ramsey, what the hell?!"
"Hey!" A sharp, high pitched voice pierces from the end of the room. Johanna Mason, our District's 'hero', storms into view, her expression showing nothing short of rage. "Seriously?! Day One and you've already lost your goddamn minds?!"
I step back on impulse, the backs of my knees hitting the chair behind me. Ramsey slurs something into the floor and I can't seem to peel my eyes away from the girl with her arms crossed in frustration standing before us. After watching her Games and interviews all the past years, it's a strange feeling to be so close to her, especially when she's shouting at you.
Johanna watches us in shock for a long, agonizingly silent moment before she shakes her head and smirks with disbelief. "Well, this should be an interesting year." She stares down at Ramsey passed out on the floor and points to me. "You, fix him up. Get him to bed. I'll be in my room and I swear to god, if you wake me..." She rolls her eyes at the thought and throws up a hand as if to brush me off, turning on her heels and slamming the door shut behind her.
I take a moment to process it all, ignoring Ramsey's muffled slurs next to me. Sighing deeply, I bend over and take his forearms, dragging him up to a seated position and fight to get him off the floor.
Maybe being dead in a few weeks is something I can look forward to.
