Three
When I arrived in the dining room, Lysette wasn't there yet. Tammy was sipping a cup of tea in one of the red, fluffy lounge chairs that where placed around the table.
I sat down, bored because of the lack of food or company.
After a few minutes Lysette walked into the room.
Her hair was suddenly braided in a particular way that went all the way around her head, but the rest of her hair fell down like a waterfall. Her dress was lightblue and strapless.
At her waist, the dress waved out and draped in three layers down to just above her knees.
She had just went from unnoticeable and silent, to simply stunning. Was this her tactic? Looking pretty so the other tributes wouldn't kill her? I honestly didn't think guys in the arena would spare her because she looked hot. But if it worked for her, I didn't mind.
Tammy's mouth fell open. "Oh, Lysette! You look absolutely wonderful!" Lysette raised an eyebrow, as if she didn't even realize how beautiful she looked.
"Did the Avoxes help you well?", Tammy asked.
"I didn't have any help. I did it by myself", Lysette spoke. Her voice was still as harshe as it had been before. You can change the outside in a glimpse, but the inside takes time to turn around.
While we were having dinner, we got to know our mentor. His name was Mille Somerspring.
Mentors were no longer former winners of the Games on tv, now they were people from the Capitol. He was quite young, twenty five at most. He just told us some of the basics, kill or be killed, things I had already learned from watching the Games. I didn't think he was going to be of much use to me, so I concentrated on the food. It was the best I had ever had, and I ate more then I had ever had before. It was great to forget about the fact I was going to die in only a few weeks, even if it was for only a little while.
That evening, I sat down on my bed across from where Lysette was sitting on hers. "So...", I tried, running my hand through my hair. "This is pretty akward, isn't it?".
She nodded. As I had already noticed, she wasn't much of a talker. It was dark in the room, so I could barely make out the contours of her face and hair. She laid down on her back and put her hands on her stomach. Lysette let out a long breath. "I... I don't want to kill anyone."
I was surprised by the vulnerability that sounded through her voice. Was the whole thing of being a tough girl an act?
"I'm sorry, but I think you'll have to. It's like Mille said: 'kill or be killed'. We don't really have a choice", I answered.
"Yes we do!", she said slightly irritated. "Everyone always has a choice! People just tell themselves they don't so the decision they make doesn't make them feel as guilty. We do have a choice, and the rebels proved that!"
During her rant she sat up again. My attention was flared at the word 'rebels'.
"Lysette," I said, "they are hearing everything we say, if I were you I'd watch my words." Even in the dark of the room I could feel her looking at me. There was a short silence. "You're just like them", she whispered.
That triggered something in me.
"I'm not!", I shouted. "I'm not and I never will be! The have destroyed so many lives, they murdered my father! The people from the Capitol are monsters and I-" "Who has to watch his words now?", she said. I could tell by the sound of her voice she was smiling.
"I'm sorry," I sighed, even though I wasn't sure for what.
"It's okay", Lysette said softly. She suddenly sounded kind. Had I finally found the girl in her?
She stood up and crossed the two meters that was between us. Lysette sat down next to me on the bed and folded her hands in her lap. She was nervously fiddling with her thumbs as she spoke: "I'm not as uncaring as I may seem, Evan. I left someone behind too..."
Her voice trailed off, and I wasn't sure she was talking to me or to herself now.
"Elisa...", she mumbled. "What will happen to her? Who will take care of her?"
I wanted to ask who Elisa was, but I stopped myself. If I asked her about home, she would ask me about it, too. And I didn't want to talk about home, it was too painful. So I just shut up.
"Why did it have to be me?", Lysette said after a little while.
"I keep asking myself the same question", I replied.
Lysette and I kept talking for a little while longer, and then she went to her own bed again. I slept deep, but not very long.
I woke up to a semi-dark room.
I looked through the window and saw the faded orange at the horizon that indicated the sun was about to rise. I turned around and I noticed the empty, slept-on sheets from Lysettes bed. Where was she? I opened the door as silent as I could and tip-toed through the hallway. There, I found her leaning against a window that reached from her waist to the ceiling, and it was half open. She was staring outside with a longing look I had never seen her wear before. Lysette hadn't seen me yet.
I stood there for a while, looking at her, how blond strands of her hair flew out of the window because of the strong wind. The sun was halfway up, and the orange-pinkish glow made her skin glow like it was on fire. That made me think of something.
"Do you know the story of 'the girl on fire' ?", I suddenly asked. She didn't even turn her head, I guess she knew I was there after all. "Yeah, I do. She started the revolution", Lysette answered me. She seemed completely relaxed, staring into the sunrise like this.
"She did more then that", I started explaining, inching closer to her. "She kept her sister and mother alive, she shot an arrow at the Gamemakers, she turned the whole game around by almost killing herself and her District partner. She was the Mockingjay."
I stood next to her, slightly leaning out of the window.
"How come you know this much about her?", asked Lysette curiously.
Shit. I completely walked in on this one.
Her face was now turned towards me, I finally had her attention.
"Because", I answered her softly, "I'm related to her."Lysettes eyes widened. "Seriously?! You're a descendant from the Everdeen-Mellarks?!"
"Shhh! Not so loud!", I whispered, "Not everyone on the train has to know! Although, they probably already do, 'cause they're with the Capitol and all."
"Dude, tell me more! I didn't know Katniss and that guy had a kid!", Lysette said, more excited then I'd ever seen her. I started explaining. "When the rebels freed the guy she was dating, you know, Peeta, they brought him back to his right mind-" "What do you mean, brought his back to his right mind? Was he nuts?", Lysette interrupted me.
"Yeah, the Capitol brainwashed him", I replied. "So, they got him back to normal, he knocked Katniss up, and a little while later they all got killed, as you know. They blew up the rebel base at District 13." With a confused look on her face, Lysette asked: "But, how did the baby survive?"
"Someone got it out of there right on time. They changed the child's name so the Capitol wouldn't come after him and kill him."
I suddenly felt sad. This story brought back some memories I didn't want to remember. Apparently, my facial expression stopped Lysette from asking her next question.
"You sound like a rebel yourself, you know", She said in a soft, caring voice. "It's dangerous to sound like that."
A tiny smile crept up my face.
"Are you really the one to say that?", I replied.
That made her smile, too.
