Chapter 3
We just sit there. Ginger and I. Two tributes sitting in silence. Ginger exhales loudly like she is about to say something but no words come out of her mouth so I let some come out of mine, "This'll be a good time, like a nice big party. Except for the fact that the parting gift is getting killed."
Ginger laughs and I know I've succeeded. I love humor. It's one of the things I"m actually good at.
Trelbunk, the latest Victor of District 10 who won the 69th Hunger Games, comes in. "It's time for dinner. Freshen up if you need to." He looks like he's scanning us as his eyes stare at Ginger and me. His neutral expression becomes grim when he sees my foot. He gives me a slight scowl. I don't think he likes me. As he "scans" Ginger too, his reaction is completely different. His grimace becomes a smile as he sees her strong arms and legs and the fierceness and determination in her emerald green eyes. He nods at her and she nods back. I never knew mentors picked favorites. I guess they do when I'm a tribute.
As we walk to our rooms, Ginger speaks for the first time today. "Oh," she says with a chuckle and a fake wipe of her eye. "He really doesn't like you."
I let a small laugh come out of my disappointment. "Tell me something I don't know." I go into my room and take a look at myself in the mirror. I look pretty handsome if you look at my face, but the second you take a look at the foot, I'm anything but that.
I get to the dinner table and there are four people already there. Anieta, Trelbunk, Salety, the Victor of 48th of Hunger Games, and Chersh, Victor of 35th Hunger Games. "Why hello Timothy!" Anieta says in her beautiful, whispy, yet cheerful voice.
Salety gives me a smile. She's much nicer than Trelbunk. Chersh looks at me with sadness. He's had mental issues ever since he was crowned Victor. My mother says everyone was surprised when Salety won because Chersh was such a terrible mentor.
I sit down and take a piece of chicken in a mysterious looking brown sauce. I take a small bite followed by a huge one. It's delicious! It's about 10 times better than the old meat scraps we eat back home. We eat the stuff that the Capitol people won't eat.
Ginger comes in. She has taken her hair out the two braids they were in at the reaping and now her chestnut hair, with tints of orange, flows past her shoulders and masks her face. She takes the only seat left which is between me and Trelbunk. She'll make a nice human wall. I can tell she enjoys the food as much as I do by the way her eyes light up as she takes the first bite. We gorge on the delicacies.
Anieta sits there quietly scheduling our time at the Capitol. From all of the escorts I've I seen on TV, Anieta seems the less annoying. She doesn't talk unless she needs to.
After dinner, we watch th recap of the reapings. I try to remember as many people as I can. There's a beautiful girl from District 1. A boy from District 2 that looks so menacing that I make sure not to forget his name. Cato. A boy from District 4 that reminded of the Victor Finnick Odair. A girl with orange hair that reminds me of a fox from District 5. My reaping is pretty normal. A little 12-year-old girl from District 11. The next reaping catches my attention. A girl from District 12 volunteers for her sister. Her name is Katniss Everdeen.
"That girl's got guts. I don't think she knows what she's getting herself into," says Trelbunk.
"She's just protecting her sister. She's not thinking rationally," says Salety. "I think what she did was really brave."
"Let's stop the talk. Timothy and Ginger, you should go to your rooms and get some sleep."
As we walk to our rooms, Ginger turns to me. "When do you think we'll find out who our mentors are? It's been a while. I thought we'd know by now," she says.
"I don't know. I don't care. I'm pretty sure you'll get Trelbunk and I'll get Salety. Trelbunk really likes you and obviously hates me."
"Well duh, but you never know. He could have a change of heart." There's a slight pause and then we both laugh. "Ok, so that won't happen."
"You could be right. He just might be jealous of my elegance." We both start laughing again when a voice stops us.
"You're the happiest pair of tributes I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of tributes." It's Chersh. He really snuck up on us.
"Uhhhhh..." Ginger starts but doesn't know how to finish.
"It's okay. Be happy while you can, before the Games get you in its death grip and all you feel is pain." He walks away gloomily and suddenly I am very creeped out by Chersh. I know he is mentally disturbed by being in the Games, but he still gives me the a case of the chills.
"That poor man," Ginger says. "I hope we don't turn into him."
"We won't. If you win, you'll be strong enough to keep everything together, like Salety. If I win..., well.., I won't."
Ginger nearly screams at me. "Don't say that, Timothy!"
"It's true. I can't win. I'm not strong," I say indifferently
"You are strong. Maybe not physically, but you have inner strength. You'll definitely die if you give up so easily!"
"You don't understand, Ginger! You're strong and fit. I've never been and never will be. My family loves me so I lie to them, but I refuse to lie to myself. I refuse to!" I shout back.
"You're not being truthful to yourself! You're giving up on yourself!" Her voice quiets, "Just don't. Don't give up on yourself so easily." I realize that Mon said the same exact thing to me earlier that day. "Try."
I try to walk away but Ginger grabs my arm. "Say you'll try."
"I'll try," I sigh.
"That doesn't sound convincing." I look into her eyes and see pain. Does this matter that much to her? How can that be? I take a new look on the matter. I picture little Dade watching me die. Lemmy. Klia. Lenei. My parents. It hurts me to think about. If I love them, I won't give up, will I? No. I can't give up. Ginger and Mon are right, I can't give up.
"No! I won't give up, Ginger."
"That's the answer I was looking for." The next moment happened so fast. Really fast. Ginger holds my head in her hands and presses her lips against mine. What is she doing? I realize she is kissing me. I don't push her away. I let her stay there.
When Ginger pulls back, she looks at me straight in the eye. "Don't tell a soul about this."
I can only choke out two words, "I won't"
She goes into her room and I go into mine. I change into some night clothes and lay in my bed. A new feeling arises in me. I form one thought. I think I might love Ginger and I think she loves me.
This chapter was really long! I had to fit a lot things in. I didn't know if a District had two or more mentors if each tribute got a mentor or if they shared a mentor so I just picked that each tribute would get a mentor. Please review!
