Authors Notes: So this story is coming along quite nicely, Im glad people are following it! It makes me want to update quicker.
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Lya and the Labyrinth
Chapter Four
The Tribute Train To Hell
I waited in the plush room. The curtains were a deep burgundy, and I couldn't help but imagine that they looked the same color as blood. Deep, flowing blood.
I could hear movement outside and people speaking. Suddenly the door opened and Madge was ushered in followed by two Peacekeepers. They pushed her forward and exited the room, slamming the door behind them.
Madge's eyes were red and swollen, she had been crying a lot.
"Oh Lya!" She sobbed and ran over to me, throwing her arms around me.
Slightly uncomfortable, I rubbed her back in soothing circles, hoping she would stop bawling soon.
"Its okay Madge" I soothed. "Its okay. I made the right choice. I mean, what was the Capitol thinking! Sending an old defenseless woman to a violent death! It's unthinkable. What I did was right Madge, it's not fair, but it's right."
Madge sniffed loudly and nodded into my shoulder. Pulling back, she wiped her nose on the back of the sleeve.
"Im going to miss you while you're gone Lya. Come back soon okay?"
"I promise Madge, I'll do my best."
I pulled Madge into a close hug, after a few minutes we parted and with a sad smile at me, she left the room.
I waited uncomfortably, smoothing and re-smoothing out my Reaping Dress.
I wonder if the Capitol is watching. I wonder if they see all the tears of loved ones and do they even feel the slightest bit bad at all?
The door opened again and in hobbled Ria. Her wispy hair was unusually tangled, and her bones were shaking.
"My sweet child, why did you do this?" she whispered, pulling my head into her lap.
"You know why Ria"
"Lya, Im so sorry. You should have waited, you should have done nothing. I have only a few years left at most…..you have your whole life ahead of you. You could have been so happy"
"Ria, I wasn't going to let you die in that horrible place. Im not sorry about what I did."
"I know child. Thank you"
Ria stroked my hair softly and sang to me until they came to take her away.
A peacekeeper came into the room. "Ma'am. Its time to leave"
"One more second, please…." Ria pleaded.
Im not sure why, or even how it happened, but he nodded and turned away.
I sat up and Ria pulled a small cloth from her shawl. She unwrapped the corners and inside was a beautiful vintage hair comb clip. It was silver, and the band was encrusted with small colored pebbles. They arranged around the band to form leaves and flowers. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
"Ria!" I breathed. Ria smiled and leaning forward, she clipped it gently into my hair.
"It was my mothers. I was saving it for my daughter, but I never had one. If I had, I hope she would have been like you Lya."
And with that, the tears flowed, from both of us. We cried silently and held hands, until finally Ria had to pull away. With a kiss to my forehead, she left the room. We didn't say goodbyes, because they didn't need to be said.
No one else came to visit, so I sat quietly, alone until Effie came to get me for the train. Alton was with her, and his face was emotionless. All together, we boarded the train, and I felt so lifeless as I watched District 12 slip away from the station, and become a picture in the distance.
Effie gives us a tour of the train. She shows Alton to his room and he disappears quickly inside. Just down the hall is my room. I wave goodbye to Effie and unlocking the door, I step inside. It's even more luscious that I could have invented.
The room is large and plush, with velvet curtains on the far wall. Everything is a deep shade of purple. Straight in, to my left is a huge oak wardrobe. It has a computer panel on one of the doors and I wonder what it does.
Stepping over to it, I put my hand tentatively on the screen, and it hums to life. I realize quickly that it will give me any choice of clothing I can think of. I scroll through tens of clothes, and finally settle for a simple black pair of pants, and a purple tunic, like the clothes I wear at home.
I select a simple pair of black shoes and finally a purple ribbon. Maybe if I look young and innocent enough, people wont want to kill me as easily.
Leaving the clothes hanging in the wardrobe, I move over to an antique dresser. On it are combs and clips, and a box full of what I find is makeup. That might come in handy if I end up crying a lot. Turning around, I see a giant luxurious bed.
Throwing myself onto it, I sink down into the soft, fluffy mattress. It is the most amazing thing I have ever felt! I wave my arms up and down like the children who make snow angels, enjoying the soft, silky feeling against my skin. I lay with my head under a pillow, pretending I wasn't alive until Effie came to collect me for dinner.
Peeling off my Reaping dress, I kicked it away in disgust.
I pulled on the clothes I selected from the wardrobe, and tying the ribbon daintily around my head into a bow, I slipped out the door and down the hall.
I was the first one into the dining cart, except for Effie and Haymitch. He was in there, drinking away already.
"Hello, Sweetheart", he slurred at me, raising his drink.
I smiled politely and sat down at the seat that was on his left, but I not so discreetly moved my chair away from him.
I dreaded making any conversation with him, and as if on cue, Alton sauntered into the cart.
Eyeing Haymitch, he came and sat down opposite me, on Haymitch's right.
Effie looked like she was very mad, she kept swirling a glass of wine in one hand while glaring across the table at Haymitch.
Alton started helping himself to the food in front of him and it was then that I actually noticed it.
Before me were tureens of soup, pea green and meaty concoctions. There were dishes of roast lamb and chops of some kind, bowls of vegetables, marinated, in a salad and roasted. A basket was piled high with bread rolls and a hearty helping of butter rested next to it. My eyes must have been saucer wide because Alton looked up at me and burst out laughing.
I looked back at him and immediately I started laughing too. It was so nice to have the tension eased.
The doors opening while we were laughing and Peeta walked in, smiling at us. Haymitch leaned over to me, sloshing his drink down his front.
"That's it girly, better to laugh than think about the death coming up" he hiccupped.
Immediately, all the light inside of me died, and the room went quiet. Peeta stalked over, dragging the bin with him. In one sweep of his arm, he knocked all the alcohol bottles Haymitch had next to him into the bin. Throwing it back out into the hall, he swept past Haymitch, jolting him and sat down next to me.
The room was back to its original tension and Alton chewed his food really slowly.
Peeta took the opportunity to introduce himself to Alton and me. He shook Alton's hands but I didn't look up to see if his was extended out to me.
I sat looking down into my lap, thinking about what Haymitch said. He was right, we were all going to die soon anyway. Twenty-three tributes and only one victor. Why should I even bother training or making friends or anything? If I were only going to end up dead…I'd rather just do something I enjoy for the next few weeks like sleep.
I played absentmindedly with the ribbon bracelet Made gave me for my birthday.
"Lya, eat something, its really good." Alton said, his mouth half full of some rich food.
I looked up and watched him stuff his face for a few minutes. All the food on this table could easily feed so many in the Districts. I wonder how many people starved so that this food could be here for us.
My plate was moved from its spot and I looked up to see Peeta piling it with slices of roast and assorted vegetables. He set it down in front of me while Effie chattered on about our schedule and other things I wasn't listening too.
Taking my fork, Peeta eased my left hand from my right and put the fork in it.
"Eat Lya" he said softly. "Please…"
I sluggishly lifted the fork and stabbed it into a potato piece. Putting it in my mouth, I chewed and I couldn't believe what I tasted. The flavors in my mouth were endless, and they definitely did not taste like this in District 12!
Greedy, I tried everything on the table, while Alton and I joked and piled our plates. I finally pulled away from the table, stuffed and feeling a little queasy.
Alton made a loud groaning noise and leant back in his chair.
Effie clicked her tongue uncomfortably, obviously our manners were atrocious to her.
"Well now that you're all done, Its time to go over the other tributes" Effie shrilled, and getting up, we followed her to a lounge room with a TV.
I sat down next to Alton on the couch, pulling my legs up to my chest. Haymitch toppled in and sat down in a chair adjacent. While Effie was setting up the TV, Peeta sat down next to me. He was so close, our arms were touching and I could feel his hot skin on mine. I was so sure he could feel me trembling.
The television whirred to life, and the symbol of the Capitol flashed on screen. Effie turned the lights off and sat down opposite Haymitch. As if I wasn't aware of Peeta already, the darkness made me sensitive to every movement he made on my left. Through my eyelashes, I saw his silhouette outlined in the light of the screen, his masculine jaw making my heart quiver. His broad arms touching my shoulders… NO! Focus Lya! I needed to watch the other tributes and focus dammit!
I zoned back in time to see the tribute for District 1 being called. No sooner was a name pulled from the ball, did someone volunteer. It was a muscly man with dark hair named Silas. A beautiful girl was called to stand next to him.
It was the same for District 2 and 3, strong careers volunteered before names were called. There was a young man called for District 4 that I could only really describe as a bronze god. The girl was young and slim, with mermaid blonde hair, which was wavy to her waist.
I kept waiting for the Quell to kick in, for some sort of horrible occasion to happen, and it was right on cue.
An orange-skinned plump women pulled the girls name from the reaping bowl for District 5.
"Cora Hazelcorn" She calls loudly.
I hear the gasp of the crowd as a small child is ushered forward. My gasp is audible in the cart as I watch this small angel climb shakily to the podium. She can't even be more than 9 years old. I keep waiting for someone to realize, to volunteer, but the longer I watch, the more I realize its not going to happen. My eyes start to sting with tears and I feel my left hand being pulled into a strong warm one. Peeta is soothingly rubbing it in his own. Looking right, I see Alton is near tears. Effie gives a loud sniff and blows her nose loudly into a handkerchief she pulls from her bosom.
The tributes get even more miserable from there. District 6 wields us an old, graying man and a young girl with orange flame hair. From District 7, a strong tanned boy and a young girl with cropped hair. District 8 didn't far so well, the two reaped were a wife and husband. I watched as they pried their children from them and bravely stepped up to the stage together. This brought on a whole new round of nose blowing from Effie, and even Haymitch gave an awkward cough that I suspect disguised a cry of anguish.
A girl with dark skin and a young boy were called for District 9. For District 10, a young girl named Louise was called, and the camera panned in on a child of four. I cried aloud, but someone called Julia immediately stepped forward bravely. As if on cue, for the men her brother Clif stepped forward. Looking at them side by side, I realized they were twins.
"We'll have to watch out for them" Peeta said.
District 11 gave us two average looking youths. The girl was dark-skinned with short frizzy hair, and the boy had his head shaved.
It was now the moment I dreaded, reliving my own reaping.
I watched the screen as Effie pranced on stage and drew Ria's name from the reaping ball. I watched the camera zoom in closely on her face, the shock in her eyes. And then all focus was on me.
I saw myself pull away from Madge and step in front of the Peacekeeper. The camera actually caught the surprise on his face.
I heard my voice volunteer as tribute, and I was pleased it carried strong and did not shake. Once I was on the stage, the camera panned behind me to see Haymitch and Peetas reaction. Peeta's mouth was set in a hard line, and Haymitch was more amused with a button on his jacket sleeve than who was in front of him.
I looked away from the TV to glare at Haymitch, but he was busy staring into his empty glass, wishing it were full no doubt. Peeta leant forward and wrenching the glass from Haymitch, threw it onto a side table where it landed with a clatter.
Sitting back in his spot, Peeta retook my hand in both of his and focused on the television.
Looking back, I noticed the camera was zipping through the faces of the boys in the District. Most had the same expression, solemn and hollow. A few were crying already, and some were even smiling! I soon realized why when the camera zoomed back to show Haymitch snoring away loudly. How did I not notice any of this at the Reaping? I must have been more shutdown that I thought.
Finally we watched Effie pull Alton's name from the glass bowl.
Feeling him tense up next to me, I touched his arm lightly with my free hand. He took it in his massive one, his hand cold and clammy.
Irreversibly, the replay of the Reaping's was over, and we sat in silence as the Capitol symbol flashed on the screen for the final time.
"To bed, to bed!" Effie yawned loudly. "It's a big day tomorrow"
Stretching out my cramped legs, I gave Peetas hand a gentle squeeze that he returned and then let go. Alton was shaking, so holding his hand still, I led him to the door. Turning around, I waved goodnight to everyone, and with Alton's nod at Peeta, we left the room.
We walked down the hallway, hand in hand until we got to Alton's door. He let go and turned to walk into his room but I could feel him pause.
"Alton?" I said.
He turned around, my head barely coming up to his massive shoulders. I leaned up on tippy toes and gave him a hug. After a moment, he returned the embrace, his strong arms crushing my body.
"It's gonna be okay" I whispered, not sure if I even believed myself.
He nodded, his tears falling onto my shoulder, dampening my tunic. This just made my tears fall as well.
We pulled away and he gave me a weak smile and through teary eyes, he watched me walk down the hallway and into my room.
Once in, I threw my clothes onto the floor and crawled into bed in my undergarments. Sobbing heavily, I cried and cried until I was too tired to cry anymore, and so I finally fell asleep.
