I woke up covered in cold sweat.
I was lying in a bed I'd never seen before in my life. There were no pillows and no blankets on the bed, they were all on the floor. The only thing that covered my body was a thin sheet. The windows were clamped shut and I couldn't find the door. The room was as plain as a broom closet. To keep myself occupied, I started to count each thread in the sheets
"One, two, three, four, five, six , seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven , twelve, AH!"
Abruptly I started screaming. The sheets were patterned with rose-petals.
Medics rushed in and tried to calm me down.
"AH! AH! AH! AH!"
I killed Emilie. I killed Emilie. I killed Emilie. I killed Emilie. I killed Emilie.
It was stupid really, of course I didn't kill Emilie. But it was my fault that Dawson left Emilie, my fault that Dawson ran into Markus, my fault he screamed, my fault we found and saved him, my fault that they took Emilie. It's my fault she's an Avox. I killed Emilie. I killed Emilie. I killed-
"CORAL! Calm down!"
I felt a stinging blow across my face as someone tried to bring me around.
`NO!`I roared "Let me die! I have to die! I killed her! I killed Emilie! KILL ME!
I heard someone take a deep breath. "No Coral, I won't kill you. But they will. Soon you'll be in the Games and they'll kill you, don't worry."
Somehow these words comforted me.
I heard the comforting voice talk to the Medics. They were arguing about something.
"But she's not even physically sick. Lay her off the morphling, she'll come around. Don't even think about drugging her before the Games. She's not crazy!"
"But-"
"Just go"
I heard the door slam shut and then suddenly there was weight on the left side of my bed.
"Coral" I heard the gentle voice urge. "Let's talk"
"Ugh"
"C'mon" She helped me up and I found myself facing a young woman who looked like she had been pushed through a cheese grater.
Her hair was less than one centimetre short and there wasn't one patch of skin on her that wasn't scarred. Her hands were rough and her skin was pulled so tight over her bones that it looked two sizes too small. Her eyelashes were jagged, uneven and hardly there, but her eyes were simply stunning. In the middle, her eyes were brown, but they slowly morphed into a green and around the edges of her eyes, the green became a deep sea blue. She looked old, but she had this inner light that suggested she was younger than she looked.
"I'm Juniper" She said smiling down at me. I couldn't help but notice her teeth were chipped and crooked.
"Juniper" I repeated, testing the word in my mouth. It sounded familiar…
"It's a mouthful, isn't it? You can just call me June, if you like. June Violetson."
"June Violetson! You were a tribute for District 12! They say you died!"
She smiled. "I was as good as dead. I was in surgery on and off for the past five years, they finally let me out so that I could mentor you for the Games, but it was a close call"
"You're my mentor?"
She nodded.
"You're my hero! You volunteered for me for me five years ago. Remember? I was twelve and it was my first reaping and you volunteered for me. You saved my life and then you won and everyone thought you were dead and then-"
"Don't worry kid" She shook her head "I remember. Sorry I couldn't volunteer for you this time"
She smiled and then mock punched me in the arm.
"But you'll do fine, right? You'll win it all."
"What about Dawson?"
"He'll win too."
I rolled my eyes at her and tried to lie down.
"Whoa, Coral, what are you doing? We have to get back to work, c'mon!"
She lifted me out of my bed and carried me out into the hall.
I think she opened the door with her teeth. Scary.
She then walked into the kitchen and sat down on one of their pristine countertops. She tossed me an apple.
"Okay, so here's how it goes. I ask you a question and try and find you an angle for your interview. Then you can ask me a question about the games. Cool?"
She didn't wait for me to answer.
"Okay Coral, tell me about your family."
Did she have to start with this question?
"Um, I used to live with my mom."
"Used to live with your mom?"
"Sorry" I smirked "Time's up. Juniper Violetson…"
But suddenly I felt drained. I didn't want to talk about my complicated life and I definitely did not want to ask her about the games. I just wanted to push the Hunger Games as far away as possible. Pretend I didn't get picked, pretend it wasn't Markus who picked me, pretend I wouldn't be dead in a few weeks time…
"Whoa, Coral! It's okay!" She reached out to comfort me, but I pushed her away.
I didn't want this ugly scarred up woman, I didn't want her comfort or her questions, I just wanted to run away.
"Get away from me!" I screamed.
I ran out the door and all the way into the back of the train. I shoved myself into a compartment and then yanked the blinds down. I kicked off my shoes my sweater and used them to jam the door shut. Then I lifted up the window as far as it would go. I just need some fresh air, I told myself. But I couldn't fool myself for long, the moment the window was open high enough, I climbed on the seat an launched myself out of it.
So… I know this chapter is shorter than the others, but it's got you thinking, right? I hope you like this, I really do!
Quotation:
I hit the ground and left the world that had never really meant anything to me. Finally I was free.
So PLEASE review! The next chapter has many alternate paths and I think you'll like it. You won't want to miss it. You know what you need to do to get it though, don't you?
KATE