So I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I have ever written, and it is all thanks to all the inspiring reviews I got. Thanks so muck everyone!
caramellachoco: I am so glad you're loving my story and characters so much. :) I hate reading underdeveloped main characters, and I also am getting tired of seeing other authors making the mentors so negative (no offense to anyone). I thought Marvin would be a nice change. And I know that Irom might seem a bit one dimensional right now, but there is a reason for him acting the way he does and I promise it will be explained soon!
NYCstarlet: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy Arien so much! :)
Franlucylucci: Cato will be introduced soon, I promise! And thanks for taking the time to review. :) It means a lot.
Enjoy!
"Morning."
"Mmmmm..." I don't bother trying to answer Marvin's greeting with a lucid reply, too tired and emotionally drained to do so. I didn't sleep well last night.
I clumsily make my way over to the table and plop my self down across from Marvin, wearing the same clothes from yesterday, yawning while doing so.
"Didn't sleep well?" He asks through a mouth full of toast.
I shake my head.
"What time is it?" I ask through another yawn while trying to rub some of the sleep put of my eyes. They feel so puffy I can hardly keep them open.
"Eleven. We arrive in an hour." He replies casually.
"Oh, that's good... I was scared I might wake up late and only have like an hour to-"... Wait a second... He did say hour.
One hour.
"Are you serious?" My voice sounds like an ugly hoarse shriek. My eyes are wide and I'm instantly awake and anxious. Really? Only one hour left?
"Yep. So eat up." He replies while smiling an amused smile at my what must have been amusing reaction. I don't think it was very funny. Not at all.
Huffing, I look down at the table and am instantly shell shocked at all the food that is in front of me. All this food could feed both me and Joseph for two weeks! Maybe more. And this is just breakfast for the capitol? I suddenly loose my appetite at the thought. How could I have all this to eat while Jo only gets small slice of grainy bread, half of a dried meat stick, and a glass of water? I can't do that...
But it smells so good...
No. I won't eat it. Not a chance.
"Eat, Arien." Marvin interrupts my thoughts in a commanding voice and I look back up at him in shock. Can he read minds?
"I know what you're thinking and I know how you're feeling right now," He starts again, the authority still in his voice. "But you need to take advantage of this small opportunity to get your strength up before the arena, 'kay? You won't make it past the cornucopia if you keep on eating the way you did back home."
Oh. Well, that's a thought.
I nod hesitantly and he nods back, a hint of a satisfied smile breaking his stern features. I gingerly bring my hands to the serving spoon and scoop myself a small amount of eggs eggs before moving onto what looks like bacon. I can hardly remember the last time I had bacon. Any pigs I killed I had to send straight to the capitol. Taking a deep breath, I bring a small spoonful of scrambled eggs to my mouth and slowly close my lips around it.
Oh my god.
It's. Fucking. Delicious.
Before I know it, I am shoveling more food onto my plate and into my mouth, hardly breathing in between bites. I try a little bit of everything, from fruits to meats to creams and juices and I enjoy every single one of them, but none more that the bacon. The bacon is the best, by far.
"Slow down, kid! I want some bacon too!" Marvin exclaims with an astonished look on his face. He makes a grab at the bacon and I am quick to pull the plate away and glare. He just chuckles and reaches for it again, like I'm joking, but I pull away further and glare harder. I want the bacon. But instead of laughing some more like I expect, he suddenly frowns then composes his features, leans back, crosses his arms and starts stare me down. What is he-? Oh, I know that look. So he's gonna play it that way? The famous stare down? Well, then I can to. Between me and Jo, I am the current champion at this game. I got this.
And so the staring contest begins.
1 minute. I'm still going strong, the plate of bacon still held close to my chest, she delicious smell still making it's way up my nose and motivating me further.
2 minutes. Not one smile has been cracked, not one shift between our eyes. He's good.
3 minutes. No. No way, this can't happening. Not yet. No not that rare ticklish feeling on my cheeks. The one making me want to smile. No. I can't. Not yet.
4 minutes. Now that feeling if in my chest and stomach too, making me want to burst out into laughter. But I'm not the only one struggling. No. I can see Marvin's cheeks start to twitch. I can outlast him. Just a little longer...
5 minutes. I'm biting my cheek, trying to prevent the laughter. So close...
5 minutes and 30 seconds. We're both holding our breath now. If we exhale, then laughing will be inevitable. This has now turned into a no breathing contest. Shit.
6 minutes. I know my face is turning red. My lungs are begging for air... Just a little longer!...
6 minutes and 23 seconds. I can make it! So close!
6 minutes and 25 seconds. …...
Screw it.
"Bwa-HAHAHAH!" I let it out. The intense laughter can't be stopped once it escapes. I lean forward and wrap my arms around my waist, trying to control it, but now my eyes are starting to tear up. I'm cracking up. Literally. I can feel my ribs wanting to snap in half from the pressure. My laugh sounds a little weird, kinda crazy. I haven't laughed like this in months and the feeling is unfamiliar. But I welcome it. It feels so good and all of my worries are being pushed to the back of my mind.
I look up to see Marvin laughing just as hard as me, face flushed and tears in his eyes.
"T- Tie!" I manage to force out before going into another round of hard laughter. Now it's just starting to hurt.
We continue laughing for who knows how long with our ribs cracking and tears streaming down our faces. But soon our laughs start to die down and relax. I set the plate of bacon back onto it's spot on the table and we each take a few slices. We eat them slowly in between giggles and chuckles, not wanting to choke.
And that's how Iron finds us. Laughing and munching on bacon.
I immediately shut up and become tense but I don't know why. He stands in the doorway with a strange look on his face, like a mixture of anger and confusion. But he doesn't say anything. Just picks up a plate and stacks it with food of every kind. Except for bacon, because me and Marvin ate all the bacon. For some reason, the thought makes me smile a bit.
Iron leaves with his full plate in hand and I'm relieved to see him do so, tension leaving my shoulders. I hate to admit it, but he still intimidates me. Damn it.
"Why is he like that?" I winder aloud, not really meaning to.
"I'm pretty sure it has something to do with his family." Marvin answers. I wasn't really expecting an answer.
"His family?" I question with my brows pulled together.
"Yeah, The Moore's have always been a hard family. Tough. Not many know, but Chason, Iron's father, actually came from District 2 as a peacekeeper, long time ago. Met his wife here and got permission to settle."
"They can do that?" I ask incredulously .
"Not usually. He only got to because he had a high ranking. People try to keep it under wraps. It's pretty rare." Wow, that's some devotion. Who would want to leave a place like District 2 for District 9? It's a shit heap. "But despite that, he never really gave up his support for the games. Was still rooting for them, still is. He's always pushing and training his sons to compete in them. Trying to make his own careers out of them I guess. That was the way he was raised, and the way he decided to raise his sons. You remember Steel Moore?"
I nod.
Of course. I'm an idiot. How could I have forgotten? Iron's older brother, Steel Moore, volunteered for the games five years ago at eighteen and now I know why. He made it to the final 8 before getting dying of dehydration, if I remember correctly.
"Me too." He sighs sadly. "Iron and his brother are a lot alike. Both are determined and hardened. Both trying to please their father... Well, I guess only one of them is now. Iron sees Steel's loss at a disappointment to his family, not a tragedy. Just like a majority of families in District 2, and believe me, I know. I've been there." He shakes his head after that.
"What about their mom?" I ask, my brows knitted together. How can she just stand by while her husband practically prepared their sons like pigs for slaughter?
"She died after Iron was born. Steel was only five at the time" Marvin answers simply. "After she died, Chason kinda, I don't know, Turned off?" He says it like a question, like he doesn't know if that's the right word or not. "Nothing really pleases him anymore. He continues to prepare his sons though. Uses it as a distraction."
"Oh." I say softly. I had no idea that Iron was raised like that. It explains a lot though. Why he is so determined and eager. Why he is so talented at what he does. Probably explains why he hates Marvin too. If Marvin couldn't help his brother, how could Marvin help him? He just wants to please his unpleasing father. I can relate in a way.
"Well look who made it out of bed!" The loud voice scares me half to death and makes my jump out of my thoughts.
Oh god. Why is he here?
"Morning, Alanzo." Marvin greets unenthusiastically.
"Good morning to you too!" He replies with a big dazzling smile. He has to be the most oblivious man I have ever met. "Where's Brooding?" Brooding? That must be his nickname for Iron. Ha! The name makes me let out a small snort. I like it. It fits.
"Eating alone." I answer with a small laugh in my voice.
"You like his nickname, Button?"
My smile vanishes.
Did he just call me Button?
"Button?" I question verbally with a frown. Really?
"I know! Don't you just love it?" No! It's terrible!
"W-why?" I'm sure Marvin can now hear the horror in my voice and see it in my eyes.
"Because you're so small, Dear." Alanzo answers like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Marvin starts to laugh, but tries to hide it with a cough when he catches my glare. "I think it's rather fitting." Alanzo continues while popping a grape into his mouth, totally oblivious to my glare and Marvin's Guffaws.
"Me too." Marvin agrees.
I just moan and lean my head back over my chair, mentally cursing both of them and my now aching stomach. Between the large amounts of food and laughing, my stomach seems to have stretched considerably. "Why?" I question again softly to myself, feeling a little dramatic while doing so. I kinda dose off like that for a bit, just staring at ceiling and thinking about Iron's family, when Alanzo sneezes loudly and startles me. I sigh and bring my head back up. Alanzo is still oblivious and eating grapes and Marvin looks at the table, looking like he's contemplating something important. I wonder what?
I frown again and look out the window, wanting to distract myself. We are still going amazingly fast and it takes me a while to notice the growing speck in the distance. No, not a speck, I notice. Not at all. It's a city. I hurriedly look over to the clock and see that it is 11:56. We can't be there already, can we?
I stand abruptly and rush over to the window, feeling panic start to course its way through my veins. I put both my hands to the window and marvel at the growing city. It's amazing, breathtaking, even.
It's terrible.
It's becoming difficult to breath. I'm not ready yet. I can't face this.
I see Marvin come and stand next to me out of the corner of my eye, but I don't look away from the window. I can't.
"I had almost forgotten," I whisper. "why I'm here, what's going to happen."
He doesn't say anything in return. Just places a firm hand on my shoulder. I look over to him with big, pleading eyes. Pleading him to make me forget again. Begging him to make me laugh one more time. But he just shakes his head sadly and points to my chest, to my locket, reminding me of what I need to remember.
But I don't want to. Not yet.
"I'm not ready." I say with s shaky voice. I sound so small.
"You have to be." His voice is strong, yet still quiet, and he grips my shoulder tighter. "You need to be." I start shaking my head frantically and my breathing becomes even harder, my panic getting the better of me. But he grips my other shoulder and forces me to look at him. "You can do this, Arien. Okay? It's just a quick in and out through the station. Just keep your eyes forward and try not to look scared no matter what, understand?" I can't respond. I'm frozen. "Come on, Arien, Please!" He gives me a little shake. It reminds me of how I treated Joseph before we left, except I'm little Joseph now and Marvin is me, and it just brings back more unwanted memories.
Please, make me forget.
Marvin is still looking at me. We are both pleading with our eyes now. Me begging him to miraculously develop the gift of memory wiping, and him pleading me to remember. Remember Joseph and be strong for him. To fight for him...
Oh... Oh no... I did it again. I forgot my Joseph after I promised myself wouldn't.
Goddamn promises. Why are they so hard to keep?
My right mind starts to slowly come back to me and I give a small nod. Marvin exhales in relief.
"Thank you." He tells me.
And then the train enters the station.
The first word that comes to mind is chaos. There are hundreds of people jumping and screaming as a way of greeting. There are blinding flashes coming from all directions, making it hard for me to keep a straight face. I faintly notice Iron enter the compartment and stand a little ways away from us and Alanzo beaming and waving to everyone, making the crowd go wild. It really seems to excite them. I try and do the same, curving my lips into a smile and lifting my hand into a small wave. The all wave back and scream even louder, if possible. The sound nearly makes my ears bleed and I want to hide and cower so badly, but I need to get through this. I promised.
So I keep waving and smiling while on the inside, I just want to cry.
"Ahhhhh!" I yell out for the seemingly millionth time when the yellow haired man once again pulls another sticky strip from my leg, effectively pulling my hair out with it.
They have been at it for hours. Strange looking strangers spraying, pulling, poking, and prodding my body until it burns all over. They have washed trimmed my still long hair, rubbed different chemicals all over my skin, and pulled nearly every hair out of my body except for my brows and and head. And despite my previous lifestyle, this has to be one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. I can hear some other tributes cry out in pain as well and I sympathize with them. I can only imagine what Iron must be going through.
"Oh, toughen up!" A woman with blue skin and a squeaky voice complains. "Some of us have to go through this annually, you know."
"Well I'm sorry I don't pull my hair for fun in my free time," I can't hold back my frustrated retort. These people are really starting to piss me off. "I kinda have to hunt for your food."
She glares at me then and continues to pull on my hair even harder, which I guess is her way of getting back at me. What a bitch.
Thankfully the torture ends not long after our little spat and I am more relieved than I would like to admit. The room I am taken to is pretty simple for the capitol, which I noticed tends to make everything extraordinary and complex. But this room just has a table in the middle, which is of course covered in food, a vanity with several different brightly colored bottles and palettes, and a rack with one lone bagged outfit, probably holding my costume for the tribute parade. I walk around in nothing but a small paper gown that itches like crazy, taking in all the new things. I try to read the labels of the numerous bottles on the vanity, but give up after a few seconds. Reading has never been a strength of mine.
I sigh, turn around, and am nearly scared half to death when I come face to face with someone I didn't know was there.
"Holy shit-" I stop short. Something is off. I lift my hand and notice the person do the same. I step back and they copy. It's not until then that I realize that I'm looking into a mirror. But it's not like the small ones like back home. This one is huge, taller than me both in height and length. I step forward in wonder, never having seen so much of my self at once. I'm small and somewhat curvy, I notice. I could be considered curvier, I guess, if I weren't so malnourished and worked so hard. But I still have wide hips and a full chest with a smaller waist. But it doesn't look healthy. I can feel my ribs, count them even, and my once soft and rounded face looks gaunt. It's not very attractive. I bring my hand up to my chest, searching for my locket for comfort, but I remember that the stylists made me take it off before they started. I hope Marvin keeps it safe like I asked.
"Well, If you're done discovering yourself, I'd like to get to work and make you look somewhat presentable."
I inhale sharply in fright and am quick to turn around at the voice, my heart jumping into my throat. The woman who stands in the doorway in front of me had a no nonsense look on her face with her hands are on her hips. She's already tall, bur her heels and fiery red hair piled on top of her head make her at least six feet tall. She's pretty scary.
She approaches me, her heels making loud clicking sounds, and circles around me, looking me over with a skeptical eye, occasionally reaching out and adjusting my hair or itchy gown.
"Well, you're not too unfortunate looking." She comments dryly. Is that a complement or an insult? "Tallulah Blume." She then introduces herself. I already hate her. "Arista!" She calls. A few moments later the another girl, probably no older that 25, runs through the door, panting and flushed.
"Sorry -pant- I'm -pant- Late!" She apologizes.
"This is my assistant, Arista Swiftly." Tallulah introduces her. Arista smiles at me and reaches out her hand to shake mine.
"Nice to meet you." She says, and she actually sounds like she means it, which surprises me. I take her hand and while doing so, I notice that she is the most normal looking person I have seen in the capitol so far. Granted, her clothes are ridiculous and blindingly bright, but her hair is just a normal black, her skin is a natural color and her eyes are a simple light brown. She is very pretty.
"Arista, get started on her hair and makeup. I have some last minute touches to make on her outfit." And with that, Tallulah grabbed the bag off the rack, gave me one last once over, and left.
"Nice to meet you too." I mutter under my breath.
"Sorry about her." Arista apologizes. "She really can be a nice person, it just takes some time." She's looking at me with a hopeful expression, like she doesn't really believe it either.
"Do you enjoy working for her?" I ask, genuinely curious. I would probably die if I did.
"Not all the time." She answers honestly. "She can sometimes be difficult, but she is a good teacher and is really helping me get into the business. But enough chatter, I have to make you stunning for tonight!" And with another happy smile, she leads me to the vanity and sets me into the chair. She starts with my makeup first, applying so many different powders and creams to my face that it feels like a hundred pounds by the time she's finished. All the while she is talking about anything and everything and I find that I enjoy her company. She isn't loud and obnoxious like Alanzo or cynical and unwelcoming like Tallulah. She is patient when I ask her questions and get up for some food, and modest when talking about past beauty projects that she has done. She's a sweetheart.
"You have beautiful hair." She complements my when she finishes with my makeup. She starts brushing and getting all the knots and tangles out before pulling it all back into a high ponytail. From there she braids it all the way down and fastens it together. It's simple, but beautiful.
"Thank you." I say sincerely.
"You're welcome." She replies with another smile.
Just then, the door bursts open and Tallulah struts in with the bag hanging over her shoulder.
"It's ready!" Tallulah announces with a smile on her face, the first one I've seen her wear. "We are going for an animal theme this year!" Animals? Really? She is dressing me up as the very thing I kill on a daily basis? Seems a little insensitive. But yet again, Tallulah Blume doesn't seem like the sensitive type.
She hangs the bag back on the rack before opening it up and pulling out a strapless knee length tan dress that reaches the floor in the back and has a long train. There are some random small white dots, resembling a deer. It's pretty, but looks really tight. She makes quick work of stripping me of my paper gown and replacing it with the dress, nearly making me fall on a few occasions. And I'm right, it is really tight. She then puts some brown sandals on my feet and pulls out a rather scary looking contraption.
"What's that?" I ask, the wariness clear in my voice.
Tallulah huffs in frustration. "It's a corset." She replies like she's talking to a five year old. "It goes around your waist."
"Made out of metal!" I shriek. She's kidding, right?
"Yes. Now go brace yourself against that chair. These things are not easy to put on." No, she's not kidding.
"I can't wear that! I'll pass out!"
"No you wont! You just need to learn how to breathe right!"
"Is there a way to breathe wrong? Because I had no idea!" I lift my hands into the air and my voice has taken a sarcastic tone.
We glare at each other for a few moments, but I can see that she wont give in even if I do continue to fight her further. She just has that look in her eyes. So I give her an extra hard glare for one more moment before making my way over to the chair and leaning against it, gripping the back of it firmly. I feel her wrap the metal around my waist and exhale like she instructs, but I instantly inhale sharply at the first tug, hating the feeling of my waist being pulled inward. It hurts like hell. This goes on for about ten minutes before the torture ends.
"There!" She exclaims with one final tug, effectively closing the tight metal around my waist and cutting off half my air supply.
"How do you feel?" Arista asks worriedly.
I inhale, testing out newly limited supply of air and find that I can breathe. Somewhat. Just as long as I expand my chest instead of my stomach I should be okay.
"I'm okay." I assure her breathlessly with another glare towards her boss.
"One last thing." Tallulah says before pulling out a medium sized box from under the rack. She pulls out the strangest headpiece I have ever seen. They are antler horns that have been shaped kinda like a crown. She sets it on my head and steps back with a proud expression.
I walk over to the mirror and can hardly recognize myself. My face looks different with dark brown shadows around my eyes, making them look bigger, more doe like. And all of my scars are gone, covered on thick creams and paints, making my skin look flawless. My braid comes to mid back and the antlers make look like an innocent deer. I hate it. Why dress me like a meal for the Hunger Games? It's kinda ironic, you think? The dress is very flattering though. The skirt makes my legs look longer and the damn bronze colored corset defines my waist. It's still not worth the pain though.
"You look fantastic!" Arista exclaims and claps her hands cheerily while jumping up and down. I give her a small smile, thankful for her encouragement. I don't even look at Tallulah.
"Show time!"
Me and Iron have little time to wait in our chariot and try to control out nerves before we hear the blasting music. The first chariot starts to moving forward. I look over and notice that Iron's outfit is similar to mine. His pants and shirt are the same tan color as my dress and his brown boots match my sandals. He even is waring an antler crown similar to mine. It looks like our stylists collaborated. But unlike me, he makes his deer inspired outfit menacing somehow. While I just like like a fragile doe, ready to be hunted down. Studying his face though, I see the smallest trace of fear in his brows and I find that very unnerving. Iron who looks to have nerves of steel (no pun intended), is scared. What does he have to be scared of? He is one of the more intimidating tributes.
Yet again, we are about to be paraded in front of the entire capitol. The thought terrifies me.
"Okay," Tallulah starts, pulling my attention towards her and away from Iron's face. "remember to smile, wave and stand tall. You need to look confident." Well, she's not making me feel very confident. "Oh, and make sure to breathe right."
And then there's that. How do I breathe right again?
"Good luck!" Arista wishes me before following her boss away from our carriage. District 8's chariot starts moving in front of us and I tightly grip the handle in front of me. I can faintly hear Iron's stylist give him some last minute instructions before we are moving, our chestnut horses trotting towards the large open doors.
The sound is so overwhelming. I am nearly thrown back at the screams and cheers pouring from the audience and the lights are disorienting and scaring me, making me forget how to breathe right.
"Pull your self together!" I mentally scold myself. I lift my shoulders, force myself to look into the flashing lights, smile and wave. And it drives the people crazy. They start cheering my name, my district, and I blow a kiss their way for good measure. I have no idea what Iron is doing next to me, so I look up at the screens zooming in on his face and see that he has a smile on his face. Wow. It's small, but charming and confident and seems to be driving girls -and some of the men- crazy. I can't blame them though. Despite his detached personality, he is very good looking.
All of a sudden the cameras are on me. Seeing my face on a ginormous screen startles me for a moment and my smile falters. I still look so fragile, innocent, young and naive, nothing of which I really am. I look like a lie.
But I can't be underestimated.
I bring my smile back full force and raise my hand into another enthusiastic wave, all of a sudden determined to not be out shined. And it works.
People go crazy.
"That was amazing!" Arista's voice cheers once we return. She surprises with a hug and I am to shocked to do anything but put one arm around her. The adrenaline still hasn't left my body. Behind her I see Marvin with a proud smile on his face.
"You did a great job." He tells me while handing me my precious locket.
"Thank you." I reply, his praise making me feel good and my locket making me feel more secure. I put it on right away.
"You are starting to look a little blue though." He remarks with an amused look.
"It's been a long day!" I defend myself.
"No, I mean your face is literally starting to turn blue."
Oh. I'm not breathing right and I didn't even notice. That can't be healthy.
"Damn corset." I curse under my breath. Marvin just chuckles and I start to look around for the reason of my discomfort. I find her a few feet away, positively fuming for some reason. She is glaring daggers at the back of who I assume to be District 12's stylist. I remember them being a particular favorite with the fire and everything.
"Beginners luck." She says bitterly. She huffs, then turns to me and says, "You did better than I expected." before waking away, pulling a waving Arista with her. Well, I guess that's the closest thing I will ever get to a complement from her. I'll take it.
"You were wonderful, Button!" I hear from behind. Ah shit, he's back.
I turn towards Alanzo and give him a fake smile and a quick thanks, putting my hands behind my back to avoid punching. I can't afford to offend him. That could mean trouble for me.
"Come on! Lets go the apartment!"
The training center has a tower over it, each level being the temporary homes for each of the districts. We of course are on level 9. Alanzo leads us towards an elevator and my stomach drops at the sight. I have used the elevator only one other time today and I did not enjoy it. It made me feel like I was falling without ever leaving the ground. Not fun. And to make matters worse, we are not the only tributes in this elevator. It seems like we will be sharing with District 2, in my opinion the most deadly district.
We all pile in and our escorts push the buttons to take us to our floors while starting up an animated conversation about the parade. Everyone else is silent. Dead silent. Marvin stands to my left, in between me and Iron and to my right is the boy who I dubbed as the blonde version of Iron. Next to him is the girl who looks like a killing machine. I think I might throw up.
For some stupid reason my eyes start to make their way up towards the boy and I am unable to stop them. At my height, my eyes only reach his gold, armor clad chest. Then I look up and see he is staring right back at me, his icy blue eyes looking down at me with some sort of sick humor in them. They travel up and down my body, making me feel naked, dirty and exposed. He is smirk is confident. Confident that I wont last long in the games. I instinctively start to bring my hand up to my chest, wanting to feel for my locket again, but I force myself to stop.
"Don't look weak!" I mentally scold myself, and I force my eyes to never leave his. I try to keep a defiant look in them, but I don't know if I'm succeeding. I hate to admit it, but his staring is really scaring me.
Really, really, scaring me.
"ding!"
We finally reach level 2, thank god. He steps out of the elevator, his gaze never leaving mine until he turns the corner and out of sight, but not before giving me one chilling smile.
I start to shake a little once the elevator door closes again. His smile is still lingering in my mind and I still feel naked and disgusting. I start to rub my arms, trying to rub away his gaze and my fear. I can't let him get to me like this.
"ding!"
Finally! The elevator doors open and my breath is taken away at the luxury of the apartment.
"Welcome home!" Alanzo announces. The place is beautiful and so big! My tiny little cabin could fit in the living room!
We are given a quick tour before Alanzo shows us to our rooms. When I see my room, My body all of a sudden feels a hundred pounds heavier and I realize how exhausted I am. But I still notice how beautiful everything is. I take time observing everything before making my way to the giant window -that takes up an entire wall- and pull the curtain over it before attempting to unclasp the damn corset. It takes several minutes and a lot of strain and grunts, but I finally do it and am slightly lightheaded when ten times more air starts to make its way into my lungs. I proceed to remove the rest of my costume and just leave everything lying on the floor, too tired to figure out how to properly dispose of it. If it were my choice, i would burn it. I slip on a comfortable nightgown before going into the bathroom and scrubbing my face until it is clear of any makeup and am amazed how much lighter it feels when I'm finished.
When I exit the bathroom, I see the most beautiful thing I have seen all day.
The bed.
Isn't your bed one of the most wonderful things sometimes? It's like a best friend. It supports you, comforts you, and makes you feel all warm and cozy. But enough about beds! Please let me know what you thought of this extra long chapter! Should I try to keep this length? Should they be shorter? Let me know!
Oh, I forgot to put a disclaimer: I don't own the hunger games. :/
-IAmTheStars
