Hello! For the few following my story, you might have noticed that my chapters have been posted on Thursday…and I said before my chapters would come out on Friday – I will offer a quick explanation for that:
If I post on Thursday, then whatever time on Friday you check out my story, there will be a new chapter. Even if you wake up at 4 o'clock, my story will be posted :P (also, I'm worried that I'll fall behind on schedule and posting on Thursday will give me a one day cushion :P)
Anyhoos! Here is this week's chapter. It's a tad bit of a throwaway but action and conflict is coming soon!
Chapter 3: Dream City, City of Nightmares
"Tellins!" the turtle shouted.
"I'm not a tomato!" Gorgeous exclaimed.
His leg jumped and slammed into the table. He groaned and leaned over, laying his head on the table.
"That is definitely going to leave a bruise."
"Come on," the turtle's voice said. Gorgeous tilted his head up, his chin still on the table, and gazed up at his escort.
"The recap of the reapings is going to play. The mentors want you to come watch."
"If I can walk," Gorgeous muttered, teetering to his feet. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Don't be a child, come on," Nelson said bluntly. He walked away.
His shin crying in pain, Gorgeous followed.
"What are those tables made out of?" Gorgeous asked. He waved to their two female mentors as he settled onto a couch.
"Mahogany. Known for its rich color and sturdiness."
"Mahogany," Gorgeous groaned, hugging his leg to his chest.
The Capitol logo flashed and spun on the television screen. The show opened, as it did annually, with the president giving a speech. Bad memories surfaced. A young boy being held in front of a television. Insistent angry whispering. Do you see this? This is your future! Your future! Any denial was met with furious reprimanding. He'd be grabbed and shaken. Unhinged emotion in their eyes. There would be angry red marks on his shoulders by the end of the day.
As President Snow finished his speech, Gorgeous unconsciously pulled his shirt sleeves down. The red hands couldn't be seen by anybody but Gorgeous. He temporarily shut out the young boy and looked to the screen. A few people stood out. The tall, pale haired boy from district two. He held himself with a particular quiet composure that the rest of the vying tributes didn't have. Gorgeous noted he was probably more dangerous than he appeared. From district four was a muscular raven-haired girl. It was the one of the rare times that there were no volunteers from the Career districts.
The tall boy from District Two. The dangerous girl from District Four. A wispy twelve-year old boy from District Ten. The hollow eyed, emancipated girl from Twelve. Did he stand out at all?
After the broadcast was over, Nelson breathed a long sigh and sunk into the couch.
"Did we really do that bad?" Ayn asked.
Not bad, Gorgeous thought, they did well. He had a pretty good read on Nelson by now.
"No," Nelson said. "You two are prettier than most of the tributes this year. Only makes it that much harder to meet expectations at the chariot ride. Jeez…"
"I'm not pretty," Ayn said, interrupting Nelson's lament. Her statement was blunt. She wasn't being modest, just stating her honest opinion.
"Even if people back in your District think you aren't the most beautiful peach in the tree, the Capitol citizens already love your look. So many expectations…"
"You sound enthusiastic," Ayn said sarcastically.
"Even if I hate the Games, it's my job to keep you two alive," Nelson replied. He rubbed his forehead with another sigh. "Lives are a big responsibility. So far I haven't been able to handle that responsibility."
"Why are you even an escort then?" Ayn asked.
Gorgeous raised his eyebrow. He hadn't dubbed Ayn as the talkative type. She never talked at school. Well, at least around him. She was turning out to be a great interrogator.
"Family trade," Nelson said. The two words were bitter. "Now get out of here, both of you, I have to find out how to best utilize your prettiness. You can talk with your mentors."
Obediently, Gorgeous and Ayn followed their mentors to the dining car. The table was stuffed with rich foods and exotic scents floated through the air. Gorgeous knew most of the dishes – turkey, caviar, succulent bread, among other things – but some were completely strange. There was a black pudding lathered in clumpy green sauce. He would be sure to avoid it.
They sat down and introduced themselves. His mentor was a tall, athletic woman with a short, smart haircut. Ayn's mentor was a curvaceous woman who had won sponsors with her charming interview. The tributes were both seventeen-year-olds. One was as white as a ghost. The other was bright with color; hair as black as raven feathers and eyes like the sea.
Dana Ellajay. Taryn Blaise. Ayn Oris. Gorgeous Tellins. As usual, his name raised eyebrows.
In this case, more than raised eyebrows. Dana turned out to be more outspoken than the norm. "What possessed your parents to name you Gorgeous?"
Gorgeous flashed a winning smile. "I was such a beautiful baby, they couldn't help themselves."
"Is that so?" she asked.
"I can assure you," he said.
"Hungry?" Taryn implored.
He didn't particularly want any food but he took a meager plate with a chicken drum and a few fruits. Ayn flatly refused.
"I know it's difficult to digest right now, but you should eat something," Taryn said to Ayn.
Gorgeous held out a strand of grapes to her.
"Are you supposed to give us some advice right now?" Ayn asked, ignoring him.
He plucked off one of the rejected grapes and popped it in his mouth.
"What's coming up is the chariot ride, not much for us to do. If there's anything, listen to your stylist. Cooperate. Whether he or she is lame or amazing, you don't know any better," Dana said. "Oh, and listen to Nelson. He doesn't seem very competent but he has been studying his line of work for at least six years now…"
"Nine years," Taryn clarified.
"Yes, nine years. Studying almost a decade now," Dana corrected herself. "We'll help you with the training and the interview when it comes. For now, you just need to be aesthetically interesting and both of you are."
The train had been running so silently, Gorgeous barely noticed when it stopped. The soft hum of the wheels had stopped.
"Are we already there?" he asked.
"Yes, but we're not entering the city yet," Dana said. "We're District Seven so there are a few trains that need to arrive before we get started. Right now, we're stopped outside the city. When Twelve arrives, all the trains will file in and you can say hello."
"Go to sleep," Taryn lightly instructed. "Twelve will be here in the morning."
Gorgeous changed out of his suit and into a dark blue nightgown with colorful planets. It looked ridiculous. Before he went to sleep, his grumbling stomach realized that the chicken drum and grapes hadn't been enough. He walked through the dark corridor of the train back to the dining car.
"Ayn?" he asked.
She looked up, like she'd been caught stealing silver candlesticks. She muttered, "Taryn was right."
Gorgeous loaded a plate alongside her. It was very dark. None of them knew how to turn on the lights. It was silent for a few minutes until –
"Nice pajamas."
He studied his act of whimsy. "They're absurd."
"You're not acting like you usually are," Ayn said.
He looked back at her. "How do I usually act?"
"I dunno," she said, finding a newfound interest in her bowl of mashed potatoes. "Smiling. Cracking jokes. Arrogant. Not…quiet."
"I'm not much a talker," he replied.
She scoffed. "Yeah, sure."
"No cameras," he said simply. "I don't have to act perfect."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
It dawned on him that he had unintentionally let this girl know more about him than his entire posse knew. "Noothing." He jabbed his thumb at the closed train window. "You want to see the Capitol?"
"Can we?" she said hesitantly. She'd almost forgotten they were right outside of the city. They'd only seen the city on television before. Soaring skyscrapers, flashing candy colors, foundations of gold and silver.
"Dream City, City of Nightmares," he mused. He walked to the window and waved her over.
Sleepiness and his down-to-earth attitude let Ayn forget momentarily. Forget the time beneath the tree.
She followed.
He slid aside the black curtain and there was an explosion of gold light. The light held within the hands of the Capitol citizens reflected off their laughing eyes and ashen faces. For a moment, Gorgeous stared in shock at the sheer number of the strange aliens. He in the shadows was able to see the illuminated. They didn't catch a glimpse of him.
He heard a thud. "Ayn?"
He flung the curtains shut and kneeled beside her. "Ayn! What's wrong?"
Her voice was quieter than the still night air. "There's so many of them. Did they see me?"
She was already back on her feet. Gorgeous grabbed her wrist before she was able to flee.
"I don't think so," Gorgeous said, "but don't be scared, they're just – "
"Let go!" She flung him off and left the car.
He had always known Ayn to be shy, but the way she reacted…
He imagined the chariot ride. Tributes suspended in the air, above thousands more than the people outside the train. Trapped in the air. No way to escape. No way to run away.
A white dove chained by the metal eagle.
Just for some clarification for the people that didn't understand the last sentence, the "white dove" is Ayn and the "metal eagle" is the Capitol, because their 'logo' is an eagle on a metal seal.
Hope you enjoyed!
(Wait…I think there's another chapter…click on that next button!)