I realise it's later than I said… oops ;) Sorry, I know how annoying I find it when people don't update fanfictions, so I'll try hard to do better! Thanks :) ~readallday
"Well, they're criminals because they've done something that the Capitol doesn't like, and this is their punishment. Being slaves to all," he tells me.
"But they aren't allowed to talk?"
"More than that. They can't," he says. I stare at him, and he rolls his eyes when he catches me looking. I want answers, so that's what I'll get. He sighs.
"Their tongues were removed because of their actions."
Suddenly, I imagine the Avox that served me. It is not her choice to serve us. She couldn't talk to me because she literally couldn't.
I imagine her family, her friends.
I imagine how heartbroken I would be if I could never talk again, never able to tell anyone my real thoughts.
I imagine her whole world being turned upside down and her spinning around, feeling alone without anyone who understands.
I know how she feels.
"What crime could ever deserve that punishment?" I ask. Gavell shrugs.
"I don't know. I don't think anyone does. The Capitol keeps everything so secret. I guess so no one knows what happened, so there won't be any rebellions."
"So you know all of this, yet you still hate the Avoxes enough to get them punished further?"
"Well, if the Capitol is punishing them this extremely, they must have done something really bad."
"You don't know that, Gavell," I say, infuriated. "If the Capitol is cruel enough to let innocent children fight to the death, they are cruel enough to punish people for no reason."
"Well it's not my problem," he grunts.
"You are one cold-hearted, arrogant loser," I say, intending it to be hurtful. What's the point in 'playing nice'. I might as well say what's on my mind now, before it gets blown apart in the arena.
"I'm the loser?" He chuckles cruelly to himself. "Just wait 'til the arena. We'll see who's losing then," he says, with a grin.
Does that mean he's threatening to attack me? He can't though. He's from my own district. Can he?
The chorus of trumpets signals the beginning of the chariot parade. Each chariot has it's time to drive down the long stretch and be cheered by the people of the Capitol; their moment to shine. The chariots start moving and I catch sight of the 'careers' from Districts One, Two and Four. And they look dangerous. They each act tough and competitive; they aren't the kind of people I want to meet in the arena, but how can I avoid them? Survive, and stay out of the way.
When our chariot starts gliding past the stands of people, smiling and waving, I try my best to hide. Gavell stands, waving and grinning enthusiastically. I stand, my hands behind my back, attempting to look plain and forgettable, but not like an easy target. My hope is that they will ignore our chariot completely, and forget about us, so I can stay away from them.
We approach the end of the first quarter stretch and I nudge Gavell.
"What?" he whispers, angrily.
"Don't draw attention to yourself."
"What are you talking about?"
"You'll make us easy targets," I say.
He lowers his waving hand.
"Why are you helping me?" he asks, less angrily. His face relaxes from its frown.
"Even if we hate each other, we're still a team. We have to win this for our district, and we can only do that by staying out of the way."
Gavell looks at me and smiles.
"For District Five," he whispers.