Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! I do not own Catching Fire any direct quotes will be italicized.
Ch. 38
At dinner we all sit quietly. This isn't the way it's supposed to be. Whether we realized it or not Katniss, Haymitch, Effie, and I have become a very closely knit team. And although, I don't like many Capitol, Effie, I did like. She was the least bit annoying in the beginning and she always said the worst things at the worst times, but she was Effie and I know deep down way in that hard Capitol heart of hers she loved us.
We all say nothing as the train moves along and more dishes of food are brought out to us. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Katniss and I were not supposed to be tributes again. This scene was all too familiar. I try to talk, and Effie does to, but it always dies out. Effie wears a new wig and finally, I get at least somewhere with a conversation starter, "I love your new hair, Effie." It's gold no longer the bright obnoxious orange it was on the Victory tour.
"Thank you. I had it especially done to match Katniss's pin. I was thinking we might get you a golden ankle band and maybe find Haymitch a gold bracelet or something so we could all look like a team." I did need a token to hold the picture of Katniss's mom and Prim and the picture of Gale. Obviously an anklet wouldn't be ideal, but maybe a golden locket would work.
"I think that's a great idea. How about it, Haymitch?" I was trying to get him to realize that this was just what we needed. He doesn't listen much though; something is distracting him. He's probably never been on a train sober before.
"Yeah, what ever." He murmurs, it's barely audible.
"Maybe you could get a wig, too," Katniss tries to make a joke, but Haymitch doesn't even look like he heard it really. We sit in silence for the rest of the meal, but we're eating dessert so it's not much longer.
"Shall we watch the recap of the reapings?" asks Effie once the servers have cleared the table and the only evidence that we just ate was in our stomachs. I leave to get a notebook that I had kept of all the living victors, now we will know our real competitors and how they fight.
I watch as the reapings play out, they are almost the exact same as they are each year, only more sorrowful. These people being reaped and walking out onto the stage are devoid of the innocence of the usual tributes. They're innocence was lost the second they're plate locked up into place and they stared at the cornucopia. These people stepping up onto the stages have lives, some have even got married, had children, their lives were supposed to be protected. I feel the sorrow that they must feel, this same exact thing has happened to me.
Haymitch looks sick as his fellow mentors, his only friends step onto the stage. This would be hard for everyone, but especially those who were not reaped. The Victors all knew each other; some even had special relationships with each other.
The reaping at District Four is one of the hardest to watch. The girl first called is none other than the girl that grabbed my attention while watching her games, Annie Cresta. She looks sicker and more lost than what I saw on the Victory Tour. This girl was even more broken than the rest of us. I could barely hear the calls of some one volunteering. She no longer looks like the strong girl that was destined to win in her games, she's brittle and old and walks with her back in a curl, it's Mags. Old and haggard, but brave and strong and kind enough to volunteer for the Victor more harmed than the rest of us. Finnick is the male tribute reaped, and the thing that kills me the most is that as the camera moves away from the crowd of District Four, I can barely see Annie in the crowd, but her face shows what mine must've shown when Katniss volunteered last year. The face of lost hope.
I look down into my notebook before Katniss or Effie look at my face, I put a star next to Finnick and then next to Mags. I look at the description next to Mags's name: To old to know anymore. That is all I put. I quickly right next to that small description; selfless.
I watch as the rest of the reapings play out, Victor after Victor called as Effie lets out small gasps of sadness about each person. Victors were near and dear to the hearts of the Capitol people. Like I said, it's going to be a hard year for everyone.
Another thing kills me, it's in Eight; the name called out, Cecelia. I remember watching her games, she wasn't the favored person in fact nobody would think that she'd be the one to win until the last battle when she stabbed the sword into her opponent. She was strong and she was definitely fighting to get home to something. But now that something has multiplied, children grasp their mother as she fights her way up to the stage. She fights tears, but they still come. This was horrible. Sickening. Devastating. These children will live with out their mother for something so stupid. For something so useless. For somebody so power-hungry he does this for his own entertainment. Snow needed to be taken down. I'm just not sure how it will happen.
I hope you liked it! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Now if you could just do that with out me having to remind you. And just so you know, you do not need an account to review! Don't forget to REVIEW on the way out! Thanks! ~boywithbreadlover