Chapter 5: The Capitol

Haymitch Abernathy

I toss and turn in my sleep...

I'm in a forest. It's lush and green. But I'm not happy. I'm scared.

There are bodies all around me. Dead. For some reason, I lean down to look at the still faces of two boys. That's when I hear a canon. I straighten slowly and turn around.

A group of kids, careers, are straight for me.

Suddenly, I'm running, running so hard that I'm sure that I'm going to collapse. I see a door and race into the room, not caring what is on the other side. Anything is better than this.

The room I find my self in is so much worse than the arena could ever be.

A horrifyingly familiar place looks back at me, enclosing me in its deathly walls. I'm in the coal mining elevator. It's huge. And filled with thick, dark grey smoke.

I can't breathe, it's everywhere. I have to find my dad, he must be here. He is always here.

"Dad!" I shout, reaching through the haze for him. "Dad!"

"Haymitch," the voice is faint and far away. I feel my way through the fog, not caring when I bump into people at every step.

Finally, I see my dad slouched against the wall. "Father!" I skid to my knees beside him, hacking as smoke enters my lungs. "What's going on?"

He looks up and I watch as his eyes go wide with panic, "Haymitch, what are you doing?" I start to speak but he cuts me off, "Run! Run!"

"Dad-"

The room explodes. I'm thrown into the air and land sharply on my back. My eyes are clenched shut against my will. I force them open.

I'm laying in the rubble, a loud ring in my ears. I wipe at one and my hand comes away bloody, I grimace. I look around, all I see are the bodies of men. Unmoving. Dead.

I feel my breathing quicken. My dad is here, I know he is. He has to be. I get to my feet slowly. "Dad?"

The amount of bodies is overwhelming at first but I need to find him. I turn over stiff bodies, feeling a twisted sense of relief when my father's face is not staring at me.

There is a sound. A cry of pain. No, not a cry, much weaker. Almost like the whimper of a dying animal. I move slowly, freezing when I recognize the shaking body on the floor just meters from where I am. There is no mistaking my dad.

"Dad!" I run to him and gasp at what I see. He's bleeding everywhere and most of his limbs are twisted in odd ways.

"Haymitch," I can hardly hear his choked whisper, "Haymitch, I love you, my son."

"No!" I shout, "Don't say that! I'll get us some help. Come on."

He covers my hand with his bloodied one, "Son, take care of your brother, he needs you. Help mom, she'll need it when I'm gone."

"Dad," I sob, "Please-"

"I love you." He goes still and his hand drops from mine. I cry out and frantically search for a pulse. For anything. There is nothing. He is dead.

"Dad!"

I awake with a gasp, nearly falling off of the bed. I suck in a deep breath, trying in vain to fill my lungs with oxygen. My hands tremble as I run them through my hair, telling myself that it's okay, that it was just a dream, a nightmare. But why do they always have to feel so real?

"Haymitch," I whisper to myself, "Stop it. You're okay, you're in a bedroom on a train. You're not in the mines, you have never even been there. And you are not in the arena, at least not yet."

My nails dig into my palms as I clench my hands into fists. I will myself to not think of the Games. Instead, my mind wanders to the other tributes. Maysilee, Leila, and William. The three of them seemed to have gotten on Reynald's good side whereas I messed up everything from the start. Maysilee, specifically, seems to be very annoyed with me. I bite my lip as I remember the conversation they had about their siblings, Leila had asked me about Hayden. I can't even think about Hayden without feeling overwhelmed. Is he okay? Is mom even taking care of him? Or is she wallowed in her grief, not taking care of the thirteen-year-old who needs her?

Watching the reaping recaps was tough. All those kids being sent to their death. Well, for 47 of them it will be death. Their families will suffer as they watch their loved ones die on national television. The last one to remain will gain the title of Victor. It's all just so messed up. I think of the promise I made to Hayden and Serena, that I would come home to them. But after seeing the tributes known as Careers, I'm not so sure anymore.

No matter how nad I feel for them all, especially the ones near Hayden's age, I know I can't ally with them. We would end up having to either seperate, kill each other, or watch each other be killed. I don't even know how I could even trust anyone. I have a hard time getting along with the kids in my own district. After all, this is the Hunger Games.

The others may seem fine but I know that they aren't. How could they be after all? This is the Hunger Games. I think of the emptiness I saw in the eyes of Maysilee and William when they talked about their siblings. And I think about the way Leila kept fidgeting and the look on her face when she thought no one was looking. She looked as though she would break into tears that moment she was alone. I'm impressed though, in front of us, she seems happy.

At least they all seem to have gotten along pretty well. I bet they will ally in the Games and not even bother to ask me to join them. To the three of them, I must seem like an arrogant teenager who doesn't care.

I sigh and pull out Serena's ring from my pocket. I finger it slowly, wishing that she could be here with me. Right now, I would give anything for the feel of her arms wrapped around mine. I smile at the thought, but immediately want to kick myself for even thinking of that. Because to have her here with me would mean that she would also be going to the Games. And that is one of the worst things I can imagine.

I feel myself start to shake again, so I force myself out of the bed. Maybe exploring this room will distract me.

It turns out that exploring a compartment of a train made by the Capitol is very interesting, and distracting, as I had hoped. I have a suspicious feeling that the stuff in this room alone is worth more than everything in my entire house.

There are two wardrobes, each filled with clothes, which is strange because I only need one set of clothes, not twenty. I guess the Capitol likes to give the tributes many clothing options. Seeing as we won't get to pick anything else in our lives from now on.

After some rummaging around, I find a light blue shirt and dark blue pants. They are the closest thing to the clothes I have at home yet everything about them screams new and expensive, while the clothes at my house used to be my dad's. I shake my head, stop, don't think about him. You can't think about him now.

I pull on the clothes and grab a comb off the nightstand table. After the previous night, my hair is a mess of tangles. I yank the comb through my hair as I inspect the shower.

Once we had gotten into our rooms the previous night, I had immediately gone for a shower. Not only did I get myself looking clean and presentable, but I also got to scream and even let a few tears fall without anyone noticing. A double win for me.

I yawn, I'm really tired, having gotten only a few hours of sleep last night. I wish that I could take another shower, which would probably make me feel a little more awake, but I know that I should get ready for the day ahead.

I settle for washing my face with all the fancy soaps, they do a good job of hiding the shadows under my eyes. I briefly wonder if the other tributes are awake. They probably are as I can hear faint movements coming from the other compartments.

I frown at myself in the mirror. Although I look decent, my hair is still in tangles. I grab the comb once more and yank it, even harder this time, through my dark brown hair.

"It's time to wake up! You four have a big day ahead of you!"

The sudden knock on the door makes me jump. I recognize the voice as Venisha, who I am certainly not very fond of. Her Capitol attitude just makes me so angry. I grimace as the comb rips through a particularly bad tangle. Oh well, at least my hair is fine now.

I walk into the living room styled compartment where I see Leila, Venisha, and Reynald waiting. Venisha is all decked out, today in a dark purple outfit. Reynald seems pretty sleep-deprived, I would guess that he is hungover. I inwardly sigh, that would just make today even more fun. I glance over at Leila who is looking at her feet. Her eyes are red and her lip is quivering slightly. Remembering how I ignored her yesterday, I give her a small wave, which she returns, giving me a small smile.

William walks into the compartment and Maysilee arrives just a few minutes later. William looks fine but I can see that he didn't have a good night. Maysilee looks just as bad as Leila, maybe even a little worse. Reynald gives us all a look that I hope is supposed to be pitying instead of whatever he means it to be. Although I hate people feeling bad for me, I would rather that than them not even noticing that something is wrong, which is what Venisha is doing. Either she genuinely does not realize that the four kids in front of her had probably one of the worst nights of their lives or she has seen our expressions way too many times for it to matter to her. Nevertheless, Venisha is as bright and happy as ever, if not a little irritated by our poor punctuality.

"Well, now that you four are finally here," she says, giving Maysilee and William a pointed look. "We can have breakfast!"

I bite back a retort and settle for rolling my eyes. William and Maysilee exchange a look. The six of us enter the compartment that we had dinner in yesterday. There is already breakfast laid out for the six of us. I remember seeing all the food from yesterday, that food from then alone is more than I've ever had in my life. As I eye all the delicious looking breakfast foods, I have a strong urge to ship it back to District 12 where it will be more helpful than it ever would be here.

Everyone else is seated and waiting for me to join them. I push all thoughts of District 12 out of my mind and sit down at the far end of the table. I don't understand how the other tributes can stand to become so attached to each other. In the end, three of us, if not all four of us, will be dead.

"Haymitch dear," Venisha's voice cuts into my thoughts. "Aren't you going to eat?"

I look over at everyone else, they have all started eating. I look over at all the food, only now I realize how foreign everything looks. I recognize the eggs, different types of toast, and coffee, which I had only ever seen the mayor drink before, but everything else is new.

Leila is giddily examining all the food. Maysilee and William seem to be doing the same, exchanging smiles.

"What are these called?" Leila asks, pointing to some plates in the center. One has what looks like stacks of flat bread while others look like rolls of some sort and things floating in milk.

"Well, those," Venisha says, gesturing to the stacks of flat bread, "are called pancakes. Those are breakfast rolls with a filling made of chocolate and fruit. And those," she taps one of the bowls with milk inside, "are bowls of cereal."

Maysilee picks up a cup with brown liquid. It is too light to be coffee and seems darker than tea, which is also here. "What's this?"

Venisha smiles, "That, my dear, is hot chocolate. It is, in my opinion, the best drink that has ever been invented." She hands us all a cup of the hot brown liquid. "You should try some."

The two girls immediately try the drink. I watch as their faces light up in delight.

"Oh wow," Maysilee says, a grin on her face, "That is delicious."

I smell the drink and a wistful smile plays at my lips before I can stop it. It smells heavenly. Controlling my emotions, I don't need the whole world to know how I feel, I take a sip of the hot chocolate. It tastes like everything I love in one sip. Almost as if someone caught the taste of pure delight and stuck it in this drink. A noise of pleasure escapes me but luckily everyone is too busy talking to pay any attention to me.

Leila has a breakfast roll in her hand. She gives it a hard look before dunking it in her hot chocolate and biting off the part of the sugared roll that is wet. She almost squeals in excitement.

"Leila," William says, turning to the young girl next to him. "What is it?"

"This," Leila says around a mouthful of hot chocolate and rolls, "is the most amazing combination I have ever tasted!"

William smiles and both he and Maysilee try what Leila did. They smile.

"You're right, Leila," Maysilee says. "This is good."

The rest of breakfast passes by pretty uneventfully. Leila, Maysilee, and William talk some more while Venisha tries to get Reynald to engage in a conversation with her. I feel like the two of them could actually get along if Reynald wasn't so grumpy all the time.

I taste a few pancakes, which are amazing. I can't help but think that Serena would love them. The same way Hayden would go absolutely crazy if he tried the hot chocolate, the same way Leila did. Only he would probably shriek and refuse to ever drink anything else. I make a quick promise to myself, if I win, I'll be sure to get Hayden some hot chocolate.

I stifle another yawn, I really am tired. I eye the coffee. My mom said it was almost like tea, which we had often, only coffee was stronger and helped keep you energized and feeling awake. That would explain why the mayor is always drinking cups of the thing.

I pour myself a small bit of coffee and smell it suspiciously. It smells weird, not sweet like tea does. I see Reynald watching me, dislike evident on his face. I couldn't care less about what he thinks, but he is the only person who can help me win the Games. I take a sip of the coffee slowly, and almost gag at the bitter taste. I'm about to push it away, thinking that I will just stick with the hot chocolate, when I see Reynald smirk. He obvious thinks I can't handle the taste. I'll show him. I down the rest of the coffee. It actually isn't that bad and it did give me a fair amount of energy.

The others are finishing up their breakfast. I shift in my chair to watch them, they are all talking about who knows what. William and Maysilee seem to be very close, closer than they could have become in less than a day. I wonder if they were friends back at District 12. I think about the way William looks at her when she isn't looking, if I didn't know better, I would say that he had a crush on her, maybe she even could have had the same feelings for him.

"Oh, finally," Reynald says. I look over at him and see that he has a bottle of alcohol in his hand. My stomach twists when I see one of the Avoxes from last night standing behind him. I feel so bad for them, the Capitol is truly messed up. "I thought I would never get something to drink." Reynald takes a swig of alcohol and I feel disgust rise from within me.

"Are you seriously going to drink that?" I ask, surprised at how arrogant I sound. This must be why the other tributes seem to think so lowly of me. I regret the question almost the moment it leaves my lips but there is no talking back my words.

"Look kid," Reynald says, annoyance evident in his voice. "Don't tell me what I can or cannot do. Why can't I drink this? I don't have anything better to do anyway."

"You said you would help us today," William says.

Reynald frowns, "Did I say that?"

I roll my eyes, "Yes, you did. Do you seriously not remember? Or are you trying to let us die?" Maysilee shots me a warning glare and I look away.

Reynald sighs and sets down his bottle. "Alright, what are you kids good at?"

There's silence. I want to say something but I'm not going to risk having everybody get mad at me. I can tell that the others want to speak as well.

"Well," Reynald says, moving as though to pick up his bottle again, "If you can't help yourselves, how can you expect me to help you?"

"I'm strong," William says when no one else speaks, "That could be helpful because I can do hand to hand fighting, although I'll try not to. And-"

"What happened there?" Reynald interrupts. When William gives him a blank look, he adds, "On your arm, what happened," he points to a long thin scar on William's arm that I had never noticed before. By the surprised look on Maysilee's face, she hasn't seen it before either.

William looks down, his face turning red, "Nothing," he mutters.

Reynald crosses his arms, "Nothing, huh?"

He sighs and mumbles something.

"What did you say?"

"I got into a fight with a Peacekeeper. He whipped me."

I watch as Maysilee and Leila exchange looks. I frown, vaguely remembering when kids getting whipped for no reason used to be super common. Now it is only reserved for things like illegal sales of any kind and deliberately provoking a peacekeeper. But William seems so kind, I can't imagine him stealing something. Or being so dumb as to pick a fight with a peacekeeper. Maybe he just got in the way.

"So," Reynald chuckles, "You have a battle scar."

William frowns, "I guess."

"That would be a nice story." Reynald is smiling, I guess the alcohol is already having an effect. "We could say you got it fighting another tribute, or-"

"I'm not really interested in having it shown to the world," William says quietly.

Reynald looks disappointed although I have to agree with William. Who would want their scars shown to the world? "What about you," he waves a hand in Maysilee's direction. "Got anything worth my time?"

She looks rather nervous. "Well, I'm good at running. My friend, Iris," I vaguely remember the apothecary's daughter, "used to teach me a bit healing. I can climb trees if the branches are short enough and I can cook basic meals."

Reynald raises his eyebrows, "So, you basically do survival skills?"

"Yes."

"No weapons?"

"I'm not really a violent sort of girl."

Reynald smirks, "If you want to live past the bloodbath, you'll need to change that." He turns to Leila, "What about you?"

Leila bites her lip but keeps Reynald's gaze. "I'm smart. I'm the top of my class, the top of my grade actually. I can climb trees. I don't use any weapons."

Reynald purses his lips, "I guess I can find a way to work with that. What about you, Haymitch?"

I dig my brain for something impressive, "I'm decently smart. Not top of the grade or anything but I know my stuff. I can use a knife, I'm pretty good."

"So," Reynald looks at William, "we've got strong nice guy," his gaze shifts to Maysilee, "survival skills girl," he gives Leila a look that I can't find the meaning of, "smart little girl, and arrogant knife guy." I roll my eyes. "Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Everyone, look!" The five of us spin and see Venisha, who is pointing out the window. I had almost forgotten that she was here. "We've arrived at the Capitol, come see!"

Maysilee and Leila exchange excited looks and rush to the window. William is quick to follow.

"Oh, wow," Leila says, awe clear in her voice. "It's huge!"

Reynald looks at me and shrugs, saying, "It's not that great, don't get too excited." He joins the others but stays away from the window.

The two girls are waving at the Capitol citizens and I almost recoil in shock. How can they even look at those horrible people? Knowing that they have stood by and let the Games happen, they even enjoy them! Of course, I know that gushing and acting excited gets many sponsors, I've watched the interviews enough to know that, but I don't think that I could ever smile at the people who let us die.

I stand near William, who for some reason doesn't seem too eager to see the Capitol either. I would have thought he would be waving as well, as he seems like a big people-person, I guess everyone has their secrets.

"You two should be waving," Reynald sighs. "This is your first impression on the Capitol. Make it a good one."

I mumble, "You're one to talk," but me and William stand behind the girls, giving fake waves and smiling fake smiles.

The Capitol really is beautiful, in a way that makes me wish to destroy it. Their are buildings and trees more extravagant than anything I have ever seen. There is a waterfall, pouring with enough water per minute to feed all of District 12 for a month. The citizens themselves are a much different story. They look absolutely hideous. Venisha seems decent enough compared to the wild mess of clashing wigs and horribly done makeup from the citizens that I can see even from inside the train. The Capitol wastes its money looking ridiculous and betting on the fate of teenagers. It's so messed up!

The train pulls into the station and I'm spared from having to look at the Capitol for even one more minute. My relief quickly fades however, when I realize that it must be time to get ready for the Chariot Rides. I can't think of having to do anything worse than being dressed up for the Capitol, well having to compete in the Games are worse than this, but this is a close second. I brace myself for the torturous few hours that I'm sure will follow now.


Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! You got to learn a little more about my version of a younger Haymitch and more about his fellow tributes. Also, in case you haven't noticed, the Haymitch in my story is much more reserved and soft than he is in canon. I think that the Games would have changed him and made him more hard and turn towards drinking. Tell me what you think of the way I wrote him. With the prequel coming out, everyone is guessing that District 12's first victor was a girl but I'm not going to change anything (Reynalda would sound hilarious).

Also, I'm so sorry that this chapter took two whole months to come out, I hope it was worth the wait (it's another 4K words chapter). I think it would be cool to do a smaller chapter in another characters point of view. Maybe not the next one but the one after. Ii doesn't have to be a tribute, it can be a Capitol citizen or someone from District 12 as well. I'm open to any requests (if I get many, you may even see multiple points of view)!