"Lyssa!" cried Amanda reaching out her hand to her daughter "Lyssa, Lyssa give me your hand!
"I can't reach it!" sobbed the little girl, leaning as far as she could towards "Mom, please, please...
Amanda pushed forward but she was too far away and the house was still collapsing. An arm grabbed the woman pushing her back. Gaius looked at his daughter and then pulled his wife away.
"We can't stay here" he said starting to walk.
"GAIUS, GAIUS NO!" Amanda pleaded with him, struggling to get back to Lyssa "Lyssa! Lyssa!
"MAMA!" the little girl screamed "MAMA, NO, MAMA, NO!
But nothing, the two figures soon disappeared. And the house collapsed.
Lyssa jolted awake, stifling a cry in the sheet. She staggered out of bed to get out of the room and join her aunt who was... who was... she froze suddenly. She wasn't home. She slumped against the wall bursting into desperate tears. She didn't care if the guards occupying the other two rooms heard her, she just wanted to get home. The door to the room opened and the little girl jumped up. In front of her stood a man with a furrowed brow and two sleepy eyes. He had dark skin and two golden eyes. He wasn't wearing a soldier's uniform but a gray t-shirt and sweatpants; evidently his pajamas.
"Gosh, little girl" he said "if you start having nightmares now, you're doomed.
He was not from Capitol City./
"Istrio Viandel, chef of your meals and the other tribute on this floor" introduced himself.
"Lyssa Trinket" Lyssa murmured in reply. Istrio sighed.
"Come" he said "Let's see if we can get you ready for bed.
Lyssa followed him hesitantly. They arrived in the hall and Istrio told her to sit on one of the sofas and then he left. He returned shortly after with a steaming cup.
"Juniper tea and vanilla berries" he said handing the cup to the girl "A specialty of my District
Lyssa sniffed the drink and then tasted it: it was very good.
"Which District do you come from?"asked Istrio, after having taken a couple of sips of her tea.
"11" answered the other one, who had sat on the armchair in front of the girl, watching her drink from the cup "During the war I worked as responsible for the meals of the rebel soldiers in the camps of Capitol City. When these Games started, they hired me and some of my comrades for this job
He sighed.
"Although I must admit that the food you and the other tributes eat, is not of the Capitol standards that I know
Lyssa shrugged her shoulders.
"You know it changes" she mumbled. Istrio snorted with amusement.
"You tributes are a real surprise" he said "For the Districts, I mean
"What do you mean?" asked the little girl, putting her cup on the table in front of her.
"We all expected you to be... incapable, I don't know" replied the man "Scared, sure, we can see your nerves shaking from a hundred kilometers away. But warriors, no, not at all- he leaned forward- I have seen some of your comrades handle sword and spear like their own hands; that was a surprise to us
"Not for me" said Lyssa "But I'm going to survive, if you ask me, and fight for my dignity, because these games are shit
They remained silent for several minutes.
"You talk too good to be, what? Thirteen?" said Istrio "I know who you are, little girl, I know your aunt by reputation, and also the relatives of your ally. You do not have the blood of those who surrender
"Jendy doesn't have to die" said Lyssa "Her parents may have been Gamemakers or stylist, but she lived with her aunt and uncle, with Portia and Cinna Kellaghen, she shouldn't have been here.
Istrio gave a half-smile.
"Don't talk if you don't know, Trinket" he said "Maybe you're too young and you don't remember the Kellaghen scandal" he sighed "In the Districts not much has come of it, but the Capitol City elite have it branded on their foreheads. There's something dark in your friend's past.
Lyssa snapped to her feet.
"Jendy has nothing to do with it, whatever happened!" she hissed "Good night
She tried to leave but Istrio called her back.
"I like you, little girl" said the man "If you prove to be as tough as you are, I wouldn't mind betting on you... and on your friend.
Lyssa looked at him sidelong then holed up in her room.
\\\\\
"Are you asleep?" Katniss whispered with her eyes closed. Peeta looked at the ceiling absently and didn't answer right away.
"Peeta?" the girl called him back.
"No" the other answered "I think
Katniss sighed.
"To Portia?" she asked hesitantly./
Peeta shrugged lazily.
"I think about her often" he said "She was a nice person
"You know" said Katniss "I never asked you, but, were you very close?
The boy laughed without mirt.
"Yes" he answered "Portia was the first to put me at ease, with her smile. We were very similar, with common interests- he chuckled- we would talk for hours, even while my staff was preparing me, but in that case it was just nonsense. Then when we got home, after the Hunger Games, we would spend hours on the phone. I would tell her a little bit about everything, about my family, school, nightmares, paintings; she would tell me about her job, her childhood, the good things that could be found in Capitol City.
Katniss inhaled sharply, but Peeta didn't notice.
"I saw her a few times in prison" he continued, her voice getting lower "but she was always confident even when..." his voice faded.
"Even when they killed her?" the girl encouraged him.
"I was there" Peeta whispered "all dressed up, with the poison darkening my head, but I was sure, maybe it was the only thing I knew, but I was sure that Portia was dying unfairly and that I loved her.
A tear streaked down his face.
"You know, I don't think Cinna is behaving badly" he said "I understand him all too well, Katniss; he's disappointed, angry, hurting
"We have suffered too" retorted Katniss, stinging.
"Yes, you have suffered, Katniss" the boy replied "but Cinna is experiencing a pain that I know all too well, and which, I'm sorry, you have never experienced.
Katniss was silent.
Night returned to envelop the city.
Note: I'm going to have a bit of a busy summer, so all my stories are going to have some pretty long slowdowns. Happy vacations!