Title: Galapagos
Written For Caesar's Palace Claw Machine Challenge (Iguana - Field Scientist AU) and Summer Olympics (Football)
1,241 words of actual story
Hunger Games
Pairing(s): Everlark, Hayffie, Bristel/Gale
Short Story
(I really like this one, might expand it into a multichap)
"Good morning, class!" Professor Trinket sings as she walks into the lecture hall. Katniss just sighs a little bit as the frivolous woman struts around the classroom, greeting everyone and detailing today's plans. Katniss shares a bored stare with Madge, who sits next to her. Madge is trying to be a good student, but even Prof. Trinket's sickly sweet optimism and good will bothers her sometimes.
"So, senior Field Science majors!" Prof. Trinket cries after a long lesson about oceanic microorganisms. "There has been a special trip set up by the Smithsonian that will have students from several premier colleges around the nation go on a field study along with two teachers! The trip will be to go study species on the Galapagos Islands, part of the great country of Ecuador! This institute has been allowed two students and two teachers to go on the trip. Professor Abernathy, our...anatomy teacher, will be joining us." Prof. Trinket shudders at the mention of Prof. Abernathy, or Prof. Drunkathy, as the students call him. He's a wasted, burnt out man who somehow got a medical degree, and teaches classes on human anatomy among other things.
"Who is going on this trip?" a boy named Thom speaks up from the back row of seats.
"Well, that's what I was getting to!" Prof. Trinket chides. "We'll be randomly selecting two lucky students from this bowl!" Prof. Trinket removes a glass bowl from the innards of her desk, filled with little slips of paper. Each slip has a student's name on them.
"Students who got A's the past semester have 5 slips in. Students who got B's have 4 slips, C's 3 slips, D's 2 slips, and...F's...1 slip." Katniss scoffs. It's not like Prof. Trinket gives out F's, even if a student is terrible. There's a rumor that no one in her class has ever gotten anything worse than a D, but Katniss doesn't buy it. There has to have been someone who got a terrible grade in this class.
Prof. Trinket dips her hand into the glass bowl and selects a name.
"Peeta Mellark!" Prof. Trinket calls. A boy stands and walks down to stand next to her. He has sandy blonde hair, a muscled physique, and a nice smile, along with interesting blue eyes. Katniss recognizes him as one of the A students in this class. Katniss is a C student, B at best. She likes Field Science, just...school. School sucks.
"Katniss Everdeen!" Prof. Trinket announces. Katniss, stunned, stumbles down to stand on the other side of Prof. Trinket. The woman gives her a warm smile, her overly painted face cracking a bit from the wide grin. That woman needs to tone down on the makeup Katniss thinks.
"Peeta and Katniss will be joining be and Professor Abernathy on the two week trip in the Galapagos! We are leaving next week. Now, for homework, read pages 135 to 142 and write a two page essay on the life cycle of the microorganisms we discussed today! See you all tomorrow!"
Madge and Katniss walk out of the lecture hall, clutching books close to their chests as they leave behind the classroom.
"Peeta's pretty hot. You gonna, you know-"
"With Miss Sephora and Drunkathy looking over our shoulders at all times? And anyway, I'm going home tomorrow for a few days."
"Gale?! Oooh..."
"Yeah."
Nothing would happen that weekend, however. Gale had this new girlfriend named Bristel or something like that. Strange name. Katniss is just deflated as she packs her suitcase for the flight to the Galapagos Islands.
This trip was going to suck.
This trip was going to be awesome.
Peeta can't keep his hands from shaking in excitement. An actual field study, and he's only a senior in college! His mind is racing. Iguanas, tortoises, penguins, sparrows, cacti, and some much more, all exclusive to the island and all just sitting there in the archipelago, waiting for him to discover, to study, to learn. His father smiles at him as he hands him a cinnamon bun from their bakery. Peeta had driven back home the day before since the airport they were leaving from was closer to home than it was to college. Peeta smiles back at his father as he bites into the pastry. He hugs his father, and finds his mother and two older brothers working behind the counter of the bakery that's connected to their house. He hugs his mother, and shakes hands with his brothers. Then he takes his duffel bag and strides out of his childhood home.
Three hours later he is waiting in line to board the plane. Professors Trinket and Abernathy stand directly in front of him, and Katniss stands next to him. The Professors told them earlier to call them Effie and Haymitch, their real names, but it still bothers Peeta to say their real names in his head. He smiles excitedly at Katniss. She just half heartedly smiles back and looks down at her toes. Hmm.
They board the plane. Prof...Haymitch and Effie sit in the seats in front of them. Katniss sits down in his row, and he eagerly takes the window seat.
"You ever flown before?" Peeta asks as they wait.
"No," Katniss says.
"Scared?"
"No! Just...shut up."
"So you are scared. That's alright, Katniss."
"Just look at the pretty clouds outside your window, alright?"
"We haven't even taken off yet."
"Shit."
The takeoff goes okay, although Katniss grips the sides of the seat so hard that her knuckles turn white. He wants to comfort her, but he also doesn't want to be awkward or anything. So he just gives her a reassuring smile whenever she looks like she's about to hurl.
More than 18 hours later, they've been on three planes and Katniss looks like she's on the verge of puking. She doesn't complain, but he can just see the pain swirling in her beautiful brown eyes, the nerves seeping out as she braids, undoes, and re-braids her silky hair. He eventually just grabs her hand to calm her down when she starts to hyperventilate after they go through a rough patch on the second plane. Katniss looks down distastefully at her hand in his, but she doesn't move it. In fact, she squeezes it tighter whenever she looks especially nauseous.
When they land, Katniss looks unworldly relieved. She staggers out of the plane, and she looks like she wants to kiss the gravel runway beneath their feet like the castaways do in the movies. She does hop up and down a few times to make sure she's still alive, that she's not imagining this. They are driven to the communal dorm where all the students and teachers will be staying.
Peeta and Katniss are given a room to share, just like Effie and Haymitch. They part ways, and Katniss and Peeta reluctantly enter their room. It's small, cramped, the beds pressed up right against the other. They set down their bags and sit there, not speaking, until Effie and Haymitch come into the room.
"Ready, kids?" Effie asks eagerly. They both nod their heads, and then the quartet heads out of the dorm building and into the fascinating landscape of the Galapagos Islands.