Hey guys, I realize that the events in the first chapter may seem a bit… weird and out of character. I'd like to take this moment to explain. In most of the stories that I've read, Gale is characterized as some sort of possessive gorilla that will stop at nothing to have Katniss and frankly, it's ridiculously annoying – also, he needed some love and happiness before the Games and rebellion. Oh, in case anyone is wondering: he's 19 and Madge is 17 (and yes, I realize that it's a bit ridiculous for him to get Madge pregnant but just go with it, okay?) – Which is why I felt the need to pair him and Madge together in the beginning; that way, he can still be protective over Katniss but won't lust after her. Anyway, on with the story:
74th Hunger Games, District 12 – Katniss Everdeen
The train is much more luxurious than I thought it would be; the sconces on the wall appear to be made out of platinum, the carpet as soft as sheepskin, the furniture made out of the finest wood available. The cost alone to furnish one of these cars could have probably kept my district fed for a year or two. The train would have kept us alive and well for about two decades. I feel a stab of anger burn through me. The Capitol would rather spend money on stupid, vapid, superficial items instead of supplying a district with enough food to last a year. I want nothing more than to just rip these fancy decorations off the wall and burn the train to ashes but I push all that down. I have to be strong for Prim; I can't leave her all alone with my mother, I won't leave her alone with my mother. I repeat that mantra in my head as I walk towards the dining car where everyone else is waiting for me.
A few hours later I'm lounging around in my cabin – which is surprisingly modest compared to the rest of the train –, dinner went by pretty quickly and nothing worth mentioning happened. Actually, scratch that. I suppose I did almost cut off one of Haymitch's fingers. That counts as something, right?
I snicker a bit at the memory before I stop; I can't be distracted right now, I promised Prim that I would return to her no matter what, but the thing is, I don't know whether I'll be alive or in a box. I sigh and shake my head to clear my thoughts before plopping myself down on my bed and staring up at the ceiling. The reaping is set to air in a few minutes but I think I can get away with missing a few minutes of it. I lie there for about all of five minutes before I hear Effie knocking at my door and screeching at me to come and watch the reaping. I swear, that woman always goes on and on about 'manners' yet she's the one who can't seem to use an indoor voice.
I hop out of bed and open the door to find a wide-eyed Effie gaping at me. "What?" She jumps back at my tone and I quickly backtrack, "Sorry, what?" I ask in a lighter tone.
She clears her throat and gazes at me, "Katniss, your clothes are all wrinkled and your hair is tangled and filled with knots." She says while gesturing to my apparent flaws. "It's unbecoming of a woman, and normally I would tell you to go fix it but seeing as the reaping has just started…" she trails off and gestures for me to follow her. I let out a puff of air and follow her, feeling just a bit self-conscious about my appearance.
The reaping is in the process of switching between Districts by the time we've arrived in what I could only call 'the entertainment car'. There are numerous sofas and seats scattered throughout the car and a huge display adorns the wall. Caesar Flickerman is on the screen right now commenting about the previous Tributes but I tune him out before plopping down onto the sofa, far enough away from everyone else.
The images on the screen change and show a large crowd in a venue that's covered completely in marble and other luxurious materials. The camera pans a bit and I notice that the building in the background look very modern and contemporary. I immediately recognize it as District 2, the masonry and Peacekeeper training district. The Tributes from this District are particularly fierce so I decide to pay attention, at least for a little bit. The female Tribute, Lynn something, looks a bit unhinged and seeing as no one has bothered to volunteer to replace her, she's more than capable of handling herself.
The escort turns around after introducing her and reaches into the bowl for male Tributes. She pulls out a tiny slip and calls out a fairly strange name, "Albus Valerius," She searches the crowd for him before speaking into the microphone again, "Albus, are you there? Please make your way up to the stage." The camera pans to find him in the vast crowd of boys and my heart breaks. He has brown hair, fair skin and looks to be around Prim's age, and if it weren't for the fact that his skin is light, I could've easily mistaken him for Rory.
He slowly walks through the crowd and makes his way toward the stage. I'm a bit confused, District 2 is career district, and there are always volunteers from a career district. I continue to contemplate this before I hear someone shouting, "I volunteer! I volunteer as Tribute!" The camera zooms in on the figure running down the aisle, and the first thing that I can think of is that he's huge. He looks to be around 6' 2" and sculpted entirely out of muscle, his blond hair catches the sunlight as he makes his way towards the stage and he shares a glance with Albus before continuing on to the stage.
He parades himself onto the stage, much to the excitement of the escort who's obviously elated at the fact that she's finally gotten a volunteer before introducing himself. "My name is Cato Valerius." He says in a confident voice. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise when I hear his last name and I can't help but wonder if he's related to Albus. Perhaps he's his brother or a cousin or something or maybe he's not related to him. District 2 is large enough to the point that some last names are just common. I disregard these thoughts and pay more attention to the reaping.
The escort nods and says something about what an honor it is to volunteer. I zone out until she asks Cato a question, "So am I right to assume that that was your brother?"
My eyes snap to his face as the camera zooms in on him. Up until now he's had a somewhat blasé expression on his face but he twitches a bit before he answers. "Yes. That was my brother."
Interesting.
74th Hunger Games, District 2 – Cato Valerius
The train is way too ostentatious for my tastes. The Capitol can never do things half-way, they always have to have the flashiest clothes or the flashiest buildings so it's really not a surprise to me when I step onto the train to find sconces made of what looks like to be platinum, marble flooring, and furniture that is made out of the finest woods and leathers available. It probably costs a fortune to furnish and build these trains and I'd bet anything that the officials in charge of transportation didn't even bat an eye at the cost before approving construction. It's annoying to see just how focused on looks the Capitol is but I push that aside, I don't have the time to explore these thoughts, not right now. I follow the instructions the peace keepers gave me and make my way towards the dining car.
I walk into the car to find Brutus and Enobaria waiting at the dining table. They're deep in discussion about something but stop and turn to face me once I walk through the door. They gesture for me to come and join them at the table. I notice that Lynn and the escort are not here and raise an eyebrow in question at them when I sit down. They merely shrug before glancing at each other, "They'll be joining us later, we wanted to speak with you alone," Brutus says and I slowly nod at his explanation.
"Okay, and what did you guys want to speak about with me?" There's not really anything to say. I mean, I was supposed to volunteer in two years – not like I had a choice in the matter but I don't regret it – so I bet it has to do with the fact that whoever was supposed to volunteer didn't.
Enobaria clears her throat, "This year's volunteers obviously did not do their jobs we don't yet know why they didn't volunteer but rest assured they will be punished accordingly." The malice in her voice is clear and I can't help but wonder if they're already being punished. "We've already had this discussion with Lynn and she seemed to be quite interested in hearing about what would happen to them. A bit sadistic of her, really, but that's not a bad thing, you're headed into the Games and you'll need that extra edge once you get inside the arena."
Brutus rests his hand on her shoulder, "I've got this, Enobaria." He says as she turns to face him. "There's another reason why Lynn and Cornelia aren't here," he whispers conspiringly, "Years ago, your uncle and I came to an understanding. He asked me to make sure that if you were to ever go into the Games, I would do my best to make sure that it was you who came out, no one else." I cock my head in question and open my mouth to speak before Brutus continues, "Of course, I agreed with him and Enobaria is now on board as well," He clears his throat, "so just know that no matter what, we'll be behind you 100 percent."
I nod my head slowly, "So what does this mean for the Games? What's my strategy going to be?" I don't expect to be partnered up with Lynn, not anymore, not after Uncle Marcus warned me not to trust her, and definitely not after Brutus basically assured me that he would be supporting me in favor of Lynn. If she were to ever catch wind of anything, she'd probably kill me as soon as I stepped off the plate, maybe even sooner if she thought she could get away with it.
Enobaria clears her throat and fidgets nervously, "We haven't thought that far ahead yet, to be honest." I can't help but smile at that, Enobaria and Brutus are two of the best mentors and they haven't even worked out a plan for me yet. Oh man, if I didn't know any better, I'd say I was doomed. They've obviously caught onto my train of thought since they're now scowling at me.
"She meant a comprehensive plan, Cato." Brutus says in explanation. "Just act like a typical career would for now; arrogant, superior, you know. Show off your skills at training, treat all the other Tributes like they're trash, and just act like a general ass. You know, mix it up."
"Okay, I think I can do overly arrogant ass. I've been groomed for that role ever since I could remember. Just smirk a lot and act like I could kill you with my pinky, simple." Brutus gives me an approving nod and dismisses me, telling me he'll come and fetch me once dinner is ready.
I walk down the hall in search of my cabin and run into Lynn, literally. I hadn't really gotten a good look at her until now. Her blond hair shimmers in the dimming sunlight and her eyes – her cold, haunting eyes – are actually a light shade of green and upon closer inspection, I see a light smatter of brown in them. She's pretty attractive, now that I think about it and if it were in any other situation, I would have smiled shyly and stepped out of the way, but this is different. She has a murderous look on her face which is without a doubt meant for me. She shoves past me and continues on her merry little way, oblivious to the fact that Brutus and Enobaria are essentially planning her death in the next room.
A couple hours later I'm sitting on my bed waiting for the reaping to come on. Dinner was a bit uneventful, aside from that escort prattling on about some new stupid Capitol fashion. It was quite interesting to hear Lynn snap at her about half way through the meal. I don't blame her for that though I probably would've done the same thing eventually. I hear a knock at my door and before I can shout for them to come in, the door opens to reveal Brutus. "Reaping's on," he says as he gestures for me to follow him.
We walk through the various cars until we reach what I assume is some sort of entertainment car. I plop myself down onto an empty sofa and focus on the large screen mounted on the wall. The reaping has just begun and I patiently wait as it passes through the various districts. I passively take note of the Tributes that pose a threat to me, specifically the ones from the career districts. It's not until the reaping reaches District 11 do I pay any real attention. I feel a pang in my chest as the female Tribute walks onto stage. She can't be more than twelve years old, and I notice that although she's clearly terrified at being called, she still doesn't cry or scream. She merely walks onto stage and gives a shy smile for the cameras and introduces herself in the smallest voice as Rue. She reminds me of Camilla and it hurts to even think about Camilla – or a girl even remotely like Camilla – going into the Games.
I watch through the rest of the District 11 ceremony with little interest, the male Tribute is large and might pose a problem, but it's nothing I won't be able to handle. I've been training for this for six years, nine if you count the three before I entered the Academy, and I know that I'm more than prepared for this.
The District 12 reaping begins with its usual fanfare, the camera pans to show how bleak and desolate it looks before focusing once more on the stage. The escort gives a short speech before rummaging through the glass bowl for female Tribute. She pulls out a slip and reads off the name, "Now then, let's see who we have here… Primrose Everdeen. My, what a lovely name, Primrose, are you there? Please make your way up to the stage, dear."
The camera pan to show a small blond girl – that looks oh so much like Camilla – walking slowly through the crowd. She manages to get into the aisle before a voice calls out and stops the girl in her steps, "Prim! Prim! No, I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" The camera pans over to the owner of the voice, already making her way down the aisle. The first thing I can think of is that she's gorgeous. She looks about 5' 9" and has chestnut hair that just seems to flow everywhere. Her skin is a light tan that just seems to better compliment her hair and willowy figure. She runs up to the girl – I assume she's some sort of family friend or something, they look nothing alike – and gives her a crushing hug before handing her off to a boy – now he looks like he's related to mystery girl – that's walked up behind her before continuing onto the stage.
She walks up the last few steps of the stage and stops right next to the escort. The escort asks for mystery girls name and she replies in a calm, strong voice, "Katniss. Katniss Everdeen." Oh, so Primrose was a relative? It was probably a cousin or something, she couldn't possibly be her sister, right?
The escort nods as if she knew all along before speaking again. "Well, I'd bet my buttons that that was your sister you volunteered for." I sit back and watch intently as I wait for her answer. Katniss bites her lip and gives a resolute nod before stepping back and waiting for the reaping to continue.
Shit. This complicates things.
Okay, so there it is. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to explain why Cato wasn't being an arrogant ass earlier by having Brutus recommend that he start acting like one when he gets into the Capitol. Does that make sense?
Anyway, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Constructive Criticism is very welcome! Also, if anyone would be willing to be my beta, please PM me.