Chapter Two

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- DISTRICT 3 : THE TRAIN -

The events that followed soon after the Reaping, were a little different from the usual. I was ushered behind the stage, and was locked in a small room, within a building a few metres away from the Justice Building.

I was allowed a small few moments to say goodbye to those that I loved, a mere five minutes was all that I was given. It wasn't near long enough, and that irked me. I'd probably never get to see these people, ever again. I should be allowed more time, that should be my right as tribute. Apparently, this wasn't the case, I watched as my friends were forcefully removed from my presence and I waited for the next lot of visitors to approach me. I wasn't surprised when my family walked through the door to my small room, but I was glad they came. I needed them, right now, more than anything.

I embraced my mother, first. I could easily tell that she had been crying, from the occasional sniff and sigh. It broke my heart to see her like this.

"You'll be okay," I ushered, calmly stroking the back of her head soothingly. "I'll fight with everything I have, so that I can come back." I felt my voice weaken at this point, "I promise."

"I know you will, I know you will."

"Be strong, I'll be okay."

I looked toward my siblings, and I smiled wryly. This entire thing hadn't quite hit me yet, I was waiting to burst into hysterics. Inwardly, I wanted to throw a tantrum. I wanted to swear, and curse the Capitol for this twisted entertainment of theirs. It just wasn't fair, and it made me angry, beyond comprehension.

I moved toward my younger siblings, next. I kissed their noses and hugged them tightly. I playfully ruffled James' hair, and pinched Bella's cheek.

"Behave, got it? I don't want to hear any stories about you two when I get back, 'kay? Promise me?"

I received muffled responses in return, they were distraught. Earlier this morning, I was adamant that everything would work out, just fine. It seems my forced optimism was tired of being half assed. I gathered my family into a large hug, wryly surprised that my father wasn't anywhere to be seen. Did he even know of my predicament? Probably not. The little time I had with my family passed quickly, and I was heartbroken to watch them leave. This might be the last time they would ever see me, alive. I paced around the room I was confined to, for the time being. It wasn't anything extraordinary, a small table and some stools resided in the corner. The window was barred, as if to make sure I wouldn't escape, clever thinking.

I was left in that room for a mere five more minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Already, I was beginning to plan out how I would act and approach the Capitol. What look did I want to uphold? Would it be better if I feigned weakness and kept to myself? Should I even bother with making alliances with another tribute? I didn't know what could help me, if anything, I was probably better off on my own.

I was escorted hastily from my little room, and found myself boarding the train. The crowd of District 3, stood by and watched as Dex and I stepped upon the transportation. I allowed myself to look behind my shoulder, to glance at my boring District for one last time. Despite the constant buzz of electricity, and all the nerdy talk about technology and physics. This place was the best thing to me, it was my home. I was going to miss it, immensely. Dex, stood beside me throughout this sentiment. He watched the crowd, just as I was and he kept silent. He was probably saying his own, silent farewell. It wasn't long, before the Peacekeepers grew impatient with us. Dex and I were shoved further onto the train, and the door was shut behind us. I could not see District 3, any more.

As soon as I was out of the limelight, I felt myself deflate. My shoulders hunched over, and I sighed quite loudly. This entire ordeal was taxing, I just wanted to crawl into a hole and be by myself for a few hours. But it seemed, Stacy wouldn't have any of that.

"Alright, let's get started, shall we? Come, take a seat and get comfortable. We've a lot of things that we need to discuss."

I did as I was told, and took a seat a little away from Stacy. Dex occupied the seat beside me, and we both turned our heads to attention.

Stacy beamed at us both, and clasped her hands together upon her lap. "Firstly: Congratulations! Both of you look very promising, and I can't wait to get to know the both of you a bit more. Since you're both newly selected tributes, I need to run through a few things by you, so you don't make a complete fool of yourselves when we're in the Capitol."

"Okay, tell us what we need to do." Dex grunted, obviously not in the mood for this.

"To start things off, you'll both need to speak with your mentors. Get to know them as well as you can, and work with them. Find out as much information and take in all of their advice, they've been through exactly what you're going through. They can help you, if you let them."

This much I had already gathered, but I nodded my head attentively and continued to listen.

"When we reach the Capitol, you'll be welcomed warmly by the citizens whom reside there. To keep up a good image, I advise that you play nice and respond to them with as much enthusiasm as you can. This behavior will help you out, in the long run."

Great, I needed to interact with other people. Not my strongest point.

"You'll be escorted promptly to the tribute quarters, the floor you'll be staying on is designated on what District you are from. Since we're from District 3, we'll be staying on the third floor. Simple enough, yes?"

"Will we have to interact with the other tributes?" Dex asked.

"That's up to you, sweetie. It all depends on what will help you survive. From watching my previous tributes, I'd stay away from the District 1, 2 and District 4. Unless you prove yourself worthy of their time, otherwise, they won't treat you so kindly."

"How long, until we reach the Capitol?" I started, somewhat taking initiative.

Stacy turned her attention to me, now and she smiled widely. "Less than half a day, this train travels over two hundred and fifty miles per hour. The Capitol is amazing, isn't it?"

I wasn't in the mood to chat idly with Stacy, so I changed the topic. "Where are our mentors? Shouldn't they be here, with us?"

"Oh, they're somewhere around here. They'll find you when they're ready, don't worry."

I couldn't really do anything else, other than worry. From this small conversation alone, I already have to do so much more than I am willing to do, to survive. I didn't know how to take everything in, I wanted to bash my head against a wall.

Dex seemed to notice my paranoia, and he nudged my left arm with his right elbow. When I lifted my head to look at him, he raised his eyebrows in a silent message.

'… You okay?'

I just started at him flatly, offering no response.

"Now the second thing we'll need to attend to as soon as we reach the Capitol, is the compulsory grooming you'll need to go through. Thankfully, unlike the less fortunate Districts, you two are in average condition. But, we need to make you're above perfect condition for the Tribute's Parade. Your stylists have conjured something remarkable for you to wear throughout the parade, I'm sure the both of you will love what they have both come up with. I simply cannot wait, everything is falling into place so quickly, I just can't seem to keep up!"

I wished Stacy's enthusiasm was contagious, I was fairly certain that I'd find myself despising whatever the Capitol forces me to wear. I wasn't looking forward to any of this.

Stacy rose to her feet, and squealed loudly. "I'm so excited! Please, make yourselves at home. If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask the Avoxes. There will always be one of them in every room, I assure you. Now, your bedrooms are down that hall over there," She pointed toward the left of the train carriage, "Select any room you'd like, both are catered for your needs. Enjoy yourselves, you've earned it."

I didn't need to be told twice, I quickly jumped to my feet and went to retreat to my temporary bedroom. I needed to be alone for a while, and allow for everything to sink in. I didn't want to have a mental break down in the Capitol, that would do little to nothing, to up my image. The train was such a mystery to me. I didn't know how many carriages there were, nor did I know if there were any other tributes upon this train as well. Surely, for now, we would all be kept separate so not to start any trouble before the Hunger Games could begin.

I walked down the hallway, and noticed two doors on either side of the hall. I selected the door on the left, and went to open it. However, it seemed Dex had other plans than to retreat quietly.

He gently grasped my shoulders, and slowly turned me so that I was facing him. He leant down slightly, and looked at me intently. "So, we haven't really spoken in a while. Why don't we take this time to catch up?"

"It seems that you've forgotten how much I dislike you," I started, my lip curling in distaste.

Dex sighed, and released his grip on my shoulders. "Can we let go of the past, even if it's for a few minutes? It's not wise to hold grudges, especially with the situation we are in."

I scoffed, "You think I'm holding a grudge? You used us, when we were nothing but nice to you. You almost ruined my family."

"I'm not going to explain my actions, I've already told you why I did what I did. Isn't that enough?"

"It was nowhere near enough. You used your drugged-up father as an excuse, cliché and typical."

Dex's eyes narrowed dangerously at my words, "You don't know anything about my father, you have no idea what it's like, living with someone like him. You'd the same if you were in my position."

"Doubt it. If people want to fuck up their own lives, then let them. It's none of my business."*

"You're still rather dense, I see. I did the wrong thing, and I've apologised for that, countless of times. What more do you want from me?"

I shrugged, "For you to leave me alone? I don't want anything to do with you, and I definitely don't want to have anything to do with you when we're in the arena. Just stay away from me."

"Fine then," Dex snapped, "Let me know when you change your mind."

"Trust me, I won't." And with that, I walked into my room and shut the door behind me.

I ran my fingers through my hair irritably, and I cursed Dex for rendering me this flustered. It wasn't like I didn't have more important things to worry about, then worrying about him trying to get under my skin. That's what I disliked about Dex, he knew everything about me; which was enough to make me overly annoyed with him on a constant basis.

I sighed in frustration, and turned to the matter at hand. The bedroom I was situated in, was overly large. There wasn't much to it, a massive bed resided in the middle of the room, floor lamps flanking either sides of said object. The sheets were soft to the touch, and were a pristine white colour. The bed had more pillows than I could handle, and I was quick to throw them off and into a lone corner of the room. At the far end of the room and more toward the right, were a set of cupboards and another door; which I assumed led to the bathroom.

I walked over to the dresser, and opened it. Funnily enough, there were clothes packed in there for me. But I would rather prefer to stay in my current attire for as long as I possibly could. I smiled wryly to myself and thought of my sister, Bella, and how she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to try on all of the clothes the Capitol had to offer. When my thoughts travelled back to my family, my heart sank and my mood worsened. Sighing, I went to inspect the bathroom; which was just as wide as my bedroom back in District 3. The shower was extravagant and had too many buttons and switches for my liking. I'd probably need the help of an Avox to show me and point out what the hell I was supposed to do. It seemed that the Capitol liked their things complicated and unnecessary.

I stepped out of the bathroom, and walked over to my bed. The mattress wasn't as stiff as it seemed, but not quite as soft as I'd like it to be. I ran my fingers gently over the soft blanket I had been provided with, and pulled at a few stray strands of fabric here and there. What was I supposed to do with myself now? Just, sit back and relax until I arrived at the Capitol? How fuckin' comical. That's just what I wanted to do within my last few days before I inevitably die a horrible death. This world is sick, death couldn't come soon enough. Laughing wryly, I flopped back onto my bed and stared indifferently at the ceiling. A numbing sensation overtook me, and I guessed this was the moment when everything would finally sink in. I was going to die, alone, while my family watched. What a way to go.

I turned over onto my side and pulled my knees to my chest. I couldn't quite explain what I was feeling exactly, but if I had to put these sensations into words, I'd say that it felt like I had been thrown into ice cold water. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think properly and my arms and legs refused to move. All I could feel was my heart beating erratically, it felt as if it would leap out of my chest at any given moment. I was frozen and could not do anything, but scream. I screamed for so long and so loudly that my throat felt raw after I ran out of breath. What the flipping fuck was I going to do? There was no way I could possibly come back from this. A knock at my door sounded, and I was quick to ignore it. I wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone else for the day, I wanted to go to sleep and simply forget about my current situation. Fuck life.

Another knock at my door sounded and before I could decide whether to ignore it or not, it slid open with little warning and standing in the midst of the door frame was a middle aged woman. Her face was familiar to me, but I couldn't pinpoint a name to her tired features. This woman was one of the two Victor's District 3 had. From what I could sparingly remember, this woman's Hunger Games took place well before I was born. She wasn't much to look at, black hair with the occasional grey strand here and there, dark bags hung under her eyes. Overall, she looked overtired and done with life. I wondered if I looked somewhat similar.

Grudgingly hefting myself into a sitting position, I watched as the woman walked into my room stiffly, situating herself on the far edge of my bed. We sat in awkward silence, and I silently wished that she would go away and leave me alone. I wasn't in the mood to talk about strategies and sponsors, I wanted to rot in my own self pity.

"How old are you?" The woman suddenly asked, jolting me to attention.

"... Eighteen."

She breathed in sharply and laughed dryly, "How unfortunate for you."

"You don't say?"

"My name is Hannelore, if you didn't already know. I'll be your mentor throughout this process, if you've any questions, don't be afraid to come to me for answers."

"Okay..."

Another awkward silence fell between us and I was half expecting that the silence alone was a sure enough sign for Hannelore to take her leave. I didn't want to be in the same room as her, just her mere presence was enough to remind me of the impending situation at hand. I wanted to be blissfully ignorant and forget the world, but that isn't any way to live your life, is it?

"... Do you have any questions?"

I stared at the woman beside me, a little confused and worried. I had expected that victors would act all proud and mighty, because in their time and early age they had manage to win and obtain the right to be invincible, the Capitol can not touch them ever again. But in the process of gaining the safety they fought hard for, they've also lost so much and they continue to lose a little bit more every year. I can't imagine someone leaving the arena with little to no mental scarring. We're not supposed to be pitted against each other like animals, where was our humanity?

"Does it..." I paused, trying to find the right words. "Does it get any easier for you? Having to guide so many children to their possible death each year?"

Hannelore was rather taken aback by my question and seemed to ponder upon it thoroughly; I don't know what kind of answer I was expecting. But what she said next, surprised me.

"I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. That's all I can say."

Authors Note: Okay, I know. This chapter was really boring, I know I could've written more, but this was more or less filler. I promise the next chapter will be a lot more interesting.

* - I'd like to thank a good friend of mine for coming up with this sentence of advice he had given me a long time ago.