Okay, So Carlisle will be in this, as promised, but I haven't gotten to him yet :P He will be in it, but I never said he'd be in the same district as Esme :P Thanks for reading! I know it's a short chapter today, but I have exams and don't have time to write something long or overly good. Hopefully this is okay though.
Esme's POV- Arriving
I woke up at lunch the next day. Edward was sitting beside me, eating food from a piled plate. Tiberius was sitting across from us, talking about what our priorities in the arena were. The second he saw me awake, he pulled me into the conversation.
''You're first priority is distance. Stay away from the Cornucopia, and get as much distance away from the Careers as possible. Trust no one. Don't stop until you're sure you're alone. You're next priority is water. You cannot survive without it. Food is great. A hiding place is great. But you must have the water. Understand? Run. Find water. Once you get water, you find somewhere to camp. Do not light a fire in the dark. It's a death wish. Careers use the night to hunt down tributes who are scared of the dark. So get used to it.'' Tiberius looked to Edward as he spoke, and Edward gulped. He was scared of the dark, that much was obvious. Tiberius gave him a sympathetic look and carried on talking. ''If you can, get an ally or two. Edward, run away from everyone and hide. Esme, if you find Edward, help him out. You want your district to win, so working together will help with that. The districts I need you to look out for are District One and Two, possibly Four. One and Two have been training for this. All the tributes from there WANT to fight. That's about all the advice I can give you. I'll send you parachutes when and only when you're desperate. Understood? Good.'' And with that, he stood up and walked away.
I glanced at Edward, who was standing up to leave. ''I'll look out for you...'' I whisper. Like I can even look out for myself. Edward turned to look at me, a hopeful smile on his face. ''Thank you Esme'' he replied, before walking out of the room. The kid wasn't much of a talker, but he was sure sweet.
I stood up and looked out the window, the sky was a perfect blue. For a moment, I pretend I'm back home with Elia. I pretend we're outside in the big field just outside the district. I would only take Elia there during summer, when we could see what or who was coming from miles away.
I don't know how long I stand and stare at the sky. I realize it's been a long time when the train goes into a tunnel, and I'm surrounded by darkness. I move over to a couch and sit on it quietly, looking out the window. I don't hear Salia, Edward and Tiberius come in, but at some point, they all come and sit beside me. I know we must nearly be there, since Salia rarely leaves her room, Tiberius is too busy doing god-knows what and Edward is too shy to talk to me, never mind be in a room alone with me for hours.
It seems like hours pass. I don't know why I'm nervous, but I am. I've never been anywhere near the Capitol. All I've really seen of it is the main centre where the tributes line up every year. All I really know about the Capitol is that the residents are, in Tiberius's words ''strange beings with no real personality''. Tiberius says they're all obsessed with what they look like, and to them, the Hunger Games is just a little bit of fun. How is watching children die fun? I want to ask, but there isn't a point. If I offend the Capitol, I offend Salia. She takes these game very seriously. She acts as if the world revolves around the Capitol watching these games, and getting to see them. I'm sure she would think much differently if she had to fight in the Games. If she was so terrified of losing a brother, a sister or a child that she wouldn't want to leave her home.
My own thoughts make me angry. The Capitol and their pathetic games. My staring out the window turns to a full glare. I'm sure the others have noticed the change in my expression, but nobody has asked me anything. I'm glad they don't. I don't want to get angry at anyone for no reason.
And then, we're out of tunnel, and we get a full view of the Capitol.
I'm not sure if my gasp was audible.
Who'd have thought a place that brought such pain, death, and hurting to people, could be so beautiful?
