Chapter Four

I sit down at the supper table just as Katniss is walking into the room, followed by Effie. Katniss slips into the seat beside me and I give her a small smile before Effie starts her nervous chatting in her perky Capitol accent. It's impossible for her to say anything and not sound absolutely thrilled.

"Where's Haymitch?" She questions while fixing her mass of pink curls. They've gotten slightly out of place since she's been walking all around the train. Though, you have to wonder how she even manages to walk at all in the monsterous heels she's always wearing.

"Last time I saw him," I started and felt both pairs of eyes on me. "He said he was going to take a nap."

Effie looks thoroughly relieved and the grin returns to her pale pink lips. They weren't pretty pale, they were an unnatural pale that looked sort of like the medicine my mother forced me to talk when I was sick one time. "Well, it's been an exhausting day." There isn't anyone in the room who would disagree. And we knew that the exhausting days would keep coming from now on, there was no hope left for relaxation.

Only a few awkwardly quiet minutes pass before the first course arrives. The first is a thick carrot soup that is richer than anything I've ever tasted. The moment it hits my tongue, I feel like melting from the flavor. That's followed by a spinach salad with almonds and raspberry vinaigrette. It was light and tasteful addition to the meal.

The main course of lamb and potatoes had just been cleared from the table when Effie piped up once more. "At least, you two have decent manners. The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion."

I nearly lose my entire appetite. That was no way to talk about the dead, even if they had eaten like that. The fact of the matter is that they had probably never eaten a proper meal in their entire life. They had no reason to know manners. I probably would have ended up just like them if I hadn't been fed properly by the stale bread that was always plentiful in the bakery.

I picked at the fruit and cheese that was brought next. It was on a rather large, godlily decorated red platter. At first, I was kind of scared to actually touch it, but I soon got over that fear. I really liked the strawberries, so I ate my fill of those on slices of different cheese. Cheese was something I never really had the chance to eat before, but I found that I wasn't really missing out on much. It was slightly heavy, though some of the flavors were good.

The best part of the meal, by far, was the cake served at the end. It was rich and thick, unlike any sweet I had ever tasted. I only ate a few bites, though, since Katniss's eating habits were making me a little less hungry. She seemed to be making an effort to eat with her hands and lick her fingers at every possible moment. It was rather sickening, but I didn't say anything. I knew she was just doing it to make a point about what Effie had said.

After dinner, the three of us go to another room filled with a rather large television and many plush couches. I sit on one beside Katniss and let Effie take another as we settle down to watch the reapings. I usually just did this out of pure curiosity with my family, but now it would be to see who I was up against.

One by one, we see the other reapings, the names called, the volunteers stepping forward or, more often, not. From two names are drawn at District One, but the young kids look nowhere near concerned. Almost immediately, two volunteers by the names of Glimmer and Marvel step forward. The look of excitement on their faces is truly sickening. That happens for District two, but the two tributes are names Cato and Clove. Three and Four are rather boring. You can tell that the tributes are prepared, but no volunteers step forward.

At District Five, there's a very peculiar looking girl that's chosen as a tribute. I don't catch her name, but her beautiful red hair seems to set her apart from every one. Her eyes seem to hide a knowledge of something that no one else knows, but I figure that's probably exactly what that is.

Before I can make anymore decisions based upon her appearance, the District switches to Six. I loose interest until it reaches Eleven, and then I have to bite on my bottom lip before glancing over at Katniss. She looks deeply disappointed by the sight of the little girl... standing on stage alone... and no one volunteers to take her place. This is what happens more often than not, so I don't feel any sense of surprise.

Then, it displays out district. I don't particularly feel like reliving the past, so I rise from the couch and stand beside the window, looking out of it. The land around us is flat, much like a wasteland. Thinking about it, that's probably exactly what that is. It's the reason why no one can escape the districts, they wouldn't survive off of the arid land that surrounds most of them. And there was no where to hide from the Captiol's soldiers.

I'm pulled back to the conversation when the tv shuts off and Effie speaks again. She always tries to break silences... though she creates more than she fixes. "Your mentor has a lot to lean about presentation. A lot about televised behavior."

I can't help but to laugh as she speaks like we could actually expect a good presentation from Haymitch. "He was drunk. He's drunk every year." I point out before plopping back down on the couch.

"Every day." Katniss adds before a cute smirk comes to life on her lips.

"Yes." Effie's voice now sounded more like a hiss that came from a snake. "How off you two find it amusing. You know your mentor is your lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be the difference between your life and your death!" She finishes in a huffy voice as the man in question staggered into the room.

His voice was a slur as he began to speak. "I miss supper?" Then puke spews from his mouth, all over the rather expensive looking carpet. And, of course, he finds a way to fall into the mess.

"So laugh away!" Effie said in a half hysterical voice as she literally hopped out of the room before shutting the doors behind her. Thinking about what she said, I sigh, knowing exactly what this means we should probably do.

The stench of the raw spirits and bile is just reaching my nose when Haymitch looks up at us, his face smeared with vomit. "I tripped?"

Putting on my brave face, I start over to him, Katniss following behind me slightly. "Let's get you back to your room. Clean you up a bit." With the help of my fellow tribute, we half drag, half carry our mentor back to his room. All the while, I remind myself that he is our life line in the games. He is the only one that can help me keep her alive. And I need him.

(A/N: Hey guys! Would have had this up last night, but my computer decided to eat it while I was writing it, so I had to start over. I hope you like it, please leave me reviews and I'll try to get up another chapter before I go to bed tonight. Love you, Sharpie.)