Chapter 4: "And May the Odds Be…"
Ash – Train, on Route to the Capitol
When finally I meet up with Coley again, she jumps on my back without a word. The car ride to the train is full of tears, and useless blabber streaming from Effie's mouth. We enter the train and are ushered down a couple cars. Coley is on my back as the train starts and I stumble and almost fall. We sit down on a soft couch.
Haymitch, our "mentor," comes stumbling in, obviously drunk, mumbling something and passes out cold in his seat.
I kinda zone out after that. Effie offers us food and all this stuff rambling on about the Capitol.
I finally interrupt her to ask where I can use the restroom and sleep.
Coley jumps on my back again and we walk to another compartment. I plop Coley onto the bed, go to the bathroom, then curl up next to Coley and pass out.
The rest of the train ride is a blur of sleeping, eating too rich of food, Effie talking and Haymitch drinking too much. Haymitch never gives us advice or talks to us much for that matter. We arrive at the Capitol in no time and are ushered through the crowds lining the streets to a huge building.
We go to our floor, floor Twelve, are shown around then told to meet up for dinner in three hours. Coley, ever present on my back, and I explore the floor and decide on a room. They can't separate us, and she's going to stay in my sight as long as I can.
When we finally figure out how the showers work and have each taken one and changed into the silky clothes they provide for us, we are fiddling with the technological things in the room.
"Ash, please promise you won't risk your life for me," Coley whispers abruptly.
"I can't promise that," I whisper back and look down.
"Please. Everyone needs you more than me," she says laying back on the bed.
"That's not true!" I almost scream at her.
"Yes it is and you know it! You're a boy! You can work and help the family and all I can do without being a scandal is pop out babies and I don't want to do that!" she says at almost the same volume.
"I need you. Please, don't throw your life away," I bring the volume down. "Please."
"I can't promise that," she repeats what I just said.
My head snaps up to look her in the eyes.
"Collette, don't you dare – " I start.
"No!" she cuts me off. "You need to listen! The kids adore you! You're strong! You have a life ahead of you! I don't have a very promising one! You need to win!" Tears are streaming down her face. "Please..." she finishes desperately.
"Then promise me one thing," I reply stroking her face. She looked at me questioningly. "Don't die on purpose."
She opened her mouth, then closed it, looking at me, confused.
"You HAVE to promise me that you won't just throw yourself into the first blood bath that happens at the cornucopia. I wouldn't be able to stand it if you died right away. I'd have nothing to fight for. Please?" I look at her desperately. "I'd be empty. I need you, please," I beg her, resting my head on her shoulder.
We stay like that for a minute. She finally responds, "I promise."
Josie – Train, on Route to the Capitol
"…ever in your favor!" finishes Cesar Flickerman. The TV went into the whole Hunger Games anthem and Finnick shut off the TV.
"Could be worse," Finnick says. "One and Two are lethal, as usual. But sometimes we get strong competitors from Seven or Ten like Johanna Mason two years ago. Luckily for us it seems like everyone else is pretty norm…"
"Cut the crap, Odair," Seaweed snaps.
Finnick stares and I scoot away from my fellow tribute Sean Weedon, although everyone at school knows him by his nickname, Seaweed.
"What's your problem, Seaweed?" Finnick says, recovering quickly.
Seaweed jumps to his feet and begins to pace. "What's my problem?" he repeats. "My problem is that I know that you'll do everything to help your little sis win these damn games and to hell with me."
"What type of person do you think I am?" Finnick says coolly. "I'm not throwing you to the sharks."
"I think you're the Capitol sweetheart who doesn't care about anyone except himself," Seaweed snaps back.
Finnick closes his eyes and breathes deeply. I glare at Seaweed. He doesn't know anything.
"Even if that's true," Finnick replies even more coolly, "How is that your problem?"
"My problem is that you're going to do everything to help Jo win," Seaweed says darkly, glaring at Finnick with blue eyes the color of a stormy ocean. "I'm as good as dead already."
"Listen here, Seaweed," Finnick growls, "I'm not ditching you before the games have even begun. Yes, Josie is more important to me, but can you blame me? You have a younger sister too. What would you do if you were me?"
The two boys glare at each other and I sit uncomfortably between them.
Seaweed looks away first. He looks deflated. "I'd help them try to win," he mutters.
Finnick nods, but he doesn't look pleased about winning this little show of male ego - he looks sad.
"But I don't want to die," announces Seaweed. He ignores Finnick as my brother begins to speak and turns to me. "My best chance is to stick with you, so here's a proposition. We're allies no matter what until there are only four people left besides us and then we split. Deal?"
I look at him carefully. Seaweed is muscled and strong from days spent deep-sea fishing with his family, has a reputation for being good in a crisis and we've been friends for years. That was what made me sad: Seaweed has always been someone I considered a friend. We were in the same class at school and our parents used to have barbecues together when we were little.
"Deal," I tell him. We shake on it and Finnick looks visibly less worried. Sky comes bouncing in.
"Dinner!" He announces.
Finnick – Still on the Train
Seaweed and Josie are asleep already. I'm sure Sky is too. I'm alone in the dining car watching the world flash by through the windows. A full glass of liquor is in front of me. If I were Haymitch - the only victor from district Twelve - I would have drained it and be on my third or fourth glass. If I were Brutus from district Two or anyone else from district One I would be strategizing; feeling a strange, perverse sense of pleasure at the prospect of grooming someone to be victor. Instead I'm exhausted. I want to be anywhere but here on a train on my way to watch my sister in the Hunger Games.
I hear the door slide open and Josie is standing there. I open my arms and she snuggles into them as if she were still five years old. I stroke her hair as the train zooms away...
And finally pulls into the station. Seaweed is posing in front of the windows, nodding with a small smile that someone might read as cheeky. Josie is quite a crowd pleaser; waving at everyone with a bright smile and throwing kisses. I, too, play my part to perfection. I wave at the crowd and smile happily to faces I recognize, making signals to those that I know will want to call me later...because Snow sent me a message. Just three words: "Start again or..."
Fill in the blank, Finnick. That letter said. Fill it in carefully or you'll never see your sister again.
But that air-head crowd doesn't know that. They only see me in a light gold shirt and loose pants. They only see me and my little sister who suddenly isn't so little anymore as she flirts with the crowd that cheers her name.
I put my hand on her shoulder and the crowd goes wild.
"Well," I whisper to her as the train enters the tunnel. "You won't lack sponsors."