Sorry I haven't posted a new chapter in so many days! Here's chapter 5!
Title: The 94th Annual Hunger Games
Based on: Hunger Games
Narrator: Katniss Everdeen
Summary: Let's say Peeta Mellark had died to let Katniss live, and there was no rebellion. The 75th Hunger Games was not for past victors, and Katniss goes on to be a mentor for District 12 along with Haymitch Abernathy.
CHAPTER 5: ARRIVING AT THE CAPITOL
"Thank goodness," I muttered as soon as my eyes flew open and I realized the train already went through the tunnel in the mountains. Those tunnels had always made me queasy since it reminded me of my father's death in the mines.
"KATNISS EVERDEEN!" Effie was screaming nearby. From the tone of her voice, she'd probably been screaming for quite a while. "KAT - !"
I dashed across my room, yanked the door open, stuck my head out, and screamed back at her, "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"It's time to get up!" Effie shrilled, a little less loudly this time. She looked incredibly perturbed. "I've been calling you to wake up for -"
I slammed my door shut. What had happened to "up, up, up!" for a "big, big, big!" day? That was what woke me up every year.
Someone knocked on my door somewhat hesitantly as I changed out of my pajamas. "Who is it?" I called out, my voice muffled as I struggled with the top. No one answered. Oh well. I opened one of the drawers, the one filled with padded undershirts (since I informed the Avoxes years ago that bras were simply not my type), and carefully chose a soft, pale yellow one that stuck to my skin and was the perfect size for me. Then as I opened another drawer, one of the two full of shirts and tops, the person who knocked came in. It was Faye.
"Good morning, Faye," I said monotonously, still thinking about how she basically called me a heartbreaker yesterday. I put on a light, pink cardigan over the tank top. "Did you want something?"
She stayed silent at the doorframe. That just reminded me of her mother, seen but not heard.
Faye didn't peep a word as I slipped on a pair of tight casual denim jeans that finished a few inches below my knees. I walked over to the full-length mirror and examined my outfit. Nice. It wasn't really my style, since I hate dressing up of any kind, but after years of Effie disapproving of my physical appearing, as she called my "trashy look," I gave in and began to look a bit more presentable. Or at least, not like I came from the "dump" aka District 12's Seam.
"You live in the Victor's Village, Katniss, not the..." Effie would always say, sometimes not finishing the sentence to avoid a very nasty look from me. And the silent treatment.
Plus, I've learned that I can rip off the Capitol by bringing clothes and stuff back home every year.
I grabbed a mic and asked for a duffel bag. A navy blue one came up right away, and I stuffed it with tame-colored clothes I liked.
"Why are you doing that?" asked Faye, somewhat irritably.
"Why are you here?" I challenged her, shoving in three pairs of gray cotton sweatshirts. Then I put in the outfit I wore to the reaping the day before in too. After stuffing in countless other articles of clothing, I slung the bag over my shoulder and walked out of the room, leaving Faye inside. If she wanted to give me attitude, fine. It's not like I'm gonna be a ten-year-old Capitol girl and fight back. (I assumed that's what conceited Capitol girls do.)
"Katniss Everdeen!" Effie Trinket shrilled again at me as I walked to the kitchen table. She looked absolutely exasperate and horrified. "You're... barefoot," she said, as if barefoot were a dirty word.
I rolled my eyes and sat down, placing the duffel bag next to my chair on the floor. "I'll put on some sneakers later," I responded, and piled my plate with scrambled eggs, sausages, and pancakes. The pancakes reminded me of Eva, and that brought a whole load of homesickness.
Effie tottered off in her six-inch painful-looking heels and came back with a shoe box. "I bought this for you the day before the reaping," she said, a little miffed. "It was supposed to be a present to wish you good luck for this year's Games. I hope you like it." She tossed the box towards me and I caught it just in time. Effie stayed rooted to her spot for a moment, expecting me to open the box, but when I put it aside and continued eating, she left in a huff. I didn't mean to seem like such a grouch, but the train was arriving at the Capitol in no more than twenty minutes, and I wanted to eat. Everyone else did already, probably even Haymitch.
After I scarfed down the food, I asked an Avox if they had any lamb stew. He nodded curtly and brought back a bowl from the kitchen. I guessed they had prepared a whole pot of it ahead of time for me. I finished that quickly too.
"Katniss!" exclaimed an excited voice. I turned to see Floyd running down the hall towards me. His face was lit up. "We're - we're - five minutes from the Capitol - and -" He took a deep breath. "And it's beautiful!"
He seemed like a five-year-old on his birthday instead of a fifteen-year-old boy heading to the arena of death. "I know, right?" I said, getting up. I picked up my duffel bag and shoe box. "Let's go see." We pushed a curtain over and peered out. It really was so pretty, especially from a distance. Even after years of seeing the rainbow-colored buildings and breathtakingly high bridges, I never lost my fascination. "What's your favorite color out of these buildings?" I asked Floyd.
I didn't mean to bond with him. In fact, I usually try to avoid any sort of attachment with tributes. But this time I couldn't help it. Floyd was one of the sweetest and nicest kids I have ever met, and Faye... well, Faye was Gale's only child. What other choice did I have?
At first Floyd looked surprised that I would ask him such a question. I was too, but I raised an eyebrow at him, prodding him to answer. "Uh..." he mumbled, looking around intently. "The blue one. I've never seen that shade of blue."
"You like colors?" I said. He nodded, his eyes shining. "So... so did Peeta."
He didn't say anything.
After a minute of absolute silence, I spoke up. "Well, we better get ready to get off the train. Did you want me to take your reaping clothes for you?" I glanced sideways at my duffel bag.
"Okay. I'll go get them," he responded, dashing off. He came back with a rumpled white shirt and ugly overlarge gray pants. As he handed them to me, he whispered hoarsely, "Promise me you'll give them back to my dad."
For some reason, that simple request moved me so much that I had to catch my breath. I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them and said firmly, "I promise, Floyd. I'll do that or... or..." I was gonna say die trying, but that would be a stupid, senseless thing to say at this point of time. "I'll do that, Floyd. Cross my heart." He smiled.
"Katniss!" Effie exclaimed, abruptly entering the room. Her gaze shifted to Floyd. "You. Kid over there, whatever your name is, you have to go to the entrace of the train right now. The Capitol news crew wants to get a shot of you and that other girl, the one with the lovely name... oh, what a horrible attitude she has, though, for such a pretty face. Anyway, they want to get a shot of you and her and Katniss getting off the train together." She pushed us to the door, which was quite far from where we had been. Faye was standing right there, waiting for us with a sour expression.
"Where have you guys been?" she demanded, but I didn't reply. Instead, I said to Effie, "Won't Haymitch come with us?"
She gasped. "Oh my, I forgot." She pressed a red button that I had missed.
"What's that for?" I asked.
"It's to summon an Avox right away," she said, pressing the button over and over. "But that is obviously a lie, since Avoxes almost never come right - oh, here you are." An Avox nodded in greeting. "Yes, yes, good morning to you too. Get Haymitch right away!" Effie looked frazzled. "The cameras are to start rolling to broadcast us live around the nation any second now!"
"Actually, 77 seconds, Effie," I corrected her with a smirk. It felt good to counter everything she said today. "There's a countdown clock right there." I pointed near the ceiling at the timer to open the doors.
"Whatever," Effie said as the Avox left in a rush. "Hurry!" she called to the Avox. He disappeared.
Effie fluffed Floyd's hair, smoothed Faye's rather adorable pink tutu skirt, and had an argument with me about my shoes (I had slipped on a pair of old black running shoes) before three Avoxes, including the one whom Effie had summoned, came running our direction. Their faces were pale. One of them seemed to be ready to puke, another looked near fainting, and the shortest one's expression was very shady, concerned, and confused.
"Well? Where's that drunken bastard?" Effie snapped. She pointed at the clock. "We have less than thirty seconds!"
One of them, the one that was about to pass out, pulled out a notepad and furiously scribbled a few words. He held it up. It read: He's dead.
I was the first to make out the handwriting. "HAYMITCH IS DEAD?!" I screamed, so loudly that I even hurt my own ears. "NO! He can't be! You liars!" I accused the Avoxes, who merely looked at the floor solemnly.
No, no, no. It couldn't be. Haymitch had been alive for so many Games with me, he couldn've leave me now. Not when I've gotten too close with one of the tributes and may be devastated when the unthinkable happens. I didn't believe the Avoxes. Or, more precisely, I didn't want to believe them.
I rushed to Haymitch's usual room, despite Effie ordering me to come back this instant. He wasn't there. I went into his restroom. Not a single soul. I ran in and out of rooms until I found two Avoxes in a special medical room at the back of the train covering up something on a stretcher with thick, white cloth. I stood at the doorway, watching them cover up Haymitch's bare feet. My legs gave out and I sat on the floor, leaning against the doorway frame, staring at a place in the wall that had a tiny chip. I don't know how long I stayed there, way past the time the Avoxes carried the stretcher to who knows where.
All I could think of was What am I gonna do now?
Please please please review! You can review about how bad or good it is, what else I might want to include in my future chapters, mistakes I've made, what part you most enjoyed, etc. I just want your damn reviews!