Chapter six: District 12's Tributes
Im standing between Haymitch and Peeta as District 12 waits for Collin, Lisa, and Effie to arrive. When the train pulls into the station I grip Peeta's arm. I don't want to do this. I don't want to see them. Peeta shakes me off of his arm so that he can wrap it around me.
"It's okay Katniss," he says comfortingly. I want to believe him but I can't.
"Come on," Haymitch says to us, "We've got to go up on stage now."
Peeta takes my hand in his and together we fight the crowd to the stage that's set up in the middle of the square. The people from 13 are here today. They will be a part of 12 until the Games are over. Today and at the end of the Games they'll be here to "welcome" the tributes. I see people who I know who used to live here in 12 but now reside in 13.
There are four chairs set up on the stage and while 12 and 13 are swarming the train station, there are Capitol Peacekeepers who've been here for two days now setting up the square. We are directed to fill three of the four chairs. I take my place between Peeta and Haymitch again. Slowly people begin to fill the square. When the head Peacekeeper who was assigned to 12 for this event steps up to the mic, the people fall silent. There is no movement or sound from th crowd. We see Effie followed by two children head up the center isle. Peeta squeezes my hand when he feels me stiffen. When I catch sight of them I quickly run through what I know about them.
Lisa Snow is sixteen years old. She has light brown hair and dagerous brown eyes. From training I gathered that those eyes have mastered accuracy. She probably will be at least a decent fighter with any kind of weapon, but I didn't figure out what she's best at.
Collin Reed is twelve years old. He has cute blonde hair and soft brown eyes. He's small, but Peeta told me that he thinks Collin will at least make it for a few days. I gathered that he's fast and loves to throw things. He's probably a decent swimmer.
Both of them look out of place. They aren't dressed up in anything excotic like Capitol people usually are; they look like normal children, but they don't look like the poor, dirty, worn children of 12.
Effie smiles a sweet sickining smile at us as she turns around with Lisa and Collin to face Districts 12 and 13.
"Welcome, welcome," Effie starts the same way that she has every year past. "this year we are honored to have these two charming children represent our District for the 76th Hunger Games!" Effie is very cheerful about it all as is about half the poulation standing before us. "I give you our female representitive tribute, sixteen year old Lisa Snow!" she takes Lisa's hand and holds it in the air. I can see from the camera her look of disgust as the people cheer for her. She's clearly not happy with District 12. Effie drops their hands but keeps their fingers entertwined.
"I also give you our male representitive tribute, twelve year old Collin Reed!" The crowd falls silent. Even the most excited people hate to see a twelve year old thrown to their death. No one but the Capitol and the District Victors knew the ages of the tributes before now.
I can see Collin's face in the camera too. He looks scared, out of place, lost. I'm not one to want to hug people but if I could, I would hug him.
Effie goes on about how the Districts won the war this time and how this is the punishment for the Capitol. They show a few clips of my final shot where I killed Coin and the mobs killed Snow. I watch Lisa as this plays. She looks angry at first, and then where it shows that I killed Coin and the mobs killed Snow, her face turns to one of sadness. I almost feel bad for her. I decide then that I'll at least make an effort to get to know her. Maybe she and Snow were close and she's having a hard time with his death like I still have a hard time with Prim's death. Maybe she's sad that he died and she knows her fate will be to join him in whatever afterlife there is.
When this is over the Peacekeepers take Collin and Lisa from Effie and almost drag them into the building behind us. There will be no one to come say goodbye to them. That was done while they were in the Capitol. Haymitch gets up and follows them so Peeta and I follow him. We enter the room where Lisa and Collin are being held at the moment. Collin still looks frightened. Haymitch goes directly to the table where the bottles of alcohol are. I can't help but to roll my eyes.
"Listen up squirts, We're your mentors. We're here to keep you alive if you work with us and show us what you've got. If you care to stay alive you have to be fighters." Haymitch says before he takes a swig of the entire bottle. Lisa looks at him with disgust again.
"That stuff is bad for you," she says.
"I don't care sweetheart, I ain't got nothing left anyways," he says. His eyes look to Peeta and I for a moment before he takes another drink. He's got nothing left but Peeta and I but I know he's afraid to admit that even to himself for fear of the Capitol. I slip my hand into Peeta's for comfort. He squeezes back.
"So we've got a drunk for a mentor and two of the most famous people who can't think of anything except themselves and each other as two more mentors. Great. We're going to die Collin," Lisa says.
"Lose the attitude or you will die," I say. I see the tears well up in Collins eyes. I bend down in front of him and take his hand in mine.
"We're going to do everything we can to keep you alive," he looks at me and the tears fall from his blue eyes, "you just have to do your best to stay alive while you're in there. We can't fight the battle for you." The Peacekeepers come in then.
"Alright, the District is clear, time for departure," he says. I get up, but I never let go of Collin's hand. We leave the Justice Building and begin to head toward the Victor houses where Peeta, Haymitch, and I live. Peeta's house hasn't been touched since the war. He moved into mine with me when we came back to 12.
Once we enter my house, Effie takes them and shows them around leaving Peeta, Haymitch, and I alone together in the living room. Haymitch is already drunk so he finds his way to his own house and doesn't bother coming into mine.
"I think Collin apprechated what you did for him," Peeta says coming up behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head on my shoulder. I lean back into him. He kisses my neck.
"Are you going to be okay? Do you think these games will trigger some sort of an attack?" I ask.
"They might, I'm going to try to prevent them though. My doctor gave me a few things that are supposed to help when I feel like I'm about to have an attack. It'll be okay Katniss," he says.
"Come now you two, Collin and Lisa are in their rooms, you probably should go to yours as well. I'm going to Haymitch's," Effie says as she comes back in the room. A very drunk Haymitch comes inside my house now and collapses in one of the chairs.
"Listen, they don't matter," Haymitch says, "the boy doesn't stand a chance and the girl will get herself killed with her mouth. As long as they don't join the careers. Tell them not to join the careers will you?" he leans his head back against the chair and is out before we can say anything.
Effie looks at him with disgrace and then leaves to go wherever she goes when she's here in 12. Peeta and I venture into the kitchen where Greasy Sae was here and left us lunch. She made an extra big pot of soup and there are more than enough sandwiches beside it.
"I'll get bowls and plates if you want to go put a blanket over Haymitch and check and make sure Collin and Lisa got settled in?" Peeta asks. I nod my head as I go back into the livingroom and to the closet where I keep things like extra blankets. I toss one over Haymitch and I take the bottle he was holding away from him before he can spill it on anything. The last thing I need is my house reekng of as much alcohol as his does.
At the top of the stairs I see that Effie has put Collin in the guest room and Lisa in my mom's old room. Prim's room remains untouched. I have to remember to thank Effie for that. I knock on the door of Collin's room first. I open it and go in.
"I miss home," he says looking out the window.
"Are you hungry?" I ask. He turns and looks at me with tears in his eyes.
"Don't cry," I say crossing the room to him. I can't help but to think of Prim as I wrap my arms around this little boy. I feel the sobs shake his body. This isnt fair. It never has been. I can't wait until these Games are over and no one will ever have to send their children off to be slaughtered.
"Katniss, are you coming?" I hear Peeta call up the stairs.
"Yeah, just a minute," I turn to Collin, "It'll be okay at least for a little while. I wish I could tell you that its going to be okay forever, but I don't know that. If you want to take a minute to pull yourself together you can. There's soup for lunch, you can come down whenever you're ready." I tell him as I hug him one last time.
"Don't listen to Lisa, she's just upset that she was assigned 12. She was hoping to get 1 or 2 being Snow's granddaughter and all," he says wiping his eyes. I watch him sit down on the bed for a moment before I leave the room. Peeta is at the top of the stairs and he sees me come out of Collin's room.
"Everything alright?" he asks concerned.
"He's scared Peeta. This isnt fair!" Peeta pulls me into his arms.
"I know its not," he says stroaking my hair.
"Do you have to be so loud?" Lisa opens the door and asks. She glares at us as we jump apart.
"Are you hungry?" Peeta asks her.
"A little," she replies shifting from one foot to the other.
"We've got soup downstairs if you'd like some." She nods her head. Peeta takes my hand and we go downstairs. Lisa follows us. When we pass through the living room she sees Haymitch passed out in the chair.
"Is he ever sober?" she asks.
"He had to be to get us out of that arena twice," Peeta says, "He knows what he's doing with this mentor stuff."
"Do you know what you're doing?" she asks looking more at me when she asks this.
"We've never had to mentor before. Keep that in mind." Peeta is so much better with words than I am. We sit down at the table and each of us is eating our soup when Collin finally comes down.
"Want some soup?" Peeta asks. Collin nods his head and takes the seat across from me next to Lisa.
~HG~HG~HG~
As the week goes on, we get to know Collin and Lisa more. She never gets over her bitterness for being stuck in 12 and tries to turn Collin against me, as well make it obvious that I'm her problem not Peeta. After that first day though, Collin has been very appreciative of me.
"I think if he were older and not part of these Games that I might have a new competitor," Peeta says jokingly one night while we're laying in bed.
"No, there will never be competition for you," I say, "even with Gale there wasn't competition. Sure, I love him even still, but its different. He used to be my best friend. You, – " I roll over on my side to face him as he was already facing me, "I really do love you." He smiles and then kisses me. At first the kisses are slow and sweet but they begin to turn into something more. It isn't until we roll over that I finally stop him.
"Peeta, we can't," I say unconvincingly. He rolls over onto his back.
"Sorry Katniss," he says still breathing heavily. I turn to face him again.
"Don't be sorry, we just can't go further."
"I know, you're not ready. I shouldn't push it on you. One day in the furture, I'll talk you out of not wanting to have kids. You've been really great with Collin this last week. It's a shame he probably won't make it."
We lay there in silence for a few moments before we hear a scream of terror. Peeta jumps out of bed and is flipping lights on in the hallway before I register to put my feet on the floor. When I get to the hall with Peeta, Collin is standing in his doorway and Lisa and Haymitch are on the floor.
"What happened?" Peeta asks looking at the two in the floor. No surprise, Haymitch is drunk. The bottle is in the floor beside him, his knife is also stuck in the wall and theres a cut across Lisa's face. I hurry to bend down beside her. I rip the bottom part of Haymitch's shirt since he's passed out and I press the cloth to her face.
"I don't know, I didn't mean to scare him. I don't think he meant to scare me either," she says, tears falling from her eyes. Peeta moves around Lisa and I and he hooks his arms under Haymitch's and drags him down the stairs bumping his back and legs on them.
"It probably was an accident like you said," I say taking my other hand to dry her tears. When Peeta comes back he bends down beside us.
"I put him on the front porch," he says looking at me.
"I've never had someone try to kill me before," Lisa says quietly. She's still crying and the cloth I'm holding to her face is drenched in blood.
"We leave for the training center in two days, after that you'll have seven more to get ready for people to try and kill you. You're Lisa Snow, it's likely that some of the others who were reaped with you last week are your friends. They'll try to kill you, but if you want to survive, you'll have to kill them first," I tell her. I look around to see that Collin is still in the hallway with us and he too is crying. I told myself in the beginning that I wouldn't let myself get attached to the two tributes assigned to District 12, but one look at Collin and I know its going to hurt to watch him die.
"Move the cloth Katniss, let me see how deep the wound is. We might need to call a doctor," Peeta says. If it was enough pain to see how attached I've grown to Collin and how much he reminds me of Prim, Peeta has to go and remind me of my mom. I know he didn't mean to, but I find tears coming to my own eyes.
"I'm going to go get a clean cloth," I say standing up. When I finally find a clean cloth in the top corner of the bathroom closet and make it back to them, Peeta has already called the doctor.
"Haymitch didn't win his games for nothing," Peeta says as he takes the cloth and puts it on Lisa's wound.
"Go on back to bed Collin, you should get some sleep," Lisa says as she looks up and sees him. I cross the distance to him and hug him.
"She'll be okay for now, try to sleep. Peeta and I are just across the hall if you need anything," I tell him. Reluctantly he goes into his room and shuts the door behind him.