Chapter 2: Anger
Victoria walked down the stairs and heard her father in the kitchen.
"Hey Dad!", she called to him. He poked his head out of the kitchen and smiled at her.
"Hey Victori! How's my girl doing today?" She grinned slightly when he used his old nickname for her. He had called her Victori ever since she won a race at her school. She was the only girl who had raced.
"I'm good. I got something in the mail today." Gale motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. He sat down in one of the wooden chairs situated around the table and she propped herself up on one of the counters.
"So what did you get?" Victoria took a deep breath before saying,
"Well, I got a letter. From Effie." Gale straightened up at the mention of the woman who had helped make life hell in District 12.
"Why did Effie send you a letter?", he asked, frowning slightly.
"She wanted to tell me that I have been accepted to Capitol University." She waited. She waited for the explosion. She saw him tense up and heard him say,
"How could you have been accepted?"
"Dad, I sent in an application and I have been accepted and I plan on going."
"Why did you send in an application?" This was the part she was not looking forward to, explaining.
"I sent it in because I have to get away. I don't want to spend my entire life in District 2. I like living here, but there is more to life. I want to get an actual job, not sewing in the fabric shop. I want to do something with my life!" Gale looked at his daughter, upset that she would want to leave him.
"So you basically want to leave and become a 'Capitol elitist'?" Victoria was hurt that he had used the term that people still used to describe anyone who did what the people of the Capitol did.
"Why would you think I would become like THAT?" Gale snorted at her.
"Well, you already color your hair and your skin. And you wear that make-up crap that they wear. And now you want to go to school with them!" Victoria thought about his accusations and how stupid they were. She had only colored her hair once and it had been a natural color, not green or blue or purple. She had never colored her skin; it became naturally darker from being outside all the time. And as for the make-up…she didn't use much and it only covered the small blemishes on her skin. She turned her back on Gale and began to walk out of the kitchen. She felt a vice-like grip on her upper arm.
"Where do you think you're going?, came her father's voice from behind her. She wrenched her arm from his grip and ran to the front door. She ran out into the yard, slamming the door behind her.