Chapter 7
As I run up with spiral staircase I can feel my heart racing as fast as my mind. I don't want to leave. I don't want leave. My head chants as I burst through my door & throw things into my bag. I don't want to leave District 4. I actually like it here- it's my home. Not the Capitol. Not as Audante's wife. Blindly I throw the clothes from my closet into a shiny suitcase I had delivered as a gift from him. It doesn't matter what clothes I bring or leave. I'm sure he'll buy me a whole new wardrobe of ridiculous outfits because these old & worn articles will only embarrass him. I don't care though. I was never that big on fashion, I know I will be miserable with him no matter what.
I collapse on the bed trying to calm myself, but not much is helping. My wedding is tomorrow, & I'm sure by then Finnick will be dead. My sister lonely & depressed, with no shoulder to cry on. I'll make sure they let her visit often- especially when she's having a rough time. At least she'll be there, to help me through it all at the wedding. She'll be in the front row sitting in front of me, smiling. Reassuring me that everything will be alright. I flip over onto my back & stare at the high ceiling. None of the riches really matter to me. I mean, it's a lot better than living in our tiny shack we had only a couple of years ago. I'll miss it, because it was a home to me, but it's not something to cry over. My giant bedroom feels even bigger without my clothes, hungry for something to fill it. Realizing the time I jump back onto my feet & pick up a last few items. My hairbrush & comb, notebook & pen, picture of my family, & my spear… There it lies. Gleaming under the dresser tucked away behind a simple basket. I've spent so many hours with my spear, & have to admit I did pretty well with it. I could strike a fish clean through the silky water. I could aim it straight through the heart of a tree. I can't kill any real animals though, once I got a small squirrel but I just felt guilty afterwards & buried it deep below the soil. I want to take it, but I know that it won't need it. I'll be well fed there, healthy & clean. No use for a spear where there's no fish & they mistake it for a weapon to murder someone. So instead I just walk away from it, leaving it lying low, something to mark my place in this house.
As I slowly walk down the steps I try taking pictures of everything in my mind. The high chandelier over the dark dining table, the clean white living room with its fluffy carpet & sofa, & the wide kitchen surrounded by light seeping through wide windows. A heavy knock on the door tells me my pickup has arrived & I take my time to the door.
"Hello, you're Narielle Cresta?" A tall Capitol worker asks, his expression cold which would usually make me uneasy, but today I'm out of feelings for anything.
"Yes, you can step inside while I say my goodbyes." I open the door widely for him to walk in but he instead holds up a hand to refuse.
"No thank you, but I could take your luggage…" He begins reaching for my suitcase & I quickly jerk away,
"No!" I snap & the look on his face is priceless. His expression is terrified. He must have heard about Annie & how she's crazy, & how I'm following close behind her. I give him a little grin just to scare him more & decide I might as well have a little fun. "I would like to hold onto it. But what exactly did Audante tell you to do here?" I give him a cold look to try to scare it out of him.
He gives me the answer I was expecting, "He said that I was to escort you to the hovercraft out of harm's way." The professional look he was wearing earlier now stuck back to his face. I knew it, out of harm's way basically means that if anyone lays a finger on me then they would have the Head Gamemaker & his son out to get him. I could take all the time in the world, & this guy couldn't hustle me out of here if he tried, or else I would cry back to Audante on how he bruised me on the day before my wedding. "Right," I answer shortly. "Well, I'll just say goodbye to my sister & friend & then we'll be on our way." I spin around before he can object & walk over to Annie, eyes glued on the screen.
I kneel in front of her & take her by the shoulders. Her deep green eyes are blank & motionless. "Annie," I whisper, trying to capture her attention. Slowly she moves her focus to me & I smile. She returns it & I know she's listening. "I need you to stay strong, alright? I'll see you tomorrow all dressed up." I give her a long hug, & look back at her reassuring. I will see her tomorrow. Everything will turn out fine. I tell myself, & then get up off of the floor. "Trinity?" I call out as I walk to the kitchen.
A tired, middle aged woman walks out with a duster in hand. "Yes, Narielle?" She asks, even though she knows very well what's happening.
"Thank you so much for everything." I embrace her & truly mean it. Without her we would be two lost girls, & probably burn down the place within the first year. "Will you take care of her when I'm gone?" I ask her seriously, searching her light eyes.
"Of course." She comforts me, taking my face in her palm. I didn't feel like crying until I realized there was someone I still wanted to say goodbye to. Someone who I would probably never see again. One of my only friends on this planet. A tear swells in my eyes & Trinity does the motherly thing to do- she takes me back in her arms & strokes my long brown hair. "He'll come back." She whispers in my ear. "I know he will."
The ride to the Capitol is extremely awkward. I'm sitting in a metal chair across from this big man in his Capitol suit. Now I feel so numb, & try to think of anything that could keep me from bursting into tears. I'm awaiting my fate of Mrs. Narielle Heavensbee. Only tomorrow will I be walking down that dreaded aisle, my fiancé who smells like soap & dusty books standing on the other side. Trying to push the thought back I think of something, anything that can take my mind away from it all. Immediately I think of Annie at home, & what she must be doing now. A sharp image of her screaming & throwing things appears in my mind. Finnick just being murdered in front of her eyes. She's hysterical- cutting herself on broken glass, ripping out her hair, slapping Trinity as she tries to calm her. I forgot- I never told her how to calm Annie. I'm the only person who can, besides Finnick. But if Finnick's dead…
Tears begin to drop & I start to panic. No, you can't do this. Not now. I tell myself, but it's too late. Suddenly the image of my sister breaking down pushes me off my seat.
"I need to go back!" I scream at the man. "She needs me! I can't leave her!" I start to pound on the sealed doors, feeling like a mouse trapped in a tall box. "Please!" I sob, "She needs me!" It feels like there's something inside of me that's crushing my lungs, my body, & my head is ready to explode. The man wildly jumps around like an idiot, having no clue what to do. Just turn around! Go back to my house! I scream in my head, but suddenly an annoying sting is biting at my arm. I look down to see a sharp needle jammed into it & I questionably look to the man. He looks relieved as my eyelids start to feel very heavy… & the world starts to darken around the edges. "I need to… go back…" I breathe, & then fall back into my seat- the world spiraling to black.