Maysilee
I pause and then disengage myself from Myrella and Laurel, and make my way to the stage. Once I'm there it takes all my strength to keep from crying when I look over and see that my sister and best friend are clutching each other and silently crying themselves. I'm too overcome with emotions to notice the name of the next girl to be called. It's not Myrella or Laurel as neither has stepped forward and that's all that matters. The next thing I register is Rosale Hunter, district twelve's escort, is calling out the name of the first male tribute.
"Jarod Hale!" shouts Rosale.
Shortly after she calls the name of the last tribute from district 12, "Haymitch Abernathy!"
Nothing registeres in my mind of the other tributes as we all shake hands. I'm not really paying attention. I am focused on trying not to break down in front of the cameras before we are whisked to the Justice Building to say our final farewells to our friends and family.
The peacekeepers escort me into a room off the main entrance to the Justice Building. It contains a velvet couch, and a couple of chairs for seating. The first ones to walk into the room to see me off are my mother, father, and sister. Tears cascade down my mother and sisters' faces. I can tell my father is sad too but he tries to keep it together for them. They all walk over to the couch where I'm sitting and hug me. That's when I start crying. My mother rubs my back to try and sooth me, but it doesn't help knowing that this could be last time I see her. When the peacekeepers come in to signal time is almost up my mother tells me she loves me and will be rooting for me all the way and she knows I'll make it back okay. Myrella talks about how great it will be to have Damon Antony as my mentor. I agree, he was great in his Games but it has been 10 years and let's just say not one tribute from district 12 has become victor since. The thought doesn't due me much help but I appreciate the thought so I just smile at her as if the prospect at having Damon as my mentor is reassuring. My father tells be to stay strong and when the peacekeepers come back and tell my family to leave we all exchange hugs and 'I love you's one last time. As my father hugs me he slips me a pin and tells me to use it as my district token. He tells me it has been in the family since the rebellion started and then follows my mother and sister out the door.
While I wait to see Laurel I examine the pin. It's a mockingjay, which was the mascot for the rebels during the districts' attempt to overthrow the Capitol. I don't see how this could be allowed to be used as a token but I know my father wouldn't have given it to me if he didn't think I would be able to bring it into the arena with me. So I slip the pin into my pocket and wait for Laurel to arrive.
In a few minutes she does and we just sit in silence most of the time. I do manage to tell her to make sure to look after my sister, not that I don't think she will anyways, but I feel better making sure I get that request said before the peacekeepers arrive to announce that our time is up. We hug and she leaves. Then Rosale is at the door telling me it's time to head to the train station.
Myself and the three other tributes gather at the entrance to the Justice building and take a car to the train station along with Rosale and Damon. We arrive in less than ten minutes and then we each pile out of the car and make our way to the platform as the cameras watch our assent. Then we wave to the district and board the train.
I've never been on a train before. None of us have. The only ones that have in the districts are those that are chosen to be tributes. It's very fancy and elegant and we each have our own rooms on the train. We are told to do whatever we want to until dinner so I make my wait to my room and lay on the bed until there's a knock on the door telling me it's time to make my way to the dining room for dinner.
When I arrive I notice that I'm the second tribute to arrive and as I take my seat the other female tribute arrives. We wait another five minutes and just when I don't think anyone else is coming; Haymitch walks in and takes the seat next to mine.
Soon Rosale launches in to how exciting it is this year since there will be more of a challenge with twice the amount of tributes and how lucky we all are to be a part of the second quarter quell. None of us offers a reply to that, how can we when we aren't excited one bit about the games and most of us are emotionally exhausted? Not to mention Damon is downing the wine likes it water so he doesn't add much to the conversation.
But then Haymitch says sarcastically, "Yeah we're thrilled."
Rosale, who must not know the concept of sarcasm, takes his statement for face value and proclaims, "That's the spirit!" She tries to engage us all in other topics but after only getting a few words of reply back she stops and we all finish our meals in silence. As we get up to head to our rooms Rosale adds, "Get a good night's sleep because tomorrow we will be arriving in the capitol!"
Haymitch
I stand there with my mouth hanging open. How could my name have been chosen? I only had twenty slips with my name on them. How? There are other boys my age with more. More mouths to feed, more grain needed. This is exactly what my mother feared. What I feared. I walk up to the front of the square. As I step on the stage, Rosale Hunter is finishing her speech.
"So we have Maysilee Donner, Lucy Payton, Jared Hale, and Haymitch Abernathy!" She shouts with even more excitement. I swear if she doesn't shut up I'm going to have to make her. She has too much enthusiasm about teenagers fighting to death. We have a mentor for the duration of the games. Damon Antony. He is the only District Twelve winner in the history of the games.
I look back at the crowd. I look my mother in the eyes and for once, I don't see the tears coming. Instead, her eyes look distant and then she passes out. I look at my brother and he is fighting the crowd. Trying to reach me, not knowing what to do. I don't even know what to do.
I shake hands with the other tributes. It is required of us. And we are ushered towards the Justice Building. We will be able to meet with our families and friends one last time, to say goodbye. As we probably won't make it out of this alive. Out of the forty-eight tributes, only one will survive. Only one will be allowed to survive. I'll probably never see my mother or my brother again.
I'm practically thrown into a room by myself, waiting for the people that are coming to say goodbye to me to come. Eric walks in, supporting my mother, who looks like she's about to be sick.
Eric puts my mother in a chair by the door and comes to me.
"I love you Haymitch. Kick some butt out there." He says. And he gives me a hug.
"Love you to, kid." I say. "Be strong, for both you and mom. Make sure that you take care of yourselves. I want to have a family to come back to if I win this thing."
"You're better than all of them, Haymitch. You better win this thing!" He says.
"I'll do my best." I reply. I don't want to give him false hope. There is absolutely no guarantee that I will even live though the first day.
I look at my mother. She started crying again. I'm not surprised. Her oldest son is probably going to die, and she knows it. I walk over to her and hold her hand.
"I love you, mom." I say. She grabs my neck and pulls me into a hug. She cries even harder than before, mumbling something about my father and me. My father died a few years ago. He got drunk and started shouting about how stupid the capital was and some peacekeepers heard. They locked him up while they decided what to do with him and when he didn't shut up, they chose to do away with him.
The peacekeepers come to tell my family it's time to go. We exchange a last goodbye and they leave me alone in this room. I don't talk to many people so I don't think anyone else will visit. I'm right. The Peacekeepers come in to take me to the car that drives me to the train station. There are so many reporters at the train station. I'm tempted to tell them that they are all idiots and that they need to leave, but I knew that would cause more harm than good to me in the arena. The more sponsors I could get, the better. If I irritate the public, they won't give Damon the money to buy things I may need later on to save my life.
We board the train and I am taken directly to my room. It's a bigger room than any place in my house. I live in the "Seam", pretty much the poor section of district twelve, where all of the coal miners work. It has a window to look outside as we traveled to the Capitol. We'll arrive in the morning. But for now, I have to wait in my room until I am summoned for dinner. Rosale said she would retrieve me and take me to the dining hall.
So while I wait for dinner, I have no idea when that will be, I explore my room. There is so much stuff that we don't have at home in the Seam or even District Twelve. There are more clothes in the closet here than there has ever been at my house. There was a huge bed. Just for me. Once I was done going through my room, I was bored and decided to take a walk on the train. I walked through several compartments and found a balcony at the end of it. I watched as District Twelve faded into the darkness of the night. Goodbye is the last thought I have on my mind as the brightest light on the Justice Building fades. I know the odds of me ever coming back are pretty slim. I'm up against forty-seven other people. Forty-seven other people that are all trying to be the one to survive. Forty-seven people that are all trying to kill me.
Now as I stand here, I realize that I'm starving. I'm not sure if Rosale has come to my room to take me to dinner. She probably has. I should find the dining car.
I walk back the way I came and hoping the dining car is close by. After about ten minutes of looking, I finally found it. I sit next to one of the girl tributes. Maysilee.
As soon as I sit down, Rosale starts raving about how excited she is for the games this year.
"It's going to be so exciting! Twice the number of tributes! That means more action! This year is going to be excellent. You guys are so lucky to be the tributes this year! Though I do have to say, Damon, you are going to have more work to do this time. Are you sure you are going to be able to handle this?" She just keeps going and I am so close to shouting at her or throw my plate at her or something. I'm not sure yet. Damon is so drunk though he doesn't respond to her question. But that still doesn't stop her.
"We are going to have the best games ever, this year!" She says.
"Yeah, we're thrilled" I say through gritted teeth. I couldn't help it. And I think I've finally got her to shut her big, fat, stupid mouth. I'm pretty pleased with myself. At least I didn't throw anything at her. That would have caused a problem.
"That's the spirit!" She says. I am looking at her with disbelief. I'm clenching my fists under the table. Now, I am really fighting the temptation to throw something at her. She keeps trying to talk more, but she finally understands that nobody is listening to her. When we are finished with our meals, we get up and say goodnight before heading to our rooms.
As we are heading toward the door Rosale says, "Get a good night's sleep, because tomorrow we will be arriving at the Capitol!"