The peacekeepers were swarming around likes ant in an anthill. They couldn't figure out, how the explosion didn't hurt anything but the windows and ended up evacuating the building and delaying the train to the Capitol to seek for a potential threat. They couldn't have their tributes being assassinated before they'd been shown all the glory of their city, now could they?
The Railow-guy and I (and everybody remotely important from the building) were temporarily moved to a nearby "secured house" as they called it. Apparently, secured meant that everything except the furniture was either made of iron or covered with iron bars, which gave me a strong impression of a muggle prison. Well, apart from the fact, that this place had an installed cupboard filled with whiskey, which the mayor quickly dived in to.
More than once, I could feel Kim look at me as if he wanted to say something, but I ignored him as well as I could.
After three hours, they decided that whatever threat, there had been, it was long gone, and then it suddenly got important, that we were several hours behind schedule, and we were dragged to the train hastily. Just as the door closed behind us, the trains started moving, and soon we were gliding through the country, almost flying, so everything outside the window became an odd flicker.
"Jessica?" Evanis said (I could actually sense a very slight undertone of concern in his voice). "You're pale. Are you all right?"
"It's just motion sickness," I cut him off before realizing what I'd said. "I mean, that's what I guess it is. I heard about it once, in school." He gave me a suspicious glance, but then shook his head and continued guiding us through the train. How could I be so stupid? Yeah, I got motion sick back in England, but here I'd never been inside a driving vessel.
I sat on my bed, trying to figure out, what was best. Looking out the window, or not looking out the window. Not looking out the window, I could feel the train rocking beneath me, which made me dizzy like hell. But looking out the window showed me, that we were moving much faster, than what the train's movement told me, and that made my whole world spin around.
"There's dinner in the eating wagon," a voice declared from the hall, and I forced myself to rise. Walking didn't make it better in any way, but at least I had that to concentrate on.
I had to throw up. I stopped up in the middle of the hall, trying to keep it in. Well, I'd succeeded for almost ten minutes, when the door to the eating wagon opened, and I looked up immediately. Which I shouldn't have. Turning around so I wouldn't puke on whoever had stepped out of the door, my stomach emptied itself completely.
"Blimey," I whispered, hoarse.
"Pardon me?" I turned around slowly to look at the woman talking to me.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I.."
"Don't apologise. Go in there and sit down," she commanded, and I obeyed. An Avox came to help me, but she pushed him away from me, making him clean the floor.
"You don't need the wall. The floor will be adequate." I stared at her in disbelief.
"Let go of the wall!" she snapped at me. Confused, I did what she said, zigzagged through the door and sat on the first the best chair with a groan, holding my aching head between my hands.
"Sit up straight, girl, you're not dying!"
"Who are you?" I asked, keeping my head down.
"I'm Coleene, your mentor. And right now, you'll get your head up, or you'll eat standing."
"Ha! You seriously think, I'm going to eat anything while on this thing?"
"Okay then, straight to it. Do what I say or die. That's the options." I looked up at her, suddenly not so angry.
"You seriously think I have a chance to live?" I whispered. She didn't answer.