In answer to Lya200: Some of them are future tributes, but not all of them.
District 7
"Do you have a strategy for the games?"
"Of course, who doesn't?" The girl replied. She was Kat's age, from District 12. The girl was tall, for a girl of twelve, and about as big around as a broomstick. Her dress, a knee-length black dress with sequins of yellow, orange, and red that shimmered in the light like a small flame, went very well with her olive skin. Her dark eyes sparkled in the light and were a strong contrast to the bright yellow flower, tinged with orange, tucked behind her ear as she smiled warmly at the man interviewing her.
A friendly nature that may win her sponsors, but in the arena, could ultimately be her end. Was that how the girl had died? Had she been friendly to a tribute only to have them betray her?
The thought made Kat feel nauseous as it flashed across her mind. She buried her face in her arms and listened to the buzzer go of, signaling the end of her interview, and the two exchanged farewells and the interviewer wish the little girl luck. She was listening to the man announce the final tribute, the boy from twelve, when the door to her room slide open.
She lifted her head meekly, and looked over at it. Standing in the doorway, with his hands shoved into his pockets, was Slader.
"Hey, Kat," he greeted, not meeting her eye.
Kat huffed and glared back at the screen, "What do you want, Slader?"
The boy sighed. "Look, Snow. We're gonna be stuck with each other for another twelve weeks."
"Unfortunately."
"We might as well try to get along," Slader continued as though Kat hadn't spoken, "otherwise we're both just gonna be miserable."
Kat thought a moment. The boy had a point, of course. She hated when he did that. "You're right," she admitted. An awkward pause followed. "Wanna watch?"
Slader's eyes flickered to the screen, where Ceaser Flickerman was finishing up the interview, and he frowned. "What is it?"
"The 75th," Kat responded.
Slader crinkled his nose and gave his head a shake. "No thanks, I prefer to watch the games as little as humanly possible." With that, he turned on his heel and began to stroll out.
"Wait!" the boy paused, one hand on her door. "Please, I really hate watching these alone." The girl frowned herself, holding her breath as Slader stood in silent thought.
At last, Slader sighed and turned back into the room. "Okay."
A smile dominated the young girl's face as she scooted over on her bed. Slader took a seat in the empty space, just as the countdown to the beginning of the games reached five. The screen showed a shot of the twenty-four tributes on their plates, placed in a circle around the gleaming cornucopia, spilling over with supplies.
Four.
The tributes began to appear on the screen, all in wet suites, since swimming was required to get to, or away from the cornucopia, and all wearing a variety of expressions. The smirks on the faces of the District 4 tributes couldn't have been wider, this was their kind of arena.
Three.
It zoomed in on the wheelchair laden girl from Five. The poor girl looked sick. This was not a good situation for someone in her condition.
Two.
A shot of the little girl from District 12, the youngest in the arena that year. She looked pretty calm; she must have a plan.
One.
The final shot before the games began was of the favorite for that year, the burly boy form two; whose face was twisted into that of fierce determination.
The gong sounded and the camerae shifted again. It showed the little girl from Twelve turn on her heel, instantaneously, and dive in the water, in the direction of the land ringing circumference of the arena, opposite of the cornucopia, and the mayhem about to ensue there. She was no District 4 swimmer, but the girl could keep her head above water, and at her pace, she would be at the shore before the bloodbath came to a close.
The thirteen-year-old from six didn't seem to share the same idea, however, for she dived in towards the cornucopia. For a District 6 girl, she was a pretty decent swimmer, the best in the arena next to the District 4's. She was the third tribute to make it to the Cornucopia, however, the District 4 girl had already found her weapon of choice, and buried the trident into the other girl's head as she was climbing out of the water.
Kat couldn't help shutting her eyes as the young girl slumped lifelessly back into the water and began to sink into the abyss below. The Capitol girl could feel movement beside her, and opened her eyes to investigate. Slader was sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest. His face was buried into his knees so that he was peering over the tops of them. He glanced over and caught her looking, causing her to avert her gaze back to the screen, where it was showing the District 5 girl, still seated on her platform. Well, what was she expected to do? She couldn't swim and she certainly wasn't going to float, the wheelchair would sink her.
Kat and Slader glanced at each other. The camerae was spending an unusually long amount of time on the grim-faced girl. As thought on cue, something flashed across the screen and a small throwing knife buried itself into her chest.
"She wasn't even supposed to be the victim," Slader mumbled, eyes shining with tears.
"But she was," Kat replied bitterly. It was no secret the knife had been aimed at the boy from twelve. Districts One and Two had it in for District Twelve that year, since the victor of the year before, Katniss Everdeen, of Twelve, was responsible for the death of both District 1 tributes and the male of District 2, Cato. "It's not really fair is it?" Kat spoke suddenly.
"What?" The confusion was written all over the boy's face as he stared over at her.
"That the twelve kids were targeted," Kat replied. "I mean, its not their fault that Katniss killed the careers before them."
"It's not exactly Katniss's fault either, really," Slader pointed out. "It's just a fact of the Hunger Games. She had no choice."
Kat nodded her agreement, and the two continued to watch the games in silence, except for the occasional noise at a particularly gruesome death. By the end of he bloodbath, thirteen had fallen, including the girl from District One, who had leapt into the water in pursuit of the boy from twelve, but found herself leapt on by the girl from eleven, wielding a long knife. The two grappled in the water a few moments, before a pool of red stained the clear. The cameras began to zoom in, drinking in the moment, then, the dark head of the District Eleven girl emerged, gasping for air. A shriek of anger ripped the air and the girl from Four dove in and dug her trident deep into the other girl's chest.
Besides the girls from One, Five, Six, and Eleven, the boys from Three, Five, Six, and Ten and both from Eight, Nine, Ten were felled in the bloodbath.
The next day, the siblings from Seven encountered the career pack, but found themselves ignored, since the only priority for them at that moment in time however was killing off Twelve. This, however, proved to be an advantage. The third day in, the boy from Two ran in pursuit of the twelve-year-old, who turned out to be wicked fast. His pursuit ended, however, when the younger girl took a sharp turn to avoid a steep cliff. Two found that he couldn't stop his momentum and went stumbling off the edge his cannon firing moments later. Fourteen down ten to go.
The fifteenth death came two days later. The poor boy from eleven was the unfortunate victim of the careers' brutality, after two days of no death left them afraid the game makers would take matters into their own hands if they didn't get to the killing. That thought would be enough to motivate any tribute.
As the first week of in the arena came to a close, the girl from Three became the first to realize the arena was a clock. By that time, however, the girl was half-insane, after experiencing the blood rain, the Jabber Jays, which took on the voice of a little boy apparently called Watts, who later was revealed as her seven-year-old brother, and watched as the boy from One was ripped apart by an indescribably horrible mutt, that made Kat bury her face deep into her comforter, until she heard Claudius Templesmith announce the retreat of the mutt, and the start of a new horror. The girl was staggering away when Kat looked back up. It was then that it hit her, as the tributes from twelve came bounding out of the forest, away from whatever lay inside the danger zone, wide-eyed with terror. Immediately the wheels could be seen turning in the girl's head, and she approached the two.
The next day the girl set up the devised trap, with a tree the game makers used as a lightning rod, and a length of wire found at the Cornucopia. The trap was elaborate, and in the end all it needed was for the fast girl from Twelve to get the careers there in time. The dark-haired girl delivered delivered, just in time and the trap took out the girl from Two and the boy from Four, and even managed to daze the girl from Four, giving the boy from Twelve the opportunity to take her down, which he took by driving his knife into her. Unfortunately, the girl from Three stumbled into her own trap and was fried, as well.
The count went from eight to four in a matter of minutes, then from there only one alliance of two had to go down, since two victors would be two Twelve tributes met the siblings from Seven at the Cornucopia and the battle raged. After what seemed like forever, though it may only have been a few minutes, the girl from Seven drove her long knife through the twelve-year-old's heart. An anguished cry ripped from her district partner's throat and he flung his knife at the sister. It stuck into her shoulder and an agonized scream split the air around her. In a fit of rage, her brother flung his spear into the other boy's back, snapping his spin in half, and the head appeared from the boy's stomach.
The cannon fired almost instantly, and the siblings from Seven were crowned victor's of the Third Quarter Quell. The Victor Interviews finished it up around midnight, and at that point Slader looked legitimately ill. His face was pale, as though he had seen a ghost, and he was shivering violently.
"Slader," Kat said, softly. "Are you feeling alright?"
He leapt to his feet suddenly and let out an angry growl. "Yeah, Kat! I'm fine know that I've watched watched twenty-two innocent kids die!" His voice dripped with sarcasm as he turned on his heel and began to stomp toward the exit. "Thanks for the nightmares!" He called over his shoulder before slamming the door behind him.
Kat buried her face into her blankets and screamed. Why was he acting to scandalized? Did he think she wasn't going to have nightmares herself? It was going to be a week before she got the image of that twelve-year-old out of her head, and that was only one of the tributes!
And just a few hours ago he was talking about making friendly.
~District 7~
"Are you feeling well, Slader?" Corda asked, placing her hand to Slader's forehead, eyebrows crinkled in concern.
"I'm fine," Slader mumbled, swatting her long-fingered hand away. Corda frowned, and mumbled something about trying to help, but Kat wasn't paying her any attention. Instead, she was staring at Slader. She couldn't blame Corda for being concerned. In fact, if she didn't already know the cause, she would be worried too. The boy's face was like as sheet, and his eyes were puffy and bloodshot.
"I take if you didn't sleep well," she mumbled, when he was close enough.
"Big thanks to you," he grumbled back, rubbing his eye.
Kat shrugged awkwardly and mumbled an apology. Slader turned his gaze away and yawned.
"Oh, I'm so excited to see District 7!" Corda beamed. "I hear they have beautiful forests!"
"Forests are nice," Kat said.
"Quiet," Slader added," I could use some quiet."
"That makes two of us," Kat agreed.
The door opened, revealing the gathered crowd of District 7 dwellers. Slader gaped at the crowd. "Wow, this is the biggest crowd since District 4," He murmured.
"District 7 has the fourth highest population of rich, only about three percent less than District 4," Kat informed absently. "Come on, let's get this over with."
Kat barley noticed the crowd, cheering for the sake of pleasing the Capitol, and it was no time before she was coming out of the train station and into town square.
"I want to pay the mayor a visit, first," Kat announced. "He recently lost his daughter to the 93rd hunger games."
"Great idea!" Slader exclaimed sarcastically, "Let's go reopen the probably barely closed wounds of a daughterless father!"
"Are you sure you're feeling well, Slader" Corda wondered, bending down to take a closer look at him.
"I'm fine!" Slader insisted, stepping away. "I'm just a little tired, I guess."
"Well, maybe you should go back to the train and get some rest," Corda suggested.
Slader raised an eyebrow, looking from the Capitol woman, to the crowd of people pouring out of the train station. "You want me to go back through that?"
Corda looked uncertainly at the wave of citizens. "Maybe not."
"You think?"
The woman crossed her arms over her chest and gave a scowl, "Well, there's no need to get snippy."
"Whatever," the dark-haired boy grumbled.
"He needs to find a quiet spot," Kat said, under her breath. "Hey! here's an idea; What if the two of you go find a quiet spot for Grump, here, while I go talk to the mayor!"
Slader's eyes widened as Corda clapped enthusiastically. "That's a fantastic idea! Come along, Slader!" The woman cheered, taking the boy's arm; completely oblivious to the vigorous shaking of the his head. Slader glared daggers at the girl over his shoulder as Corda dragged him away, never ceasing her excited chirping. Kat gave an innocent smile, accompanied by a mocking wave, before turning on her heel and strolling in the opposite direction, pulling a map out of the bag slung across her chest.
~District 7~
"I'm not buying anything else from you, so go away, Moore!"
"Well, my name's not Moore, and I'm not selling anything, so..."
The door opened suddenly, and in the empty space stood a lanky girl. The girl's large blue eyes scanned her coldly. She brushed a short strand of white hair from her eyes and cocked her head before finally speaking, "Katalina Snow, right?"
"Yeah."
"Great, the great-granddaughter of President Snow himself," she groaned, rolling her eyes into the back of her head. "And to what do I owe this honor?" She wondered, voice dripping with sarcasm as she spoke the work 'honor'. she leaned against the white door frame an looked at her visitor expectantly. When Kat hesitated, she added, "Seriously, I want to know, so I don't do it again."
"Charming," Kat frowned. "You didn't do anything, I wish to speak to the mayor, your father I presume."
"And what makes you think he wants to talk to you?" the girl demanded.
"Well, would you rather talk to me?" Kat responded, crossing her arms over her chest, and raising an eyebrow.
The girl hesitated, biting her lip, then said, "Wait here," before disappearing into the house. Kat bounced on her heels, and looked around. The mayor's home was sat right at the edge of the forest, half tucked into the trees.
A bird chirped at her from a branch, and she smiled, whistling the four-note tune she remembered from the 74th Hunger Games. The bird trilled excitedly, and took wing, landing on the short gate behind her. Kat smiled as the little blue creature cocked its head, and whistled the tune again. The bird chirped and bounced about on the fence.
"Wow, you're an excitable little fellow, aren't you?" She grinned. It responded by taking flight and circling about her head, landing atop it placidly. It nuzzled into her pink hair and when it came back up it had a stiff strand clamped in its beak. Kat giggled, and one of her ears gave a twitch. The bird chirped indignantly, and bounced away. It stared curiously at the thing, cocking its head. "It does look rather funny, doesn't it?" She asked, putting a hand near the bird. The bird hopped on, watching the ear suspiciously. "It's my mother's fault, though. I didn't choose to look like a mutt."
"You don't look like a mutt."
Kat jumped with a yelp, and the bird shrieked and fluttered away. Kat whirled around to face the intruder, and found a tall, slightly muscular man stood behind her, smiling fondly. Kat blinked. She had grown used to the adults in the district looking at her as though she were some sort of disease or avoiding her all together. Kat thought that some may even believe she could seal their children's fate in the Hunger Games with one look. However, this man looked at her as though she were a girl he had known since she was a baby. Of course, in a way, he had, but that was not the point.
"Um, hi," she said unsurly. "I'm-"
"Katalina Snow."
"And again I am reminded of the curse of being the Capitol's Sweetheart," she grumbled, yanking her hood up to cover her cat ears.
"If it makes you feel any better," the man said, absently, "Everybody recognizes me wherever I go in the district."
"If you can live with that multiplied by twenty, then I'll feel better."
The man chuckled. "Well, it was worth a shot. It's always worth a shot, to make someone feel better."
"That's sweet," Kat smiled.
"You smile so easily," the man said. "My daughter was like that. Lately, I can't seem to make myself even fake a smile. Which is a shame, since my daughter's favorite thing was to see people smile."
"A beautiful soul," Kat recited, remembering the words of the Hunger Games announcer Lancaster Janen, when the thirteen-year-old Ivory Hold was, literally, torn to pieces by the District One girl, who had half-way been lost to insanity. The worst part of the matter was that Lust Cane became the victor that year.
Kat had been careful to avoid that victor in District 1, since she couldn't look at her without having nightmares about the "Beautiful Soul" she sent back home unrecognizable.
She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. That had been the first games she'd ever watched. At five years old she had decided she would never even try to see it the way the other Capitols did, she would only hate those games and everything they made of her people, both Capitols and Districts alike.
Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she quickly reached up to wipe them away. "She liked to talk to the animals, too," the man was saying, strolling to the fence and putting a hand on it as he peered into the forest, eyes glazed as though he only saw memories in the leafy entanglements.
"Wrong," Kat muttered, whipping the last of the tears from her face, and fighting back the fresh. "The games are all wrong, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"There's nothing anyone can do about it," the man replied, rubbing his palm on the cold metal. "Except, of course, President Snow, but he's to blind by hatred to see the truth of matters."
"Blind by hatred," he had said, where most would have just said, "Monster". Kat Found herself smiling in appreciation. He was her great-grandfather and she loved him, no matter how much she disagreed with him, and so it hurt when people said rude things about him; especially when she couldn't shake the thought that they were true. "Blind by hatred", however, was an excellent way to justify her great-grandfather's poor decision; both to herself and to others.
"Would you like to com in?" the man wondered, looking over at her with sad blue eyes. "Ivy just made pie."
"No," Kat said, shaking her head vigorously; she wasn't up for feeling the accusing glare of the blond girl on the back of her neck. "I just wanted to meet you." With that she turned and began her stroll toward the gate, however, when she reached it, she hesitated, hand on the latch. "Also," she called back. "I wanted you to know that I was routing for her. Ivory, I mean," she added, looking over her shoulder at him. "I put everything I had into trying to keep her alive, but the truth of the matter is, sponsorship money just can't guarantee a tribute's victory."
"You're tight," the man said sadly, staring at her. "Thank you, though."
"If was just money," Kat shook her head, raising the latch.
"No, not for sponsoring her. I meant for remembering her," he told her, smiling.
Kat smiled back. "What kind of person would I be if I didn't remember Ivory Hold? Oh! One more thing," she added, stepping through the gate and snapping the latch down, "I've seen you smile twice, and they looked pretty real to me," she barley caught the smile that spread across the man's face as she turned and strolled away.
~District 7~
"You know, there's a name for people like you!" Slader snapped, slamming his bag down on the table in front of Kat, who started. Kat blinked, his bag down on the table in front of Kat, who started. Kat blinked, staring blankly at him a moment, then began a fit of giggles.
"How was your quiet time with Corda?" She teased, glancing over at the bright-haired woman, who was babbling to a waitress with long blond hair pulled back in a low ponytail, who was looking on the verge of shooting herself, and then Corda.
"Are you kidding me?" the boy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air "Have you met that woman? She never stops talking! If you manage a quiet moment with her its because some kind of angel made a miracle happen!"
Kat giggled again and Slader shook his head, plopping into the seat beside her. "So did you get to talk to the mayor?"
"Yeah, I talked to him," Kat replied.
"How did he react to being bombarded with questions about his daughter?"
"I didn't interview him; I just spoke to him."
"You didn't interview him?" Slader wondered, taking on a mockingly surprised air. "Why ever not?"
"You're cute," Kat said, rolling her eyes, "but, to answer your question; I couldn't take the sadness about him, or the death glare his daughter gave me," Kat admitted, shoving a piece of bread into her mouth.
Slader gave a bark of laughter, earning a pout from the girl. "Death glare? Really?"
"Yes, really! I think if she were a dog, her hackles would have been standing on end when she looked at me," Kat joked.
Slader gave a howl of laughter this time, throwing back his head so violently he nearly cracked his head against the back of the chair. Kat couldn't help laughing along with him, and the two were soon in uncontrollable laughing fits.
"What are you two laughing at?" Corda demanded, hobbling over unsteadily. "Oh!" She exclaimed, stamping her foot like a child and reaching down to pull a shoe from her foot. "Oh dear! Look! It's broken!"
Sure enough, the heel of the ridiculously high heel was hanging limply from the sole of the thing.
"Oh no! It's the end of the world! Everyone panic!" Slader muttered under his breath. Kat snorted, and Slader's eyes sparkled with the usual mischievous glint she hadn't seen in a few weeks.
Corda was far from noticing either of them at this point, however, squawking like an upset bird about her "favorite heels".
Kat quickly grow tired of the scene, and people began irritably at the woman. Kat quickly took action, leaping to her feet and taking on the "mountain out of a mole hill" air she had come to associate with Capitol people and shoes. "Oh, Corda! Is that your only pair?"
"Of course not!" Corda responded, looking offended. "Who only packs one pair of shoes?"
"Well, then you better go change!" Kat exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, and tugging, distraught, at a cat ear, as though her next thought was horrifying her already. "You don't want anyone to see you like that!"
"You're right!" Corda exclaimed, swinging her broken heel, and narrowly avoiding a young sandy-haired boy, balancing a tray of food. He ducked under her arm, and scurried away, glaring indignantly at her over his shoulder.
"Go!" Kat hurried, ushering Corda toward the door. "Quickly! Quickly!"
"Right!" With that, Corda began hurrying awkwardly away, waving her arms like a bird trying to take flight. Kat shook her head, and turned to go back into the building.
Inside, she found Slader, face crimson from laughing so hard, and tears streaming down his face. "That was great!" He managed through his fits. "Did you see her? She looked so ridiculous trying to run in one heel!"
"It wasn't funny," Kat replied, trying to suppress her own laughter. "And you shouldn't laugh at her!"
"You're right," Slader admitted, calming the laughter to a chuckle. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. I needed a good laugh.
"Whatever," Kat grumbled, slumping back into her chair and scooping up her pencil. "Anyways-"
"That was amazing!"
Kat nearly leapt from her chair, slamming her hand into the table in the process. She hissed angrily in place of the words she couldn't find, trying to shake the pain from her throbbing hand.
"Sorry," the sandy-haired boy from before winced.
"Is it a game in the Districts or something?" Kat demanded, glaring at him. "'The person who scares the most unsuspecting people wins'?"
"No," the boy chuckled, "but that's a great idea! Thanks!"
Kat responded by pouting and slumping back in her chair again.
"Anyways," the boy went on, "I wanted to tell you that the thing you did a few minutes ago, with the shoe, was pretty amazing."
Kat felt the color rush to her face. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and replied, "Well, you know, when you grow up in the Capitol..." She trailed off, assuming the rest went without saying.
The boy smiled warmly at her, making her cheeks turn darker, and said, "Well, you should teach me, because I have that problem with my sister, all the time."
"Really?" Kat wondered, looking disbelievingly at him. "I thought the shoe issue was just a Capitol thing!"
"Yeah, and I thought it was just a girl thing," the boy replied, eyes going distant as if remembering something then laughing, "then someone dropped paint all over the escort last year." He grinned mischievously and threw his hands into the air, taking on a horrified expression. "'Oh! Would you look at my shoes? They're ruined!'"
Kat laughed, recalling the memory from the year before. Poor Falam Cords still hadn't lived it down in the Capitol, although that was for a different reason entirely.
Slader caught a proud glint in the boy's dark blue eyes. Of course. Who wouldn't be proud of themselves for making a pretty girl laugh? Especially Kat since she had a really cute laugh. Wait!What am I thinking? Stop that! He shook his head to clear away the thoughts.
"I'm Axel, by the way," the boy introduced.
"Kat. Kat Snow," Kat returned. She paused uncomfortably a moment, then added, "And this is Slader. He was assigned to keep me company while I'm away from home."
"And away you are," Axel chuckled. "Pretty far away, at that. What brings you all the way out to District 7, anyways?"
"Interviews," Kat replied, holding up her recorder. "I'm interviewing people about the Quarter Quell."
"Oh yeah, that's this year isn't it?" Axel grimaced.
"Yep," Kat responded half-heartedly, putting the recorder safely back in her pocket.
"Well you can interview me if you like," he offered.
"Really?" Kat asked, blue eyes glittering excitedly.
"Why not?" the blond boy answered, shrugging his shoulders.
"That's great!" she paused in her excitement, and said, "But first; where's your bathroom?"
He laughed and pointed over his shoulder, saying, "See the hallway by the counter? It's the last door on the left. You can't miss it."
"Thanks."
"Anytime," he called as she disappeared in the direction he had pointed her in. He turned back around, and shifted uncomfortably under the dark-eyed glare of Slader. "Uh. Can I help you?"
"How old are you, Axel?" Slader demanded lowly.
"Fourteen," Axel replied simply, picking at a napkin, meekly. "How old are you?"
"Twelve," Slader said darkly, "and so is Kat."
"Age is but a number," Axel grinned knowingly at Slader, who twisted his face in distaste.
"Alright then. How about status? She's an infamous Capitol! Her grandfather has killed thousands of District children! And what are you? Just a lowly district waiter!" Slader snapped, slamming a hand on the table between them.
The boy didn't jump, as he had expected him to. In fact, he didn't even blink. Instead the blond continued to stare calmly at him, and when he spoke, the only emotion detectable in his voice was slight disappointment. "Spoken like a true Capitolite. However, I will indulge you with a reply, with the assistance of my good friend Shakespear, of course. You say status, but her status is based on her name, and as my friend says: 'What 'tis in a name? That which we call a rose, would smell just as sweet, should it be call by any other name.' So therefore, should your friend Kat be called by any other name than Snow, she would still hold that same beauty," he was on his feet, coming slowly around the table, he paused when he reached Slader, and bent to speak into his ear, "an intelligence that leaves you so flustered; for no twelve-year-old truly knows how to deal with the feelings of a true crush!"
Slader leapt to his feet, sending the chair crashing into the window that cracked into a spindly pattern. "That's a lie!"
"Really?" Axel grinned, straightening, completely unfazed by Slader's outburst. The rest of the small restaurant, however, had gone completely silent, staring at the two in bewilderment. Axel frowned at them. "Turn your ears deaf!" he snapped, loud enough for them to hear clearly, yet quiet enough to send a chill through the room. "The curiosity of a cat often brings about that creatures demise, and for those who meddle in Capitol business, that demise could be brought about by the president, himself."
Like he had hit a switch, everyone immediately turned back to their food, and resumed previous conversations.
"I would suggest being more careful," Axel warned quietly. "Next time I may not be able to detour them so easily, or willingly."
"Yes, really," Slader mumbled. "I don't like Snow."
"Then why do you get so worked up when I flirt with her? It's not at though you're innocent of flirting. I saw you playing my sister like a string."
Slader looked regretfully at the blond girl working the register. One he had been testing his skills on earlier that day.
"Is this your way of getting revenge?" Slader asked, not meeting the blond boy's eyes. "I hit on your sister, so you hit on Kat?"
"No," Axel's voice sounded as though Slader's confusion was the most curious thing in the world, "my sister's capable of handling herself, and she would never go for a Capitol, anyhow. She's not that air-headed."
"Then what are you doing?" Slader snarled, ever fiber of his self-control going into not making another outburst.
"Amusing myself," he smiled, sitting down again. "I've always been amused by a Capitolite's ease in something as terrible as murder, yet hesitation in something as innocent as love."
Axel smirked at the boy still standing as the tension in the air seemed to increase even more, so strong now it could be cut with a mere butter knife. After a moment of quiet, Slader opened his mouth and, in a deathly calm voice, "Spoken like a true District Dwellers. Well, your amusement is over." And with that he snatched up his big and stomped out of the restaurant, jest as Kat returned to her seat.
"What's wrong with him now?" Kat frowned in the direction he had retreated. Axel shrugged. The young Capitolite shook her head and said, "Oh well. shall we begin, then?"
"Sure."
"Alright," Kat grinned, pulling out her recorder again and clicking it on.
~District 7~
"Who does he think he is anyway? He just assumes that he knows all about me! Well he doesn't! Like I'm actually crushing on Kat! She hates me for God's sake! And 'Such ease in something as terrible as murder, yet such hesitation in something as innocent as love'? What does that even mean?" He asked. The dog looked at him with big, sad eyes, still in the position it had been in when Slader had begun his rant; lying on its stomach with its head resting on its paws. It whined slightly. "Yeah, your probably right," Slader went on, voice softening. "He's just trying to get under my skin, but," he sighed, plopping down in the dirt beside the golden retriever, "I just don't understand why it gets under my skin so much. I mean, it can't be because I like her. Of course not. It's just because she's Kat. She's almost like a sister to me. I can't have a crush on her. Right?"
The dog gave a long whine in response. Slader sighed again, and thumped his head against the wood, stacked behind him. He opened his bag and pulled out a loaf of bread. The dog perked up immediately, staring unwaveringly at the food. Slader laughed, "Alright, but only because you've been so helpful," he ripped a piece off the loaf and allowed the dog to snatch it from his fingers.
"Sounds like someone's someone's having girl problems," Slader jumped as the dog barked and bounded excitedly to its feet.
Slader scrabbled to his feet, as well, looking for the source of the disturbance. Perched atop the stack of chopped wood that Slader had been leaned against, was a small, dark-haired girl, bouncing an apple on her palm, and dangling her feet over the side. She bit into the fruit and looked expectantly at him.
"Kat's right," Slader spoke, mostly to himself, scratching his head, "it is like a game around here."
"What's like a game?" the girl wondered, swallowing her mouthful of apple.
Sneaking up on people," Slader answered.
The girl swung a foot giggling. "That's a great idea! Person to scare the most unsuspecting people wins!" Slader stared open-mouthed at her. "What? It is a great idea."
"That's what the last guy said," Slader informed rolling his eyes.
"Well, great minds think alike," she replied matter-of-factually. "So, who's gotten under your skin."
"He's nobody," Slader grumbled, scuffing the hard ground with the toe of his black combat boot.
"He sure doesn't sound like nobody, or do you just rant about every random person you meet?" Slader shrugged uncomfortably. "Come on, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone."
Slader sighed in defeat. "His name is Axel."
"Oh, him." She crinkled her nose distastefully. "I wouldn't worry to much about anything he does, he's a jerk." She stood on the pile, tossed away the apple core, and hopped off the stack, landing gracefully on the ground and sending up a small cloud of dust around her ankles. "Especially when it comes to girls."
"Thanks for the advice," Slader mumbled.
"No problem," the girl replied. "So what's your name?"
"Slader, yours?"
"Willow," the girl responded. "You know, like Weeping Willow, without the weeping part."
"Got it." Slader shook his head. "What are you doing out here? I thought the wood yard was closed."
"It is for workers maybe, but I live here," Willow told him. "With my brother Oaklin."
"Does he own it or something?"
"No," Willow responded cocking her head and giving him a confused look. "The Capitol owns the wood yard, duh!"
"Then how do you live here?"
"Well, we have a spot set up a few wood stacks that way. Neither of us felt like going to the county home after Mom died, and he sure wasn't gonna let me move in with Dad, so he set up camp here."
Slader frowned deeply. "Why are you telling me this? I could report you."
"Do it," Willow challenged, shrugging unconcernedly. "We'll be out of there by the next morning, and will have a new place by nightfall."
"You sound pretty confident in that statement," Slader noticed.
"Well, we did it last year."
"Don't you think they would learn from there first mistake and put more security around you?"
Willow threw her head back with a laugh, "'Learn from their first mistake'? The people at the community can't even figure out their first mistake when tying their own shoes, how're they gonna put two-and-two together with my brother and I?"
"Whatever."
Willow giggled. "Are you gonna report us then."
"Well, I suppose not," Slader pouted. "I don't wanna waste my breath on someone who will be gone tomorrow morning anyways."
"Good choice," she grinned, clapping his shoulder. "You wanna meet my brother? I bet it'll get your mind off your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend," Slader insisted.
"Okay, whatever you say," Willow said teasingly, skipping away. The dog barked cheerfully, and trotted after her.
Slader stood uncertainly a moment, then growled in frustration, and followed after. "Since the nice Capitol boy gave you bread, does that mean I don't have to feed you?" the dark-haired girl was saying as he caught up, reaching down to run a hand through the dog's long, golden fur.
"So what's wrong with your dad?" Slader wondered.
"He's a drunk," Willow replied, "and abusive."
"Oh," Slader scratched his head. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Its okay. Oaklin and I get along alright without him. Well, here we are!" she announced, coming to a stop in front of a stack of wood. Slader frowned. It didn't look any different than the others. The dog barked, and pounced at the ground beside the stack, scratching ferociously.
"Calm down," Willow ordered, pushing the dog back and dropping to her knees. "Give me a second."
She then began brushing at the dust in the ground. After a few moments she apparently found what she was looking for, because she pulled up a latch, revealing a trap door, disguised in the dirt.
"What is that?" Slader wondered, staring at the dark stairwell.
"I think it used to be a bomb shelter," Willow replied, moving to follow the dog into the darkness. "You know from the rebellion. Well, are you coming?"
Slader huffed and followed her. "How'd you find it?"
"We didn't? Sidekick did."
"Who?" Slader wondered.
"Sidekick. The dog."
"You named your dog Sidekick?"
"No," Willow sounded offended. "Oaklin named him Sidekick. He said the dog was like my partner in crime, so, yeah."
"I'm gonna choose to stop asking questions now." Slader shook his head.
"Good choice," Willow said again.
"Welcome!" Willow declared, giving a grand flourish with her arms. They had come out of the stairwell into a small, gray walled room, with plain bunk beds shoved against the far walls, and a stained white door on the wall to the wall to the left, Slader assumed that must be the bathroom. The only light in the room came from a single lamp swinging from a cable over their heads. The small amount of light cast eery shadows around the room. The dog leapt onto the bottom bunk of one of the beds. Slader thought that must of been its typical spot, since the sheet were ripped and torn, and the blanket was balled in a tight mess, as thought it had suffered many sessions of the dog trying to get comfortable. On the bed beside him, was a large, dark-haired boy.
"Slader; this is my brother Oaklin. Oaklin; this is Slader."
Oaklin frowned, getting to his feet. When the boy stood, his head brushed the low ceiling, and he had shoulders at least twice as wide as Sladers entire body. The boy gulped. Oaklin locked beady, black eyes on him, and his frown deepened even more. "You brought a Capitol, here?"
"How do you know I'm a Capitol?" Slader snapped defensively, although as soon as the words left his mouth he knew it was a stupid question.
"Your hair is in a flame design, plus, you're the Head Gamemaker's son, I see you on T.V all the time."
"Right," Slader laughed nervously, scratching his head. "I knew that."
"Sure," Oaklin grunted, turning back to his sister.
"You brought a Capitol here? What kind of stupid idea is that?"
"He was nice, and he said he wasn't going to tell," Willow replied, unfazed by her brother's deep, threatening voice.
"He's a Capitol, Willow! Captiol's lie! Everyone knows that!"
"Not all Capitols lie! That's prejudice!" Willow snapped, shouting over her brother. "He's different! I can't see it!"
"I hate to break it to you Willow, but your not exactly the best judge of character!"
"What does that mean!"
"I mean, you actually believed Dad would change for us!" Oaklin boomed, completely ignoring his sister.
"I-That's not-If you would just-" the poor girl struggled to be heard over his booming rant. "Would you shut up and listen to me!"
Oaklin stopped abruptly, mid-sentence, and looked at her. "You have exactly one minute," he warned.
"Sidekick likes him!" Willow announced immediately. "That's how I know it isn't my poor judgement this time. Sidekick attacked Dad because he knew he was a bad person, but Slader's different!"
"Sidekicks a dog! He can't tell the difference between a good guy and a bad one!"
"Actually, animals are said to be the best judges of character, right next to kids," Slader blurted out, clamping a hand over his mouth immediately.
"Quiet! This isn't your conversation!" Oaklin growled.
"Maybe I should be going," Slader offered, turning for the staircase.
"Great idea, see you later!"
"No wait! Please don't go Slader," Willow pleaded, looking guilty.
"And you! Start packing up, we need to find a new place, since you gave this one away."
Slader felt a wave of guilt as he listened to the two argue his entire trip up the stairs.
~District 7~
"Hey, Slader!" Kat called waving to him as he trudged down the sidewalk. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. Where'd you go?"
"Why do you care?" Slader snapped, pulling his jacket closer around himself to shut out the cold.
Kat stopped in front of him, and pouted. "I thought we were supposed to be making friendly?"
Slader met her dark blue eyes and gave a sigh, "I suppose you're right. Sorry."
"You're forgiven," Kat perked up. "So why'd you run out of the shop like that?"
"I just had to get out of there. It was stuffy and I felt like everyone was watching me."
"Like that a feeling you're not used to?" Kat snorted.
"Doesn't make it any less uncomfortable."
"True. So listen, I wanna hit the Victor's Village. The sibling victors from the Third Quarter Quell live there and I really wanna get an interview with the Quarter Quell Victors."
"Sounds cool," Slader said absently. "So how'd your interview with Axel go?" What kind of question is that?
"Good, he's friends with the son of a victor, and his girlfriend lost her older sister to the games a few years back."
"So he's all tied up in the games, is he?" Slader shook his head.
"Yeah, its kinda cool," Kat smiled.
"What?" Slader snapped out of his absence suddenly. "How is that cool?"
"Well, you know. That his life's been so effected by the games, and the Capitol, but he can still be friendly with them, its a good quality in his character."
You have got to be kidding me! "Oh yeah, you're," absolutely wrong. "right." Kiss up..
"So let's get go..ing," Kat stopped suddenly mid-step, and said, "Oh my God, its her."
"Who?"
"Ivy Hold," Kat replied, ducking behind him.
"You mean death glare girl?" Slader wondered, looking around. His eyes fell on a lanky, tan-skinned girl, with short-cropped white hair and large blue eyes, walking with a young woman and..."Aw man!" he groaned, as he caught sight a of familiar sandy-haired boy. Well this day just keeps getting better and better.
"Hey, look," the girl jeered, as her big, blue eyes fell on the two, "It's Capitol Things 1 and 2."
"Nice to see you again pretty boy! Gonna stomp off in a hissy fit again because I outsmarted you?" Axel teased.
"He ran off scared, too?" The blond girl, who could only be Ivy, laughed. "Do they teach that maneuver to all the Capitols?"
"Nah, just the important ones," the woman corrected.
"There's no need to be rude," Kat answered casually, taking a position beside Slader.
"Why, actually I think there is!" Ivy returned. "I mean you were rude to me! You know ripping my sister away from me and all!"
"That wasn't my choice!"
"Killing her right in front of my eyes!"
"I didn't kill her, and I didn't say, 'Hey, let's kill an innocent thriteen-year-old in front of the entire country'!"
"Sent me back a box with nothing but a ripped apart, memory of my sister! Literally!"
"I didn't choose any of that! I was just born in the wrong place, to the wrong mother! Just like your sister! And if your to blind to realize I didn't choose this life for the country than I have serious concerns for your district's future!"
"Why you sorry little!"
Kat yelped, and turned tail, quite literally, to run. Slader soon followed after as he realized Ivy wasn't exactly concerned with who did the talking, but rather, which Capitol she reached first. "I got an idea!" he announced to Kat, turning suddenly, "Follow me!"
"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Slader!"
"Just trust me!" They came out of the alley on the main road, Ivy close behind, and Slader began the path he knew would take him to his destination. Soon they were scrambling over the fence to the wood yard. He lead her through the maze of stacked wood, and came to the one he thought he remembered as the home of the trap door. Dropping to his knees he ran a hand over the ground in search. "There coming!" Kat warned, as the groups voices came into earshot.
"They went this way I think," Slader thought that sounded far to much like Axel's voice.
"Got it!" he announce, yanking the latch. The thick wooden door swung open, and he motioned for Kat to get in. Oaklin would just have to live with it for a few minutes. He followed her in after and pulled the door closed. They say holding their breaths.
"Are yous sure they came this way Axe?" That sounded like Ivy.
"I'm positive," Axel snapped.
"Well where are they now, genius?" That must be the woman.
"If I knew that we wouldn't still be standing here know would we, Wilda?"
"Don't test me, Axel!"
"Come on, I bet they jumped the fence and went into the forest or something."
The three attackers voices disappeared as they headed for the forest.
"I can't believe they did that! I mean, do they know who I am? They could be in a load of trouble if I tell Grandpa Snow!"
"But you're not going to," Slader reminded boredly.
"Well, no, but I could," Kat insisted.
"But they know you won't," Slader reminded, "Or do you think Axel didn't figure anything out about you while you two were talking."
"You're right," Kat sighed. "I can't believe he would do that. I mean, he was so sweet before, in the restaurant!"
Not as sweet as you think, Slader thought bitterly. "That was before he got with his friends. He's nothing but a two-faced jerk."
"I guess so," Kat sighed.
"Great, now that that's settled, let's talk about what you're doing here," a booming voice demanded from the dark.
Kat shrieked and began fumbling in her bag for her flashlight. She finally located it and clicked it on. The light fell on the square jawed face of Oaklin. "Um, hi."
"Sorry," Slader cut in. "We needed a place to hide. I swear we were going to leave after."
"Hi Slader!" Willow called from behind Oaklin. "Nice to see you agian!"
"You know them?"
"Yeah, Willow the reason I even knew about this," Slader replied.
"Well, that answers my follow-up question, I guess," Kat grinned. "Hey, would you guys like to do an interview about the Quarter Quell?"
"No." Oaklin said flatly at the same time that his sister exclaimed, "Sure!"
"Come on! We can do it downstairs in the room," Willow insisted, pushing past Oaklin and grabbing Kat's arm.
"We actually really should be leaving," Slader tried to insist.
"Yeah, they really should," Oaklin agreed.
"Come on!" Willow complained, shoving past Oaklin again. "A little interview won't hurt anything."
Oaklin groaned. "Oh, I hate girls!"
~District 7~
"Willow's interview had to be the best interview I've had so far!" Kat was saying excitedly. "And it was so nice of her to show us the the Victor's Village! Especially since I lost my map and all."
"Yeah, it was excellent," Slader grumbled, still shuddering from the death glare he had been receiving from Oaklin.
"Anyways," Kat continued, "let's get through this last one, and we can call it a day."
"Deal," Slader agreed as Kat reached out and rang the doorbell of the large Victor's home.
"I got it, Mom!" a voice shouted from the other side of the door, then it opened and in it stood a small, brunette girl. She blinked her dark eyes and said, "Can I help you?"
"Yes actually," Kat smiled.
"Do you wanna talk to my mom? She's one of the Victor's of the Third Quarter Quell, you know?"
"Yes, I know. May I speak to her.
"Sure! Mom! There's a Capitol girl here to talk to you! You can come inside if you like," the girl offered, moving aside to let them in.
The chestnut haired victor smiled at them when she saw who it was, and showed them to her family room, where they made themselves comfortable on the couch, and the half-dozen kids came by though out the entire interview, offering a new kind of snack or drink, or staying to answer a question about being a Victor's child.
"Thanks for your time," Kat thanked when she had finished. "I appreciate it a lot!"
"Anytime," the woman, Pine, smiled warmly. "Good luck with your report Mrs. Snow, and I'll see you at the Capitol in a few months."
Kat nodded, and then turned on her heel to leave.