As the Peacekeepers whisked us away, I tried to forget everything. I didn't want Adry getting in my way. Mikayla is coming out of there. I couldn't possibly let her die. Adry was playing with my emotions, was all. She wasn't really in love with me…
The moment I was taken out of the room, I saw my sister. We could talk, just not now. She reached out to me, but her Peacekeeper yanked her back. It was a short walk from the Justice Building to the Train Station. All along the way cameras followed us, and reporters asked question that just jumbled together. I completely ignored them.
Mikayla slowly crawled into the bus. She looked at me desperately.
The same Peacekeeper I was familiar with was the one to throw me onto the train.
"Oh Scarecrow," I said, fumbling to get up. "I think I'll miss you most of all."
Of course, he didn't get the reference, so he socked me in the jaw. It made a sickening crunch, which sent me stumbling to the other side of the room. When he walked away from the door, I yelled out something extremely vulgar to him. He turned around, and he tried to get me, but I slammed the train door shut. We started moving, and he tried to chase me for a few yards. That was enough to almost lighten my mood.
With the Atlantic Ocean to the East, we went Westward to the Capitol. Other trains would be picking up the other tributes. I thought about them. With all my concern with Mikayla, I forgot about myself. Someone was going to kill me. I'm a weakling. Some Career was going to slit my throat, the Capitol will put me in a box, and I'll be sent to my District for burial. Routine.
I clutched my jaw. I think the Peacekeeper broke it. Maybe it will make me look tough. I turned around to see my sister.
She stood there holding her stuffed rabbit by it's long ears. It was a raggy old thing, barley still in one piece. It was covered in stitches, from me fixing all of the tears. I suppose this was her token from Matilda.
Her face was one of pure dejection. It mirrored my own feelings that'd held in until this moment. I finally let my tears escape. After everything that happened today, I haven't spoken to my sister once. That bugged me.
As I looked around, the 6 victors and Corra were going to their personal cars. They seemed busy. We'd be in the Capitol in a day.
She stood there holding her stuffed rabbit by its long ears. It was a raggy old thing, barley still in one piece. It was covered in stitches, from me fixing all of the tears. I suppose this was her token from Matilda.
Her face was one of pure dejection. It mirrored my own feelings that'd held in until this moment. I finally let my tears escape. After everything that happened today, I haven't spoken to my sister once. That bugged me.
I slowly walked over to my sister. Even though she was 12, she seemed so young right now, clutching her toy. She looked so scared. Just the look on her face made me want to snap President Snow's neck. This was a little girl. She did nothing to the Capitol. She was innocent.
I leaned down and held her in my arms.
"Jacob," she cried. "Why did you volunteer? We're gonna die. Just please… please-"
I squeezed her shoulder. "Shh." I whispered. "Come with me."
I led her away, into her personal compartment. We both got one, containing a shower, dressers filled to the brim with clothes, and luscious beds with linen blankets. Disgusting.
I stepped out for a moment while she changed into something more comfortable. At last, she chose a pink, silk nightgown. I picked her up, being quite a feat considering how much she'd grown. I leaned into her ear. "My little princess…" I whispered. "You are so beautiful, Great Mikayla. Now rest." Was that it? A ghost of a smile?
I gently lay her down, and put the covers on her. I didn't need to talk to her. She was just fine being with me. She knew I'd keep her safe. She was smart for a 12 year old.
As I started to leave, I turned off the lights. She called out to me. "Jacob?"
I looked back. "Yes?"
"Can you…" she started. She looked like she couldn't figure out how to ask.
I went back to the side of her bed and leaned down. "Tell me."
"Can you…" she looked down, embarrassed. "Sing me ond of Dad's songs?"
I laughed. "Of course, Princess."
I wasn't great at a lot of things. I'm basically only smart. But for some reason Mikayla always begged me to sing a song to her before she slept. I knew what to do.
Our father was in charge of delivering District 3's goods to the other Districts. In the short time he had stayed in them, he had picked up a couple songs special to that district. Thanks to him, District 3 was very metro-cultural. He would come home and sing to the rest of the family. He had a great voice. Perhaps that's what Mikayla wanted. Maybe there was a trace of our Klaus Ryder of whom we'd loved. One song called Under This Tree had come to my mind. It was always Mikayla's favorite. I smiled at my sister as I began the song in a soft, gentle voice.
"In the meadow
Only I know
How the wind blows
Where you left me
When the day breaks
How my heart aches
When I'm gone I still see your face"
I pulled her covers higher up, and fixed her pillow.
"I'll wait till the clouds float low
And in time you'll know
For you I'm waiting here
Green eyes turn blue
Lost I found you
Give me something to hold on to"
She clutched her rabbit as her eyes started to flutter closed.
"Day is closing
Darkness folding
Tears in her eyes
Can't say goodbye
In the meadow
Only I know
How the grass blows
Where you left me"
She was asleep. She looked so peaceful; I didn't bother waking her up for the last verse.
"And I whisper in your ear
As I stay here."
I slowly got up, making sure not to wake her. I found a chair on the other side of the room and took my place in it. I didn't even bother going to my own room. Like a creeper, I sat next to my sister for hours, just watching her sleep. I wanted to protect her. Even on this ironclad train, days away from the Games.
Sooner than I hoped, someone opened the door. It was Corra. "Come on dears," she said. "It's time for supper."
I nodded briskly, and she left.
ooo
Dinner was magnificent. It came in courses. A platter with 20 different kinds of cheeses. A colorful salad. A soup that was so good, I couldn't place its flavor. Steak and fruit. And the most delicious, a turducken. It was a turkey stuffed with duck, stuffed with chicken, stuffed with crab like an edible Russian nesting doll. We finished up with several dishes of apple crisp. I ate as much as I could, but my stomach had trouble holding it.
I looked around at everyone at the table. All of the victors were eating silently, while Corra tried to make small talk. "This food is splendid," "I believe we're ahead of schedule," or "You children seem pleasant."
The victors were silent. Wiress seemed to be jumpy, so Beetee comforted her. Ronan barley ate a bite. Perdita left half-way through for something she wouldn't say. Milo stared out the car's window, watching the tree pass by. Kaya, on the other hand, was gobbling up every last bite. Half-way through supper, she drank a liquid that supposedly makes you throw up. She left for the bathroom, and came back to finish the rest of her food.
All in all, it was horrible.
Finally, we were done. We awkwardly left to another compartment to watch the Reapings. This was awful. I had to see the other twenty-two children that were supposed to kill me and Mikayla. But part of my strategy was to learn about the tributes we were facing. I needed to know what to expect. So I watched them be reaped one at a time, studying their faces.
District 1, Luxury Goods. Exalt Caret and Cherish Eclipse. I laughed at their cheesy names that the Careers always gave them. Anyway, they were the usual District 1's. They were volunteers for people they didn't even know. Exalt, the male, was bored looking boy. The way he moved his arms unconsciously made me think he was a swordsman. Cherish was a snooty girl drowning in make-up. She was probably good with knives.
District 2, Masonry. Denrik Chisel and Summer Anderson. Denrik was buff looking 17 year old. His fists were the size of baseball gloves. How ever how he fought-although I'm sure he could crush me with his fists alone-I figured it would be best to keep my distance. Summer... was different. She seemed so defeated. But once they called up a girl named Izabel, she immediately volunteered. She didn't acknowledge the crying girl as she came down. I couldn't figure her out.
District 3, Technology. I couldn't bear to watch it again. As I brought Mikayla out, I could hear the commentators laughing at my struggle with the Peacekeepers.
District 4, Fishing. Ben Jackson and Willow Rosenburg. Both volunteers, as usual for Careers. But 14 year old Ben had replaced a young boy by the name of Drizzle Jackson. There were lots of tears for them as Willow rolled her eyes. Yes, Willow. She automatically moves with a stride that shows that she work with spears. By the way she walks; it proves she's a silent killer. She works in the night.
District 5, DNA Muttations and Power. Jasper Crestel and Anthea Flynn. Jasper wore a hooded jacket, so I could barley see his face. But Anthea, strutted up onto the stage. She had a sparkle in her eye. She had a plan.
District 6, Medicine. Bren Munite and Sky Wolfe. Bren was 15, and had snow-white hair. When he saw Sky come up, he seemed terrified. I assumed they must have known each other. Otherwise, they didn't seem like a threat.
District 7, Lumber. Cleek Thicket and Shine Trifle. Cleek was tall, blonde and muscular. He would most likely be one of the Careers outside of 1, 2, and 4. Shine was a 16 year old girl who was shy and clumsy. Uncommon for a District 7'er, she stumbles around, and seemed like a klutz. 7'ers would use a battle axe if they could get their hands on it.
District 8, Textiles. Dosser Tweak and Bonnie Chessfeild. Dosser was tall for sixteen, had light brown hair, and seemed fit for a District 8'er. But Bonnie was a tiny 13 year old with blonde hair and a strawberry birthmark over her chocolate-brown eyes. I sighed, looking at Mikayla. It really is horrible to have such young tributes…
District 9, Artificial Goods. Ersatz Forge and Alex Archer. I barley paid attention to Ersatz. For some reason this one girl stuck out in my mind. She was a blonde 14 year old, who volunteered for a tough looking girl who would probably make it to the final 5. She seemed confident. But before I could observe her more, we were onto 10.
District 10, Livestock. Damion Knox and Alimen Sinewcare. Alimen was just a scared girl. Damion was a tall blonde who seemed confident in himself. I should avoid him, because I think he's hiding something up his sleeve.
District 11, Agriculture. Emerson Lativa and Lucy Crawford. Emerson wasn't very tall for 15, and kept his head down the whole time. Lucy though, was about twelve or thirteen. I winced at seeing another young tribute. They were both dark-skinned and dark haired.
District 12, Coal. Dense Allotrope and Lythium Baren. Dense looked very frail, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time, as did Lythium. But she seemed somewhat muscular for a 17 year old. They both had dark hair, and seemed poor and under-fed. I felt empathy for them, not being well fed most of my life. I couldn't help but wish that they could win too…
After the anthem, we were done.
The next hours were gone before I realized it. I just wondered the train, exploring. I visited my personal compartment and took a shower. The warm water was like nothing I've ever had before. Afterwards, I tried out a green shirt and a deep blue jacket. It fit perfectly, and it wasn't in pieces like most of my clothes.
Soon enough light flooded the cabin. The train slowed to a halt, the stop knocking me off my feet. As I stumbled out of my room, I grabbed Mikayla. We were still going to be together throughout this whole ordeal. As the cabin door slowly hissed open, all I could do was stare in awe.
The Capitol was like than nothing I had ever seen.
The awfully colorful buildings were huge and towering. They coiled upward, as if trying to touch the sky. The streets seemed to be works of art themselves. They were widely paved mosaics of images that jumbled together. And the people. The fake and plastic Capitolites were nauseatingly florid and gauzy. They all rushed over to see the District 3 tributes for themselves.
As we were taken into custody, I looked at all of them with a big smile. But inside, all I could feel was a deep, seething hatred.
(All credit for the song goes to PumpkinsAtTheDisco on YouTube. The song is Under This Tree (Original Song). Look her up; she has an awesome Sims 2 Hunger Games series. I'll put a link to her in my profile. Thanks again, R/R. By the way, I almost cried writing about Mikayla. Just to show how much of a dork I am. :P)