We are excused then, and when the door closes behind Thresh and I, I realize it must be altered so that we can't hear a thing. The cheering and screaming and whistles all disappear in a second, and my ears are left ringing.
Miranda, Xena, and Sarsen are chatting with a man I don't recognize. They spin around at my arrival and shower Thresh and I with hugs and kisses.
"You did so well, both of you!" Xena squeals, clasping her hands together. Sarsen nods and ruffles my hair, which I don't like.
"Good job," he chuckles.
"Oh!" Miranda gasps, and goes over to stand next to the stranger.
"This is Cinna, Rue. He does the makeup for Katniss Everdeen, the girl from District—"
"Tweleve," I finish. "I know."
Cinna bends down to meet my eyes. His are soft, cheerful and brown.
"So you're Rue!" he smiles. "I've heard so much about you. You're very brave for being here."
"She didn't really have a choice, though," Thresh says.
Cinna nods. "The Hunger Games…you're only tweleve. I can imagine we are all quite shaken."
He stands up to full height and leaves.
Frinda comes down beside me. Her hair has been changed to green curls, and her yellow eyelashes reach up to touch her eyebrows, which are purple.
"Goodnight, Rue," she smiles. "I'll see you tomorrow."
She pats my back, and follows my prep team and Thresh into the elevator. I stand there for a moment, content with being alone in the quiet, beautifully decorated hallway.
I finally go into an elevator, and come face to face with someone else.
He's the boy from district 4, I think.
He's handsome, with curly brown hair and freckles, blue eyes, and a cheerful grin.
"So you're Rue, right?" he asks, leaning against the elevator wall.
I have no idea how he knows my name. Was our entrance really that big? Besides, District 12 came into the Tribute Circle on fire. Who would remember us? Well, at least not me. Thresh is so muscular and tough, he's bound to have a sponsor or two out there already.
My head tilts to the side in wonder.
"Yes," I reply.
He nods, a silent confirmation.
"Right. I'm Henry."
"Hello." This conversation is awkward and annoying, so I turn my back to him and survey the buttons around for eleven.
He cuts in beside me and presses four. We start to go down and I feel myself flush with a little anger.
"District 11 was one floor up!" I baely keep the anger out of my voice.
"Sorry," he stifles a yawn. "I'm tired."
Ok, so this isn't the nicest boy around. But he doesn't look more than a year older than me, so I try to wear him down.
"When's your birthday?" I ask him.
"Why do you ask?" he brings a yoyo out of his pocket and starts to play with it.
"Just curious," I say. "We have six floors to go down to."
"How about this," he says. "We'll play a game. For each floor we stop at we'll answer each other's questions."
I nod as we reach the ninth floor.
Nobody comes, and the door slide shut again and Henry turns to me.
"Floor nine. My birthday is May twenty fourth."
"What year?" I ask.
"3000," he says. "your birthday?"
"Febuary thirteenth. Right before valentine's day."
"Must be bad luck if your birthday falls on Friday," he laughs. I smile. "What year?"
"2999," I say. "I'm a year younger than you."
"It's still wrong though, isn't it?' he whispers. "To have us play in the games?"
I look around, certain there are cameras.
So I shrug, and I see a look of disgust in his eyes.
"Let's continue," I rush on as the eighth floor doors open.
As the game continues, we soon grow to like each other's company.
/
When I'm about to go to bed that night, I root around and find a notebook and a quill.
I write down the 6 things I learned about Henry:
1. His birthday is May twenty fourth
2. He hates the Hunger Games
3. He has a little sister
4. His mother died
5. He's good with a knife
6. He promised to be my ally
turning out the light, I think back to when Henry said it.
It was the last floor, and gave me something to think about all the way up.
"Last floor," I said. "What be your strategy in the Hunger Games?"
he looked me up and down. "We'll be allies."
My my mouth closed, but fell open in my mind. And he stepped out and waved to me as the doors slid shut.
Well, I think. What if I don't want to be his ally? What if I'm fine, being right with myself?
I turn over and fall into troubled dreams of the hunger games, and how I'll survive.
I just hope I'll make it through the first day.