Chapter 6

Eventually I fall asleep, though I'm not sure quite how long it takes, I'm assuming a few hours. I wake up to quick light knocking on the door. 'Mayla, waking me up for school' I think groggily 'I don't want to go.' I bury my head deeper in the pillow, shielding out the bright light streaming in from the window,' "Ahem! Dicen, time to get up, its going to be a very very exciting day!" I bolt out of bad, practically tripping over my skirt that had somehow worked its way down and around my ankles. Beatilce wraps on the door again, as the previous days events come rushing back in a quick blur. My cheeks are still sticky from tears, my eyes are probably swollen. I brush my sleeve against my face. "Alright, Beatilce! Thank you," I try to make my voice slightly cheery, not sure why, but I fail anyway. I sound like I'm still crying. My throat burns from the choked sobs.

I wash my hair in the oversize bathroom extension they call a shower, and come out smelling strangely like roses. Then go on another search for actual clothes. I'm not as lucky this time, I can't find any shirts that seem to actually be shirt like, so I settle for a short white dress that bunches in at my waist, held tight with a belt. At least this one doesn't show off my ribs as much. I don't bother with my hair, just let it hang down in ringlets to my waist, Mayla usually scolds me for that, saying its sloppy and impractical to not tie it back, but Mayla isn't here.

There are a million pairs of shoes covering the shelves of the closet but I bypass them, 'they can get me to wear the clothes' I think, mainly because they seem to have taken mine...'but no way am I putting those metal traps on my feet' In fact...it seems like all the clothes and shoes in the closet seem to have a common theme...'they're already trying to get me to wear electronic looking clothes' I realize with a huff, 'to represent my district.'

I walk out to the dining room, apparently I'm not the last one to get up. Skader and Fry seem to be absent. I don't greet Beatilce or Rassa, just keep my eyes trained on the ground as I slide into a seat. "So, we should be arriving in about an hour or so...isn't that exciting Dicen?" Beatilce chirps, a wide grin on her powder white face. "You'll simply love the Capitol, its beautiful! Oh, um not to say District Three isn't of course" She stammers "its just that...Oh Fry!" She says seeming relieved. Fry nods in her direction, but his eyes are on me.

"Sleep well?" Its more of a drawl than a question, laced with sarcasm, clearly not meant to be answered. "Excuse me?" I ask, narrowing my eyes.

He shrugs "Just wanted to know how you slept" His eyes widen innocently. "Well, then I slept great, you?" My voice is hard, challenging. 'What the hell had gotten into him?' His own eyes narrow in return and he opens his mouth... "Whoa, haven't felt this much tension, since my own games" Skader interrupts brightly, stretching his arms over his head and shooting Fry and me a wink as he saunters into the room and collapses onto the chair next to me. "Where's the food?" Fry is still glaring at me, my stomach churns.

"Actually I'm not really hungry" I announce, and push off from the table. "Thats right" Fry mumbles as I start towards my room "You're plenty used to not eating breakfast, well see you later!" More cheery sarcasm, I stiffen momentarily, but decide to ignore him, telling myself its not worth it. I reach my door and push it open, more violently than originally planned, and sink onto the bed 'I'm going to be fighting Fry, only one of us can survive...even though its likely neither of us will' I picture the harsh looking tributes from District 2, more tears build up in my eyes 'Jesus, does it ever stop? You'd think I would have run out of water by now...' but it just keeps coming.

Suddenly theres a knock at the door, I'm about ready to yell at Beatilce to go away when Skader slides into the room, his cheeriness from earlier wiped clean, now he just looks tired. "Hey Blondie" I sit up and as conspicuously as possible wipe my eyes with my palm, brushing away the few tears that had managed to spill over. "You ready for the Capitol?" He lowers himself onto the end of my bed. I pull my knees up to make room.

"Can't wait, obviously." I murmur and he shoots me a crooked smile. 'Damn, how had I missed how tired, he looked before?' I wonder. He has dark circles around his eyes that make the green seem extra vibrant, his ash blonde hair is messed up, not even stylishly so like usual...just plain messed up, and his shoulders are slouched as if he has a 300lb boulder leaning against him. So very opposite from the Skader I see on TV all the time, or even the one I saw yesterday... "So whats up with you?" I know I probably shouldn't ask, but I can't help myself, its just so strange, he's not the one going into the arena in a few weeks.

He shakes his head, ignoring my question "So what was that with Fry? It was strange...you two seemed fine yesterday" I shrug, attempting to sound indifferent when I say, "No clue, maybe he's gone too long without a drink, I've heard that makes him a bit...testy" Skader smirks, "Naw, thats not it. He practically downed a bottle of...something last night after you left, vodka maybe? I don't know." I smile, at least somethings right in the world.

"What about the other tributes?" I ask reluctantly, not sure I want to know...but knowing I have to. He tilts his head back, looking thoughtful, "The guy from District Four concerns me a bit, he volunteered, his partner not so much...District Seven maybe." "Volunteers?" I ask. "No, its just that they're both big as houses." I nod, remembering last year, when a District Seven tribute threw an axe about 50 feet, launching it deep into the girl from District Twelve's skull, like it was nothing...no effort at all, and shudder. Skader is still contemplating the Reapings "District Eleven girl, maybe...she was a volunteer, though I'm pretty sure it was her cousin that was picked, so that may be why. You'll see them soon enough, don't worry about it until then, everyone has their weaknesses." He nods, clearly determined to believe that.

"Yea" I mutter under my breathe "Some more than others of course." His eyes flit over me, he shakes his head. "Dicen..." Rassa appears in the doorway, she cocks an eyebrow as she assesses our positions on the bed and I realize we've inevertibly been leaning towards each other, our faces only a foot or so apart, we both jerk back, which seems to make her only more suspicious.

"We can see the City outline from the window, thought you'd want to check it out, but, you guys seem...busy" She bites her lip "Never mind." We both scramble to our feet awkwardly, its not like anything was actually going on...but its weird having Rassa think so...

When we walk into the living room, Fry's nose is pressed up to the glass, his eyes wide "Damn" He breathes "Dicen, come see this" I'm surprised when he says it, I was expecting more of the attitude from breakfast, but he seems too absorbed in the view outside the window to put any effort into it. I walk up to the glass next to him, and gasp...it was glistening. High buildings towered in the distance. District Three has buildings that tall...but District Three's buildings don't have windows and the walls are black from all the smoke of the factories, not to mention the giant chunks of concrete that have been broken off of them, leaving large craters in the walls. The walls of the buildings up ahead seem to be made of glass, the sun casting reflections off of them at every angle, large perfectly groomed trees line the train tracks with colorful puffs of delicate looking flowers spiraling around the base. It seems like the setting of a fairytale.

We keep staring as the buildings grow larger, getting closer and closer to us. Its so utterly stunning I nearly forget about the horror that lies in it. "See, I told you, you two would love it, didn't I? Didn't I Rassa?" Beatlice asks, determined to get the appreciation she deserves. A noise rumbles from up ahead, 'The train tracks" I assume, and then quickly realize its not the train tracks but voices, cheering voices screaming out from the platform ahead. Fry and I crane our necks, trying to spot the people before us and see a large mob of color...and fluff, people's clothes. Soon they're on the side of the train, looking in through the window back at us, they go insane. Hands banging against the windows, people screaming out 'District Three!' every individual voice blending together to create a giant rumble.

I back away from the window, stunned, and immediately bang my lower back against the table, but barely notice. 'I need to get away from this...I need to go home!' Panic floods my thoughts 'I shouldn't be here.' "Dicen?" Skader asks.

I start towards my room 'Away...Away...I just need to get away!' "Dicen" He says again and his hand clamps down on my wrist. We're in the hallway now, at least its away from the cheering... He pushes his hands against my shoulders, and pins me back against the wall, I automatically attempt to jerk out of his grasp, but he's too strong "Hey! Dicen" He's trying to catch my eyes, to get me to listen but I can't help it. I can't think straight, not with the cheering vibrating through the walls..."Jesus Dicen, look at me!" One of his hands moves to my face, titling my head back towards him, urging me to look straight. Finally, I meet his gaze. "Breathe" He murmurs quieting his voice so its barely above a whisper "Everything's fine, I swear...you're just going to the Stylists...which is stupid but its nothing, then a quick chariot ride and back to the new rooms, okay? You still have weeks before the Arena...its fine." He runs his had down my cheek, brushing back my hair "Shhh" he breathes and I feel my pulse begin slowing returning to normal.

"I'm sorry" I drop my gaze to my feet, staring at the rows of laces lining the boots up to my knees. "Don't be" He smiles "I freaked out way worse than that..." he drops his hands, only to intwine his fingers with mine, giving a comforting squeeze.

Beatilce, shows up then, telling us its time to leave which of course...Is very exciting.