Chapter 4 - Game face on...

Corophon looked across at Jameson. He had been quiet so far and that suited Coro just fine. She didn't really want to get to know him. She supposed that was why farmers appeared distant and unemotional, a behavioural response that enabled them to kill the animals they had bred and raised. To allow emotional involvement would be to cause conflict and anguish which may affect their ability to carry out their designated task. Not very efficient and potentially damaging.

Building a rapport with someone it is necessary to kill would definitely be counter productive. However, appearing to build a rapport might be useful. But for now she would maintain the confused and shocked demeanour, there was nothing useful to be gained by appearing threatening. Her best weapon for now was to appear unthreatening. She considered for a moment the value of reassuring Jameson, knowing the story of his father's death in a train crash rescue and how he might be reacting to that now, but unable to think of anything beyond 'There, there', she decided it best to leave it.

As the train pulled into the Capitol Jameson brightened a little and made a few cautious waves at the people gathered at the station. 'Ready for this, Crowphone?, he asked.

'It's Corophon.' she said, quietly.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever, Crow. Anyway, you'd better shape up, if we want gifts we need to start looking like we deserve them'.

Coro was quiet for a moment. 'Surely they will give the gifts to the most deserving, not just to people who try to ingratiate themselves. They wont want to waste resources by giving them to people who don't appear to have a good chance of winning.'

'What? Where were you when the Games were on? People give to their favourites, to the underdog, to the injured, to the weak. To the people form their District. Nothing to do with who they think is going to win. It's who they want to tin. You think anyone outside of the Capitol is backing a winner? OK, maybe in 2. Hell, Crow, you need people to like you if you want help'.

Coro started to correct him but decided to let it go. She was trying to make sense of what he had said. It was true that she often didn't 'get' people, their behaviour was often confusing and counter intuitive. She knew she could appear reserved and even cold at times. But she had also seen people make great sacrifices for her, even as she was. Still, that was a problem for another time. Now it was time to meet the Capitol.

As the train drew into the station the crowds went wild. Shouting and cheering, waving, jumping up and down. People dressed in outlandish costumes, clothes Coro had never seen before. A face pressed to the window made Coro start and jerk back. A huge cat! No, a woman but with a cat's face! Was that makeup? No, the lip was split, the nose was small, the nostrils tiny. When the woman smiled Coro could see the long sharp canine teeth. Nagel may have said we can't know how it feels to be a bat, but at that moment Coro knew how it feels to be a mouse.

The carriage door burst open and a woman burst in. 'Where are they?' she demanded. She stood in the doorway, stooping slightly to avoid bumping her head, her black and yellow striped face set in an angry glare.

Both stunned by the sudden appearance of a 2 metre tall wasp in heels, it was Coro who regained her composure first. 'Who?'

Waspwoman glared at her 'Your mentors of course. Where have they gone? They are supposed to be escorting you off the train. Did they say where they were going?

Coro and Jameson looked at each other and shrugged. Jameson spoke. 'No one has been in this carriage since the Peacekeepers shoved us in.'

Waspwoman slumped a little. 'I knew this would happen, I just knew it. District 6, OMG, what a difficult little District. A handful of victors, one cannibal and two shot away Morphlings. You poor, poor children. Still, we do the best with what we have.' She put her hand to her mouth and gasped. 'OMG! No food. Have you eaten nothing the whole journey? Oh my poor dears. No time now, no time. Come on, let's go, it'll just have to wait.'

'Weird' though Corophon, glancing at Jameson. As if reading her thoughts he smiled briefly and winked. They followed Waspwoman to the door. She turned to them and said 'Sorry, where are my manners, I'm Vespula Novitas. I know, I know, blame my father. Now come on'.

'Wow, talk about Nominative Determinism', thought Coro.

Ducking down as she passed through the door Vespula lead them down the corridor to the exit and paused. 'They've seen you once, at the Reaping. They already have an impression of you and it may not be the one you want them to have. Now is your chance to make the impression you want to make. This is where you start the Games'. She flung open the door and stepped out, standing to the side and gesturing to Corophon and Jameson with a flourish.

'Time to play' said Jameson, stepping out with his hands raised, acknowledging the cheers and shouts. He needed to wipe away memory of his attempt at flight, show them that he was worthy of support. Smiling broadly he walked forward.

Corophon hesitated. Inside she was calm but she knew the role she need to play at this stage. It was not the Capitol crowd she need to impress, they weren't trying to kill her. Not directly anyway. It was the other tributes, this was where she set their attitudes to her. Stepping hesitantly off the train she stood back, close to Vespula, as if for support. 'I'm not a threat, I'm not even worth looking at, I'm no challenge.' She thought herself into the mindset, looking down, occasionally glancing nervously at the crowd. Vespula nudged her and she looked up, giving a small, shy smile. The Capitol crowd barely glanced in her direction. Jameson had their attention, as did the tributes from the next carriage. One of them looked in her direction and gave a broad grin. He waved and shouted, but she could barely make it out about the noise. 'Hi, I'm Dusty.' is all she caught.

'Wake up, Crow, we're off to meet our team. Jameson had her arm and Coro resisted the urge to break his fingers there and then, no sense showing your cards too soon. She looked away and allowed herself to be lead off, through the crowd towards the buildings behind.