I looked around gauging the reactions of the other girls just hoping that someone here had the same name. They all stared back at me and the girl on my right gave me a nudge. A numb feeling spread through my body like poison from a viper's sting. My knees grew weak and my saliva clotted in my throat.
No...it can't be me.
"Paige Dyne! Where are you girl? Don't be shy now!"
I recovered my senses and let go of Lycra's hand and started walking through the small gap in the two crowds flanked by peacekeepers. It surprised me how easily I can still breathe. Inhale, exhale. I can still hear Lycra saying the word 'no' beside me when as I walked towards the four peacekeepers that are waiting to escort me to the stage.
"Come on dear," Amora said, looking at me as I was walking.
As I walked forward I risked a small glance at Mather and I can see anger and pain filling his face, tears began to run freely down his face and the boy next to him is holding him back. My legs seem to know what to do as it is then I am only conscious of the sound of my steps on the pavement, the creak of the wooden floorboards when I stepped on them to get to the stage, to stand beside the lilac-haired Amora Flowers. I turned and stared out into the crowd of people, the rest of the girls stood out there looked relieved that they hadn't been picked and they were safe for another year.
My defense mechanism kicked in the moment I realized what was happening. I heard things, but I am filtering out the voices. From somewhere, I can hear Mom sobbing. She sounded so far away. Like, a few blocks away from the stage. My knees are shaking, I could feel it. It felt like an earthquake is happening, or the sensation I get when I run too much and stand for a few more minutes instead of sitting down immediately. My throat has long gone dry. My hands were balled into fists, clutching my hand-sewn dress.
I look out to the sea of faces before me, and I see nothing but remorse. They all know what fate lies before me. And then there's Lycra, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst a palette directly the opposite of red. She looked terrified. Once our eye connected she bowed her head down, eyes to the ground. I couldn't blame her for not volunteering. Friendships even as strong as ours fly out of the window on Reaping Day. No, I must not think like that, of course, Lycra wouldn't volunteer—she has her family to think of.
A warm palm touched my back, "How old are you, Miss Dyne?" Amora asked curiously.
"Fourteen," I answered my voice wavering.
"Glorious," she said simply, and toddled over to the large glass ball which holds thousands of paper slips for the boys. "Are there any volunteers to take the place of Miss Dyne right here?"
No one raised their hands, not even Lycra. Of course, no one would volunteer for me. No one in Eight saw going into the Games as an act of honor. Not at all. All that was there is death.
"Looks like I get to keep the beauty this year," Amora chuckled. "And now," she paused. "For the boys," she trilled happily.
Amora reached into the container, her lightly-tinted lilac hand searching for it's unsuspecting prey. I don't understand how she can look so excited while sentencing us to death. Is that what they delight in the Capitol?
Again everyone tenses, the whole district collectively holding their breath; worrying this will be the moment they lose their son, their brother, their friend. The silence is pregnant with fear as Amora fished out the name that will join me in these games. After what seems like far too long, she again dramatically extracted a thin white strip of paper and snapped it open.
I have barely time to hope that it's not Mather.
"Ryler Kemp!" Amora announced.
The crowd erupted into the same murmurs I suppose they made when I was chosen, though I can't remember hearing anything. I heard a child burst into tears somewhere near the back. Then he stepped up. I see a dark haired boy come out of the fourteen year old section with tears in his eyes. He was pale and maybe only two feet taller than I am.
"Now that's a good boy. Stand right there, that's it! Our tributes from District 8, Paige Dyne and Ryler Kemp! Shake hands please,"
Without looking at Ryler, I shook his trembling hand with my own.
People clap politely, knowing they haven't got much of a choice with the peacekeepers around. I found my brother in the crowd and our eyes meet. He looked devastated, like the world just fell to pieces around him. I don't dare look for Mom, I know she's out there with an expression worse than Mather and I know I won't be able to hold it in if I see her.
Amora and two peacekeepers escorted us to the Justice Building, leading us down the corridor of a neatly-polished building, much unlike the houses and streets we District 8 citizens live in. The peacekeeper pushed me into a plain room with dark wood walls and I collapsed into a chair as the door slammed shut behind me. I knew I stood no chance. The Hunger Games have always chilled me to the bone, year after year I have watched innocent children be brutally murdered before the eyes of millions. Now I realize that I will be one to join those numbers.
A couple of weeks before the Reaping took place every year, I would lie awake in terror at the sound of my name being called from the glass sphere. I had even imagined what I would say to my family at this exact moment. I had had a whole speech planned out, timed out exactly for the amount of time we were given. I had planned to stay strong and appear calm and collected to make it easier on them. But now, as I look into the fallen, tear-stained faces of my beloved family, all that I had planned to say erased completely from my mind. The only words my dry mouth formed were the three words that I now regret never saying enough. Aidan and Micah immediately start sobbing into my dress as Mather stood back in the doorway as we said our goodbyes.
"You can't go!" Micah said, in between sobs.
"Shh, I promise I'll come back," I promised, even though there was a chance I was never coming back.
And then it's Mom hugging me. She's crying, too. Of course she would be. Her daughter has just been reaped for the Hunger Games. Her daughter who has been by her side for fourteen years, is suddenly leaving and might never, ever come back.
"Mom," I wailed, "I don't want to go!"
She tried her best to soothe me, I can tell. She told me how much she loved me, how I can still go home. She told me that everything is going to be okay, everything will be fine. I wanted to protest, that it's going to be nothing, but gray skies from here throughout, but I can't. I cried and cried into her arms.
"I love you," I choked. More tears leaked from the corners of my eyes and I can see more tears forming in my mother's as well. She squeezed my hand and looked me straight in my eyes.
"I love you too honey and so does everyone else, and we always have and we always will," Mom whispered.
Indira squirmed out of Aidan's arms and ran if not wobbled towards me on the couch. I caught her in time before she fell smacked down on her pretty little face and lifted her in my arms.
"Paige where oo go –in?" Indira asked innocently.
"Mama said you goin away?"
This was going to be hard to tell her. She's so young and doesn't understand the concept of these barbaric games that the Capital performs. So I ruffled up her curly black hair and stared into her innocent hazel eyes.
"I'm just going on a trip is all? A long trip, can you be a good girl and help Mommy out?" I asked.
"Okay, you see Daddy?" Indira asked innocently.
I sighed while the rest of the family rested their heads down. Indira doesn't know that dad died.
"Maybe Indira, maybe," I continued on the act that I was just going on a field trip and my family followed along.
"Win it for us," Aidan said.
"It's not that easy, Aidan," My voice breaking.
We've watched a lot of games together. Winning had never been an easy feat.
"You'll try," Aidan said. Aidan having a better resolve than I do would have been amusing. It's just not the same anymore. "You'll win and come back home,"
Finally Mather came and sat down next to me. His giant frame took up much of the couch, but I didn't complain.
"You'll be alright sis, you know that?"
I sighed, trying to shake the emotions my family has brought on.
"And what makes you say that huh?" I asked a little too sharply.
I don't want him to lie to me. Not when this could be our last conversation. He wrapped his bony arm around my shoulders and pleaded with me with his eyes.
"You're so much stronger than you'll ever know. There's that spark of fight, that undying hope that I know is inside of you Paige . That's how I know you'll be alright in the arena. You've got too much spirit to be brought down,"
He tapped my chin with his finger, the way he used to when we were younger and I'd come crying to him with some world shattering problem. I felt a smile bloom across my face and for a moment, the overwhelming sadness lifted.
I shook my head conspiratorially, "That's just a nice way for grownups to say you're stubborn," I joked, on the verge of tears again.
Mather laughed a little and his smile set something inside me back to normal. He'll be alright my big brother. No matter what happens in these games, he's going to come out fine.
"Hey, take care of Mom for me okay?" I tell him, trying to get it all out of the way before our time is up.
"I'll make an effort, she'll be fine though," he replied, though we both know this is only a half truth.
Our Mom will survive but at what cost to herself?
Mather dug into his pant pocket and pulled out a brow cord necklace with a bird with it's wings spread out as the pendant with a small emerald stone in it's chest.
"I want you to take this Paige , as your token," Mather stated, choking on tears a little bit.
"What is it?" I whispered, as Mather put it on me.
"It's a Nightingale and it will protect you from harm," Mather answered shakily. "It was supposed to be your birthday gift," Mather chuckled dejectedly.
Mather took my hands in his, "Listen to me, no matter what they throw at you in that arena, you stay strong. Whatever you do, don't go down without a fight, don't let them break you. Understand?" I nodded. Mather sometimes was never good with words so I was speechless at the power and conviction in his voice.
The five minutes allotted for us seems to pass by so quickly. A peacekeeper knocked and opened the door, telling us that we have about a minute left to say our goodbyes. Frantic embraces are exchanged, more tears are shed, I love you's become more resonant. Mom told me how much she loved me, that she will be waiting for me to come back home.
They were ushered outside by a peacekeeper, and the door closed behind me. From the other side, I could hear the hushed cries of Micah as I pressed my ear to the door, and I started crying again. I slumped back to the floor, my back pressed against the armrest of the couch, huddled up in my own arms, the weight of the realization pressing over my shoulders.
Micah's crying. I'm going in to the arena. I might die. I might not come back at all.
A few seconds passed by. The door opened and in comes Lycra, looking breathless. She saw me on the floor and has no trouble taking me in her arms. She told me that things will work out, that I'll be fine, that we'll be fine.
"I'm scared," I hiccuped as she rubbed my back.
She looked me directly in the eyes, "Paige , you will come home,"
Like an order.
I nodded, "I'll try my best, Lycra,"
"No," she said firmly. "You're smarter and stronger then the rest of them. You can and will come home,"
I hugged Lycra tightly, "I can't lose my best friend," Lycra cried. "Whatever happens you'll always be my best friend," Lycra stated seriously.
I nodded and smiled sadly, "I love you, Paige ," Lycra said.
"I love you too, Lycra," I whispered.
Lycra and I hugged until a Peacekeeper started to pull us apart.
"Let's go!" The Peacekeeper snarled.
"I'll see you in five weeks, okay?!" I shouted, before a Peacekeeper slammed the door shut.
A car arrived at the Justice Building and it took us to the train station. As soon as we got to the train station flashes of cameras started. There are cameras everywhere just to see two fourteen-year-olds that have been crying their eyes out. Amora grabbed our hands and we looked at the cameras one more time before she pushes me into the train. I step lightly onto the sleek and shiny Capitol train, stationary in it's perch on the tracks, Ryler was at my heels.
The train doors snapped shut behind us as I made my way further into the train. I am shocked by what I see before me the train cart is luxurious, it is lined with velvet, a material of extreme rarity in District 8, and huge carts of food are laid out for us. I drop into a seat beside the window, wonderment in my eyes as I gaze around the cart. Some of my numbness began to ebb away. I barely had time to take a seat before the train set off immediately. We are going straight to the Capitol.
A few minutes later I'm sitting across Ryler who is also wearing a token that is a round, rusty locket.
"Wow," I whispered to myself. "These trains really do go fast,"
I was twirling my necklace around and around my hand as I noticed we were leaving District 8. I ran up to the window as I caught a last glimpse of it. Of my District. Of my home. I looked out the window, seeing the factories and the bridge that connects to the tenements and the school and the Victor's Village. Slowly, the train picked up its pace until I am seeing nothing, but the large river that separates the two parts of the district. It still felt surreal, being out of the District. And then it hit me again; the pain of having to leave everyone behind, the pain of knowing I'm being whisked off to certain death. I can't take the blurry scenery anymore and turned away.
"We're having dinner at seven o'clock sharp," Amora trilled, in her fervent capitol accent.
I walked to my room and was surprised at the room at the quaintness of it. There was just a wardrobe, a television hanging on the wall, a night stand with a lamp on it, and a bed. I closed the door behind me and moved toward the bathroom and was amazed. There were hundreds of buttons that lined the walls of the shower, quickly, I stripped off my clothes and hopped in the shower to clean off the steady grime that I felt lay on my skin. In the shower, the water was warm. It was the first time I had ever had such a luxurious shower. Experimentally pressing the buttons it resulted in me being dowsed by a liquid that smelled of heavy vanilla. I finished my shower, and wrapped the towel around my chest.
I looked in the mirror, my hair was soaking and hung low due to the weight of the water. I reached for the towel that lay on the counter and wiped my face dry. I threw the towel back onto the counter and now picked up a wide tooth comb that was also laying on the counter. I gently detangled my hair with the comb, the shampoo from the shower made my hair feel soft, and gave it a clean shine. It was something that I wasn't used to. After twisting my hair up I put back on my dress that I had worn. I could smell the aroma of Mom's lemony soap very pungently.
It comforted me the most.
I made my way out of my rooming cart walked to the dining cart to meet my mentors. I entered the dining cart to see everybody already there. I sat down next to Ryler and began to fix myself a heaping plate of food. As I ate I couldn't 't help but marvel at how old Woof looked. People don't generally get this aged looking in back home, even though we have better medical care and food shipments than some other district do. Cecelia reminded me of my mother, which broke my heart and comforted me at the same time.
"Alright, as you know, our district is very limited to any common knowledge about survival skills. So, when you start training, don't go straight for the swords and knives. Learn as much as you can about the wilderness like which plants and berries are edible, how to set traps and how to make a decent fire. It may not be very exciting but these basic skills could mean the difference between life and death," Cecilia filled us in on a load of information about the games for the rest of the day.
Even as we ate our dinner and deserts, she informed us on everything from how to get sponsors, which types of edible plants she knew about and how to play up the cameras. She was on such a roll and seemed to have everything timed out that Ryler and I rarely got the chance to interrupt her to ask questions. As overwhelming as it all seemed I'm grateful that she believed in us enough to tell us everything she knows about the games. Outside the pristine glass windows of the speeding train, the sun began to set pouring golden light into the dining car.
When Cecilia finally paused, she looked over Ryler and myself for the first time,"I can see that I've overwhelmed you two. I apologize if I seem a bit...intense. I just want you to know exactly what you're going into. Nobody realizes what really goes on behind the screen and I don't want you to be caught off guard," She stated calmly.
"We'll stop here for tonight," Woof put in, finally speaking up, his voice rapsy.
"Just in time to watch the recaps!" Amora chirped happily, and pressed a button and the television that hung on a wall above us lit up.
The screen had image of the Capitol symbol along with the caption, 'Reaping Day Recap Special' for the 'Pre Hunger Games Special' that came on every year. Since we were not required to watch the Pre Hunger Games Special I never did, but this year was different. The intro began to play, and I paid close attention. Ceasar Flickerman's hair was the headline of The Hunger Games Staff. It was a new color every year, and it intrigued the capitol residents to find a new hue of a flamboyant color deriving from his head. He began talking, and the cart grew silent.
"Welcome, Welcome! We are being broadcasted live through Panem tonight!" After some banter with his co-host, Claudius Templesmith, he began. "Now without further suspense, here are the Reapings!" They cut to the footage from the first District, bold lettering at the bottom of the screen said 'District 1 – Luxury'.
The first tribute reaped, the female, immediately has someone volunteering for them. The volunteer is an eighteen year old named Ruby Gilmore. Despite her charming name, Ruby, like most in her District, had a threatening demeanor, she's pretty large, but because of muscle, not fat. Even though her District is known for beauty, this tribute has a kind of a masculine pug-face, and all in all, is not pretty, but you can tell by the glossy golden braid and makeup that she trying her hardest to distract from that. She was obviously hiding that she was a vigorous killer. The way she carried herself seemed so awkward and unnatural.
The male is also an eighteen year old volunteer, a boy named Lucian Palace. He is somewhat better looking than his District partner, but with an exceptionally large head producing dark brown hair. He too is quite muscular, but on him it looks more natural and not creepy. The two exchanged a look that told the audience that they would be in a firm alliance
They cut to District Two which was the home of Masonry. First from District Two is seventeen year old Vika Darling. She has the perfect name. She definitely shows an air of superiority, like an alpha, silently telling the viewers that she much better than them in every way. But she also has that girly side, wearing lots of sparkly pink, silvery makeup on her perfectly tanned skin, very long dark brown hair with blonde highlights, and heels making her look even taller than she already is.
Next is Cavail Pierce, he had short dark brown hair that stuck to his forehead, and was also two years younger than Vika. Cavail was really muscular for a fifteen year-old. Before the boy that was originally reaped could make it to the stairs, a loud yell was heard. And the cameras zoned onto Cavail in the audience, who had his hand raised high in the air. He almost leapt to get onto the stage, once he was there he gave a cold glance into the cameras and I could feel chills run down my spine.
Tera Bishop from Three was a petite dark haired girl with eyes that slanted upwards. She was pale, but managed to somehow lose even more color in her face. Wearing a shocked look on her face as she stood on stage. Cable Bundar was eighteen had short black hair that loosely flowed away from his head. He seemed to study everything around him. Cable might do well, it doesn't look he's going to go down without a fight.
Next is Zelda Rush, volunteer from Four. She's a very tall and threatening seventeen year old with short brown hair. She waltzed up to the stage with a meancing smirk on her face. The Career from One and Two will be glad to see her. With her is Kai Seabrook, another eighteen year old, also a volunteer. He looked just as threatening as Zelda. He was easily over six feet tall and was bulky. They smiled and gave no sign of fear of what was going to happen next.
I expected the District Five tributes to look about the same as Ryler and I, which the girl, seventeen year old Nina Gepler does. Her face was framed by her bright ginger colored hair, and which contrasted against her pale skin. She was tall and skinny, at first glance. She looked relatively nervous, yet she kept a warm smile to the audience. The boy is fourteen year old Callum Watt. He is big, and I'm not talking about Career big, with a greasy ginger mop, crying when he steps on the stage. He won't last long, it's plain to see.
Both from Six, Kiva Axle and Arun Rail, eighteen and fifteen, are short, dark haired, caramel skinned, and not strong. Neither one of them have a chance, but both put on a smile and pretend to be happy, the opposite of their true feelings.
The sixteen year old girl from Seven, Willow Mellows, looked pretty healthy and skinny is a not malnourished way, but might be too weak of mind to do well. If she were brave about all of this, I could see her as a contender, but with her puffy dress, dark brown hair up in an elegant bun, and smeared makeup, her femininity will be the end of her. The boy, Rowan Tomer, doesn't have a chance though, only fifteen and of a pretty large size, bigger than Callum.
Next is myself and Ryler being reaped. We both look pretty pathetic, me in particular. I showed way too much weakness, and now I'm sure everyone is eyeing me as someone to kill in the initial Bloodbath. I wish I could go back to that moment and stride up to stage without shedding a single tear. It just like when I think of something I should've said to someone an hour or so after I had what I can be sure was a very short conversation with them, it's too late to do anything.
District Nine shows one of the most pitiful tribute yet, Mazie Omri, sixteen. Even being older than me, Mazie can't be over five feet tall and is much too skinny. Even without any strength, I could best her in a fight. Bran Miller was a tall olive skinned sixteen year old boy with a chiselled face. He looked healthier than most tributes I've seen besides the Careers.
If I had to guess, I'd say that Merona Alp, is literally insane. She giggled like a maniac upon shaking the hand of her weary District partner, twelve year old Wyatt Timmons. Merona may not be strong or anything, but I can tell that she'll kill anyone she can. Wyatt, however, doesn't look like he could hurt a fly. He's a small and skinny boy with wispy gray-blonde hair and a face making him look like no more than a mere phantom, a shadow of a tribute.
Twelve year old Sage Fowl of District Eleven, a small dark skinned girl that was very short, cried at the sound of her name.
Aster Kane, was a muscular olive colored boy, with light brown hair and freckles adorning his face. He was seventeen years old and was at first frightened by his name being called, the Peacekeepers had to pull him out of line to go up to the stage, but he gave Sage a reassuring glance once he was up there. He seemed to be familiar with the girl.
Last are Kolton Hastings and Blair Hilt, sixteen and seventeen, from Twelve. Like most from their District, the two are short and underfed by the looks of it, but Blair seems to maintain a large physique. It's clear they won't last long.
The Reapings end with a short message from President Snow, but I wasn't paying attention.
"So theses are the tributes," I thought.
Later on that night after retreating to our rooms I laid in my bed, tucked inside the fluffy blankets and comfortable sheets with a firm pillow under my head. My room was dark and silent, staring up at the ceiling I felt a tear run out. That's when it really hit me.
"I'm going to die," I stated softly.
I was subconsciously aware of my evident death, but I didn't give it a whole lot of thought. I was mainly just thinking about how bad the games were. But now seeing the other tributes, especially the Careers, made it allI to real. I began to cry, tears flowing down my cheeks before I can stop them. I thought of my family and how they will have to watch me die and live every day of their lives in the sewing factory reliving my death in their heads. I know it's over before it's even begun.
"I'm going to die," I whispered.
I opened my eyes, I noticed a bright light streaming in through my window. I squinted against the brightness and feel the stiffness in my muscles as I sat up in the bed. I stretched my arms above me and rolled my neck, feeling the relief in the cracks that came from my bones. I made my way to the bathroom and jumped in the shower.
I completely scrubbed myself down and covered myself in the assortment of lotions provided. I untwisted my hair and comb my finger through the corkscrew curls now on my head. I headed over to the drawers and picked out loose black pants, black flats, and a red tank top. I headed out to the dinning car for breakfast. Cecilia, Woof, and Ryler were already there, silently picking at their breakfasts.
I made my way over to the table and started filling my plate with food. Cecelia let us have breakfast in peace...for the most part. Every now and then she brought us back to yesterday and reiterated some of her more useful information. Ryler and I remained quiet and merely nodded at her to assure her that we're listening and keep our eyes on either our food or our mentor. Once we've scraped the last of what Cecilia deemed healthy enough for us to eat, it was time to asses our strengths and find out what we need to work on.
"Paige what are your strengths?" Cecelia asks,
"Well, I'm pretty good with my hands and I can also climb very well," I said.
"Explain," Cecelia said
"Anytime I'm not in the factory or at school, I'm usually at home working on sewing my own clothes. When I'm at the factory I have to climb the machines," Cecilia's face brightened at this fact.
"Excellent! You're probably good at noticing small details as well, yes?"
I began to nod in agreement but then I replied with, "Yeah, I'm always aiming for perfecting my stitches."
"Good, good! You'll pick up making traps and setting up snares pretty well. This will be extremely helpful when you're looking for food...you might even be able to take out a few tributes if you make one strong enough,"
"A careful eye is good to have in the arena. You're probably not the only one who will be able to set good traps though. Stay alert at all times," She informed me. I nodded my head and she seemed satisfied.
"What about you Ryler?" Woof asked.
"I know how to use a sword pretty well," He said quietly.
Cecilia, Woof, and I raised our eyebrows, "How did you-?" Woof started.
"I found an old pipe in one of the factories and started swinging it around a few hours a day. I picked up some tricks from what other tributes did on TV and thought it might come in handy in case I ever got picked," He explained.
"That's what I like to hear," Woof praised.
"The Career tributes are going to be trouble, not to mention these Games have a lot of older kids," Cecelia reminded. "Both of you need to make sure that you at least try to find an alliance. A lesson that I learned was near the end, leave while you can. Some alliances can turn ugly," Cecelia informed, a grim expression on her face. She motioned to the both of us. "It will be up to you if you want to be in an alliance with each other,"
Guire looked blankly ahead. He seemed to be going through his options in his head. Why would he have to think this through? We were obviously going to be in an alliance. But his reluctance to answer the question made me wait for his response. Woof noticed the tense mood in the room, and dismissed the both of us. He said Cecelia and him had things to discuss.
The train was fun to explore, its various rooms and carts fueled my vigorous curiosity. I made my way to the end of the train and the last cart is just a deck. There is no roof or walls, Just sturdy railing to keep us in. Trying to climb off the train while it was speeding through forests in between districts would result in an electric zap. It reminded me that I was being watched 24/7. The idea unnerved me yet I had to deal with it because there was no easy way around it. I sat on the deck, and just stared out into the vast forests that we were passing.
The hundreds of trees were beginning to change during fall. Their iridescent green leaves turned a soft orange hue. The wind flew past my hair causing it to fly behind my head. I closed my eyes, and tilted my head back on the chair. After a few moments, the smell of salt filled my nose. Opening my eyes I was greeted by a large mass of water. We must have been on the coast of District 11 because the sea seemed to be reaching onto the land, and then receding back into its dark depths. I had never seen such a large amount of water. I have only ever seen small ponds, and maybe a small lake but never this much water. The train tracks began to shift as we pasted them. We went from the soft sand onto virtually nothing. The train track was only held up by large poles that shot up out of the sea.
"I want to be in an alliance with you," I heard a voice say behind me.
I turned to see Ryler.
I kept a straight face, "Are you sure? Seemed like you were hesistating earlier," I responded, a hint of spitefulness in my voice.
"I was weighing my options, and considering what Cecelia said. You know, about alliances not working and all," Ryler explained.
I felt something drop inside of me.
"You think I would betray if we were in an alliance?" I asked in disbelief. "Look, I know we just met only a few days ago, but if there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm not a backstabber!" I exclaimed.
"I know that you aren't, I could see that when we first shook hands," Ryler agreed, taking a seat next to me. "But the other thought that crossed my mind was what do we do when the Games are ending? When it comes down to us being in the 'Top Five', what will we do?" Ryler questioned, placing his elbows on his thighs and baring his down on his knuckles.
It was silent as I thought about the possibility of the two of us fighting. Maybe even killing one another. I was so focused on the Careers that I forgot that defeating the Careers sometimes isn't the hardest part of the Hunger Games, it's the fact that you might have to kill your allies as well.
I turned my head towards him, "If we both end up in the 'Top Five' then we spilit up," I instructed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Deal?" I asked, sticking my hand out.
Ryler gently took my hand and intently looked into my eyes, "Deal," he repeated.
"Up, up, up! It's a big, big day!" Amora squealed outside my door.
I fell face first into the soft cloud like texture of my bedroom floor. I had to say it hurt, but it was actually really like a cloud. I pushed myself up off the floor and I stumbled into my bathroom and brushed my teeth. I changed into some clothes and I went to the dining cart and saw that Cecelia, Woof, and Ryler were there already awake and energized. The food on the table had changed from the night before. Lines and lines of formal metal dishes held food that was vaguely familiar to me. Eggs, Bread, Toast. I sat next to Ryler and grabbed a slice of toast and helped myself to some scrambled eggs. I poured myself a glass of milk before taking one bite from the toast. I took one bite, and then devoured the rest in seconds before moving onto my eggs.
I heard soft footsteps come down the room, and saw Amora entered wearing a gold, puffy sleeve shrug on top of a black dress that had fallen to her knees. Her hair was different today. Her auburn hair was in an updo with a headress on that looked like a bird had the misfortune of getting caught in her hair. I wondered how much time she spent on her appearance.
"We are here!" Amora squealed, in her most annoying Capitol accent yet. "Oh you are just going to love it here! They have everything imaginable right at your fingertips!" Amora continued her fingers were intertwined together.
I felt the train begin to slow down, and I knew we have arrived to the Capitol. I stood up, and looked out the window that bordered the side of the train. We were in the Arrival Station, it was a special place only tributes use. Yet that did not discourage the thousands among thousands of Capitol citizens to crowd into the large space.
My first impression of the Capitol was that it was so clean. Everything shined, even the trash cans. I looked among the people who eagerly waited in the crowd. The citizen's apparel did not let me down. The Capitol citizens were wearing the most ridiculous clothes and weirdest make up imaginable. Most of the women wore huge headpieces that resembled bows. But they were folded in another way that led me to believe that was not what it was. Most of their outfits were a bright color. A variety of Pinks, Blues, and Greens. Once they caught sight of me it sent the crowd into an uproar. People's arms were thrown into the air. I could hear the chanting and cheering through the thick windows.
"You two should smile and wave then maybe you'd get sponsors," Cecelia suggested.
"Yes! Upbeat and Positive wins us sponsors, not sad droopy kids. Just like those kids from 65," Amora nudged and elbowed at Cecelia but she kept a straight face and Woof just pressed his lips together in a fine line.
Ryler followed her instructions and I reluctantly did the same. Some of the people started to faint when waved at them which caused me to laugh. Out of everyone in the crowd, absolutely no one looked normal. Everyone had weird make up, dyed skin, abnormal contacts and most of all, the strangest clothes I have ever seen, and this is coming from someone who lives in a district that deals with fashion.
"Just like that! Now keep a smile, wave and shake hands. Try to be as polite as possible," Amora lectured, adjusting Ryler's shirt and fixing my hair before the door slid open.
It was louder than I expected. I kept a huge smile on my face. A small path that was made was loitered with hands and arms. Peacekeepers guarded us as we walked towards the Training Center, and I continued to wave to the citizens that stood near that stood me.
"Come on now. We have to get you to your stylists for the parade tonight!" Amora cheered. "Oh, it's just going to be magnificent!" she added, leading us to the Tribute Tower.
I gripped my necklace tightly on my chest as I made my way further into this strange new environment.