Chapter Two
My father stands in the crowd as I go to the check-in. A Peacekeeper that I recognize as Demeter takes my hand and pricks my finger. He releases my hand and I'm herded into my age group. Things become more tightly and tightly packed as more people are stuffed into the rather large area that is District 4's town square.
Once I'm in place, I take a moment to re-observe how even more utterly terrifying it is from this side of the rope. This side is sufficiently more terrifying as you are apart from your family –who you see on the other side nervously clutching the hands of whoever is beside them while trying to force a smile-, there are at least a dozen cameras of varying shapes and sizes, there is a massive stage with two large bowls –with at least one of everyone's name on this side of the rope- on either side of a podium and microphone and four chairs placed before the doors of the Justice Building. There's also dozens of brightly colored posters and banners advertising this "wondrous event," yet giving the scene an added sense of grimness because of the large contrast between the banners and the people's emotions.
All four of the chairs behind the podium are filled. The first is Mayor Shaw, a tall and lean man with white hair and large spectacles. The next is District 4's escort, Eudora Hart, with her perfectly tanned skin contrasting greatly with her blue hair done up in a mass of curls that match her blue lips and eyelashes. She looks like she walked straight from the Capitol in her bright green dress (with matching heels) and a bejeweled blazer over her dress, which I assume was the look she was striving for. The third is Mags, district 4's oldest living Victor and winner of the 9th Hunger Games. The next is Finnick Odair, the Capitol's golden boy and winner of the Hunger Games only two years ago. It's funny to see Eudora leaning over Mags to flirt with Finnick.
Mayor Shaw walks up to the podium, drawing all the attention to himself, and says the same thing he has every year. The history of Panem and how these Games are a reminder of District 13's rebellion. He goes on to state the rules of the Hunger Games. How one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen from every district are to go up in tribute to honor their district. Twenty four children in total imprisoned in an arena that they know nothing about and they kill each other. The last one standing wins.
He reads from a list all of the victors that District 4 has had. Of all of them, only two of our victors are still alive, Finnick and Mags. The mayor then hands the stage over to Eudora to pick the tributes from the glass orbs.
"Welcome, and happy 67th Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor." Her Capitol accent annoys me as it always does as does her excess cheeriness. "As always, ladies first." She slowly makes her way over to the glass ball in front of the girl's section. She stirs her hand around for a moment before plucking one of the slips of paper. She waddles back to the microphone and reads out the name Sara Ekko.
No. God, no. Sara is Henry's little sister. Last summer, she was in a shark attack. Now she's missing her left arm. She wouldn't survive in there. She'd die in the bloodbath. I don't wait for Eudora to ask for volunteers. I hug her close to me for as long as I can before I am dragged onto the stage by Peacekeepers.
Eudora asks me for my name. I have to look strong, so I give it to her immediately. Capri Covell.
She then picks the name for the boys. It's a small boy named Mason. He has a mass of dark, curly hair sitting on top of his head. No one volunteers for him. Eudora says a few closing words, Mason and I shake hands before we are whisked away into the Justice Building at the tune of the anthem.
The Justice Building truly is a beautiful thing. All the furniture is made of the nicest material and the carpet is always lush and clean. Though when I glance at Eudora, she seems to believe that this is the filthiest place she's encountered in her entire life. I'm promptly shut up in a room and left to myself.
I'm supposed to be able to give my goodbyes to friends and families, but I know that I can't cry during this. It'll make me look weak. I can't be a weak tribute or I'll get killed off in the first few days.
The first is my father. I hug him and kiss him profusely with promises to win. To win for him and to win for mom. I hug him and kiss him a few more times before he's dragged out of the room. I'm allowed a few moments to myself before my next visitors come in.
It's the Ekkos. Mrs. Ekko runs to me, embracing me and immediately showering me with thanks. She then returns to the comforting arms of her husband. Sara comes up to me and hugs my waist. She's only thirteen, but she looks about ten. When I see Henry, I almost lose it, but I know that I have to stay strong. For him. For my father. For my district. He kisses me, and then leans his head against mine.
"You've got to win Cap. You have to. You have to come back to me. You can't leave me. I love you, Cap."
"I love you, Henry." I kiss him once more before Peacekeepers come in to take them away.
I don't have a few moments this time, and my best friend Paige is immediately running into the room with tears streaming down her face. She calms down a little and reasons through everything. "You're good with nets, and you're fantastic with a trident, and you're smart, and you can win. You can win." I'm sure she keeps repeating it to herself in her head, but she stops for my sake and only says one more thing, "I believe in you, Cap. You can win this."
We just sit there until the Peacekeepers come.
This time they take me out a few moments later and stuff me into a car to go to the train station. I've only been in a car twice. My mother's funeral. And now. It doesn't take long to arrive at the train station, which is swarming with reporters with their cameras trained directly on me and Mason. I make sure that my face shows as little emotion as possible, none of those emotions being fear or sadness.
Those at the station continue to flash their cameras even as the train begins to move. It had happened so suddenly that it took my breath away. I'd never been on a Capitol train before just now. We learned about them in school a few years ago. They go some 250 miles per hour, and on this train it will only take us till early evening to get to the Capitol.
Eudora shows Mason and I our rooms so that we can look our best upon entry to the Capitol. Mason goes in his room, but I want to explore the train.
I wander through the cars, at least five, when I reach the end. The last car has a beautiful couch that stretches the perimeter of the car. The entire exterior is made of glass, letting you look as your home is left behind. I sit at the tail of it, hugging my legs to my chest, and looking at the rivers and the trees that we pass by in an instant.
The door to the car opens, and I see Finnick Odair standing there in all of his glory. The esteemed District 4 victor. Youngest ever. It's strange. He's meant to be one of my mentors, yet he's the same age as I am. I find it slightly uncomfortable, but I'll deal with it. He knows how to win. He can help me get back home.
"That was incredible what you did." He comes and sits beside me. I'm still sitting backwards, staring at the beauty of Panem. "Did you know her?"
I nod. I can't seem to find words to tell her what she means to me, so we sit for a few moments until I can. "She's my boyfriend's sister." I see him nod in the corner of my eye. "I knew she wouldn't make it far. I couldn't just stand there, knowing I had to power to let her live, and not do anything to change that."
Finally looking over at him, I see him twirling a sugar cube between his fingers. "Have you got any talents I should know about?" He pops the cube into his mouth, and looks to me with raised eyebrows.
"I'm fairly good with a trident, with nets," I pause momentarily before adding, "I know how to make a fire, and I'm pretty quick."
"All great skills to have in the arena," he leans closer into me and his face turns solemn, "but nothing can prepare you for it. You'll go through a few days of training before you go in, you need to make allies. People who look up to you, and won't think about killing you. At least not until later. When you start noticing a change, you run like hell, and then you're on your own until you win."
"You really think I can win?"
He smirks at me, "Hell yeah. But you've got to have sponsors. You have to make the people of the Capitol fall head over heels in love with you." I turn back to look at the outside, how am I supposed to do that? People back in 4 aren't in love with me. I'm average.
"Hey, look at me;" his voice is authoritative, yet kind, "It won't be hard. You're gorgeous. You're talented. And I remember from school that you're pretty damn bright."
I look up at him. That's how he won his games. He was on his own; no one knew that he was the one to kill until halfway through. He made nets from the vines he found. The sponsors had sent him a trident. It was the most expensive sponsor gift I've ever seen. He had a natural beauty that no one in the arena could compete with. And the people of the Capitol loved him. They still do. In the past few months, since he's turned sixteen, they haven't been able to keep their hands off him. Literally.
I metaphorically shake my head at the thought and put my attention back on Finnick. "But you've got to let down the 'I'm a big, bad girl from District 4' act. Okay?" Only after a moment of staring blankly at him do I realize the question wasn't rhetorical. I give him a nod, and he continues, "All they're gonna see is a girl who volunteered for a girl with one arm. You're already pulling on their heartstrings, starfish."
"Starfish?" I scoff at him.
He nods happily and puts a sugar cube in my hand. "I like it. You're my little starfish. Starfish can survive anything. They're tough, but everyone loves them." I pop the sugar cube in my mouth. God, how does he do this? "Anyway, starfish, they already love you. You just have to keep their attention."
He stands up and puts his hand out to me, "C'mon, starfish, Eudora will have a fit if you walk into the Capitol looking like that." Finnick leads me back to through the train until we finally reach the car with our rooms. "Clean up, and then I'll have someone come to fetch you in about an hour for a pre-Capitol meal." I'm nearly shutting the door when Finnick pokes in head in saying, "Oh, and starfish, I'm not so sure I'd be saying that you volunteered for your boyfriend's sister." He gives me a short nod before slipping back down the hallway.
The change on his face from when we were in the hallway to when his head was in my doorframe was one that shook me to my very core. He looked haunted. I try not to focus on it as I strip from Reaping clothes and step into the shower. We had showers in 4, but these were far fancier than anything we had there. It had about ten different scents that you could pick from, and when you were finished, you simply stood and it dried you by blowing warm air at you.
Walking back into the room, I find a chest filled with only the finest clothes. I find a sea green top, some black pants, and a pair of boots. I put them on hurriedly and think about going wandering about the train again, but decide against it. In one of the drawers I find a pad of paper and some pencils. Taking them in my hands, I lie on the ground and begin to draw. I draw 4. I draw the ocean and the sun rising above it.
Only a knock stops me from continuing the sketch. An avox opens the door and shows me a note, Time to eat, starfish. –Finnick I take it, nodding at the girl –probably no older than myself with gorgeous brown hair and gray eyes- and she leads me up one train car where there is a buffet sitting before us.
Everyone is here but me, and suddenly I'm self aware of every aspect of my being. My posture. My clothes. My hair. Is there anything on my face?
I sit beside Mags. Eudora is at the head of the table. Finnick is across from Mags and Mason is beside Finnick. They were waiting on me, evidently. Finnick smiles at me, "Nice of you to join us, starfish." As soon as I sit down, the avox that led me here is pouring some kind of colored drink into my glass.
Everyone proceeds to put on their plate what they wish to eat, and I'm feeling not hungry in the least. Something about it being only a few days before I'm set in an arena with twenty three other kids where we have to kill each other makes me find food very unappealing right now. But I take food anyway and force it down.
Who knows if these people from the Capitol will actually like me like Finnick says they will? What if they see me and want to watch me die of starvation? I figured that I better eat what I can while I can before the 67th Hunger Games becomes a literal game of starvation.