Chapter 3

As soon as the Peacekeepers led us into the Justice Building, they secluded me in a room away from Gill. The room was vibrant with its thick, deep carpets and velvet furniture. I ran my fingers through the material to calm myself down as I prepared for the next hour. It was the only time for tributes to say goodbye to their loved ones before leaving, but I couldn't cry. My eyes would be red and puffy as it would show on cameras at the train station.

Dad, Jonas, and Grandma Mags were the first ones to see me. Jonas rushed to me right away and breathed a sigh of relief when he wrapped his arms around me like he did when he was little. It was like he was anxiously waiting to hold me as he thought that he was never going to see me again. For a few minutes, we didn't say anything. Jonas and I hugged each other and refused to let go while Grandma Mags and Dad watched us.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" I let go of Jonas as I looked back at Dad. "Damnit, Talia!"

"I didn't think that Aqua was going to survive. I thought that maybe…I had a chance to get out."

"Your sister thought the same when The Capital promised her wealth and fame."

"I'm not Kailey!" I snapped.

"Please." Grandma Mags came forward and put her hand on Dad's shoulder to try to comfort him. "Don't fight. Not now."

He shrugged her hand away from him and stared lowly at me as if what I said was unforgivable. Instead of answering me, he headed to the door and stopped when it opened. Dad turned back to me, and I saw resentment fill his eyes as he said, "Talia, I've never been so disappointed in you."

At that moment, he walked out instead of waiting for the Peacekeepers to escort him out. I couldn't believe that he didn't bother to say goodbye to me. I knew he was upset with me whenever I did something outrageous, but I've never seen him give me that look before. It made my chest hurt so much. Luckily, Jonas did his best to comfort me.

"It's gonna be okay, Talia. You're fast and brave. Maybe you can win. I just hate that you're also going up against Gill. It's not fair."

"I know it's not."

I really thought I could, but I don't think I could ever kill Gill. He's my best friend's brother, and my brother's best friend. It wouldn't be right. Jonas must know that in his heart too. Even though I've been trained as a Career in school, District One and Two had way more victors than us, and the only reason why we have a Career school now is because the other districts didn't have as many victors as us. On top of that, Districts One and Two tributes were usually much older, so they had more years in training than me. The competition was going to be tough. There was no doubt in my mind about that. Hopefully, I wasn't the one who the tributes could easily weed out before the real fun began.

"You're going to be alright." Grandma Mags said.

"There's twenty-four of us, Grandma. Only one of us comes out."

"I know you are much stronger than any of them. Show them what you do best." She reached out to the pin on my shirt and smiled as her pruny finger brushed over the gold bird. "I know you can do it."

And then the Peacekeeper was at the door, signaling our time was up, and we're all hugging one another so hard it hurts and all I was saying was "I love you. I love you both." And they're saying it back and then the Peacekeeper ordered them out. Jonas refused to let me go as he was being dragged away when the door closed. I then buried my head in one of the velvet pillows as if it could block Jonas's plea out.

Aqua then entered the room, and she was breathing so hard with her eyes red and puffy. We rushed into each other's arms and held on for dear life. She was shaking under my touch, so I tried soothing her by telling her that it's okay.

When she let me go, she finally snapped at me. "You're so stupid, ya know that? You're really stupid, Talia." More tears came down her face, and I wanted to cry too, but I held it in as best as I could. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"I couldn't just let you go to the Games. No offense, but I'm better than you in Career School. I thought that I had a chance."

My best friend chuckled as if what I said was funny. "Yeah. You are, aren't you?" She then sniffled back a sob. "It just sucks now that Gill's a part of it now. Gill and I should've never signed up for that stupid Tesserae."

I didn't want to tell her that she shouldn't have, because I didn't want to make her feel worse about the whole situation, so I argued, "Your family was starving. You and Gill didn't have any other choice."

"Except now he's going into the arena with you. You've seen what he's like in school. He can't even hit the dummy with a throwing knife. There's no way he'll survive."

"Come on, Aqua. Gill's smart and he's crafty. He could weave a net perfectly."

"Yeah, but you can't kill anyone with a net."

"Finnick did, or did you forget his Games?"

She looked away, knowing I was right. Even though we didn't like Finnick, there was no denying how skilled he was. Even though joining the Career pack gave him an edge in the Games, he managed to trap other tributes with a net before stabbing them with his trident.

"Listen. I know it's wrong for me to say, but you have to do what you can to make sure that you and Gill are the last ones standing."

I looked at her in confusion as I thought what she said sounded ridiculous since there's never been any twelve year olds to live long enough to be the final two tributes left standing. "What are you saying? You know there's only one of us coming out, right? There's no way I can kill him."

She then gave me a pained expression on her face as she replied, "I know, but I'm not asking you to kill him."

I didn't understand what she meant at first until now. Her words sunk further into my head as I comprehended what she was implying. My eyes widened as I took a couple of steps away from her and turned away to look out the window.

"I know it's a lot to ask-"

As soon as I heard her voice, I cut her off right away by whipping my whole body back around. "You have no idea what you're asking me. You know there's never been any twelve year old victors, including thirteen year olds. It's bad enough that Gill's one of the tributes, and now you're expecting me to sacrifice myself when we're the only two left. My family's been through enough after Mom and Kailey's death. I don't think they can handle it if I die."

She took a deep breath in and looked to the floor and stayed silent for a moment before she said, "Then at least promise me you'll keep him alive as long as you can."

I considered it at first, but then as I thought about it, I didn't see any harm done to make him an ally. The only problem was that I knew the other Careers would eat him alive since he wasn't strong enough. Aqua must know that, which was why she wanted me to protect him. I didn't think it'd hurt, so I went along with it. I just hope it didn't bite me back in the end.

"Alright. I promise."

Aqua breathed a sigh of relief as she hugged me and murmured, "Thank you."

The Peacekeepers came back too soon, and they dragged Aqua away. She didn't want to let go of me, but as soon as they grabbed her arm, she willingly went out the door before looking back and giving me a pleading look. It told me to keep my promise.

It's a short ride from the Justice Building to the train station. I've never been in a car before. Rarely even ridden in wagons. The only mode of transportation I've ever been on were boats to help catch shellfish or dive for pearls.

The station swarmed with reporters with their cameras trained directly on my face. But I've had a lot of practice at wiping my face clean of emotions and I did it now. I caught a glimpse of myself on the television screen on the wall that aired my arrival live and felt gratified that I appeared almost bored.

Gill, on the other hand, had been crying. There was no doubt in my mind when I looked at his face. His eyes were still glossy, and his lip quivered. He looked too weak for the Games. All I kept thinking about was how I would keep my promise to keep him alive for so long when he looked like he would be one of the first ones taken out in the arena.

We had to stand for a few minutes in the doorway of the train while the cameras gobbled up our images, then we're allowed inside and the doors closed mercifully behind us. The train began to move at once.

The speed initially took my breath away. Of course, I've never been on a train, as travel between the districts was forbidden except for officially sanctioned duties. For us, that's mainly transporting fish and pearls. But this wasn't an ordinary train. It's one of the high-speed Capitol models that average two hundred and fifty miles per hour. Our journey to the Capital would take less than a day.

The tribute train was fancier than any other room I'd been in. We were each given our own chambers that have a bedroom, a dressing area, and a private bathroom. There were drawers filled with fine clothes, and Phaedra Starling told me to do anything I wanted, wear anything I wanted, everything was at my disposal. Just be ready for supper in an hour. I peeled off my white dress and took a hot shower. I've never had a shower like this before. It's like being in a summer rain, only warmer. In District Four, we only had tubs where we had to collect water from the pipes outside before heating them up to fill the tub. I dressed in a dark green shirt and skirt.

At the last minute, I remembered the little gold pin that Grandma Mags gave me for my birthday as it stared at me from my new bed. I took it off and held it, feeling every curve of the mockingjay bird before I secured it on my shirt. It encouraged me to fight as she didn't want me to forget that my family was waiting for me back home.

Phaedra Starling came then to collect me for supper. I followed her through the narrow, rocking corridor into a dining room with polished paneled walls. There was a table where all the dishes were highly breakable. Gill sat there waiting for us with an empty chair patiently waiting for me.

"Where's Finnick?" asked Phaedra brightly.

"I saw him go in his room. I think he's taking a nap," Gill said.

"Well, it's been an exhausting day," she said before gesturing to the table. "Go on then. Don't want to waste what The Capital has to offer."

The supper came in courses. A thick lobster bisque, green salad, grilled salmon, roasted red potatoes, cheese and fruit, and a chocolate cake. Throughout the meal, Phaedra Starling kept reminding us to save space because there's more to come. But I'm stuffing myself because I've never had food like this, so good and so much, and because probably the best thing I could do between now and the Games was put on a few pounds.

"At least, you two have decent manners," said Phaedra as we were finishing the main course. "The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion."

Table manners were the last thing on my mind. Grandma Mags taught me to eat properly, so yes, I could handle a fork and a knife. But I hated Phaedra Starling's comment so much I made a point of eating the rest of my meal with my fingers. Then I wiped my hands on the tablecloth. Only Gill found it funny as he smirked, but Phaedra didn't find it amusing at all as she pursed her lips tightly together.

Now that the meal was over, we were led to another compartment to watch the recap of the Reapings across Panem. One by one, we saw the other reapings. There were a handful of volunteers stepping forward to participate in the Games, or more often, not. I observed their faces carefully to see who were my biggest competitors. A few stood out in my mind. A boy from District Two lunged forward to volunteer. I wasn't going to lie that I was slightly intimidated by his robust stature and powerful, visibly muscled arms. A fox-faced girl with sleek red hair from District Five. A boy with a horrible burn that fleshed on one side of his face from District Six. And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District eleven. She had dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that, she was much smaller in comparison to all of the other tributes in size and demeanor. Only when she mounts the stage and they ask for volunteers, all you can hear is the wind whistling through the decrepit buildings around her. There's no one willing to take her place.

I still never forgot when they showed my district. Aqua refused to move, and I pushed her behind me to volunteer. You couldn't miss the desperation in my voice when I stepped in for her as I mounted myself on the stage while her father dragged her away. Then came the silent salute. The commenters didn't have much to say about it since District Four was a Career District, so they probably expected for someone to volunteer. As for Gill, he quietly took his place when his name was called. We then shook hands as the Panem anthem ended.

"Oh!" hissed Phaedra. "Where is Finnick? How can he call himself a mentor if all he does is sleep around? He should be here training you both. He is your lifeline after all as he dictates the difference between life and death."

Just then, Finnick appeared in the compartment and leaned against the wall as he looked at Effie with his mouth curling up. "Looks like I made it just in time then."

"Just about." Phaedra said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He then turned to Gill and me as he said, "Let's go in the other room."

We followed him back into the dining cart, and Phaedra Starling nudged us aside with a cup of black coffee, while Finnick eagerly told us to sit down, so we did. He crossed his leg and relaxed his arms on the armrests as he leaned back and stared at us while he tapped on the wooden material. We waited until he said something, but for some reason, he didn't. I even got annoyed when he grabbed the knife on the table and twirled it around for a good minute or two. Thankfully, Gill spoke up, "So, you're our mentor?"

He finally stopped twirling the knife to glance at him. "You really want me to mentor you?"

"Ye-Yeah. I mean that's why you're here. To help us and give us advice."

A sly grin crept up his face as he clattered the knife on the table with careless ease before leaning in to face him. "Then let me give you your advice." My blood ran cold when Gill's entire face turned pale as I heard him say, "There's not a chance you'll make it out of the arena."

"That's real funny." I said, which made him turn his attention toward me. "You could at least be helpful instead of scaring him."

"Hmph. I'm just stating a fact." he scoffed before his tone grew more serious. "Alright. You're telling me that he can beat you or any of the other Careers by himself? Wake up, sweetheart. There's no way he'll survive. I've seen him during his training in the Career school. He'll just hold you back if you drag him along."

When Gill looked at his lap in utter defeat, I couldn't help but pity him. Finnick already gave up on him. How could he do that to him? It was just unethical. I wanted to remind him what it was like not to cross me back when he trained me, and I was going to show him again as he reached for the brandy while I swiftly grabbed my knife and jammed it on the table, barely missing his fingers.

"I can hold my own just fine."

Instead of answering back, he did something unexpected. He sat back in his chair and took out the knife. His eyes never left mine, and I noticed there was a small glint in his eye as he said, "You sure can. Can't you?"

When Finnick flashed me a toothy grin, I had a sneaky suspicion for what was to come. He then told me to stand against the wall. I hesitated for a moment since I didn't know what exactly he was up to until he stood from his spot and stared me down. His height towered over me, and he was very close. It made me slightly uncomfortable how his green eyes looked me up and down, especially when he wanted me to get my profile. And when I faced him again, I held in my breath when he took my chin and raised it up so that our eyes met.

"Hmm. Not bad. You're a lot more fit than what I saw in the training grounds. Once the stylists get a hold of you, they'll spruce you up and make you even more attractive to get some sponsors in."

I didn't question what he said since he made a valid point. Even though the Hunger Games weren't a beauty contest, the best looking tributes always seemed to pull the most sponsors. If my looks were going to give me an advantage in the arena, then I'll do whatever it took to make myself more beautiful to The Capital since those sponsors would come in handy to help Gill and me last longer.

"Help both of us then. What do we need to do during the Cornucopia when someone-"

"Woah, woah. Cool your jets, sweetheart." I almost wanted to roll my eyes at the ridiculous nickname he gave me. "One thing at a time. In a few minutes, we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of your stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist,"

"But-"

"No buts. If you want to survive. You'll do what I say."

He then looked at Gill, who shyly looked away from him. Finnick scoffed again and shook his head as if he found Gill's action ridiculous. He then walked out of the compartment. Even Phaedra left us. Probably wanted us to spend some time together before we reached The Capital. I knew we were close by when the car went dark. There were a few lights outside, but inside looked like it was nighttime. We were in the tunnel that ran through the Rocky Mountains to The Capital. The mountains formed a natural barrier between The Capitol and the districts. It was almost impossible to enter anywhere except through the tunnels. It explained why we lost the rebellion as the geographical location was a huge asset to them.

The train finally slowed down and suddenly bright lights flooded the compartment. Gill and I couldn't help it as we rushed over to the window. There it was, The Capital, the ruling city of Panem. We've only ever seen it on television, and now, it was right there in front of us. The cameras definitely didn't lie about its grandeur.

If anything, they didn't quite capture the magnificence of the glistening buildings in a rainbow of hues that towered into the air, the shiny cars that rolled down the wide paved streets, and the oddly dressed people with bizarre hair and painted faces who never missed a meal. All of the colors seemed artificial, the pinks too deep, the greens too bright, and the yellows too painful to the eyes.

The people began to point at us eagerly as they recognized a tribute train rolling into the city. Gill stepped away from the window, sickened by their excitement, knowing they couldn't wait to watch us die. But I held my ground. I remembered what Finnick told me a little over a while ago and did what he normally did best. After all, he got the most sponsors out of any other tribute I've ever seen. So, I put on my best game face by waving and smiling at the gawking crowd. I only stopped when the train pulled into the station, blocking us from their view.

"What are you doing?"

I turned back to Gill and answered him, "Using Finnick's advice."

"Since when do you listen to Finnick out of all people. I thought you can't stand him."

"I don't, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's talking about on certain subjects when it comes to the Games."

All of the pieces fell into place. This act was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Even though I hadn't accepted my death, it didn't mean that I was going down without a fight. I only hoped that Gill would wise up and do the same. But he didn't. He was astounded but not in an impressive way. I then thought how much harder it was going to be to keep Gill alive.

Here you go, everyone! Here's Chapter Three. I know we get a very brief description of Cato, but trust me. We're nearly there to see Talia's interaction with him. It slowly has to build up so that the story is more believable rather than just rushing it, so I hope you all are appreciating what I'm doing. Please leave me reviews to let me know what you think so far. Stay tuned for more chapters!