The train
As the train doors close behind her, Katniss lets out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. She opens the hand where her mother placed the item. It's a pin in gold. Her eyebrows knit, partly in confusion and partly due the fact that this pin looks to be valuable. She wonders where this was when they were starving. Katniss can't hold on to her anger though, because when she looks at the pin, she is thankful that she has something of her father's with her. The pin is of a mockingjay holding an arrow. The perfect symbol of her father. She attaches it, right above her heart.
With shaking hands, she wipes away the few treacherous tears on her cheeks as she enters the cart to her left. She didn't know what to expect but, what is in front of her somehow manages to fit into what she would assume a tribute these days usually travels in. The cart is small, with a simple dining table and chairs, a few lamps on the walls and two bunk beds by the wall. The furniture looks like something she assumes the merchant families in town would own. Billy already sits in one of the chairs, and the Capitol Escort stands by the dining table. He stands out in his crisp suit and oddly shaped beard.
"Katniss, welcome!" He says excitedly. She stares at him as if he has just killed her cat. She doesn't answer him, she simply walks past him over to Billy. "Always as rude, you District people." She hears him mutter. It ignites something with her, but the sad and frightened boy in front of her takes precedence over her own feelings.
"Are you okay?" She asks him. It's a dumb question, she thinks. But she doesn't know what else to say. She's not very good at talking to people.
"I'm scared." Billy whispers. She nods. There isn't much comfort she can give him for that.
"I know. I'm scared too." She says. Behind her the Capitol man coughs awkwardly. She turns around and stares daggers at him. He puts his hands up in the air defensively.
"Please sit down, there are a few things we need to go over before your arrival in the Capitol." He gestures towards the chairs around the quaint table. She glared at him in silent defiance but sits down all the same just as the train starts rolling away in an abrupt increase in velocity which jolts her to the side. Katniss manages to keep her balance as the man with the swirly beard stares at her with disgust and pity, as one would a wounded animal that you'd rather put out of its misery. Likewise, Katniss thinks and hopes her gaze conveys what she feels for the Capitol man.
"Hmm yes, anyway." He starts. As he talks, he puts his hands on the table and spreads out his fingers, as one would when discussing something of the utter most importance. "My name is Adavious, and I will be your escort to the Capitol. I'm here to answer your questions and help make you presentable. This is a new addition, for which we can thank our wonderful game maker, Coriolanus Snow." Katniss visibly reacts to the name of the latter. She's heard it before of course, but never really thought much about him to be honest. She's reminded of the last games finale, where Jabberjays echoed the screams of all the fallen tributes for hours on such high volume that it turned the remaining contenders insane. She immediately associate everything evil with Coriolanus Snow. Especially now that something similar probably awaits her.
"The mastermind of the games." Katniss states bitterly to which Adavious smiles.
"Yes!" He replies excitedly, either to thick to realise or to oblivious to care to what she meant. "This year he came up with the idea to bring us to you rather early, so you'll be more…presentable when you arrive in the Capitol. It's a more civilised place than the Districts so there is somethings you need to know. Earlier years the tributes have had the tendency to behave as, well, animals." His nonchalant tone to the words he speak infuriates Katniss beyond what she has ever felt before. Still, she manages to keep her composure, if only for the scared boy sitting next to her.
"We will arrive in the Capitol by tomorrow morning. Until then you will receive a meal, a bath and a tribute uniform. When you arrive, you will each be assigned a mentor. Since the 11th games, this has been the previous Victor but since District 12 has none, you will each be assigned a mentor from the Academy." She stares at this Capitol man in wonder. He looks to be in his forties, even with all the makeup. He must remember the 10th games. He must know that District 12 had a winner once. A strange feeling settles in the pit of Katniss's stomach but her fathers words echoes in the back of her mind and stops her from questioning it.
Katniss huffs. "I'm good thanks, I don't need a Capitol thick head helping me." She says as she glare at the other thick head currently present. She expected him to react dramatically, and he does, by visibly gasping.
"A mentor may very well be the difference between life and death. That has certainly been the case in previous games." He says sternly. "Furthermore, that doesn't matter. One will be assigned to you either way."
From beside her, Billy quietly whisper. "I would like a mentor." That softens Katniss resolve. She gives him a small smile.
"And you shall." Adavious says. "Now, in just a few, dinner will be served. If you go straight ahead you will find two bathrooms. Please shower and change, and when you come back, we will eat." He says and leaves towards the opposite way he told us to go. Where to, Katniss doesn't know nor care. She looks at Billy but quickly looks away. She can't form any sort of friendships with this boy if she wants to survive. He looks nothing like Prim and yet she can't help but to compare them. If she hadn't volunteered, she'd be him.
"Katniss?" Billy asks her timidly. She looks at him in response. "It was brave of you to volunteer. I know Prim from school, she's kind. She shouldn't be in these games." His words nearly break her. This morning she was out in the woods, hunting and enjoying as much freedom as one can living in her district, and know she sits in front of a boy she might have to kill in order to survive. A boy that has shown only compassion so far.
"Thank you. But neither should you. None of us should." She says. It's something she shouldn't say. But she can't help herself.
"I probably won't win. But you could. And you should. Everyone in our district knows that you could win. You have an advantage. You should use it." He says, in reference to her hunting skills. Horror glazes her gaze. The mere thought of hunting the tributes as she would a wild turkey is enough to send her spiralling. Sure, most years the contestants are small and underfed. It's not often that any one of them can fight. Since it became mandatory to watch the games, Katniss has seen a pattern of district 1, 2 and occasionally 4 winning more often. Rumours circulating about them training for the games, volunteering for them, have certainly not passed Katniss ears. But Katniss knows, that most of the time, the tributes are simply children. Like Billy. And unfortunately, that makes her the predator.
"Billy you don't know that, you could win. Your odds are as good as anyone's." She says and while comforting, they both know it's a lie.
Feeling the need to distance herself, Katniss makes her way silently towards one of the bathrooms Adavious pointed to earlier. For someone that has never had a proper bathroom, this simple one on the train is more luxurious than anything she has previously experienced. She turns the tap by the bath on and stares in wonder as warm water fills the tub. Sure, the water is no more than lukewarm but it's cleaner than anything she would be able to get at home.
Even though Katniss cleaned herself off before the reaping, the water it still grey from all the coal dust when she steps out of it.
She dries herself off with the white towel and even with two baths that day, she manages to stain the towel with even more coal dust. It will never come off her. Somehow she finds it a comfort. A small part of home they never can take from her, even if she were to die in the arena.
The tribute uniform laid out for her is a simple grey pant and shirt, with a red stripe down the middle and a 12 on the back. The material, while soft, feels fake somehow. Uncomfortable. But then, that could just be the meaning behind it.
She entered the dining and sleeping cart once more. Adavious and Billy is already seated and have started eating. It doesn't really bother her that they didn't wait for her. Why would they? She sits down by her own plate and stares at it. Potatoes, meat and peas. It would take her two days to gather such a meal but she would probably still have to substitute the meat. This looks to be cow, something she would never buy because of the price. Still, Katniss guesses this is a humble meal compared to what they feast on in the Capitol. It is the districts slave labour that enables their lifestyle after all. She soon forgets her displeased thoughts as she eats her meal, not having realised how hungry she was.
"Now Katniss," Adavious starts. She looks up at him in annoyance. "District 12's very first volunteer. Impressive. Certainly exciting. Tell me, is it the prize money?" He asks her as she looks as him as if he has grown another head. She won't lie that the prize money could do wonders for her family, but she would never enter the games willingly.
"I didn't have a choice. I couldn't let my sister enter." She says as she suddenly lose her apatite. "I'm done, I would like to sleep."
Adavious, returning to his meal as if not a cafe in the world, points to one of the bunk beds by the wall dismissively. "You can sleep there. Remember to be on you best behaviour tomorrow morning. You mentor will greet you at the station."
Not needing any additional "advice" from Adavious, Katniss silently makes her way to one of the beds. It proves hard to sleep, not only because of them still eating and the lights being on still, but also because she can see the landscape outside the window. With each tree, she sees her home move further and further away. Prim is further and further away with each passing minute. Tomorrow, she realises, she'll wake up to a new world. One she doesn't know, and what she doesn't know, has plenty opportunity to hurt her. Even kill her.
"Up, up, up! Today is a big day!" She wakes to the screeching voice of Adavious. If she could strangle someone, she thinks.
Her gaze immediately settles on outside the window. Shock would be the best way to describe her feeling at what she sees. The Capitol. She expected it of course. She knew where she was heading. She didn't realise how seeing the Capitol would affect her though. It glimmers in the morning sunlight. Even now, 20 years after the war, remnants of the war can be seen. Black soot still covers the outlying buildings. Some buildings have been demolished, some are rebuilding right before her eyes. But, it looks better and more polished than anything she has ever seen before even still.
She makes it a habit of not answering Adavious. Everything he says makes her either angry or annoyed.
She huffs as she gets up and takes a seat at the table as the train slows down as it enters the city. As it approaches the station, she gets up without a word, not being able to look at the crowd of people outside. She stands by the doors and simply waits for them to open. When they do she's unable to ignore the gathered crowd outside. It's overwhelming. Everywhere she hears her name. She would say there are hundreds there, but at least 50 people dressed in different suits and dresses, with strange beards and even stranger hair. Two peacekeepers grabs a hold of each of her arm and motions her forward, past the crowd.
"Move." One of them orders through their mask. She does as they say. She's put in one of the many cars waiting by the platform. For the other tributes she presumes. Where Billy is, she has no idea but guesses in on of the other cars. As soon as the door closes she realises that she's not alone. In the car sits a blonde girl in a red suit. She looks Katniss up and down with disgust and then back to her pad.
"My name is Clelia Cardew, I'm your mentor in these games. I'm here to make you stand out. Any questions?" She says in what Katniss thinks must be the most obnoxious tone she's ever heard. So obnoxious that Katniss finds herself dumbstruck regarding what to say. "Good. Now, first and foremost, the schedule. Right now we're headed to the Headquarters. There, you will get one hour or strategy planning with me, as well as see the other tributes and meet the game makers. Thereafter, the Opening ceremony will begin, where you will be presented as tribute. Tomorrow you will have a few minutes with a stylist and your interviews, and then the day after, it's time for the games." The amount of life changing information compressed into such a dismissive and short format is too much for Katniss to comprehend. It turns out that there isn't really enough time for her to answer this Clelia Cardew anyway since the cars come to a sudden stop in front of a massive, grey building. It bears resemblance to the justice building, only not so torn and old. And definitely not as small.
She's ushered inside and handcuffed to a table with to chairs facing each other. She faces the middle of the room, where she can spot a big, gold, Capitol emblem in the middle in the floor. She is the last to arrive. Around the room, the remaining 23 tributes sits in the same manner she does. Each one is wearing the exact same outfit as she is, the only difference being the number on their back. As Katniss looks around at the other tributes, she almost wish she hadn't. Most of them are small, smaller than her even. Most of them must be 15 and 16 years old, but some looks so young that she doesn't even want to speculate regarding their age. The boys from 2 and 4 are the exception. They must be her age, and they look surprisingly well fed. Both of them look at her with a mix of wonder and anger. She stares back until her attention is broken by the annoying girl that is better know as her mentor. She fiddles with her pen and notebook.
"How old are you?" She asks her. Shouldn't she already know that, Katniss wonders. She answers anyways.
"Eighteen." She says, to which her mentor writes it down. Katniss raises her eyebrows, almost mockingly which seems to annoy Clelia.
"And do you have any talents? The tributes from District 12 usually don't, but since I hade the misfortune of getting one of you, I might as well ask." Clelia asks her. Katniss is hyper aware of her surroundings and also very aware that her hunting skills isn't very legal. Her mentor doesn't really seem to be the type to be able to keep a secret. Not that a Katniss is itching to share any with her either. But she doesn't want to die either.
"Surviving." She says, think back to all the times she has survived previous hardships in her life. This answer doesn't seem to satisfy Clelia but she doesn't add anything, regardless.
"Fine." She huffs. "Weapon of choice? Before you answer, know that the weapon you choose will be available in the arena."
Katniss sighs but understands that this is also her best chance at winning. "A bow." Clelia looks up hat Katniss with raised eyebrows but before she has time to answer her, they are interrupted by one of the other tributes crying loudly.
"I can't make you win like this, calm down! No one likes a weakling." The boys mentor yells. Katniss winces. It's the boy from district 7 and his mentor is from the Academy. No one says anything in the boys defence, and so Katniss does.
"Why don't you pick on someone you own size?" She taunts him. It's probably not the smartest thing, and by the look Clelia gives her, she agrees. It gets the ginger haired mentor's attention though.
"Shut up, coal rat. You-" he doesn't get to finish, as the big double doors open and a man she faintly recognises enters. He wars a wine red suit, and a match tie. His hair is white and neatly combed, and he towers over most of the people in the room. If he notices the tumult, he doesn't let it on.
"Welcome tributes. My name is Coriolanus Snow, and I'm the Head Gamemaker for the 20th Hunger Games." Snow. The man Katniss associates with evil. "I'm here to observe. As you were." He says, and soon after most have gone back to talking with their mentors. Not Katniss though, she ignores Clelia completely. She simply stares him down, her gaze burning with fury. She wonders how someone that looks as him, can be the mind behind things that happens in and around the games. Coriolanus suddenly meets her gaze, and she is surprised to see that his looks angry too. Almost snakelike. His gaze soon turns to wonder, and then, impassiveness. Suddenly he is right in front of her, asking Clelia to move. And then she is face to face with Gamemaker, the man that essentially holds her life in his palms. He looks down at the paper.
"A bow?" He asks her with raised eyebrows. Almost as if he's amused by her choice of weapon. Katniss stares into his cold eyes. Her gaze a burning flame, his as cold as ice.
"Yes." Katniss voice is flat. His gaze flickers to the pin on her chest.
"I wonder where someone from district 12 learned to shoot." He says, almost absentmindedly. Her heart starts to race, but also, what more can they do to her? "No matter, it would certainly make for an interesting games."
Suddenly he touches the pin on her chest, careful only to touch it and not her, for which she is grateful. She would bite his hand if he touched her. "What a lovely pin. A mockingjay?" Katniss swallows but tries to Kepler her back straight and her face unmovable.
"Yes, it was my fathers." She says. Coriolanus gaze shifts back to her. There is something unnerving in his eyes that she can't place. It unsettles her. Suddenly, he leaves his seat, but before he continues his inspection of the other tributes he leans down close to her, so close that she can feel his breath on her neck.
"I once knew a songbird that could make the Forrest quiet. Tell me Katniss, are you a songbird too?" He asks her, and Katniss cannot tell why, but that question turns her body cold.