Two

Katniss looked up from the bowl of strawberries. She had eaten a soup that didn't make her wonder what it was made of, real beef, mashed potatoes and even chocolate cake. She felt like she was going to throw up, and even a little gross. That was exactly what Effie seemed to want to scream at her, seeing her eating so anxiously. Katniss gave her an implacable look, the same she gave Haymitch as she watched him down another drink. Alder must have spent the time they had been given to shower and get dressed crying non-stop, as his eyes were completely red and swollen and he kept on moving his food around with the fork. Katniss was at least a head taller than him and three years older too. She remembered, seeing his parents at the farewell, that his family had one of the few shoes and other accessory stores in District 12. He must have been one of those kids who had led a simple life until then, because unlike her, he seemed well fed. Her initial plan had been to ignore him, but it would be difficult. As sadness clouded his features, she couldn't help but feel a surge of sympathy for him. Would she be able to kill him if it came to that?

Focusing on the rest of the train did her no good either. Her room was bigger than her entire house, with a bathroom just for herself, a bathtub that had hot water available immediately, and even closets with more clothes than she needed. So far, she had only seen that and the dining car, decked out even more than the Justice Building. It seemed like a terrible display of wealth to her, as if they were in a contest to top the previous extravagance. And that only for a one-day trip to get to the Capitol… she didn't even want to imagine what awaited them there.

"Let's go watch today's summary," Haymitch told them after dinner was over.

Katniss doubted he would be able to focus on anything. He still looked terrible, and she thought she had heard him vomit shortly after getting on the train. Despite it, she rose to her feet, while Alder hadn't moved.

"Why?" he asked, looking at their mentor with little confidence.

"We have to know your opponents."

"Our killers," the boy corrected, in a shrill little voice. His chin trembled with every word. Katniss feared he was going to cry again.

"A hunter has to study his prey, boy."

"Tell that to her," he replied.

Katniss stared at him for a moment, then frowned slightly. She didn't want to assess her skills as a killer right now, nor did she think Haymitch knew she hunted, the way her father had too before her. She decided to divert attention from her by following her inept mentor.

"Why hasn't Elwood come?"

"Michael is sick. He can't mentor while he's being treated," Effie explained. It was almost impossible, but for a second Katniss had forgotten she was still there.

"You're lucky to have me."

Very lucky, indeed. Katniss turned her back to look at Alder, who pursed his lips, as if he wanted to hold back his tears. Following Haymitch into the room next to hers, she heard the boy's footsteps behind her, clearly defeated. The room was much smaller, but the sofas were just as soft and velvety as the others on the train, and the screen was much thinner than any television she had ever seen. She didn't stop stroking the velvet of her seat as she saw, for the first time, either the boys she would kill or those who would end up killing her. Some caught her eye: the serious-faced blonde girl in 4, a volunteer in 2 who horrified her, or a girl as small as Prim in 11. When it was her district's turn, her stomach clenched as she watched, realising how dramatic it had been, but she didn't let herself look away. As soon as the compilation was over, Haymitch walked over to a small glass table littered with bottles, and Katniss immediately stood up. She just wanted to be left alone with her thoughts. Alder, still red-faced, did the same.

"Goodnight," he said, with a slight thread of voice.

"Goodnight."

In the dining room the ceiling lights had already been turned off, though the lamps were on. Katniss didn't understand the role of half the furniture and knickknacks in her room so she changed into what looked like her pajamas and allowed herself to snuggle under the soft eiderdown. She closed her eyes and tried unsuccessfully to empty her mind for what seemed like an eternity, though all that assailed her was the horrible silence that had followed Prim's name. The bed and pillow were the most comfortable she'd ever slept on. The sheets were soft and the ediderdown light. They didn't smell fresh, though, no rays of light would reach her from there, nor would she have to throw Buttercup out of bed to keep him from disturbing Prim and her. When the clock on the table showed that an exact hour had passed since she went to bed, she stood up. There was nothing there to reassure her, so she went out into the hallway. Everyone must have gone to bed too, because the train was gloomy. Katniss walked barefoot, feeling the carpet under her feet. Without quite knowing why, she headed for the table, perhaps attracted by the glow of the glass tray. There was still some food on the table. The first thing she noticed was that no one had touched the strawberries. She wondered if Prim had eaten them back at home. At the same time, she remembered the thick tears rolling down her father's face when they had said goodbye. Although she had tried to ignore it, it was imposible. He never cried, not in front of his daughters, only when their mother had died and on the nights he thought they were sleeping.

Katniss moved closer to the table. She took a strawberry, two, three and after devouring them she broke down crying in the semi-dark car. She tried to hold back her sobs as she ran back to her compartment. At least no one would hear her there. When she fell asleep, she did only out of sheer exhaustion and her sister's screams starred in her nightmares the whole night. When she woke up, the pillow was cold, damp, and it was so early that the day was still waking up. She climbed into the tub, even though she was perfectly clean, just because she liked the feel of the heat on her skin, which she had rarely had the luxury of feeling. As she floated, she went over what she knew: she could recognised dozens of botanical species thanks to her mother and the edible and inedible plants because of her father. But what if there was no vegetation or trees? It was impossible to guess what the Arena would look like that year. Another good thing was she could swim, many tributes wouldn't be able to say the same and she had only learned because she knew how to sneak into the woods. By the time she realised it, there was a pounding on her door, with Effie's voice on the other side calling her for breakfast. Once again, the amount of food was overwhelming. There were different juices, fruits, breads of all kinds. She didn't even know where to start. She decided on a few slices of bacon, bread and some orange juice, because she couldn't even remember what it tasted like.

"Hot chocolate."

Haymitch's voice took her by surprise. As he leaned toward the table he put down a cup for each of them, in front of her and Alder. Katniss breathed in the scent of the drink, it did smell like chocolate, but she had never seen it that liquid. On the other hand, her mentor decided on more alcohol. He had messy hair and glassy eyes. She had known him for a day and she was already beginning to hate the way he behaved.

"Are you planning on teaching us something useful or are you going to keep drinking?" she scolded him.

Alder looked at her with wide eyes. Even Effie stopped to stare.

"You're charming, sweetheart," her mentor laughed, as if he didn't care about her opinion. "Haven't you been told before?"

Katniss felt her chest heat up. What was he about?

"Is this a joke to you?"

She didn't even think about it, but as she felt the anger growing, the knife she had in her hand to cut the bacon ended up sunking into the wood panel behind Haymitch.

"What are you doing? Have you gone crazy?!" Effie yelled.

Katniss took a breath, frowning, but somewhat more aware of what she had done. She expected shouting back from her mentor, but Haymitch didn't scold her. Instead, he let out a small laugh and looked at her in awe.

"Is there anything else you can do?" he asked, pulling out the knife.

Katniss crossed her arms, leaning back.

"I know how to use a bow."

"What about you, boy?"

She had been modest. She knew how to make snares, fish, swim. Still, she didn't want to boast in front of Alder or at least until she knew how Haymitch was going to help them. If he knew how to do anything other than getting drunk...

"I can…use tools," the boy replied, with a slightly scared expression.

Haymitch returned to his seat, settling back.

"Alright. So you're interested in my advice?"

"Yes," Alder spoke suddenly, decisively.

"Let's make a deal, if you don't touch my alcohol," he began, directing a stern look at Katniss, "I'll help you however I can."

"Okay," she murmured, almost reluctantly.

"The first thing is to make you...presentable."

"You'll have your own stylists as soon as we arrive at the Capitol," Effie explained, glad to be able to contribute. "Image is essential."

Katniss touched the cup. The chocolate was cold enough to drink now.

"That's the first lesson," Haymitch added. "This is a show, and you have to learn to play in a very short time."

Instead of reassuring her, it angered her more. Was her life or her sister's a game? Or Alder's, who most likely hadn't harmed a fly in his life.

"That's disgusting."

"That's life, sweetheart. From now on, it's your turn to show the world you are a good bet. You need all the support you can get."

Breakfast passed in an uncomfortable silence broken only by Effie and her explanations of what would happen in the next few days: their preparation, the tributes' parade, the training. The rest of the day was plunged into the same emptiness, until the train began to approach the Capitol. In the distance, the buildings were already so tall that they seemed to be approaching the sky. Even Katniss hurriedly followed Alder to the window so she wouldn't miss anything as they entered the city. On television everything seemed more gray and boring, but in reality every corner was bright: the pavement, the perfectly designed and clean sidewalks, the pristine glass buildings, the people with thousands of bright colors not only in their clothes, but also in their skin or hair. Her partner kept opening his mouth. With his face almost glued to the glass, he asked, stunned:

"What are they wearing?"

Katniss couldn't take her eyes off either. If she had found Effie strange, it was because she hadn't seen anything yet. The fantasy was broken upon entering the station, with the end of the trip. Without even having fully braked, people began to crowd around the train. The flash from the cameras going off suddenly threw her off balance and closing her eyes, she could only hear Haymitch ask:

"Are you ready?"

It's been a really long time since I read the books or watch the films so I'm mixing both up and making up the rest for my plot to work.
By the way, English is not my first language, if anything sounds weird, that's probably my fault lol.