Hi!
**PLEASE READ!**
Just as a quick warning, this chapter in the final POV - Raven Night's part - has MAJOR SPOILERS for the newest Hunger Games book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. If you don't want the book spoiled, feel free to skip that POV part of this chapter. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it!
~ Meghan
"He allows very readily, that the eyes and footsteps of the master are things most salutary to the land."
- Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, 4 AD - 70 AD, Roman province of Hispania Baetica
The Departure.
...
Caroline Lile - 14 y.o. - D10
...
- District 10 -
Caroline watched outside the car window.
Tears blurred her vision, but she kept wiping them away, determined to see every last inch of home she could. She used to think that the flat, hard-packed dirt and endless tallgrass prairies were boring. They didn't have anything in 10 like the sprawling mountains of 2 or the oceans of 4, not even the massive forests like 7. Here all they had was a blazing hot sun and metal fences that burned her hands if she touched them in the summer.
It all seemed precious now.
Why had she never noticed the way the horizon shimmered from the heat? Or the way the sheep laid in patches of shade? Even the vultures off in the distance were mesmerizing now, circling and circling, black wings spread with a kind of freedom no one in District 10 ever experienced themselves. How was it all so beautiful?
"Can you please stop already?"
Caroline swallowed down the lump in her throat and took a shaky breath. She kept staring out the window. She had nothing to say to him.
"Crying doesn't exactly scream that the sponsors should give a shit about you."
Caroline closed her eyes, squeezing out hot tears, trying to tune him out. Maybe their car would crash on the way to the station. Would they postpone the Games? It would at least give her some time away from him.
"You chose this after all."
Anger flared in Caroline, turning her cheeks red. She turned to look at the boy on the other end of the leather seat.
Nico Araceli was not someone Caroline wanted to be seen near, so that fact that she was sitting within two feet of him did nothing to help calm her nerves. It was almost like some sick joke that he was the one who got reaped for the male tribute. If she wasn't in the car with him, she wouldn't have shed a single tear for the boy. But here he was.
"Exactly." Nico nodded, as if he were speaking to a toddler. "Don't cry, just like that."
Caroline finally regarded him, icily. "I know who you are."
Nico gasped, dark brown eyes widening. "You... you know who I am? No fuckin' way! It's almost like... it's almost like they announced my name on stage in front of all of Panem!"
"I mean I know who you really are," Caroline snapped, surprised at how unwavering her own voice was. She never liked confrontation but with the reaping still on her mind, her patience was worn thinner than an old saddle blanket. "You're a thief."
She knew she'd caught him off guard by the surprise that flickered across his face. But as fast as it was there it was gone. Nico was quiet and all Caroline could hear beyond the blood pounding in her ears was the crunching of the dirt road beneath the car's wheels. She'd never been in a car before, and right now certainly wasn't a good first impression.
"I did what I had to to survive," Nico finally said. "Considering you volunteered, I don't think you're familiar with the concept."
The anger roared inside Caroline, so red she couldn't even speak. She knew what it was like to have to fight to survive, to go to bed with hunger clawing at her stomach, to listen to her baby sister crying from the pain. District 10 may not have been as poor as how District 12 always looked, but it wasn't rare for someone to die of hunger or illness. It wasn't like her family could even slaughter their own chickens for themselves. The animals belonged to the Capitol.
The idea that he was trying to put himself on a similar level to her made Caroline want to scream.
"You call stealing from children doing what you have to do?" she finally said.
"It keeps me from starving, so yes," Nico quipped.
The road suddenly changed beneath them to something smooth.
Caroline glanced outside the window, watching as the barns and livestock began to change into brick buildings. Railways stretched off into the distance, long metal train cars branded with the District 10 seal sleeping on the tracks for reaping day.
Caroline felt tears well up in her eyes again, and she sniffled. They must've been close to the train now.
"Can you stop crying for five minutes?" Nico demanded, and Caroline didn't even bother to turn to him this time. "Like I said, you chose this."
But she hadn't. Not really, anyway.
She'd heard the escort call her best friend's name, but it hadn't registered at first. Because it couldn't have been her friend. How could it be? But then she'd looked over at Shelby's face drained of color. Shelby's hand had tightened for a moment around Caroline's - and then she'd let go, pushing through the crowd of fourteen-year-olds to walk to the stage.
Caroline had just stood there, numb, barely able to feel her shoes on the ground or the sun on her face.
She'd just stared up at the stage as Shelby, legs shaking, climbed the steps. Her long black hair flowed in the warm prairie wind.
"Any volunteers want to try their hand for the glory?"
No one had ever volunteered in District 10 that Caroline could remember but she heard them ask it every year. The escort didn't even get the words out this time. Shelby wasn't even on the stage before Caroline had heard the words in her head. She'd barely felt it as she put her arm in the air. It took every ounce of energy, like she was about to faint at any moment. "Me..." she whispered, not loud enough for the escort to hear, and she'd lifted her hand higher and raised her voice. "I volunteer!"
And now she was sitting in the same place that Shelby Monta was supposed to be.
She's safe, Caroline's thoughts whispered. She tried to envision Shelby at home with her family, holding her father and big sister. She's safe now.
She had to keep reminding herself of it.
The moment that Shelby's name was drawn, Caroline knew she didn't have a choice. Letting Shelby go into the arena wasn't an option. She couldn't sit there at home in 10 and watch her best friend die on television and do nothing about it. Shelby was the person she loved most, and it would've been a betrayal to let her die.
"But what about you, Caroline? You don't think I'd have gone in your place?"
Caroline squeezed her eyes shut.
After the cameras noticed her, all she could feel was a sudden rush of regret.
What have I done?
Caroline pressed her forehead to the cool glass of the window. She's safe now. She's safe.
The car rolled to a stop a minute later, and she wiped away her tears, taking a stuttering breath.
When she opened her eyes, she was met with a wall of reporters and cameras in front of the train station. They swarmed like colorful locusts. Their cameras flashed even though Caroline knew they couldn't see inside the dark windows of the black car, but they all kept craning their necks, waiting for her and Nico to get out and walk to the silver train gleaming in the station. It was the one Caroline had always seen on television, transporting the tributes to the Capitol, and taking the victors around Panem on their Victory Tour. It seemed so out of place in the wooden station.
A Peacekeeper opened the car door, letting a wave of heat charge inside.
Caroline fought the urge to shrink back and stay in the car. But they'd just drag her out, and she knew that. She slowly stepped out, looking down at the ground as the reporters surged towards her.
She turned, keeping her eyes on the pointy shoes of their escort as they were guided towards the train.
Nico's footsteps were erratic, stopping and starting randomly, and Caroline chanced a look back. Cameras flashed. Her district partner waved at the reporters, tilting his head to make his profile stand out, and then kept walking to the next cluster.
Caroline fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course.
"Let's go, lollipop!" Lucia Roma said, waving at Caroline with a yellow-gloved hand.
Having seen the recordings of the reapings before, Caroline knew the next part. She forced her legs to move, obediently stopping in the open, gaping doorway of the train. Inside it was dark like the maw of an animal, just waiting to consume them as soon as she took a step inside.
Caroline shuddered and turned to the reporters.
Nico joined her side and they stood there, letting the cameras click, pressing closer. The whole thing made Caroline's skin crawl. She resisted the urge to protectively cross her arms and stood there, letting the cameras capture every single one of her last moments in her district. Her eyes burned as one of the cameras flashed near her face.
Blinking away dazzling white spots, she peeked up at a television screen in the train station.
She almost didn't recognize the girl on it.
This girl looked like Caroline with her straight blonde hair pulled back in its ponytail. Her pale cheeks had gone scarlet with nervousness like they always did. Her eyes looked red and raw, completely giving away that she'd been crying.
But there was an expression on the girl's face that made Caroline look away. It was empty, something where the light was fading behind a person's eyes. She'd seen the same look on tributes before. Most of them didn't make it back home. Those that did, though, never lost that look, and floated around half away from everyone else.
Whatever it was, Caroline knew it wasn't a look a survivor had. It was the look of the living dead.
"Let's go!" Lucia chirped.
Caroline didn't hesitate to turn her back on the cameras and follow Lucia inside. The woman tapped a long nail on a keypad and a panel opened, revealing the inside of the train car. It wasn't dark like this antechamber, but instead was flooded with the golden light that always permeated summers in 10.
So this was what the Capitol trains looked like. Caroline's eyes widened as she stepped inside. A wave of cool air met her, raising goosebumps on her arms. A word niggled at her thoughts, something that she'd only heard of the richest people in the district having, called air conditioning. The whole interior of the train was somehow even more lavish than the rooms in the Justice Building. The long car was lined with windows hung with silky-looking curtains above plush seats. A gleaming, wooden buffet table was laden with glasses glittering in shafts of afternoon sunshine, scattering light around the car. One of the closest tables had a bowl of fresh fruit next to a tiered platter of desserts.
Caroline reached out a hand, brushing her fingers over the polished wall paneling.
Was every train car like this?
Impulsively, she glanced over at Nico.
His brown eyes flicked towards her, and for a moment Caroline knew they were sharing the same emotion: this single car alone had more money in it than most families in District 10 made their whole lifetime.
And then they were both looking away again, the moment of understanding over, back to their regularly scheduled mutual dislike. Caroline was surprised by how much she found herself not caring. Usually she felt it acutely when someone didn't care to talk to her, and as she had climbed the steps to the stage, she'd taken solace in the possibility of having a district ally who might understand her. Someone who would understand where they both came from. But instead she was stuck with him.
"Now feel free to explore!" Lucia sang. She beamed at Nico and Caroline as the doors closed on the reporters and their clicking cameras. "You each have a room to yourself with an en suite. Isn't that nice! We'll have supper in an hour so you can feel free to shower and change." She nodded. "Really. Feel free. Shower and change. There's lots of nice soap so you can find something that'll make you smell lovely."
Caroline flinched, and a burst of frustration drew the corners of her mouth down. She decided then and there that she'd sleep in her reaping clothes.
Nico shared the same irritation from his tone. "Thanks, Lucia."
The escort grinned, oblivious to - or ignoring - his sarcasm. "No worries, gumdrop. I'll go find your mentors." And then she was turning, prancing off down the car and through a sliding door leading somewhere else in the endless train.
Nico walked slowly towards the table and its display of food. Caroline watched silently as he picked up a fuzzy orange fruit with hints of pink. He tossed it up into the air, catching it with nimble fingers. "I think it's called a peach." He turned to Caroline, shrugging, as if to say well there's no else here to talk to. "Ever had one before?"
She hadn't, of course, but she didn't bother to say that. Still, Caroline found herself drawn to the table, looking down at its wooden surface so polished she could see her own shadowy reflection in it. She bit her chapped lips as her eyes drifted towards the food. She'd half-thought it was decoration at first. It was strange enough that the Capitol used fake food as ornaments, but even for them this was bizarre. Who would leave food out in a bowl on a table?
But it was real.
Caroline brushed her fingers over one of the peaches, the fuzz tickling her hand. She'd seen them on very special occasions like New Year's in some of the shops that she could never afford. Some people said they tasted like summer itself, all golden and sweet and syrupy. Her mouth watered at the thought of biting into it.
Just as she picked up a peach, the train hummed to life.
They started to move, and Caroline watched as the flat fields of District 10 began to glide by outside the windows. They were on their way now, heading to the Capitol, and by tomorrow morning they'd arrive. Her eyes stayed stuck to the vast land doused in sunlight that she'd always dreamed of escaping. Now she wanted nothing more than to stay home.
"Think they'll care if we eat before dinner?" Nico asked, turning his back on the windows.
Caroline peered at the fruit and dessert. Suddenly she didn't feel hungry at all anymore. She should probably eat, she knew that. Sometimes tributes could barely find any food in the arena and were so weak that a breeze could practically set off their cannon. But her stomach was in knots now, tightening as she watched herself leaving home, trapped inside a sparkling train.
"I don't think they care much what we do now," Caroline murmured.
The train sped up as they passed a field of cattle. The cows moved around lazily, dipping their horned heads and flicking their tails.
A horrible thought passed through Caroline's mind, so strong that she suddenly couldn't imagine eating colorful fruit and desserts. The idea of dinner seemed like too much now and she was positive that she would just be sick if she tried to eat anything.
This train wasn't one of the industrial, refrigerated ones that took butchered meat to the Capitol or transported leather to District 8. It was sleek and full of cool air and filled with fruit that Caroline had never tasted before, but all she could think was that they were just like the animals being fattened up before they were taken to be butchered.
Like cattle led to the slaughter.
She dropped the peach back in the bowl.
Royal Kariki - 16 y.o. - D9
...
- Outside District 9 -
Royal pressed a hand against the train window.
Behind it, the metal gates of District 9 slowly swung shut, closing the train off from the familiar place. Beyond the high electric fences, crows fluttered around the silver roofs of the nearest granaries. Beside it were one of the many fields with their tall golden stalks of wheat. July was the harvest month when every spare worker was out in the fields, Royal included. But he wouldn't be there this time to finish the harvest.
His head spun.
He'd already had a panic attack back in the Justice Building when they brought him in the gold-and-velvet room, before his family and friends came. He'd thought he was dying right there with his heart pounding and sweat dripping down his temples. All he could think was how darkly ironic it was going to be for the Peacekeepers to come in and see a tribute dead before they'd even gotten into the arena.
But then his family was there, and his parents were holding him like they did when he was twelve and terrified for his first reaping. His older brother had reminded Royal that he knew how to use a sickle from the fields, that he was strong. His younger sisters had just hugged him and begged him to come home.
He didn't even want to think about their faces now, not their names either. It was too much. They were back in 9. He was heading into the wilderness of Panem now.
But he couldn't shove all them out of his mind yet.
The fingers on his other hand delicately held a wildflower as green as her eyes.
"I saw it on my way here," Meadow had said as they held each other in the Justice Building and tried to hold back tears. Her head was pressed to his chest. He was brushing his fingers through her soft hair, trying to remember the feel of her arms around him, hoping he'd never forget the smell of earth and honey soap that was Meadow. She held up the flower, gingerly twirling it once. "It was on the path towards home, growing between some wheat. A token. To remember home. And me."
"I wouldn't forget you," he'd said, as easily as breathing.
Even now, if he closed his eyes, he could see her smile and the way it made her eyes crinkle at the sides. He could remember the sound of her laugh like sunshine, throwing light in his life. He could even remember the feeling of her lips against his, and how much his heart had slammed in his chest like a drum the first time they'd kissed.
"I love you. Please remember."
"I'd never forget."
Royal dropped his hand from the window as the train flew into a forest. He'd never been in a forest before, but he'd seen it outside the fences of the district. He'd never imagined it could be this light inside, full of speckles of sunlight falling on the bright green leaves. It had always seemed so dark from the wheat fields.
"Where's Alstroe- uh, I mean, where has Azzie gone off to?"
Royal took a slow breath and forced himself to turn away from the window. District 9 was gone. There was no point in looking for it anymore. He turned to face Florius Bobble, their very odd escort. The man looked like he'd frozen to death with his skin tinted light blue. His curled hair and eyebrows were both black as night in contrast. The electric-yellow suit and spiked rings he wore just added to the insanity. Did everyone in the Capitol dress like this?
"She said she wanted to wash off and change," Royal said quietly.
"Ah, no worries." Florius waved a hand. "They're already preparing supper so it'll be ready by the time she's back. Did you want to freshen up at all?" His eyes drifted to the hem of Royal's pants that rose a bit higher than they should above his socks. "We have most clothing sizes, so you can find some pants that will fit."
Royal gave him a gracious smile. "Actually, wearing pants that are too small is the style in District Nine."
"Oh!" Florius chuckled. "How... quaint!"
Forget the bizarre ways they dressed. Royal bit back a laugh despite everything. Was everyone in the Capitol this gullible?
The sliding door behind Florius opened and two familiar faces emerged.
Emmer Phox Patelana was something of a legend in District 9. Royal had grown up seeing her and hearing her name. She was the first victor for the district, back in the 23rd Hunger Games. They'd been the only district without a victor by then, and some thought the Capitol wanted a full set, so the arena that year was a wheat field ringed by lush forest. When the Gamemakers added a scythe to the Cornucopia, her victory was practically guaranteed.
Now Royal also knew her as a Capitol model. She was one of their darlings, and crowned "Most Beautiful District Face" on television for twelve years. With her big, dark eyes and smooth brown skin, she'd had her flawless image plastered everywhere. Royal's own brother had a crush on her.
The other victor was one he didn't hear from as much. The one time he'd seen her at the market she'd been hurrying along, her head down with a curtain of long brown hair to hide her face. When someone called out "look, it's Amaranth Laurel!" her face had gone more pale than usual and she'd walked faster.
Even now, she half hid herself behind Emmer Phox like a shadow.
"You must be Mr. Kariki," Emmer Phox said, walking past Florius to stand in front of Royal. She seemed taller and more glamorous to him in person than she had sitting on the stage when his name was called. "I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I'm Emmer Phox, and this is Amaranth. We'll be your mentors."
"Both of you?" Royal said, eyebrows knitting.
Amaranth bit her lip and peeked up at Emmer Phox.
"Well, Amaranth primarily. But we'll be working together to help you both in the preliminary events. You can choose whether to be trained separately later," Emmer Phox explained. She glanced around the train car. "Where is Miss Kane?"
"Azzie's getting changed," Royal said. He glanced at Amaranth.
The woman looked at the ground nervously.
Royal felt his stomach sinking. He'd heard some rumors before that Amaranth wasn't exactly... mentally stable. But then again, not many of the victors seemed to be, Emmer Phox aside. Amaranth had won the 31st Hunger Games when Royal was only five years old, but he'd seen clips. He never cared to watch the Games all the way through on those replays. Now he almost wished he'd watched Amaranth's to see how she'd won. All he could remember now was how the arena had been a dry thorn forest, and that she'd almost gotten hit with an arrow at a feast.
It was hard to imagine that the terrified woman in front of him had won the Hunger Games.
And now she was his mentor. The one who couldn't even speak a word to him. How was she supposed to give him advice? How was she supposed to keep him alive? Suddenly, Royal was jealous of Azzie having Emmer Phox as a mentor.
But he shoved the thoughts aside and gave Amaranth a kind smile. "It's nice to meet you."
Something he hoped was a smile made Amaranth's lips twitch.
Footsteps sounded and then Azzie appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she glanced between Royal and the two victors in front of him. She pulled her still-damp brown hair over one shoulder, combing through it self-consciously. "Sorry I'm late. I was just..." She cleared her throat and motioned to the silky blue top and black leggings she wore now instead of her reaping clothes. "I wanted to try on some of the clothing from the bedroom."
"No worries at all," Emmer Phox said with a nod. "We were just meeting one another. Are you and Mr. Kariki already familiar?"
Royal looked over at Azzie. "We're in the same year at school."
He'd be lying if he said he knew what to make of her. He had his own social circle and she had hers. Most of what he knew about her was from the time Meadow had a group project on wheat germination with her. Meadow had ended up doing most of the research because Azzie struggled with the science part, but was brilliant when she did the write-up.
"She's really energetic," Meadow had said as she and Royal walked home from class, fingers entwined. "But there's something about her I can't quite figure out."
When he peered up, Royal just managed to catch a pointed look Emmer Phox tossed Amaranth.
"We'll go check on dinner. Feel free to settle in during the meantime," Emmer Phox said. She smiled politely at the two kids. When she turned and walked through one of the sliding doors. Amaranth followed quickly as if she was nervous to be left alone with them.
Florius glanced between Royal and Azzie if he was just as uncomfortable as Amaranth. "Well... were the rooms to your liking, Alstro- uh, Azzie?"
Azzie smiled sweetly. "Yes, thank you."
"Marvelous," Florius mumbled, twining his fingers together. A beat of silence passed and Florius squirmed. "Azzie. Such a unique name. A lovely one, though! Of course." He blinked over at Royal. "And yours is so regal, is it a family name?"
"It's a strain of grain back in Nine," Royal explained with a half-smile. "Capitol Royal. There's Capitol Prize, Capitol Silver, Capitol Crown... Goes on for a bit."
Florius nodded as if the answer was completely expected and completely disappointing. "I'll go... I'll go help them in the dining car." And then he retreated through the door without another word.
Royal rocked back on his toes as the door clicked shut, leaving him and Azzie in relative silence. "These trains are so quiet," he said, instantly regretting it. These trains are so quiet? That's the best ice-breaker he could think of?
Thankfully, Azzie smiled. "Pretty fancy, huh?"
"Definitely," Royal murmured. A very pretty cage.
They fell quiet again.
Royal nervously twirled the flower in his hand.
Azzie's eyes lit up. "Goldenrod. It's one of my favorites."
Royal opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about, but then he looked down at the flower in his hand. The petals were already wilting. He'd need to find some paper soon to press it. That's what Meadow always did.
"I didn't know you had it on stage," Azzie said matter-of-factly. Her tone surprised him. They could've been talking about the weather instead of sitting on a train headed for the Capitol.
"My girlfriend brought it," Royal said softly. He cleared his throat. "A token."
Azzie nodded slowly, sighing. "Ah. Yeah, sorry about that. I should've guessed."
Royal shook his head, as if he could shake the sound of Meadow's laugh away. "Don't worry about it. Did you... uh, did you bring a token?"
"It's from my cousin," Azzie said, her expression even. She reached into a pocket on her leggings and pulled out a fluttering, long scrap of pale blue fabric. "One of her hairbands." She took a deep breath and gave Royal a wry smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "We had some shit odds, huh?"
"They weren't exactly in our favor," he agreed quietly. Just this morning he'd woken up with dread in his stomach, thinking about his sisters and Meadow. His brother was finally nineteen and out of the reaping, but Royal still had friends to worry about. The day always left him nervous and unable to eat. The only solace was when he was home at night again, gathered in their family room on the old worn rug, safe.
He glanced at his classmate as she tucked the fabric back into her pocket. It's better that she got picked than Meadow.
Royal grimaced in guilt.
Azzie looked over at him and her smile lit up her face. "On the bright side, they have some damn nice clothes." She waved a hand at the sparkling crystal chandelier above them and the glass decanters on the buffet counter filled with an assortment of rainbow-colored drinks. "I can't believe this shit is normal in the Capitol."
"Seems like a beautiful waste," Royal muttered darkly.
"People starve back in Nine and they live in the lap of luxury here," Azzie agreed. She nodded at the door behind her. "Think our mentors really had to catch up on dinner?"
Royal scoffed. "Not for a second. They probably just wanted to go talk about us." He paused, considering Amaranth's refusal to speak. He could only hope she'd try to say something at dinner. "Had you met either of them before?"
Azzie shook her head. She plopped down in one of the chairs, testing out its cushion, seemingly unconcerned. "Not really. I mean, I've gone up to the Victor's Village to poke around. The houses there are fucking massive. But, yeah, no, not aside from the reapings each year. Just seen Emmer Phox on television really." She looked up at Royal and grinned. "Who knows? Maybe you'll be our first male victor."
Royal raised an eyebrow. Why would she say that? Was it some way of psyching him out before they even reached the Capitol? Two could play at that game. He smirked and leaned against the wall of the train, letting the humming of the engine thrum through him. "Yeah, I'm planning on camouflaging myself as a stalk of wheat and just letting the rest of you hack it out."
Azzie shook out some of her damp hair, giving it a tousled look Royal could tell she'd practiced before. "You're pretty funny, Kariki." She picked at piece of fuzz on the velvet chair and then turned to Royal, genuine sympathy in her eyes. "I know your girlfriend. She's really nice."
Just like that, Royal felt himself shrinking back to the same shy demeanor that came over him on stage.
"I love you. Please remember."
Royal swallowed hard. "She's the best." He searched for something - anything - to change the topic. "I'm guessing your cousin went to see you at the Justice Building? Ellie? One of my sisters is in her class."
"Yeah, she did," Azzie said. She brushed a hand over the pocket with the fabric hairband. "Her and my aunt visited, and the Peacekeepers gave us some extra time. What about you?"
"My family, yeah. Lots of friends came, so I don't think the Peacekeepers were happy with that."
Azzie nodded quickly. "Oh, right. Lots of my friends came too." She bit her lip, looking out the window. Without warning, she leapt to her feet with an "oh!" and hurried over the glittering decanters. She pulled some of the glass stoppers out before Royal could ask what she was doing, clinking the glass and grabbing one with a clear liquid. She sniffed it and nodded. "Not vodka. Good." In one movement, she flipped over a small glass cup and poured the water into it. She took a bouncing step towards Royal, holding up the glass with a smile. "Here. The flower needs something to drink."
Royal watched his own blue eyes reflecting in the glass. He peered over it at Azzie.
She nodded. "For Meadow."
Without a word, Royal gently took the glass and set the goldenrod blossom into the water.
"Thank you," he said, when he looked back at his district partner.
It almost felt like a truce.
Raven Night - 18 y.o. - D12
...
- Somewhere in Panem -
Raven felt the evening sun warming her arms.
Where were they right now? Maybe near the middle of Panem? She at least knew that every single moment was taking her further away from District 12 than she had ever been in her life. With every moment the sleek train's wheels turned, she was taken a world away from Luna and Damien. Well, a world away that was exactly 200 miles per hour, as their escort had informed them.
Across the table, Darien Dragomir used his teeth to tear off a hunk of golden bread glistening with butter, chewing it with relish. He lifted up the loaf, peering at it curiously.
"We typically use cutlery," Octavian said tentatively, giving Darien a nervous, pointed look.
Raven glanced back at Darien as his face flushed in embarrassment. This was probably the first time he'd ever had bread like that, not that the Capitol crew would know it. She knew Darien from class, though they weren't particularly close aside from a few comments here and there about notes or this-and-that teacher. He seemed as shy as she was. At least Raven had her sister to talk with in school. Even when Darien sat at lunch with a crowd of other Seam kids, he never really spoke to them.
"Back when I was a little girl, we never really cared about that," Raven's grandmother had said one day, back when she was alive, as a troupe of gray-eyed teenagers dashed by her house in the merchant quarter. "There wasn't a Seam. There wasn't a merchant place. We all just... lived."
Things were different now, Raven supposed. But the Capitol never seemed to change.
"I didn't know," Darien said, so softly it was nearly a whisper.
Without a word, Raven leaned over her empty plate and grabbed one of the loaves - this one decorated with an array of fragrant seeds - and made a show of ripping off a piece with her hands. She flashed Darien a smile, the first one she'd had since the reaping.
He blinked in surprise and then stared down at his own heaping plate.
"Well," Agrippina sighed. She swirled a finger around the rim of a glass she hadn't taken a sip from yet. "The reapings recap will be on in... what is it now? Should be about five o'clock by Eastern Panem Time."
What would her family be doing right now on a normal day? On any day other than this one? Raven could already imagine her sister in the small administrative building near the mines, glancing at the clock for her breaktime. Her brother would be busy at the butcher shop as they sold meat for dinner. And Raven would be walking home, watching the sun high up in the summer sky, carrying whatever money she'd gotten from her trade. Of course, that was a good day, not a reaping day. Certainly not today.
Today her siblings would probably be at home, holding one another.
She swallowed down the lump forming in her throat and set the bread down on her plate.
Agrippina folded her hands - stenciled with silver flowers - on the table. "So, is there anything you both would like to discuss? I'm opening up the discussion now. Julius, Octavian, and I are here for you both."
Raven sat quietly, glancing over at Darien. His gaze met hers knowingly.
District 12 was at the unique disadvantage among the other districts of having no mentors. All the other districts had at least two by now, but District 12 still had none. Or, well, they had one victor. Raven only knew her name and the year she had won. Lucy Gray Baird, victor of the 10th Hunger Games, had become something of a mystery for District 12. She'd apparently gone missing the winter after she'd won.
But there were rumors that still persisted decades later.
Maybe, some said, she tried to escape 12, but was attacked by a wild animal. Others said she was squirreled out by the remnants of a rebel faction, and never came back. Raven's mother, though? She thought it had been the mayor who had killed the victor himself.
"Of course the one girl from here who won had to go and get herself eaten by some bear in the woods," Raven's brother had griped one year as they left the reaping, safe for one more year. "No wonder our kids don't stand a chance. They don't have anyone from home to mentor them."
A shiver dropped down Raven's spine. No wonder our kids don't stand a chance.
"So... so you both will get us sponsors?" Darien asked quietly, glancing between the three colorfully-dressed adults at the table.
Agrippina nodded. "As I mentioned, I will act as the key facilitator of your mentoring. I will be here to provide you both with practical advice on survival, background on other districts, and oversee any alliance negotiations. I will be the one to conduct any discourse with prospective sponsors which will be done for each of you on an individual basis."
"As her assistant, I will be the one to track the records and keep an update on current polling," Octavius squeaked.
Raven squinted, trying to understand the words. Some of them sounded so muddled with Agrippina's heavy Capitol accent. They all spoke so formally and stiff, like something from an old book.
Julius sat up straighter, tilting his head so that a blue curl fell on his forehead. "And as your escort, it is my responsibility to direct us on a punctual schedule, among a dozen other things. I'll be helping you with any Capitol customs and tutoring you both on etiquette before your interviews."
"Instead of having two mentors," Agrippina said, spreading her hands, "you'll have three, who know the Capitol better than anyone."
But the victors know the Games. Raven bit her tongue.
Darien was quiet, glancing over at his plate and picking at the food.
"Why don't you both tell us about yourselves?" Julius piped up with an encouraging look.
Raven sunk down in her chair the slightest bit. She hated that moment in school when teachers would look across the classroom like a hawk, trying to find some poor kid to call on. She always avoided eye contact in moments like that. It just reminded her of times when someone stared into the eyes of a stray animal and they took it as a challenge.
"Raven?"
Shoot. She peeked up, wishing her black hair was down like usual instead of in a braid. "Um... just anything about yourself?"
Four pairs of eyes stared back, making the back of her neck burn.
Julius bobbed his head and his curls bounced in tandem. "Anything. Are you close with your parents?"
"They're dead," she blurted.
Now it was Julius' turn to look embarrassed.
"What about siblings?" Agrippina asked smoothly. She brushed a lock of dark hair over her shoulder. "You were with a girl in the crowd."
Raven's heart tightened at the mention of Luna. "She's... she's my twin. She's my best friend... and she works as a record keeper at the mines. My brother is four years older than us. He's taken care of us since our parents passed away. He's an apprentice at one of the butcher shops."
Agrippina nodded, not smiling, but there wasn't a touch of cold in her eyes. "That's a good start." She turned to Darien. "What about you?"
"Uh... my parents are dead too," Darien said.
Raven ignored Octavian as he muttered something to himself that sounded suspiciously like "wanting a drink."
"Any siblings?"
"A brother." For the first time, a smiled flickered across Darien's lips. "His name is Drew. He's sixteen, and - and a lot better at school than I am... I always tell him that he should become a teacher, not work in the mines like I do. Or - like I did." His face clouded.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the table, aside from the hum of the train. Octavian looked like he might implode.
Julius finally cleared his throat. "Why don't you both go get settled in your quarters? We'll collect you for supper after that, but enjoy all the amenities until then. Come along, I'll show you."
Raven knew his offer was more of a demand, but she didn't mind the idea of being alone for a while. The only time she'd been alone today so far was a few minutes waiting inside the Justice Building for her family to say their goodbyes. Luna had been sobbing and Raven had held her, not caring about the tearstains on her satin sleeves.
"You're going to come home, Vee," Damien had said, pulling her into a fierce hug. Her brother was always so warm and smelled like the smoke from fireplaces at the butcher shops. Every day, Raven knew if he had come home by the smell of the smoke. He'd washed it all off for the reaping, but just for a moment she thought she could smell home again.
The train just smelled like too much perfume.
Julius led her and Darien to rooms right next to each other. Darien went into the first, giving Raven a small, shy look. Julius dropped her off at the next one before pausing in the doorway. "Feel free to take a nap or whatever you need," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. And then he left her alone, wrapped in the company of nothing but the quiet of a room that wasn't really hers.
Raven shivered despite the temperate air maintained in the train. How many other tributes had slept in this room and never come home?
With a shudder she rushed into the smaller connected room. The dressing room was filled with racks of a mass of clothing and drawers stuffed with an array of leggings, tops, and pants. Raven's eyes widened as she pinched a tunic between her fingers. The soft fabric slipped over her skin like the richest fleece. It almost felt too good to be true that she could do anything with the room - wear anything she wanted.
But it all would be coming to an end in a week when she was thrown into the arena.
Shaking the thoughts away, Raven hurried into the next room. Just like the rest of her quarters, the bathroom was exceptional with a glass shower, sleek tiles, and fluffy towels. When she turned, she jumped so hard she slammed her elbow into the wall.
Her own reflection stared back.
Raven bit her lip, ignoring her smarting arm. The girl in her mirror looked exactly like her but was unrecognizable from the version of herself this morning. Was it only a few hours ago she had stood in front of the mirror at home, braiding her hair? It felt like a lifetime ago already. Now she stared at her reflection, skin sallow, and eyes tired.
I've always thought you were the prettiest of us two, Vee.
We're twins, Luna. We look exactly alike.
I don't know. I think you have Mom's eyes. Something about them. I see her when I look at you sometimes.
A sob threatened to rise up in Raven's throat.
She hadn't cried at all since her name was called. It hadn't exactly felt real, even when she stood on the stage underneath the midday sun, looking out at her district and wondering if she'd ever see it again. Maybe it was all just a nightmare and she'd wake up in her bedroom to find Luna getting up for work at the mines.
"This is real," Raven whispered to herself, watching her reflection speak the same words.
She swallowed hard, shoving the tears down, and peeled off the dress she'd worn to the reapings for years. The beautiful satin drifted to the plush bathmat and crumpled into a delicate pile. In her reflection, the moon-shaped locket she'd hidden beneath her dress glimmered under the bright lights.
Take this, Raven. I want you to wear it in the arena. As a reminder of us.
Luna, what if I-
You are going to live. You are going to bring me my locket back. You have to.
Raven touched a hand to her locket. Whatever her siblings were feeling right now, they had each other. They were home and that's what mattered. Right now she had to keep herself sane enough so that next time they saw her on television, they would see her strong.
She turned on the shower and stepped into the water, warm like rain, washing off the nightmares of the day.
Next chapter up tonight like I said!
I'm hoping I can keep myself on a good schedule like this. :) I'm happy that we have now officially met half of our characters. One tribute from every district has been introduced so now we'll meet the other half over the next few chapters. We have some interesting introductions to do and I am thrilled about that!
Please leave a review (I would love to hear what you thought of this one.)
Question 1.) Who was your favorite POV from this chapter and why?
See you soon for our next train chapter!
~ Meghan