--» 𝔡𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 «--

Chapter Twenty Two

I sit on the bed for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts, but there are only so many blanks I can fill within my newfound information. I decide that this is enough thinking for the day and head to the dining room, my feet stopping once I've reached the balcony just outside of the dining room. Cinna and Portia walk over to join me, giving me a warm smile, and I don't mind their company one bit. They're different than everyone in the Capitol. Funny. Caring. And almost look normal. Well, at least Cinna does.

The cool night air sweeps past my face in a gust of wind, whipping my messy hair with it, blowing it off my damp forehead. I don't think I've ever smelled air this clean. In 12, just about all you can smell is animal manure, no matter what part of the District you live in. This is the calmest I've felt since we arrived at the Capitol, and the quietest as well. 

I hear faint footsteps from behind me, and I can tell it's Katniss because she's the only one with silent footsteps, which she must've improved while hunting. She enters the dining room, and Effie calls Cinna, Portia, and me to eat. Katniss is fresh out of the shower, her clean, glossy hair laying over her shoulders. She starts to walk over to meet me at the balcony, probably to ask why I look like a wreck, but something in her changes because she walks to the table and sits quietly in a chair. I walk over and sit beside her, not saying a word as I take in the mouthwatering smells coming from the food, lining the tablecloth on delicate dishware.

A young man, who is seemingly silent, passes out glasses of wine. He stops at me, holding the tray out without saying a word, but I politely deny it. He walks away. Why was he so quiet? I think to myself as I'm eating, playing different situations in my head that would answer this question, none coming.

A silent red-haired girl walks over to the table and pulls a lid off of a cake, which has been embellished so well I envy it myself. Almost immediately after the cover is removed, the cake lights on fire, resembling our parade outfits. I fling back, doing my best to avoid the blue and orange flames that lick the sides of the cake, especially since these flames are real. They flicker for a moment longer, then sizzle in defeat as they disappear.