Harsh Memories

Chapter 4- The Capitol

I walked nervously, the peacekeepers at my side. I try to put on a brave face to cover up my fear but that is harder than it sounds. There are cameras surrounding me, trying to catch a glimpse of fear on my face, but I don't let that happen.

I step onto the train that I will travel to the Capitol in. Inside there are beautiful luxurious carpets filled with expensive leather couches and plates filled with food on the mahogany table. Colin steps next to me. "This is like Amy's house," he whispers to me. I nod without looking at him. This is like Amy's house. "This is where you're going to travel in to the Capitol, isn't it beautiful?" She says cheerfully. I smile at her. "It certainly is," I say.

I get into my bedroom and jump onto the very soft neatly made bed. I look at myself in the mirror. I look better than I have ever before. I open one of the drawers to find it filled with all sorts of hair brushes and ties, in all different colours. I pick up a small black comb, the closest to the one I have at home, and brush my loose blonde hair quietly. I grab a brown hair tie and tie my hair up in a tight ponytail at the top of my head.

The door opens and Colin steps inside. "What do you want," I say hardly, brushing my hands through my hair. "I want to talk," Colin sits beside me. I look alway from him, I will never forgive him. "Lia, I know you are angry at me because I volunteered, but do you really want Stanly to go to the Hunger Games? I know you would have done the same thing, no matter if I was a tribute," he says. He nervously fiddles with his shirt and I look up at him straight in the eye and open my mouth to start an argument but then I realise he's right. I look back down. "I guess you're right but, at the end of the day our parents will only have one sibling, at least one of us will die," I say sadly. Colin sighs. "I know,"

The rest of the trip was very quiet. The only person that was talking was Flora, who was babbling about how amazing the Capitol is and how much I will love it. I would occasionally smile and nod at her, but mostly I wasn't listening at all. "Here it is!" I hear Flora exclaim over my thoughts. I snap out of my faze and look out of the window. Sure enough there is the Capitol filled with tall grey buildings and crowds and crowds of brightly coloured people. They are all smiling and chatting about the tributes. One lady with bright blue hair and a short lilac dress looks straight at me and smiles. I make the slightest smile back.

The building I'm going to stay in is giant. It is even better then the train. I can't believe there is such thing as that much luxury. I sit in my room and look at all the clothes that fill the giant closet. There are all the different colours of the rainbow sorted neatly into piles and hanging from the coat hangers. I pick up a grey knitted sweater, made out of the softest wool I have touched. I put it on over my body and find that it perfectly matches my black jeans. I lay down on the soft bed in a fetus position and drift off into a deep sleep.

I wake up to find that I am really cold and haven't eaten. I creep out of my room and down the stairs to the kitchen to see an avox cleaning the floor. "Can I, um, eat something?" I ask shyly. He nods and I grab a muffin off the table. I bite into it and lean against the table. "You know I am not like most of the District One tributes, I don't want to win," I say all of a sudden. He looks at me, with a surprised expression on his face. "But I don't know wether I have to act like I do," I say. The avox shakes his head as if to say, you don't. "Thanks," I say and make my way back to my room.