Brooke Langston, a determined and resourceful young woman, volunteers as tribute to spare a sickly little girl who holds a special place in her heart. Little does she anticipate that her closest friend, Ray Adhira, would also be chosen, forcing them...
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Brooke had never been on a train before. Trains ran throughout Panem as their main mode of transport, however, only Capitol officials or folks traveling for official duties were permitted to use them. Travel between the Districts was forbidden for regular people. In regards to District Four, victors, Peacekeepers, and people delivering their main production source, fish, typically used them.
The idea of a train both intrigued and frightened Brooke. She knew that the speeds they traveled at were phenomenal, but as a girl with a big imagination, her brain got ahead of her as she pictured horrendous train crashes.
Maybe if she died on the way to the Capitol, it would be a better fate than the one she was currently walking into.
Ray and her were led out of their rooms at the same time, Brooke met eyes with him across the hallway before Peacekeepers marched them in a line towards a door that led to the back of the Justice Building.
Brooke had never seen this door before, and was surprised that there was another exit in the concrete building.
Ray's eyes were slightly red, but the tears that would have filled them earlier were gone and Brooke knew, like her, that he had looked himself in the face in the shiny surface of the clock back at the room and vowed not to shed another tear until they were alone together.
Brooke was lucky that she wasn't an ugly crier.
The car ride to the train station was silent, it was only the fourth time Brooke had been in a car.
Two times to drive to the south of District Four in regards to their stocks at the grocery store, and once in the Mayor's car with her sister.
Brooke wondered if she would ever step foot into her store again and if she would ever hand some coins back to the old man who only ever gave her bills too big for what he was buying.
Ray and her didn't talk as they rode in the back of the car. She wanted to reach over and grab his hand, but a Peacekeeper sat in between them to make sure they didn't strangle each other to death. Well, that would have been if Ray had been a stranger, but with another pain of horror, Brooke realized she would be fighting to the death in the same arena both she and her best friend would be trapped in.
The station was packed when they arrived, hundreds of reporters with silver lenses flashing, a giant screen was set up behind them all, its footage filming live as the black car pulled in.
Brooke was okay with crowds, she could handle the stress, but with one glance at Ray who was staring out the window, she saw him swallow at the mass of people.
When they stepped out of the car, the already lit day was filled with flashes of brilliant light like some freak lightning storm. The cameras clicked consecutively, creating an orchestra of paparazzi.
Brooke stepped away from the annoying Peacekeeper acting as her shadow and joined Ray who was frozen in front of the parted pathway leading to the silver caterpillar of a train.
