Defenders of Panem (Being Rewritten)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Meg's POV

I'm sitting by the window, still in my red dress, watching the world zoom by. The train is smooth even with it's high speeds. My district partner sits beside me, staring straight ahead. His breathing is the only sound he makes, which is fine with me. I don't want to make friends with someone I might have to kill.

We were instructed by our Capitol escort to remain here until we meet our assigned mentor, Antony Flick. I hear the door open behind me, bringing in the bitter smell of alcohol with him. I nearly gag at the smell, but it also makes me pause. I know that grotesque smell. Only one person in this world can smell this bad. Haymitch. My eyes follow his disheveled form from over my shoulder until he takes a seat in front of us. It's definitely him. His blond hair is now dark, blue eyes now brown. His clothes are in disarray and has a glass of an amber liquid that I assume is some sort of liquor.

"I'm your mentor, Antony Flick. I'm here to help you not die while you're all alone in the arena. Hopefully."

"And what advice would you give to help us?" I ask, trying to hide my smirk.

"Stay alive." Haymitch chuckles. I enjoy the feeling of familiarity that washes over me as he says this. He always says this.

"Haven't heard that one before." He shoots me a wink, though behind his eyes I can see something deeper, a pain or perhaps despair. "When do we start?"

"When we get to the Capitol, and after opening ceremonies. We'll start then." He says finishing off his glass and stands...err... sways. He rights himself, and starts back towards the bar-car, thankfully taking the smell of stale alcohol with him. My district partner only grunts before leaving me alone with the window and the ever-passing world.

I get lost in my thoughts, unable to focus on what is outside the window. My mind drifts to Collin. I wonder how he'll take the news of me being in the games, especially since he kissed me yesterday. My thoughts shift then to my team. Did anyone go to 13 for the meeting, or did they skip like the last two years? I also wonder how Command got Haymitch here. Most mentors for the games are Capitol chosen, and are different every year. They're supposed to continue supplying to all the districts until there is at least one victor per district. But, how did they know? Did they suspect something?

Della eventually fetches me for dinner, breaking me of my thoughts. Blinking, I see the sky has changed colors, signaling evening has fallen. I get up, breaking through the stiffness from sitting for so long. I follow Della to the dinner car, and am in awe at the amount of food.

I take a seat in my chair, looking up at the crystal chandelier above us. My district partner and Haymitch are already seated, so nothing stops us from loading our plates. Anything and everything I could ask for sits at my fingertips. Assortments of meats, seafood, pasta, vegetables, and potatoes are scattered around the table. I can hardly decide where to begin, but I believe it smart to start small, with the mashed potatoes. They're so light and fluffy that I almost moan at its buttery taste. The rest of the food is just as decadent and tasteful as the potatoes. Then, the dessert arrives. I'm already stuffed, but one look at the chocolate covered strawberries atop a multi-tiered cake, I was done for. Rich flavors contrasted well against the tartness of the strawberries, and once I put my fork down I felt completely engorged. As much as I hate the Capitol, I can't help but love the food.

After dinner, we retire to the screening room to watch the recaps of the other district's reapings. I take a seat on the couch next to Haymitch as he continues to nurse a glass of an amber liquor. The anthem plays, and a brief introduction is done before the coverage begins. Starting with District One. They have two strong looking tributes, but the girl catches my attention with her black hair and sharp eyes.

District Two's girl is a thin and weak appearing with her shoulders drooped and head down. The boy tribute, I about cry out. Collin takes his spot on the stage, a hard look on his face. He looks confident and maybe even a bit angry to be up there, not that I blame him. District Three has a small and young girl, 13 at the most with auburn hair. Karter is their boy tribute, and I see the tears forming in his eyes. District Four's girl makes me get up and leave the room. It's Jem. The surrogate sister of my team. I worry about her the most out of the group in the games. She's the smallest in the team, not to mention the youngest. Karter, even without skills with a physical weapon, has his brain which can be just as deadly.

When I make it back to the viewing room, the recap is to District Six. Chrystal Cleer. I can't even say I'm surprised. Not with the remainder of my team being reaped. I can see Haymitch watching me out of the corner of his eye. I shake my head, this is ridiculous. Now I see why Haymitch was sent here. Someone had a feeling something was going to happen today and had him at the ready. I wonder what happened to the original mentor, and if Antony was their name or if Beetee changed the database altogether. I don't pay attention to the remainder of the districts, the only one left of importance is District 11, which is mine. Finally, the anthem rings out one last time and the screen goes dark.

I quickly vacate the viewing room, and down to my bedroom to change out of my reaping dress. I chose a pair of black leggings and a navy shirt from my drawers before climbing into bed. I lay on my back, not being able to fall asleep. My whole team was chosen today. My whole team is going into the Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in our favor.