Not This Time (Hunger Games)

Chapter 4~ Carmen

 

  As I arrive at the Hope Building, I see Don being dragged into another room. When I arrive at my room, I can still hear Don’s screams. “NO! Stop! There must be a mistake! I can’t be in the Hunger Games! I haven’t trained!” I hear the sound of skin- meeting- skin as the Peace Keeper slaps him. “Cheer up, kid” he says. “It’ll all be over soon… Unless you stick to that Carmen kid. But she probably wouldn’t hesitate to kill you either, so I guess you’re out of luck.” I hear a short muffled laugh as Don tries to keep the Peace Keeper happy so he won’t slap him again. I smile.

  That worm is finally getting what he deserves. I don’t try to say it but it just comes out. “Karmaaa” I laugh. Wait… that was the first time in months where I had said something that made me laugh. As you can imagine, I’m not a very humorous person, so that I had actually said something funny was shocking. “I’m proud of you, Carmen. You finally said something funny.” I turn around quickly and blush. Noah had heard everything I had said. “I… I didn’t hear you come in” I say. I was getting redder by the minute. “I better make this quick” he says. “Your siblings are waiting just outside.”

“My siblings? All of them?”

 “Well, yeah.”

 “Even Opal and Raymond!?”

 “Yes.” 

  The peace keeper enters. “Times up” he says.

“Already? Noah, how long were you standing there?” “Wait.” Noah says, avoiding the question. “Can we just have one more minute?”

 “Uh…No”                                                                                         

“Please!” Noah yells while the Peace Keeper drags him out of the room.

“Carmen, I LOVE YOU!” I sit there, mouth open, frozen in shock. Noah breaks free of the Peace Keepers grasp and hugs me. Opal opens the door. “What was tha- umm” Noah pushes me away from him and straightens his shirt. I turn as red as a beet. Noah calmly gets up, slams the door in Opals face, and kisses me lightly on the cheek, then slips an object in my hand. Opal opens the door and Noah walks out.

   “You better watch your back squirt,” she yells to him.

“If you break my nose, it won’t be the only thing broken!” As she turns to me, I snap back to reality and close my hand. I stand up and we are eye-to-eye. I chose this moment to speak.

“You know what, Opal?”

 “What, Carmen?”

 “You are terrible at making come-backs.”

 “Oh yeah?”

 “Yeah.”

 “Well you…. You, umm…”

“SEE!”

“You shut your mouth, Carmen. You’re just like dad.”

“OPAL! DON’T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN OR I’LL FEED YOU TO THE TRACKER-JACKERS!”

 “Times up, missy” the Peace Keeper says.

“Fine. Oh, and Carmen, good luck. You’ll need it.” She storms out and slams the door. I take this tiny little second to peek at what Noah slipped into my hand. A necklace made out of shells. My district token, I decided.

  Raymond and my siblings ran in crying (well, Elise and Joel anyway). “Carmen!” Elise cried. “Do you have to go in the Hunger Games?”