Garden of Eden

Chapter 16

There is a cabin in the woods. There is a cabin in the arena. I try to wrap my head around the thought even as I observe the place.

The cabin is made of large logs, with a big window displayed in the front. The roof is compiled of old shingles. There is an eighty-two cm width of clear land around the perimeter of the cabin. It appears abandoned and unused for months.

"Let's take a look inside," I suggest.

"Sure," Haymitch replies, pulling out his knife. "But I'm going in first."

Unsheathing my own knife, I follow as Haymitch walks to the door. Quietly, he turns the handle and pushes the door in. The whole time his other hand grips onto the knife, raised up and ready to use anytime.

The cabin is pitch black and smells of stale air. Not a single sound comes from inside. Cautiously, Haymitch finds the light switch and flicks it on. It is completely empty, and so we step inside.

We stand in the single-most biggest room the cabin has. To one corner is a kitchen cabinet, with two others on either sides of it. Another corner is taken up by a small kitchen table and two chairs. The other corner is occupied by a bed. And a brick fireplace sits in the forth corner. The wooden floor creaks, and looks old, but is otherwise in good condition. The wallpaper is fading, frayed, and ripped in several places, but is also otherwise okay too.

In fact, considering how the outside looks, I expected the interior to be on the dilapidated side. But it all looks rather nice. All things considered.

It doesn't look much different to an average Seam house, I realise.

I go to the kitchen sink, which has a big window placed over it. After turning the tap, I discover that it produces running water.

"Look, Haymitch," I call his attention, "water. But I wonder if it's safe to drink."

"If you use that kettle to boil," Haymitch points out, "it should be fine. Most poisons in the arena act just like bacteria and can therefore be neutralised when heated at a high temperature."

"How do you know that?" I asked, amazed.

"I had a theory by the second day. After boiling some water I got from a pond, I tested it. And as it turns out, my theory was correct." He doesn't elaborate any more.

"Oh. Okay then." Finding the kettle, I fill it up and leave it to boil. Fortunately, the stove is in working condition.

I notice then a small archway in the wall between the kitchen table and the bed. Entering through the archway, I discover that it leads to a bathroom.

"There's a bathroom in here!" I exclaim.

Haymitch leans against the archway, pocking his head in to have a look himself.

It's not very big. Just spacious enough to accommodate a small sink, toilet, and shower. The floor is tiled and the wall matches that of the wall in the main cabin. A small window is placed right above the toilet.

I stare longingly at the shower.

Even in merchant houses, showers are nonexistent. The closest thing we have is a wooden bathtub, where you need to draw water from a well. It's only since I've been to the Capitol that I recognise and know how to use a shower.

"Use it," Haymitch says, nodding towards the object of my attention.

"It might not be safe," I reply weakly, the desire to feel clean almost overriding my usual caution.

"It'll be fine. The water in this cabin may well be safe. Besides, any poisons in the arena are only effective when ingested directly into the intestines or bloodstream."