Out in the Battlefield

Happiness in Elegance and Beauty

"We're here," Acestes Tullus announced.

The two of us were too busy gazing at the wondrous buildings of the Capitol that we don't even notice that the train was slowing down and preparing to come to a stop.

So we really are here.

At first, I didn't know what to do when the three of them suddenly headed to the exit. Should I follow? If I follow, I know that there's no escape from what's about to happen. Everything that's about to happen. But I guess that everything would actually happen, even right from the start. Right from when I volunteered.

"You coming?" Webster asked, stopping abruptly and looking back at me.

I stared blankly at him. I didn't know what I should answer. I was hesitant, and I knew that I hoped for him to go away. But he didn't. He was just standing there, returning my blank stare.

I guess it went on long enough for Johanna to peek her head inside the room and look impatiently at us.

"Are you two gonna come out? The train has stopped, and I have no idea when you're gonna end your staring game," she rudely said with an irritated sigh.

Then we both stared blankly at her. It was actually funny, but I have long resisted my urge to laugh. I know, it's a lame thing to laugh at, but who cares?

She rolled her eyes and laughed sarcastically. "You could use that in the arena. Maybe when one of the other tributes shows up in front of you with a deadly weapon and all you'd do is stare at them like that," she said, pointing at our faces.

"You're coming outside." She took long strides towards us, grabbed our wrists, and yanked us outside the door and towards the exit, where Acestes Tullus was patiently waiting for us.

Acestes Tullus looked at us wearily once we caught his attention. Well, I guess he's not yet used to Johanna's behavior.

"Come on," Acestes Tullus softly said with a sigh once the three of us caught his attention. Well, I guess he's still not used to Johanna's behavior.

We did as Acestes Tullus instructed; our positions when we come out, what we should do outside, what we should say in case someone asks us something, and more things that I couldn't remember. I just went with the flow. He would guide us every now and then, but he made sure that the things we said looked like it actually came from us.

I had a hard time putting up a brave front when I was shaking in fear on the inside.

To think, we were just a few days away before the actual Hunger Games.

"There will be lots of people watching. One wrong move and a cannon sounds. It's either the enemy, or you. So straighten up," I heard Johanna say to Webster a few hours ago when I think she was training him. I think I'd like to keep that in mind. I don't know why she was getting ahead of us, but she had insisted that we should start training on the train. Get it? "Train-ing" on the "train". Ha-ha. I know that was lame.

"Ah, finally." Acestes Tullus exhaled in relief when we finally got to the Remake Center.

* * * * *

"Why are you so hairy?" A woman in her early twenties with rainbow-colored hair asked as she peeled off some kind of tape from my legs. It hurts, and I think my legs are gonna start bleeding, but I tried hard not to scream.

"You're too hairy for a woman," she added jokingly.

I can't believe she said that. I glared at her, "That is not true. I'm a very neat person. I always clean myself. Look. Look at these teeth! They're white as pearls! And look at these nails! They're as clean as―"