Just Another Games....

Chapter Eight

"What's that Katniss? Is that what you needed the knife for?" I can feel his breath on my cheek, it smells like toothpaste. I try to think of an excuse, but my mind is blank. I'm not sure what else to say, besides tell him the truth.

"I was exploring my closet and fell. I found this little compartment, and couldn't get it open by myself. I wanted to see what was in there and my time was dwindling. On my way back I ran in to you and after I stormed off I got a new one. I opened it up and found this." I handed Gale the box and sat on my butt.

 "Interesting. A Mockingjay pin. Why would it be in the wall?"  Gale asked me.

"I don't know. It was in there for a reason though. And it's been in there for a while. It also makes me wonder who left it there. It had to be at least 15 years." I said.

"Yeah. It is obviously from a tribune, but why would they hide it on the train? Wouldn't they keep it with them into the Arena? I guess we will never know. Anyways, what are you going to do with it? I mean, are you going to keep it or stash it somewhere else?"

"I guess I haven't thought about that. Probably keep it. As a token." Each tribute is allowed to bring one thing into the arena with them. As long as the Gamemakers approve though. You can't bring in a weapon or food or anything. "Do you think they will let me? I mean, it's just a pin right?"

Gale nods. He hands it to me and as I grab it his hand brushes mine. It is soft, not like how a person from District 12 lving in the Seam would be. Most are black from all the coal.

We stand up, and I look at the clock. It was 11:15. "Well we still have about 45 minutes to spare right? Lets go look in the other rooms. I want to know if we can find something for you." I say to Gale. He walks past me and I catch the faint smell of oranges.

We checked the other rooms except for Peeta's. Apparently Effie and Haymitch sleep somewhere else because only Gale's looked slept in. It took us a while, we tried to be as thorough as we could be, there were only 3 other rooms. I walked over and stood in front of Peeta's room. Gale raised his eyebrows and I shrugged.

I knocked on the door, and it wooshed open. Not hearing any protests, I walked in. Peeta's room was painted sky blue with a white carpet that felt like you were walking on a cloud. I walked over to the bathroom and again knocked. No reply.

Gale headed straight for the closet when we knew for sure Peeta wasn't here and started rubbing our hands against the wall. The paint was smooth and felt cool against my skin. We worked our way down the wall and were just about done when I heard Effie.

"Oh my, am I interrupting?" I turned around quickly, and smiled.

"No, we were lust looking at all the shoes. Is it time for lunch?" She gave us a weird look but it was gone in an instant. Capitol people are stupid.

"Yes, do you know where Peeta is? I thought this was his room, unless it is yours, Katniss, but he was in here this morning," She frowned at me, then looked at Gale.

"No, this is Peeta's room but I wanted to see what different shoes we had and I met up with Gale when I looked through his. So, whats for lunch?" She smiled and we walked out.

"You will have to see. I will be down there in a minute, I will go see if I can find Peeta." She went right, and we went left.

"Did you see the look on her face when she talked about Peeta staying in my room then having you standing there? Capitol people are crazy." Gale didn't think my joke was funny. I don't think he liked the idea of Peeta staying in my room for the night.

We walked in and I was hit with the smell of meat, potatoes, and some smells I couldn't place. On the table were two silver pots with what looked like little chickens, and a huge bowl of mashed potatoes. There was a couple bowls with various fruit, some foreign and some familiar.

Gale sat next to me this time and I slid the pin into my pocket. People came and went filling up our glasses and plates. I had a plate with a little chicken, potatoes, rolls, and a few thick slices of pale purple melon set in front of me.

Effie and Peeta made idle chatter, talking about the most random of things. Every once in a while they would throw a question towards Gale, Haymitch or I, but we didn't make much of an effort and they eventually stopped.

After, we had cookies with tiger lillies on them. "We will arrive at the Capitol in about 10 minutes so make sure you have what you need!"  Effie says.

I stand up and walk back to my room. When I reach the door way, I heard Gale. He could sneak up on almost any creature and not be heard. "Are you going to just pin it to your shirt, or keep it in your pocket so it looks like you have a leg problem." I looked down and laughed. It looked like I had a spike sticking out of my leg.

"I will probably pin it on the waist of my jeans and hope no one notices or cares. So, I am going to enjoy the train in my room for a few minutes. Want to meet up and get our first glimpse of the Capitol together?"

He nods and walks out. I turn in a circle and flop down on my bed. I lay there for a few minutes before Peeta comes in and says we are going to get our first glimpse of the capitol in about 30 seconds.

I jump up and walk out. We go into the main room and I see Gale standing there. Right now you can't see anything but an occasional light. There are huge mountains surrounding The Capitol, and the only way to get there are climbing up them or through tunnels. This geography was a huge factor in the Capitol winning the war. All of a sudden it was really bright and I looked out the window in awe.

We have reached the Capitol.