Learning To Let Go

There's No Looking Back

I woke up to the sound of Rochelle hammering on our door.

“Ladies, we’re arriving at the Capitol in half an hour. Get ready by then,” she said, poking her head around the door. I nodded sleepily and glanced over at Rene in the next bed, who was still snoring away. I got up, and crept across the room towards Rene.

I jumped on her shouted, “Time to wake up Rene! We’re arriving in half an hour!” She groaned and rolled over. She held up her hand to show me five minutes and I laughed and headed to the toilet. I stripped down and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water calm my tense muscles. I stepped out of the shower and glanced at the clock on the shelf in toilet.

Fifteen minutes left. I wrapped a towel around myself and walked back into the compartment. Rene was still snoring away, and I grabbed a pillow from my bed and threw it at her. She sat up and mumbled, “Okay, I’m getting up.” I grinned and walked to my cupboard and slipped into one of my few dresses. I pulled my hair into a ponytail glanced out the windows of our compartment.

The high-tech scenery made my heart start to pound. In about a week, the 80th Hunger Games would begin. And this year, I was a tribute. I was supposed to fight against the people I loved to ensure my own survival. Who would I have to kill first? My eyes strayed to the toilet and I could hear Rene singing in the shower. This just might be the last time I got to hear her sing. The thought sent morbid chills down my spine and I shuddered. I closed my eyes and wished that everything would still be okay. I opened my eyes and saw Rene waving her hand in front of my face.

“Hello? Earth to Isabella,” she said, waving her hand in front of my face. I blinked and said, “Sorry. Just daydreaming.” She rolled her eyes and flung open the door. “Come on, let’s go to the front of the carriage. We’ll get a better view from there,” she said, dragging me after her.

“A better view of what? The place where our murderers live?” I asked as I followed her up front. She squeezed my hand as we pushed open the door to the front of the carriage. We waved to the driver and reached out to open the door leading to the tiny platform in front of our train.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the driver said, looking at us wearily.

“Why not?” I asked curiously. “They’d think you’re trying to escape,” he said simply. Rene shrugged her shoulders and we headed out of the compartment to bump into Rochelle.

“Excellent,” she said. “There you two are. We’re all meeting at the Dining Compartment.” Together, the three of us trooped to the Dining Compartment. Just as we opened the door, the train lurched to a stop. Rochelle held out a hand to stop us, and gestured for the rest to come out.

A small door next to the Dining Compartment opened and there stood at least 50 Peacekeepers. I stepped out cautiously and was followed by the other eleven tributes. Someone was waiting at the end of the end of the row. I walked slowly, my hand searching for Rene’s behind me. She took it and together, we walked down the row, trying our best to ignore the stares of the Peacekeepers.

As we neared the end, I saw that the person waiting at the end was President Slane. Once all of us were near him, he spread out his arms and said, “Welcome to the Capitol."