Chapter 24
After I wake up, still tired from my sleepless night, I get ready. I take a shower to try and wake myself up, get an outfit that has already been prepared for me by a stylist, and go to the dining area for breakfast.
Ariel is eating breakfast already. I sit across from her and am served a plate of eggs, toast, bacon, and a glass of juice. I am offered other food from the Capitol, but I just have normal breakfast food.
"Good morning Kamela." Ariel says.
"Morning." I say, talking a sip of my orange juice. "Where's Cronin? We start training today, right?"
"Yes you do, he left a little before you woke up." She finishes the last of her breakfast. "He's probably getting the training room ready."
"Oh." Is all I say.
Ariel doesn't say anything for a while. I just sit and eat my breakfast.
"You seem," I pause. "different than I thought."
"What do you mean?" Ariel asks.
"I mean," I say. "I don't know. You just don't seem like--"
She cuts me off. "Like someone from the Capitol?" She says.
"Yeah. I guess." I say.
"I know, you were expecting the Capitol stereotype." She says. "That I would only care about myself, that I wouldn't care if you won or not, that I wouldn't care what happened to you." She pauses. "That I would enjoy watching the games, that I would be on the Capitol's side."
"Pretty much." I admit.
"Well, as you have figured out, I'm not exactly 'Capitol material'." She says.
"No, I don't mean, I mean." I can't find the right words. "I guess you're not, but, no that's not it." I stumble with my words.
What did I bring myself into, it's like everything I say will be wrong.
Ariel just smiles.
"What?" I ask.
"Kamela, you're fine." She says. "Just because I live in the Capitol, doesn't mean that I'm on their side, well, it doesn't mean that I agree with them."
"Oh, what do you mean by that?" I ask.
"I mean," she says. "don't judge Capitol people so harshly. Since the rebellion, a lot of them have changed. Many of them disagree with bringing back the games. Including me."
"Really?" I say.
"I absolutely hate seeing innocent people die, none of these kids did anything to deserve this, so why are they being punished so harshly?" She says.
I don't say anything.
"I'm sorry," she says. "I really didn't need to say anything."
"No." I say. "It's fine, uh, thank you. For saying that." I smile. "I needed to know that."
"Your welcome." Ariel says.
Before I have a chance to say anything, the elevator doors open and Cronin walks in, clearly upset.
"This is crap!" he says, throwing his jacket on the ground.
"What happened?" Ariel asks, walking over to him.
"Unfair treatment is what happened." He says angrily.
He looks over and sees me.
"What do you mean--"
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The New Games: A Hunger Games Story
FanficThey all thought the Hunger Games were over. They all thought that the Games would never come back: no more reapings, no more killing, no more starving. They thought that the Hunger Games would be just a memory. Well, they were wrong. The Hunger...
