Based off The Hunger Games; Against All Odds.

Chapter 2

My mouth dried up and I couldn't move. Kids shoved me up onto the stage. I took my spot next to Aymellie and Clark. I looked into the faces of my family. Evie and Derrick held eachother and Evie sobbed. Chism looked at me and shook his head. I might have imagined it, but I could have sworn a tear rolled down his face. Cecile cried and shouted my name. Fir sat on the ground, wordless. She had no emotion, she was shocked. I shook hands with Clark Maxwell and they rushed us into the Justice Building. I sat in a room with Peacekeepers blocking the doorway. My family walked into the room one by one. Evie was first. She brushed my hair behind my ears and began telling me how much she loved me. Derrick came in and moved Evie over, keeping her from breaking down. He didn't quite have words for me, but I knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to say something about my parents being victors, about me having a chance of being one too. He didn't mention them though. 

Evie and Derrick left and Chism walked in. He looked as if he was crying. He sat down next to me and grabbed my hands. He was very tall. He had the brown hair and eyes. He was muscular, but had a chubby face. I wanted to remember him like this. "You're stronger than them Era." he said. That was my nickname, Era. Only Chism and Derrick called me it. "You were raised to be a lumberjack, whether you know it or not. You know alot about wood, alot about certain kinds of trees, you can climb easily, and you can work with an axe really well. You may not have been born here, but you are true to our district Era. You can do this. I believe in you." Chism was serious. I could climb decent, I did know alot about trees, and I could whip an axe around easily. Derrick trained me to have decent strength, I could manage to beat him in an arm wrestling match, and Derrick is pretty muscular. I had a small spark glowing inside of me now. A small hope. A hope that I could win. Something totally unpredictable happened. "I love you, little sister." Chism said, grabbing me and hugging me tightly. Cecile and Fir ran in crying and sobbing about how they didn't want me to go. "Try to win Erabelle! Please! You can't leave us alone with him!" Fir said, poking Chism in the chest. "You always were my favorite" Cecile whispered in my ear. A grin spread across my face. This is how I want to remember my family. 

We said our final goodbyes, and Fir gave me a locket with our family picture in it as my token. On the other side, there was a picture of two people I didn't know. They looked familiar, maybe somebody I had seen in town?  I got on the train with Clark, my mind still focused on the picture. I looked out the window of the train, we were whizzing by the forests of District 7. Leaving what I loved behind, we were on our way to the Capitol. I looked at the picture again. It took me a while to realize it. These people were my parents.

A woman I recognized walked onto the train. She was Johanna Mason, a former victor from District 7. She would be my mentor. She sat right next to me, acting as if we knew eachother for years. "And what is your name?" she said, biting into an apple. "Erabelle Odair." I said, annoyed at her rudeness. "Odair? As in Finnick Odair?" she said, sitting up, now interested. "That is- well was my father." I said, flinching at the sound of his name. "Well then how did you end up in District 7, sharkbait?" she said. She was a very rude and arrogant woman, but I liked that. "Long story, none of your buisness." I said, being rude back. "Oh, so you have a little attitude to you? Good. It will help you get a chance at winning." 

Aymellie walked me into my room, which had to be as big as my entire house. It had a large bed that could fit the whole family in the center, a red velvet couch, several dressers, a mirror that took up the entire wall, a huge red pine table and 2 chairs, and a door that led to another room. The  room was another large one, a bathroom. It had a bathtub and a shower, a variety of different towels, a large sink with toothbrushes and different flavored toothpastes, and another large mirror. The shower had many soaps and shampoos lining the shelves on the tiled walls of the shower. I walked around the room so many times, I thought i could get lost. Each time i found something new.

I undressed from Evie's dress and shoes, and opened the dresser to find some normal clothes. I slipped on soft, stretchy black pants and a white t-shirt. I pulled my distressed curls back into a sloppy ponytail. When I walked into the dining room for dinner, Aymellie almost shreiked at my appearance. I took my seat next to Clark and gazed at our feast. Pork roast with thick brown gravy, chunky potato soup, fresh steaming rolls, breaded fish, sandwiches stuffed with meat and cheese, a chocholate cake overflowing with gooey hot fudge, and a cup of warm milk with cinnamon and honey sat infront of me. I tried extremely hard not to shove my face into the food infront of me. 

I took small portions of the roast and soup, a sandwich and a slice of cake. After gorging myself with the delicious foods, I nibbled on a roll and took sips of my warm milk. Aymellie babbled on about our days to come. I curled up in my chair and opened the locket. I focused more on my father. He was extremely handsome, and he had an award winning smile. He was sitting next to my mother, who had a blank look on her face. I looked a lot like her. I had her eyes, her nose, and the same smile. I had my father's hair color and a few of his facial features. What were they like? I thought. 

I excused myself from the table and walked back to my room. Aymellie popped into my room to tell me we should arrive at the Capitol around noon the next day. District 7 wasn't a drastically long ride from the Capitol. I walked into the huge bathroom and got a shower, washing out the curls Evie has so carefully worked on. I didn't want to, they reminded me of her soft touch and bouncy smile. Poor Evie. She was so scared of everything. Who would she turn to when i'm dead?

I shook my head in fear. I can't think like that. I thought. I snuggled myself into the bed but couldn't sleep. I decided to explore the train a bit. It was very large, probably as long as the north forest line. I found Clark sitting on the couch in the main room, He was watching the recaps of the reapings from all of the districts. I sat next to him silently, he looked at me and looked away, bareley recognizing me. The tributes from District 1 were rich and snobby as usual. I remembered the girl's name, Pearl. She was short and had long blonde hair. District 1 tributes were always the most well kept. District 2 tributes were strong and ferocious. District 3, then 4. I payed close attention to District 4, ironing the names of the tributes into my brain. Barbel and Lilly. They were both older, atleast 16 or 17. I am from their home, and they are going to kill me.  I thought. The spark of fear lit up again but I pushed it away. I wonder if they know my mother and father. I thought. 

"Do you know them, Barbel and Lilly?" Clark asked. I never noticed how handsome he was. He was very muscular and tall. He had shaggy brown hair and eyes, the normal district look. "No." I said. I was a bit offended at the fact that he would ask such a thing. Surley he had seen me before, and probably knows i'm not from there. He gave me a smile that said he understood. His teeth were perfectly staight and white as the clouds. Almost looked as if the Capitol altered them. He was the same age as Chism. Maybe a little younger. "Do you know my brother, Chism Hemlock?" I asked. "Yeah I know him. He was one of my good friends. He wanted to voulenteer for me, but then you got picked. He couldn't bare being in the same arena with his little sister. He went on and on about how the Gamemakers would want to make him and you the last two so that you would have to kill eachother. I was glad he didn't voulenteer. He loves you alot." He said, flashing his Capitol smile. 

"Are you ready for the Capitol?" I asked, changing the subject. I didn't want to talk about home. "Not really. What about you? I hear your dad is pretty famous there." he said. There he went again. Talking about uncomfortable subjects. Maybe he just heard the rumors and stories about me, and wanted to know more. I decided not to be rude. "Yeah he is pretty big. It seems that as soon as anybody hears the name 'Odair' they go frantic. I never met him though." I replied.