Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but I promise uploads will be more frequent from now on! Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter! Anyway, hope you like it!
Chapter 2: The Capitol
"THE CAPITOL?!" My mother's neck turned so fast, I swore it could have snapped. She stared at me with eyes that showed anger and shock. I bit my lip nervously, taking a new fascination in the charm on my necklace; moving it back and forth on the chain. Back and forth. Back and forth.
"Yeah," I mumbled hesitantly. Words were failing me as my mother stared at me incredulously. Thinking about it now, it probably wasn't the best plan: agreeing to attend a meeting with the group of people my parents could hardly tolerate, and then dragging my mom into it without telling her. Yeah. Great idea, Layla.
"Did it even occur to you that it might be a good idea to let me know?" Her face was almost hurt, but being terrible in uncomfortable situations, I replied, "Not until just now." My mother shook her head in disappointment. I looked around the car's interior, avoiding my mother's gaze. The driver had been watching the ordeal through his mirror, when I caught him looking, he too, started shaking his head. His eyes became focused on the road. For the remainder of the ride, the car was silent; my mother and I both peering out of our respective windows at the passing cars and scenery.
The automobile came to a stop at a large building after what seemed like ages. We stepped into the building timidly, still anxious about the destination. People were everywhere, there were lines of people with suitcases, employees measuring suitcases, security patting down passengers, and swarms of people walking around seemingly without cause. This place was chaotic. Voices boomed through speakers as I stood still in confusion.
"Come on," my mom whispered in my ear, placing a hand behind my back and pushing me forward, gently. We moved toward the section with the security until we heard a voice calling my name.
"Mrs. and Miss Martin!" It was our driver, he ran up to us, breathing heavily from the 'long' run. I struggled to keep in a giggle.
"Yes?" My mom inquired politely. He reached into his jacket and pulled out two passes of some sort.
"I'm supposed to give you these." He fanned the two pieces of paper apart for both my mother and I to take. I grabbed it from his hand and stared at the plain text. It read: Boarding Pass, and was followed by numbers and letters in random combinations.
"What's it mean?" I questioned my mother, quietly after the driver finally left.
"We're going on an airplane." She kept a fast pace as I fell behind, still utterly lost. Airplanes. I learned about them once in school. They had been a means of transport for people to travel to lands over water, or just across countries. After they were proven more dangerous then convenient, they fell out of fashion. At least that was what we were told in class.
Then, it all made sense. We must have been in a different District. Thinking hard, I recalled that there were a mere two airports left: one in District 12, the other in the Capitol. District 13, where my family lived, found trains and cars safer and more efficient. We talked about airplanes so rarely I barely recognized the word.
After passing smoothly through security we boarded the airplane, patiently awaiting takeoff. I took a seat by the window, excitedly anticipating what soaring through the air would feel like.
Disappointed. That was the one word to describe flying through the clouds. Yes, the views were amazing. But being locked in a relatively small space amongst one hundred other people wasn't my definition of pleasant. Not to mention that whenever I felt almost comfortable to sleep, my ears got an irritating feeling, restraining me for the slumber I wanted so badly.
Another driver greeted us kindly after we spotted a sign with our names. He led us to a sleek Rolls Royce and I smiled at the knowledge I would be riding in my dream car.
My mother and I reverted to our normal selves, forgetting about our previous disagreement after the long plane ride. We chatted comfortably until we arrived at the final destination: the Capitol. I rolled down the window looking around at all the beautiful lights and buildings.
The lights sparkled and flashed and the buildings seemed to scrape the sky. People were crowded everywhere. They were squished so close together I was surprised they could breathe. It smelled of freshly baked food, crisp, clean air, and dreams. THIS was the Capitol. People's descriptions did it no justice. It was gorgeous.
Too bad I had a gut feeling that the people wouldn't be as pleasantly surprising.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
So it turns out I didn't actually introduce the games this chapter but I promise the meeting will be next chapter. Then we will learn about the trial run of the Hunger Games. I might tweak the rules a liiittle bit since it IS the trial run so I hope you guys are okay with that.
Also, when I envisioned the Capitol, I pictured NYC. I tried working in that it is less high-tech then in the actual books but more high-tech then now: the fact that it smells good!!(: Anyway it'll start getting exciting next chapter so stay tuned:D Love to everyone who commented on the last chapter! Hope you enjoyed this update and pleeeeaaaase let me know what you think below!
