Flooding Panem: The Hunger Games

Chapter Three: Leaving

By the time Errid comes in to take us to the station, I've wiped my face of my tears. The station is only a five-minute walk from the main square, but as always, the tributes need to travel in style, so we're pulled into a car that gets us there in under a minute. I avoid eye contact with both of my companions. Once we get to the station, I look out the window and see a crowd of reporters. I take a deep breath and open the door. The bulbs start flashing almost immediately. It's a show, I'm thinking. So make it a good one.

I smile shyly, only flicking my eyes up occasionally. When I catch a glance of my reflection, I see to my satisfaction that I look almost flirtatious. Marvel, however, is glaring at the crowd, making no attempt to hide his anger.

Well, he's getting himself noticed, that's for sure, even if his chosen image is making me increasingly uncomfortable. I step inside the train several metres ahead of him.

I'm struck dumb at the first car I enter. It's huge, larger than a floor of my house. The carpet is plush and clean, not at all like the rag in the Justice Building. The walls are made of a dark, smooth wood, as is most of the furniture. The chairs are covered in velvet, and the tables are edged with strips of lace. I notice blue lines swirling through a coffee table, and on closer inspection I realize that molten sapphire is running through the veins of the wood. I've never seen a sapphire, or any precious gem for that matter- only heard of them in stories.

I carry on staring around in awe as Errid pushes us towards two plush chairs and returns to the door to say a few more words before we depart. As we sit, I catch sight of Marvel staring around in the same state of amazement in spite of himself. When he catches my eye and instantly looks towards the table. We carry on with this awkward silence for another few minutes before Errid enters. The train shudders; I almost jump to my feet in surprise, and on staring out of the window I see District Four disappear. The shudder has faded to some barely noticeable vibrations, and I relax my grip on the armrests. Marvel, however, is still visibly shaken for reasons I don't quite know.

"Amazing, isn't it?" says Errid, taking a small loaf of bread from the table. "The speed and the nonoticeability of it. Help yourselves, by the way," he adds, and cheerfully bites into the loaf.

I frown at him, very confused. Capitol people are odd; I've always known that. But I thought that only extended to their dress sense and morals- I'm not certain that 'nonoticeability' is a word. But he's right; the movement isn't apparent, not until you look out of the window and see the world passing you by. But doing that makes me feel sick, so I do as he says and grab a loaf. On closer inspection, I realize that they're all smaller versions of our district's bread- fish shaped and tinted with seaweed. I take small bites, not wanting it to come up. Marvel maintains his sullen mood, ignoring the bread and the view, staring fixedly at the table. 

Errid is noticeably confused and possibly even scared by his mood, and so directs his next words entirely to me. "Well, tonight we'll be dining with your mentors and they'll take you through how to act over the next few weeks. How to play your interviews, how to act while in training and blahdecetrah." He pauses to take another bite.

I look across Marvel at the opposite wall. In spite of myself, I have to stifle a laugh at this new word. I can only assume that this word is a Capitol combination of the old-fashioned words 'blah' and 'etcetera'. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Marvel's lips curve upwards into a smile; it's clear that he's finding Errid as ridiculous as I am.

Errid, however, must take this as a sign of his good nature, because he relaxes and starts directing his words to the both of us. "Of course, you'll have some say in the angles you play; I take it you'll want to play it sullenly, Marvel. Well, it's a strong-" there's nothing that cuts Errid off this time, no angry glares or interruptions. He cocks his head at Marvel. "You look familiar- have we met?"