Lethally In Love

Chapter Three

District 13 was nothing like I imagined at all when Finnick had described it to me. He said it was all underground systems, which made me immediately think of little dirt tunnels where people would huddle in the dark; but to my surprise, it was almost up to Capitol par. The entrance to the district is a trap door hidden in the tree line amongst the initial ruins of the upper-level district. Underneath, a long elevator that brings you a good fifty feet into the ground, and that's just the first floor. The walls are made of plastic and steel lining that is very Capitol like. The flooring was mostly made of concrete, but in some areas the same as the walls. The rooms are separated by compartments, and the first fifteen floors are all for the residents in their tacky grey jumpsuits. The first place we're taken when we arrive is our living compartments. Finnick and I are currently marked down to share until Prim gets out of the hospital towards the main floors, and frankly, I'm pretty uncomfortable with it. Sleeping in the same hovercraft with him was claustrophobic enough, so I can't even imagine what sharing a bunk space will be like.

"Cozy." Finnick says, giving me a smug smile as we walk into our compartment. There's barely any room to walk between the wall and the bunk beds, and I'm already feeling like I'm trapped in a box... District 13 is a box. There's drawers inserted in the wall, and a small doorway that leads into a bathroom thats just as big as the room itself minus the bunk that takes up space. It's reasonably plain. "Mind if I take top bunk until we move out again?"

"Go for it." I murmur. "I'm gonna go find Gale."

"Leaving so soon? I was hoping we could get a little more comfortable." He says playfully.

"Hmm." I return, as if it was actually a tough decision. "You... My sister..." I flattened both my hands, looking down at them and moving them both up and down as if comparing them. "Sounds tempting but... I should probably go see Prim."

I barely turn around when I bump into someone wearing a gray jumpsuit. "I'm surprised they actually let you into the district wearing that getup." Gale says, and I look down to find that I'm still dressed in tribute attire. I haven't changed out of it since I entered the arena over a week ago, and I suddenly feel kinda disgusting. "Why don't you take a shower? You can change into this when you're finished." He opens up his old game bag, pulling out a gray jumpsuit identical to the one he's wearing. "I was supposed to give it to you on the hovercraft, but it slipped my mind." He hands Finnick one too, but at least Finnick had changed multiple times between the arena and now.

"Does everyone wear the same thing here?" I ask, raising my eyebrows to the suit I held in my hands. I rubbed the fabric between by fingers, and it feels more like something you would wear in a prison. I feel like it is prison.

"Yup, we're under a strict schedule here. It's for our best interested, though."

"Who could be interested in this?" I complain, and he gives me a look. "Alright, I'll go."

I find that the bathroom connected to our compartment is almost as nice as the ones in the Capitol; like many things here. After securing the door tight to avoid Finnick's unwanted but guaranteed entry, I run my fingers over the shower controls. Different buttons for different types of soaps, along with a waterproof touch screen in the wall that allows you to watch television, listen to music, or play little mini games that probably aren't any good. It also has announcements about schedule changes, and the actual schedule for the day on the home screen. I wonder what kind of loser would actually use it, and leave it at the home screen as I turn on the shower faucet; but secretly, I think I might use it eventually.

After my shower, I get into my tacky jump suit and braid my hair in my usual style. Gale and I take a long ride in the elevator, and my ears pop the more we go down. The air is thick on the main floors of District 13, probably because we're so deep in the ground. They do a good job keeping it well ventilated with the forest air above, but it still takes a little more effort to breath than usual.