The Hunger Games: Camden Shepard

Chapter 2

I followed Jackson and Lea through the mayors house and onto the Capitol's train. I was shocked at the beauty of it. Bright white walls covered in painted pictures of landscapes and diamond chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. A long wooden table filled with food was in the center of the train car, along with plush couches lining the walls. I ran my hand along one of the pillows on the couch and sat down. Jackson went straight for the table of food, grabbing an odd piece of fruit and biting into is rough skin.
"Young man, that is an orange! You do not bite into it!" Lea gasped and swatted the fruit out of his hand.
"It's Jack." He said, retrieving the fruit off of the floor and taking another bite out of it, munching at the peel and turning away from Lea to make a face at me as he spit the peel out without Lea noticing. I laughed and pulled off my shoes, pulling my feet up onto the couch beneath me. Lea nearly shrieked.
"Get your grimy feet off the couch! Didn't your mother ever teach you manners!" She yelped. I looked at the ground.
"Her mother's dead, Lea!" Jack barked. Lea recoiled as if slapped. Then her hands settled on her waist, she stuck her nose in the air and glared down at me.
"That is still no excuse for poor manners." She huffed, then marched out of the train car. I looked over at Jack.
"Thank you." I said. Jack nodded, a shared respect passed between us.
"So how did you do it? How did you survive?" Jack asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"You're an orphan in District Four. And you're a girl. Girl's don't make it alone in Four." Jack stared down at me and ran a hand through his messy brown hair.
"I had help." I said. Jack nodded.
"The boy in the crowd?" He asked.
"Charlie." I whispered, a sad smile lighting up my face before quickly disappearing. "He and his family looked after me until Myra died."
"The girl from the Games?" Jack shook his head. "Charlie's got some bad luck." I nodded. Jack peeled back the orange and took another thoughtful bite. "So do we, for that matter." He said. I nodded. I got up from the couch and walked to the table, dropping into one of the wooden chairs next to Jack.
"How did you know my parents were dead?" I asked. Jack looked at me and shrugged.
"I didn't, I just wanted to shit her up. But I mean, living in Four I just assumed they were dead." He explained. I smiled at him.
"How'd they die?" He asked slowly. I reached out and grabbed a red fruit and shoved my fingernail underneath the thin skin and dug at it.
"That is not how you eat an apple." A deep voice crooned from the corner of the room. I gasped and dropped the apple. A tall blonde man, only a few years older than me, but clearly a man already, grinned at me and walked over, picking up the apple.
"You bite into it." He said, putting the apple to his lips and ripping a slice of the fleshy fruit off with his teeth. His green eyes shimmered in harsh contrast with the red apple.
"You're Finnick Odair." I whispered. Finnick beamed at me and sunk into a deep bow.
"In the flesh." He said, taking on a fake Capitol accent. I grinned at him.
"You're accent is terrible." I pointed out. He laughed.
"I'll figure it out someday." He replied, beaming. Jack walked over and stuck out his hand.
"Nice to meet you." He said stiffly. Finnick reached out and shook Jacks hand. After a moment Finnick stood back and looked at us.
"You're healthier than most of the tributes I get. Do you fish?" The question was directed at Jack. Not many women in Four fished, we were supposed to clean and cook the fish. I hated the sexism.
"Yes." I answered. Both Jack and Finnick looked at me, Jack with suprise, Finnick with admiration. Finnick's smile returned.
"A woman fisher. Rare." He studied me more thoroughly. "A survivor. I can work with that." He returned his attention to Jack. "What's special about you?" He asked. Jack thought for a moment and then shrugged.
"Not sure. I'm good with a spear." He offered. Finnick nodded. The train car door opened and Lea appeared again with another woman. She was in her thirties or forties, a respectable age, and had short, cropped brown hair and green eyes. She gave me a sad smile.
"I'm so sorry." She said, addressing Jack and I.
"Oh, not this again, Catrina." Lea complained. "It's an honor for these kids to be allowed to participate in the Games. They should be excited." She ranted. Catrina ignored her and walked over to Jack and I. She placed one hand on my shoulder and her other hand on Jacks, then she bowed her head and whispered in a voice too low for me to hear. I could hear Lea ranting in the background, but I was more focused on the strange woman in front of me. After a few moments her head snapped up and she removed her hands from our shoulders. "May the odds be ever in your favor." She whispered, then walked out of the train car. Finnick, who had been leaning against the table casually with his arms crossed, stood up.
"She does that every year." He explained, "She thinks it will help protect you." Finnick's eyes met mine coldly, "So far it hasn't worked." I shuddered. So far no one seemed optimistic about my chances of survival.
"We'll be in the Capitol in twenty minutes. Get ready." Lea said, then disappeared after Catrina. I walked over to one of the windows and stared out over the water that surrounded the Capitol. I was used to the sight of water, but I was not used to the sight of the sparkling metal buildings that loomed in the distance. The train flew over the water at speeds my brain couldn't comprehend and I watched the tiny speck of silver grow until it blocked out the entire horizon. Jack had joined me in looking out the window and Finnick was standing back watching us, a small, sad smile on his face. And then it was upon us. Our train zoomed through the Capitol, and I was taken aback by the crowds that had gathered to see our arrival. It made me sick. I turned away from the window and stalked over to Finnick. He gave me a knowing, yet warning look.
"I'm being sent to my death and they all stand there like this is some sort of joke. Like the fact that I'm going to die is an event worthy of celebration." I snarled. I could feel my own rage, usually subdued, boiling to the surface. My hands were clenched into fists and were shaking. Jack was looking at me and I turned to face him. He had tears in his eyes. I felt my anger subdue and turn to pity as I looked at Jack. We were equals in life as we would be in death. The pity in my eyes turned to empathy and he reached out and rubbed my back, knowing what I was thinking. I couldn't even tell him it was going to be okay. One, if not both of us would be dead soon. Nothing was going to be okay.
"We're here." Finnick said. Our train whisked underground and into a large room. It was a more beautiful room than any I had ever seen. Lea and Catrina came back into the train cab.
"Welcome to the training center." Lea said. We were rushed towards an elevator on the far side of the massive room. I looked around as Lea rushed us past the hoards of people waving at Jack and I. Finnick grabbed my arm and leaned forward.
"Wave at them." He whispered. I shot him an annoyed look. "You don't have to like it, just do it." He said, his bright green eyes shining at me. I was taken aback by something about his eyes. They were intense, almost begging. I turned to the crowds and waved. A massive cheer erupted and I walked closer to the crowd. I reached out and shook some hands, beaming the entire time, disgusted at myself for smiling, disgusted at the crowd for living. I kept smiling, though. I'd seen the Games before, I knew the deal. These people that sickened me could also be my salvation. I didn't have to like them, but I could use them.
The thought that I would be able to use and take money from the deep pockets of these oddly dressed people made me feel a little better and I wandered even closer to the crowds, still waving and smiling. No one tried to stop me, not even the Peacekeepers. I reached the line of Peacekeepers that kept the crowd at bay and started saying hello to the people of the Capitol. A few people reached out to touch me, my dress, my hands, or even my shoes. A few people even fainted. Eventually I made it to the other side of the room and walked into the elevator. Lea was practically beaming at me.
"You were brilliant, darling." She purred. I ignored her. Finally the elevator stopped and opened. We all stepped out onto the fourth floor of the training center. Catrina took my hand and led me to a room off to the side and opened the door, then she left. I stepped into the room and realized how exhausted I was. I went to the bed and collapsed, letting exhaustion consume me.