Amber Scott- District 3 Tribute

The Journey

Kassie lets out a gasp and turns to look at me, tears in her eyes. The rest of the girls around me turn to stare as well. I walk numbly up to the stage where the green-haired escort it waiting. The walk seems much longer than it is. The seconds seem to last hours.
I look into the crowd and see Tessa sobbing, clutching one of her friends, who is looking grimly at me.
Robyn is being restrained by her fellow 13 year olds. She is trying to run to the stage, but they won't let go. She collapses, and cries, "No! No!" She sobs loudly.
My mother and father are staring at me. My father is looking at me with much more hope in his eyes than a typical parent looking into the eyes of their reaped child. I wonder why for a second, and then it clicks. The shock device. The one that could stop my heart for a few minute, allowing me to escape the games. I might stand a chance after all.
I climb the steps and stand next to the cheerful escort. She grins at me, and says into her microphone, "Our brave, female tribute, Amber Scott!" She looks to the other huge bowl, and says, "And now for the gentlemen!"
She reaches into the bowl and moves the papers around, finally pulling a slip of paper from the bottom of the bowl. All of the boys look at her with expressions ranging from tense to hysterical. She pulls the paper out, and reads it.
She announces, "And our male tribute is Myron Green!"
A tall, pale boy walks out of the crowd of boys. He is 15 years old. I have seen him around school, but I've never actually spoken to him. He walks with an arrogant, loping gait. He saunters up the stairs, and stands next to our spiky-haired escort.
I hear gasping sobs from the family section, and I see a sallow-faced woman crying onto the shoulder of a man with angular features. They must be his parents. He doesn't give them so much of a second glance.
The escort says, "And there you have it! Our two tributes! Amber Scott and Myron Green! I know that they will represent District 3 bravely to the end!"
The triumphant song of the Capitol plays, and everybody shuffles out of the square, giving us grave looks as they go. My family and the parents of Myron Green are escorted by Peace-Keepers to a small building off to the side of the stage. Two Peace-Keepers come up and escort me and Myron to the same building. We walk into the building and down a hallway. Myron is escorted down the hall to the left, and I am brought to a small room on the right. My family is waiting for me.
My sisters are sniffling and looking at my parents, who are whispering to them. When I come in, they stop whispering. My sisters give me hopeful looks.
Robyn says, "Amber, you can escape! You don't have to die! You'll come home!"
My mom claps a hand over her mouth and hisses, "Robyn, be quiet! We cannot discuss this here!"
Robyn stops talking. She, Gemma, Abbie, Posy, and Tessa all rush in and give me a huge hug. I hug them back, all my little sisters. After they tearfully pull away, my mom embraces me. She whispers, "I love you," in my ear. I say it back and hug her even tighter.
Next my father faces me. He says in a hushed voice, "They will have us give your token to a Peacekeeper who will bring it to the Capitol to be inspected before it is given to you for the Games. I will put the shock device into a pendant, and we can pretend it is a necklace. It will have a tiny catch on the side, and you have to pull that to release the device. Then you push the blue button on the shock device to activate it. Okay?"
"Okay, Dad. I love you."
"I love you too, Amber. Good luck. I'll see you in a little while."
Reyna is the only one who hasn't spoken. She walks over to me, and says, "Amber, you'll make it out. I know you can do it. I love you. Goodbye." She hugs me tightly and then turns and stands by my parents.
An automated voice says, "Families of the tributes, your time is up. You will be escorted out momentarily."
I give my family one last hug, and then they are taken away by silent Peacekeepers.
I am left alone in the room. I won't see my family for at least 2 weeks. I might not make it out alive, the device may not pass the inspection, and then it might not work when I need to activate it. So many things that could go wrong. I sit down with my back agains the wall and put my head in my hands.
I don't know how long I sit there, just thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Then, the door opens and the green-haired escort waltzes in, dress rustling.
She introduces herself by saying, "Hello, darling! I am Shanna! It is so amazing to get to be a mentor to such an amazing, brave girl!"
I look at her reproachfully and say, "You don't even know me. How would you know I'm such an 'amazing, great girl'?"
She laughs and says, "Such spunk! I love it, darling! Now, just come with me, and we will go and get Myron."
She says 'darling' a lot. Maybe it's some kind of Capitol thing. She seems exactly like I've always imagined Capitol people to be; extremely happy and excited, extravagantly dressed, and with an odd haircut.
We walk out of the room, and down the hall. She turns into a room identical to the one we just left. Myron is pacing around the room, not looking as confident and arrogant as he did when we were on the stage. His eyes are bloodshot, and his face is tear-streaked. It appears he isn't as sure of himself as he first appeared.
Shanna says lightly to him, "Hello, darling. I'm Shanna. It's so amazing to meet you! It is time to head off to the train! And the train will take you to the Capitol! We should arrive tomorrow morning! It's such a fabulous place! I'm sure you will just adore it, my darlings!"
Myron looks at her with disgust, and I can tell he is probably thinking the same thing I am. She is a shallow and pampered. She has no idea how hard life in the districts is, and she doesn't seem to realize that we are not going to the Capitol for the fun of it; we are going there to die.
We walk with Shanna down to the train station, and a huge, sleek, white vessel is waiting for us. The doors slide open, and we step inside. It is the most beautiful, grand place I have ever been in. There are thick, lush rugs sitting on dark, polished wood floors. The walls are papered with a geometric print that appears to have silk strands interwoven with the paper. There are plush couches and lounge chairs situated across the room. There is a huge piled high with the most amazing food I have ever seen. Breads, puddings, meats, fruits, vegetables, pies, cakes, all artfully arranged on gorgeous China plates.
I look around, awestruck. Myron throws himself onto the nearest couch, and stares sullenly at the wall. His arrogant façade seems to have returned.
Shanna says, "Your rooms are right over there," she pauses, pointing to two doors on the opposite wall. "They have an attached bathroom, complete with a giant walk-in shower. There is also a fully stocked closet stocked by our expert stylists. It has everything from simple smocks to full-length ball gowns."
When anybody would need to wear a full-length ball gown is beyond me. I think I'll stick to the "simple smocks".
I wander over to one of the doors, and open it. The bedroom is just as extravagant as the main room. There is a huge bed in the middle of the room. It has an ornate headboard, embroidered pillows, and a patterned bedspread. I run my hand over the sheets, and they are softer than anything I've ever felt.
There is another door that leads to the closet. It is, as Shanna promised, fully stocked. I spot a floor-length, pale pink, frilly dress. I pull some of the clothes aside and find a more simple blue shirt and some brown pants. I pull them out and set them aside for tomorrow.
I walk over to the bathroom. It has an enormous claw foot tub and a massive shower. I peek inside, and there are more dials and knobs than I would know what to do with. I'll have to experiment with that.
Everything is so beautiful and ornate here. It is not fair that the people of the Capitol live in luxury, and have more than enough of everything, but in some of the districts people are starving and do not have enough firewood to stay warm.
I wander back out of the bedroom. Shanna is standing near the table speaking to a tall woman with hair as black as a crow's feathers. It is waist long and as straight as a ruler. She has bright blue, piercing eyes. Her outfit is entirely black. A black long- sleeved shirt, black tight pants, and knee-high black lace up boots. This must be Kilee. She is the mentor for District 3. She was the victor from the 68th Hunger Games. She won her games by finding some poisonous plants and poisoning all of the other tributes' food. When it was just down to her and one other tribute, she brutally hacked him to pieces with her knife.
She fixes her piercing eyes on me and says, "Well, you don't look like much. Let's hope you're smart."
Now, I know that I don't look very physically imposing. I'm 5'9 and fairly thin. I have long dirty blonde hair and blue-green eyes. I look like an average 14 year old. Nevertheless, it was not nice of her to point that out.
I stare back at her, and she says, "We will start your training when we arrive at the Capitol. I don't want to have to interact with you for any longer than necessary."
With that, she turns on her heel and flounces out of the room, hair swinging.
Shanna laughs and says, "She has never been a talkative one! Would you like anything to eat, darling?"
I nod, and grab a pastry covered in powdered sugar. I bite into it, and it is pure heaven. It has a sweet, creamy filling with a crispy pastry shell. I wish that I could eat like this all the time.
Over the course of the next hour, I finish off 3 sandwiches, 5 pastries, 2 unknown fruits, and 3 cups of some of the wonderful punch they have. I feel so full, I think I might throw up. I walk back to my room, and collapse on the bed. I lay there, for the first time since I got on the train, thinking about what is to come in the following week.
The next morning, after I have figured out how to work the complex shower, I go out into the main room for breakfast. Shanna and Myron are there, eating. It is the first time I've seen Myron since we got on the train. He is still staring silently at his toast, not responding to Shanna's constant prattle about Capitol life. I sit down and load my plate with muffins, fruits, and bacon. I sit down, and we sit there awkwardly, while Shanna reapplies her copious amounts of makeup.
Suddenly, huge buildings appear in the distance. Buildings bigger than any that I have every seen or imagined. Shanna exclaims, "It's the Capitol!"
Myron and I leap up and stare out the window. The train zooms along and the buildings grow bigger and bigger. We have arrived. The Capitol is waiting for us.