The Faction Games

Chapter 17

“Quick, Tris! Look! The Capitol!” Tobias says from where he stands with Caleb by the tiny window in our room.

I jump up, my head thumps and the ground lurches under my feet. I groan and sit down.

“Oops, sorry. I mean, wake up slowly and look over here. SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY. Mind your head.” He says

“Yeah, thanks.” I say sarcastically and get up gingerly.

I go to the window and watch the Capitol whizz past. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. I put my uniform jacket on and hear a knock at the door.

“Time to leave, Avoxes.” A man shouts and I recognise the voice as the male peacekeeper from yesterday.

“Remember not to talk.” I mouth and open the door.

“You’re in charge of prisoners Gale Hawthorne, Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen.” He says, speaking our friend’s names with disgust.

I clench my fists and the train stops at the Capitol station. I can hear the crowd outside cheering for the tributes. The peacekeeper takes us down the hall and unlocks our friend’s cell. Katniss, Gale and Peeta look up.

“These are you’re guards. Don’t rebel or anything.” The peacekeeper grins nastily.

Katniss rolls her eyes and gets up. We escort them off the train and through the overexcited neon-clad crowd of Capitol citizens. The peacekeeper leads us into a large building with a sign reading “Where Games, and Justice, are made” and takes us up a long hallway. Caleb’s in his element, surrounded by labs, computers and hi-tech machinery. The peacekeeper opens a door labelled “high security cell” and we let go of Katniss, Gale and Peeta. The door slams shut and a code is entered into a keypad to ensure nobody can leave or enter the cell. Despite my best efforts I can’t see what the code is.

“There. Now, you will run errands for the Gamemakers in a few days when the Games will start. Until then you will stay in here.” The peacekeeper says and pushes us roughly into a room with three beds and a door leading off into a bathroom.

He slams the door and leaves.