The 64th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 2~Train Rides and Making Friends

“Okay!” Sybille says excitedly, showing us our rooms. “Look at this!”

Aaron and I are whisked on a different car of the train with Sybille, and Aaron gets his room.

“Here is your room. Now over there is the shower and that is the closet. You can wear whatever you want; it’s at your disposal.” Sybille says. “Just be ready for dinner in an hour.”

“Okay.” I mutter and Sybille leaves. I close the door and inspect the room. Diamond doorknobs, platinum chandeliers, and all this rich-looking items that I don’t have a name for.

“Knock, knock.” I hear Aaron’s voice say. I turn around and see him there at my door.

“I’m afraid to touch anything.” I say honestly.

“Why?” Aaron asks.

“I’m afraid I’ll break something.” I say, and Aaron chuckles. “No really. Everything looks so expensive here.”

“Yeah, I can’t argue about that.” Aaron says. “Is that rabbit fur?” He gestures to the bed, and I walk over, feeling the blanket.

“Yeah.” I say. “It’s really soft.”

“Wait a second.” Aaron says, looking deeply in my eyes. “Do I know you?”

I think hard about if I met Aaron before. Maybe at school? No, was he the rancher at my neighbor’s farm? No, did I see someone in the town square? “Wait! Didn’t I crash into you with meat in the street near Bob’s bakery?” I ask.

“That was you!” Aaron says. “Sorry I crashed into you.”

“I thought I crashed into you.” I say.

“Come on, let’s eat!” Sybille says, and the three of us walk to the dinner car.

Our mentors, Dakota and Jackson, are sitting at the table, waiting for us. Dakota is about 35, and she won the 44th Hunger Games. Jackson is about 45, and he won the 36th Hunger Games. “Hello.” Jackson says.

“Hi.” I say.

“Sit!” Sybille says. Aaron sits next to Jackson, and the only seat left is next to Sybille. We dig in, and I personally enjoy eating the cheese buns.

“Now that food is out, let’s talk.” Sybille says, pulling out a schedule. “We will get to the Capitol in two hours, and you two –” Sybille points her pink hand first at Aaron, then at me, and back and forth several times. “–Will meet your prep teams and stylists, then in six hours from now, you will riding on the horses for the Chariots!”

“And this is all down to a number?” Aaron questions.

“Yes, and after the Chariots, you get your rooms and then Training for three days. After that is the interview and then off you go into the Games!” Sybille squeals, and I look down at my food, the blue grapes covered in yellow cheese on one corner of the square plate. There is the rare-cooked beef sitting in a puddle of tomato sauce, and a green liquid with thin noodles swimming in it. The Capitol food, it’s good, but not like home.

Home.

Megan, you’re not going home alive. You’ll die on the first day. My conscience says mentally. Enjoy what you can now. You said goodbye for a reason. You’ll die in the arena. You won’t last against the brutal Careers.

“Megan, sweetie, are you okay?” Dakota asks. I look up and see everyone is silent and looking at me.

“I lost my appetite.” I say, wiping my mouth with the blue napkin and walking to my room.

Once I slam the door shut, I jump on the bed and cry into the gray-ish-blue-ish rabbit fur. I grab the blanket in my fists and wipe the tears away with the softness of the fur.

I sit on the windowsill and watch as trees and vegetation pass. I take the blanket off the bed and wrap it around myself tightly.

Rocking myself back and forth, tears continue to fall down my face as the trees whiz by, remembering when I was younger, my parents and I used to have picnics under the trees –once Dad made a tire swing for me. I loved the swing for about a month. Then, when we went to the swing, it was gone. Dad said someone cut the swing off the tree so they could ship the tree to District 7, where they’ll use the tree for fire, paper, and wood.

Another time, when I was about ten, I went to the small forest surrounding District 10 from the fence and I stole a knife from the butcher. I made a small spear for my tiny self to hold, and threw the same spear multiple times every day for six months, and now I’m pretty good with a spear of a small size. I also learned how to throw a knife if it came down to it.

After I got the confidence to sneak in and out of the forest without anyone noticing, I made an obstacle course. I’d have to run a maze while jumping over fallen trees from a storm and ducking under sturdy branches. I mastered the maze, after about five twisted ankles, two sprained wrists, and a broken leg.

I’ll never see that forest again, or Mom, Dad, or even the butcher to tell him his long lost knife is in the forest underneath a rotten log.

(A/N: On the right is Aaron (Kyle Gallner) ---->)

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