The 70th Hunger Games: A Little Love

Chapter Four

* DISCLAIMER * this chapter includes a homophobic slur. I have censored the slur. If this may offend you, please be cautious reading!!

Dear Diary,

This is it. Today is my first day to make a true impression on the people of the capital. I wake up to someone pounding at my door, which coldly reminds me that I am not at home, being woken up by my brother shouting from his room across the hall. Instead, I am far, far away from home, in the gorgeous capital. And I'm going to die soon.

Well, that's just great.

My feet touch the ground and shivers go up my body. I've never known how tile felt. The answer is very, very cold. I put on the small white slippers provided for me, and answered the door. There I found Velerio, his arms crossed over his chest and the same cold look on his face.

"It's time for breakfast. Then you have the tribute parade, and later training"

I nodded and quickly grabbed myself a sweater off the hangers of the large closet provided for us. It was white, just like the slippers. All this white really doesn't do my fair skin any favors, but at least no one is really seeing me yet.

I walk out of my room and to the common area, expecting to see a table full of people, like there was last night. Instead it was just Percy, Velerio and I. "Where's everyone else?"

"Everyone else?" Velerio chuckles softly, and that leads to a large, hearty laugh. "All the victors aren't required to come to all the meals. They have lives, people to meet and talk to in the capital. They'll be here when it's required of them. But, unlike me, who is forced to be here with you guys all the time, they don't have to," he huffs. What a great way to start my morning.

I look down, my cheeks turning red. "I'm sorry, we're probably a disappointing lot," I mutter, taking a buttered roll off the table, and biting into it. Although I was the one who was being shipped off to die, I felt bad for the victors, and even for Velerio. Here they were, hoping for someone to bring money and riches to our district, to them. And they got handed Percy and I.

Percy's eyes were brimming with tears, and I could tell he was just as upset as I was, Velerio's lack of confidence in him hitting hard. He took some kind of cooked meat off the plate, and a small fruit that somewhat resembled the apples we have back home, but smaller. Piling it on his plate, he raised his eyes to look at Velerio with a defeated look.

"I'll be eating in my room, if you need me," he rises, his white slippers dragging on the floor and picking up the small layer of dust that had fallen onto the tile floor. Ouch. Seeing him so defeated like that hurt. We weren't even in the games yet.

"He's just a kid, you know. He turned twelve just a month or so before the reaping. My best friend, Watter, is his older sibling" I explain, rubbing my arm nervously. I used to have rashes up and down my body when I was younger, especially my arms. They were red and itchy and sometimes they would bleed, but for the most part as I got older they disappeared. Not the one on this left arm though. I constantly feel a need to scratch it, causing the small holes to open up once again and dot with blood. Apparently, this is called "eczema" or some kind of dry skin. Maybe being in the ocean all the time caused it?

Shoot. Was Velerio talking? I had completely missed what, if anything, he said.

I glance up at him, but he just seems to be eating his food, his eyes trained on my plate, as if I was a horrible sight to see, as if seeing me would ruin his appetite. I took another small bite of my roll, before hunger overcame me and I quickly finished the roll. As I grabbed for a second one, Velerio looked up at me. His dark brown eyes, nearly black, seemed to be digging into my soul. I broke away from his gaze, averting my eyes to his new hair: up in a rather large afro, his hair was orange like the reaping, but instead of being in long braids down his back, it was fashioned into a tall afro.