“Volunteers?” The woman in charge, Celestia, called.
I have no idea what got into me, but I raced forward to take Autumn’s place in the Games. A gasp sounds throughout the square. “Good; now we can continue on to the boys.” Celestia calmly walked to box filled with the blue slips of paper.
To my horror, the last person I thought of was called.
Kade Young was called.
A shock ran through my body as I saw the look on his face. Tears break the dam and I fall to my knees, racked with sobs and screams. This was not how it was supposed to go! Please don’t make him come! He picks me up and pulls me close, wrapping is big, warm arms around me as Celestia calls for volunteers. Only one person does.
Jake Jones takes my boyfriend’s place. I stop screaming, yet continue crying. I’m not crying for joy. Nope. I can’t do that to Jake.
“Okay, here are you’re tributes from District Twelve: Caroline Sullivan and Jake Jones.” Silence meets her words as we are taken to the Justice Building. Now’s the time families and friends come to say goodbye, but only Kade comes for me. I sit in his lap and cry until I can’t. He whispers into my ear “Care, you have to win this. Your family won’t be able to see it, but make the Capitol pay for what they did to your dad.” He runs his fingers through my hair and kisses my forehead, which only makes me sob more with the pain of loss.
“How do . . . I . . . win though?” I ask, hiccupping.
“Go for the whore type.” He rushes on as I glare. “You have the body and the words to make it happen. Pull every guy under your spell, but before it goes too far, kill them.”
I was just about to respond when a Peacekeeper yells that our time is up. It takes three of them to pull me out of Kade’s arms and we only manage a small kiss before I’m shoved out to the train platform and straight into Jake’s arms. I’m still screaming for Kade until Jake tells me to calm down.
As we’re ushered into a very plush compartment, Celestia talks our ears off. We finally plop onto a velvet blue couch when she asks “Are you guys ready?”
“Ready for what?” Jake asks in his deep voice. He’s pretty handsome with his dark hair, grey eyes and olive skin. Kade has some similarities to Jake like the hair and voice, but he has blue eyes and tan skin. Same muscles, same height, but different ties to me.
“To talk to us,” Abel, our only mentor, tells us in his gruff voice and takes a swig of wine.
“About what?” my voice is hoarse from all my screaming and crying within two hours and I grab a glass of water.
“What you want to do today.”
“I’m not sure about Jake, but I’m sleeping.” I walked to the nearest bedroom and passed out on the bed, still in my sea-green dress.
I slept for the rest of the day and throughout the night I was troubled by old nightmares I still can’t pull out of. Someone wakes me by shaking my shoulder and I sit up screaming, frantically looking around. It is only Jake, his eyes filled with worry. “The nightmares.” he says and it’s not a question. I nod nevertheless. “Celestia won’t shut up until you come to breakfast. Save me?” I laugh and he helps me to my feet. I walk in shoe-less, my hair a mess and my dress wrinkled. Celestia gasps and jabbers nonstop about it.
I suddenly found the world around me skipping, like a sound track that’s not clean. But right as I identified the feeling that came every so often throughout my memory, it stopped and I continued on my merry way.
I ate fast and silently. Abel is still sucking down wine, but not as much as yesterday. “Caroline,” he slurs. “We’re arriving to the Capitol today. You have to meet lots of people tonight. I want you cleaned up and presentable.”
Something inside me snaps. I’m so not going to put up with this from him. “Don’t act like my father: I had one and he’s gone now. I don’t want another one, and I definitely don’t want another mother, Celestia. She’s gone too, and I’m happy she is. I’ve done just fine looking out for myself lately, so don’t act parentally.” I stomp out to sulk in my room. No one comes until we’re almost there.
“I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t know. It’s about another hour or two, so I suggest you get ready.” Abel had sobered. Sort of.
“And I’m sorry for snapping. It’s only been nine months, though.” I paused. “How did you not know?” I asked, looking up finally.
“I’ve barely sobered enough to talk to you. I hardly know what’s going on in Twelve. Get ready, or I’ll send Celestia in to help you.”
After trying to work the shower and finding a cute little dress and some flats, I was ready to face the country.
Jake walks with me through all the cameras and people, making sure I get there safely. We have the top floor of the Training Center, and so we take the elevator. As we settle in, dinner is served. The food is nothing like home, even though Mom used to cook great and Kade’s mom is amazing with food.
The elevator pings, signaling someone arriving. Two men around twenty-five walk around the corner, side by side. Identical twins: Fun.
“I’m Sam and this is Seth.” The man on the right spoke while the other grinned. “Seth will be Caroline’s and I’ll be with Jake. Let’s get to work.” Sam clapped and three women shot out of nowhere and drug Jake, spluttering, into his room. Another three women, these less exuberant, ushered me into my room as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment