The 71st Hunger Games: Purity

Chapter Seven - Annie

"I know, that's what I love about her!" I beam, looking at Alberta's warm eyes. I feel someone's eyes on me, so I look over towards the inside of the table. I see Lorem looking at me, his light blue eyes staring daggers into my brain. I knew if I was the tribute this year, like Alberta, he would kill me the first chance he got. I can't be sure he won't sneak in to my room and kill me tonight, as I sleep. He was a viper. Cruel. Cold. Deadly. He was the sort of tribute the capital endorsed, not because they loved him, but because they trusted him, to bring back their betting money to their pockets. He wasn't a human, he was a machine, curated to win. And the capital knew it. And he knew it too.

"Hey, let's take some food on the go, and I'll walk you over to Burundi, alright?" I ask Alberta, taking my apple with me. Mags casts a sorrowful look at me, as if to ask why I'd leave her here with a deadly Lorem and an upset Velerio. As if hearing her silent pleas, Emilio and Finnick come out of their rooms, bickering about something or other that I wasn't entirely sure of. I knew that Emilio won a few years before Finnick, my guess would be about five or six, and I knew that now and then they got into small fights. Not brawls, with broken noses and upset stomachs, but brotherly ones, with joking pushes and hearty laughter. I waved goodbye to Finnick before ushering Alberta out of the tense room and into the privacy of the hallway.

"So Alberta, tell me about your training. About your life back home. Anything that could appeal to capital sponsors, people who would pay to support you in the games," I ask her, my hand still on the small of her back as I lead her to the elevator. I could feel the way she took deep breaths every now and then, as if she was forgetting to breathe, and then remembering all over again. It broke my heart to see such a small girl so upset over a cruel boy, over cruel games. But perhaps that's how the other mentors felt looking at me.

When Alberta looks back at me for confirmation, I realize for the first time that she had been talking, answering my questions. Crap. I did it again. I didn't listen, I just thought about my own stupid thoughts. Come on Annie. Now she probably thinks you're just like the other victors, someone who has no hope in her. I suck in a shaky breath, trying to control myself from getting upset in front of her. I simply nodded my head in affirmation to whatever she said, and hoped it wasn't some sort of self deprecating assertion. This time, while Alberta talks, I listen:

"Well, I think maybe the best thing for me to do is to act sweet, like you. I could answer their interview questions mostly about my twin brothers, who are just five, and what it's like to take care of them. I could talk about how I've always had a passion for music making, and I love to play rythyms on our dinner table, back before we had to sell it for some extra cash. I could talk about how I sing on the way to the fishery, and how if I win I'd love to pursue some sort of career as a musician," Alberta explains, her eyes looking off longingly. I nod my head in understanding, the first time I laid eyes on the capital, as a young girl, it inspired me as well. I just hoped this inspiration wasn't short lived, that it could carry her throughout the trials of the games, as long as she can make it.

As the elevator shoots down, I try my best to keep the conversation going, while avoiding any topic of the games that could cause me or her to go into distress. "So what are some of your favorite foods here?"

Thinking for a moment, Alberta taps her chin, before grinning up at me, the sparkling eyes and sea of freckles causing me to smile widely back at her. "Definitely all the different desserts. My family never had desserts back home, or really much food at all. So it's really fun to try all the different cookies and cakes and ice creams!" She exclaims, her mind no doubt wandering off to sweets instead of the uncomfortable morning with Lorem.

"Oh yeah," I agree, "I've had desserts back home, and now that I'm a victor I can get many of them, but it's just not the same as capital desserts! Have you ever tried the fudge brownie? We'll have to try them tonight, while they're displaying all the tribute scores."