Ice Cold Fire// F. Odair

2

I heard voices coming from down the hallway, a opening of another train car being where the noises came from. Walking hesitantly to the next door train car, I was met with Effie standing with Clay, the other tribute, a look of despair on his face when he spotted me. 'Help me' he mouthed to me, making me smile, but I slowly put my biggest smile on my face, skipping over to Effie.

"Oh hello Ms. Effie, I was just brought on board. But I want to properly introduce myself to you. Your butterfly eyelashes are very pretty." My tone was too sweet to sound sincere, but she ate it all up like candy. She suddenly turned to me, a surprised but excited look on her face. Clay next to her looked at me with a confused look, "Oh hello, yes yes, finally! You Aurora, are just going to be my favorite tribute from 12. I knew I had picked the correct eyelashes to wear today!" She suddenly had turned to walk around me, as she examined me. "Yes this will do, Flame and Aqua will do good with you, yes."

This left me to look at Clay, who suddenly had a amused expression on his face, as if he was calculating what I was doing. Winking at him, I let a toothy grin grace my face, before Effie came back to stand next to Clay, looking at him and back to me. "Oh the sponsors you two will get! I can already see it, the two tributes from 12. The boy with strength and the little smiling innocent girl. You both have a chance, yes yes !" Suddenly, the trin began to move, as it felt as if it were going slow, but the windows showing the trees flying past quickly would say otherwise.

"Now why don't you two head over to your rooms and freshen up and change and get ready for dinner. Haymitch must be in the few cars down at the bar, I'll go get him and tell him the great news about his tributes this year. Go off now!" Effie practically pushed us out of the common area we stood in and down the hallway, pushing us to an opening door, with another hallway, but with a wider sitting room, two doors on each side of one wall.

One said Male Tribute, the other saying Female Tribute.

"I'll see you at dinner Clay," I said, as I smiled at him, before skipping over to my room, the door automatically opening, then closing behind me. Looking at the room, the room had the huge bed in the center of the room, the bed's size being so big, I think it could fit four people comfortably. Walking over to it, I ran my hands over the soft covers, and looked at the huge chandelier hanging above it. The chandelier was nothing compared to the floor to ceiling tinted window next to my right side of the bed, which I could see the outside of the train. Looking over to see a control on the nightstand, I pressed a button and suddenly the window became a forrest, making me smile in shock, at how familiar it looked to the ones behind the district back at home. Leaving it on the forest setting, I walked over to another door in the room, only for it to open autonaticlly like the last, the lights turning on to reveal the large and lavish bathroom. The room was filled with different faucets and controls, shower heads on one end, a bench inside, and endless towels and a vanity full of beauty and skin care looking things.

I feel like I'm dirt in a room full of expensive air.

Walking over to the shower, I pressed a panel on the wall, making the water slowly start to fall out of the overhead shower head. Looking at myself in the large bathroom mirror, I slowly dropped my happy and smile act, letting myself cry in the confidence of just myself. I made no noise, but I cried harder as I stepped out of my clothes, looking at just how malnourished I seemed. My messy brown hair was a mess, the bow had been thrown onto the vanity.

I looked sad.

I could pass off as a small 12 year old girl from the district, with my tattered hair, innocent face and small stance. Stepping into the shower, I felt the water fall down my shoulders, through my hair, and body. Looking over at the panel on the wall, I pressed the panel to close the shower door, making the glass door shift closed. Pressing a button that said 'Warm Water', the water suddenly went from a lukewarm temperature to a hotter water, making me wince, but I didn't mind.