The Hunger Games

Chapter 28

          An Avox girl walks in the room with a tray of food. I’m pretty sure its food because I see a cup, bread and a bowl. She walks up to me and hands me the bread. I take it and eat.

          “Is Danny okay?” I ask. I’m positive he is, but he had more severe injuries than I did.

          She nods and I smile.

          She places the tray on the small table next to my bed. I finish the bread, and manage to grab the cup containing hot chocolate. I manage to drink it without spilling it all over the sheets. Once I finish, I put it back on the tray and just lie there, on my bead, staring up at the lights above me.

          I want to get out of this bed. But I can’t. The minute I work my way out of the band, I feel a cold liquid seeping into my vain from one of the tubes and almost lose consciousness. But I don’t give up. I try a few times, and I’m knocked out each of those times. It’s getting pretty annoying.

          After the seventh time I wake up, there’s nothing plugged into my right arm. The band around my waist has also been removed. I get out of the bed, and put on the red robe. But then I notice an outfit at the foot of my bed. It’s the outfit that I wore in the arena, except it’s more new and cleaner. It doesn’t have blood stains and isn’t ripped apart. I instantly know this is what I’ll wear to greet my team.

          I quickly put it on in less than a minute. I then notice a light green hair band on the bed as well. I pull my hair up, not in a braid. Then I see the necklace and put it on, along with the Mockingjay pin that District 11 gave me. I walk over to the door and walk out of the room. The hall way is empty and deserted. I see a few other doors, so I walk around a bit, hoping to find someone.

          “Katharine?” I hear a familiar female’s voice say behind me.

          I turn around and see Joan, along with Patricia and Mollie. I run up to them and hug Joan.

          “Nice job kiddo. You did it; you managed to win the Games.” She says, “Especially with Danny.”

          I nod and tears of joy form in my eyes once again. “Where’s Danny?” I then ask looking up at Joan and put my hands behind my back.

          Joan looks at me. “He’s okay. He’s with his stylist. You’ll see him in a little during the ceremony. Now, go with Patricia. She’ll get you ready.”

          I nod and Patricia takes me to the elevator that leads to the lobby of the Training Center. She then takes me into another elevator that leads up to the twelfth floor.

          When the elevator door opens, I see the faces of my prep team, Olive, Shelia, and Clair, and they each have huge smiles across their faces.

          “Katharine!” Olive screeches.

          “It’s so nice to see you!” Shelia yells.

          “I’ve missed you so much!” Clair squeaks.

          They take me into the dining room. The table is filled with food. Bread, turkey, lamb, roast beef, soup, lamb stew, and anything else you can think of for a feast.

          I sit down with the others and I am served a portion. I’m still a tad hungry when I finish, so I ask for seconds, but I am refused. I nod and look at Olive, who secretly passes me a roll from under the table. I smile and quickly eat it, and no one catches me.

          We then walk into my room, and Patricia disappears for a while as the prep team gets me ready by doing my hair and makeup.

          They take care of the shower settings for me and make me take a shower. When I’m done, the prep team puts me in a silky red robe and gets to work on my hair, nails and makeup. They’re all talking so quickly about the Games, that I barley have time to reply. I find it easier that way so I don’t have to talk. I don’t want to talk, and I never really do. From what I catch them saying, I was on the camera a lot. Apparently I was on the most out of everyone else. They talk about their favorite parts of the Games, and the saddest deaths. They all agree that Lily’s death was the saddest. Olive’s favorite part was the first kiss between me and Danny. Shelia says that she loved it when I sang, though she gave no specific time when. Clair loved the second kiss. They even say one of the saddest moments was when Danny and I were saying goodbye and I ran off. They were so convinced that he was going to kill himself, which is what he was planning to do.

          When they are done, they leave the room and Patricia enters the room holding a dress that is very familiar. It takes only a few seconds to realize that it’s the light pink and white dress I wore during the reaping. She’s also holding my hunting boots. She places the dress on the bed and the boots on the floor.

          “Patricia, thank you.” I say looking down on it.

          She smiles. “You’re welcome. Now, put it on.”

          I nod and take off the robe. I then put on under clothes and then the dress. I then take a pair of socks and put them on. Lastly, I put on the boots. Patricia then hands me the light green hair band and I put my hair up again, in a simple high ponytail. She then puts the necklace around my neck, and hands me the Mockingjay pin, so I pin it on.

          “What do you think?” Patricia asks.

          “I love it. It’s something that’s actually my style. Thank you so much.” I say and hug her.

          I look in the mirror. The dress looks new; my face is covered in makeup, mostly blush. My nails are painted red with small yellow dots on them. My lips are a bright light pink, instead of red this time. Though this doesn’t completely say me, it still says me. I smile deeply. I look a bit older than 12, maybe 14 or so. I look like an innocent harmless girl right now, and I’m guessing that is the plan for what happened in the arena.

          We leave my room and take the elevator to the level where I trained for the Games. It’s customary for the victor and his or her team to rise from beneath the stage. First it’s the prep team, then the escort, then the stylist, then the mentor, and finally the victor. Except this year, there are two victors who share an escort and mentor, so the whole thing has to be rethought. I find myself in a poorly lit area under the stage. A brand new metal plate has been installed to transport me upward. Patricia and the prep team take off to get into their own costumes and take their positions, leaving me alone, which is how I like it. I always like to be alone.

          The rumbling of the crowd is loud, and I could hardly hear anything.

          “Katharine, Katharine.” Joan’s voice startles me as she taps my shoulder.

           I turn around and she smiles. “You look wonderful.” She says.

          “Thanks,” I say spinning around once.

          “Now, listen up. You are in big trouble, with the Capitol, and so is Danny. The Capitol is furious about the protest that happened in the arena. You showed them up. You threatened to destroy them. President Cross is pretty mad about it.” Joan says looking serious.

          I feel upset. It’s not totally my fault. Danny was the one who started it, but I did join in. What was I thinking? I’m much smarter than that to do something so stupid like that. “What should I do?” I then ask her, sounding a bit troubled and scared.

          “I’m not so sure. I told the same thing to Danny. If they bring it up, you have to say that you just couldn’t bear life without him. You have to say that you weren’t thinking straight when you said those things.” She tells me.

          “So, basically I tell the truth?” I ask.

          “I guess.” She says. “Anyway, let’s take our places.”

          She leads me to the metal circle. “Remember, this is your night. Enjoy it. You’ll be home real soon, I promise.” Joan says and disappears into the gloom.

          I begin to get real nervous. Not only is my leg shaking, but my whole body. I’m shaking like a leaf in the strong wind, unable to calm down. I get butterflies in my stomach, which feels painful. This is my night, I just one the Games, of course I’m going to be nervous. But remember, this is my night. It is my night, no need to be so nervous.

          The metal plate begins to rise. The damp, moldy smell beneath the stage nearly chokes me, and I begin to cough. Now I’m worried about what Joan said. There are many ways the Capitol will get revenge. The most severe and hurtful way is by killing your friends and family. I desperately don’t want that happening. I’ll have to do what Joan said. I just hope it works. One wrong move and my family will suffer, also causing me too suffer as well.

          What breaks me out of my thoughts is a beam of light blinding me as I enter the stage.