Silence

Eli boarded the train several seconds after us, and pushed us through to a very fancy carriage, with diamond chandeliers, couches made of animal skins and a crystal drinks bar to help yourself to. The train was moving already, and moving so fast the outside world had become a blur. Goodbye District 10 I thought.

“Right! Logan and Raven! Raven and Logan! Welcome! Make yourselves at home, I will fetch Drew and Valeria. Isn’t this just exhilarating?”
“No,” I said coldly, causing Logan to chuckle. Eli, on the other hand, was not amused.
“Well, how rude! There was no need for that tone! Do they not teach you to respect your elders in District 10?”
“Not when they’re from the Capitol.”
Eli evidently couldn’t think of a decent comeback, and so flounced out the room. As he left, I caught sight of his spike heeled shoes. I sniggered.
“I didn’t realise men wore heeled shoes. I’ve really seen it all now.”
“Wait til we get to the Capitol. There will be hundreds of Elis,” Logan grinned. I laughed, before remembering the conversation with Logan’s father. I turned serious and sat down in a fluffy armchair.

“So…I spoke to your father.”
“And you’ll do it?”
I stared at him for what seemed like a long while and then shook my head. He looked hurt, and he planted his hands on my shoulders “Look, Raven, I’ve accepted my death, why can’t you?”
“You’re asking me to let you die and to be okay with it!”
“Yes, that is exactly what I’m asking you! You have more chance than I do. And now you have Eddie to go home to.”
“How do you know about that?” I snapped.
“Well, the ring is a bit of a giveaway,” he said smugly, almost back to his normal self. I was about to shout at him, but Eli returned with Valeria and Drew. I stood and offered my hand for Drew to shake. He ignored me completely and sat in the seat I had just occupied. I tried not to show him that it bothered me, and instead let Valeria kiss both my cheeks.

“I’m sorry that you were chosen. I believe you are the engaged to be married to my nephew?”
“Yes,” I said, forcing a smile “Hopefully I will return so that the marriage can go ahead.”
“That’s the spirit,” Drew said dryly “Bet you can’t wait to get out there and kill some other kids.”
I glared at him “You know, I once had sympathy for you. Now? Not so much.”
“You think I care? You think I give a damn what you think of me?”
“Stop it both of you. We have important issues to discuss, and I haven’t got time for this sort of behaviour from either of you. Sit down,” Valeria ordered. She frightened me a bit. I could see why she was a victor. She had power. Of course, we obeyed. I sat on a couch with Logan, and we looked up at our female mentor expectantly.

“Firstly. Your image. How you look and act will be important for getting sponsors, so you must always be on your toes. Raven you already come across as strong and bold from the way you handled the reaping, which is good, but we need you to keep it up. Hopefully, your stylist will be able to assist you with that. Logan, it’s going to be trickier with you, I’ll admit. As you can imagine, being the Mayor’s son, people will quickly target you. We need you to show us, and all the other tributes, that you can be deadly. Have you got any special skills? Can you use any weapons?”
“Not really. I’m quite fit, and a good runner.”
“How about darts? You beat your father,” I piped up, “Remember? At that party? Surely knife throwing could be useful?”
“That’s a very good point, Raven. What about you?”
“I’m pretty good at darts too. And I can use a sword. My father taught me.”

“Excellent. There is no guarantee there will be swords, but remember, use what you can. There will always be something of use to you. If you leave the Cornocopia with no weapons, it will make things more difficult for you, but even a small stone or a makeshift spear can make a difference. If you’re sneaky, you could use the stone to smash someone’s head in. And you never know, a spear can do quite a lot of damage, even if it is poorly constructed. And if you are clever enough, using the elements can come to your advantage.”

“In case you’re wondering, Valeria set fire to one of her opponents. That’s what she’s going on about,” Drew smirked, but there was no humour in his expression. I felt another pang of sadness for him, and wondered if the Games would change me at all.
“Yes, well, thank you for that Drew,” Valeria said “Moving on…have either of you thought about alliances at all? Or would you prefer to be coached separately?”
Logan looked at me “I want to be allies. My father requested it. I’m waiting for Raven to agree.”
Everyone, even Drew, stared at me expectantly. Logan raised an eyebrow as though to say It’s all I ask of you. I threw my hands in the air in despair.
“Alright. Have it your way.”
Logan smiled and shook my hand “We’re going to be a great team.”

“And at least one of us will end up dead, but hey, it’s all part of the fun,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I swear I saw Drew smile slightly. Maybe we’re more alike than I thought I said to myself. Valeria nodded wisely.
“That’s all I need to know for now. Dinner will be served in around an hour, so go to your rooms and make yourselves comfortable. An Avox will show you the way.”
Though I knew what to expect, I was astonished at the beauty of my room, which in comparison to my home in District 10 was enchanting. I peeled off my reaping clothes and allowed the hot water of the fancy shower to engulf me. The heat relaxed my aching shoulder, and I felt calmer than I had for a long time. But as I reached to press a button, the sight of the wedding band on my finger sent me back into panic. I sighed and stepped out the shower. No matter what happened in the Games the outcome would be bad. Die a painful death or marry a man I didn’t love and never would.
I dressed in a soft pink blouse and khaki trousers, and was just about to investigate whether dinner was almost ready when there was a soft knock at the door. I swung it open and Logan strode in.
“Yes, you may come in my room, Logan. How nice of you to ask first.”
“Lovely to see you too, Ray. You look pretty.”
I knew he was winding me up, and hid a smile “Is there something you wanted?”
“I wanted to thank you. For agreeing to be my ally. I respect and admire you, and I realise now it’s not easy for you. I don’t think I could watch you die if I was in your shoes.”
“I don’t want to watch you die.”
“I know.”
“You’re not being fair to me.”
“I know.”
I curled my toes into the carpet and stared down “What would we be doing now, I wonder. If we were at home, I mean.”
“Probably thanking God we weren’t chosen.”
I smiled sadly “I still don’t understand why you’re giving up before it’s even started.”
He looked me in the eye, before pulling his gaze away and saying “I’m tired of fighting. It feels like it’s one person against the Capitol to me. I swore to myself, on my very first reaping, that if I was ever chosen, I wouldn’t kill anyone. I plan to stick with that.”
I suddenly felt guilty for not feeling the same way. How was it that I, along with twenty two other kids, was preparing to kill, no, murder people to survive, and he was embracing death like it was his best friend.
“Are you not scared?” I asked him.
“Scared? Of course I’m scared. I’m terrified. I want to go home. I want to rewind time and run away with you to the woods. Your idea seems so much smarter now.”

He hung his head, too late, and I saw the tears trickle down his face. Instinctively, I reached out and pulled him to me, and he hugged me back. I buried my face in his shoulder. He hadn’t got changed, and he smelt of home.
“Hey, you’re making my shirt all wet,” Logan laughed unsteadily. I tried to laugh too, but it came out as a choke.
“Let’s just try and enjoy our time here. After all, how many kids get to see the Capitol?”
I snorted “I’d rather be at home.”
“Of course you would. So would I.”
We were interrupted by another knock at the door, and I sprang apart from Logan. Eli was stood, filing his nails in the doorway.
“I thought I’d let you know that the food is ready…though you still haven’t apologized for being rude to me earlier.”
“I don’t plan to either. Aren’t you eating?”
“Oh no! I’m watching my weight. You wouldn’t understand.”
I pretended to be upset “Don’t I pass as a Capitol citizen?”
“Of course not. You’re not glamorous enough, darling. And you walk…all hunched over. Allow me to show you.” He lifted his head high, put one hand on his hip, and strutted across the room. Unfortunately, I had left my reaping dress on the floor. It tangled in Eli’s spike heeled shoes, and his arms flailed wildly as he tumbled to the floor. I couldn’t stop my laughter escaping and Eli glared at me from the floor.

“And that’s how you do it!” I cried. I held my hand out to help him up, but just as he grabbed it, I doubled over laughing again. Logan had to pick him up from under the armpits, though he was laughing almost as much as I was. When he was back on his feet, he gathered as much dignity as possible and flounced from the room.
“That is so what I needed,” I said when I regained my composure, whilst wiping away my tears.
“So did I. But do you know what I need now?”
“What?”
“Food.”