Return to the Games

Although we are from district 13, there isn't a thirteenth floor in this building. It's strange to think that my mother and father stood exactly where my brother and I are standing right now. They made it out,I think to myself. Just as I'm about to break down from thinking about what they went through, Ashby rushes towards me and envelopes me in a hug.

"You did great out there, Rosalind! You too, Everett! You're both sure to get a lot of sponsors after that grand entrance." After she said that, Flux wanders into the hallway where we're standing.

"Fantastic. Genius. Brilliant." he says, staring straight at me. Something about Flux makes me feel less nervous about being flung into an arena and pitted against 22 other children and my brother. My nervous stomach doesn't quite stop trembling, but it is definitely settling down. I take a deep breath.

The elevator dings as Ashby rushes the four of us up to the twelfth floor. Cool air brushes against my neck and I feel tiny needles bristle my body. I can sense that Everett feels it, too, because he just shivered out of seamlessly nowhere. Ashby waltzes into the luxurious room and daintily sits on a plush red chair. Flux follows her cautiously, although he took an immediate right and I'm not sure where he went after that.

"Well don't just stand there! You've got a gorgeous place to stay for the next few days. Make yourself at home," Ashby trills.

"This will neverbe like my home," I growl towards the prim woman. At that, I took a nervous and confused Everett by the hand and led him into the room I had chosen to be my own.

"Listen, Ev. Dad said we have to stick together and I plan on doing that from here on out. You and I have to be each others allies because we can't trust a single kid out there. I know we fight and I know sometimes I might not look out for you like I should, but we can't let everyone down. We can't let mom and dad down."

I know Everett understood me even though he just gave me a pained expression and left the room. It's a lot to handle for a younger kid. I can barely keep my balance in this crazy thing.

I look around the room for the first time, and Ashby was right about one thing. This place is beautiful. The walls are transparent so I can see the city lit up and busy from every angle. The bed is huge with a royal purple blanket and more pillows than I've ever seen in a house, let alone a bed. In the back of the room is a bathroom the size of my parent's bedroom. It has a bathtub with jets that spray steaming water and towels that are as soft as the capital clothes I wore on the train. I hastily climb out of the white suit and step into the warm water. When I'm fully immersed, I let my head dip back and rest on the pillow at the end of the tub. If I were safe at home, I could easily drift to sleep without having to worry about if I would still be alive to take another bath in a week. I let the water consume my face and pores as I soak my hair with shampoo that smells like some strange flower I've never heard of. What breaks me out of this trance is a quick rap on the door.

"It's time to eat, Rosalind, darling! Freshen up and come see what we have for you!" Ashby's overly pleasant voice tells me.

I gingerly step out of the tub, afraid to slip and tumble over. Not much use a broken leg will give me in the arena. I dry off on the cottony towel and begin to dress myself in a green blouse I found with white trousers. My damp hair dangles past my shoulder and leaves spots on the fabric covering my upper back.

"Hi, Rosie." I head my dad's voice before I see him.

"Dad!" I yell as I rush towards the man and wrap my arms around him. He kisses my cheek and tells me he's so proud of me.

"Are you staying, dad? How long will you be here?"

"I'll be with you until the day the games begin. I believe in you two."

My brother has been silent until now.

"Just because you believe in us doesn't mean some psycho kid with a knife won't come up while we're sleeping and stab us! Just because you and mom made it out doesn't mean we have any chance whatsoever. Sure, Rose can use a bow and paint pretty pictures, maybe she'll be okay. But me, dad? What can I do? I'll be the first one gone." Everett takes a deep breath after that, slams his fork on his plate and walks away. The beef he's just been served stays put, but potatoes fling across the table and land on Ashby's skirt. My dad gets up quickly to try and console my brother, leaving me alone with Ashby and Flux.

"So," Ashby begins, clearly trying to diffuse the tension, "How do you like the beef, Rose?"

"Don't call me Rose," I say calmly.

"Okay, Rosalind." She over pronounces my name and I want to smear this white sauce all over her pretentious attitude. "How it the beef?"

"It's fine."

"Now, it must be more than fine. You're in the capitol, after all. With all the grand food and luxurious accommodations, surely you feel-"

"Don't you dare tell me I should feel lucky," I accuse. "Because of the capitol, my parents almost died on several occasions. My parents homes were destroyed and now I have to try to kill my own brother just so I can see my mom again. Now, you may consider that lucky, Ash, but I do not." I storm off to my bedroom without finishing what's on my plate. I don't want the food they have to offer me. I don't want anything to do with the capitol.

Shortly after everyone had gone to bed, Everett sneaked into my room. He tapped me on the shoulder and said my name just above a whisper.

"What?" I ask him, slightly aggravated, but trying not to let it show.

"Dad told me to go somewhere. I thought maybe you wanted to come with."

"Where are we supposed to go?" I ask.

"The roof."

It's after eleven at night, so the elevators are all turned off. We climb the last flight of stairs to the roof and once we reach it, we both stop.

"It's gorgeous out here," I whisper.

"Without all the funny looking people and bright lights, it's basically just tall buildings and stars," Everett points out.

"I wouldn't mind staying here like this," I say. "It's like the meadow mom showed me. It's somewhere I might actually be able to relax."

"Before you relax," Everett warned, "Dad said we should go by the wind chimes to talk."

I don't really understand, but I follow my little brother anyway. Before we reach the wind chimes, though, we spot four other tributes standing in a huddle discussing something.

"Of course I know what I'm doing. I'm a career," I hear a boy say, louder than he probably meant to. He's getting angry.

"Shut up, Ovid," a dark haired girl sneers. "You don't even know what a career is. I know what a career is," she pauses. "My father was one."

"That's Laurel Odair!" I say beneath my breath. "Mom was talking about her when we were watching the reapings!"

"Is that a victor's kid?" Everett asks.

"Yeah. His name was Finnick."

"Okay, okay. That doesn't matter. Let's just figure out who we can get first." said a girl with straight blonde hair. I think she's from district 2.

"Both the kids from three. The boy from five. The girl from nine." The boy from one lists.

"We can get the boy from thirteen, too. He almost lost it at the reaping." said Laurel.

I had to grab Everett to keep him from charging towards the small group standing before us.

"You're not weak, Everett. Don't listen to them." I started to say something else but then I heard a yell.

"Hey! Those are the kids from thirteen!" yelled someone I couldn't identify.

Before I could see who it was, Everett grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs and led me to our room before they could figure out how much we had heard.