Kiss of Death

The train moved so quickly, yet it didn’t affect Scout’s balance at all. She walked from one car to another, being guided by a single Peacekeeper.

The large man dropped her arm and motioned toward the door ahead, signaling for her to walk through it.

As she stepped through, she spotted Reed in the far corner, looking out the window. His eyes were fixed somewhere in the distance, as the trees and sky flew in and out of his view.

At the sight of him, Scout felt her body heat up almost immediately. Her hands clenched in a fist, the fingers so tight they were turning red.

His eyes moved from the window, to her small frame, as she stepped hastily towards him.
When she reached him, her fists went straight for his chest. He stopped her punches for the second time that day.

She moved her hands from his grip. As she stepped away, she looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.

“How could you do this?” she shouted, her arms flying in front of her.

Reed held up his hands, attempting to keep her arms away from him. He gripped his hands around hers, refusing to let go. No matter how hard she tried, he would not loosen his grip.

“I know what I’m doing,” he said. “Please just trust me.”

“That’s enough, tributes,” a voice called from the opposite side of the room. “You’ll have enough time for fighting in the arena.”

The tall figure approached them, his slick black hair framing his face. Reed dropped Scout’s hands, as she pulled slowly away from him.

“I’m Alder Brash,” the man said, before pointing to the woman behind him. “And this is Kari Roering. We will be your mentors. Let’s have a seat, shall we?”

Alder moved over to a table in the middle of the train car, pouring himself a drink. He sat on one side of the table, Kari sitting next to him, and Scout and Reed sat opposite the two.

Geneva stepped into the room, a large smile glued to her face, and she introduced herself once again, as she sat at the head of the table.

Placing a small piece of cheese in her mouth, Kari faced the tributes, eyeing them from across the table. Her pointed look kept Scout from introducing herself.

“I’m going to make this quick,” Kari said, her raspy voice filling the room. “This is my fourth year mentoring. Every year before this, my tributes were killed by District 2. I don’t care if you freeze, starve, or get an infection, just stay away from District 2. Got it?”

Scout turned to Reed, who was staring at her. Their eyes met and they nodded.

“I’m done here.” Kari stood up from her seat, pushing the chair back to the table. Her jet black hair bounced as she walked.

Scout looked back at Reed, who had the same shocked look that she did.

“Sorry about her. She um,” Alder paused, folding his arms on the table. “She doesn’t understand things the way we do. Her sensitivity is just not there.”

“That’s why she won, isn’t it?” Scout asked.

Alder nodded, pulling his hands back into his lap.

“But as you can see,” Geneva said, from across the table. “Her manners are terrible.”

The table went silent as their eyes fell on Geneva’s bright eyes.

Alder cleared his throat. “Your training begins tomorrow. There’s the chariot ride when we get to the Capitol, then you’ll have the night off. I suggest you use that time to prepare yourselves. It’s nothing like what you see on the television. You’re going to be poked and prodded, bathed and waxed, dressed and glittered, until you’re unrecognizable.”

Scout looked from Alder to Reed, at the unreadable expression on his face.

“You’re going to look lovely,” Geneva said. “The makeover really is the best part of the games.”

Scout smiled at her, making her best attempt at looking pleasant.

As the train began to slow, Alder suggested that the pair take a look out the window to get a glimpse of Panem.

Scout moved to the window, Reed following closely behind her, and pressed her face against it. The buildings in the distance shown brighter than the sun on the hottest day in District 7. They twinkled with the glimmer of a fresh wash.

Scout turned to Reed, who stood behind her, looking closely at the expression on his face. In his hollow eyes, the reflection of the shining city could be seen. He looked away from the window, and back at Scout.

“What do you think?” Alder asked, popping a fresh berry into his mouth. “Pitiful isn’t it?”

Reed turned to him. “It looks a lot different on the television.”

Alder nodded, getting up from his seat. “Well, it’s time for your first introduction to the people of Panem.”