Safe and Sound

Chapter Three - Happy Hunger Games

At Effie's words, I snapped my head up, not quite sure if I had heard correctly, which was most unlikely. My name was weird and would be very hard to be mistaken with anybody, especially in a Capitol accent. As the realisation kicked in for real, I felt all my muscles freeze and my breath catch in my windpipe, not wanting to come out just yet. I could hear my own heartbeat as it picked up and thumped loudly against my ribcage. No one said anything. No one volunteered. Who would? I knew everybody, but they didn't know me. I didn't have friends or somebody who would sacrifice themselves for me, seeing as volunteering could be practically viewed as a sacrifice.

"Where is she, I know she's there! Come on, Harper! Don't be shy, I won't bite!" Effie then chirped, letting out a funny little laugh at her not very humorous joke. Deciding I would stay strong and the fact the whole of Panem was watching made me take in one last breath and step forward to make my way slowly through the crowd of people. As I walked, everyone seemed to part like the Red Sea, which made it one hundred times more daunting and frightening. I knew all the cameras were on me as I climbed the steps onto the stage. I tried to hold my head high, for my father, but I was struggling. I ended up looking at the stage floor as Effie placed me on my spot. Effie then teetered over to the boy's bowl. "Lovely! Now, for the boys!"

I couldn't bare to watch who my fellow tribute was going to be. I didn't want to know. I didn't want to be in this situation. I wanted to go home to find my sister alive and my father well...but we never get what we want in this cruel world. I heard Effie trot back to the podium and smooth out the piece of paper, I heard the crowd draw in a breath and I heard the tribute's name.

"Grayson Stengard!" I looked up once more as I spotted the boy who stopped my father from going hungry for three nights step up and onto the stage after no one had volunteered as tribute. As he walked towards Effie, I caught his eye, but only for a millisecond. This couldn't get any worse. This was how I was to thank him - slaughter him in an arena while the whole country watched on. Yeah, that would make us square!

"Well, isn't this lovely! Everybody, let's give a big round of applause for our brave, new tributes for District Twelve!" Effie chirped. A few people clapped, but it was much less than even half heartedly. No one would want to clap for the two, innocent kids who were going to be locked in an arena and be turned into wild savages trying to survive by having no mercy and fighting with one another to the death.

With that, the Mayor reads out the Treaty of Treason, much like he did every year. His words didn't fully register in my mind because I was thinking too much about my father who was probably watching me stand here via his TV.

"Whatever happens." I muttered so quietly and so discretely that my lips barely moved. I hoped nobody had caught that or had noticed. I didn't think they had.

At long last, the Mayor finished reading out the Treaty of Treason. and gestured for Grayson and I to shake hands. As I touched Grayson's hand, something about the connection made me shiver. His hands were warm and quite soft, but they made me feel cold. I didn't like it. We just stood there, gripping each other's hands as if we were trying to pass electric currents through them, until at last, Grayson let go. We both then turned the face the crowd and the anthem of Panem started to play.

When the anthem finished, we were lead through the door of the Justice Building by a group of Peacekeepers. We were placed in separate rooms. I looked about my room, admiring the sheer beauty of the interior design. I sat myself down on the, frankly quite comfortable, sofa and sat back and waited for my family to come for hour long time slot. This could well be the last time you see your family, don't ruin it. I shook the negative voices out of my head and stared at the door, waiting for my mother and father.

The minutes went on until at last, my mother came in supporting my decrepit father, who was now actually crying. I ran forwards and engulfed my weak father in a tight, yet gentle hug.

"F-father, I am so, so sorry." I whispered into the crook of his neck. My father pushed himself away from my mother so he could hug me back, but properly. Because of his weak body, his knees buckled, but I caught him mid-fall and lead my father over to the sofa, setting him down.

"S-sit on my lap. Be m-my little girl again." He said. Instantly, I carefully placed myself down on my father's lap, snuggling into his frail chest. My father used to be quite muscular from working in the mines, but now he was thin and weak, almost crippled from his illness. All because of the mines. He reached out and stroked my cheek once more, "I-I want you t-to go out there a-and do your be-best to win. N-not just for me, bu-but for Rose and your mother. Bu-but, whatever happens, d-don't let the Games cha-change you. Stay yourself, s-stay as my daughter. Promise?"

"I promise. Always." After a few more moments of hugging my father, my mother wanted to talk to me, so she lifted me off his lap and placed me down next to him on the sofa. She then kneeled down in front of me and clasped my hands in hers, enclosing them in her warmth.

"Harper. Listen to me and listen to me closely. I know I haven't been the best mother recently, especially since...ever since little Rose's d-death, but I promise that I will do everything I can to send you something when you're in that arena. If you are to die, I want you to go down fighting with the honour of District Twelve and the love of your family. Ignore all those people who told you no, who called you weak. You are a strong, intelligent and brave girl. You fire your arrows into the sunset and never give up on hope and the odds." She said, squeezing my hands. Tears suddenly made their way out of my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. My mother reached up and wiped them away with her thumb. I looked her in the eye.

"Mother, I'm not strong or brave and I don't feel intelligent. I'm scared and feel so alone and isolated, even with you and father here with me, I'm cut off from you." I whispered, my voice breaking from the tears clamming up my throat, "I'm afraid."

"Harper Anselin, it's fine to be scared. Just because you're afraid does not mean that you are any less brave. Harper, you are the bravest person and I know and the bravest person you know. You have to believe me on this one. For me, be a mockingjay, prove the Capitol wrong." With those words, I threw myself into my mother's arms. We were both kneeling on the floor, arms slung around each other's necks. I knew my tears were staining her dress, but she didn't object like the usual mother would. In fact, this was my usual mother. She wasn't spiteful, selfish or grief stricken. She was the supportive, kind and wonderful mother that I loved.

After a long while of supportive words, hugging and holding back tears, the Peacekeepers opened the door and started walking towards us. They honestly weren't very peaceful for Peacekeepers. They pulled my mother up and onto her feet and tried to start on my father, but he was more reluctant. He lunged at me with all his might, holding onto me. I could tell it hurt him, but he seemed very determined to say something. I held onto him and as I did so, I felt him slip something into my left hand as the Peacekeepers started trying to drag him out of my grip.

"F-for luck. Goodbye, my beautiful daughter. S-stay strong." With that, my weak father was torn from me and the door slammed, separating me from both my mother and father. I stared at the door, but was then marched out of the Justice Building and to the car that would take us to the train which would take us to the Capitol, where we would be surrounded by cameras, unfamiliar people and, eventually, death.

As I was, rather forcefully, sat down in the car, I opened my left palm and had to choke back a sob as I stared at what was held in my hand. It was Rose's red ribbon, glittering in its silky way in my pale, shaking hand. It was my token, my one thing I could take from home into the Games. I stroked the silky ribbon, then wrapped it around my wrist several times before trying it off with a neat bow. I knew how to tie a bow because I used this very ribbon for securing my sister's hair in its very short, mouse brown, curly ponytail. I missed that ponytail and even more so, the ponytail's owner. But death could never be undone.

Never.

* * *

The car then pulled up outside the train station and I knew I was in for the most in one place cameras so far. Mentally preparing myself, I tugged on the ribbon around my wrist. I was taken from the car and lead through the station, towards the train. I had never seen a car before, let alone a train, so I was naturally quite shocked. However, despite my slightly amazement, I managed to keep a straight face. So did Grayson. He was doing an amazing job of staying emotionless or at least, keeping his emotions hidden. I feared that my face was still red from crying when my mother and father came to see me. Already, I was showing off weakness. Great, I won't even last a day at this rate.

Grayson and I were forced to stand in the doorway so the Capitol and the whole of Panem could get a good look at us. I could see the pair of us into he huge screen, both looking equally emotionless, but you could tell I had been crying earlier. Grayson's thick, messy hair was messier than ever, presumably from being hugged by family members and friends. Looking at him in the screen, I almost felt secure. Grayson had saved my father for three nights. No, no, no! Stop it, Harper! You're beginning to think of him as an acquaintance, much less someone you have to kill. You are going to get hurt, so stop thinking. Just look bored and you'll be fine. looked away from the screen and looked directly into the cameras, trying to ignore the odd feelings and arguments going on inside my head.

When at long last, the doors are finally shut, the train started up instantly. The shock and speed of the moment literally swept me off my feet, sending me flying into Grayson, who also stumbled slightly. I had squeezed my eyes shut as an instinct, so it scared me that when I opened them, I was staring right into those pained yet beautiful, green-blue eyes. I looked down to find that I was practically leaning on poor Grayson, who was bent over backwards slightly as to not drop the two of us and injure each other.

"I am so sorry!" I squeaked, jumping off of the boy, letting go of his arms and feeling a blush rise up to my cheeks. Grayson gathered himself together and waved it off.

"It's fine, you don't weigh much. I am just thankful it wasn't Haymitch diving at me, he's particularly good at falling over, as demonstrated on many different occasions." Grayson replied, brushing himself down. I almost smiled at his light humour, but I wasn't really in the mood for smiling at this present time, even though it would probably be good for me to do so. I noticed Effie was giving us both a very odd look each, almost repulsed at my coordination and balance skills. All I was thankful for was that that manoeuvre of mine wasn't caught on camera. This was a great relief and it seemed that at last, the odds seemed to be warming up to me, almost being in my favour. Well, not quite. But it was a major improvement from earlier.

All I was aware of was that it was going to get much, much worse. It was the Hunger Games, after all.