Let The Games Begin ch. 4

After the attendant escorts me into my quarters, I immediately go searching for Len. When we find each other, we embrace, saying every word that we can't say aloud. After a minute, we go to freshen up. I hop into the shower, and am instantly confused by the massive panel of options before me. In the end, I get out, rub water and soap mixed together all over my body, rinse out my hair, and dry off with a fluffy white towel. Once I reenter my room, I see that an outfit has been laid out for me. I pull on the metallic blue short-sleeved tunic, which comes to the tops of my thighs, and the dark black pants. The socks are thick, gray, and warm inside darker gray shoes. I feel comfortable. Then, before I know it, it's time for dinner.

Dinner is the most amazing thing that Len and I have ever seen. The very moment the first soup comes out, I know we're in for a treat. The soup is made of something thick and creamy, but it's dark blue. At first, it looks absolutely disgusting, but then when I try it, it's sweet and almost fruity. There are little sweet grapes in it that explode in my mouth whenever my tongue even touches them, and it's topped with a melty cheese.

After that, the courses only seem to get better and better. Massive two-inch-thick slices of a deep red-brown meat, topped with some savory herb. A salad topped with a tart bright red dressing and slices of thick potatoes. And, best of all, a giant pot of three colors of chocolate all swirled together, with some huge strawberries, orange slices, apple chunks, and blueberries on the side. After I try to restrain myself, I find that I just can't anymore, so I reach in and start eating the stuff with my fingers. Effie looks like I just gave her an electric shock, she's so surprised. Katniss is doubled over laughing. Len is grinning, and after a moment, he and Peeta both reach in and do the same.

After a few minutes of laughter at Effie's horror, which she eventually joins in with, we go into a room with a television to watch the recap of the reapings. Peeta settles down with a notebook, seemingly ready to mark down if a tribute could be dangerous or not. Katniss takes a deep breath and then releases. Len swallows hard. Effie smiles excitedly, oblivious to our worry.

I'm terrified, because I have a photographic memory. If I remember these people and their names, remember the people who cried out in horror as their closest friends were called, the parents screaming for someone to volunteer and save their child, the little siblings sobbing, I can't kill them, I know I can't. But I grit my teeth and prepare myself, because I know that if Len and I are to live, then they can't. And so the torture begins.

First up is the District One reaping. The girl is called first, as tradition calls for; what Effie did was the unusual thing. The girl is named Lola, but I miss the last name because I'm trying to forget her first. She has unusually dark skin for District One, and jet-black hair, piled in a pouf on top of her head. The boy is called, Leon; he has normal light skin, blond hair, and bright blue eyes. As I watch him walk up proudly, I realize that he looks like Len, only about two years older.

When District Two's girl is called, I hear Katniss draw in a sharp breath of pain. The girl, Yuki, is black-haired and brown-eyes. But what's upsetting is that she looks to be nine and is probably just barely twelve. She doesn't look like a death sentence is quite what she wanted. The boy, Hiyama, on the other hand, seems almost pleased to go in. He's tall, with short black hair, and carries himself like a businessman. He's probably eighteen, and I hear Peeta's pencil scratch against paper as he denotes that we should probably watch out for him.

District Three is a bit of a blur, as my mind is still on Yuki and her death sentence. But I'm paying enough attention to see that Miki, the redhead from Three, volunteers to go in. Her partner is named Renzi. But, when District Four's girl is called, I feel my world snap into focus. The girl who is called is young, cowering, and probably thirteen. But then another girl volunteers. Her name is Meiko, she's probably about eighteen, but she's skinny and poorly muscled. As she goes up, she gives the first girl a hug. Meiko didn't volunteer because she thought she could win, I suddenly realize. It was to save that girl. I'm still thinking about this as her partner Colt is called up. I glance at Len, who is looking at me, and I know: we want Meiko.

District Five seems to have a tragedy of its own. The girl, Chii Feirune, is probably about seventeen, looking ready to live, and it's totally normal. But then, the boy is called. His name is Aido, but his last name is also Feirune. I see the smile drop from Chii's face, and change into a look of horror. Aido looks upset, too, probably only a year younger. They don't want to kill each other. I wonder if they'll try and both get out, too.

I'm not at all surprised as I start to tune out during District Six, and then Seven. I gather enough information to see that the girl from Six is named Ruko, and the boy is named Seiya. I'm pretty sure that the girl from Seven is named Mako, but I totally miss the boy from Seven. Hibiki, or something. By District Eight, I'm beginning to wake up and realize that no matter what, this is our competition. The girl from Eight is named Luka. Her coral-pink hair somehow reminds me of Teto, even though it's not even close to the same color. Teto... I wonder if she's watching the recap, too. Probably; it's mandatory. I miss her so much. The boy from Eight is called Gakupo. He accepts it like it's such an honor.

District Nine rolls in, and I instantly like the two tributes for some reason. Miku, a girl with bright green hair, doesn't look quite ready to give up Kaito, a boy with darker blue hair. I think back to Meiko and suddenly wonder if I'm ready to make such a large alliance. It's one thing to be able to get me and Len out alive. It's another entirely to go for three different districts' tributes. I bite my lip, trying to figure out what I should do. Eventually, I think back to one of Teto's favorite sayings: come back to it later. I need to focus on the reapings and then pick. With this settled, my eyes go back to the screen in time to see the the District Ten tributes.

The two from Ten, Miriam and Ron, don't seem particularly threatening, but I still hear Peeta's pencil scratching away every moment. I wonder for a moment what he's writing, but then I realize I don't really care. I glance back at the screen to watch the reaping from Eleven. The girl, Gumi, looks a lot like the attendant that showed me to my room. The only differences are the bright green hair, the outfit, and the fact that her goggles are red and not cracked. I don't notice much about the boy, Sora, because suddenly I realize that Len and I are about to be live on every screen for the first time of many.

Sure enough, we're next. I have to close my eyes before the camera is completely on Len as he's called, because I can see myself and Teto. It'd hurt too much to see us all together, because despite my dreams and wishes, the odds are against that ever happening again. When Len is on the stage, I watch as I'm called up. I squeeze Teto like I want to pop her, and then I'm on the stage.

The rest of the night gets blurry around the edges as I get tired. The last thing that I can really remember is Peeta saying that tomorrow is a stylist day. I walk dazedly into my room, flop onto my bed, and then I'm asleep.