They put us in the mayor's house, in his office. It was decorated with pictures and fancy furniture. Portraits of former mayors were hung on the walls. I sank into a red plush chair. Ebb stayed standing, picking at his nails. The sounds outside were all blocked out by the bulletproof glass doors and thick walls.
After a while, the balcony doors opened and I caught a glimpse of the crowd below, making their way back to their daily lives. Kirrah Olity, the mayor, Wyss, Ebb's parents, and a man and woman entered, along with several Peacekeepers dressed in immpecable white suits. I noted the guns they were carrying.
"Well, isn't this nice?" Kirrah said, clasping her hands together. There is silence in the room. The mayor clears his throat. "Well, it is an honor to be selected for the Hunger Games," he grumbled, "and I hope that you two will perform to the best of your abilities, bringing fame to out district..." He drones on and on and I loose interest. Instead, I look at the man and the woman. On closer inspection, I recognize both of them. The man is Brutus. He won the Hunger Games when he was eighteen, by brute force. He isn't that smart, but he'll be good for Ebb's mentor.
My stomach turns over when I recognize the woman. Her name is Enobaria, and she won the Hunger Games by ripping out the throat of her opponent. After the Games, she had diamonds studded in her surgery-lengthened canines to comemorate the event. Enobaria is my mentor, and I know she's not easy to impress.
"That's enough for now!" Kirrah said, cutting the mayor off. "I'm sure they know plenty about their importance already!" I glanced at Ebb. He avoided my gaze. Fine, if that's how you want to play it, I thought. Clearly, he thinks I'm not worth his time. I'll show him what's not worth his time, I vowed silently. "Now," Kirrah said, "you two can have a few minutes with your family, and then off to the Capitol!" She let out a high pitched giggle-scream.
I rolled my eyes in disgust at Kirrah. Wyss stepped forward, and I stood up. He pulled me into a tight hug, and I buried my face in his shoulder. "I'll buy you that new pair of boots you've been wanting when you get back," he whispered in my ear. I noticed that he didn't say "if you get back". I hope that he's right. We held each other for a while, then Kirrah calls out, "Time's up! Let's go! We've got lots to do!"
I broke away from Wyss slowly. He slipped something into my palm, and whispered a last message in my ear. Kirrah marched in front of Ebb and I, while the Peacekeepers, along with Enobaria and Brutus, ushered us out of the room, leaving Wyss and Ebb's family behind.
Now, in the train, I finger the item that Wyss gave me. It's a small stone, shaped in the form of a heart. Each tribute is allowed a token from their district to use in the arena, and this one has special value. When Wyss and I were littler, and our parents were still alive, they used to take us down to the river on weekends to collect rocks fro the stream. Once evening, my father found this stone in the water. Wyss and I had a great debate over it, but my mother settled it by finding a stone with the pattern of a W on it for Wyss. I got the heart, and we all went home tired, but happy.
My thoughts are rudely interrupted by Kirrah, who opens my car door with a bang. "Hi Ayla!" she says. "We'll be arriving in the Capitol shortly! So, get ready, because we're going to meet your stylist!" She gives me a huge, fake grin,then closes the door. Does anything these people say not end with an exclamation point?, I think to myself as I gather my things. I tuck the stone heart back into my pocket, and think of Wyss' last words to me.
"Good luck. You're gonna need it."
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