XXX

the training center has a tower designed exclusively for the tributes and their teams. this will be our home until the actual games begin. each district has an entire floor. vivian presses the number of our district and the elevator shoots straight up into the air.

i fight a smile as the movement creates butterflies in my stomach. kit glances at me from the corner of his eye and i could've sworn i saw him smile too.

the second we step off the elevator, all the lights turn on revealing a large open floor with a living room and kitchen and stairs that lead up to another space, most likely the bedrooms. "your rooms are right next to each other upstairs and ours are on this floor," says vivian, referring to herself and haymitch who is nowhere to be seen. "dinner is served at exactly 6:00, which gives you 2 hours to get out of those outfits."

without another word she leaves us alone, locking herself in her bedroom. "she doesn't like us much, does she?" i say, my eyebrows raised.

"add her to the list," kit said and suddenly, i am laughing. kit stares at me, shocked to hear me laugh but then he too starts to laugh. with each surge of laughter, we release some of the tension that has built between us.

my hand flies up to cover my mouth, and i'm angry at myself for letting myself laugh while my father is at home in despair. "i told myself that i would stop mourning the life that i lost, but how could i let myself enjoy this when my father ..." i can't seem to get the words out.

kit wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, gently rubbing my arm. despite the heaviness in my stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of my body pressed against his. i sunk into the warmth of his side, appreciative of the simple gesture. his touch made the room warmer somehow, my future within its walls seeming a little less bleak.

i never knew why isaac didn't come say good bye to me before i left, but now i do. he never understood me all those times we were together. he didn't know why i loved books so much or how they could make me happy. he didn't say good bye, not because it was too hard, but because he didn't know what to say. he never really did. but kit does understand me. he knows he can't say anything to make me feel less guilty so he holds me, and that makes me feel better more than words can.

haymitch shows up just as we're pulling away, but he's not alone. trailing behind him is a boy, with a sharp jaw and angular cheekbones. the complexion of his skin going well with his ocean-like eyes. he couldn't be much older than haymitch. "kit, davina, this is theron, a fellow victor."

"it's nice to meet you," said theron, walking over to the beer cart. "who else is here?"

"it's just us and vivian."

haymitch notices the confusion on my face and quickly explains, "he's here to help train you two. no one can know he's here or you'll become every tributes targets. go change out of those outfits and we'll get started."

i'm stunned but i do as i'm told and head to my room. it takes me awhile to get the puffy dress off my body and the weird accessories in my hair but i immediately jump into the shower. the shower has a panel with more than a hundred options you can choose regulating water temperature, pressure, soaps, shampoos, scents, oils, and massaging sponges.

i choose the hottest water temperature, letting it pour down onto my body and warm my cold skin. the soaps scrub at my body, removing the black powder that envie placed all over my collar bones until it's all removed. i pick all lavender scents.

when i step out on a mat, heaters come on and blow-dry my body. instead of struggling with the knots in my wet hair, i merely place my hand on a box that sends a current through my scalp, untangling, parting, and drying my hair almost instantly. i gather up all my hair and tie it into a ponytail, knowing i'll be training and can't have it all over my face.

i put on black suede knee-high boots, jeans, and a plain white top before looking at myself in the mirror. i look even more slender than usual - like i had lost weight in the past few days - which is crazy because i have access to more food than i can eat.

there's a knock at the door and then haymitch walks in. "are you comfortable training together?" he asks, referring to kit.

"yeah," i reply. "there's no point in having hidden strategies. it's not like i actually had a chance of winning anyways." haymitch doesn't say anything to that, because deep down he knows it too. "why do we need theron if we have you?"

"you don't need him, but i do." he says, there's pain in his voice. "i've had to train tributes before and i... i failed. i couldn't train them on my own. even if this doesn't work, at least i can sleep at night knowing i did everything i could to save you guys."

we stand there in silence for a few minutes, then a sudden thought pops into my head.

"kit can actually win." i say it quietly, deep in thought. "he's strong. he's smart. he knows how to survive on his own because he's an orphan. he knows how to hunt." i remember him saying he ate a deer before the reaping, which means he goes out into the woods, even though it's forbidden. "he knows how to survive."

haymitch processes my every word and i can see it in his eyes that he believes it too.

i know what i'm going to do now. i'm going to help kit win, not only for him but for haymitch too because every year he loses a tribute, he loses a part of himself.

*
AN:

it's finally getting exciting! the next few chapters will be more interesting and more characters will be introduced!