Chapter Nine
"We're leaving." Mom declared.

"What?" Dad, Haymitch, and I exclaimed, staring at her in confusion.

"Yup. We're leaving today. Train arrives in an hour." She explained, placing her hands on her hips. She meant business.

"Hooray! Where are we going?" Rye cheered, clapping his hands as he stared up at her in awe. Mom smiled at him, glad he was excited for this surprise trip.

"We're going to the Capitol." She grinned, making Rye cheer even louder. Rye and I had been on the train once in our lives, and that was to meet my grandmother. Rye was only a baby and I hardly remember it.

"Since when?" Dad asked, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

"Since now." She replied.

"Sweetheart," Haymitch began, grabbing onto Mom's shoulders. "See, the beauty about the train is that it gives us everything we need from the Capitol, like my liquor for example. I don't have to go there to get it."

"We aren't going there for anything." She fired back, her eyes narrowing at him as she shrugged off his hands.

"Then what are we doing?" I joined in, just as confused as the rest of my family.

Mom turned and smiled at me, her gray eyes lighting up. "Don't you want to meet your Aunt Effie?" She asked. Rye squealed, jumping out of his chair.

"Can we really?" He chirped, grabbing onto her hands.

"Yes, my little tadpole." She grinned, brushing his messy hair from his eyes and planted a kiss on his nose. He giggled, closing his eyes in joy. I stood up from the table, my eyes quickly darting to hers.

"Does this mean no school for the rest of the week?" I asked. Because if it meant no school, I was definitely in. Heck, I would run to the Capitol and back if it meant no school for even a day.

"No school. It'll be a family vacation." Mom smiled, running her fingers through Rye's blonde curls as he tightly hugged her leg, a grin plaster on his chubby face.

"I'll go pack right now!" I cheered, rushing up the stairs. I quickly threw everything I thought I would need into my bag. Thank god for this trip! Hopefully, we won't be back in time for our stupid rebellion project. Then I won't have to force one of my family members to speak of their nightmares.

I hooked my bag over my shoulder, pausing at the stairs, listening to the adults speaking in low voices. That meant there was a secret I wasn't supposed to know. "Katniss, why are we doing this?" Dad asked.

"I want to see Effie. I haven't seen her since the wedding." Mom replied. There was a pause of silence.

"Katniss, if this trip is because of Gale, I'm sure I can talk him into leaving. I'll just-"

"No, Peeta. This has nothing to do with Gale," Mom fired back. She took a deep breath, thinking her words through. "I want to see Effie and what they've done with the Capital."

"You haven't been there since your trial. Are you sure you want to risk going back?" Dad replied. Her trial?

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Peeta. Besides, I'll have you and the children with me." She answered. I heard her kiss him then walk off towards her room. I knew it was safe to head downstairs now.

I hopped down the stairs, Rye trailing behind me. Dad turned around, smiling at us. "Ready to go?" He asked, eyeing our bags.

"Uh-huh!" Rye exclaimed as I nodded my head. "We get to finally see Aunt Effie!"

Dad lightly chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's she like?" I asked, softly smiling at him. His lips slightly curled up, his blue eyes brighting.

"She's a little weird," he said. "Last time I saw her, she had huge, pink hair and eyelashes that went up to her forehead." He describing, using his hands to illustrate what it looked like.

"Wow! I wish I had hair like that!" Rye awed, his jaw dropping.

Dad chuckled, shrugging his shoulder. "It's a wig, squirt."

"Still. That would be so cool." He replied, a grin now plastered on his face. But my question was never answered.

"But what's her personality like? She's not like Gale, right?" I asked, studying Dad's face. He smiled, leaning down to meet my face.

"She's nothing like Gale," he softly smiled. "She's the complete opposite."

I grinned. This was the best news I could ever receive. Not only would I be getting miles away from Gale, but I would get to meet Aunt Effie, who was nothing like Gale. "Perfect." I breathed.

Dad grinned, planting a kiss on my forehead. "You'll love her." He added before he headed back to help Mom pack.

"I don't understand why you hate Gale so much." Rye grumbled, place his bag on the ground. I narrowed my eyes at him. Was he really about to start this fight with me?

"I don't understand why you like him so much." I fired back, crossing my arms over my chest. Rye glared me, anger growing on his face.

"Gale is one of the nicest people I know," he began. "He's always there for me when I need him. You're just jealous that he likes me better than you."

I scoffed, tossing back my head. "Please, I wish Gale would leave me alone. Jealousy has nothing to do with my hated for him." I slightly smirked, leaning in towards Rye's face. I had to admit, that was a good comeback from a six year old.

"Then why do you hate him?" He asked. I blinked, slightly stunned by his question. I had no answer. There was just a certain vibe I got from him. Something about the way Mom had never talked about him. How Dad tried to make a normal conversation at the table. They never did that for their long time friends.

"I'm not going to lie," I said, backing up from his face. "I don't honestly know." I confessed.

Rye's gray eyes studied my face. They landed on my eyes, checking to see if I was lying. "Maybe you should give him a chance. He is my friend after all." He said. He turned on his heels, marching towards my parents room.

I watched him the corner of eyes, questions began to form. Rye would never think to ask me that. He's never questioned my position on people. And the responses he fired at me were too well thought out for a six year old.

That could only mean one thing.

"Rye, Willow!" Mom called out. "Go make sure Haymitch is ready to go."

Rye come running out of their room, zooming past me. I chased after him, pounding my feet against the now hard ground. The first frost was bound to happen any day now. The days were getting shorter and colder. Everything that once held life was now bare and begging for some color.

I passed Rye, a smile breaking out onto my face as I reached the door before him. I panted, grinned down at him. "No fair. You're older." He countered, furrowing his eyes at me.

I shrugged my shoulder, pounding on the door. "You got a head start."

Before Rye could argue, Haymitch opened the door, dragging on of his suitcases. "I think someone needs to dump a bucket of ice water on your mother. Maybe she'd see how idiotic this idea is then." He grumbled.

Rye giggled. "I'll do it!"

Haymitch slightly smiled, a small chuckle escaping from his lips. "You're crazy, squirt."

"Mom just wanted us to check on you and make sure you were coming." I explained as he dragged his suitcase outside. He slammed the door shut. Rye and I chased after him as he walked towards our house.

"Aren't you going to lock your door?" Rye asked, his blonde curls slightly brushed back from the wind. I had to admit, it was chilly and I should have grabbed my jacket. Instinctively, my hands began to rub up and down on my arms.

"Nothing to steal." Haymitch answered, brushing back his dark hair out of his gray eyes. The Seam look. Gale had it. Mom had it. Haymitch had it. A few families around here had it too. The gray eyes and dark locks. Rye and I are a rarity. A mix of coal miner and a merchant. Dad was a merchant, obvious from his blue eyes and blonde hair, though that wasn't always the case. Prim, my aunt, had a merchant look but was from the Seam.

"What about money? People could steal that." Rye countered. Haymitch shrugged his shoulder, continuing on the sidewalk to our house.

"They can have it."

We entered the house, our bags piled near the door. Mom and Dad were finishing up, making sure everything was in place before grabbing their bags. "Grab your stuff. The train will arrive any second now." Mom said, exiting the house.

We followed behind her as Dad locked the door. We all followed behind Mom, who lead with determination in every step. I wasn't sure exactly why we were doing this. She told Dad it was because she wanted to see Effie, but I didn't really believe it.

Most people from District 12 were now gathering at the station. The train comes about once a month to bring supplies not available here. I've always liked delivery day. Somedays, they bring cool electronics from District 3 or a fancy clothes from District 8. My classmates and I usually get a chance to play with them before they're delivered to the stores. Mom and Dad hardly buy anything like that, unless it's for a special occasion, like a birthday.

I felt the eyes watching us. I felt out of place. Most people don't travel. I suppose it makes sense though. They weren't allowed to traveled from district to district years ago, so it seems unnatural and strange. "Where ya headed, Katniss?"

I looked up, watching Greasy Sae part the sea of people to reach Mom. Greasy Sae is one of the few friends Mom has. She's always been kind and helpful to our family, cooking for us when my parents were ill or watching us while they were out.

Mom smiled, brushing back her hair. "We're going to go visit Effie in the Capitol. Don't worry, we'll be back soon." Mom assured. Greasy Sae grinned, patting Mom's cheek.

"Have a good time. I'll watch over the house for you." She promised before she got lost in the crowd. The loud train whistle made Rye cover his ears and pinch his eyes shut. The black train pulled into the station, making my heart beat out of control.

I was nervous. I was anxious. What would I see on this trip? What were we actually doing? I blindly followed my family into the train. It was very fancy to say the least. Every compartment seemed like it was from a place I had never seen. The decorations were nothing like anything had seen before and the bedrooms were bigger than I imagined for a little train.

"Willow, Rye. You'll share this room." Dad explained, opening a door for us. There were two beds on opposite sides of the room. I quickly took the one on the right as Rye rushed for the one on the left.

"This place is so cool!" Rye chirped, jumping up and down. Dad smiled at him, watching Rye drop his bag and race around the room. I sat down on my bed, thoughts forming in my head. I couldn't help but run my hands up and down on the silk sheets. They were so smooth and comforting. Even though it was almost noon, I wanted to go to bed.

"Just wait until you try the food," Dad grinned. That caught our attention. Dad nodded his head out the door. "Follow me."

Quickly, we followed Dad around the train. Mom was setting up her stuff and Haymitch was already at the table drinking his liquor. At least he got the one thing he wanted. I couldn't help but wonder how they had this place memorized. They all knew their way around this crazy train, leading us to new and exciting places.

I glanced out the window, seeing the landscape zoom past us. It was hard to get a good look at anything. I pressed my hand against the glass, feeling the coolness from the outside. Dad stood over my shoulder, admiring the view too. "It's crazy, huh?"

I nodded my head, never taking my eyes off of the window. "This is nothing like I imagined it." I breathed.

"Trust me, you'll be in for a surprise when we reach the Capitol. This is only a small fraction of what goes on there." He explained, running his fingers over my braids. I licked my lips. I was ready for anything at this point. After all, I had my family with me. What was the worst that could happen?

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