Finally listening to Sunrise On The Reaping, right now they're all on the train to the Capitol and I just had a thought.
Do you think there has ever been a tribute who DIED while on the way to or in the Capitol because they had a food allergy they NEVER knew about because it's so hard to come by and expensive in the districts, that their first time ever coming across it was in the capitol??
Like imagine being from 12 (or another far flung district) and having a shellfish allergy, and you've never had shrimp because the cost of importing and preserving seafood for a trip that far isn't feasible, and of course the finer delicacies all go to the Capitol anyway.
You spot this little pink thing with a fan shaped tail and a dozen skinny legs. After staring at it for a long while, you peel the skin back as your Capitol attendant suggests. You dunk it in butter and let it pass your lips, and it is the most delicious thing you have ever tasted.
Your eyes go wide. At first because of the flavor, you are reveling in it because you know you're probably going to die in a week. But then something inside feels hot, itchy. Your throat is constricting and you can't breathe. You don't know why, and you start panicking.
It's very likely no one would register at first this is a medical thing either, so many of the participants have some sort of meltdown on the way to the children murder extravaganza.
Only when it's too late to help, do they realize you're somehow turning red and blue at the same time, you're breaking out in hives, clawing at your throat and letting out a horrendous croaking noise. Tears stream down your face, from fear and pain.
And then you're gone. Before the games have gotten to the area, even to the Capitol.
And there is your fellow contestant, scared and terrified, on the train with a now dead body, yet one step closer to possibly getting home.
