I wake up early the next day, changing into a light green shirt and cream coloured pants. When I exit my room I see Noah come out of his room, so apparently I wasn't the only one awake. I walk to the dining area and I sit down for there is a vast spread of breads, butters and jams. I select a croissant and I smear strawberry jam in it. I'm making patterns in the jam when Noah comes and sits opposite me and mumbles a greeting, which I don't bother to reply to. After I've finished my croissant Zora and Mira stroll in and then breakfast is served. I help myself to some slices of meat which hold soft cheese and pickled cucumbers. After the meal I head towards my bedroom when Noah pulls me aside. "What is your problem?" he hisses, "what did I do wrong?"
I blink at him in surprise, for I clearly hadn't expected him to get angry. "You are my problem. And don't act dumb, you know what you did." I try to free my wrist from his grasp, but his hold is firm.
"All I ever did was tell you I loved you. I didn't expect you to fall to the ground all pleased and excited, but I did expect you to understand!" he half shouts.
"I don't want to be loved, not by you, not by anyone."
"What did you do to Brenn?"
"What do you mean?"
"He stalked out of the room in the Justice Building and he nearly crashed in to me. He was furious. And I'm sure he was there to say goodbye to you."
"He didn't even say goodbye, just shouted at me. And what I did is none of you business."
"Yes it is. Brenn told me to take care of you."
"Brenn is not my parent."
"But he is the only one who knows you. Isn't he?" he asks, "why do you do this? Why do you keep pushing people away, especially when you need them most. It won't do you any good, you know."
"Everyone is a threat. And I don't need anyone. I'm best when left alone."
"You may be best when left alone, but you'll also be lonely. The people who love you are not a threat to you. They want to protect you to comfort you, they have no intentions of harming you."
"Why do you care?"
"Because I__" he stops and then quickly replies, "because I don't want to see you break Brenn's heart too."
"I didn't want to break you heart. You know?"
"Then why did you?"
"Because it had to be done. If I am to die. I will die, I don't want to cause trouble for anyone I don't want anyone to be pained by my death. I don't want them to suffer. It is an act of love and selflessness."
"But just by doing that you're hurting people, by pushing them away you're causing them to shatter. And even if you do die, people will be devastated by your death. Whether you like it or not."
"But that is exactly what I don't want. My so called beauty is a curse, it attracts people. I hate my mother for passing it on to me."
"People are not attracted to your beauty, they might be. But what most people are attracted to is your mysteriousness. No one really knows you. People try to know you to understand you, your Grandmother gave up some time ago, your Father never tried but some people still want to only if you let them."
"I know I've been harsh to people but then again its for their own good!"
"How can you say that? People will care if you do die. It'll affect them greatly."
"What do you mean by 'if you do die?'"
"I think you have a hell of a chance of winning, you're as good as any Career, but I hope you don't become a brute like them."
"Don't worry I won't," I say.
His grip on my wrist loosens as I draw it back. I see his face and I reach out for his hand, but he flinches away, turning to go to his room. Without turning his head he says, "I don't want your sympathy or your pity, I don't want to be reminded of my death. And you know what I really want."
I arrive at my bedroom, frustrated after my coversation with Noah. I collapse on the bed and I begin to weep. I let out the cries that I had supressed for years, even before Mill's death. I had only ever cried at Mill's bloody body. I bury my self in the rich sheets to stifle the cries. I hate myself for ruining the little of the life I had, for pushing people away all these years, for losing loved ones. I hate Noah for being right. The tears flow faster than waterfalls. I cry for about a few hours and I eventually doze off. I wake up with Mira shaking me and tellng me that its nearly time for training. I bury my face in the pillows and I yell at hr to go way away, my voice like a croak after shedding all those tears. She leaves but tells me that if I don't appear at the table outside in five minutes she'll send the guards to haul me out of bed. I get up as soon as she closes the door shut and I examine my face, it's streaked with trails of dried tears. I wash my face and I make my hair again and then I join everyone at the table. Someone's handed me a heavy mug of the white creamy liquid I'd had before. I learn that the name of this spectacular drink is Quinoa.
I am led downstairs to the Training Centre by Mira who's complaining about how she hates being late. Mira leaves me as soon as we enter the gymnasium. They pin the number 9 on my back. A woman, Atala, who is built like a man tells us of the different Training Stations. I take the edible plants test first and I get about half right. Noah gets all of them right. I was trying to avoid things I was good at, so I skipped past the knife and spear throwing stations. I stayed at the archery station for a few hours till I had mastered the skill. Noah proved to be excellent at throwing knives at the dummies' hearts. He wrestled with one of the assistants, he lost. But I saw potential in him, he has strong legs could be good for kicking. I decided to give him a few pointers about it later. We were both hopeless at the camouflage station, I'd never been much interested in art and Noah probably didn't have a chance to at the orphanage. We eat lunch in the dining room near the gymnasium. I pile my plate with pies and pastries, for I had been longing for something sweet. Noah eats a creamy green soup with thick sourdough bread. We don't talk during the meal. I observe the other Tributes, most of them are hiding behind a cloak of mystery, but some are very open or at least they appear open. I had heard Mira and Zorra discussing some of the Tributes last night. Some of them had already put on a show and had started declaring their love to each other.
After lunch we step in to the elevator to travel to our floor. The elevator usually takes less than a minute to deliver us to our floor, but it seemed a bit slow right now. And that's when I realised that the elevator had paused. I slam the button which has a 9 printed on it. The elevator does not budge. I glance at Noah, who returns the horrified look and starts to bang on the elevator door. "Noah stop!! It won't make a difference. Look for a red button." The lights have started to dim and he gropes for a button. "Its called an Emergency Button. Every elevator has one, I read it in a book about Capitol Technology." He finds the button, and presses it multiple times. But nothing happens.
I can see him in the dimness. He sighs and falls down to the floor. The elevator blacks out the next second. "So much for emergency buttons." I say as I collapse beside him. We are to high up and its to dark for anyone to see us through the crystal walls of the elevator.
"Sophia, how long do you think we'll be trapped here?"
"I don't know." I reply and then add, "Its getting chilly here, don't you think?" I am trembling, there is one thing I don't like and it's the cold. I hate it. I'm praying for someone to come to our rescue.
"You're shivering!" he exclaims, brushing his hand over my arm, "It isn't that cold. Are you all right?"
"I'm fi__" I sneeze.
"Are you allergic to the cold or something?"
"I don't like it. Make it warmer. Do something!!" I plead.
"Here," he takes of his grey jacket and helps me with it. "Wait. There must be a shaft from where the cold wind is blowing." The light has almost faded but Noah makes use of what little light we have and locates the shaft. He pulls out the slited metal plate that was fixed there. Its small, but Noah thinks he can fit in. He's about to crawl in when I call out to him, walks over to me and stands there awkwardly. "What is it?" he asks.
"If I die here when you're getting help I just want you to know that I have alw____" Noah is clutching my wrists.
"You're not going to die. You can't die. I won't let you die. Not now." I reach up and I pull him towards me and I hug him, he's nice and warm and he smells good. He breaks away and kisses my cheek and says, "Hold on." and he disappears into the shaft.
Noah crawls for what seem like hours till he finally sees some light. He crawls faster, the rough metal scraping his knees and elbows. He comes to a halt before the slitted metal plate. He gently removes it and he crawls out the first thing he sees are rosy buttocks, he gasps and loses his balance and falls to the ground. The figure scrambles for some covering, and throws a green towel around his/her body. The figure pokes its head out of the glass panelled show area and hisses,
"Noah!!! What are you doing here." Its Mira and she looks furious. "You better have a good reason for this." She wraps the towel around her and steps out and eyes him suspiciously and then says, "Do you care to explain your presence in my bathroom."
"The elevator's jammed, its freezing cold. Sophia hates the cold, she's shivering. I found a shaft and it tunnelled all the way here. I was hoping to get some help. And the emergency button didn't work." He mumbles.
"Oh dear, this is serious business, but I'm still angry at you for ruining my pleasant bath and for frightening me." She ordered him to depart the room and she put on some clothes and they informed the Capitol technicians who fixed the elevator immediately. The assistants dragged Sophia out of the elevator to her room where she was pampered with hot creamy corn soup and a cup of steaming Quinoa. It was until late that night when Noah got a chance to visit her.
"You're alive!" He exclaimed.
"For now," I reply. "How was the journey? See anything interesting, except for a nude lady."
Noah blushes and says, "I didn't see her naked, I just saw her back and I fell after that."
I grin at him, "Here's your jacket, thank you." I say handing it over. He comes and sits on the edge of the bed and he takes my hand.
"Are you all right?" he asks gently.
"Yes, I just feel uh stiff."
"Stiff?" Noah asks screwing his nose. "Probably due to the cold."
"Will you be there at training tomorrow?" he asks.
"Probably." I say.
"Well, then I should let you sleep." He gets up to leave but I pull him down. He looks at me in surprise. I have the urge to break his heart again to crush it into fine powder. But the look of innocence on his face and the happy spark in his eyes prevent me from doing so. I don't want to hurt him. Again. I don't want to lose the only person who knows me here. "Is there something you require?" he inquires.
"Stay with me." I whisper, shocked at my self for needing the comfort of a boy who is younger than me.
"All right." he says. He sits down beside me on the bed and strokes my hair till I doze off.
