She looked at him, eyes wide. "I think I'm going to throw up," she said quietly. Her stomach wrenched due to the smell and she stood up suddenly, running from the train car. Great first impression, huh, Julia… She found some kind of metal can a few cars down and threw up into it. She pulled her hair back and knotted it behind her head, breathing heavily. The smell of her own puke made her throw up again. How can I win the Hunger Games if I can't even make it to the Capitol without throwing up?
Lukas stood up, watching her run from the car. As soon as she left his sight, he turned to Haymitch, glaring. "Thanks for that, Haymitch." he snarled, weaving as much venom into his voice as possible. Lukas started after Julia, thoughts racing in his head. Why would he do that, knowing Julia's reaction to the smell? What kind of mentor is he?
He caught a glance of her, hunched over a trash can. Taking her hair from her hand and holding it back, he comfortingly ran a hand up and down her back. "You okay?" he asked softly.
Julia gasped before realizing that it was only Lukas. She sighed and relaxed. "Yeah. The smell just… I couldn't stand it. I'm sorry," she said weakly. "What am I supposed to do when I get in the arena? I can't even contain myself at the smell of liquor. I'm not going to win at all and where will my parents be?" She felt an intense pang in her heart as she mentioned her parents. She closed her eyes tightly, still breathing heavily. "I miss them so much already."
"Hey, hey," Lukas soothed. "There's not going to be any liquor in the arena, and it's alright if you're getting a little sick from it." He noticed her breathing, and ran his hand in circles on her back. "You're going to win, and I'll carry you to the finish line if I have to. For your parents, and for your sisters," He hoped his words were comforting her. Lukas never thought he was good at calming people down, since he's never had any experience until now.
"You don't have to do that. You barely know me," Julia pointed out. "All you know is that I'm an unfortunate girl who was picked for the Hunger Games after she'd already lost her three oldest sisters in the Games." She made herself sound pitiful so that Lukas would realize how low she'd come and would just walk away, realizing that she was a hopeless case. A sudden thought hit her. "What if someone in the arena finds out and gets liquor from a sponsor and makes me throw up and kills me?" she asked fearfully, her mind going to absolute worst case scenario, like always.
"Well, you barely know me, yet you comforted me when my anxiety spiked," Lukas said gently, shooting a small smile. He didn't want to upset her even further. "And no one's going to find about the alcohol, I doubt that Haymitch and Effie are going to sell out their own tribute." He laughed a little, but his face turned serious.
"But really, Julia, listen. Your three sisters don't define how well you're going to do in the Hunger Games. And all you have to do is take that bad luck, and turn it around for you. Use it to your advantage. Win."
"You have anxiety? Is that why you freaked out at the Reaping?" she asked quietly. The burning in her throat from the vomit beginning to die down and her breathing returned to normal as well. He was better than he knew at calming people down.
"Uh, yeah, I do," Lukas said softly, almost afraid of the words he was speaking. "I just couldn't stand everyone looking at me. It felt like I was burning alive." There was a faraway look in his eyes, remembering the times his anxiety rose too high. Something about being looked at freaked Lukas out; he didn't like to be picked apart and pulled into pieces.
Julia knew the feeling. Every day after the reapings, people would stare at her as she walked through the Hob. Whispers bounced off of her constantly.
"Did you see her? The girl who got reaped: That's her sister." Mothers would usher their children away and say, "Stay away from her. She's bad luck." And it was true: She was. At this point, even Julia believed it. Who else could possibly be so unfortunate?
"Is there anything that I can do to help?" she asked, moving the trash can away so she didn't throw up again.
"I, uh, it depends," Lukas said, rubbing the back of his head. "In big crowds I get nervous, or when a lot of people are looking at me." He felt uncomfortable talking about his anxiety, this evident as he shifted his feet.
"We can talk about something else if you like," she suggested, observantly noticing his uneasy stance. "Perhaps we should rejoin Haymitch?"
“Please,” Lukas was grateful that Julia noticed his nervousness. People usually kept on talking, whether they noticed his discomfort or not. “And we can join Haymitch.” he added, stomach rumbling as if on cue. Lukas turned red. Really stomach, right now?
Julia looked at him kindly. "If you're that hungry, we really should be getting back," she said, standing up shakily. Between the kneeling and vomiting, she was mildly light headed.
Lukas grew concerned as he saw her slightly trembling. "Do you need help, or do you got it?" His hands were placed out before him, in case Julia suddenly decided to crash.
She tried to take a step, but her whole body felt too light and she tumbled forward, into Lukas's arms. She gasped and tried to stand again, this time succeeding. "I might need… a little help," she admitted. Her vision blurred for the briefest moment, but she managed to blink it away.
Lukas smiled softly, a light blush on his cheeks. "Here," He wrapped an arm around Julia's waist, making sure she could lean on him if needed. This is the closest I've been to a girl in almost a year…
"Thank you," she said quietly, relying heavily on him to stand. "We should be getting back. Haymitch is probably wondering where…" She stopped talking realizing how pathetic the words would sound. Haymitch was too drunk to even realize they'd both left.
"It's no problem, I'm happy to help," Lukas said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. He led them back to the dining cart, pausing if Julia needed any breaks.
She gave him a grateful smile for the help and sat back in her seat. Haymitch was watching them.
"So…" he began. "Feeling better?"
Julia nodded and didn't look at him. "You should eat something," she told Lukas, taking a small roll for herself.
Lukas plopped down in his seat beside Julia, almost sinking into the soft cushion. "I will," he said, already reaching for one of the rolls that she had grabbed. They looked soft and doughy; almost exactly like the pastries his dad would bring home from the Mellark's bakery. His heart was hit with a pang of homesickness, and his hand faltered for a moment, before he grabbed another. Lukas would relish in eating as much as he could.
She noticed his brief pause and figured that he was as homesick as she was. Just thinking about it made her stomach twist. She missed her parents more than anything… for the millionth time that day.
Haymitch spoke up again. "So… what're your names?"
"Names Lukas," he said with a bit of edge in his voice. Shouldn't Haymitch know their names? They are District 12's chance of winning a Hunger Games. He took another bite out of the roll, which was perfectly warm and buttery. Not as good as the Mellark's though.
"Julia," she answered shyly. Her eyes kept darting around nervously, but she was glad that Lukas was eating.
"Well, Lukas. Julia. Is there anything you want to say?" Haymitch slurred.
"Yeah, how about stay sober?" Lukas said with a pointed look at Haymitch. God, he hated drunkards; always stumbling around, spilling half-truths.
Haymitch frowned. "You should watch your mouth," he mumbled, fitting Lukas's stereotype perfectly by stumbling from the car.
Julia looked at her lap until Haymitch was gone, then she raised her gaze. "That wasn't very nice," she said quietly, partially hoping that he wouldn't hear her.