The train slid to a stop like a predator settling into rest. Light bled through the windows — too bright, too polished, too clean.
Vince stepped onto the platform and felt the world tilt.
The Capitol wasn't a city; it was a statement. Towers of glass twisted like knives in the sky. Roads shimmered with color, and the air smelled of perfume and money.
People lined the tracks, their laughter sharp as crystal. They wore feathers, jewels, metal threaded into skin.
Katniss flinched at the cameras. Vince didn't move. He was too busy staring. This is what they built their paradise on, he thought. Our ashes.
The System's faint text danced at the edge of his vision.
Region Loaded: The Capitol
Observation Quest Activated — "Understand the Heart of Power"
He almost laughed. Understand it? He could smell it. Effie chattered beside them, her tone bright as glass.
"Now, chin up! You'll be on camera any moment. Oh, they'll simply adore you two."
Vince's eyes tracked the crowd. People weren't cruel, not individually — they were empty. Detached.
They clapped for death because they'd never felt hunger. For the first time, he didn't hate them. He pitied them.
As they moved toward the waiting car, a boy about his age waved excitedly, holding up a holographic tablet that replayed Vince's Reaping. "You looked so brave!" the boy shouted.
Brave. He'd volunteered to die. The irony made him smile.
The System chimed:
Empathy +2. Public Interest +10.
He sighed. "Stop gamifying my life," he muttered.
Inside the car, the seats were soft enough to sink into. Katniss pressed her fingers to the fabric as if afraid it might vanish.
Through the window, Capitol buildings streamed past — sculptures, fountains, monuments of glass.
Vince spoke quietly. "They made sure no one here ever sees dirt."
Katniss frowned. "What?"
He gestured toward the streets. "No grime. No soot. They clean it all away so they can forget who built it."
She looked again, realizing. "We did."
"Yeah," Vince said. "And that's why they need the Games — to remind us who we are, and them who they aren't."
For a moment, neither spoke. The Capitol lights flickered across their faces like reflections of fire.
System Notice: Emotional Synchronization Achieved.
Vince ignored it. He leaned back and closed his eyes. For the first time, he didn't feel like an intruder. He felt like a witness — someone meant to see this rot from the inside.
When the car stopped, he opened his eyes to see their reflection in the Capitol tower windows: two specks swallowed by grandeur.
And for the first time, he thought, Maybe I'm supposed to burn this down.