AN: Seeing as many of the tributes are new to the world, I shall be introducing them all. However, I won't be doing the typical "go around to each District and write a chapter from their POV". Instead, that will be part of the purpose of the train ride…
The train ride. I've heard about it from the past victors… This is how alliances are generally formed. We'll be monitored 24/7, by security cameras, to ensure that tributes don't fight but we'll be allowed to interact with each other.
Generally, certain alliances are formed between certain Districts each year. The tree-hoppers band together often, in pairs or trios, though rarely a group of all four. Districts Six and Eight win often in forested environments, throwing knives and shooting arrows into you before you know they're there. Then, in the face of danger, they leap off, quickly and quietly, making barely a rustle in the branches… It is very rare that a member of another District joins their almost sacred circle.
Seven and Two also have forest, but the trees there are big, slippery, and wet. Not good for climbing, much less jumping. They occasionally band up with each other, but go solo of team with a tribute from another District more often. They are masters at camouflage and ambush on the ground… I hope a member of one of these two decides I should join their pack…
District Five is very wet and marshy. I'm not joining a swimmer… ick, they'll say I should swim… I hate swimming…
Four and One are closest in environment to my own home. One has volcanic fields- more specifically, the once-ruined land of a huge volcanic eruption from about five hundred years ago. Now, it's ashy and there are a few volcanoes that still erupt. It's dry, but big, and the soil is fertile, so long as water can be brought. It's dangerous, dangerous and hot as magma still flows closer to the surface than anywhere else.
With incredible hearing and plenty of stamina, we'd be able to work together well. Four is deserty, large and arid. Yes… teaming up with one of the tributes from there would work quite well.
I review all this information as I'm led to the train station. Only One and Two will be on there right now, but it'll be a nice start.
With a hiss, the train doors pop open. Ty boards first, with me close behind. Kisa bounces after us, glancing around before saying, "Okay! I'll leave you to socialize, and remember, nooo fighting!" With that said, she trots off, towards another door, happy as a lark.
I blink at the orange-topped figure before turning to stare at the four tributes that were waiting.
The train car we're in is huge, spacious thing, filled with rich red furniture. A TV is on the far wall, and it's playing a replay of the reaping that just happened (mine). A boy with ashy brown hair sits on the back of one of the many couches, watching the screen. A brown-haired girl, in a plush armchair, does the same. District One.
A head with short blond hair faces away from Ty and I. As I watch, a tiny girl with golden curls pokes her head up next to the blond boy's. She looks so young… it's hard to believe she's twelve. "Hi!" she chirps.
Alerted to our presence, the other three tributes swivel around to look at us. The small girl smiles at us, blue eyes huge, the very picture of her name… Angel. When she pushes herself onto the back of the couch, a wide, black leather bracelet is visible on her left wrist. A pair of wings, etched with white ink, is on this.
Angel vaults over, greeting me and Ty with a cheerful grin. "Hi Max! Hi Ty," she greets happily.
Her brother, Gazzy, I think, trots after her, eyes watching us carefully. He short, not much taller than Angel, and stockier than her. A carved wooden owl dangles from a leather cord around his neck. "Hello Ty, Max," he nods to each of us in greeting.
This pair looks like average residents from the cloud forests of District Two. Small frame, blondish hair, blue eyes, a soft tread. The pair's footsteps were practically silent. Undoubtedly they had incredibly sharp hearing, like those from One.
The female from One looks… average. That's the quickest way to put it. Brown hair down to her shoulders, brown eyes, slightly tanned skin. She looks like she could be from a multitude of Districts. "I'm Leah," she introduces herself, "And that's Brandle." She points to the boy from her District.
He looks a lot more like a normal One resident. With ashy brown hair and gray eyes, he looks a lot like the people of what I've seen of that place. He nods at both of us, not saying a word.
Angel butts in, taking my hand and starting to lead me towards the door to another car. "Come on! I'll show you your room! You'll like it!"
I have to admire her optimism, even though she knows that she's most likely going to die. I follow her, across a bridge between two cars. The plains flash by, tall grass waving from the wind. Angel pulls me into the second car before I can stare too long.
This is a big train car, I can tell. A narrow hall stretches from front to back, squished onto one wall. Four doors lead off of this. Must be to the tribute rooms… Two are labeled with 1s, the second pair with 2s.
Angel drags me along, across another gap, and into another, almost identical car. The only difference between this one and the last is the numbers on the doors. Two of these are labeled with 3s. I choose the closest one and head in.
It's simple, but small. A bed with a woven cover is in one corner. There's a dresser, a small closet, a lamp, and a door that's cracked open to reveal a bathroom. Through a large window, the fields of my home are visible.
"Welcome to your home for the next five days," Angel says, showcasing the room with a wave of her hand. "You gotta change- leave your old clothes in a corner, keeping the token on you. This is how they know what it is."
I mumble, "I figured that." Opening the closet, I glance back to look for the younger girl, but she's gone, leaving a closed door in her wake. I know she's quiet, but she's also very quick… hm…
Shrugging, I change into an outfit I found. They keep typical outfits for District Three stocked, much to my pleasure. I bet it's that way with the other Districts as well.
Sturdy brown leather boots. Shorts made of a thick material. A greenish shirt with stitching that would make it blend into the grass. And then the hawk feather necklace. This works for an outfit and it reassures me with familiarity, making my chance of panicking lower.
I make my way to the first car, pausing on the bridge. The grass is just starting to get shorter, gaining the brownish tint of grass that doesn't need much water. We're approaching the desert.
When I get in that first car (a living room, too, I guess), it's apparently time for a siesta. Brandle is stretched out on one of the couches, completely out of it. Leah's curled on the arm of a chair. Usually Ty doesn't sleep easily, so I heard, but the warmth of the sun washing through the windows is making him fall fast asleep on another, smaller couch. Gazzy and Angel are out cold, sleeping side by side on a mound of pillows.
The heat does feel nice… It's a pretty day out… the smell of warm sand and dried grass is drifting through the open window… Even if I'm sentenced to die, I can't help but relax.
I decide to sleep as well, the drowsiness of earlier stress and warm sunlight taking over. Selecting a couch, I fade off, the motion of the train lulling me to sleep…
I'm woken by a powerful gust of hot wind and sand. Sputtering, I roll off the sofa involuntarily.
Screwing my eyes tightly shut, I blindly fumble until I'm behind the couch. The wind is less fierce here, so I open my eyes, blinking grit out of them painfully.
It's a wild scene. Sand is everywhere, whipped by the wind. I think we drove into a sandstorm… with the windows open, nonetheless… Great job, Capitol people. Great job.
I can barely make out the dark outline of attendant, fighting to force the window down. With a thump, the first of many closes.
"What the hell?" Brandle's voice shouts.
Somewhere in the cabin, Angel screams before it's muffled, with Gazzy's voice shouting "Get in the cushions! It'll be safer there!"
The wind is rushing so incredibly quick and hot… Sand is pelting itself against my lower back, the part unprotected by the couch. Mini-vortexes of sand swirl everywhere, making this place one full of agony and dryness.
Squinting, I can spot a small pile of pillows, shoved against the back wall by the wind. It's just big enough for me to be safe… I dive for it, keeping my eyes shut as I burrow into them.
It helps, but sand continues to bombard my legs. Gradually it slows, finally stopping altogether when the Capitol attendant slams the last window shut. He slumps against the windowed wall, exhausted. He runs a hand through his hair, and a shower of sand falls out. Outside, it's dark, evening as well as a sandstorm. "Welcome to District Four," he pants, leaning his forehead against the window.
The next morning, my bed is gritty. I though I'd gotten out all the sand… dang it…
Angel is banging on my door. "Max! Max! Come on! You're going to miss the reaping!"
"Already?" I groan, rolling over and making the sand move.
"Yes!" Ange bursts in, grabbing my hand, "We gotta watch on the TV!"
She drags me into the living room, where the other four are watching groggily.
"Why now?" I moan, tired.
"Because, by tomorrow, we gotta get all the way across the continent," she explains, gaze focused on the TV, "The train will be moving at a slightly faster speed, but it still takes a long time to get there. We have to set off early."
"How do you know this?" I wonder aloud. Angel opens her mouth, about to reply, when she's interrupted by the escort for District Four on the TV.
It's a guy with light blue hair. These hair colors get weirder and weirder by the day… "Okay, it's time to pick our female tribute!"
I've missed half of it, but the important part (knowing your opponents) is still to come. That escort plunges his hand into a bowl, picking a single scrap of paper. "Raven Ishu!" he calls.
A girl with black hair and brown eyes pads up, strong but nervous. Her hair's dark for the District…
The male, "Iggy Griffen!", is pale for District Four, the opposite of her. He's incredibly tall, walking with careful strides to the stage. He looks scared, understandably…
While we're watching the Iggy on the screen, the doors open behind the group, bringing in a strong, sandy breeze.
I turn to glare at the trio that has entered, Iggy, Raven, and the blue-haired dude. The blue-haired dude shrugs at my confused expression, saying, "That's at least a half hour behind. Always is."
He rushes off, leaving us tributes to mingle. Angel comes across a horrible realization. "More sand!" she whispers in horror, staring at the grains of the stuff that cling to her curls.
Iggy sits with Angel, Gazzy, and I, talking. Angel, oblivious to any awkwardness that might ensue, clambers onto the couch, laying on it. She strokes Iggy's hair, marveling at the odd texture. "So weird," she says, stroking a strawberry blond lock, "Nothing clings to it…"
He laughs. "Yeah. Specialty of District Four. Nothing sticking to my hair! Unless water gets in it…"
"The exact opposite will be with Five, right?" I ask, glancing at a nearby window. Outside, the desert is speeding past. It doesn't seem to end…
Iggy shrugs. "I dunno. I only pay attention to my own District. Mine is the most important, as it is mine."
Gazzy snorts at this statement. "Department of Redundancy Department, to the tribute train car, please."
The smaller girl continues to pet Iggy. "What happens if your hair gets wet?" she inquires, changing the topic back.
"It stays wet for forever and a day. It doesn't need much moisture; it doesn't absorb any, really. It'll stay wet where it doesn't reach the sun for a long time." Iggy pauses, thinking. "Actually, I don't need much water at all."
I'd noticed that. All eight of us had opened the windows earlier, finishing cleaning sand out of the car (stupid sandstorm). The first six of us had eaten recently, a big breakfast with lots of liquids to quench our thirst from the arid air.
The same six of us were hot and thirsty after this exercise, drinking a lot of water. Raven and Iggy weren't bothered a bit by the heat and dryness. I envy them for that…
"Isn't that the opposite for District Five?" Gazzy asks.
Angel thinks for a moment. "Not quite, I think their hair sheds everything entirely. Water, sand, mud, you name it."
"That makes sense..." Gazzy says. He glares at his sister. "How do you know all this, anyway?"
The girl grins, sitting up. "'Cause I actually study, unlike you."
Iggy tilts his head in confusion. "I don't think District Study goes that in-depth…"
Angel shakes her head, grinning widely. "I do some research on my own, that's it."
"Nerd," Gazzy name-calls.
"Weirdo," she retorts.
"I am not," her brother protests.
"Yeah, you are."
"No more than you…"
"Are you calling me weird?"
"Why yes, yes I am."
"Guys, guys," Iggy shoves the two apart, accidently pushing Angel off the back of the couch, "Calm down, break it up."
Angel lands with a loud thump and shout of protest.
I get up, ignoring the laughing and playful arguing of the trio. I head to a window, looking out. It's about noon now, and the transition from desert to grassland is almost complete. We have a total of about 1500 miles to travel, so I've heard, and we're going about 60 mph…So we'll arrive in the station in about, eh, 23 hours, I think.
Oh boy… that's a long time on this train.
When I look out, I see movement in the grass outside. As I watch, the shapes turn towards the train until they're running alongside us.
Grass wolves… a huge pack of them…
They're farther west than normal, but they still have incredible speed and stamina. Before these guys arose, the fastest wolf was clocked at 57 mph. That was a black timber wolf, what eventually migrated southwest and evolved into grass wolves…
The grass wolves keep pace with the train, shooting it curious and cautious glances. One, with a mottled brown and gray pelt, shoots forward, closer to the train than the rest. It looks at us, and I swear it looks straight at me. Leaning its head back, it opened its jaws in a howl, running without any visible effort.
The wolves have the train surrounded. All around us, the haunting cries of the wolf are rising in one song. A song of survival, of a new era, of hunts and kills and sky and freedom.
Angel stands up, staring at the wolves with an awed stare. Iggy is looking at the window, eyes wide, with Gazzy doing the same. Across the train car, Ty throws back his head and joins the wolves in howling.
Moments like these occur only once in a lifetime… and with my lifetime drawing inevitably to a close soon, I lift my head and howl with them.
District Five is pretty. It's been almost a day, but I still have the melody of the wolf floating in my head.
All around me, I can see marshes and water. Sure, I hate water, but it looks pretty now. The train startles a flock of birds, which take to the air noisily.
It's peaceful, and if I stick my head out the window and listen closely, I can hear a rushing noise. The ocean.
The gentle power of the sea is washing away my fear, fear that still remains after and attack early in the morning… We were crossing into District Five from Two at maybe four in the morning when there was a huge thump from the living room/car, followed by an ear-splitting shriek of metal and a cat yowling in pain.
That woke us all up… A sky leopard had jumped on the train from above. Angel and Gazzy weren't as shocked as the rest of us, but they were shaken as well.
The cloud forests were dark, foggy, and quiet, but here, by the sea… Gulls and other birds called to each other in the air, flying on the salty air. I spot cypress trees in the distance.
It's an entirely different world from the ones we've left behind, and one I don't know at all. This strange world… But a beautiful one. The marshes have cranes and alligators and frogs. I think I spotted a rabbit running through the swamps earlier.
The city of District Five was built in a place that used to be known as South Carolina. The full District was spread up and down the coast.
After a couple of hours of speeding between the marsh and the beach, we arrive in the city. It's a low, sprawling thing, not as impressive as Four's place, but at least this one doesn't shove a sandstorm in our faces…
It's cloudy out, and it seems the entire world is decked with shades of gray. Dark silver sea, pale gray sky, the water reflecting with the color of steel. Very pretty, but I prefer browns and greens and yellowy tones of the grassland.
Angel drags us all to watch the reapings again. I doze for the first little bit, until the first name is called. "Nudge Carter!"
A dark-skinned girl trembles as she steps up. I feel sorry for her- she doesn't look like she'd hurt a fly. When volunteers are asked for, no one replies.
The male, "Kevin Carr!", is tall with medium skin. He doesn't shiver like Nudge, instead staring at the ground wordlessly. No volunteers come for him, either.
All eight of us remember the time delay. Simultaneously, we turn around. As if on cue, the doors open just as we finish our about-face. The stunned looks the escort and tributes give us are priceless.
Angel shows Nudge to her room. When she comes back, I expect Nudge to arrive in the next few minutes after exploring.
It's almost a full half hour before she arrives, dressed to impress. Who she's trying to impress, I have no idea.
Unlike the rest of us, she looks like she actually put a fair amount of care into her outfit. I can tell that the rest of us were thinking, "I'm going to die anyway. I'm allowed to wear what I want. And I want comfort."
But Nudge… Nudge is wearing a flowy, light brown dress. Seashells and beads make a belt of sorts, and sandals are on her feet. In her hair is the shell comb she had on when she arrived.
Angel stares in surprise at her. "Why are you wearing that?"
Nudge gives Angel a weird look. "Because it looks good. Duh."
Angel's brother interrupts before she can reply. "Your name's Nudge?"
She nods, a light starting to glow in her eyes. She looks like she'd be a perky girl normally.
When she speaks, however, I wish she'd never opened her mouth.
"Yeah, what did you think it was, Queen Fluttery Buttercup Dia Dazzle of the Fairy Dancers? I know, it's weird, but I like it. I think it's kinda plain, actually. I wish it was like, longer, like, Tiffany-Krystal or something pretty like that. I mean, of all the names my parents could've given me, they pick Nudge. That's not a name you shy away from or admire, it's one you think of as weird. What's your name anyway? Isn't it Gazzy?"
…Nudge will be a name I will shy away from for the rest of my life. She said all of that in one breath.
Gazzy blinks at her, stupefied. "…Yeah." I can see he's confused, too.
"What the heck were your parents thinking?" Nudge gives her opinion without a second thought, "What does it stand for? And I thought Nudge was weird! What does it stand for, Gas-man or something? How did they name your sister such a fitting name when they gave you such a strange name?"
…This is going to be a long ride… a long, loooonnngggg ride.
The train flew throughout the night. I was lulled to sleep by Nudge's gabber, but when I awoke, she was silent (THANK GOD) and asleep.
I love Nudge, I really do… but that mouth of hers could drive an angel to murder. She's a sweet kid, really. I could figure that much out. Her optimism and sociableness leaks onto everyone in the car when she talks.
I sit up, dislodging a blanket. I'd slept in the main car last night, with the other tributes. We'd chattered (mostly due to Nudge) ourselves to sleep.
The curtains are closed, making it dark inside. I stand, moving a curtain aside.
…Whoa.
It's a forest. I knew that we were in Six, but… the pictures of it don't have the same effect as this place in real life.
The forest is huge, trees tall and leafy and stretching so, so far in every direction. The leaves tint the light green, and when I open the window slightly, a rush of cool, high-oxygenated air tickles my lungs.
It's beautiful, but… I feel enclosed here. Trapped by the branches. I can only see occasional flashes of sky.
Turning away, I move the curtain back. I could feel the train just starting to slow. It takes a while to get to a halt, so we aren't quite at the city yet.
I'm curious to examine the outdoors. It's an odd, torn feeling- claustrophobia and interest mingling.
When I look carefully, I can see occasional scratches in the bark. Weird…
I don't think more of this, instead waiting for the other tributes to wake up. We keep the curtains shut, liking the dark calm. Outside, it's noisy and birds are making an odd medley of tunes.
Nudge takes the longest to wake up. When I carefully poke her, she moans loudly and kicks. Clearing my legs from under me.
Oww…
The thud I make makes her wake up groggily. "Max?" she slurs her words, "Was that you?"
Her dark brown eyes widen when she gets the glimpse of me on the floor, clutching the back of my knees. They'll bruise, I'm fairly sure. "Max! Ohmigod, I'm so so so so soooo sorry Max! Did I kick you? I forgot to tell you I kick in my sleep. Oh crap, I hurt you, I didn't me to do that, I'm so sor-"
I clamp my hand onto her mouth. "Nudge…. Shut up."
She makes a mmph noise of acknowledgement, but doesn't talk when I remove my hand.
The reaping here won't be until late afternoon… we waste the day away sleeping, eating, and playing random games. Angel is crushing me at poker when the reaping announcement comes on.
As usual, we rush into place. Nudge is beside herself with excitement. "Ooh, I can't wait to see the girl here! This is so exciting!" She silences herself when Iggy jabs her in the ribs.
As usual, I ignore the boring introduction stuff. It's so dull…
"Toria Holmes!" The female tribute's name brings me out of my half-sleep. I'm curious to see who possesses this odd but cool name.
She's practically prances to the stage. Yes, prances. She has an odd, almost hopping gait similar to a bird… a predatory one. A grin lights up her face, terrifyingly enough. She seems confident that she can win it. She looks only 15, but… I think she could. She may be lightly built and short, but she looks cunning.
Her hair is mottled, an orangey base with streaks of brown and black. This isn't unusual- mottled and multi-colored hair is common in Six. Her eyes are a hazel and gleam with… bloodlust? Arrogance?
Unsurprisingly, no one volunteers. No one does for the guy, "Aley Ryeman!", either. Toria shoots this guy a ferocious glare. He glowers at her back.
Yet again, I remember the delay. The pair should be walking through the door soon…
After a few minutes of waiting, no one appears. Then, I can hear shouting at the edge of my hearing. What's going on?
There's a young male's, deep and very loud. Is this Aley's? A female's shout answers his words, this time sharp. There's a loud thump on the train, and we all look up in surprise.
The doors open, and the escort is holding Aley, while a Capitol attendant is grabbing Toria's shoulders. The tributes themselves are yelling at each other with fury, struggling to fight.
The attendant practically throws Toria inside the train. The girl manages to grab a seat, spin herself around, and land on her toes. The boy is shoved in as well, and the doors are slammed with a threat of, "Don't you dare fight, or else!"
The two glare daggers at each other for a solid minute. The train suddenly jumps into action, more roughly than normal. Some of us stumble, but the two from Six stay perfectly balanced.
Toria turns her head, looking at us. She's even shorter than she looked on the TV. Small is apparently the norm for Six, though. She tilts her head to the side, examining the room carefully. She smiles, showing her teeth. "Hello," she says.
Even bright and certain Angel is cautious when she approaches this girl. There are some people in the world that just feel dangerous. Toria seems to be one of them. "Would you like me to show you your rooms?" she asks in an even tone.
Toria nods, looking straight at the smaller girl. "That'd be nice." She scrutinizes her with narrowed eyes. "You're name is Angel, isn't it?"
"Yeah…"
"Lovely," Toria replies shortly. "Where're the rooms?"
Angel doesn't take her hand like she did with Nudge and me. Instead, she paces around her, beckoning a finger as she heads to the rooms. "This way…"
When they leave, the rest of us shoot glances around. Nudge breaks the silence (surprise surprise). "What did you think of them?"
Across the room, Leah shudders. "I don't like them. Usually, the Sixers are cute and quick-witted, it seems, but this year, they're just plain scary."
Iggy makes a motion to indicate their shortness. "But they're so small! I could fit Toria in my pocket."
"I doubt she'd enjoy that…" Ty mutters.
Angel reenters the room, trotting lightly towards Gazzy. "I swear, I am never talking to both of them at once again."
"What happened?" is her brother's immediate response.
"Bad stuff. They started fighting again. Toria separated easily enough, but I practically had to shove Aley in his room."
"Yikes…" Iggy hisses under his breath.
Nudge stands up. "I really hope they stop fighting soon. It'll get irritating quickly, and I honestly don't want them to get in trouble. Besides, they probably are really nice people normally, and being together is just making them-"
"Argue? Disagree? Please. We've been doing that for years." Toria's voice comes from the back of the train car, startling us.
She changed clothes, and with a dark brown vest and pants, cream-colored long-sleeved shirt, and dark green band pushing back some of her hair, she looks like she belongs in the forest.
Stepping quickly and lightly, the girl runs and leaps onto the back of a couch, landing exactly balanced on her toes. She giggles at the alarmed expressions of those of us that were on said couch. "Wimp," she teases. "You honestly thought we could generate an argument like that from a single day or two of meeting? Come on, people. I thought you were smarter than that."
I stood my ground, annoyed. "We are smarter than that, thank you very much. In case you haven't noticed, we've only just met you two. You can keep your unjust opinions to yourself," I finish.
Toria laughs, alighting onto the ground. She walks over to me, looking me straight in the eyes. Her eyes are weird- that brownish green of the typical hazel eye is marked with flecks of an almost orange color. "I like you," she states simply, "You have spunk and, obviously, from the way you responded, intelligence. I might consider you for an ally if you weren't, what, District Three?"
"I am of District Three, with pride," I growl.
The girl tilts her head to the side. "Pity." She strolls off, chuckling, towards an open window. Inhaling deeply, she turns back with a smirk on her face. "It shows. Over-tanned skin, freakishly long legs, dull eyes and hair."
Something snaps. I am beyond furious with this remark. I respond coldly, with my voice steady, "And you're what? A midget who I could snap in half? A cowardly tree-hopper?"
A growl from behind me answers my words. "I take offense to that." Aley steps forward, gray eyes narrowed. Unlike Toria, he has a sturdy build, and more mid-sized in height as well. An almost speckled pattern marks his brown hair. It reminds me a bit of a leopard's fur.
Now I'm surrounded by two people giving me fierce looks. The others are outside this confrontation, too terrified to move or help. Toria snarls, "How dare you? I, at least, was teasing. But you… you've gone too far." She steps closer to me, standing on her tiptoes to glare me in the eyes. "You will pay…"
I sidestep out from between the two Sixers. "No fighting, remember?"
Toria laughs again, leaping onto the couch back again. She seems to like being above the ground. "Oh trust me, I don't intend on fighting here. What I do intend, however, is to win."
Ty snorts. "You? You have as much chance as the rest of us."
Toria wags a finger in response. "Au contraire, Three. I will win. If you wish to try and stop me, go ahead, try your hardest." She leans down suddenly to whisper in Iggy's ear, "But you'll fail. I would kill you all if it were to get back to my forests." She stands upright again, facing away from me. "Stay out of my way. I'm willing to be peaceful and chatter now, but trust me, come time to be in the arena…" She makes a slicing motion across her throat, grinning all the while.
All the Districts have unique terrain, but this one takes the cake in terms of specialness. Seven is rainforest, full of life and bugs and birds and noise. Even Toria's forests aren't this noisy. It's interesting for a few minutes, and then it just becomes raucous and annoying.
We'd entered it late at night, so I was not pleased to try to go to sleep with the cacophony playing full strength.
I look outside, interested in all the stuff to see. There are so many new plants to view! Heck, it distracts me from my claustrophobia to try to look at them all.
"MAX!" Toria bellows from the TV, "Unless the flowers have screens in them, you're going to miss the names!"
I turn, irritated briefly. I stand to watch it, not approaching the aggressive girl. "Twila Meekins!" It's a tiny twelve year-old. She bursts into tears of terror when her name is called. Poor kid.
"Fang Martin!" What kind of name is Fang?
This guy is a tall, dark haired eighteen year-old. He doesn't say a word or express emotion as he steps onto the stage.
When these two arrive, little Twila is half-carried by Fang to her room. She's so scared… we all should be that way…
Fang is the only one that reemerges. "Where's Twila?" I ask, moving towards him.
He shrugs. "She won't come out. She's terrified."
"I can't imagine why…" I comment sarcastically. Fang gives a little half-smirk.
"Why'd your parents name you Fang?" I wonder.
"Well, Ella didn't exactly seem to fit, so they chose something better."
I smile. I like this guy. "Ella?"
"If they were going to have a girl, they would name it Ella. If it was a guy, I would be Fang."
"How'd they narrow that name down?"
"Fang or Ella?"
"Fang."
Fang tilts his head up. "I don't know. They've never told me."
I shrug in response, watching the group laugh and talk and give Toria weird looks when she says something. After a long pause, I reply, "My sister's name is Ella."
He looks surprised at this. "You have a sister?"
I nod my head, then shake it. "Well, half-sister, really. And I have a half-brother."
"What's his name?"
"Ari."
"That's a good name."
I look away. Memories of my half-brother are resurfacing. I don't want to face them now… "I love him. But I can't take care of him now. And I probably won't be able to ever again."
Fang wraps an arm around my shoulders comfortingly. I flinch away slightly but don't remove the limb. "I'm sorry."
"And I left him in the care of someone I don't like… She'll take care of him, though. I know that much."
"Do you trust her?"
Fang's question surprises me. I think about my answer, remembering. Trix pouring water on me. Trix showing Ari how to prank me. Trix throwing a spear into a deer. Trix watching my back when a pack of grass wolves is nearby. Her laughing and mocking and arguing.
"Yes."
I can trust her. Ari will be safe.
Fang pulls me closer. "Good."
"Am I seeing double?" Nudge wonders, looking at the screen. We're looking at it a bit early, and a pair of kids is milling around on it, talking to each other. We're all thinking this thought, too, I'm fairly sure.
I think one's a boy and one's a girl, but it's hard to tell on the screen. Both are short and slender, both have an identical gait on the tips of their toes, both have the same short and spiky black haircut.
Heck, they're wearing the same outfit and their faces look the same! What's up with that? Blue eyes, pointed face, small nose. Exactly the same on each kid.
When it's time for them to settle into their places, the mystery is solved- One heads to the males, one to the females. Aah. Fraternal twins who happen to look freakishly alike, I bet.
I don't doze off this time, instead examining the environment while the ceremonial things are being read. The final District, Eight, is piney woods. The smell of sap and cedar is thick in the air, and oxygen is plentiful as in the other three woods Districts.
"Hazel Anderson! Please come up!"
It's one of the twins, the female. Oh no… the camera pans over the boy's section and I can see her brother's face… It's as horrified as Ari's.
The boy isn't him though. It's a guy called Riley Cho.
Toria examines the girl on the TV with interest. Of course. Another tree-hopper.
They enter. Toria, not Angel for once, leads them to their rooms, chatting cheerfully. This is so different from her normal demeanor…
Toria returns with Hazel. The black-haired girl quietly heads to a corner, where she sits on a stack of pillows.
The female with mottled hair follows her, saying words in a low tone to her.
"What's she doing?" Nudge murmurs curiously.
After a few minutes of Toria talking, Hazel and her shake hands.
"What the heck?" Iggy asks.
Toria pivots around to stare at him. Yet again she's grinning, showing her white teeth. "I got an ally, you don't have an ally, I got an ally, sucks for you," she nearly sings.
Behind her, Hazel smiles weakly.
The rest of us just stare.
AN: Holy crap… over 6,000 words? That's a record!
Please reward my effort with a review?