The Train Ride

I'd never been in a car before. Only the rich people can afford them. We're comfortably off, but not rich. Usually people around here walk unless they need to get to the other side of the district, in which case there are some people who will drive folks around. For a price, of course.

When we get to the fancy train station we are met by a swarm of cameras and reporters. I blanch when I see them. Thankfully, the car windows hide me from view. I swallow and try to calm down before I break a sweat.

"Deep breaths," my driver says quietly. He looks at me out of his rear view mirror and smiles.

I nod and take a few more breaths, and then I open the door and step out to face the mobs. Cameras flash and gobble up my face. People shout questions at me that I ignore. My eyes find the screens for a moment and I'm relieved that I seem uninterested. Then I see Theo on there too. He's made a point to look excited.

I sigh and the cameras catch it as my expression shifts to annoyance and I make my way over to my district partner.

"Hey Theo. Having fun?" I shout over the din and hold up my hand.

He studies my face for a second and I grin wickedly. I see a small smile tug at his lips. I don't know this boy; I will never know this boy. I will probably have to kill this boy. But with all this running in my mind, I share with him a special wicked smile.

"You know it!" He raises his hand and smacks his palm to mine.

The reporters love that. They scream more questions at us that we don't answer. We stand just inside the train so they can film us for a few more moments.

"Wave," Theo suddenly hisses through his teeth. "Make them think you're honoured."

It's only then that I realize I've been standing stone still looking annoyed while he's been waving at the cameras. I smirk as nastily as I can and wave my fingers in a way that I hope doesn't look lame, at the nearest camera.

"Why are you helping me?" I hiss at him. Theo shrugs and turns his back to me, blowing kisses into the crowd.

There is a warning beep and we step back so the doors can close. The train lurches forward then we're speeding away from District 2. I run to the window to watch the land racing by at a speed I didn't know was possible. I gasp at the grandeur of the train and run my hands along the intricate carving of mahogany coffee table.

Theodoros is standing right behind me. "You'll be a sap for the Capitol."

I turn to glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Who is this boy?

He smiles and leans against the compartment wall. "You're attracted to pretty things like a fighter to a rack of knives."

"This is why you have no effect on me." I scowl.

He tsked softly and shook his head very slowly, "denial."

It's against the rules to fight with another tribute before the Games begin, but that deserves a beating. I launch myself at him, slamming him onto the floor, and punch his face. Quick as a flash, he has me flipped over. I wriggle free before he can get a good grip and kick him in the gut. He sucks in a breath of air sharply and I use his momentary distraction to get my arm around his throat and slam him to the ground again.

He laughs breathlessly. "Damn, Liv, where'd you learn that?"

"None of your business," I spit out.

He laughs again then flips us over so I'm flat on the floor. I'm stunned for half a second and that's all he needs. He's got my legs pinned between his and my hands pinned at my sides.

"Never give up until your enemy is dead," he grins.

I snort. "Thanks for the lesson. Now let me up!"

"Oh my goodness!" A high pitched squeal interrupts.

We both jump at the high-pitched Capitol accent. I raise my head to see May Gloss standing in the doorway.

"What is going on here?" She shrieks.

But neither of us really notices what she's saying. I see my shock and disgust reflected in his eyes when we glance at each other. May Gloss is a nightmare! She's abandoned her cute dress and now has on a sparkling gold dress that shows more than it covers and clashes horribly with her skin. Her hair is gold, too, and in fluffy curls. She still has the stone coloured gems though.

"Let her up this instant" May shrieks. We obey, mostly because we're in shock. "Really, I cannot believe that you have the nerve to-"

"Oh stone almighty. She looks like a Rock doesn't she, Liv?" Theo chuckles. Rocks are what people call the tramps that hang around the shady parts looking for paying customers.

I stare at him in annoyance. I was not going to joke around with him.

"What are you laughing about?" May puts her hands on her hips, displaying horribly gold nails and looking down at Theo, which was difficult to do considering he was a foot taller than her. He runs a hand through his hair and I make sure he catches my glare.

"Nothing," I spit.

"Now now, no need to be hostile." She beams. "We're one big happy family here!" May says and motions for us to follow. I snort derisively and march ahead of them all. I am shown to my room and it is very nice. The walls are painted a comforting soft grey, like the soft unconsolidated rock towards the marshes. There's another door on the wall, several dressers, and a bed. I close my door and I head toward the other door and open it. I was right. It's a bathroom.

I jump into the shower and fiddle with the buttons. Because I'm randomly guessing I come out of the shower smelling like fish and salt. I must have used the buttons specified for District 4.

I sniff my arm in disgust. What happened to my comforting smell of earth and stone? It has a distinctive smell that comforts me, reminds me of home. I don't want to be walking round smelling like a fish market.

I wrap my towel tightly around myself and storm out of the room. I see a servant quickly walking past.

"Excuse me!" I call. He turns around to face me. I'm shocked, he looks about my age, no older than 17 at the most. His features are round and smooth, with grey stormy eyes and dark spiky black hair, with an olive skin tone. I swear he looks like someone I watched in the Hunger Games last year... But that can't be right... He died...

I shake my head to scatter my thoughts away from this boy.

"Can you show me how to make my shower make me smell like District 2? I stink like a fish and would rather smell like stone thanks." He probably thought I was crackers, but he followed me into my room anyway. Silently, he pointed to a grey button at the very top of the panel.

I thanked him, and shooed him out of the bathroom.

Coming out, I felt much better. I didn't stink like a sea cretin now.

I walk back into my room and rummage through the many drawers of clothes. I finally select a dusty grey dress hemmed with greyish pearls around the neck line. I dress quickly then plop down on my bed and examine Alec's necklace. It's very... Cute. Not exactly the most beautiful thing in the world, but a lot of care must have gone into making it. I wonder who it was for, originally.

Sometime later, May's back to collect me. She hasn't gotten rid of that horrific dress, but at least she has a less offensive jacket over it now. Leaving my shoes behind, I follow her down the hallways to the dining room. Theodoros is already there with Brutus and Alexandria. Alexandria will be my mentors and Theo will have Brutus.

"Hello, Olivia." Alexandria says, looking me up and down.

I smile snarkily and sit down next to Theo. "Hi Alexandria, Brutus."

"As we were just saying with Theo, you are both a little...not victor material." Brutus says with clear disdain.

"In fact," Alexandria adds, "we are both positive you will both die."

"Well no need to be rude, you don't know what they're capable of yet-" May says.

I send her a look so poisonous she looks away and stops what she's saying.

"Did either of you watch this years advanced trials?" I ask, looking at my two mentors. When none respond, "because if you had… you would see that I am very very capable." I say, my voice deadly.

Theo stares, eyebrows raised. So what, I'm going for the unpredictable deadly tactic. If he hadn't seen them, well I've got a few surprises up my sleeve.

"We apologise Olivia… and Theodoros. We know personally how talented one must be to gain your volunteer permit. However… Theo. It escapes my knowledge how you managed to get your permit when I can't remember you in the advanced trials at all?" Brutus asks, staring so intently at Theo.

Theo glares at me.

"Well I was there." He states. "No one volunteered this year. I got my permit, I was reaped. And you are honour bound to do everything you can to help me survive."

Things are tense and everyone just stares at their plates. Alexandria stares at Theo and I, her white eyeballs looking and searching for something I know she won't find. We remain silent while she does her quiet studying of us. May Gloss sits at the head of the table, gripping her soup spoon as though her life might depend on it.

"Now, I've had quite enough of this," May broke, her voice trembling. "I do not want an episode like last year with Ulgart and Rip." I want to ask what happened between the two mentors assigned to last year's tributes, but Alexandria's icy cold look stops me.

"Now, let's eat!" May claps her hands and the attendants are in motion. Within seconds there is a hot meal in front of me. My mouth waters at the sight.

It looked like a dinner fit for a god. Beef stew with vegetables, warm rolls, mashed potatoes, fruit and cheese platter, chicken and mushroom pies, steak with its varieties of rarity, all sorts of foods I've never even seen dipped and glazed, salted and seasoned, bowls laden with multiple types of soup, dozens of desserts from cakes to tarts to crème brulee.

I ate with the speed of a thousand starving men. Brutus looks over at me, disgust clearly etched on his face. I look back nastily and continue to gorge myself.

Brutus won the forty-seventh Hunger Games, the year where the only weapons were axes, maces, and all the bludgeon-y weaponry. His muscle size gave him an advantage of being able to carry and swing the weapons easiest. He relied totally on brute force, and if that was any other year that would have been his downfall. You must always have some sort of tactic or game plan to survive, to outsmart the others. Because no matter how much you want to live, there are 23 others with the exact same agenda.

But that year was good for Brutus. He killed more than 50% of all the tributes in those games. People fear him, but I know his skull is as thick as stone.

Alexandria, winner of the sixty-ninth Hunger Games, is plain looking like everyone else in our district. Mousey brown hair and colourless lips, except for her eyes, dyed completely white. No pupils, nothing. Just white eyeballs.

Quite creepy.

You already know she sewed people's mouths shut when they spoke out of turn or what they said just pissed her off, but I've never seen someone handier with knives than she is and that plus her cunningness made her a dangerous killer. She was responsible for keeping watch one night when there were only three others left in the Career pack. She waited until they were all deeply asleep then, one at a time, she rammed knives into their spines, paralyzing them, but not killing them so the cannons wouldn't fire. Once they were hindered she delivered deathblows. After that the others she ran into were easily disposed of and she won a mere week and a half after entering the arena.

We finish dinner quickly then we head to another compartment to watch the recap of the reapings'. This is very crucial. I will see how my opponents reacted to being chosen. During the first seconds after their name is called, tributes show how they really feel. We are taught to recognize signs of fear underneath any masks a kid can conjure up. The masks are important too. If a terrified child can put on a convincing display of nonchalance while they are really terrified then they are smart and are to be considered dangerous. No matter what their district number may be.

I don't want to sit by Alexandria, but she sits down beside me and before I can move, Theodoros is on my other side. I can't stand up and move to another chair. Theo won't be offended because it's not uncommon knowledge that I, like several other people in the district, don't like Alexandria Novel. But I need creepy-head's help. She is very favoured in the Capitol because of her creativeness. Any tribute of hers will be adored, too, and showered with gifts.

Biting back a growl, I grit my teeth and stare at the dark screen of the television.

The screen flickers to life a few minutes later and the announcer appears on screen. It's been the same guy for fifteen years so he is remotely unchanged, except that he's wearing the Hunger Games colours for this year: dusty gold. His clothes, his skin, his irises, his lips, his nails, his hair all of it gold!

"That's a neat trick, May." Theo says suddenly, mockingly.

May Gloss gives him a funny look. "What?"

"Wish I could be in two places at once. It would give me a big advantage in the arena." He muses.

It takes her a second to catch on. Her eyes flick to the screen and a red blush rises under her gold makeup. She gives a tiny 'hmph' and looks away. The others chuckle.

I give him an annoyed look and focus back onto the screen. Why did my district partner have to be such a douche bag? He is not my friend, and it was driving me mad that he was totally fine with making a joke with everyone.

He was going to die soon. He has to die for me to live.

The announcer's voice pulls me back to the important situation at hand.

"Happy Hunger Games!" He shouts enthusiastically even though the microphone is on his shirt collar. "And may the odds be ever in your favour!"

"Go die," Brutus growls and then calls the announcer a name that makes May's cheeks turn a deep red.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, since I know many of you were otherwise occupied-" Meaning they were watching their own children being sent to their deaths "-it is now time to see the tributes for the Seventy-Second Hunger Games!"

From the TV studio there is excited cheering and clapping. May Gloss claps, too, but she is the only one in the compartment.

Then the Capitol seal appears on screen and the anthem fills the room. The moment it's over, the recaps begin, starting in District 1. We watch a Capitol man reading two names out. Neither kid even makes it to the stage before their volunteers step forward. In District 2, this is rude and dishonourable to both the selected child's family and the volunteer's. Unless, of course, the selected tribute is impaired or it would be merciful just to spare them from the stage, then early volunteering is permitted.

In District 1, both selected tributes were not only capable of getting up there, but looked happy to be in the spotlight. If you could call the female happy. She looked like some ugly Goth chick, and looked ready to rip anyone's head off if they were to get in her way.

The male is ripped and the female is well proportioned, he calls himself Iowan. His counterpart is Sunshine. Gah! District 1's names are so stupid!

Especially when Sunshine looks like she hated sunlight and anything remotely cheerful. Ivory pale skin and black bangs, dark make-up and a stony expression. She looked like she hated the world.

The boy looks arrogant; his chin lifted up as if everyone in the crowd is beneath him. "Dibs on Iowan," I call lightly. Theo laughs and we shake on it. I immediately regret making the joke and grip his hand hard enough to hurt.

Next it's us.

"Krikia Mice!" May calls. In the carriage she squeals and points to herself, as though we can't already see that, yes, she is indeed on television. Krikia makes her way up the stage for a second time, looking like she might die of fright.

Then I come forth, shoving away children and screaming 'I volunteer'. But that girl is not someone I recognise. The girl staring back at me is fierce. She has long wavy black hair, messily and wildly scraped off her face, barely tamed. Her dark blue eyes shine with excitement and something deadly, though I can't put my finger on it. Her blood red lips stand out on her snowy white porcelain skin, and as she grins when mounting the stage I know she is a force to be reckoned with.

I smirk deviously at the camera, and the commentators suck in their breath. They too, know I am no weakling.

The moment is ruined when Theodoros wolf-whistles.

"Looking hot Liv! Pound it!" He says, holding his fist out to me.

It is so unexpected and so inappropriate I can't stop myself from letting out a stream of profanities at Theo.

"Olivia," May says, trying to reason with me. "Being beautiful will only help you!"

I snarl at her.

Theo clears his throat and points to the screen. I missed him being called out. Theodoros makes his way to the stage and I see annoyance on my own face as he takes his place beside me. It vanishes the second he smiles at me, and is replaced by a deadly coolness.

"You look like a buffoon." I snarl at Theo, who only chuckles in response.

He snorts and points at the screen

District three looks dreary and depressing. Not much of a shock that both of the tributes are weak little nerds like usual.

An angry Electra goes up looking like she's on high drugs but nothing special, followed by a snivelling 12 year old Jonas.

Usually, the technology district produces scrawny, pale tributes that have lived their lives inside factories, designing and producing gadgets for the Capitol and richer people in the districts of Panem. This year is no exception.

In District 4, they at least have the decency to let the tributes on stage before volunteering.

There is some wolf whistles as the female from Four, who looks stunning to me, steps onto stage. She's called Clio Neaptide. She was delicate and beautiful. But there's something there... Just a hint of anger in her eyes and the way she sticks out her chin as if in defiance at the camera. I like her already. The Games just got harder.

"I don't like the looks of that male." I tell Theo when the District 4 male volunteer steps forward. Their Capitol escort, a woman who looks every bit the airhead as May Gloss does, welcomes him up eagerly. His name is Pisces Flip and he is probably twice the size of my district partner. He was incredibly good-looking, but everyone from that district usually was.

"The bigger they are the harder they fall." Theodoros Gift isn't worried. Or at least doesn't he show it.

Even though this Pisces is automatically in our alliance, I don't like him. He's a threat. Oh sure he'll be a powerful ally, but I plan to get rid of this one as soon as possible.

The District 5 female is called Leone and looks so average I know she is a bloodbath. The only thing interesting about the male is his name: Cosmo. And the fact that it is too easy to tell that he's blind. Bloodbath.

District 6 reaped a young girl called Felicity that looked so tiny I could snap her in half. Her district partner Webster looks average. No surprises there.

Seven produces siblings. Sibylline Forbes and Hart Forbes. Sibylline can't go for the sexy approach, due to a bad case of acne. Hart however was a nice piece of eye-candy.

District 8's stranger-to-nature tributes really don't have a chance. The female, I think she's called Cotton, actually starts crying and Peacekeepers have to pull the girl away from her mother. I sigh and put my head in my hands. The male, however, is nothing like Cotton. They call the name, "Kingsley" and almost immediately, a boy comes out of the seventeen-year-old pen. His hair is coal black and his eyes are deep green. Green like the leaves on an evergreen, but with a hint of emerald in the depths. His eyes and his face are calm. It's spooky. As he passes the eighteen-year-old pen, a girl leans forward and yanks him towards her, and then she kisses him for everyone to see. My mouth falls open and Theo groans in annoyance. He's surprised, but as he mounts the stage, he has a new found confidence, and seems way too cocky. I narrow my eyes.

District 9's tributes are pathetic. A bimbo named Barbie goes up, flipping her peroxide blonde hair and winking at the audience. What danger is she going to do? Flirt me to death? The male is also uninteresting. Oscar walks up, fear evident in his eyes.

District 10 is startling. The female tribute, India, is tall, and has rich dark skin, her hair so thick and dark it's like staring into an abyss. When the male is called, there is quite a commotion. The camera zeros in on two kids in the twelve-year-old pen and are twins, by the looks of it. They have the same dark skin and spiky black hair of their district. Their hair is cropped very short, but shabby and they both look thin.

The little kid stumbles and falls to the ground. Almost everyone seems afraid to help him, save one lone boy from the seventeen's section. He helps him up, and grasps his hands, and twines his fingers with his own. The selected tribute allows him to be guided up to the stage while the other is whispering in his ear. The boy's twin hurries through the crowd and follows the two others, skipping to keep up with the older boy's long stride. The twin holds the boy's other hand, and he almost smiles.

It's unmistakable that the older boy is the boy's older brother. They are all a family.

"Charlie Taunt!" Their carrot-faced escort announces in his high-pitched voice. "You may go down now," he adds to Charlie's brothers.

"No, I volunteer. My name Dominic Taunt." Says the twin.

The older boy looks furious and shakes his head.

"No, I volunteer. My name is Cain Taunt." And then to his younger brothers. "Go down now. Take Charlie to mum."

Dominic helps Charlie back down to the crowd and they hurry over to a weeping woman standing at the side-lines.

Cain stares after them longingly, but shakes his head and looks forward, wearing a steely expression.

The final shots are of the tributes shaking hands, a close up, then them being lead to the Justice Building.

11 aren't going to be an issue. I make mental note to wipe out the female quickly. The female is called Ambrosia. She has a fiery defiance in her eyes, and will prove a problem. The boy's name is so idiotic I struggle not to laugh. Black Berry.

"And finally, the coal district." Alexandria says dully. We share opinions about the slummy district.

The escort, a pink-haired woman, calls out a petite blonde fifteen-year-old girl named Cinder, then an olive skinned boy called Cameo. He is unimpressive and dark-haired. The tributes from that district are always one or the other. The commentators comment about how few people clap but that's nothing new. There are the final close-ups and I see both tributes are dead scared then it cuts to the anthem and seal again. The commentators wish us a Happy Hunger Games then bid us farewell and the screen goes dark.

May Gloss clasps her hands together. "Alright children, head back to your rooms now. You'll both need plenty of rest! Tomorrow is the big day! We'll be in the Capitol and you'll be getting ready for the Opening Ceremonies!"

Oh goody.

"When will we arrive?" I ask.

"Just after breakfast."

That didn't really answer my question, but I don't bother to rephrase it for miss stupid. I bid everyone goodnight and crawl into bed, after putting some cozy jammies on.

I drop to sleep the second my head hits the pillow.