DAY 1 THE TRAIN
The room that Thomas and Terni walked into was so incredible that it stopped them in their tracks. The room was completely decorated in strange fancy materials from the floor to the ceiling. A long carpet decorated with patterns of shapes and lines stretched across the floor. Luxurious cushions next to circular tables were clustered against the wall. A large flat screen TV was attached to the wall tuned to the show The Mysteries Of The Old Grid. "Well sit down" Effie said pointing to the cushion. Thomas and Terni sat.
"I am Effie Trinket if you didn't already know that", Effie said. "I shall be your escort from now until the hunger games arrive. All this you see around you is here because of PANEM Corp's generosity."
"Shouldn't we be seeing our mentor?" Terni asked.
"First we shall watch the re-caps of the reaping." Effie said cheerfully "We have plenty of time. The train will arrive at PANEM tomorrow." Effie lead Terni and Thomas into a small sitting room with a television tuned to the PANEM channel. As usual members of the PANEM corps stood guard.
The girl and boy from the first four districts were volunteers. From the rest of the districts the tributes looked more reluctant to be in the games. It ended with District Twelve, where Thomas ascended to the stage while his mom cried.
The screen cut to RINZLER and CESAR, the two hunger games announcers, sitting at a desk. "Well CESAR, it looks like it is going to be a very interesting hunger games don't you agree?" RINZLER asked.
"That I do, RINZLER", CESAR said. "Remember to tune in tomorrow for the broadcast of the tributes parade. And today after the next commercial break there will be an episode of The Destruction of the User Society. And for the tributes watching, good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor." Effie flipped off the TV.
"Well that was exciting wasn't it?", Effie said. "Come on, I'll lead you to your mentor." Effie lead Terni and Thomas down a hallway to a large doorway. It had metal spokes sticking out of the sides of the door that were identical to-"
"The gateway to the old grid" Terni said.
"Sort of" Effie said "It is a training area embedded in the code of the old grid that mentors can go to when they want to practice their skills." Terni, Thomas and Effie walked through the gateway and into a large dark room illuminated only by lines of light stretching over the ceiling and the floor. Holographic figures holding identity disks, batons and light guns ran across the floor. They seemed to be targeting a man dressed in full old grid armor who was evading them with ease. The man leaped into the air and threw his disk which caused two holographic figures to shatter into cubes and disappear. One figure fired its light gun but the man absorbed the bullets with his disk, jumped into the air and threw it again destroying the last two. The man landed on the ground and sheathed his disk.
"Travis" Effie said, "These are your tributes." Travis took off his helmet and walked closer to Thomas and Terni.
"I will leave you now", Effie said. She walked back out through the gateway and out of sight.
"Hello", Travis said. "My name is Travis. victor of the 58thgames and I will be your mentor. I am sorry you were reaped into the games but it is my job to keep you alive. Thus I will help you from this moment through when you die or become victor. Any questions?"
Thomas and Terni were silent.
"Good" Travis said "Now to business. Do you have any skills?
"I know you can't train with disks except for areas in the code, but I trained with Frisbees in secret my entire life." Thomas admitted.
"Good" Travis said, "Terni?"
"After I signed up for Tesserae to feed my family, I knew that I would probably be picked." Terni said. "So to prepare myself, I trained with makeshift staffs in baton-like battle formations and actually became quite good."
"Show me" Travis said, "Don't worry, you will re-form if you are de-rezzed in this zone of the old grid." Travis pressed a button and full old grid armor appeared on Terni and Thomas. Travis grabbed a baton off the wall and tossed it to Terni.
"Begin." Travis said.
Thomas ran closer to Terni and threw his disk. Terni nimbly dodged and ran at Thomas with her baton drawn. Thomas parried her attacks with his disk and threw it again. He missed and the disk knocked into the wall and returned to his hand. Smiling, Terni swung her baton which slammed into Thomas, who just managed to turn it away a little so it didn't hit him completely and de-rezz him. Terni jumped into the air dodging Thomas's disk and leapt at him. Next thing he knew, Thomas was flat on his back with Terni holding his disk, with her baton pointed at his head.
"Do it" Thomas said.
Terni stabbed Thomas through the neck. Thomas broke into millions of cubes which hovered in mid-air then re-formed.
"Ok you win" Thomas said grinning.
"You're not the only one that practiced before the games" Terni responded sheathing her baton.
"Very good" Travis praised. "Come and talk with me in the room we entered the train in." They left the room in the computer while the metal spikes digitally took off the old grid armor. Travis led them back to the large room that they started in. Travis took a seat along with Thomas and Terni.
"Can I have something to drink?" Thomas asked "All that battling made me thirsty."
"Me too" Terni said.
"Ok I guess you've earned it" Travis said sighing. He whistled and a member of the PANEM corps walked up.
"Get them some water" Travis commanded. The member of the PANEM corps nodded, walked away and soon returned with two large waters.
"You are correct, both of you are very skilled with the baton and the disk" Travis said "But to survive you have to be so good that you don't miss once."
"Is that possible?" Thomas asked after taking a sip of his water "I mean missing one time is good."
"This is not a Frisbee" Travis said sternly "This is an identity disk which can kill you on contact. Do not take it so lightly."
"Sorry" Thomas said.
"Now", said Travis. "Terni you are very good with the baton. But it is clear you need to get a feel for it more. You both need to make use of the baton and disk stations in training. Also developing survival skills are necessary too. To survive a night you need to know what plants and berries are edible, be able to light a fire and know how to hunt, amongst other things."
"I can hunt" Terni said.
"Good" responded Travis. "It's almost seven o clock. Dinner should be out soon. This way to the dining car." Travis led Thomas and Terni to the dining car. It was full of individual tables covered by white cloths. Large windows stretched over the walls and a buffet table laden with delicacy's stretched at the end of the room with members of the PANEM corps choosing food. Travis and Terni stared open mouthed at the buffet once they walked up to it.
"What is this?" Terni asked.
"A sautéed Groosling Leg in orange sauce." Travis responded "I know how you feel. I too am from your district and I did not have enough to eat up to the point I entered the capitol." Travis and Thomas loaded their plates and walked to the drinks station.
"What is that?" Thomas asked pointing to a yellow liquid.
"Lemonade" Travis said, "Try it, you'll love it." Thomas and Terni did and they contently ate their dinner.
"I suggest you get some sleep", Travis said after they ate. "Here, I will show you to your rooms." Travis showed Terni and Thomas their rooms.