Train Rides

Joseph Ingot (D2M)

Joe sat on one of those wooden benches in the train station. He leaned forwards, trying to catch a glimpse of the train, but it was nowhere in sight. He wished he could prolong this. That train could possibly be taking him to his doom. And from what he learned in school, a lot of things could cause doom.

Joe was District 2 and all, but he knew better. Joe knew he was strong. He had to live up to his District after all. Well, his basketball team, The Milky Way, did easily win most of their games. And he was one of the reasons why they did. So he should be able to win these Games.

Alexa Polish shook her head at her District partner from her bench a foot away. She rolled her eyes as his confused face formed. Joe simply stayed put. He knew not to mess with her. He knew her before, their families were quite close. He once had a crush on her for goodness' sake.

Alexa was also a collector of annoyance. Something always annoyed her, it seemed, and that something was probably him. They went to the same school, their houses weren't too far apart, and they also met every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday at the District 2 Training Center. She was a serious person, but when she got all loose at recess or break time, she was easy to talk to. But if Joe was one of those trainers from the Training Center, he certainly would have not picked Alexa as the female tribute. Sure, she was decent at weapons, but, well… She was always annoyed, like all the time. 24/7.

Joe decided not to think of the horrors Alexa could have brought to the Career Pack and decided to think more about the upcoming basketball tournament.

Basketball was a family sport. Everybody in his family were talented in it. Basketball was something that tied them together, that tied Joe and his friends together. Basketball was a thing that Joe could be disciplined at, unlike his montages during school. Well, that was different.

With an upcoming tournament, Joe had to win the Hunger Games. Surviving meant continuing the tournament. The Milky Way needed their top scorer. Joe needed to win.

SSSSSSSSSSSSRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTT, the sound had startled him so much that he stumbled backward, hitting his head on the brick wall.

Train brakes.

At last, the train arrived. The driver pulling the brakes harder as Joe rubbed his head. Alexa stood up and groaned in boredom, waiting for the train to skid to a stop.

And so, that was the start of Joe's journey to possible victory, or possible doom. Yay, well that was going to be fun. Joe relaxed his shoulders and squinted, putting on his bright red glasses, preparing. He then produced a deflated basketball from his pocket, wondering if there was a chance that somebody on the train had a bicycle pump.

Muesli Damas (D7M)

Damas (which is what Muesli preferred to be called by, thank you very much) had a certain friend, who also happened to be a victor. This friend, Will Kindle, had been taught how to chop with the axe later than regular District 7 children, but he managed to win. Damas remembered the tense times when he turned on the TV, screaming to his older sister and asking her if Will had died yet with a pillow at the face as a reply.

His sister was so stupidly angry at times, Damas didn't know why. And why in the world would she name him Muesli in the first place?

Damas stopped thinking about his past and tried to remember the advice Will had given him, just ten minutes ago, during the goodbye session. Will thought that he owed Damas for everything, his victory, his little brother's safety. In fact, Damas volunteered for Will's little brother just a while ago. Damas shook his head.

"Without a mentor, it'll be difficult at the start. Mentors are everything." According to Will, mentors organized sponsor's gifts during the games as well as gave you so many strategies that your brain started to hurt. Damas was glad he didn't have a headache to cope with. He was still wondering why he had volunteered in the first place, after all.

What was it again? Oh yes. Will mentioned that mentors will always try to get you to read the other tributes' strategies. To try to see what they're trying to do in the beginning. To finish them quickly. To end the bad dream forever. Like baseball. He had to read body movements, recurring strategies, and Jonny Pickfoots' bad left eye. Yeah, strategies, those stuff. He quit baseball just because the coach kept telling him to make strategies and whatnot. Whatever.

"Are the reapings on TV?" He asked India Adams, who sat on a green and yellow plaid armchair. He plumped down on a couch which was a lot bouncier than he had expected. India looked at him… for a second too long… two seconds too long... Now three... Awkward… India suddenly blushed and developed an interest in the mahogany table she stood next to.

"Um, I guess…" India said as she tossed the remote to Damas. The throw was lousy, it flew too far to the right of him, but he lunged and caught it anyway, gazing at it.

Damas scanned the bottom of the remote. Will had always mentioned that Capitol remotes had a special Hunger Games button that lead straight to the channel… Ah, there it was. Damas pushed the Hunger Games symbol, as India stood up and walked past him, towards the dining area.

She returned seconds later, with platefuls of strange Capitol food. "Who cares about rules here?" She asked him, a smile growing on her face innocently. Damas had never noticed that kinda-cute smile on her face.

"There are none," Damas replied, and finished, "yet." Damas took a bite of some strange casserole-like thing. He flinched. What was this?! It was sweet, yes, but too sweet. What types of sugar did they use? And was this strange golden sauce really maple syrup? Damas licked it. He cringed. Way too sweet. Oh well.

"I know the pain. I sweeten maple sauce for the Capitol. This might just be some I sweetened the other day. I thought it was for some rich Capitolites, because they love all of this stuff, but it somehow got back to us." India explained, smiling apologetically.

"Ah, never mind. This stuff makes me sick. I'd kill for a bite of your old pancakes," Damas said, placing his plate on the short table in front of the TV, which played the reaping of District 3, a poor, weak looking boy with glasses speechlessly being reaped. "They're worth saving."

India replied with, "Oh, and I'm not?" The two of them laughed, amidst the noise of the television. This was something Damas could get used to.

Lisa Belle (D11F)

Eh. Ma, Gewd. Lisa Belle simply sat there, sitting in disbelief. When she was reaped, she didn't cry, like those kids she saw every year. She just sat there, in disbelief. Yo peacekeepers! What happened here? Wasn't it supposed to be peace? Oh! So they supposed that people taking their rightful food was worth time for an execution, when 25 kids dying every year was worth claps and cheers? Well, they were geniuses. They deserved something for their admirably high IQ.

Never taking tesserae, Lisa had thought that it was odd that she was reaped. Only a few slips inside a bowl full of thousands. Because of 'odds', she would be facing teens. Teens, even those who were twice her size. Some of them even had years of experience. It was illegal to train for the Hunger Games, yet the Capitol loved strong tributes. So, those four illegal, cheating districts (1, 2, 4, and 13) got lucky. Oh yes! Lisa had forgotten that somehow diamonds, rocks, seafood, and even nuclear weaponry was SO much more important than agriculture! Good job, Capitol! Must've been some sort of genius Capitol logic, she supposed.

She tried to find comfort from her District partner, Umar. Punching his nose would feel very relaxing. Well, that could let out a little annoyance, maybe. Unfortunately, she didn't even know where the tiny dude disappeared to. Probably out crying or something, she thought, or gorging on another full groosling leg.

Groosling were mutts genetically created by District 10. They were genetically made to somehow produce meat as tantalizingly delicious as actual mammals, yet still be able to lay eggs as fresh and good as chickens. Groosling had some sort of pizzazz or whatever inside of it. Something that distracted people from their worries. Like a drug!

Lisa really needed something like a drug. Her ecstasy; gone. Her parents, her friends; gone, from her life at least. And she was dead to them now. They would probably be mourning at home already, setting up a funeral. Her own life; gone. Zip, zero, no more. Just like those wild groosling she was forced to kill at the plantation every day.

Maybe this was all just a mistake. Lisa searched for hope in the stupid corner of her mind, which was trying to convince her that this was all just a mistake, that the Capitol would just say, "Oops! Sorry!" And reverse everything. She knew it wasn't really something to hang on, but hey! It was something. Something that was even higher than the IQ of peacekeepers.

She decided to focus on other things, like she usually did when annoyance took over. The food was good, of course. She had never eaten a full loaf of bread in one go before, but this one was all filled with raisins and that sort of crap, and it was warm. Now that was awesome.

The train suddenly whooshed and passed a building, then another one. What? They had been on the train for around twenty or so minutes, and they were already here? Lisa scooted towards the window, on the dining room long-chair. Yep, those snow-capped mountains in the distance were real, too. The road was also no longer bumpy. The train slid along smoothly, passing the strange architecture of the Capitol. So futuristic. So unlike the primitive huts of the impoverished District 11. Lisa took out her notebook and began describing them. Well, that was a piece of memory.

There were people out there, as well. They waved and shouted things. The people didn't wear clothing as strange as the clothing of the Capitolites she saw on TV all of the time. These people must have lived on the outskirts. These were 'poor' Capitolites. And yet, they were twenty times richer than her own family. Lisa saw a little girl wave at her, looking so happy and innocent. The girl didn't know that Lisa would practically be facing death soon. The Hunger Games was definitely not on Lisa's bucket list. Capitolites' entertainment was so weird.

Instead of dwelling on her own problems, Lisa decided to cross her arms and slump in the long-chair, her notebook and the various drawing media from the train lying haphazardly on the table. Maybe it was time to do something, to use that brain of hers. So, she decided to plan.

So what do you think about the 5 characters I've showcased so far? Which of them do you think is the strongest? Which of them do you like best so far? And the other tributes? Don't worry, they'll all get POV's at least once. In due time...