It was exactly midnight, and President Snow breathed in the crisp cool air. He stared out at the busy Capitol streets as the flurry of nightly activities continued.

"Mr. President?" Squeaked a little man from behind Snow.

"What do you want, Mio?" He asked.

Mio gulped, and handed Snow a small letter.

"What is this?" Said Snow as he reached for a small knife in his pocket.

"It's the tribute list for this years Games, Mr. President." Mio said slowly.

Snow said nothing, and used the knife to open the letter. He pulled out a sheet of paper and began to read it

District 1

Emerald Kyle: Age 18

Rebekah Michaels: Age 17

District 2

Felix Kingsley: Age 17

Alexandra Mason: Age 14

District 3

Aron Pol: Age 13

Ali Snider: Age 14

District 4

Mason Videl: Age 15

Angela Odair: Age 15

District 5

Orion Northcliff: Age 17

Whitley Hedge: Age 15

District 6

Kaiven Lackney-Browan: Age 14

Megan Darner: Age 14

District 7

Damon Sommers: Age 16

Leah Van Tassle: Age 12

District 8

Gad Denali: Age 17

Juliette Morgan: Age 16

District 9

Silo Harrow: Age 16

Lee Ann Bell: Age 15

District 10

Thomas Jones "TJ": Age 16

Lorena Rodriguez: Age 18

District 11

Broose Nator: Age 18

Rose Lee: Age 12

District 12

Rylan Diamond: Age 18

Alaska Kat Hark: Age 14

President Snow nodded, and put the letter back in the envelope.

"Thoughts?" Asked Mio.

"There's a lot of young careers. District four sent us two children." Murmured Snow.

"They appear more than qualified, other wise they wouldn't be here." Piped in Mio.

Snow frowned, "They had better put on a show. Last years Games went down in ratings."

"You mean to say that people weren't watching?" Asked Mio innocently.

Snow rolled his eyes, "Just get out of here. The tributes will be arriving soon."

Snow watched as Mio shuffled off like a little rat. Snow honestly was getting tired of all of this, he grew bored of the Games. But this year would be different, this was the year that would bring back the fire. This was the year that Snow had designed the Arena himself. He chuckled as he lit a pipe, knowing full well the tributes had no idea what was coming their way.

They had no idea the hell that was awaiting them.

Train ride out of District 1

Rebekah Michaels stared out the window at the passing scenery. Not that there was much scenery to be seen, at these speeds everything was a blinding blur. But she at least wanted to appear as if she was enjoying her view, if only to avoid conversation with her fellow career Emerald Kyle and Alon, the District 1 escort. Both of them made Rebekah horridly uncomfortable. She didn't plan on talking to either of them during the train ride at all, all she wanted to do was relax and try and concentrate on the Games.

She remembered her mother and father coming in to see her before she boarded the train. Her mother hugged her and told her to be safe, and her father exchanged words with Emerald. She found this odd at the time, but hadn't focused on it. Next up was Marvel, who held her and cried She kissed him on the head and told him to listen to his mother. Lastly, when it seemed too late, Ric appeared. He seemed to have forgotten everything, and he just ran up and hugged her as tight as he could.

"Be safe." He whispered. Then he reached for her hand, kissed it, and left.

Her hand still felt warm, and that was nearly an hour ago.

"You okay?" Asked Emerald.

She turned to see that he had made his way across the train and had positioned himself beside her.

"I'm fine. Just a little nervous." She said with a smile.

He reached his hand for hers, "You'll do great. We can protect each other."

Every word of his seemed genuine, almost seductive. She knew that all the girls in District 1 were madly in love with him, and she knew his reputation. But something about him she didn't trust, something seemed off. But even still, she didn't take her hand away from his. It felt frozen in place, completely surrounded by his

"Have you seen Diamond?" Shouted an irate Alon.

"She said she was on her way." Replied Emerald as he removed his hand from Rebekah's.

Her hand felt warm, just as warm as it did when Ric kissed it.

Ric.

She loved Ric, she loved him more than anything in the world. So why was she so drawn to Emerald? He was undeniably handsome, and had a somewhat innocent charm about him. Something about his brown eyes just seemed to draw her in, as if he knew all the answers to all the questions she had. As if he was the only one in the world that understood her.

She shook the thought away. This was ridiculous! She had only just barely met him and was almost about to run away with him. She honestly felt as if she had been drugged.

"Where the hell is that woman." Muttered a still bitter Alon.

"Right behind you." Hissed an older woman, holding a knife to Alon's throat.

Emerald and Rebekah both stared in complete shock, unsure what to do. Alon just froze, breathing rapidly.

"And that is how easy it can be." Said the woman, removing the knife from Alon's throat and placing it by her side.

"You're Diamond." Said Emerald with a smile.

Diamond smiled a wicked smile, "The most dangerous woman in District 1 to be exact."

Rebekah had heard of Diamond, but had never met her. All she knew was that she had one the games when she was 16, nearly 20 years ago. There had been other victors from District 1, but she was the most famous, and she always trained and helped the tributes.

"It's an honor." Said Emerald, bowing his head.

"You're right." Scoffed Diamond.

"What did you mean a minute ago?" Asked Rebekah.

"When I said, 'and that's how easy it can be?'" Asked Diamond.

Rebekah nodded.

Diamond chuckled, "That's how easy it can be to kill an idiotic Tribute."

As she said this, she grabbed Alon once again and with blinding speed had the knife at his throat again.

Rebekah was shocked once more, but Emerald had a smile on his face and a sinister smile to accompany it.

"There will be nothing but naïve little children out there. Make sure you take them out first. They are always priority. Worry about the Careers later, you're going to need them at the beginning." Diamond said, finally releasing a shaken Alon.

Emerald began to ask her about important arteries in the neck and which were the easiest to cut. Rebekah figured the information would be handy, but in the end her mind just flashed back to Ric. Back to the confusing thoughts that Emerald had created by simply putting his hand on hers, like he had undone all of the feelings that she had for Ric.

No, he hadn't undone them. But she was sure that he had shaken them. So, she walked over to a different seat, and stared out the window. Once again she pretended to be preoccupied with the blurry movements outside the window. She had to pretend that Emerald hadn't had an affect on her.

That he hadn't changed her.

Train ride out of District 2

Felix paced between the seats as his District partner Alexandra said nothing. He hadn't really expected her to say anything, she still must be shocked from finding out she was going to be a tribute just minutes before Games. Curious, he turned to see what she was doing.

She was sitting on the seat with her hands folded on her lap neatly. Her face was completely blank, almost as if she were asleep. But her eyes were open, and he noticed an agitated tap with her foot. He didn't really know what to make of her at this point, her quiet demeanor was unnerving for him. She was just concentrating, or at least that's what he figured. Or maybe she was scared, maybe she wasn't ready for this. After all, she was only 14 and here solely because the girl ahead of her got injured. He wondered if she was terrified on the inside, if she was thinking about jumping out the back of the train. Maybe she would hold Ira hostage and demand to be let out into the wild to survive. Or maybe-

"I've had enough!" Shouted Alexandra, stabbing her knife into the table.

"You've had enough of what, dear?" Asked Ira, who had been sitting across the table.

"I'm ready for my training! Where's Brutus gone? I haven't seen him since this morning." Alexandra demanded.

Felix smiled, maybe she wasn't scared after all.

Ira smiled, "Brutus isn't on the train, he decided to sit out on this one."

"Who's going to be our mentor?" Asked Felix.

Ira turned her eyes to Felix, and his stomach dropped. The rumors about her were true, she was beautiful. Her eyes seemed to dig into to him, and was worried that he might be sweating.

"Normally it would be Brutus, but he had a personal problem back at District 2. Enobaria is waiting for you at the hotel. I believe she will be a more than capable mentor." Ira said, her eyes glued to Felix.

"Are you serious? Brutus was supposed to be teaching us now! We were supposed to go over strategy's and ideas on what to do at the Capitol and-" Sputtered Alexandra.

"Enobaria will be a more that capable mentor." Said Ira in a firmer tone of voice.

"As for what to do at the Capitol," Continued Ira, finally turning her eyes away from Felix, "I can teach you some things. After all, I am some what of an expert on Capitol behavior."

"In all fairness," Started Felix, "We aren't here to get a history lesson on the Capitol. I've never been one for big events and fancy dinners. I'm here to learn how the Games work so I can do what I do best."

Ira smiled and walked up to Felix, placing her hands on his chest.

"I think you could stand to learn a couple things from me." She said, almost in a whisper.

Felix stood like a statue, shocked at her advance. He glanced over at Alexandra and she seemed just as shocked as he was. Ira moved her hand over to Felix's heart, and he could feel it start to speed up. As they stood they for a moment, he wondered what she would do next.

Suddenly, she just laughed and removed her hand. He almost felt as if a weight had been removed from his chest, and for a second he missed it. Ira threw herself back down on the chair and laughed again,

"You really are something, aren't you Felix?"

Neither of the tributes spoke, but merely stood there in shocked silence.

"As far as the Capitol goes, I can train you on how to conduct your selves in public, what greeting to use, how to address the higher ups, ect ect. How to talk the capitol talk, so to say." Ira said, as if nothing had happened a minute ago.

"The Capitol can't be all that complicated." Snorted Alexandra.

"You have no idea, little girl." Ira said with a coy smile.

The room got silent as the two of them stared each other down, both of them refusing to break the stare. Felix was starting to worry that they might start brandishing weapons, or at least threatening to. He was seriously starting to wonder if an alliance with Alexandra would be wise, if she can't even keep calm with an escort. Alexandra was starting to look angry, her lip was quivering and her nostrils were flared. Meanwhile, Ira just stared with a devious smile. She almost looked amused by Alexandra's fury, like this is what she was intending. Was she trying to test Alexandra? Was she trying to see how wild her temper was? Surely District 2 was known for the occasional hot head, but this "test" seemed unnecessary. What was she trying to accomplish? Was she testing him with her flirtatious advances as well? What could she possibly learn from that, it made absolutely no sense at all. Felix was starting to feel incredibly uncomfortable with the whole thing.

"I guess I have a lot to learn. I'm yours to teach." Said Alexandra, relaxing herself and leaning back against the seat.

She must have caught on, thought Felix.

"Very well. There are many things that need to be done before we reach the Capitol. But who says we can't have a little fun first, isn't that right Felix?" Ira said, digging her eyes into him.

"Whatever you say, Ira." He said, trying to act nonchalant.

"That's a good boy." She said, standing up.

"You can bring in the food now!" She shouted, banging on the door that lead to the hallway.

A moment later a couple of Avox came into the room pushing several carts of food and drinks. All of the foods were beautiful and the drinks were eloquent, all of it was inviting.

"Well go on, eat!" Exclaimed Ira, who was busy pouring herself a drink.

Alexandra was the first to fill her plate, but Felix was more hesitant. He had been accustomed to food like this when his father worked for the Capitol, so he could control himself. But he had the inkling that this was another test, and he wasn't sure why.

"Felix, darling, could you come here for a sec?" Hummed Ira.

Felix walked past an eating Alexandra and sat down in the seat across from Ira. As he sat down, she poured him a glass and slid it over to him.

"To new tributes." She said, holding her glass up.

"To new tributes." He echoed, and took a sip.

She smiled, and poured him a little more.

"Now you make a toast." She said, grinning like a fool.

Felix thought about it for a moment, and finally said, "May the odds be ever in our favor."

Ira smiled, and took a sip of her glass. Felix suddenly felt very silly, and he was unsure why. He felt exposed talking to Ira, and he was unsure of what to say or do. That didn't happen often to Felix Kingsley. Suddenly, Ira leaned across the table and whispered,

"I hope you can win." She said softly.

With that, she got up, took the bottle and went back into her room. Felix sat down in his chair, more confused than ever. So he just lowered his head on the table, and closed his eyes. He hoped when he opened them this insufferable train ride would be over.

Train ride out of District 3

Ali watched him as he sat huddled up in the corner of the seat. It was hard to believe this was the little brother of Marko. They were so different in almost every feasible way, it was just hard to believe they were related.

Aron Pol must be adopted, she thought.

Before she boarded the train, her father had come to see her one last time. She was worried that this was to much for him, that two of his children, and potentially his last was going to cause him to go crazy. But he just hugged her and whispered in her ear,

"You have to win, Ali!"

She felt tears coming to her eyes as she remembered this, and suddenly her thoughts went to her brothers. She didn't know where they were now, but she hoped that they were watching her. That maybe she could make them proud, somehow. She just hoped she didn't have to go through what her brothers went through: to die in utter and complete fear.

Wiress and Beetee had joined them in the cab of the train, but had stayed strangely quiet during the first part of the trip. Ali noticed that Wiress was studying Aron as well, not quite sure what to make of him.

"Do you have any advice for us?" Asked Ali.

"Nothing that would do you any good." Spoke Beetee.

"Beetee." Hushed Wiress.

"What do you mean?" Spoke a now curious Aron.

"You both are thirteen, and you're from District 3. What do you think it means?" Said Beetee.

"Beetee!" Shouted Wiress.

Ali was shocked. Was he really implying that it was impossible for them to win? That they didn't even have a chance?

"Don't worry, we will do every thing in our power to help you two." Wiress said, after correcting Beetee.

"How?" Asked Ali, taking a breath.

"Well," Sighed Beetee, "We will supply you with all of our knowledge on the Games, and try to get you as best prepared for the Games as you can."

"Do you know what the layout will be?" Asked Ali.

"That's the problem, the Arena is different every year, you don't know if you're going to end up a dense forest or the middle of a damn desert. The only thing we can do is give you strategies and get you ready for every feasible Arena."

"That's not all," Wiress interrupted, "We can talk to sponsors and try and get people excited about you two, to get them to support you."

"No one is going to sponsor us." Muttered Aron.

"Not without our help." Replied Wiress.

Aron glared at her but said nothing.

"What can we do to impress sponsors?" Piped up Ali, breaking the silence.

"That's where I can help." Spoke up Yume, the District 3 escort.

Beetee sighed and rubbed his forehead, and Wiress smiled. Ali was curious what the relationship between these three must be, but she didn't have time to think about it as Yume continued,

"I will be the one that keeps you little kids in line. I can be the one to make sure you are presentable and perfect. I can help you rehearse what to say, and when to say it. By the time I am through with you, all the sponsors will be calling your name."

"But for now," Wiress said with a smile, "Lets get some food in you two. We have a long ride ahead of us."

Wiress, Beetee, and Yume all left on the search for food and Ali was left with Aron once again. He still wasn't saying anything, just simply leaning his head against the glass. Ali sighed and decided that if he didn't want to talk, he didn't have to. She would be fine just sitting here in the quiet until the mentors got back.

"You're a friend of Marko…right?" Asked Aron softly.

"Well, yes. I guess you could say that." She responded, taken off guard he would initiate conversation. It was hard for her to describe how she felt about Marko, because she was just finding out her self. She figured that she should stay quiet, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"Can I ask you something?" She said.

"I suppose." Replied Aron, keeping his head on the glass.

"Well…you see…" She started, "I noticed that no one in your family came to see you leave. Aren't you and Marko close?"

Aron didn't respond right away, and for a second she thought that he might not respond at all.

"We were." He said, finally.

"What happened?" Ali asked.

"When my Mom died, it changed everything." Aron said slowly.

"I'm so sorry. How did she die?" Asked Ali.

"When she died, Marko had to take care of me. My dad was too sad." Aron continued.

Ali wondered why he didn't answer his question, and his face changed when she asked.

"So what happened with you and Marko?" She asked.

Aron turned around, "I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm sorry." She said slowly.

That was the last she was able to get out of him until the food arrived and the mentors with it. Even still, he didn't bother to get much food, and he would take it back to the corner of the train and eat it alone. She wondered what had happened to him to make his this way, she wondered what had happened with Marko. She realized she knew nothing about this kid, not even a little.

"He'll never get any sponsors with that attitude." Muttered Yume.

"He has to get his confidence up, or he'll never stand a chance." Agreed Beetee.

Ali sighed and sat down, and stared at Aron. As she stared at him, she gasped as she saw Marko for a second, sitting in the same chair. She suddenly realized that he was more like Marko than she cared to admit. As she stared at him, she saw Marko. A younger, much more scared Marko. A Marko that wasn't sure of his place in this world, and that made him all the more scared. Aron may not be Marko, but Ali knew that she cared whether he lived or died. She couldn't stand the thought of him dying, because all she could see was Marko.

She would protect him with her life.

[End of Train Rides Part 1.]