Hyden POV
I come back from vacation and this is what I get? A spoiled rich kid and a pickpocket? What has One come to?
I looked over my tributes as we sat on the train.
"Uh, you got any advice on how to win the Games?" Aurum asked.
"Me, I won by calling everyone out with bird calls and taking them out," I said. "Unfortunately, I kind of ruined the surprise for later Tributes. You guys good at anything?"
"I can steal stuff," Aurum said. Ruby just shook her head.
"You can't do anything?" I asked Ruby.
"Not really," she said."
"Come on, you can do something," Aurum said. "I can teach you to pick pockets."
Wonderful. They'll steal so hard everyone else will die.
Doris Jones
"You ready to kill some Tributes?" I asked Eltara.
"I'm ready!" she said.
"Tough. You need to be ready to win the Games," I said. "That means making the right allies, pleasing sponsors, and a whole lot more than tearing people apart."
"Didn't you win by tearing people apart?" she asked.
"Yeah, but I also did all that other stuff. Look, who's the mentor here?" I asked.
Eltara sat meekly and waited for my golden advice. That was more like it.
Acee Hal POV
I set down a shoelace, a ceramic candlestick, and a grape.
"Where's the weapon?" I asked Celeste. She stared at the objects.
"I'm not really good with that kind of stuff," she said.
"All right, I'll do this one," I said. I smashed the candlestick in pieces and wrapped the shoelaces around the jagged edges.
"Do you prefer stabbing or strangling?" I asked as I held the pieces far enough apart that the string was pulled tight.
"What was the grape for?" she asked.
"That was just to make it harder," I said. I stood up. "I'll get some more stuff. Be ready this time."
Shelle McDan POV
I slid to the edge of the seat and kept a close eye on Misty. She was staring at me and mumbling nonsense.
"You… you all right?" I asked.
"Flies take time rip tear maim," she whispered.
I braced myself to run and curled my hand around the knife in my pocket.
Okay, maybe I just won't get any sponsors for that.
Soleil Pere POV
"How do I win?" Laeila asked. Well, someone's blunt.
"First, know that there's always hope as long as you're alive," I began.
"Yeah, yeah, I know that. I'm gonna win. I just need you to tell me how," she said.
"There are no rules. Do whatever you have to, even if it's setting fire to everything," I said.
"Oh yeah, that's how you did it. Pretty lucky," she said.
You know what really ruins a Tribute's luck? Pissing of their mentor, I thought as I glared back at Laeila's sneering face. Girl, you can make this as hard as you want. I have all the time in the world.
Toby Cash POV
"You seem like a nice boy. How'd you get voted in?" I asked Jonathan.
"I dunno. Maybe I'm just ugly," he said.
"I suppose I'm supposed to tell you how to win the Games," I said. "Tell the truth, I don't really know. It's as much luck as anything else."
"Did you… you know, did you kill anyone?" he asked.
"I killed one girl. She started it. I was so scared I just punched her as hard as I could and she just sort of died," I said.
"I don't want to kill anyone," Jonathan said.
"Neither did I," I said.
Sequoia Wilson POV
"I can shoot arrows, I can throw spears, I know three kinds of martial arts, and I can run like the wind," Dante told me.
Wow, sounds like you don't need me, I thought.
"You'd better focus on one or two things," I said. "What are you best at?"
"Probably throwing spears," he said.
"It's important to remember that you don't need a huge bag of tricks. One good skill can get you out of the Games," I said. "When we get to the Capitol, let's focus on spears. Oh, and running. Running is always good."
Drone POV
I stared up and up at my Tribute. Did this guy eat mooses for breakfast?
"I think our best bet is to capitalize on your size," I said.
"You don't say?" he said.
"We'd have an even better chance if everyone thinks you're a brute and you turn out to have some good moves. You ever heard of Tai Chi?"
Kitty Leek POV
"You two don't have any mentors, so I'll be taking care of you," I said. Farlon and Emmalie stared at me. Finally, Emmalie spoke up.
"Do you know how to win the Games?" she asked.
"From what I've seen, there is no pattern to who wins," I said.
"Why are you even an escort? You're boring," Farlon said.
It was true, so I wasn't offended. "Everyone in the Capitol wants to work in the Games. I had to work very hard for this honor," I said.
"But you don't like it," Emmalie said. "Wouldn't you rather be doing something else?"
"I've considered them. But we're supposed to be focused on you. Looking at you two, I'd suggest you learn how to run."
Cornflower Fields POV
"Why would Ten send you two? You can't win," I said.
"That's not very nice," Mouse said. "You're supposed to help us."
"I don't know what to do with you. Hey Harmony, how's Clover?" I asked.
"You know about Clover?" Harmony asked with wide eyes. "We're famous?"
"He's the only breeding stallion I've seen around. Half the horses in Ten look like him, and there aren't many horses around round round," I said.
"Why'd you say that three times?" Mouse asked.
"It just happens happens hap pens," I said. I suddenly realized I was talking to two people, and the train car seemed very open and bare. I looked around for my old escort.
Fluvius swooped in from across the aisle and stood next to me. As long as he was there, it wasn't so bad.
"Why don't you guys look around the train for a while?" Fluvius asked Mouse and Harmony.
"Is she okay?" Harmony asked.
"She'll be fine. Don't worry, she isn't like this because she's a Mentor. Believe me, she was already different back when she was still a Tribute."
Peppermint Wilson POV
"Get on with it, girl. I got a Game to win," Azalea snarled.
I looked down my nose at the girl. I ain't got time for her attitude. I killed girls twice her strength and outlived people twice mine.
"Would you like to know how a spear works?" I asked politely.
"I know how they work," she spat. I rang for a servant to bring me a weapon.
"Nonetheless, you might still learn a thing or two," I said. I took the spear the servant brought and hefted it.
"A good spear should be balanced and straight," I said as I showed it to her. "And what do we do with a spear?"
Before Azalea could open her mouth I glared and slammed the spear right at her face. She shrieked like a little girl and pulled back. I scooped up the chunk of hair I'd removed and held it up to her.
"We kill people," I hissed. "Would you like to learn more?"
"Yes, Pep- uh, Miss Wilson," Azalea said meekly.
Much better.
Demi Bottle POV
"Sorry you two don't have any mentors. I'll have to get you ready myself. The first thing you must learn is proper manners," I said to Beth and Ardun. I showed them the positions and names of the elaborate settings I'd placed before them. Ardun tried to make sense of the three spoons, while Beth never took her eyes off my neck.
"Now, Beth, this is a salad fork," I said as I held up the instrument. She stared at it, then back at my neck. She smiled softly.
What's so funny about a salad fork? I thought. If you're not going to take this seriously, you can remain an uncouth savage.
"Come, Ardun," I said. "Let's get you made over."
Some of you know these guys, and some of you are just meeting them now. I changed a few up to add some variety, and I added the escorts for Nine and Twelve. I forgot Hyden's last name, so with great self-control, I left it blank and did not make it Seek. For Eleven, Orchard is lurking in the wings, since this is Peppermint's first year.