The Capitol
Ivy David, 16
"We'll be arriving at the Capitol in about half an hour. There will be reporters and civilians, all ecstatic to meet the latest batch of tributes. You'll want to make an impression." Jasmine lectures her two tributes. Ivy doesn't say a word, but takes in every word she's told. Magnolia, her fellow female tribute, leans forward.
"How would you suggest we present ourselves?" She asks sweetly.
"You should capitalize on your beauty." Jasmine tells her. "Attractive tributes attract more sponsors." Magnolia looks sad.
"I want to be more than a pretty face." She says. Jasmine nods.
"And you will have that chance, with your training score and interview. But now, you need to make a good impression." Magnolia takes it in.
"Thank you, for the advice. I'm going to get ready." With a smile, Magnolia dismisses herself from the table.
"You're going to need to speak, if you want me to help you." Jasmine turns her attention to Ivy. Ivy wishes she could sink into her chair, disappear from the mess she's been put in. She wants to be back home with Wisteria, where she was safe. She wants to spend time with Skylar, the love of her life. But she can't do it without help.
"What do you suggest I do?" Ivy responds quietly. Jasmine leans back, surprised the girl can speak.
"What strengths are you bringing in?" Jasmine asks. Ivy looks away.
"Um, I guess I know about nature." Ivy says. One of the few benefits of growing up in Eleven.
"That's a start. Have you ever held a weapon?" Ivy shakes her head.
"Just a harvesting knife, on the rare occasion they let us use them." Ivy responds.
"Well, start with knives. Get comfortable holding one, maybe even throwing them. I want you to improve upon your survival skills as well. Learn how to build a fire, how to tie a basic knot, things like that. But to win, you're going to have to kill. So get comfortable with that." Jasmine tells her. As their conversation comes to a close, the train slowly brakes to a complete stop. Jasmine takes a deep breath.
"It's game time." She tells Ivy. Ivy doesn't respond.
Magnolia Appleton, 18
Magnolia brushes the last knot out of her thick hair as she feels the train come to a stop. She adjusts the bangle on her wrist, her last reminder of home.
"You've got this, Magnolia. You can do this." Magnolia tells herself in the mirror. She puts a smile on her face before leaving her room and joining her three district partners in the main compartment.
"Stay close to me." Jasmine says to her group before moving towards the door. As she goes to open the door, Magnolia can already hear the screaming and cheering of those who stand outside. She keeps her hatred of the Capitol tucked away. It won't help her get sponsors.
Jasmine pulls the door open and walks outside. Magnolia follows suit. The flashing of cameras takes her by surprise, but she manages to keep a smile on her face as she moves through the crowd. She even manages to wave at a few cheering fans, which only causes them to cheer louder.
She turns to get a quick look at her three district partners. Ivy's face shows displeasure, but she does a decent enough job hiding that with a smile. Zay appears enthusiastic, waving at the crowd with a large smile. Warren looks nauseas. Magnolia feels pity for him. None of them should have to go through this.
"Through here." Jasmine shouts over the roaring crowd. She holds the door open for the kids as they funnel into the large building that will be their home for the next week.
Magnolia releases a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding in. She smiles at Jasmine, who nods.
"You did good." She tells Magnolia.
"Thank you. Thank you for your advice." Magnolia says sincerely. Her eyes wander around the building they stand in. A large glass elevator sits directly in front of them. On one side of the elevator sits a large sitting area surrounding an even larger television. On the other side is a buffet, similar to the one on the train.
"C'mon, let me take you to your rooms." Jasmine tells the group. She leads the four of them into the elevator and presses the number "11". The doors shut behind them, taking them away from the crowds of citizens that cheer their names into another jail disguised as a comfortable bedroom.
Zay Gaura, 14
Zay stares out one of the many windows covering the walls in the living room. He is in awe of the beauty of the Capitol. He feels fortunate he is able to stay somewhere beautiful and caring for the next week.
He tries not to think about home. Thinking about home brings sad thoughts, and Zay refuses to be sad. He refuses to acknowledge the bitter truth of his situation. Rather than dwell, Zay finds ways to make himself and others happy.
Zay turns away from the window and takes in the room he's standing in. Large and well decorated, Zay finds happiness in its beauty. He wishes the others were here to enjoy it with him.
Unable to take any more silence, Zay finds his way into the elevator. He lets it take him to the entrance floor, hoping for some company. Heather informed Zay when they arrived they would spend two days waiting for the last train to arrive. Once everyone was settled, the tributes would be whisked away for preparation for the Chariot Rides. Zay looks forward to the Chariot Rides. He's seen stylists craft magnificent costumes in past Games. He looks forward to wearing his own costume, taking in the cheers of the crowds in front of every single person in the nation, including President Spear himself!
The elevator doors open and Zay quickly exits. He hears a commotion to his left. He turns to look and sees a small head peaking over the couch. The head faces the television displaying predictions for this year's Games.
"What place are they predicting me?" He asks the stranger. She peeks her head over the couch. He recognizes her as one of the girls from Eight, but he doesn't remember her name.
"I'm not sure. I haven't really been paying attention." The girl says. Zay takes a seat on the chair next to the couch.
"I'm sure it's 1st." He says with a smile. The girl smiles, but looks down.
"I'm Zay. Zay Gaura." Zay reaches his hand out towards the girl. She shakes it.
"Pandora."
"It's nice to meet you Pandora." Zay turns his attention back towards the television. One of the Career girl's pictures is displayed on the screen. Underneath her photo it reads "4th".
"So, uh, what are you looking forward to here at the Capitol?" Zay asks. Pandora tilts her head to the side.
"Um, I dunno. I guess just enjoy my last moments alive." Pandora says politely. She turns the television off before standing from the couch.
"It was nice to meet you, Zay. I'll see you around?" Zay nods. He watches as Pandora boards the elevator and flies up to the eighth floor.
Warren Faulkner, 16
Warren watches from his bedroom window as Capitol citizens swarm the District Twelve tributes. He shakes his head, wondering why these people don't have anything better to occupy their time with.
He gets an okay view of the tributes from up here. Only one of them come off as a threat to Warren. He'd be surprised if the other three made it past the bloodbath.
Once the tributes are out of sight, Warren moves from the window into his bathroom. He runs his fingers through his hair. His skin is cleaner than ever before, along with his hair. Working in the fields will do that to a person.
He hears commotion outside his door. He walks over to it and puts his ear on the door. He hears two voices, one male and one female. It takes him a while to realize they belong to Magnolia and Zay. The voices get quieter and quieter. It doesn't take long before the two are out of range.
Warren briefly considers joining them, but quickly decides against it. He doesn't know much about his district partners, but he can tell none of them will pose a major threat. He predicts at least two of them will die in the bloodbath. The other one, Ivy, seems pretty capable, at least from what Warren has gathered so far. He won't know for sure until they get to training, but he has a pretty good sense of this sort of stuff.
Warren walks back over to his dresser, where a small copper coin lies. He picks it up and brushes his finger across its surface. It's the only thing he brought from his district, other than himself and the clothes on his body. And he left those clothes back on the train. It doesn't bother him. The shirt was too small, the jeans were old, and the shoes were scuffed. Nothing like the clothes the Capitol has provided.
He sets the coin down before returning to the window. A handful of Capitol citizens remain, but most have cleared out. He can see a few Peacekeepers directing people away from the building, but Warren isn't fooled. These Peacekeepers would never use violence to get what they want. They save the sadistic ones for the districts.
I apologize that these chapters are getting weaker, it's definitely getting harder and harder to write. Hopefully it passes soon so I can make this story as best as possible.
Let me know what you think of these four!