Lexia Brites, age 15

District 5 Female

The moment Alethia told Lexia and Watt where their rooms were, Lexia stormed into her's and slammed the door. She had been laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling, and letting emotions boil inside of her. She didn't try to stop her train of thought. The only other time this could have happened was in the Capitol, and Lexia didn't want the Capitol to see her like that. She wanted to look strong to them.

There was a slight knock on the door. "Lexia, dear?" It was Thera. Lexia's new mentor.

"What?" she asked, a little too harshly.

"I just want you to know dinner's in an hour," Thera said. "Alethia wants everybody to be there."

Lexia sighed, and mumbled, "Okay." She pushed herself up and walked to the bathroom. She was amazed to see two knobs next to the sink—one for hot water another for cold. Just the shower panel alone—with different scents and shampoos—would have been expensive enough to feed Lexia's family for a year has it been sold.

Lexia took her time getting ready. When she was finished, she put on comfortable black pants and a dark red shirt. She just put thick white socks on her feet. She didn't bother with shoes. The Capitol was bringing her to die. Why should Lexia be polite?

She strolled out of her room, running her fingers through her damp brown hair. When she reached the dining car, Lexia sat down in a chair between Watt and Thera. Immediately she was served a huge plate of turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes.

"It's good," Watt whispered to her. Lexia glanced at him, shocked that he even spoke to her at all. She always thought that tributes held each other at a distance, only speaking when needed.

Was she making a friend? Before a death match?

Forrest Spruce, age 18

District 7 Male

Forrest scraped at his plate with his fork, thinking back to the reaping. He couldn't stand to see little Hickory in the Games, but was there another reason for him volunteering? He desperately tried to figure it out. Because he knew that his selfless intentions weren't the only reasons.

"So," Mimosa said, trying to break the silence. "Aspen. Do you have any special skills you want us to know about?"

"Well," Aspen said. "I can run pretty fast."

"That's good," Elm said. "How about you, Forrest?"

"I'm fast, too," Forrest said, shrugging. "But I'm also pretty strong. That could be a good combination."

Forrest could see Elm processing that information. And he could feel Mimosa's eyes on him. He glanced up at her, and she gave him a quizzical look. Asking him something, probably why he volunteered.

I'll tell you later, he mouthed to her, and Mimosa nodded.

Forrest focused his attention on Aspen, who was saying, "I'm a giver. I give to the children on the streets. So, no I haven't worked in the fields."

Forrest saw Mimosa's brows knit together. He knew she wasn't very fond of the merchant class, simply because they didn't have to work as hard as the poorer part of the district. Forrest looked down and smiled.

Knowing how one of your mentors think could be useful.

Esmeralda Platinum, age 16

District 1 Female

Esmeralda sat, her leg bouncing up and down, on the sofa between Ebony and Aurum. Aurora and Garnet were sitting on two chair dragged in from the dining car. The reaping recaps were about to start, and Esmeralda couldn't wait to see her competition—and allies.

"I love this part," Aurora gushed. "Seeing all the tributes is just so exciting!" Esmeralda couldn't help but agree with Aurora. But Esmeralda was always full of this energy. She was always excited about something.

The Capitol seal lit up the screen, and the reapings began. Esmeralda watched herself and Aurum volunteer. She noticed the arrogant way Aurum said his name and gave him a funny look. He shoulder bumped her, telling her to knock it off. She grinned. She knew Aurum didn't like her very much, but that couldn't stop her from having fun.

District Two's boy looked promising. He was the brother of a past victor—Superia Mason, one of Ebony's friends. The girl was young, and looked, well, crazy. But Esmeralda wasn't going to count her out. These two were going to be her allies. "They look like they have potential," Esmeralda pointed out, to break the silence. Aurum nodded.

District Three was pathetic. The girl was obviously trying to hold it together, failing to look strong. She was fourteen. Esmeralda marked that girl as a target. The boy was older, but didn't look like he had much of a chance. Ebony almost laughed, and Esmeralda playfully punched her in the arm.

The girl from Four was reaped. That threw Esmeralda off a little. She was eighteen, and looked strong enough, but there was no way she was the chosen volunteer. She was crying too much. Marina, her name was. The boy, Finn, volunteered, and he looked like he could be a contender. Aurora sighed, and shook her head a little. Aurum asked her, "What?"

"That girl's sister was reaped last year," Aurora said. "She was twelve. Mimosa Oakley's ally."

That didn't get a response. District Five started off with a girl who didn't look too happy to be reaped. She wasn't exactly scared, but more angry. She didn't cry, which must count for something. The boy was older than Esmeralda, with a soft face and a good build. She looked shocked initially, but that quickly faded. Esmeralda labeled them as possible allies.

District Six was met with a tragedy, at least for them. A twelve year old girl was reaped. Harlee. The poor little thing looked terrified, sobbing and being dragged up to the stage. The boy, Tacom, looked like he felt sorry for the girl, but he looked strong. Like a competitor. He made it look like Six stood a chance this year.

Maybe this year wouldn't be as easy as Esmeralda thought.

Cyber Magnet, age 16

District 3 Male

Cyber sat as far away from Via on the sofa as humanly possible. It wasn't that he didn't like her. Actually, Cyber thought she was very nice. He just didn't want to talk to her.

The District Seven symbol appeared on the screen, and their reaping started. The girl who was reaped was tall and athletic looking. She made her way to the stage with no problem. Then the boy's name was called, and the whole party gasped. Cyber looked over at Via, who looked shocked.

"We're going against a victor's brother?" Via asked. It looked that way, until another boy volunteered. He looked much stronger than Hickory Oakley. Cyber slumped down. This volunteer just hardened his resolve that he was going to die.

District Eight had a girl Via's age. Her name was Lacey. She was braver than Via, though, going willingly with the Peacekeepers. The boy was eighteen. He stood stoic and emotionless—after a sudden shock—and went to the stage. He was braver than Cyber, too.

The pair from Nine were on the younger side. The girl was fifteen, and she looked absolutely petrified when her name was called. When the boy's name, Millet Stalk, was called, Data gasped.

"What?" Cyber asked.

"That's Bran Stalk's son," Data said. "I met him once. He's a very sweet boy, although rather odd sometimes."

"Thanks," Via said, smiling a little. "Valuable information."

The two from Ten were both older, and they both looked strong. The girl was trembling slightly as she walked to the stage, but she still looked rather strong. Most of these tributes could take him down in a heartbeat. But he couldn't think like that. At least not yet.

Eleven had a volunteer. That was strange. District Eleven rarely had volunteers. Except for last year, because of the Quell twist. And she didn't look like she was from Eleven, with her light skin and hair. The boy was like most of the others who were already shown. Trying to hide the fact that he was scared with a confident expression. Cyber could see right through it.

The Twelve girl came from the back of the female section, crying. She had bright red hair that made it look like her head was on fire. The boy was sixteen—like Cyber—and Cyber wanted him as an ally because he didn't try to disguise the fact that he was terrified. He seemed human.

Cyber wanted an ally like that.

Lacey Stitch, age 14

District 8 Female

"So there are the tributes!" Vanity exclaimed. Lacey scooted further away from her escort, until she almost fell off the sofa. She didn't want to be next to this Capitol woman. It was the Capitol's fault she was on this train, their fault she was going to be killed. She wanted nothing to do with her.

"Do either of you see any potential allies?" Polka, Eight's only loving victor, asked.

Lacey thought a little bit, then said softly, "Maybe the girl from Three. She was my age."

Hem nodded. "Or the pair from Ten. They looked strong." Polka looked like she approved with their decisions.

"Alright, I'll just leave you two to do whatever you want," Polka said, turning off the television. Lacey stood, and went in the direction of her room. She stopped when she felt somebody's hand on her arm. She turned, and saw Hem there. Lacey didn't expect him to say anything to her.

She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind: "I know your sister." Lacey saw the impact of her words, the immediately wished she could take them back. Hem may never see Josie again. She might not either.

Think before you talk from now on, she told herself.

"Yeah, I know," Hem said, scratching the back of his neck. "Look, Lacey, I want to ally with you. You're from home, and I kind of have a connection with you. So would you like to? Maybe we can get the girl from Three to join."

Lacey smiled. "Or the two from Ten."

"Are you agreeing?" Hem asked, a small smile building in the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, I am."

Rye Thorne, age 16

District 11 Male

"Why did you volunteer?" Rye asked Wren. They were laying on the floor in Wren's bedroom, watching the highlights of old Hunger Games, learning strategies. Rye thought that now would be a good time to ask Wren about herself, now that Lila and Leuke and Raymond were asleep. He just wanted a little bit of one-on-one time with his district partner.

Wren winced a little, then sighed. "I want to get a better life for myself and my brother. We...we live in the community home, so I wanted to try and get us out. I think I can win for us. And I also wanted to save another girl."

"That's really brave, Wren," Rye said. And he meant it. Rye could never do something like that, even for his brother. Wren volunteered for a random girl who she had never met before. That took guts.

"Thanks." Rye could hear the smile in her voice. "Which one do you want to watch next?"

Rye rummaged through the videos of old Hunger Games. He picked the one that Leuke won in. "This one," he said, holding it up. Wren took it from him, and put it in the player.

The flashes of video were almost the same as all the other ones that they watched. The Careers were deadly killings machines. However that year, the Careers were even more deadly. Rye watched in horror as one of the girls cut off a boys head with her axe. It made him want to be sick.

After all, he could suffer the same fate as that boy.

First train rides! We'll see the other six districts in the next chapter. I'll try to keep things as even as possible, so the tributes who don't get a train ride POV will get one during training.

What did you guys think? There's a poll on my profile, so go vote! It will be taken down when I post the first training day. The winner will get a (subtle) reward. See you Saturday!