Uh... Merry Christmas?

Okay, I'm gonna step up my game. If I don't update within 2 weeks, spam the hell out of my PM inbox yelling at me. (BROOKE THIS MEANS YOU IM COUNTING ON YOU.) I really want to get this story going for real.

One more thing: I've noticed that this story has lost a lot of steam, probably because I never fucking update. So I want to try again. I'm gonna do another SYOT, this time the traditional way (first person, not first-come-first-serve, multiple POVs per chapter, basic SYOT format), with updates whenever I can. If you don't believe in me and don't want to submit, fine. I get it. But if you want to give me another chance, I'm going for it. I plan on posting it sometime soon, before my winter break ends, probably around the new year.

No, I'm not abandoning this; I love these characters too much, and like I said, I want to try and pick up the steam. But I want to try and do this again, with a fresh audience and a fresh cast of characters. Call me crazy, and I'll thank you.

ALSO I FIXED THE POLL GO VOTE ON THE POLL K THX

Here goes the first train chapter :)

Daisy Mulberry, District Eleven Female

The sun setting over the hills of who-knows-where was an oddly calming sight, especially considering her circumstances. Daisy enjoyed the array of colors; the oranges and reds and pinks decorating the sky.

She noticed that Jackson didn't seem to be in such a good mood; he was cussing out the Capitol under his breath, as if he blamed them for everything.

He wasn't exactly wrong, but couldn't he look at the situation without blaming someone?

Their escort, Vivia, was no help either, with her firm beliefs that Daisy and Jackson were Tributes that would die in the bloodbath. She kept looking at them with the saddest of expressions, as if she was already predicting how much money people would lose by betting on them.

This became especially apparent during their first meal on the train. Their mentors were named Laurel and Alec, and the former preferred speaking out while the latter was unusually quiet. Even despite Laurel's general outgoing demeanor and Vivia's constant comments, the table was eerily quiet.

Daisy found herself staring out the window of the car, watching the trees pass. Her beloved home in Eleven was far behind, along with her life as she knew it.

She took another bite of her exotic Capitol meal in silence, waiting for somebody to initiate a conversation.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long.

Jackson slammed his knife into to the wooden table blade-first, so the hilt of the knife stood up by itself. "Fuckin' Capitol... sendin' us here..." he muttered, just loud enough for Daisy to hear. Vivia covered her mouth with her hand, gasping in shock.

"Jackson! That is not something for a little boy to say!"

He turned his glare on the poor Escort, steam practically coming out of his ears. "I'm not a little kid, lady."

What an attitude he has, Daisy thought. Mom would hate him.

The thought of her mother sent a sharp ache into her gut, accompanied by memories of smiles and laughter and happiness.

"No negative thoughts," she whispered to herself, ignoring the screaming match that had erupted between her Escort and her District partner. "Stay positive."

That's what her mother would've told her, anyway.

"U-um, can we not—" she was cut off by Jackson, who'd turned to her.

"Daisy, am I a little boy?"

She could feel her face heating up. If she said yes, she got on Jackson's bad side, and if she said no, she got on Vivia's. She'd never really liked situations like these; they always ended with someone unhappy.

"W-well, um, I don't really think so, b-but Vivia could see you a little differently."

He blinked, an incredibly confused expression on his face. "Yeah, but who do you agree with?"

Daisy giggled. "Neither of you?"

He groaned, and at his comically distressed expression, Laurel started laughing, only to be slapped on the arm by Alec and told to quiet down. Daisy smiled, an oddly calm feeling washing over her.

If she was going to die in a few days, at least she could spend some of her final moments with these wonderful people.

Vivia huffed and turned to the two Mentors. "If the only other mature adults in this room are going to behave like children, then our Tributes are more dead than they already are. I mean, look at them. So tiny, no meat on their bones. Honestly, it's like they're already corpses." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I should tell every sponsor I'd tried to ring in that they should go bet on another District. I bet Two is promising again this year."

Jackson stood up suddenly, knocking his chair back. "Well, ya know what? If you're gonna be a bitch, I don't have to stay here and take this shit. I'm done." With that, he stormed out of the dining car, slamming the door behind him. Three out of four remaining people in the car looked shocked; Laurel just looked amused.

"Honestly, the nerve of that boy," Vivia muttered, picking at her food as if nothing had happened. Alec looked like he was trying to follow her example, though his gaze drifted to the door every two seconds.

Daisy felt guilty, though she couldn't fathom why. It wasn't like she could stop Jackson's temper; if she'd learned anything about him in the past few hours, it was that he couldn't be calmed down once he got fired up.

But that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"Excuse me," she said, standing up, "but I think I'll follow him."

"Good luck with that," Laurel scoffed, only to receive yet another slap on the arm from Alec.

It didn't take long for Daisy to find Jackson; he was standing just outside of the dining car, on the platform that connected it to their rooms. A fierce wind blew Daisy's dark brown hair in front of her face and pushed the clouds past them. The sun had fallen lower in the sky, just barely seen above the trees, painting the sky in a myriad of colors.

She stood next to him in silence, taking in the summer air and the scent of the pine trees. not wanting to speak for fear of ruining such a beautiful silence.

But she had to say something.

"You know, you've made quite a name for yourself," she began, her hushed voice just barely heard over the howling wind. "You basically called out the Capitol at the Reaping earlier, and after Vivia's reactions to what you said, I doubt she'll keep quiet."

Jackson laughed bitterly, staring out into the distance. "Do you honestly think I care?"

Daisy considered her words carefully; one wrong step and Jackson would go storming off again. He was like a bomb she had to defuse, and if she cut the wrong wire... boom.

"W-well, no..." she said, tapping her fingers on the railing. "But that's not a bad thing, is it?"

He gave her a glare, but Daisy was just thankful for the eye contact. "What do you mean?"

"Um, you're really confident in yourself... and you're so brave about what you say..." she began, delighted when his angry expression started to change into a calmer one. "I really can't say that stuff about myself."

Jackson was silent, staring at the ground as he took in the meaning of her words, searching her face for any signs of dishonesty. But Daisy was sincere; she always was. If she wasn't sincere, she wasn't talking.

"You mean all that?"

Daisy nodded, a small smile creeping across her face. "Uh huh."

They stood in silence for a while, watching as the sun disappeared behind the tree line, taking its colors with it. Stars flickered in and out of existence, and the moon bathed the scene in a faint otherworldly glow.

She began to wonder; was this what it was like to have a brother? Standing in companionable silence, no words necessary?

"Hey, Jackson," Daisy said cautiously, her grip tightening slightly on the rail, "Can you apologize to Vivia for me tomorrow morning?"

His glare was back. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Daisy gulped. "N-no, I think you're right, of course, b-but it'd be in our best interests if one of three people helping us was on y-your side."

He rolled his eyes. "Shit, you're right, aren't you?"

Daisy just shrugged. In all honesty, she'd forgotten about what Jackson and Vivia were fighting about a while ago; she just wanted everyone on the train to be happy, and if achieving that meant spouting nonsense, she'd do it.

Jackson huffed. "I'll think about it."

Daisy grinned; it was a win in her book.

The dining car door creaked open, and Alec poked his head out. "Hey, guys, the Reaping recaps are on. You should come in and watch."

Daisy turned around, looking back to make sure Jackson was following her. "You coming?"

"I'll catch up," he replied, eyes fixated on the stars above. Daisy waited for a second before following Alec inside, planning to hold Jackson to his words.

This time tomorrow everyone would be happy. And that was what she lived for; didn't her mother raise her to be there to help people be happy?

ENDING IS CHEESY AF BUT MEH

I didn't intend on giving Daisy and Jackson such a good relationship; it just happened. As I was reading over their forms, I realized how different they were, and they reminded me of two really close siblings I know in real life, so... this happened. I'm really proud of this chapter, actually.

So... yeah. New SYOT coming around the new year, probably. And I intend on updating it whenever I can.

And my new year's resolution is to update more in general, so... I guess I'd better get working on the next chapter for this story. Hope you liked this one.