A/N: And here we have the train rides! Also, now that the reapings are done, I'm going to change the POV markers. (example: Liana Arla's POV will become Liana Arla, District 12 Female)

I know some POVs are way longer than others, and I should try to even them out more, but sometimes it just makes sense to end it there, you know?

Enjoy!

Chapter 13 – Train Rides and Terrible Feelings

Cash Quinneton, District 1 Male

As soon as we finish with goodbyes, they whisk us away from the Justice Building and through the streets of 1. A feeling of foreboding has settled over my ribcage, slowly tightening around my torso. I can't explain it—Coin says everyone will kill when the time comes, but sometimes I think I won't. Is that why I feel so weird? Because I am going into the Hunger Games, where it's either they die or you do?

I shake my head as we head through the train station, filled with reporters and flashing cameras. I flash a dazzling smile to the crowd. I have to remember that I chose to do this. If the people at the Academy really didn't think I had any potential, they wouldn't have put me as the top volunteer. It would have been someone else, like Topaz de Martin or Charming Ross. But they chose me, and here I am.

We enter the train, quickly being sealed off from the adoring reporters and stuck on a speeding vehicle with Clementina, Money and some other Victor from District 1.

Coin flops down on a couch in the dining car as Money and Peridot Nero enter from the other end. Peridot sits down with Coin, and they quickly start talking in hushed tones. Coin keeps looking over at me.

I sit at the table with Money.

"So," I say. "What's the plan?"

Money just shakes his perfect blond head. "Think about it, Cash. What chance do you really have? You should have given up while you were ahead."

His remark has me taken aback. "I should give up?" I spit out. "Who do you think I am? Some weak, sniveling, terrified outlier? I'm a Career!" I throw a furtive glance at Coin. Both she and Peridot have stopped talking. "Coin says everyone kills when the time comes, and—"

"But you won't," Money says simply. "I've seen your scores. You weren't the best in the Academy. They put you in here because they could afford to lose someone so hopeless."

For possibly the first time in my life, I've been stunned into silence. "I'll show you!" I yell. On the other side of the room, Clementina jumps about a foot in the air and says something about manners. "I'll show you all! In two weeks' time, I'll be the only one left, and you'll come crawling back to me!" I lean across the table, getting as close as I can to Money's face without laying right on the wood. "I show you a Victor. I'll be the best Victor 1 has ever had. I'll show you how it's done."

With that, I turn around and storm out of the dining car, seeing red.

Jaz Tammel, District 3 Female

The tears are still flowing when we arrive at the train station. My district partner gives the reporters a half-hearted smile, but I can't muster up the energy to. It feels like the life is slowly being sucked from my body, and it will all lead up to my death in five days.

I would like to retreat to my room as soon as we get on the train, but Alenius makes me stay to at least greet the mentors.

Thalia Eames and Aaron Tarentello aren't your average District 3 Victors. Thalia racked up four kills before the finale even happened, then got one more on the last night. And you can bet she didn't do anything related to technology in the arena. Not that there was much she could have done—I'm fairly certain her arena was a tropical island that was so small that if all the tributes held hands, they could span the length of it.

I shudder involuntarily. I hope the arena isn't like that, at least for the others' sake. It's not like I'll ever have to worry about the arena. Before that is even a problem, I will be dead.

I don't remember Aaron's games. Both Aaron and Thalia won before I was born, but they showed Thalia's games in school a lot. Aaron's must have been fairly boring. I don't think he is a very popular Victor.

I know they managed to bring a tribute home not long ago. Maybe it was the 143rd? No, that's not right.

I hope they can do the same for Bennett, since they can't do it for me.

I sit down at the table beside Bennett. Thalia sits across from me, clearly sizing me up. "So, you're Jaz, right?"

I nod half-heartedly.

She smiles sympathetically. "I don't like it when tributes give up before they even see the competition."

"I don't have a chance," I reply. "I'm a dead man walking."

"I don't like that mentality," she says. "That's not the way you win."

"I don't want to win."

She shakes her head, correctly diagnosing me as a lost cause. She turns to Bennett, who is deep in conversation with Aaron. I dejectedly get up, grabbing a cinnamon bun from the tray on the table and start walking to my room. After I ask Alenius where my room is, I take a big bite. If I'm going die, I might as well enjoy what the Capitol has to offer, right?

When I reach my room, I flop on the large, fluffy bed. It makes a little boof sound as I sink onto the mattress, sending dust up into the air. I get the feeling they don't have much of a use for a tribute train when the Games aren't going on.

I don't really know how long I lay there. But I do know that the only thing that stops me from staying there forever is Alenius's voice telling me it is time for dinner, and then the following grumble of my stomach that reminds me I had to enjoy all the interesting Capitol food choices.

We have an elaborate dinner consisting of seventeen varieties of sushi. As it turns out, I'm not a fan of seafood. I go back to bed on an almost empty stomach.

Kiran Comaydos, District 5 Male

It's clear from the moment we enter the train station that Wren will forever overshadow me. Being an outlying volunteer from a District that hadn't had a Victor in twenty four years makes her very interesting. Surely the Capitol will love her and forget about me.

The mentors seem to care more about her than me as well. Ave Samenfeld and Solaryn Duke-Dare certainly aren't very interested in the tall, scruffy reaped kid when they could have strong, tough volunteered Wren.

Solaryn won the last Quarter Quell. This should make me feel more confident in my chances, but the fact that the last two Victors from 5 one consecutive years certainly doesn't.

We sit at the T.V. and watch the Reapings that have already happened and District 6 live. The six careers this year all look deadly—but then there is the boy from 2, who was jeered and yelled at when he volunteered. Why? Do they just not like him? Was he not supposed to volunteer? I really don't think it matters who volunteers. It would be much easier on us outliers if there were just no volunteers allowed.

The pair from 1 being twins could change the games, Solaryn tells us. I don't believe him. They're Careers either way, and if it came down to just them, I bet they wouldn't hesitate to kill each other. If me and Wyatt were put in the Games, and we were the final two, I would die so Wyatt could go home. But I don't think Careers have the same mentality about their siblings. They probably see them as rivals or something.

"So, Wren," Ave says stoically. "Tell us. Why did you volunteer?"

Wren's face is conflicted, her big owl glasses magnifying her features. Finally, she says, "I think I have a good chance. And it will help my family a lot if I win…"

Ave seems content with that answer, but Solaryn clearly isn't. "Really?" he exclaims fiercely. "You volunteered for that?"

"Well, yeah…" Wren says, seeming confused by Solaryn's reaction.

"You could die," Solaryn continues. "By volunteering, you basically signed your own death warrant."

"That's not true!" Wren yells. "I can fight better than any other outlier in these games! I have the skills and the determination to win! I don't need your help!" She turns around, stomping out the dining room and down the hall. The door slides shut behind her, leaving the rest of us sitting in stunned silence.

"So… um, Kiran, what are your strengths?" Ave asks awkwardly.

"Uh," I say. "Well… I'm kinda smart. I'm a bit of an optimist…"

Solaryn sighs, throwing his head back. He mutters something about clearly hopeless tributes. Ave puts her hand on his arm and says, "Optimism is good. Just don't have too much of it, okay? You need to be able to see things in the light they really are."

"Okay," I say noncommittally.

Silence stretches between us. I play with my hands in my lap, messing with the wire bracelet Dad had given me in the Justice Building. Suddenly I stand up. "I, um, I'm going to go take a nap." My voice is too loud. So obviously fake.

Ave and Solaryn say nothing as I leave, following Wren's path down into the hallway. As I pass the door marked female tribute, I can hear yelling and things being thrown from inside. Sighing, I enter the room next to it.

I decide to try out the fancy Capitol shower. We don't have many showers in 5, but my family has one. However, it's not up to Capitol caliber.

I undress and get into the shower, pressing a button that shows water coming from a showerhead. The water blasts down from the showerhead, making me stumble back against the wall in surprise. I laugh despite myself and start pushing random buttons.

Fifteen minutes later, I get out of the shower, smelling like an odd mixture of roses, the ocean, cinnamon, watermelon and fresh cut grass. I'm still laughing as I get dressed in an outfit the Capitol provided, somehow in my size. A grin is still on my face when Pippa comes to get me for dinner. She looks at me oddly. I don't really mind though. Maybe I can win this after all. And if I can't, there's no point in being all depressed beforehand.

Echo Shamir, District 7 Male

As we drive through the streets of 7, I can't help but think about what I've just done. If the Capitol finds out…

I mentally shake the thought away. I'll be careful. And it won't matter once I get home. As long as I don't lose any limbs or something like that, Shallow can go out and do the Victor things. I can stay home and unwind from the Arena. Everything will be fine.

When we get off at the train station, I smile at all the cameras, posing with Macy for a few pictures. Macy is grinning from ear to ear, beaming at the crowd like nothing in her life is wrong. I consider asking her to ally. She seems trustworthy, and district partners often stick together.

Once we get onto the train, all my thoughts of allying with Macy get stabbed several times. Sitting on a couch in the dining car is Larken Atkinson, Victor of the 135th Hunger Games. Every year he has mentored, he has tried to convince his tributes to go solo. It worked for him, so he thinks it should work for everyone. Obviously, it doesn't, since 7 has only had one Victor since he started mentoring. I know immediately that I'm not going to take that piece of advice.

As soon as I stop worrying about Larken, I focus on the impressive spread of food in front of me. I sit at the table, trying to figure out what I'm going to eat first. It all looks so good! I need to eat all of it, I need to try everything, I want to eat every single thing the Capitol has ever made—

Just as I reach for a plate of sandwiches, Larken starts to talk. He glares so hard I retract my hand.

"So, Shallow," he says. "We need to come up with a plan for how you're going to win." He looks me up and down. "What are your strengths?"

"I'm fast," I say. "I can fight. I'm good with axes, knives, a bow…" I tick the things off on my fingers. "I can swim, too."

He nods, clearly pleased. "I've got some ideas. First, avoid allies. I would recommend against joining the Careers, as well."

Across the room, Macy's mentor, Cypress Cinderwood, rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"You want a good training score," Larken continues. "You don't want one so high that the Careers will target you, but you want one that is high enough that they won't write you off as weak."

"Why?" I exclaim. "Wouldn't it make more sense to pretend to be weak and scared so they won't come after me?"

Larken shakes his head. "No. So many tributes have done that that the Careers know to be wary of them." He throws a pointed look over to Cypress, but she is too focused on Macy to see it. I try to remember her Games. Did she do pretend to be a weakling? Did Larken not approve of that?

"So what would you suggest?" I ask.

"Try to seem strong, but not too strong. Stay away from other tributes. The worst thing you can do in the Hunger Games is get attached to someone else," Larken says.

Sighing, I grab one of the sandwiches I'd gone for earlier and shove it into my mouth. I try a miniature chocolate cake as well, which tastes much better than the sandwich. I decide I'll have to find allies during training and not tell Larken about it. I don't know if I'll be able to survive without allies.

We sit down to watch the Reaping re-cap. Larken has comments to make about all of them.

"Twins?" he says about District 1. "That's ridiculous. They're likely your average Careers. Difficult kills, probably, but that's probably about it."

"I would say the boy from 2 is probably the weakest Career this year," he says when we reach District 2. "The girl, though, she's the dangerous one. Look out for her."

"Both bloodbaths," is all he says for District 3.

"I don't think we should write them off so easily," I say. "They could have hidden skills."

"Look, kid, I'm trying to keep you alive," Larken says. "I know my stuff."

I don't want to get into an argument with him, so I don't say another world.

"The girl looks pretty tough," says Larken on District 4. "The boy looks pretty arrogant. Likely an easy kill."

"A volunteer in an outlying district is something you can't ignore. The boy, though, he's a bloodbath. Weak, scared, the perfect bloodbath combination."

I decide, then and there, that every person Larken says is a bloodbath is going to be offered an alliance from me.

"The girl looks fairly formidable. I would watch her training score. The boy looks like he could cause problems, but he should be fairly easy to kill."

We watch ourselves on screen. I see Shallow go up to the stage after Macy. Cypress looks between Shallow on screen and me, and for a second I think she is going to call me out. But then she just shrugs and goes back to the Reapings.

"That boy will likely be a fairly difficult kill. Obviously not of Career caliber, but I would watch out for him. The girl, definitely a bloodbath. Even if she's stronger than she acts, the Careers will make quick work of her."

I glare at Larken. He's insulting the other tributes for being scared.

"The girl is weak. It's possible that she will make it past the bloodbath, but I would never bet on her. The boy is limping a little. However, he still looks like he could be dangerous. Watch out for him."

At the sight of the girl from 10 bursting into tears, Larken outright laughs. "A bloodbath if I ever did see one." He watches the boy, Rooster, for a moment. "Eh. I'd watch for him. Could be dangerous."

"That boy didn't volunteer because he's good, I'm sure," Larken says. "He looks depressed. I would imagine he will go in the bloodbath."

Finally, we get to District 12.

"I would think the girl would be go far, but with a boy like that… watch out for him. He looks crazy, which makes him dangerous. I have no doubt that he will follow through with his threat."

I lean back against the couch, happy that Larken's commentary is over. I turn to Macy. "Do you think that Liana could take on Joba—"

"No," Larken says forcefully. "there is no 'Liana' or 'Joba'. They are simply the tributes from 12. They aren't people, they're targets. If you know their names, it will make it harder to kill them."

Macy swallows. I stand up. "I'm going to bed."

Thankfully, Larken doesn't try to stop me.

Valentine Vizzolini, District 9 Female

I just keep crying. I can't stop my tears. They just keep falling, faster and faster and hotter and hotter. Is it possible to cry so much you have no more tears left? Because if it is, I think it will be happening soon.

I'm so scared. My legs are sort of shaky. If this is how I am when I get reaped, what state will I be in when the Games actually begin?

The reporters take to Cornell quicker than they do it me. He seems more outgoing, more generally likable. He gives them smiles and poses. I can already tell he will get a fanbase—nothing like a Career, I would think, but there's always someone in the Capitol who likes every tribute.

Their reaction to me is much different: they see my wet cheeks, the tear tracks, my puffy eyes, and suddenly anything I could do to make them like me just goes out the window. I could have volunteered, declared to the cameras that I am the clear winner of these Games, and if they saw that I had been crying, they wouldn't care. They would think I'm weak.

The thought just makes more tears well in my eyes.

As we board the train, they spill down my face. I choke back a sob. Cornell reaches out like he wants to comfort me, but I turn my back and scamper down the hallway, away from the dining car. I find the door marked female tribute, yank it open, and throw myself onto the bed inside. I cover my face with the pillow, letting my tears wet the fabric. Finally I roll onto my back, staring at the ceiling, not really seeing it.

The reality just never set in until now. I am actually going into the Hunger Games. I am actually going to die…

A sob forces its way up my throat and out of my mouth. I sink back into the blankets, sobbing. This is really happening. I have actually been reaped for the Hunger Games, at twelve-years-old, with twenty three other twelve-year-olds. In two weeks, all but one of us will be dead.

I roll over again, shoving my face into the pillow again. Eventually, I cry myself to sleep, and when Maximus comes calling for dinner, I don't even bother getting up.

Nora Caffler, District 11 Female

Everyone is reeling.

Esmeralda, our mentors, the reporters, the entirety of Panem is trying to figure out why Axel volunteered. He doesn't seem particularly strong, or smart, or having trained previously, or… anything, really. I can't imagine why anyone would want to volunteer for these death games.

Our mentors, Meadow and Brice, can't figure it out, either. And Axel doesn't seem to be cooperating.

I dejectedly take a bite of the cupcake in my hand.

I guess it's just knowing that all of this is leading up to my imminent death. I take another bite. At least imminent death tastes good.

"You've got frosting on your face," Axel says.

"Oh," I say quietly, wiping my hand on my cheek. "Did I get it?"

Esmeralda makes a disgusted noise. I glance at her, sitting on the couch in front of the T.V. was a plate of quiches in her hand. "Sorry," I whisper, grabbing a napkin from the center of the table.

"So, we should go over some strategies," Meadow says. "Nora, I'll be mentoring you. Axel, Brice has you." Her face tells me she isn't unhappy with this arrangement. "Nora, why don't we go sit over on the couch and talk?"

I nod and follow her over to the couch in front of the T.V., making Esmeralda move. The emerald-colored escort leaves with an annoyed humph.

"What are your skills?" Meadow asks.

"I'm good at healing," I mumble. "But I can't fight. I'm fast."

"Okay, so here's what you do: on the first day of training, make an alliance, learn some survival skills. On the second day, focus on some sort of weapon. Learn to fight with a knife, or learn a bit of archery. You're not going to master anything, with only two and a half days to learn it, but you want to be at least semi-competent with something. You need to be able to protect yourself," Meadow says.

"Alright." I sigh. "Who should I ally with?"

"Other outliers," Meadow advises. "Avoid the Careers. If they offer you a place in their alliance, it's likely because they want lots of chances to kill you. But if they do, I wouldn't refuse. It will just make them dislike you. It will put an enormous target on your back."

I swallow and say, "Okay."

Meadow puts a hand on my shoulder. "I believe in you, Nora. I see potential in every tribute I've ever gotten, but I think 11 might have another Victor this year." She looks over at Brice and Axel. "And it's not him."

It's a good thing I'm sitting down, because if I wasn't, I probably would have fallen over. "You're… you're serious? You think I could win?"

"Even if you don't, if you're as good at healing as you sound like you are, you might save the life of the Victor," Meadow says conversationally. "But I believe in you, Nora. The Capitol may not, but I will. I've brought tributes home before, like Brice." Her smiles drops off her face. "But you have to remember: just because I say that you have a chance doesn't mean you need to get cocky or over-confident. It never works out for the arrogant tributes."

"I'll… I'll try my best," I say, and I mean it. I just hope I really do have what it takes to win. Deep down, I don't think I do.

A/N: I'm very unhappy with this chapter, but I guess I'm too lazy to rewrite it. It kind of feels like the same thing over and over again.

Who do you think will be a bloodbath? Any alliance ideas? I've got a Victor in mind, but that might change. Who do you think will be the Victor? Reviews are always appreciated.