So, I haven't been uploading because of school and blah blah blah but I'm back, so... I won't be uploading often and I'm going to try to upload once a week but no promises. So... Here's the next chapter. Thank you all for reading! KEEP VOTING and please spread the word!

District 1: Train Ride

Ruby Winchester's POV

Adrian's threat unsettled me. I knew from Dean's tales of time in the Arena and from the many Games shown over the television that each tribute had enough to worry about, between twenty-three people trying to kill every other opponent. I, unlike everyone else, would have one person out of these twenty-three that would do anything he could to be the person to kill me.

My odds of living was becoming more and more slim.

Add to that, the fact that District 1, of course, had more than one victor. The rules stated that family could not mentor family in the Games, which meant Dean would be hard on Adrian, angering the tribute more, giving him more reason to kill me.

I thought about all of this while sitting in my room on the train, my head in my hands. We had time to ourselves before the early dinner, at five. It was only twelve when we boarded. I should go speak to my mentor Abelard, one of the first five victors, and see what he wants me to do but I couldn't bear to leave my room, for fear of running into Adrian.

As I contimplated the different paths that I could take to ensure my safety from Adrian for at least the majority of the Games, when there was a soft knock on my door. A head poked in and I refused to look up, to take my hands from my face. "Ruby?" It was Dean.

"Dean... I know that you will try your hardest to keep me alive but why, why, did it have to be him I have to go against?" I didn't look at him for fear that I would burst out crying. I wouldn't cry, not when I had to be strong in the arena.

"I don't know sweetie..." He whispered and walked to me, wrapping me up in his arms. He kissed my head, whispering that I'd be okay. But I don't see how I could ever be okay.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. I had to pull everything together to put on a strong front for Adrian so he wouldn't think I would be an easy target. "We should check out the other reapings, size the other tributes up." Dean nodded and he took me to one of the train cars, which held a very large plush velvet couch facing a large television. In almost all the corners sat trays of food and drinks, ready to be eaten and drink to our needs.

Adrian and Abelard were already on. Adrian sat across the room, lounging on one edge of the C-shaped couch. "Hello, Rubes!" He said, his eyes cold and heartless. He smiled slightly and I could tell he felt like it would be an easy win.

Abelard turned and sized me up then looked back at Adrian. "We need to watch the other tributes." He seemed straigtforward. He'd won his Games by making a group of the more advanced tributes and killing the others before inciting a war and disappearing to let everyone else kill each other.

I nodded silently and Dean turned on the television. I sat with Dean on the longest part of the couch, me closer to Abelard's stiff form than to Adrian's lounging one. The two seemed like completely opposites of each other.

Caeser Flickerman appeard on screen with Cladius Templesmith. They were speaking about the tributes, commenting on how they thought the tributes would be a very interesting bunch. A large two appeared on the screen and it went into the Reapings for that district.

As the reapings passed, I saw Dean writing down the names and any notes that happened during their reapings. After the Reapings ended, the room was silent, except for the anthem. Then Adrian said, "I don't think the Games'll be that hard this year."

"Never underestimate your opponents," growled Abelard from his spot on the couch. Dean looked up and nodded.

Dean looked at Adrian, "What do you have going for you? What makes you able to win?" He asked, curious as to how much Adrian would know.

"I have great endurance, I can go really long amounts of time without stopping or slowing while running. I am able to adeptly wield a sword, axe, mace, and spear. I have the ability to effectively make us of knives, daggers, and bows." Adrian said, smiling at me.

"What about survival?" grumbled Abelard incredulously.

Adrian shrugged and waved it away, "I'm from One, why would I need survival?" Abelard shook his head and looked at me.

"What are your talents, girl?" He asked, scratching his beard.

I smiled slightly, "I can swim, use knives and swords, and I'm very good at differentiating all the types of plants found in the wilderness."

Abelard nodded and looked at Adrian, "Can you swim, boy?" He asked, one eyebrow raising high in question.

"No," Adrian answered, his cold gray-blue eyes on me. "I can't."

Abelard nodded and leaned back into the pluff couch, stroking his beard, "I see..." He thought for a while more an a silence ensued his words.

Then: "I think you two should be in an alliance."

Adrian Zealous's POV

I tried to stay in my room, as I've heard that other tributes do, but I couldn't bear to be sitting there when I could show up little Ruby or bathe in the luxuries of the capitol.

I knew I would win and I knew I could beat Ruby in the Games. If anything, if I was to die, she would die with me.

I thought of Zak quickly, of the boy that had been my only friend growing up. The only one that cared about the Games like me. Then my thoughts flitted to Xavier but I pushed him away as I confidently made my way down the row of cars to a fancy looking area.

There was food in the corner and I shrugged, thinking that I could easily just slip a few bites before Abelard, Dean, and Ruby came. I took a small pastry and started to rip it into pieces, my eyes focused on every little bit. I imagined that each piece of bread I tore was part of Ruby, of the stupid little girl from the beautiful large homes that has everything she could ever need.

I turned when I heard soft footsteps approaching. I instantly slipped through the names of the people that could be attacking me, sneaking up to kill me before I could kill Ruby. But as I began to get ready to fight, I saw not Ruby, Dean, or Abelard but a tiny little brown haired girl with large grey-blue doe eyes. She was beautiful and had obviously been from District 1. She carried herself high, even though I could see from the set of her jaw she was an Avox.

"What are you doing here, you little br-" I began to yell at her to leave but when I looked into her eyes, all I could see was me. She was like a mirror image of myself but I knew that was impossible. I knew that nobody in the world could ever look like me.

She touched her chest softly with one finger and watched me then backed away quickly and left the room.

Soon, I saw the escort, the petite, purple haired, pink tattoed Mia Reese enter the room. Her eyes locked instantly on my figure in the corner. I was still shocked from what I had seen in the Avox girl. I looked at Mia, "Do you know the Avox's names?" I whispered, my voice scratchy. I coughed slightly, hoping to return my voice to normal.

"No, Adrian. Nobody cares about their names. You might ask Abelard, he might know. He took an interest in the female Avoxes a couple years back."

I nodded softly, "Thank you, Mia."

My eyes widened in shock at the old man, Abelard's words, "An alliance?!" I almost yelled, completely surprised. I want to kill the girl, not help her live. Then I realized how I must look to Dean, who seemed to be scrutinizing my every move, and even Ruby so I quickly regained my composure. "Why would I need her?" I sneered, the thought of being in an alliance with Ruby making my stomach turn.

"She can swim, you can't. She can survive, you can't." Abelard answered easily, his gravelly voice grating my nerves.

I couldn't help it; I laughed. "Why would we need to swim?! If we really needed to swim, I don't think only one of us would help at all. And if I'm compitent, I won't need to survive because I'll have a huge food source from the Cornucopia."

"You stupid boy!" Dean said softly, shaking his head as if he was better than me before continuing, "How could you think that the Cornucopia would truly give you everything you need? The Peacekeepers could do whatever they want with the Arena, which includes making the Cornucopia a worthless place to be."

Adrian glared at Dean then looked at me, "What do you think?" I smiled at the sudden uncomfortable look that overtook Ruby's small face.

Then she spoke, her voice shaky, "I think that an alliance would be nice. Adrian and I could ally with the other Career tributes so that we wouldn't be completely alone. Safety in numbers, right?"

She seemed to be completely unaware that even though the quote could ring true in anything, that it wouldn't in the Hunger Games. That it would be stupid to assume anything and- "Very right, Ruby. Don't you agree, Dean? Adrian?" Abelard grumbled.

"Of course." Dean answered, smiling approvingly at Ruby.

I looked at Ruby then at Abelard and Dean's awaiting faces. I pulled my voice up so I could tell them that her idea was stupid, tha she would get both me and her killed, "I agree." I whispered, unable to tell my mentors how wrong they were.

"Then it's settled. You two will ally, then add to the group with the other Careers."

Ruby Winchester's POV

The dinner was quiet, so very entirely quiet. None of us spoke and at almost the exact time the dinner finished, Mia Reese came into the car from the bathroom. "We've arrived!" She giggled and I got up, turning and looking out the window.

The Capitol was on a small pennisula over a lake, towering over the ancient trees that guarded the once sacred place. The Capitol looked like a marble, metal, and glass hub, with skyscrapers that stretched like fingers toward the sun.

Small cars zoomed over the streets and I could see through the miniscule (compared to the buildings) streets, the town square, which had a large golden fountain. As we pulled in, there were hundreds upon thousands of tiny people lined up to see the District One trains arrive at the station.

The people were outlandish. Even to District One, the Capitol siblings seemed like complete fashion disasters, like they weren't human. It unsettled me and as the train came to a stop, I got up and, with Dean holding my arm, we exited into the mass of Capitol citizens.

District 2: Train Rides

Raezor Summer's POV

I never went to the room that Althea had shown me. I couldn't bear to; all I wanted was to see Trace. What luck, both of us becoming the tributes. I couldn't help it- I'm addicted- so I grabbed some coffee to calm my nerves. I looked at Althea as she cleared her throat.

"Raezor, what skills do you have?" She asks quietly, her hair covering her face as she knitted on the large plush couch.

I smiled proudly, slipping onto the couch, ready to act like I know I should. Letting the real me shine through, it would seem with how I've acted all my life. "I'm stealthy, very quiet when I need to be. I'm good with long daggers. Excellent with scimitars. I'm a Career."

Althea snorted and shook her head sadly, "What happened to normal alliances and actually working to win?" She muttered under her breath and looked at the cloth in her hands intently.

Then a very tall, unnaturally skinny girl entered. She is very pale, her long golden hair falling in ringlets around her long, thin face. "Althea, I believe you may like this boy." She said, her voice like what I'd always imagined a ghost's voice to sound like: wistful and soft. As if her mind is far away.

"Oh?" she answered, never looking up from the project before her.

"Yes, he doesn't want to be hear but he has brute strength, something I find you adore compared to the refined skills of the Careers." She smiled slightly and I called up memories of her Games, attempting to remember the name. She had been a Career, like me, which is hard to fathom. She let them kill everyone else and out of the remaining six tributes (all Careers, including her) she slaughtered four of them in an epic bloodbath for the win.

"What's your name?" I blurted out, unable to remember. She turned her eyes to me and I realized they were very... odd. They were cold, heartless, soulless. She didn't look like she was all there. She looked like she could be on the edge of insanity.

"I am Fawna. I won the tenth Games when I was sixteen." She smiled politely. "And I will personally mentor you."

Trace Balkin's POV

I was now in the cabin that the victor showed me to. "Here, Trace. You need to come to the main car by six for dinner. Otherwise, you can stay. We would prefer if you came around five so we can discuss your talents but-"

I interjected, "I'm not a Career." I didn't want anyone to judge me like I'm a Career, like I wanted all this to happen. If I'm going to die, which I know I will, I want to die making my family proud and keeping true to me. I will not kill, I can't be a pawn in their Game.

A wry, cruel smile played on the girl's lips, "It would be better if you were- it would make it all easier for you."

"I resent Careers." I answered automatically. Her eyes stayed on me through our conversation and the way she looked at me made me wonder if she could tell the reality from the memories of the Games. I felt like a caged animal under her cruel, calculating gaze. Either that or I was her prey and I may never make it to the Games...

She smiled, "You might want to change your opinions of us, boy. That's your best chance of survival."

"I don't intend to survive. And if I do, I will not survive to be a little minion of the Capitol."

She shrugged, "To each their own. But don't say I didn't warn you." She left me to sit on the bed, or do whatever I wanted, but I chose to do the former. I felt the plush bed curl around me as I pulled out Elec's collar. I took a deep breath and sighed.

"Goodbye, buddy."

Raezor Summer's POV

I curled my arms around my legs, thinking what the Games would be like. Can I win? Can I give up my one and only friend to win? Can I let Trace die? I think I could, I just couldn't kill him. I won't kill him but I can't bear to lose, to die. Althea and Fawna had left me alone finally, after talking about some strategies that I could take. But I already knew what my standpoint would be.

I took a deep breath and slipped off the bed, my eyes attaching to the long, tall form of Trace as he entered. I smiled slightly as I took in the brown leather collar. It was ragged, faling apart. It had been Elec's collar. "You look nice, Trace."

He smiled slightly and shrugged, "I need a way to remember who I am."

For once, I really saw him for what the stylists would see- sexy, dangerous. That's what they would hope he played off of. His ability to be enticing. They would play off his looks- mid-length long midnight black hair that curled into his ice-blue mesmerizing eyes, flawless skin, and the confident way he held himself. The way his clothes were slightly rumpled, the way the collar hang, much larger than his neck, hung at a diagnol. Everything about him screamed Career.

Except his naive, kind eyes. The ones mentioned before, the ones that looked as if they could look into my soul. Those eyes...

Trace Balkin's POV

The way her eyes were combing over my body made me uncomfortable. Yet I felt that as long as I had her here with me, I would be safe. My oldest friend, the person that I would die for. She wouldn't die while I was alive.

Everything about her made me want to give myself away for her.

I went to her, slipping onto the couch next to her, on the other side, as to not make her uncomfortable. Then Fawna smiled as Althea whispered from the couch, "Welcome to the Capitol, tributes."

I heard the roar of screams and got up, walking to the window and lightly pressing my hand against the glass. The city was magnificent. It wasn't home, though.

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