Denver Crane (15) D7M

The train had tons of cool things to see. My first thought was to stare out the window, but we were going so fast I couldn't see things very well. I had a vague idea of what the landscape was like, and I could tel if there were trees or plains, but I didn't have a good enough view of things to keep myself interested for long. Instead, I kept moving, going from train car to train car in search of fun and allies.

Fun wasn't lacking on the train; it came in every shape and size. I could summon candy whenever I wanted, or make myself a toy. I accidentally got a potato, which I promptly threw away. What was I supposed to do with a potato? French fries would have made sense, but a potato was just a potato. I could have thrown it at someone to annoy them, and that was about it. The bouncy balls I got and threw at walls were much more fun, especially when I accidentally missed them when they bounced back and the balls went careening off into the unknown.

During my travels I stumbled upon a boy. He seemed like a normal boy, much like myself. He also seemed to be somewhat friendly, so I went up to him. If worst came to worst, he could yell at me. Hurting me wouldn't fly on the train, so I wasn't in any real danger. Best case scenario, I got an ally. Either option wouldn't really hurt. "Hey, I'm Denver. What's your name?"

"I'm Giovanni, but most people call me Vanny," the boy replied, turning to me. "You're District Seven's boy, right?"

"Yeah, I am. You're from District Eight?"

"Yeah."

I didn't know exactly how to continue that conversation. Conversation was hard in general, but I found it harder than some. "You know, we're almost from the same District. That makes us almost District partners, and District partners are supposed to be allies, so..."

"I guess that's right," Vanni responded, smiling. "What's your Games plan?"

"I don't really have much of one," I said, bashfully. "I kind of want to get into a big alliance and hope that no one attacks us. I could help us survive, and I was thinking someone in our alliance would probably be able to help us fight. If we get enough people, we're bound to have a little bit of everything."

Giovanni considered for a second before responding. "That seems like as good of a plan as any. I can help a bit with making any shelters we need, and I could learn any skills I need to learn pretty fast. I'm in."

I grinned from ear to ear. "Great!" I hadn't expected finding an ally to be that simple. It was a logical plan, but that didn't make it a good plan. I left the train car after Giovanni did, excusing himself to look around and try to talk to his mentor. Now that I had an ally, I could focus on more bouncy balls.

Falia Oakarm (14) D7F

Cassia asked to talk to me right away, for planning purposes. I knew that that was wise, since I desperately needed any help I could get if I was to have a chance at surviving. I didn't know why she favored me over Denver, but I figured she had to choose one of us. Maybe she just flipped a coin. I was vaguely aware of what to expect from Cassia, since I couldn't remember her Games, but my parents knew it because it was decently recent.

"We need to decide what your plan should be. There is no plan that guarantees a win at all. There is no plan that works for everyone. Tell me some things about you, and we'll work on your plan."

"Well, I'm a bit of a sass at times. I don't like it when people try to shove me around, but most people don't. I think if I play that just right, there might be a chance at sponsors. I have a hard time making friends, but I think I should try for allies anyways." I didn't know what I was supposed to say, so I just said whatever came to my mind and hoped for the best.

"That's all good to know, but it's not what I meant. You should play for sponsors, and you should get some allies. I meant to ask for some strengths and weaknesses, though."

"Oh. That makes a lot more sense. I guess I know a bit about knives. I worked with touching up the trees we were cutting down and making sure they were usable. I couldn't do much with a knife, though, since I don't know how to throw. By the time I was close enough that my knife would be useable, they'd be able to get to me. I know how to hide a bit, and I can think on my feet a bit. I'd say my biggest weakness is my temper, since if it flares up I can't always control myself very well. I'm also pretty small, being fourteen and from and outer District."

"That I can work with. I'd say you should work on learning how to throw knives, since that would give you a better range. If you're strength is hiding and your weakness is a temper, you should learn survival skills and try to hide out. You can't get mad at somebody who isn't there. If you want to make kills, they're going to have to be low blows. I would recommend either sneak attacks or poison, since those are the only ways you have a good chance at not being killed."

I nodded as Cassia spoke. It all made perfect sense; I just hadn't put the pieces together yet. "Yeah, that would work. It would get me less sponsors, but if I poisoned people I could get those back. I would definitely have to sneak attack, yeah..." I began to mumble to myself, planning on my own as Cassia called Denver in.