CHAPTER XIX. TRAIN RIDES PART II
"You can teach people everything except how to get along."
-Marty Rubin
CLANCY DIETRICH (17) - DISTRICT 5 MALE
Clancy was about to go fucking feral. The train ride had practically shattered his expectations of the entire universe. For once, it was seeming more and more likely that the Capitol was in fact real.
"You're going to have to get prepared for the parade right when you arrive at the Capitol," Solis, his Mentor said about halfway through the ride.
"Wait," Clancy was caught completely off guard, nearly jumping out of the couch, "That's real?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Solis was weirded out by Clancy's very valid question.
Clancy thought that he was about to go to the arena right away and fight. Obviously all of that parade and training shit was just a buffer so the Capitol could edit the Games for viewer consumption. The parades and interviews were clearly just people dressed up so that they looked like the Tributes, but APPARENTLY, that was fake too!
"Yeah, that's not a thing," Solis said after Clancy explained his theory to him.
"You're stupid Clancy," Ares giving him such a minuscule, childlike insult somehow managed to hurt him in the slightest bit, "Why do you believe this stuff?"
Clancy wasn't quite sure to be honest. While he did believe that most of them were true, he admitted that some of his more outlandish theories such as Coriolanus Snow killing the previous President were definitely false, but still fun to fantasize about. They do serve a purpose to fill in the void of where his sister used to be, his attachment to her was deep and strong and when they started drifting apart, it wrecked him, and he needed something to fall back on, and that fall back was his mother and the conspiracies she shared with him, so he adopted much of the same mindset as her to cope with the degradation of his relationship with his sister. Wow okay, that was deep.
"Because fuck you, that's why," Clancy was smug with what he chose to be his verbal response.
"Hey, let's not curse at each other," Solis decided to intervene.
"Oh we know each other," Ares remarked, "And we kind of hate each other."
"Yeah, and now I have to fucking die with you!" Clancy hated that fact the more he realized it.
"Hey hey," Solis intervened once more, "Let's not assume we're going to die!"
Then what was he supposed to do, pretend to get along with Ares and come up with some stupid strategy as if it would actually work?
"Fine then," Ares scoffed at him, "We can try to work together for now."
"Emphasis on try," Clancy had no idea why he was agreeing to this shit.
"Wonderful!" It was somewhat pathetic how excited their decision to be cordial made Solis, "I was thinking we could play a few games?"
Yeah, Clancy was regretting his temporary decision to not be an asshole already. Even if they weren't going to both tragically die right away, maybe they should be spending their time planning shit to prolong their deaths for as long as possible.
"Why aren't you guys excited?" Solis was full of energy even though neither Clancy nor Ares had said anything regarding his proposal of games, "Get excited!"
"Yay," Ares lacksidascally threw her hands in the air, clearly sharing Clancy's lack of excitement.
"So, here we go," Solis was excitedly jumping, which woke up their Escort Iphegenia from the nap she was taking on another couch, "Zip," He clapped his hands together before pointing them at Ares.
"Huh?" Ares was just as confused as Clancy was.
"You're supposed to say 'zap' and then point at somebody else," Solis loudly whispered which was apparently a thing now.
"Zap!" She clapped at Clancy.
"Okay now Clancy, you say 'zop' and point to somebody, and then we repeat it." Solis instructed him on the rules of whatever weird game they were playing.
"Zop?" Clancy clapped in the direction of Iphegenia who was now fully awake and on her feet, "What exactly is the point of this game?"
"To have fun!" Solis was way too pleased with himself.
They continued to play the "Zip, Zap, Zop," game for a while, and while he wished he could say he enjoyed it, truthfully Clancy found the game to be painfully boring and repetitive, which could have been the point of it from the beginning. Solis was a weird dude, that was for sure. Way to fucking excited for some odd reason.
"Are we not going to discuss how random it is that we were both Reaped," Clancy decided to talk to Ares while the two of them were alone in the main car since Solis was napping.
"You're random," Ares sighed, "But I'm not."
"What do you mean?" The whole point of the Reapings was that it was supposed to be random, no?
"Dowlette's father is the mayor, and he rigged the Reaping," Ares stammered, somewhat embarrassed.
"Dowlette?" The name sounded familiar to Clancy, but he couldn't quite place his finger on where it came from.
"Oh, Professor Voltaire," Ares corrected herself, "He found out we were seeing each other and got upset."
"Fucking knew it!" Clancy clapped his hands in the air before realizing he had sort of just fucked up, "I mean, wow, I'm sorry, that's awful."
"It'll be fine," Ares sighed, done with both their situation and their conversation, "I don't know why I told you, anyways."
That was upsetting to Clancy. As much as he detested Ares, she didn't deserve to die for what was probably her being groomed even if she didn't know it.
"I appreciate you trusting me," Clancy genuinely meant what he said, "You deserve a better partner and if you win, I hope you find one."
"Means more than you know, Clancy," Ares cracked a slight smile before awkwardly giving Clancy a high-five.
It was a brief, but rare peaceful moment between the two and it was somewhat refreshing considering the hell of a day they had just had. Maybe them being allies would be a nice possibility after all.
SPERRY HOLSTER (16) - DISTRICT 6 FEMALE
This POV features somebody going through drug withdrawals so if that triggers you feel free to skip to the next section.
District 6 had never won before.
It had been about four hours since Sperry boarded the train, which meant it was seven hours since Sperry took a shot of morphling for the last time, and she didn't expect to be having withdrawals so quickly. She had no idea just how addicted she had become to the drug over the years until it was barely a quarter of a day without it and Sperry couldn't function.
ACHOO!
Sperry felt her nose twitching nearly every minute and she kept touching it yet she still felt the burn. Why was it burning if it wasn't on fire? It felt like it was on fire and therefore like she was on fire but it wasn't. She knew this because she kept throwing cups of water at her nose, yet nothing happened. Sperry even looked in the bathroom mirror where she once again saw that her nose was indeed not on fire. It felt that way though, Sperry couldn't help it.
When she closed her eyes, or even when she opened them, Sperry saw the stars. She saw her mother and her father dancing in circles, holding hands and spinning and chanting Sperry's name as though she was soon to join them. Was she foreshadowing her own death? Why did it seem like Sperry was somehow spoiling to herself the fact that she was going to die. Sperry didn't want to die.
District 6 had never won before.
She knew that when she volunteered yet she still held her hand up high and muttered the fateful words that led to her being on the train. Her own voice was still ringing loudly in her ears, like a record stuck playing the same line of a song over and over again. Under her voice, Sperry heard music, beautiful music. She heard elegant symphonies that would probably mimic the music she would hear when she arrived at the Capitol, if she was somehow able to survive the never ending nightmare that the train ride was appearing to be.
"Please, Sperry, think," When she spoke she wasn't sure if it was aloud or in her mind.
She was shaking everywhere, like a tornado was in her body and she was swirling through the towns destroying everything in sight. It was miserable and Sperry felt nauseous. She wanted to think about something, anything besides the alternate reality that was slowly building in her mind, but she was unable to for some cursed reason that she didn't quite understand.
District 6 had never won before.
Festus, the person hired by the Capitol to mentor her, kept trying to talk to her about why she Volunteered. He was rather tall, almost the exact height and weight of The Boss, so Sperry didn't answer. She didn't want to think about where she came from, but she also was unable to think about where she was going. She was trapped. Maybe it was better she stayed in the stars dancing with her parents since at least that was better than the bunker.
"Hi, I'm Camber," A young person with dark skin and brown eyes tried to speak to her, "I'm your Partner!"
Sperry didn't respond. What was she supposed to say?
"Hi Camber, I'm sorry that you're going to have to die to ensure my survival, assuming we both don't die," Hopefully Sperry didn't say that out loud.
Judging by Camber's expression not changing, Sperry hadn't said that out loud. Good for her. She felt bad for Camber, knowing that he was all but dead already, having the figure of a stick and seeming a bit too friendly. She also had the figure of a stick though, and hopefully she wouldn't break.
District 6 had never won before.
Sperry was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that if she wanted to make it out of the arena, she would probably have to kill someone. Killing people was supposed to be a bad thing, Sperry understood that, but the only people she'd feel happy killing would be The Boss or any of those handlers, and they wouldn't be in the arena. The only people she'd have to kill would be kids, just like her, and they would be people who deserved way better. Besides, Sperry lacked the experience to kill somebody so it wasn't like she'd be in that situation ever.
Everything was beginning to hurt. Sperry had eaten a lot during dinner even though she didn't say anything. It was probably more food than she had eaten in her entire life up until that moment. She kept getting hungry until she stopped being hungry and started hurting everywhere. It was less of a stomach ache and more of an everywhere ache.
Could this really all be because of the morphling? Sperry was unsure. She'd seen the girls at the bunker go through withdrawal, but it didn't look like how Sperry imagined she looked in that moment. Maybe their withdrawals were internal. In hindsight hers was too. She knew the first 24 hours were supposed to be the worst, but she couldn't believe how bad they had gotten. Once again, Sperry saw herself in the stars dancing with her parents.
Maybe Sperry shouldn't have Volunteered. She left so many people alone in the bunker. It didn't matter, Sperry was replaceable. They could find a new girl to torture. She couldn't go back now anyways so there was no point in dwelling on it.
District 6 had never won before.
Sperry doubted she'd be the one to change that but it didn't mean that it wasn't worth a shot. They'd also never had a volunteer. Maybe it would be a whole year full of firsts and Sperry would come out on top. Everything still hurt but Sperry was confident in the fact that would change soon. She only had 17 of the initial 24 hours left to go. She could do this. She could do anything.
Sperry Holster was not about to break.
PALMER ADAMS (18) - DISTRICT 7 MALE
Palmer didn't want to be offensive but if his District Partner Marcel and their Mentor Diana didn't stop talking about the experiences they shared as a result of both working in the sex industy, he was going to vomit on the train. The only woman he spoke to on the regular was his mom, and even they didn't speak much, so hearing those two was a whole different experience unlike anything he'd ever listened to. Palmer doubted his parents even had that much sex, and even if they did, they didn't talk about it to him.
"I can't believe I'm supposed to like it when guys scratch down my back," Marcel spoke to Diana who was listening with intent, "Do they think it's hot when I bleed or something?"
"Unfortunately, men ain't shit," Diana laughed before giving Palmer an awkward glance, "Being a lesbian has its bonuses."
"I've considered," Marcel laughed, also giving Palmer an odd glance, "But I have my whole life to live an experiment, or at least I did before this happened."
"I wouldn't judge you," Palmer attempted to budge into the conversation but the girls still chattered away like he wasn't even there.
Truthfully, Palmer didn't have much to contribute to their talk being as he had never kissed a girl and was above all the antithesis of a sex worker, but he felt odd not saying anything at all, even though what he said had little to know significance to them.
"Thanks?" Marcel was rightfully dumbfounded.
As they talked more and more describing their most wild experiences, Palmer poked his head out the window to take a peek at his surroundings. He'd always wanted to go past the gates of District 7, and while this was far from the ideal situation for that, the landscape was just as beautiful as Palmer had anticipated. The trees were completely different from those back in 7, way less tall but a much more diverse array of species, and there was surprisingly a lot of wildlife. The train was going pretty fast so it was hard for Palmer to see much, but what he did see was all sorts of birds that he'd never seen before. District 7 was home to mainly hummingbirds, so seeing the birds that seemed to be eagles was a real treat. If only he had brought his binoculars as a token or sorts.
"How are you doing, Palmer?" Diana suddenly noticed that he was indeed also on the train and was basically staring out into a pit of nothingness, "Enjoying the view."
"Yeah," Palmer gulped, noticing for the first time that Diana was absolutely stunning. It was no wonder she made all that money doing what she did, "It's different here."
"How so?" Diana pushed back a stroke of her brown hair and tucked it behind her ear, genuinely interested in Palmer's reasoning or so it seemed.
"Well from what I can tell, there's definitely a lot of biodiversity," Palmer paused for a moment when he realized that neither Diana nor Marcel, who was also listening now, knew what that word meant, "Meaning there's lots of different trees and animals here. I reckon it will change again when we get closer to our destination."
"I assumed you were talking about the train car," Diana giggled, "But thanks for sharing about the outside world."
"Oh," Palmer couldn't believe how stupid he sounded! Obviously they were talking about the train since that was where they were at the moment, "The train is nice too. I liked the salad."
"I'm happy to hear it," Diana smiled before turning to talk to Marcel again, "Let me know if you want to talk strategy for the Games with us."
Palmer hadn't put much thought into the whole Hunger Games thing which was probably a problem. He was still so shook up with the fact he was going, since oftentimes he forgot they were a thing that existed. He knew he couldn't kill somebody so he hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be a situation he was forced into, but more likely than not, it probably would be if he wanted to survive.
"What were you thinking regarding strategy?" Palmer stumbled over to the girls' conversation.
"I'm not sure if I want to ally with you yet so I'd like to keep this between Diana and I for now," Marcel said with a slightly sunken face, "I'm sorry."
"Oh." Palmer hobbled away.
In all honesty he couldn't blame Marcel. While she seemed nice, Palmer was sure he'd only drag her down, but really the whole purpose of that conversation was because he wanted to talk about strategy as a whole and not really ally with her anyways. Maybe he was better off on his own anyways. He was more than used to it, that was for sure, and then he wouldn't have to deal with other people's drama and he could do what he wanted which was focus on survival for as long as possible. It would be way easier that way too, which was another positive. It really would be like a camping trip and Palmer intended to think of it as one for as long as possible, especially since the arena typically had some sort of forest. He would just need to go to the center during the bloodbath, get a few bags so he had supplies to survive on his own, and then he'd be golden and he wouldn't need to talk to anybody for the rest of the experience.
"I understand," He decided to poke his head into the conversation again just so he could inform them that he wasn't as upset as it might have seemed initially, "I'll have more fun without you!"
Wait, the Hunger Games weren't supposed to be fun.
TERESA MCCLEAN (18) - DISTRICT 8 FEMALE
Luckily, Teresa didn't throw up again after that traumatic incident in the train station, because it would have been way more embarrassing had it happened on the train where there were all sorts of fancy things that she could have possibly puked on. Not good, not good at all. Honestly, when Teresa got on the train she was expecting it to be a lot more jubilant, but everyone seemed to be in a horrible mood, even her Mentor Woof, something Teresa didn't quite get since he was safe from the death match. Challis, that was the boy who was her District Partner was crying on the couch and had been for about an hour. Teresa would never! He looked pretty young so maybe he was just rightfully upset about being Reaped, but she was trying to make the best of it and she had just puked for Panem's sake!
"Hey," Teresa decided to approach Challis and see if she could talk to him, "What's wrong?"
"I fucking hate it here!" He grunted. He sure was honest, which was a good thing, "I want to go home!"
"Well those are very good reasons to be upset dearie," Teresa didn't realize it at the time but she was totally talking down on him, much like how she talked to Jaques, "I promise that everything that happens, happens for a reason."
That was a stupid phrase, which Teresa knew damn well, but she wasn't sure what else to tell the poor kid. She obviously felt bad for him because she wasn't a fucking monster, but there wasn't much she could do to help him because if it came down to her life or his, she'd obviously pick herself in a heartbeat. Teresa didn't even want to imagine what Jaques would do in this situation. Maybe he'd finally learn to grow a pair –wait that's mean.
"I don't really think that something this corrupt is supposed to happen," Honestly, Challis was speaking the truth, "I mean, at least one of us, but realistically both of us is going to die brutally for no reason other than some stupid war that hapened a quarter of a century ago!"
Teresa had definitely thought about that before, but she really was done thinking about the Hunger Games once she got married, since she figured she only had one more reaping to go and the chances were high that she'd be safe but obviously that was not the case which was a disappointment she was learning to accept. Truthfully she had no idea what she would do once she was in the arena, but she had loads of time to think of a strategy before the clock stuck zero, and there was nothing wrong with enjoying the train ride and seeing it as a bit of the calm before the storm.
"I really don't think about stuff like that," Teresa admitted to Challis, "But I guess you're right about all that you just said."
"Thanks!" He flashed a toothy grin at Teresa, "What do you think about?"
What did Teresa McClean think about? Well usually she thought about the prospect of a matriarchy and how she couldn't wait for men to become obsolete so that society would become an overall better place which is why she takes great pleasure in sexually dominating her husband but she decided to not scar the poor child, opting to talk about one of her more tame hobbies.
"I really want to be a fashion designer!" Teresa exclaimed, masking those dirty thoughts that existed in her brain, "My husband thinks it's kind of a weird ambition but I think I'm capable of doing it if I put my mind to it."
"Husband?" Challis seemed puzzled by that word, "How old are you?"
"I'm eighteen." Teresa forgot that most people weren't married this young, "My husband is the best!"
"Oh," Challis sighed, "That must be nice, being cared for and all that."
"I do most of the caring for honestly," Teresa had to stop herself from speaking after that so she wouldn't accidentally get into the intricacies of their relationship, "It's nice."
"I'm sure it is!" Challis was definitely a little charmer, which only made Teresa realize how much she was going to miss Jaques and the rest of the family at home, "I'm going to take a nap now but it was nice talking to you."
"Nice talking to you as well!" She waved goodbye.
Challis didn't seem like somebody Teresa wanted to ally herself with in all honesty, even though she definitely felt bad for the little guy. What he said definitely rang true. Neither of them deserved to be there and it really was a shame that they were forced into that unfortunate circumstance.
"Hey Teresa," Woof decided to speak for the first time, which shocked Teresa who was starting to suspect he was dead, "I appreciate you talking to Challis."
"Okay?" Teresa wasn't really sure what the appropriate response to that was since all she had done was talk to a literal child for five minutes, "You're welcome?"
"Too often you Tributes can be mean to one another so I enjoy seeing kindness," Teresa still had no idea what to make of what seemed to be an emotional moment from this Woof fellow who had barely spoken up until now.
All Teresa had done was be a good fucking person, and that wasn't really anything to be celebrated since all she did was do the bare minimum.
"He's a good kid it seems," Teresa was confident in that even though she had just met Challis and didn't see them interacting much again.
Possibly he'd be a good friend to Jaques had they known each other, but it didn't really matter now because if only one of them would make it home, Teresa was damn sure it would be her. All she had to do was figure out just exactly how she would do that, which was actually an important step.
Hey! I hope you all enjoyed this second chapter of train rides to the Capitol. These chapters have definitely been my favorite to write so far so I hope the feeling is mutual with reading them. Before I say goodbye I have two little announcements for you.
1. Two of my best friends in the entire universe currently have open SYOTs and it would mean so much to me as well as them if you guys could send them some tributes. Their pennames are Annabeth-TheTributeThatLived and FlawlessCatastrophe, but you can also find their profiles if you go to the "Chosen Family" section at the top of my profile where they're listed as Haley and Brooke. These two are some of the most talented writers I know and truly the best people ever as well. They inspire me to keep writing and I hope you submit to their SYOTs because they're going to be amazing.
2. The winner for the meme contest is going to be announced at the end of the next chapter, so if you have any memes in your brain, send them my way ASAP as the chapter should be up tomorrow (Aug 13th) or Friday (Aug 14).
Once again, thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have an amazing day!