Isaak Monroe, 15: District 8 Male
Three doors down so you can't ignore it
I'll hunt you down like a Tyrannosaurus
My teeth are sharp like the great white shark
Let me taste that flesh, it's my favorite part
I'm pacing back and forth as the train pulls into the station. As soon as the doors slide open, I am taken aback by the extravagance of the train's interior. The floors are all carpeted, and the seats are cushioned with an expensive-looking fabric. A part of me is impressed by the lavishness of it all, but the other part of me is disgusted by the fact that the Capitol is obviously wealthy enough to provide for the districts, but chooses to just let us struggle instead. It's fucking sick.
As soon as Azo and I step into the train, she rushes off down the hallway and locks herself in the room marked 'D8F'. I guess she doesn't want to talk. I stay in the main area, taking in my surroundings.
"I guess Ms. Cashmere is a shy one," Sabina says, startling me a bit. I forgot that she was right behind us. "You stay here while I fetch your mentor."
Sabina walks down the hallway to my left and knocks on the door at the end. After a few seconds, Henley Foust, my mentor, comes out of his room, following Sabina into the main area.
"Hey, Isaak," Henley says. "How are you feeling?"
"I've had better days," I answer.
"We all have, son" he says, patting my shoulder. Son? He thinks we're already close enough to use terms of endearment. I give a little shrug and rub my shoulder when he moves his hand.
"Is something wrong?" Henley asks. What? Other than the fact that I'm being shipped off to my death?
"I've just been on edge as of late," I say.
"Well let's have a seat and talk," Henley suggests, pulling out a chair at the dining room table. Dammit, Isaak, you've already said too much.
I reluctantly sit down across from Henley, nervously shifting in my seat. I notice that his brown eyes are staring right at me, like he's trying to read me. That combined with his salt and pepper hair and rather professional look makes me feel like I'm in a job interview.
"Why are you so on edge?" Henley asks.
"Other than the fact that I'll be dead in a few weeks?" I ask back. Henley's face falls at my rhetorical question.
"Listen Isaak, I know you're probably not in a good headspace right now, but I need to know what's bothering you so I can help you," he says.
"Why do you care so much?" I ask.
"Because it's my job to care," Henley says.
"Exactly," I snap back, a sudden wave of aggression rushes over me. "It's your job. You don't actually give a shit about how I feel or what I'm going through. You're just here because you have to be. If it were up to you, you'd be at home doing whatever it is that you do. Probably getting blackout drunk in the middle of the afternoon."
Henley looks shocked at my sudden snap. I don't know if it's because he wasn't expecting me to be so blunt or because I called him out.
"That's not true, Isaak," Henley says softly.
"Oh but it is," I respond. "So quit your bullshit so we can both go about our business."
I get up to leave, but Henley grabs my arm and pulls me back to my seat. He looks like he's angry with me. Of course he would be. I called him out on his bullshit. Nobody likes that.
"Alright, kid. I've tried to be nice, but if that's not how you want to play, that's fine by me," Henley says. "I can't let you go off on your own right now because of the way you're talking. So we're going to stay here until you tell me what's going on."
I don't say anything. I just stare right at him. He doesn't seem fazed by me, but I don't break eye contact. Then seemingly out of nowhere, a wave of depression hits me. I break eye contact with Henley and hang my head down. I feel a single tear drop from my eye. I quickly wipe it away.
"Lauren," I say.
"Who's Lauren?" Henley asks.
"She was a tribute last year," I say. Henley's eyes widen. I guess he made the connection.
"What about her?" he asks.
"She was my girlfriend," I say. Henley gasps at the revelation.
"You're the Isaak she was talking about?" he asks. I chuckle a bit.
"Yeah, that's me," I say.
"She said she loved you very much," Henley tells me.
"I loved her more," I say. "More than life itself."
"I'm sure you did," Henley says. "Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"
"Help me win for her."
Tyler Lockette, 12: District 7 Male
Disappear for weeks
Wash up on a beach
Might catch a lil' sunrise
Caught me by surprise
Celsus told us to sit at the dining room table, so that's where we are. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Piper eyeing me up and down. It's making me a little uncomfortable, but I don't want to ask her to stop, especially after what she said to me at the Reaping. I simply wished her good luck, and she kind of snapped on me.
I get up from the table and take a seat on the couch and look out the window. I take note of how fast the trees whiz by. I don't know how fast we're going, but it has to be pretty damn fast. We must still be in District 7 because all I see is trees for miles.
"Tyler, Piper," Celsus calls. "Your mentors will be out in just a moment."
I slink back over to the table reluctantly. As I make my way to my seat, I notice the door at the end of the hallway sliding open. Arbor, my mentor, ducks his head as he steps out of the room. Damn, that's one big dude. His head is nearly touching the ceiling. He's not only tall, but he's broad. He almost fills the entire hallway as he walks towards me. I'm not usually one to be intimidated, but I am now. When Arbor locks eyes with me, he gives me a warm smile. I just look up at him, noticing the two-foot height difference and how he fills my entire field of vision.
"You must be Tyler," Arbor says, holding a huge mitt out. "Nice to meet you."
I shake his hand, which literally engulfs mine.
"N-nice to meet you too," I say.
"C'mon, buddy, let's take a seat," he says, pulling out the chair for me. I sit down and Arbor squeezes himself into the seat across from me. A few seconds later, Sequoia joins us at the table. She looks me up and down just like Piper did, then just glares at me like I killed her puppy. I avert my gaze downward, staring at my reflection in the polished wood table.
"Tyler," Arbor says. I look up to meet his eyes, noting their icy blue hue. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," I say. "I'm good."
"So, for our first order of business, would you guys like to be mentored together or separately?" Arbor asks.
"Toge- "
"Separately," Piper interjects, cutting me off.
"Oh, I was hoping we could work together," I say, slightly disappointed.
"No offense, Tyler, but you would be a liability," Piper says. "You're only twelve. You wouldn't be of much help to me."
"Piper, please keep those kinds of comments to yourself," Arbor says.
"She's not wrong," Sequoia chimes in.
"You too, Sequoia," Arbor says.
"I'm sure I could be of some help," I say, trying to defend myself. "I can wield an axe pretty well."
"So can I," Piper says. "That's nothing special."
"But- "
"Listen, kid," Piper starts, cutting me off again. "I have a father that needs me back home. And right now, you're in my way of getting back to him. If we teamed up, you wouldn't be pulling your weight. I don't need you dragging me down with you. There's a reason why the little kids are the first ones to go, and it's because they're weak. You'll probably have your throat slit in the bloodbath. There's nothing that you could possibly do to help me, so it's best if you just stay out of my way."
Everyone just sits in shocked silence at Piper's comments. Looking at Arbor, I notice that he looks completely appalled. Sequoia, on the other hand, looks pleasantly surprised. I think she's proud of Piper for what she just said. I feel my eyes start to well up with tears, so I stand up from the table.
"You know what," I say, voice trembling. "I think we're done here."
I shuffle off into my room, shutting the door behind me. I throw myself on the bed and cry softly, letting my tears be soaked up by the soft bedspread. What Piper said to me hurt, a lot. Doesn't she know that I have people back home who care about me too? Am I useless? Am I weak? At this point, it sure feels like I am.
I hear the door to my bedroom slide open. I stand up, watching as Arbor ducks through. I wipe away my tears, not wanting to further embarrass myself. Arbor slowly closes the door, then takes a seat at the couch by the window. He takes a deep breath and sighs. My eyes meet his, and they convey genuine empathy, like he's feeling what I feel.
"I should've stopped Piper from saying all those mean things," Arbor says.
"No," I say. "She was right. I'm useless."
"You're not useless," Arbor says, trying to reassure me. "I'm sure there's something you're good at."
"Not good enough to keep me alive," I reply, choking up. I start crying again. I silently curse myself for being so sensitive, but the thought of having to face my death is horrifying.
"C'mere, buddy," Arbor says, opening his arms. I slowly walk over to him. When I'm close enough, he pulls me into a hug. He guides my head into his chest and rubs my back. The tears flow freely now. I feel kind of bad because I'm leaving a wet spot on his shirt, but it feels good to let it all out. Eventually, the tears stop falling, but Arbor doesn't release the hug. I shut my eyes and let all my worries drift away.
"We can sit here as long as you want," Arbor says. "I'm here for you."
I think I lucked out getting Arbor as a mentor. It feels great to know that there's at least one person here that cares about me. I pull away from Arbor's embrace, and he releases. I look him his eyes. He gives me another friendly smile.
"I think we're ready to talk strategy," Arbor says. "I heard you say that you can use an axe pretty well. Do you think you could throw one?"
"If the target is as big as you, then yes," I say.
"Are you calling me fat?" Arbor asks, furrowing his brow and holding a hand on his stomach. "I've been trying to lose weight."
"Oh no, not at all," I say. "I'm sorry."
"I'm just messing with you, buddy," Arbor says, laughing. I laugh with him. His jokes and his laugh remind me of Dad. I feel just as comfortable around him too. His eyes have the same warmth in them as well. I lean back into Arbor's chest, going in for another hug. Arbor returns it, squeezing me tight.
"Thanks for caring about me."
Alice Seville, 17: District 5 Female
And when you're out there, without care
Yeah I was out of touch
But it wasn't because I didn't know enough
I just knew too much
I'm itching to get to the Capitol so I can expose that bastard Taylor Lennet for the unfaithful piece of shit that he is. However, I have to deal with my little twerp of a district partner on this train ride. Luckily, he went into his bedroom as soon as we boarded and hasn't come out since. I don't want anything to do with him after he stood me up at the Reaping.
The living mannequin that we're supposed to call our escort walks into the living area. She scans the room like she's looking for something. I don't acknowledge her presence, but I still feel her eyes lock onto me.
"Do you know where Tomaz went?" she asks.
I don't answer or even look in her direction. She doesn't deserve my attention anyways. Go find him yourself, bitch.
"Excuse me," she says, snapping her fingers in my face. "I asked you a question."
"I think she's mute, Diana," Tomaz says, emerging from his bedroom. "I guess that means we can say whatever we want about her. It isn't like she can say anything about it."
"Try me, you little shit. I dare you," I blurt out. Tomaz's lips curl into a smirk.
"There she is," he says. "I knew you couldn't hold it in for long."
"Well, now that you two are here, I'll go fetch your mentors," the escort says. "They said they wanted to have the first meeting together."
The woman waltzes off to the hallway on the opposite end of the train car and knocks on two doors. First, a man with long, silver hair and a matching thick beard walks out, followed by a nervous-looking man with tired eyes and light brown hair.
"Alice, you will be mentored by Hal," the escort says, pointing to the silver-haired man. "Tomaz, you will be mentored by Ion."
"Let's all take a seat, shall we?" Hal says. He, Ion, and Tomaz all sit down around me on the curved couch. Hal sits on the opposite side of the couch from me, while Ion sits to his right, bouncing his leg nervously. Tomaz sits right next to me, probably intentionally to push my buttons.
"So, Alice, you had a bit of an outburst at the Reaping. Was there any reason behind that?" Hal asks.
"To send a message," I say,
"Send a message to who?" Hal asks.
"It doesn't concern you," I snap.
"Taylor Lennet," Tomaz pipes in. "I saw you staring at him."
I glare at Tomaz, but he doesn't back down. He had no right to tell Hal about him.
"Well, that's a big name," Hal says. "What's the history between you two?"
I'm in too deep now. I might as well tell them.
"He's my father," I say.
"That can't be true," Ion says. "Taylor only has three sons."
"And a daughter," I say. "He got my mom pregnant then left her to raise me on her own. When my mom died, I begged him to take me in, but he rejected me."
"I'm sorry that happened to you," Hal says.
"I don't need your pity," I hiss. "I survived on my own, and I intend to keep doing that."
I feel my cheeks burning. I'm getting angrier by the second. I could've just kept this to myself if Tomaz would've just kept his mouth shut.
"Ion, you had a question for Tomaz, right?" Hal asks. Ion perks up, tired eyes becoming wide.
"Oh, yeah," he starts. "I saw you mouth something to someone in the crowd. What did you say?"
"For Isaac," Tomaz says, voice cracking. He tenses up, rubbing his knees. "I was mouthing to my parents."
"Who's Isaac?" Ion asks.
"He was my brother," he answers.
"Was? What happened to him?" Hal asks. Tomaz closes his eyes tightly, taking a deep breath. When he exhales, he's calm again.
"He got shot by peacekeepers," he says nonchalantly.
"Oh," Ion says. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"It doesn't end there," Tomaz says. "My parents blamed be for his death and would beat me every day. I had to break my father's nose to get them to stop. Now they just pretend I don't exist."
The way he's talking about all this doesn't sit right with me. He's way too calm and it all comes out too smoothly. I don't believe the kid one bit. I roll my eyes.
"I call bullshit," I say. "You made this all up. Stop trying to get sympathy for something that never happened."
Hal and Ion just look at me, dumbfounded. However, Tomaz is giving me that same deadpan stare that he gave me at the Reaping.
"I called it," he says. "I fucking called it."
"You called what?" I ask.
"You're delusional," Tomaz answers. "You think the world revolves around you and your problems. I hate to break it to you, but you're just as irrelevant to me as I am to you. I don't give a shit about your daddy issues, and you trying to dismiss my brother's murder as a fairy tale shows me just how selfish you are."
"That's where you're wrong," I snap back. "I'm not the selfish one here. You are."
"I never said I wasn't selfish," Tomaz says. "But at least I don't deflect my issues onto other people. You're not a better person than anyone here. Get off your pedestal and humble yourself."
My blood is boiling now. My cheeks are burning and my eyes are narrowed. Tomaz has said enough. It's time for him to shut up. I raise my hand and slap him across the face. Hard. He barely reacts.
"Nice try," Tomaz says, smug grin plastered on his face. "My dad slapped me ten times harder every day."
I storm off into my bedroom, angrier than I was before. There's no breaking that little son of a bitch. I hope he's the first to die.
Cyrus Velaz-Ruiz, 18: District 1 Male
I'm too busy, don't have time for
Things you say that aren't important
Where's the bathroom at?
Leave me alone
I already feel out of place sitting here. The first meeting with my mentor was awkward to say the least. Velour's personality doesn't mesh well with mine. He's a proud man, and he's vocal about it too. Annese is already throwing shade, and her mentor, Peridot is pretty bitchy as well.
I had a little time to myself after the first meeting, but now Annese and I are sitting with our mentors in front of the huge television screen in the living room, waiting for the Reaping Recap to begin. The only reason I agreed to join them was because I'm anxious to get a first look at my competition.
The Capitol emblem suddenly flashes on the screen. The image fades away to show Master of Ceremonies Chikere Idowu, sitting in front of a backdrop of the Capitol skyline.
"Good evening, Panem," Chikere says. "And welcome to the 72nd Annual Hunger Games Reaping Recap. I know you're all excited to meet this year's tributes, so let's jump right into it."
I scoot forward on the couch as the images of me and Annese are shown. I inwardly cringe at my face on the screen. I look so awkward standing up there on stage. I look over at Annese, who looks pleased with herself as she stared at her image.
"Wow, Cyrus," Annese says. "You look like such an idiot up there."
Peridot chuckles at Annese's lame insult. I just turned my focus back to the screen.
"The sponsors already like you, Cyrus," Velour says. "Everyone's saying that you look mysterious."
I just nod my head slowly in acknowledgement, not taking my eyes off the screen.
"They probably like me better," Annese chimes in. I ignore her. She obviously doesn't have anything important to say.
The next two members of the Career alliance appear on screen. The girl has straight black hair and pale skin. Her gaze is intense as she stares out into the crowd.
"That's Ancatha Adrienez," Velour says. "She specializes in a weapon called the kaginawa and her trainers say she has a good head on her shoulders."
Hopefully Ancatha can provide some sort of rationality because I know damn well we're not getting any from Annese.
After Ancatha, a strong-looking boy with curly hair and green eyes is displayed. He has a smug grin on his face. It's already obvious that he's full of himself.
"Alto Keenwood," Peridot starts. "His trainers say that he can slice you up a thousand different ways with a knife and suffers from a bit of a permanent hubris."
I called it, overconfident and from the looks of it, not very smart. I can tell that Alto will be nothing but trouble.
Alto's face is replaced by that of the District 3 girl. She looks really young and has blonde hair and gray eyes. There's no way that she'll be a threat. She's just too young. Her district partner looks a bit older, and has black hair and dark brown eyes. Once again, he doesn't look like much of a threat.
"I don't think we'll be worrying about the 3s this year," Annese says. Wow, she finally said something of relevance. I'm impressed.
Next up is District 4, the last third of the Careers. The girl has dark hair and brown eyes. She looks like she has something to prove.
"Cece Sandwell," Peridot says. "She's good with a trident and barely beat out three other contenders for the designated volunteer position."
So, a basic District 4 tribute that likes to use a trident. Nothing new there. Cece's district partner is a boy with brown hair and blue eyes. He has this odd, lazy smirk plastered on his face.
"Jason Lager," Velour starts. "Proficient with spears and is already most popular with the sponsors."
I wonder why he's so popular. He doesn't really look like much to me. I guess I'll find out when I meet him.
District 5 is up next. The girl looks older, with red hair and pale skin with freckles around her eyes. She looks angry, like someone just ruined her life. Well, I guess you could say her life is ruined. The boy is young, but he doesn't look scared. He still isn't a threat though.
The District 6 girl looks just about as angry as the 5 girl, but she looks stronger, like she might actually be a threat. The boy looks about the same age as the girl, but he's scared shitless. He's hyperventilating and trembling. I think I can safely mark him off as a nonthreat.
The District 7 pair provides another mediocre showing. The girl is older, with green eyes and curly hair. The boy is very young, but he keeps his composure as he stands on stage. I don't expect either one of them to cause any problems.
The tributes from 8 don't look like threats. The girl looks shocked, her dark eyes wide with fear. Her district partner doesn't look much better. He's also surprised but isn't fearful. He looks empty. I would feel bad for him if I didn't have to kill him.
The 9s aren't much to look at either. The girl is very small, almost as small as the 3 girl, and she has tears running down her face. The boy isn't crying, but he's young and still looks petrified. They'll most likely both be easy kills.
Both of the District 10 tributes look furious. The girl is tall and slim while the boy is short and stocky. The girl looks like she may be a threat, but I can tell that the boy will be nothing but a minor nuisance.
District 11 is up next. The girl has curly black hair and brown eyes. She looks pretty feisty. I'll be keeping an eye out for her. The boy looks a little bit older than the girl. He's smiling uncomfortably, but he still looks strong.
Finally, District 12 is up. The girl is young, but she's completely emotionless. She still isn't a threat though. The boy is tall and lanky, maybe even taller than me. He doesn't look scared, and he looks pretty dangerous as well.
"Any thoughts?" Velour asks.
"There are a couple of strong outliers," I say.
"Anyone in particular?" Velour asks, further picking my brain.
"The girls from 6, 10 and 11, and the boys from 11 and 12," I answer.
"Do you think that any of them could join the Career alliance?" Peridot asks.
"I don't think so," Annese says. "We don't need outliers clogging up our alliance."
"Yeah, I think it's best if we stick with six members," I say. I catch myself off guard. Did I just agree with Annese? What the hell is going on?
Ancatha Adrienez, 18: District 2 Female
But really I would rather be at home all by myself
Not in this room with people who don't even
Care about my well-being
I don't dance, don't ask, I don't need a boyfriend
So you can go back, please enjoy your party
I'm sitting here, listening to Alto brag and boast about how easily he can kill off each tribute. He keeps on ranting about how weak, worthless, or pathetic each outlier is. He doesn't hold back on the other Careers either. He talked about how awkward Cyrus looked and how much of a doofus Jason looked like. I have a headache from Alto's abrasive words.
"That kid looked fucking pitiful up there," he says, referring to the boy from District 5. "I could snap him like a twig."
All I do is lean back and look up at the ceiling of the train. Alto is singlehandedly the cockiest person I've had the displeasure of meeting.
"The boy from 1 said that about me in my Games," Alto's mentor, Quintinus says. "Look where that got him."
"Do I look like the boy from your Games?" Alto asks.
"No, but- "
"Then I don't want to hear it. He should've killed your weak ass," Alto says. "He would've been a better victor than you."
"He probably would have," Quintinus sighs. "But you're stuck with me."
"Yeah, and now I have to listen to your bullshit advice," Alto says.
"Well, my 'bullshit advice' helped Minerva Knight and Rocco Vulcano win the 60th and 64th Games," Quintinus says.
"Do you even listen to yourself speak?" Alto asks. "You sound like a fucking dweeb."
"And this dweeb is your mentor," Quintinus says. "So deal with it."
Looks like Alto has pushed Quintinus' buttons enough. I'm still impressed by his patience. I would've told Alto off as soon as we stepped on the train. Alto literally has no room to talk. He's the youngest Career and his lack of intelligence doesn't help his case either.
"Ancatha, would you mind joining me at the dining room table?" Minerva asks, entering the living room.
"Gladly," I say. Literally anything is better than listening to Alto's boasting. I sit down at the polished wooden table while Minerva pours herself a glass of expensive Capitol wine.
"Want a glass?" Minerva asks.
"Sure," I say. I've never had wine before, but it won't hurt to try some now. Minerva pours another glass before sitting down. She hands me the glass and I take a sip. The wine burns my throat a little on the way down, but other than that, it tastes pretty good.
"So, about that Alto kid," Minerva starts. "He's pretty full of himself, isn't he?"
"Tell me about it," I respond. "I don't think he's stopped talking about himself since the train started moving."
"My district partner was like that too," Minerva says.
"How'd you deal with him?" I ask.
"It was actually pretty easy," Minerva says. "He used a very specific type of knife, so during my evaluation, I hid that knife. The dude refused to use anything else, so he only fought hand-to-hand. He wasn't too good at that, so he only scored a 7. He was pretty heated during the score reveal. It almost got him kicked out of the Career alliance."
"I think I remember that year," I say. "I was wondering why he scored so low."
"Yeah, that was me," Minerva says, taking a sip of her wine. "He never found out who it was though."
"That's petty," I say. "But I like it."
"I agree. It was petty, but he had it coming," Minerva says. "Want to shut Alto up?"
"I definitely want to," I answer. "But I have a feeling he'll do it to himself."
"What makes you think that?" Minerva asks.
"Well, he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer," I say. "I'm pretty sure any tribute could outsmart him."
"I can't say you're wrong about that," Minerva says. We have a little laugh at Alto's expense. Usually, I wouldn't make fun of other people, but it's Alto we're talking about here. I'm pretty sure everyone would laugh at him.
Minerva and I finish our wine while we talk about the other members of the Career alliance. When my glass is empty, Minerva offers to pour me another. I turn it down and head to my bedroom. It's getting pretty late and I've heard stories about people going to sleep drunk and waking up hungover. I'd rather not have that happen to me. I get ready for bed, pulling out a set of silk pajamas that fit perfectly. I hop into bed, tucking myself into the covers. I let the warmth of the thick comforters lull me to sleep as I drift off.
Niobe Anicello, 16: District 11 Female
I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the Light of your halo
I got my angel now
It's currently 3 AM and I'm still wide awake. It's prime working hours for me. That combined with the fact that I might be dead within the next week are preventing me from even thinking about falling asleep. My stomach growls. I was hardly able to eat despite all the food on the table at dinner. Lucretia even called me ungrateful and wasteful for not eating enough. I found that funny. I used to literally scavenge for dead birds to cook up on the job, but I'm the one that's ungrateful. There's so much irony in that statement that I could write a whole book about it.
I get out of bed and go to the kitchen for a late-night snack. I step out of my room and slide the door closed carefully, making as little sound as possible. I'd hate to get scolded by Lucretia for interrupting her beauty sleep. Actually, I wouldn't care at all, but I would feel bad if I woke André. He's actually a nice guy.
I enter the kitchen and open the refrigerator. It's almost as tall as the ceiling. I wonder how they got in on the train. I open the doors and the light from the fridge pours out into the kitchen.
"Couldn't sleep?" a voice asks. I jump at the sudden sound. I turn around to see André sitting at the dining room table with a glass of apple juice in front of him.
"No, I couldn't," I say. "And I don't think I will."
"Me either," André replies. "I guess we're pulling an all-nighter then?"
"I guess so," I say. André doesn't say anything else. We just sit there in awkward silence for a moment. I grab myself an orange and a bottle of water before closing the refrigerator door, dimming the room once again.
I sit down across from André and begin to eat my snack. I look up and notice that he's looking at my orange.
"You want some?" I offer.
"Oh, no," André says. "I was just thinking about something."
"What were you thinking about?" I ask.
"All the people I left back home," André says. "Especially Chloe."
"Who's Chloe?" I ask.
"My girlfriend."
Wow. I didn't expect André to open up so easily. I was expecting to have to pry the answers out of him, but André's an open book. I've never been able to truly open up to anyone but my parents, mostly out of fear of being viewed as vulnerable. The whole orchard debacle made things even more difficult. I never felt like I could trust anyone.
"Well, what about her are you thinking about?" I ask.
"How much I'm going to miss her," André says. "Her smile, her laugh, her jokes, how smart she is. I'll miss everything about her."
André must really love this Chloe girl. I've never heard anyone speak about another person like this. It's almost like he cares more about his girlfriend than he does himself. That can't be good going into the Hunger Games. The look on André's face is absolutely pitiful. I feel a pang of sadness hit me. I start thinking about anything I could say that would possibly help André feel better, even just for a little bit.
"Well, maybe you could think of all the good memories you've made with her," I say. "Try not to focus on how much you miss her, but rather on all the good times you've had with her."
"But what if I end up missing those too?" André asks.
"Listen, I'm no psychologist, but I think it's worth a shot," I say. "Why don't you give me an example of one of your favorite moments with Chloe."
André thinks for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes light up. I think he's come up with something.
"There was this one time where Chloe and I had saved up enough money to go on a date at the café by the Square," he says. "About halfway through the date, I spilled my drink on my lap. Chloe offered me her sweater to cover the stain when we left. I tried to turn her down, but she insisted I took it. It was cold out when we left, and she was shivering on the walk home. I offered my jacket, but she refused to take it. I told her that she had given up something for me, so it was my turn to give something up for her."
"André."
"Yeah?"
"You're smiling."
"I guess I am," he says. "I actually feel a little bit better."
"I didn't think that would actually work," I say.
"It did though," André says. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. This was hands down my favorite chapter to write so far, and I hope you like it too.
Questions:
Most interesting interaction?
Do you see any alliances forming?
Out of the mentors introduced, who was your favorite?
Next up is another train ride chapter. More tribute and mentor interactions planned, so stay tuned.
Until next time,
Ty