James Spindle, 15, D8M:

It's been quite a hectic day. First I had to help my mom out at the clinic with a medical emergency (a factory worker got her leg caught in some machinery and we had to snap it back into place), then I went on a date with my boyfriend, and then I got picked for the Hunger Games. Which is pretty damn terrifying. I was so afraid when I walked up to the stage that I almost started crying, but the reality still hasn't set in yet.

I feel really worried for my family and friends and how they'll manage with me away, but I still haven't acknowledged that I will be away forever. I'll never again shove open the front door, which swells and sticks from the humidity. I'll never again deal with my obnoxious brothers, who like to make fun of me for being a dancer and musician. I'll never again hug my friend Polly at the doctor's office as we help my mom save somebody's life.

Speaking of Polly, her sister Lucy is my district partner. I think she's chatting with some of the other tributes in one of the dining cars. The train rides are so much more important than in previous years because it's our first exposure to other tributes. Usually we'd meet in the training center after the tribute parade at the Capitol, but the people running the Hunger Games decided to stuff us all in the same train so we can get to know each other before arriving at our destination.

I can already see alliances forming. People start to gravitate towards one another slowly, begin to talk, establish strategies for the arena. I'm not a particularly social person. I have a lot of friends, but lots of noise and attention makes me feel overwhelmed. I don't really feel myself drifting to anybody in particular, so I decide to observe the people around me and take mental notes. I do plan on allying with Lucy, because her sister is my best friend so she'll be less likely to betray me and we might get along better.

There are eight other tributes on the train besides us. When I first boarded it in District Eight, I immediately went over to the escorts and made them tell everybody's names. I wanted to keep them all straight in my mind. Rufus from Ten, Kenny from Twelve, and Blossom from Eleven all seem to have allied. They've been sticking together since I met them earlier. Natalie from Twelve and Neil from Eleven are doing this annoying, simpering thing where she puts her hand on his bicep and tells him how strong he is and he coos about how she's so much better than all the other girls he's met. Their alliance is nothing but an echochamber of each other's most annoying traits.

Lucy is still talking to some of the other tributes. She's naturally gregarious, and always manages to coax out some mention of everyone's strengths and weaknesses. I've been checking in with her at regular intervals all day long, and it's helped me glean a little knowledge about the Achillies' heels of my opponents.

Kenny and Natalie both have horrid tempers, and winding them up takes them out of their element. They act irrationally and make mistakes when they get angry. Blossom is a softie. She is controlled by her fears and she doesn't usually take much initiative. If I can scare her she'll freeze up and not know what to do. Neil has taken up a tough guy position, but that's probably to cover up how scared he is of dying. He probably doesn't have many actual skills. Rufus's plans hinge on protecting his friends, so he'll sacrifice himself in a heartbeat to save them. I don't know how that'll help me, but I'm sure I'll come up with something given a little more time. Mare is a bit of an enigma, but she's probably expecting a parasitic alliance: she uses them and they use her, with manipulation all around. I'd guess that comes from growing up too fast and having a continuous identity crisis. Persephone seems nice, but only kind of. She gives off the Career demeanor that is sounding an alarm in my head. Alert! Danger, danger! Do not approach! She'll fit right in with the trained tributes from the Capitol-loving rich districts.

Her brother Ares is still talking with Lucy, who's clutching a mug of salty soup and spooning it into her mouth as she perches on the arm of a sofa. She beckons me over. "Ares, this is my friend James," she says. Although not exactly the truth, it sounds better than 'district partner'.

"Hi James! I'm Ares. My sister and I are from District Nine, and we're interested in maybe allying with you guys." He catches, then corrects himself. "Well, I'm interested in allying with you. Persephone's not exactly on the same page."

"That's alright!" I say. Ares seems very personable and friendly compared to most of the other tributes. I'll certainly stay open to allying with him, but I am loyal to Lucy first. I still don't understand if I'll even be able to fight. I'm a runt, so much weaker than the tall older tributes and not as charming as the younger ones. Then again, I'm the mediocre, forgettable one, and that's a unique strength of its own.

Lucy Tayler, 18, D8F:

The escorts offer me exquisite foods and alcoholic, honey-sweet beverages, but they all feel too rich and foreign. I go for a simpler dinner, a sandwich made with some nice bread and a sampling of the meats and cheeses recommended to me by them. It tastes sort of sophisticated, but overall just seems like a slightly tastier version of what we have at home. Maybe sometime I'll try one of the desserts.

The fear has really set in at this point. There's an edge of panic to every move I make, and somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind, I realize the Capitol means for it to be this way. They want to prey upon our instincts of fight or flight, of kill or be killed. They want to invoke a natural knee-jerk response in us by facing us off against one another in a deadly arena. Knowing this doesn't make me invulnerable, though. I'll be able to sense every moment of my mental decline but I won't be able to stop it.

That's my greatest enemy, the human condition. I'm weak to the struggle of others, and I can already feel the paranoia setting in. Earlier, James, Ares, and I were discussing the weaknesses of other tributes and how we could take them down. "Take them down." Isn't it funny how we speak in euphemisms? I'm talking about murder, but the very same phrase wouldn't be out of place in a footrace in a schoolyard.

I'm planning to kill people. I want so badly to be back in District Eight, happy and satisfied with my family and friends. I'm going to be fighting for my life, and what's especially awful is that everybody's so dang nice. Blossom, Buddy, Mare? Come on! They're really sweet and friendly and soon their mutilated corpses will decorate the floor of some deceptively beautiful forest.

And that's if I survive. If I die, Polly will lose her twin sister, and her best friend James in the same Hunger Games. Not to mention I'll lose everything I hold dear, not to mention myself. Death is a frightening prospect, but not an entirely remote one. I'm fairly sure I'm going to die. People pass away every day, and they always seem to lose it near the end. I don't even know how to articulate my feelings about it. I've never been very good at my emotions, even though I can read other peoples' pretty easily. I don't know how to use a weapon. I can't climb trees or run fast. I don't stand a chance here.

I don't have an openly rebellious attitude like Kenny. I don't share Natalie's love of Capitol style. I'm too old to piggyback on James's youthful charm. All I can hope for is sponsors and a really badass stylist to help me out a little. If I can get that much, I'm still in with a chance. But will I totally lose my mind in the process?

Hey y'all! If you've checked this story or our profile in the last month or so, you'll have noticed that this story was put on temporary hiatus, to return to consistent weekly updates on 16 November. Which is today! So we're glad to be back. On our profile, we have a note on sponsor points, so you may want to check that out. Either way, we've been gone from this story due to K's family situation, so LC has been working independently on a separate SYOT, so you can look at that too if you want. We love y'all so much and we're delighted to be back!

~ K and LC