Jay Terrin's POV (D12M, 15)
Me, Topaz, the escort and our mentor, Magnolia, sit at the table in silence as we eat. The food is delicious, I don't think I've ever had anything like it. The escort seems pleased that me and Topaz have some manners.
I've kept my inhaler in my hand or in my lap after we convinced the Peacekeepers to let me bring it on the train. My asthma isn't particularly bad, but I do worry it could kick in at any time, especially during training.
"I'm stuffed," Topaz says suddenly, and I silently agree. "Is there paper and a pencil somewhere around here?"
"Oh, yes! Would you like some?" The escort asks, standing up. "I'll grab some for you."
She walks into another car, and our mentor stands up as well.
"I'm going to watch the other Reapings, so I know who your competitors would be," she says. "You should do the same."
"Maybe later," Topaz replies as the escort comes back and Magnolia leaves with a nod.
The escort passes Topaz a piece of paper and a pencil. "Here you go. I'll be in the next car, so I'll see you two later."
"Bye," I say, but my voice is so quiet and shaky that I'm not sure she could have heard me.
The escort leaves the room and Topaz puts the piece of paper on the table, putting her pencil at an angle and starting to scribble on it.
She looks up at me a few times while she's doing whatever she's doing, and I'm too scared to move. Does she need me here? I ask myself. Maybe I shouldn't leave, just in case.
I start to get bored after about half an hour, and get up to leave. I want to find my bed and sleep, since I still have a tiny bit of hope in the back of my head that this is all just a horrible nightmare.
"Wait," Topaz says, and I turn back to face her. She stands up and pushes her chair in, picking up the piece of paper and walking over to me.
She hands the paper to me without another word, walking toward the entrance of the room
I look down at the paper. It's a neat sketch of me in the Arena, facing off against a faceless opponent.
Why did she make this?
"Topaz?" I ask, whipping around, but she's already long gone.
I stare down at the piece of paper for a few more seconds before exploring the train, eventually finding my bedroom.
Looking around, I see a shelf with a button sticking out of it, so I tear a small hole out of the drawing with a wince and hang it up.
I still can't comprehend why she drew it. Is she saying she has hope for me? We barely know each other. Something about district pride?
I shake my head, I can't think of any real reasons.
I sit on my bed and when I look out the window, I realize with a jolt where I am.
I'm not in District Twelve anymore.And I probably never will be again.
The thought alone is enough to make me start trembling, but the fear of fighting in the Arena is really what gets my tears flowing.
Why me? Why couldn't I just live a happy life with my sister?
I lay down face-first, defeated, and in that moment, I doubt that I'll ever be able to pull myself back together.
Rowan Mildberg's POV (D7M, 18)
Me and Aster sit on the couch, and I hug her tightly as she sobs into my arms. She doesn't deserve this, I think desperately. Why can't she just go home? How in the world did she get Reaped as well as Cedar?
One of our mentors, Kit, has been trying to calm Aster down with me ever since we stepped on the train. The other two, Yarrow and Pam, have been standing on the other side of the room in annoyance. The escort has been in another train car the entire time.
"How about you two watch the other Reapings?" Kit suggests. "After you're done, we can all have lunch."
Aster doesn't reply, but I nod. "That's a good idea," I say. "Come on Aster, I'm sure we'll see some kids your age, and you can make friends with them in training."
That seems to cheer Aster up at least a bit, though it takes her a minute to stop crying. I keep an arm around her as Kit turns on the TV, before leaving us to it and walking over to our other mentors to chat with them.
I skip past One and Two, and Aster points out the boy from Three.
"H-he looks like he needs a fr-friend," she sniffles. "I hope he's o-okay."
I don't say anything, skipping past the last Career district and watching the rest of the Reapings. I'm not really sure what our goal is, but Aster seems to get a little happier when she sees the two tributes from Eight hugging.
They must be close, I think with sympathy. Poor them. They must be in a similar boat to me and Aster.
I'm a little on the edge about an alliance, since I would prefer to protect Aster by myself. An ally could kill her while we're sleeping in the Arena, for all I know, and I'm not willing to take that risk.
Once we've watched all of the Reapings, our mentors call us over to lunch. Our escort has finally appeared, sitting down at the table with the rest of us.
"Wow..." Aster breathes when she sees the piles of amazing and delicious-looking food, and my stomach growls when I realize I gave my breakfast to Cedar, meaning I haven't eaten all day.
I start to put some food on my plate, marveling at it myself. Once I try some, my thoughts are confirmed— it's the best food I've ever had in my entire life.
It doesn't take long until I've shoved as much food into my stomach as it can manage, and it seems that Aster feels the same.
"Go freshen up," Yarrow tells us. "You can do whatever you want until dinner. It'll be at least another day until we reach the Capitol, so you both better find something to do."
I nod and stand up, holding Aster's hand as we search the train for our bedroom cars. We eventually find them, and discover that they're right next to each other.
"We should both take a shower and get in some clean clothes," I suggest. "Maybe there will be books in our rooms that I can read to you."
Aster nods but doesn't say anything, and I notice that her body is still shaking as she rushes off. I take a shower myself, picking a nice black outfit out of my bedroom's wardrobe. I admire it in the mirror— much nicer than any clothes I own.
I search my room for something, and I finally find a small bookshelf in a cupboard. I thumb through the tiny catalogue before I find a book that looks like it's written for older kids.
I take it out and sit on my bed, waiting for Aster to arrive. At least we can spend time together now. Who can say for sure if we can during the Games?
Vinnie McGuire's POV (D6F, 16)
My district partner is... quite odd. He has a sullen, broody air around him and hasn't spoken once. I believe his name is Hop, but I only know that from when his name was Reaped.
I decide to strike up some conversation to try and get him talking. I'd like to be able to speak with my partner, so an ice breaker would be a good way to start.
"So, er... what's your name? I'm Van, as you probably already knew, but everyone calls me Vinnie."
Hop doesn't reply, he just stares straight back at me, his gaze piercing my soul. I shudder.
Our mentor, Haffa, walks over with a huff. "Come on, Hop! You've gotta speak at some point, I can't give up on you just because you refuse to talk."
Hop looks annoyed and rolls his eyes, making a scribbling motion with his hands. Haffa seems to get the memo and leaves the train car, returning a minute later with some paper and a pen.
Hop puts the paper on his lap, stabilizing it as best as he can. He clicks the pen and starts to write.
His handwriting is neat and easy to read. Me and Haffa both bend over to look at what he's written.
'i cant talk. im mute'
Haffa curses to herself. "A disabled tribute? Seriously? How will you be able to strategize and form alliances?" She sounds frustrated.
Hop shakes his head and writes on the paper again.
'staying alone, dont want allies'
I frown. "C'mon, Hop, you need allies, we need District Six to win the Games this year. Of course, I'll try my best to win, but you've gotta have a shot too." Even though I probably deserve it more, I think to myself, and don't regret the thought. "How about you start with me? We could be allies, at the very least."
Hop huffs and shakes his head again, crossing his arms.
"Please, Hop!" I beg, growing increasingly annoyed. "You'll probably die without allies, you're being an idiot!"
Hop stands up abruptly and walks away, leaving me and Haffa alone in the sittee.
"I need another wine," Haffa mumbles to herself, before leaving me alone to my own thoughts.
I've got a mute district partner who refuses to ally with anyone. That's just perfect, I think sarcastically. Guess he won't be any help in the Arena.
I stand up and try to find the kitchen. I hear Capitol food is delicious, and I need something to distract myself with. No use in waiting for lunch.