Jude Caterham, 18

District Six Male

Jude watched the bright, grassy hills fly by as the train moved through the country, leading them to the Capitol, to their fate. He and Imperia had quickly deemed their mentors worthless, shutting themselves into one of the rooms for the time being. Despite them both getting reaped for the literal Hunger Games, they had both been relatively unemotional as they went through goodbyes and got on the train.

His dads, Mickey and Benz, on the other hand, had promptly lost their shit when they visited him. Mickey was ranting threats about how dare his son get reaped, he'd tear those fuckers apart, and Benz just quietly sat down next to Jude. Neither of them spoke much, instead choosing to watch as Mickey threatened anyone whose name popped into mind. At one point, Benz had leaned over and told Jude that he knew Jude would be able to get home if he put his mind to it.

Jude had to laugh at that. He didn't need anyone reassuring him on that matter.

Benz had just smiled, letting his hand hover over Jude's shoulder as a show of affection before taking it away. If his dads had it their way, this never would've happened in the first place. Jude would've lived the rest of his life blissfully unaware of the horrors of the Games, but instead he was stuck going into that shithole. Well, maybe "blissfully unaware" was the wrong way to phrase it. Jude wasn't blissfully unaware of anything, but at least before he could say his life was in his own hands, not the hands of some sick, psycho gamemaker that would make his life hell before it all ended.

Sighing, Jude twirled a pencil between his fingers as he looked up at Imperia, who was pacing back and forth in the room. "Got a plan yet? You've been walking back and forth there for ages."

"Shut up," Imperia immediately snapped back. "Give me a minute, I don't need your obnoxious voice in my ear while I'm trying to think."

Muttering something under his breath about how they'd come up with something best if they worked together, Jude only barely dodged the pillow she'd chucked at his head.

With a roll of his eyes, he gazed back down at the blank notepad in front of him. He knew it would annoy Imperia to hear the quiet noise of his pencil scratching against the paper, but quite frankly he didn't give a shit at the moment. He needed to do something, and so he quietly started sketching out one of the decorative plants sitting on the dresser in the room.

His art was always messy, all indistinct shapes blended until it sort of looked like whatever he was trying to capture. The room was overwhelmed by silence only broken up by Imperia's footfalls and the scratch of Jude's pencil and occasional noise of him dragging his finger across the page to blend. The edges of his paper were soon covered in a myriad of flowers as well, his pinky dark with pencil lead.

Did it properly capture what he was trying to draw? Not at all, but it's not like he had his camera in front of him. It was an abstract mess of lines, all coming together somehow to convey a simple plant. The extra flowers were just added because Imperia was taking way too fucking long to figure out their plan.

"Haven't you gotten it figured out yet?" Jude asked, his tone bored.

Imperia made a small noise that sounded almost like a laugh, and he lifted his head to see that her expression was amused, the corners of her lips tilted up into the tiniest grin. "Of course, I figured that out ages ago. I just wanted to see how long I could get you to shut up for."

Huffing an irritated sigh, Jude sat up and flipped the page of his notepad over. "Very mature," he muttered under his breath. "So, what's our plan? We're getting people into an alliance with us to have some poor, miserable souls to take the fall for us, and your big idea is…?"

The girl in front of him looked all too smug as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "First of all, who should we get in that alliance with us?"

"One of the Threes," Jude said, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to remember the particularly weak - or rather, useful to them - tributes. "They'll be smart enough to look for an alliance, desperate enough to fall in with us. I think the girl from Five, as long as the boy hasn't dragged her into an alliance with him."

"Likely not," Imperia interrupted. "She doesn't look like she'd be terribly comfortable with someone of that… attitude and volume," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Jude just shrugged and nodded. "She can come with us, then. Maybe the Tens as well, the girl looks like she'll cling to anyone who looks at her the right way."

"We don't want a big alliance, nothing that would draw too much attention," Imperia said slowly. "There's always the chance that one of them will turn us down, and while that's their loss, we don't want to make a big deal out of chasing anyone down."

"This doesn't actually explain your big plan," Jude said again, raising an eyebrow at her.

Imperia shifted on the bed closer to him, and he gripped the notepad tighter in his hand as her knee brushed his. Her eyes were nearly glinting with excitement, and for a moment they were just kids again, fucking around and doing their little experiments without a care in the world. Always looking for a way to show the other one up, before everything went too far.

"They'll never forget us by the time we're done in that Arena," Imperia said quietly, glancing out the window. "If this is our last experiment, we might as well do it together."

"I hope you don't fuck it up, then," Jude muttered, his fingers twitching as he wished for something to satiate himself again. He always managed to think better when he was high on something, and right now he felt emptier than ever.

She just rolled her eyes beside him, her spine as straight as ever, fixing him with an all-too-proper stare. "I won't, as I'm not a troglodyte like you."

Jude just sighed and waved his hand. "If we'll actually be working together, maybe we should work on getting along for once."

They got along plenty well under the right circumstances, and they both knew it. They were two flames constantly dancing around each other, and if they weren't careful they'd flare up and become ashes before too long. If they were going to get through this together - because together was the only way he knew they could do it - they had to be able to deal with each other.

Maybe they were the two most fucked up people in all of Panem, but they were also the ones that would take the Arena by storm. Together, because there was no choice for them to do anything else.

"I won't stab you in the back, and you won't stab me in mine," Imperia said, offering up a hand for him to shake.

"Even if I did, you wouldn't see it coming," Jude said with a sly grin, shaking her hand.

Imperia just smiled her sickly sweet smile and gripped his hand tighter. "You'd be dead before you even had the chance."

"Now, what's your grand plan?" Jude asked as he pulled his hand back.

Her grin widened, and a chill shot down Jude's spine. It was the kind of look she had when her worst ideas came to life, but this time the stakes were higher than ever. This was kill or be killed, and Jude figured they were both more than ready for this moment.

"No one will forget District Six this year," Imperia swore. "Whoever we get in our alliance will be right where we want them, too deep in our web to ever hope to get out."

Jude couldn't help but grin back at her. Even if this happened to be his last stand, he wanted to make sure his name got out there, that he'd be remembered by those he left behind.

Jude Caterham would not be forgotten. He'd do everything in his power to make that happen.

Lilith Beherit, 17

District Nine Female

Lilith couldn't help but laugh to herself in the goodbye room. No one would be coming for her, they'd already tossed her aside by letting her get reaped. She'd lost all of her connections when Annie died, and the ones she'd gained weren't exactly friendly. Lilith was just as alone as she'd ever been, but this time she felt it.

She'd learned the difference between lonely and alone a long time ago. Lilith didn't mind being alone, she didn't even know what lonely was, really. She was fine on her own and that was that.

But ever since Annie died, there was something in her that ached. She'd become even more of a recluse than before, took more dangerous missions for the Cardinals until eventually she got caught. There was nothing worse than a bird with its wings clipped, after all.

Just as she'd thought it was all over, Lilith had been given a chance. Throw away all of her morals, embrace what she'd learned, and work for the higher ups in District Nine. In a District as dirty and corrupt as this one, there were more than a few people willing to pay a great sum of money to take out those in their way. It was all about stepping on the backs of other people to get what you wanted, and Lilith had to adjust quickly.

Her freedom was given back to her, but there was a price. Her wings may not have been clipped, but she herself was tied down to the ground, to be used as an assassin until they were out of uses for her.

Honestly, she was just surprised they didn't wait until she turned eighteen.

But the funniest part of it all? Thay himself had managed to walk right into her crosshairs.

If the Cardinals couldn't take him out before he disappeared underground, then Lilith would have to do it herself. All she had to do was wait. Her opportunity would come, and this time she'd be ready.

"Quit frowning at the wall, Lilith, we're trying to get to know each other a little more!"

Lilith blinked and looked up at the mentor, already having forgotten his name. She didn't do well with names, preferring to have no form of attachment to people for when she inevitably had to kill them. At least that would make the Games easier.

She wasn't particularly interested in whatever "get to know you" activity he was trying to get them to partake in, but she was rather amused by the fact that Thay looked just as uncomfortable in the situation as she did.

"We don't actually have to do this, Mal," the other mentor said in a lighter voice.

Mal shook his head stubbornly. "I think it would be a good idea to at least get them out of their shells. I'm tired of these dumbass Nine kids thinking they can get away with being loners in the Games. It's never worked out in recent years, so a good start is actually talking to us, their mentors."

"You could at least let us do it one on one," Thay cut in, his voice dry and monotonous.

Even though she didn't voice her opinion, Lilith silently agreed with him. She didn't know why they had to talk about themselves, especially when-

"Well, do you know her?" Mal asked, gesturing to Lilith.

Thay's dark eyes cut over at her, and Lilith stared back at him, waiting for a flicker of recognition that never came. His expression didn't change at all, he just slid his eyes back up to Mal and said, "I have no idea who she is."

And just like that, there was a whole world of possibilities opening themselves up to Lilith once more. She had everything she needed, and all she had to do was figure out a way to put her plan into action.

"Great!" Mal cheered, ignoring the sighs of the other mentor. "On that note, tell me about your families."

"Orphan."

"Dead."

Lilith and Thay shot another glance at each other, this one mildly surprised. In the background, Mal didn't seem too bothered at all, proclaiming that they already had something in common.

"What about any hobbies?"

Mal didn't even seem to notice the odd looks that passed over their faces as they each frowned at the floor, likely wondering what on earth they did that could be considered a recreational activity. For fun, or however that went.

With a soft chuckle, Thay spoke up first, and Lilith watched the way he twisted a ring on his finger. "I spend a lot of time exploring," he said slowly. "Gambling. And I guess I enjoy a good card game. But I usually end up getting kicked out because they think I'm cheating."

"Well, are you?" Lilith couldn't help but ask.

The barest hint of a smile played on his lips. "If I did, no one would ever catch me."

"What about you, Lilith?" Mal turned to her expectantly.

She paused and frowned down at her hands, still not sure what exactly qualified as a hobby. It's not like she could say she killed people for money, that was probably frowned upon. Most of her free time was spent either practicing her aim or working out or reading a book. She supposed they could be considered fun, but to her they were just part of her daily life.

"Reading, I guess." Lilith stared resolutely down at her hands, feeling awkward in the small room. "That's about it. I don't do much."

The books themselves usually weren't even the fun kind, they were somehow supposed to further her knowledge in different areas. The exercise allowed her lungs to burn and her muscles to ache with exhaustion in a way that she grew to enjoy, but she had 'trainers' that were in charge of it all and made sure she was giving it her best at every moment. To be honest, she wasn't even sure what she'd do if she had enough time to herself to have a hobby.

"Favorite drink?"

Lilith blinked up at Mal in surprise, and he just shrugged. "I figured you might be thirsty."

"Hot tea," Thay requested, leaning back in his chair. "Whatever kind you have."

Thinking it over for a minute, Lilith figured she might as well try at least a couple new things while she had the option. She might've been sent here to die, but maybe she could start living a little, too. "I'll, uh… try the same."

The other mentor (Lilith was sure she still hadn't caught a name) soon disappeared from the room, presumably to get their tea. Lilith wasn't entirely sure what she'd just asked for, anyway. She held onto some vague memory of a kettle boiling over the stove and her parents laughing, but that was it. So many things were a foreign concept to her just because of the way she'd grown up, and she wondered if she'd ever really had a chance.

The next few minutes were consumed by silly get to know you questions, which had soon devolved with Mal as the only mentor in the room. Lilith had to ponder what District she'd move to if she could and what her ideal pet would be, among other things. For the District question, she just chose Four because at least they all looked well fed and could go outside and visit the ocean any day, and she'd settled on a crow as a pet, as maybe it could scout things for her.

To be honest, this whole situation was strangely bordering on fun for her.

A soft rattle alerted her to her tea, which had been set down on the small table beside her. It was a curious shade of light brown, and Lilith could see the steam rising from the liquid. She carefully reached out to grab the cup, immediately whipping her hand back when she realized the cup was hot as well.

"It doesn't bite," Thay said from the other side of the room, already sipping away at his tea like it was nothing.

Lilith frowned at that, glaring at her tea like it was the source of all her problems. She noticed a delicate handle this time, carefully lifting the cup.

She shot another glance at Thay before lifting the tea to her lips, hoping she wasn't about to burn her mouth on it. She hesitated, blowing the hot steam away from her mouth before taking a sip.

It was… better than she expected? Lilith had always been a fan of vanilla, and there was a hint of that to this tea, as well as some spices that she didn't know the names of. She could only manage a small sip before bringing it away from her mouth, not wanting to get burned by it.

But it wasn't long before she came back for another sip, and then another. It was warm and filled Lilith with a sense of comfort she wasn't used to. In a way… it made her wonder what other kinds of things she'd been deprived of all these years.

If her life had been normal, maybe Lilith would be an artist or a scholar, or maybe she'd just like working with kids. It felt like there was a world of possibilities, but all that lay ahead of her was another mission, another person to kill. She'd never been normal, and her chances of that were likely gone now.

But still…

Somehow, it made her long for the life she never had, and with that, Lilith carefully took another sip.

She couldn't get the years back, but she could find new ways to move forward. Her body ached with everything she never got to have, and Lilith hoped there was enough time to be able to live a little, even if it was temporary.

Lilith would always have her mission, but maybe it was time she started doing things for herself.

Teagan Kinsley, 14

District Ten Female

Teagan was already tired of having people ask how she felt. Of course she didn't feel fine, she was reaped for the Hunger Games! Against all odds, she was chosen to go fight to the death against children older than her and stronger than her and bigger than her. She was pretty much fucked, that much had been clear when she watched the recaps and saw that she was clearly one of the weakest.

It made her grit her teeth, because now freedom was out of reach. She didn't have her parents there anymore, and Mary was long gone, safe back in the District she'd once called home. Teagan was in new, unfamiliar territory, and she wondered if there was any hope for her at all.

But Teagan was never one to be dissuaded so easily. Sure, she was completely out of her element, but… she could find a way. She always found a way, and this time would be no different.

After watching the recaps, the other occupants of the train had scattered, leaving Teagan alone on the couch. She stared out the window, wishing she could still see the empty pastures flying by, all green grass and white fences. Now there were more urban areas, with grey buildings that looked utterly lifeless as Teagan spotted them from a distance. She just sighed and leaned her head back, taking in the bright sky painted on the ceiling and wishing it was just another day where she'd run away from home again.

Teagan didn't want to stay trapped under her parents' thumb her entire life, but this certainly wasn't the future she had in mind, either.

"You doing okay there?"

It took everything in Teagan not to let out an annoyed sigh. She was tired of people asking her the same question, but she knew she had to play nice with others for the time being. It was the only option she had.

So instead, Teagan looked up at the source of the voice with wide, innocent eyes, recognizing it to be Liam, her District Partner. He looked fairly… concerned for her, which frustrated Teagan even further. She hated being seen as weak in a situation like this, but… but…

Maybe she could learn to use that to her advantage.

"I just really miss home," she said with a soft sniffle. There would be no tears coming, as Teagan had used them all up in the goodbye room, but she could at least pretend.

To her surprise and delight, Liam just offered her a kind smile and sat down on the other end of the couch. She didn't exactly expect to get a complete sucker of a District Partner, but she wasn't mad about this outcome either. Maybe she'd be able to drag him into an alliance with her, use him as a shield… her mind was already swirling with the possibilities.

"I already miss it, too," he said gently, and Teagan couldn't help but be entranced by his kindness despite her desire to use him to get herself out of the Games alive. "I appreciate the way they've decorated the train and all the rooms to resemble home, but it's not the same at all. Feels more like… they're trying to help us transition somehow."

"It's like a glorified version of Ten," Teagan admitted. "They've made the sky just as blue, the grass just as pretty, but they couldn't capture what it's like to live with a bunch of animals."

Teagan wrinkled her nose at that. It was true, this train was entirely too lovely. It felt more like a mockery of Ten than anything else. The Capitol had only chosen the lovely parts, stripping away anything that made Ten really feel like home.

Laughing warmly, Liam gave her a nod. "You've got me there. Sure doesn't smell like animals."

"I think the Capitolites' fine tastes would leave them particularly underwhelmed by what Ten really has to offer."

"They might not like to be reminded that the food they eat comes from a bunch of cute farm animals," Teagan pointed out. "Or that their fur coats used to keep other things warm in the winter."

"Sure, but I don't think they're used to very many natural things," Liam said with a warm laugh.

As they talked, Teagan slowly started to learn more about him. Liam was sixteen, he'd lived on a farm his whole life - honestly, who didn't in Ten - his favorite color was blue, he had two younger siblings waiting for him back home… the list went on and on. He was open and caring and entirely too vulnerable for Teagan to pass up this opportunity.

But in the end, she didn't even need to try.

"Have you given any thought as to who you'd ally with?" Liam asked.

Teagan couldn't breathe for a moment, not expecting him to offer right off the bat. She kept her head ducked as she fought to mask her emotions, trying to keep the smile creeping onto her face at bay. She composed herself quickly enough and looked up at him with eyes that ideally portrayed a hopeful, innocent look.

"Um… not really…"

"What about with me?"

She knew that it was the best idea for her, even though she was just going to manipulate him in the end. More than anything, Teagan wanted to survive, to live, and she'd do anything for the chance of living just one more day.

"Allies?" Liam offered up his hand to her, his eyes warm and vulnerable in a way that made Teagan hesitate before nodding and taking his hand.

"Allies."

But she wanted to get out of this alive, and this was the only option she had. If she had to find a way to claw her way out of the Games, so be it. She was tired of being a puppet at home, letting her parents pull her strings to get her to do what they wanted. She wanted to be in control of how she ended up, and she'd do whatever she had to.

After all, no one would suspect a fourteen year old girl to stab them in the back.

Estelle Duvont, 21

District One

Victor of the 119th Hunger Games

Despite having dealt with it for the past few years, Estelle was never quite ready by the time she reached the Capitol. Her tributes were always at least a little too cocky - more from Shai this year - and she was always on the verge of a headache at the mere thought of being around that many Capitolites.

To be completely honest, she just wanted to be able to hunt down Bastian and drag him to one of their floors to make him suffer through some shitty movie with her until they could forget all about their tributes for a brief time, but she figured that wasn't likely. Her heart broke all over again as she remembered how Makani had volunteered, remembered hearing the way Bastian's voice broke over the phone as he told her about it. He believed in his sister more than anyone did, but Estelle knew he was more blindsided than anything else.

She could feel him pulling away, and that's why she was so determined to run into him, standing on her toes to scan the area outside the remake center. Shai had already gone ahead with Asteria, and Alila was still by her side.

"We'll have to talk about the Nine boy at some point," Estelle murmured quietly, trying not to draw attention to either of them as she spoke. "I don't want any surprises."

Alila stayed still for a long moment, her brow furrowing before her face cleared. "I won't let it stop me."

That didn't make Estelle feel better at all, but she knew now wasn't the time to press matters. "Want me to walk with you to the remake center, or do you need a minute to clear your head?"

Alila bit her lip worriedly, clearly stuck in some kind of internal debate over Estelle's question before she said, "Can I have a few minutes alone?"

Nodding, Estelle gestured towards the building ahead of them. "Asteria's probably already inside, she could show you to your room. I'll see you after it's all over, and then we can talk."

The girl just gave a firm shake of her head and headed off, making Estelle frown at her back. Time had passed since the recap and the near incident with the Nine boy, but it hadn't seemed to soothe Alila's nerves. She could only hope that the preparation ahead would somehow help her unwind instead of getting her more on edge.

More trains were pulling into the station, and Estelle was on the lookout for Four, hoping that Bastian would be arriving soon. A small part of her yearned for Eight, hoping to get a glimpse of Ariadne, but she was trying to convince herself not to hope. Maybe it was time to let go, maybe it was time to forget. Estelle knew when she was unwanted, after all.

A soft cry caught her attention and, against her better judgement, Estelle immediately sought out the sound. The Three boy had crashed to the ground - Merix, if she remembered his name correctly - and seemed a bit stunned by the impact.

Estelle was by his side in an instant, offering him a hand and a smile. Sometimes, she wished for tributes like this, where she could show real kindness and get that back in return. Ones were always trying to scheme, but the naivete of an outer district kid would only hurt her in the long run. Estelle was already burdened by all the kids she couldn't bring home.

She just hoped it wasn't another year of that.

The boy looked up at her with wide eyes, slowly taking her hand and mumbling a quiet, "Thank you."

"Do you need help getting to the remake center?" Estelle asked, noting that she didn't see any of the other Threes hanging around.

But Merix just shook his head, a few strands of long red hair falling into his face. "No thank you," he managed, before practically running away from her.

Estelle frowned after him, noting the way he glanced over his shoulder a few times. He seemed to be looking for something, but Estelle just wasn't sure what that was.

"He looked positively starstruck," Bastian joked from behind her, and Estelle turned to face him with a smile.

Her smile faltered when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the way his hair was messier than usual, like he'd been frequently running his hands through it. He caught on to her attention all too quickly, giving her a wave of his hand.

"Don't worry about me," he said with all the nonchalance of someone that had a multitude of reasons for Estelle to worry.

So she just sighed and shrugged. "I make no promises on that front."

He nodded, not expecting anything else. The silence that fell between them was uncomfortable in its unfamiliarity. They'd always gotten along because they could talk to each other easily, but things had been changing recently. Estelle wasn't sure if it was solely because Makani got reaped, but she was starting to feel like she was missing something.

"Are you-"

Bastian didn't even let her finish her sentence, already knowing what she was about to ask. "Fine, Estelle. I told you, you don't need to worry about me."

"I can't help it," she murmured, and caught the way his eyes softened.

Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I- We- … I'll come visit you after Chariots, yeah?"

She couldn't help the way she frowned at that, knowing it was always their tradition to watch Chariots together, but she didn't want to press it. He was under enough stress as it was, and she just needed to give him space.

Even if it made her ache to do so.

He gave her a light smile before heading off, looking as casual as always as he made his way through the crowd. Estelle blinked as she watched a small white card flutter to the ground from his pocket, instinctively reaching to pick it up. "Hey, Bastian?" she called. "I think you dropped something."

Staring down at the card, she noted that one side was blank, and when she flipped it over, she was even more perplexed to find that it had some kind of flower on it. It was in black and white, so she couldn't be sure what kind of flower it was, but there was no signature of any kind. If anything, it looked like someone had doodled a flower and given it to him.

But she wasn't able to linger on it much longer, as Bastian snatched it out of her hands. His face had taken on a paler shade, and he shoved the card back into his pocket. Whatever it was, Estelle wasn't meant to see it.

"Bastian, what-"

"It's nothing," he said, cutting her off immediately. "Nothing at all."

Estelle frowned, recognizing that he was glancing around them furtively, as if he had something to hide. "Are you… keeping something from me?"

He brought her in for a sudden hug, lowering his voice to whisper in her ear, "Estelle, I really can't talk about this here. Or at all. I just need you to trust that nothing's wrong."

Stunned, all Estelle could do was nod, and he soon let go and took a step back. "I'll save a spot for you to watch Chariots," he said with a wink before heading off, leaving Estelle even more confused than before.

The entire world seemed to keep moving on around her, but Estelle was lost in the middle of it. Somehow, she was being left out of things, and there were secrets that she didn't even know existed, much less what they meant. But if even Bastian had something to hide from her… Estelle had to find out what was going on.

She wouldn't let her best friend slip even further away from her.