Keegan Rallentando, 17

District 3 Male

Keegan couldn't keep the smile off his face, despite the fact he was boarding a train to his death. He'd been reaped! He had actually been reaped for the Hunger Games. As he'd sat in his cell for the past two weeks, he'd debated volunteering. If he won, he'd be safe. If he died, well, at least he wasn't rotting away in a jail cell. But the idea had sounded so ridiculous that he hadn't committed himself to it. But in the end, it hadn't even mattered.

There were still nerves churning in his belly; he couldn't deny that. He was scared, more scared than he'd expected to be. But there was a tinge of hope too. This didn't have to be the end. It could be a new beginning.

Once he was on the train, a Peacekeeper unlocked his handcuffs and stepped back.

"You're a tribute now, not a criminal," she said gruffly. "But you better behave." Keegan just narrowed his eyes at her, and she grumbled something under her breath for walking away.

It sucked. Keegan hadn't intended to kill anyone. He didn't want to kill anyone. But in the midst of the adrenaline of fighting for his life, it just happened. And now he was considered a murderer.

Keegan's legs ached as he walked into the next room. The doctor said nothing was broken, just badly bruised, but he was still in a lot of pain. He limped into the adjoining train car and eased himself down on a brown leather sofa. But he could feel a pair of eyes on his back, and so he sat up straighter and turned around.

Gamma's eyes flickered away when she saw Keegan watching her, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.

"Sorry," she murmured, avoiding eye contact.

"It's okay," Keegan said, trying to give her a reassuring smile. She winced, and he frowned. Clearly it hadn't worked.

"It's just…" she continued, and Keegan glanced at her again, eyes narrowed. "You're more myth than man."

He laughed drily at that.

"I wish."

"No, I'm serious," Gamma said, moving around the sofa to sit in a chair across from him. Her green eyes shone brightly in the low light, almost like a predator at night. "Everyone at school talks about the 'Flower Boy'. I bought a bouquet from you once, for my crush. Pink chrysanthemums and daisies."

Keegan fiddled with the buttons of his vest.

"I didn't realize I was so popular," he said evenly, though his heart was pounding. He had to remind himself that he'd already been discovered. That danger had passed.

"People are both intrigued by and afraid of what they do not understand," Gamma said plainly. "You were a mystery, and therefore, you were a popular topic, especially amongst girls."

Keegan's cheeks flushed at that, and Gamma giggled a little. He forced himself to smile, and to his surprise, it felt fairly natural. Gamma had a comforting presence, and he hadn't properly talked to anyone in years. He hadn't even realized he'd missed it.

"I'm glad it's not fear," he finally said after a moment of silence. "I don't want people to be afraid of me."

"I don't think they were at first," Gamma replied. "But then, well…"

"But then I killed someone?" he asked, and his stone walls went right back up.

"Did they tell everyone how he died?"

Gamma's eyes widened.

"No."

"He knocked the support beam of my hideout out of place, and it collapsed."

"So it was an accident." Gamma sounded firm.

"Yes."

"Well then, I'm not afraid of you," she declared, and Keegan felt himself relax.

"We're in the Hunger Games," he reminded her. She turned red at that, and he saw a few tears pooling in her eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry.

"I know," she whispered, swallowing hard. "But I was wondering if you wanted to be allies?"

Her voice squeaked when she asked, and Keegan's cheeks smarted when he smiled again.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I do."

Kaz Killaray, 17

District 12 Female

The Capitol train was the single most beautiful thing Kaz had ever seen. The floors were polished wood and all the seats were made of deep green velvet. Delicate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, barely swaying with the train's movement. People in red and black uniforms moved about silently, offering her everything from snacks to drinks to scented hand towels.

She'd accepted a small roll of flaky bread wrapped around a piece of chocolate, which Ajax had called a 'croissant'. It was delicious, and she wanted to ask for another one, but the sound of singing from the car next door distracted her.

Moving through the short corridor, Kaz stepped into a luxurious lounge room where Lucy was seated, drinking wine and singing to herself. She was perched on a sofa with her shoes off, revealing slightly wrinkled feet and toenails painted in the colors of a rainbow.

When she sensed Kaz's presence, she set her glass down and stopped singing.

"Music makes the world go 'round," she told Kaz. She just nodded awkwardly.

"Come," Lucy invited. "Sit." Kaz joined her on the sofa and Lucy folded her hands across her lap, laying them on her gauzy skirt.

"So," Lucy said with a smile. "Tell me about yourself. You volunteered, which is unusual. I'm sure you have lots of fun secrets." She rested a head on her palm and blinked her big doe eyes at Kaz.

"I volunteered for my sister," they blurted out. "She's only a year old, and she has a heart condition. She'll die without treatment."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Lucy said, still smiling. "It must be awful."

"It is…" Kaz said slowly. Lucy's smile was growing more and more unnerving. "Do you… do you have any advice? I need to win."

Lucy was silent for a while.

"It's not that simple," she finally said. "Everyone needs to win. That doesn't make you special. What makes you special is what you do, and who you appeal to. Can you fight?"

Kaz nodded.

"Yeah, I… I can use throwing knives," she said. "And I know a good amount about poisons."

Lucy nodded.

"Good. We can work with that. You could–"

She cut herself off as Ayden entered the room, and Kaz turned to look at him too. Their only interaction had been shaking hands onstage at the reaping, and that hadn't been enough for her to get a read on him.

"Hi," she said, giving him a small wave. "I'm Kaz."

"I know," he said gruffly. "You said your name when you volunteered. Which was stupid, by the way. Now you're going to die."

Kaz's cheeks flushed and they crossed their arms, digging their nails into their skin in a futile effort to keep calm.

"No," she said coldly. "You are going to die. You know nothing about me, so shut the fuck up and stay out of my way. I have a Games to win." She tossed her hair over her shoulder and stalked out of the traincar.

As she stormed towards her room, Kaz bumped into a firm shoulder, which nearly sent her sprawling.

"Sorry," the shoulder's owner grumbled, gripping her arm to steady her.

"It's fine," Kaz said, turning to him. It was Haymitch. He gave her a crooked smile, which was somehow a little cute, and then released her.

"Your mentee is a jackass," Kaz told him. "Just so you know."

Haymitch laughed a rough laugh.

"Thanks for the heads up." Then he moved past her, and Kaz continued on.

Kaz's room was decorated in cool blue tones, with a large bed, a fuzzy white rug, and a massive bathroom with a corner tub. Like the rest of the train, it was more luxurious than anything she'd ever seen.

Kaz turned on the bath and poured some lavender-scented soap in before stripping off her clothes and sinking into the bubbles. Closing her eyes, she let the aroma soothe her, and the churning water wash away Ayden's barbed comments. She was going to win.

Domitia Albernite, 18

District 2 Female

"Domitia! We're an hour away!" Veridie sang, knocking three times on Domitia's door. She took a deep breath. It was time.

"Alright," she called back before moving to the closet. Fashion was not her domain, but she was confident that she could put together an outfit for her arrival. She grabbed a slate gray blouse that would look good against her light skin. She paired it with black jeans and black boots and tied her hair up in a bun.

Another knock rang through the room, and Domitia opened the door. It was Lyme, last year's victor. She wasn't officially mentoring this year; Hortensia was. But Lyme was tagging along to gain some experience.

"Hortensia wants to talk to us," she said softly, brushing her white-blonde hair behind her ear. Domitia nodded and followed Lyme to the sitting area.

Hortensia Valdez was a tall, muscular woman with black hair and intense brown eyes. She'd won the 39th Hunger Games using an ax and brute strength. During the finale, she'd taken a nasty blow to the head, and now suffered from memory issues. It was said around the Academy that she'd forgotten how to smile too. She was sitting on a sofa with her arms crossed, and gestured with her head for Domitia to take a seat across from her.

Domitia sat down and gave Hortensia a nod in greeting, ready to get down to business. She wasn't here to mess around, and Hortensia would be the perfect mentor for her.

"Domitia," Hortensia said. "District 2 is known to lead the career pack, and Quintus is not up for the role. Typically, the pack has a male leader. We're changing that."

"Good," she replied. "I'm confident in my skills. I can lead."

Hortensia nodded in approval.

"You'll have to be careful with how you approach it," Lyme said quietly. "That's where things went wrong last time."

Last year, Lyme's district partner Remus had led the career pack like a tyrant. The other careers had ganged up on him and killed him a few days in.

"I will be," Domitia promised, turning things over in her head. She didn't have to declare herself the leader, but if she was outspoken, confident, and made her voice heard, she'd be an obvious candidate. And she knew Quintus would back her. They were loyal to one another.

For the next forty minutes, the three women talked strategy. Lyme was clever and insightful, and when Veridie announced that they were only a few minutes away, and Hortensia left to find Rourke, Domitia put a hand on Lyme's shoulder.

"You're going to be a good mentor," she told the shyer girl. A small smile crossed Lyme's face.

"Thank you," she said.

Then everything went dark. Domitia tensed, but Lyme took her hand.

"It's a tunnel," she said gently. Domitia pulled her hand back and nodded.

"I know."

The tunnel ended quickly, and Domitia found herself staring at a shining city. Skyscrapers brushed the clouds, and the sunlight sparkled off the silver and marble buildings. It was breathtaking.

Quintus joined Domitia by the window, carefully avoiding bumping shoulders. They gazed at the Capitol as the train moved closer, and soon a street full of colorful people was revealed.

Cheers went up as the train streaked by, and Domitia held up a hand, waving to them. As the train slowed, she met the gaze of a woman with a rose hat, who blew her a kiss. Domitia winked back and the woman nearly swooned.

The train came to halt behind a large stone building, and Domitia squared her shoulders. This was it. And she was ready.

Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing well. Here is the train ride chapter! Only one more until we get to the training chapters, and I can't wait! I'm nervous about the actual games though. I don't want to kill anyone! I love all of these tributes so much.

As a note, I haven't read A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes so I have no idea if Lucy is canonically in-character or not. I read the summary, but it was about a year ago. In my world, she's a bit of a kooky old lady. Hopefully that fits!

Questions:

1. Do you think Gamma and Keegan will make good allies?

2. Will Domitia make a good Career Pack leader?

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona