Was it really luck?

Sophie "Storm" Barat, 18

District One Female

Nikoleta ushers me and the boy, Ezio, onto the train. We've spent the last several minutes standing on the platform so the cameras can adequately photograph us. But now, I'm allowed onto the train. Nikoleta tells us she'll send an attendant to get us for dinner. Then she leaves, probably to put on another horrible outfit. Brandi tells me to find something nice to wear and then meet her. Then she leaves me with Ezio. Apparently Gleam has disappeared already. Probably annoyed that he got Ezio. We all know Ezio at the training centre. He used to follow Dax around, but he couldn't train because of his knee. I feel a bit sorry for him, honestly.

I leave to go and find my room. One of the attendants points me down a corridor, where I find a room I assume is mine. I take my time exploring. It's even better than my dad's house, which is saying something because he lived in Victor's Village. The height of luxury. If, I die, at least my last week is spent like this. Immediately, I have to rephrase that. That's no way to be thinking. I'm not going to die. I choose something to wear. Red. Very deep red. Probably my favourite colour. Then I go looking for Brandi.

I find her in an area of the train obviously made for relaxing. She gestures for me to sit down in the chair next to her, which I do.

"So. Storm, is it, that you like to be called? I understand you were one of the possible choices for volunteering this year." She says when I sit down.

"Yes. Although it was meant to be Ruby." I reply.

"I know. As volunteering was not allowed in District One this year, we can assume it was probably not allowed in the other-" She pauses for a second, before deciding to continue her sentence, "Probably not allowed in the other districts."

Why did she pause? I think for a few moments, and then I realise that she hesitated because that might not be true. We might not have been allowed to volunteer because we've won the Games the last two years. But no, that wouldn't be it, because I'm pretty sure people were still allowed to volunteer the year after Cashmere won the Games, and Gloss won the year before that, so that wouldn't make sense. Unless it changed after the second rebellion? Probably not.

"So I'll probably be one of the best there." I say. Brandi smiles at me.

"Yes. Good. But don't get complacent." She tells me.

"As if I'd do that."

Brandi watches me for a few seconds and then nods. "Now go back to your room and rest. Nikoleta will get you for dinner in a few hours." And with that she leaves. Great. What am I supposed to do now then? I should probably do what Brandi said, but the only thing she told me to do was rest. It seemed quite short for the first time I talk with my mentor. I don't really want to think about that now.

In then end, I decide to follow Brandi's advice and rest, but I keep getting distracted by the scenery outside the window. It's different to anything we see in District One. It actually reminds me of Hunger Games arenas in some places. That's how I spend the train ride. Lying on my bed, looking out the window. Very exciting, but there'll be plenty of excitement once I arrive in the Capitol. Best to rest now, so I have energy for it when I arrive.

Eventually, I hear Nikoleta calling my name from somewhere down the hallway. Finally. I was getting bored. Now I get to see my district partner. I hurry down the hall and into the dining area. I sit down in one of the empty seats. It would appear Ezio is the last one of us to arrive. He arrives a minute or two later, and once he's sat down Nikoleta snaps at one of the attendants to bring us food. We're brought some kind of delicious soup, which Brandi tells me contains at least three different kinds of wild mushrooms. I wonder for a moment if they're safe to eat and then decide that they've probably got scientists checking everything the tributes touch to make sure they don't die before the Games and disappoint everyone in the Capitol. Then there's salad, and then some kind of stew with crusty bread, and several more which I can't even describe.

I try and listen to the mentors' conversation, although I lose interest quickly when I realise they're only talking about Capitol gossip. Which Victors are mentoring this year. Which Districts don't have mentors. I know that already. Five doesn't have any living Victors. Neither does Six, Nine or Twelve, and I doubt that's going to change anytime soon. Most of the tributes form those Districts seem pretty useless in the arena. Occasionally one will get to the final eight, but no further than that.

"So," Nikoleta turns to us, her face pulled into a smile, hands clasped together. "Shall we watch the Reapings?"

There are varying levels of enthusiasm, but we all agree to it because one; we're probably legally required to say yes, and two; some of us don't seem very eager to know who our opponents are.

Nikoleta turns on the television and we all gather in the seating area to watch.

Let's meet our opponents.

You are not what you think you are.

Mason Grant, 18

District Two Male

My room on the train is wonderful. I wonder if this is what the houses in Victor's Village are like. If so, they're even better than I thought. I'm going to enjoy life as a Victor even more than I thought. And I'll have to ask Boaz what being a Victor is like. Then he won't be the only living Victor of District Two anymore. I've heard some people talk about how it was stupid to kill the Victors after the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games, but I don't agree. It was a precautionary measure to stop any rebels who might be getting ideas. That's what the Capitol said. That's what the mayor said. That's what Mother and Father said. And I believe them. Why would they lie to me? Well, the Capitol and the mayor might lie to me, but I'm certain Mother and Father wouldn't.

When I talked to Boaz earlier, he told me that he'd talk with me and Omega about strategies after dinner. He assumed we'd ally. Of course he did. She doesn't seem horrible, but I'll have to keep an eye on her. I've seen her around the training centre, and she was pretty good with a bow. Not Victor level, but she'll be useful to have around. And she shouldn't be too hard to kill if I have to.

I can hear Platon yelling my name. The first time he's said anything to me since he called my name at the Reaping. Maybe he'll talk more at dinner. Somehow I doubt it. I make my way down the hallway to the dining area. I'm the last one there. Platon has noticeably shifted his chair away from the rest of us. Idiot. Obviously thinks he's better than us. How I'm going to deal with him every year is beyond me. Oh well. I'll worry about that when it comes to it. Right now I've got to plan. Talk strategy. Assess the other tributes.

"So, Mason, Omega, I've seen you train, but do tell me what you think your biggest weaknesses are." Boaz says. It's not a question. How am I supposed to answer that? I can tell the truth and worry about Omega using it against me. Or I can lie. Or maybe it's a test. I'm overthinking.

"There are a lot of weapons I can't use very well." Omega says. She's too trusting.

Boaz nods. "Mason?" He's trying to rush me.

"I can't swim." I'm pretty sure they both know I'm lying, but Boaz doesn't really hang around the swimming pool in the training centre, so he can't call me out on it. It's better than them knowing what I actually consider my greatest weakness.

"Ok then. I'll keep that in mind." Boaz says. I'll keep that in mind? "Ah, look, here's dinner." And then one of the attendants brings in dinner and Boaz starts chatting with Platon and Omega doesn't seem interested in talking to me, which is fine because I don't want to talk to her.

From what I can hear, Platon and Boaz are talking about the other Victors and which Districts people think will win this year. District One is a favourite, given it's two year victory run. So is District Four, because they've had two victories in the past nine years. And District Two is no longer a favourite. I'm going to change that.

"Ok then, shall we watch the Reapings?" Boaz asks, but it's not really a question.

We all move to an area filled with comfy chairs, where Platon presses some buttons and then the seal of Panem lights up the television screen. Then it changes to a view of the District One square. We watch as Nikoleta Vedrix makes her speech, whilst I scan through the crowd to see who was meant to volunteer. There's someone in the eighteen-year-old section with her hair in a long braid who's obviously meant to volunteer. She keeps fiddling with her hair and looking around and smiling at people in a practiced but still obviously fake way. I can't find the other designated volunteer. Does District One even have designated volunteers? Or has the girl just decided to volunteer? She was probably chosen to volunteer, since District One is a reliably good district for volunteers.

"Now, it's time to draw the names!" Yells their Escort. She runs her hand through the names in the reaping bowl. "Ladies first!"

And that's when my suspicions are confirmed.

"I volunteer as tribute!" The camera pans to the girl with the braid as she runs to the stage. Typical volunteering.

"I'm sorry, but volunteering isn't happening this year." Their Escort says.

"So it was in all districts." Omega says. I hadn't thought about the fact that District Two might have been targeted by the Capitol. Why would it have been?

"The female tribute for District One is…." Continues the Escort, although it's drowned out by Omega's comment. "Sophie Barat!"

The camera searches through the crowd again, settling on someone with their hair in a bun who smiles at the crowd on their way to the stage. They seem confident. Probably good to ally with.

We watch the boy from District One walk slowly to the stage. He looks like he might be hiding a limp. I decide I don't want him for an ally. He'd hold us back. We watch ourselves get reaped. And District Three, Four and Five. There's a twelve year old from Five. The two from Four look like promising allies. As we watch I decide I want the boy from Seven as well. He looks strong. And angry. Very angry. At what I can't quite tell. But he might put up a good fight. Maybe the boy from Ten. Or was that Eleven? Or maybe the boy from Six.

Omega seems to be making her own list of people she wants as allies. I wonder who we agree on.

And once we agree we have to get them to join us.

Win. For Clementine.

Becca Roberts, 15

District Seven Female

Cypress and I listen intently to Johanna, in case she says something that might be useful. Although we're both distracted by the food. And Johanna isn't saying much. Evangelos keeps telling us that there's more to eat, and that eating this much isn't healthy and if we want to try everything we need to keep that in mind. I'm pretty sure Cypress isn't listening, and neither am I. Anyway, I'll probably end up starving in the arena so trying to gain weight can't be a bad idea. Chances are one of us will be dead in two weeks, and I don't plan on it being me.

It feels like Evangelos is used to Johanna's complete lack of advice-giving. No wonder District Seven doesn't win. Ever. It's only been thirty years or so since a tribute from Seven other than Johanna won.

"Alright then," Evangelos says brightly, "Shall we watch the Reapings?"

Cypress and I agree, and a few minutes later we're watching the seal of Panem appear on the television screen. When the screen cuts to District One, I can see Evangelos smile. He's obviously wishing to be promoted to a career district next year. Only if one of us wins.

The speech is the same as the one we heard at our Reaping. I wonder if we're going to have to sit through this for every Reaping. I ignore the Escort and watch the crowd, wondering which of them are going to volunteer. There are a few who look like they might try it, most of them are at the front of the square. Older. But no one really expects a twelve year old kid to volunteer. They'd be stupid if they did. I wouldn't be surprised if eventually they extensively train some twelve year old from District One or Two and the kid spends the entire time smashing people's heads in.

As one of the girls goes to volunteer I can see Cypress scowl. He doesn't try to hide it from Evangelos, who looks at him disdainfully and pointedly ignores Cypress muttering something about "entitled little bastards". Obviously he hates the careers. Everyone does, but this is extreme to act like that around someone from the Capitol, where careers are so celebrated. When the Escort tells them volunteering isn't allowed this year, he smiles. We watch as two tributes are reaped, and then the scene switches to District Two.

The same announcement is made: no volunteering. The two reaped are a typical career boy and a sixteen year old girl who smiles like there's something we're all missing. Probably thinks she's the next Victor or something.

District Three features an boy who appears to annoy or confuse his district partner as soon as they start to talk, and a girl who seems oddly fixated on her twin in the crowd. She looks almost...scared. Her twin doesn't look concerned at all.

When District Four appears, we get to watch another volunteer fail at being chosen, thwarted by this year's unforeseen rule change. Two seventeen year olds are chosen instead. Probably careers-in-training.

We watch the rest of the reapings, and then Johanna wanders off back to her room and Evangelos tells us to go to bed soon because we don't want to be tired when we reach the Capitol. Then he leaves as well. Cypress sits there for a minute, and then he goes to leave too.

"Wait." I say.

He pauses. "What?"

"You hate them." I reply.

"Who?"

"The careers."

"Doesn't everyone?" He asks. I think he's trying to deflect the question. Why? I wonder for a minute if they killed someone he cared about. Maybe.

"Yes, but... I don't know. You seem angrier than most people."

"It's- It's personal." He replies. I was probably right about the family members.

"Yeah." I reply. Probably not a good idea to press further. Change the subject. But he does that before I do.

"Want to team up?" Do I want to team up? Good question. Probably not.

"I'll think about it." I say. Before either of us can say anything else, one of the attendants comes in and tells us that we need to go and sleep now because we'll be very busy tomorrow.

I head back to my room, and climb into my bed. It's way too soft, and I sink into until it feels like I'm being smothered by my pillows. I throw my covers off and curl up in a ball on top of my pillows. It's not cold. The train seems to be heated artificially, as I assume the entire Capitol is. And whilst I lie curled up in the darkness I think about Cypress's question. Allies. He's looking for allies. He hates the careers so he won't try and join them. He asked me, a fifteen year old he doesn't know who's too thin from being underfed, to ally with him. But maybe because that's because we're from the same District. He'll probably go after some of the stronger kids from other districts. The girl from Three. The boy from Six, maybe. There are a few others he'll probably go after, as well as others he thinks will have skills that could get rid of the careers.

I know that I'll say no. I don't want allies. I'd have to kill them or they'd end up killing me in my sleep. If anyone asks me I'll send them to Cypress. We are District partner after all. But I won't help him more than that. He is my opponent, and his survival is my death.

I just hope I won't have to pull a... who were some Victors who killed their District partners?... Moru Havet, Brandi Midas, Boaz Nolan, Katniss Everdeen, and kill him.

I'll do whatever it takes.

Colby Pitt, 18

District Twelve Male

Dinner is too quiet. There isn't a mentor, since there were no living Victors from Twelve apart from Haymitch and Katniss and they died eleven years ago in the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games. Selene appears to think we aren't worthy of conversation with her. And Rosa hasn't said anything since we got on the train. She's only twelve years old, she must be terrified. I don't blame her. It's so unlikely she was reaped. She's the mayor's daughter, I think. No tesserae. So her name was only in once. Very bad luck. Twelve year olds don't win. She's going to die. She will know that.

Selene puts down her knife with such force I can see Rosa jump from the sudden noise.

"Right then. Let's watch the Reaping recap?" Her voice is high pitched and she has the typical Capitol accent. My brain always seems to be attempting to block it out, but it doesn't appear to be working. This is the worst thing I could have to deal with this week. She's loud, annoying, and very distracting when you're trying to focus on staying alive. And because she's the best I'm going to get in terms of a mentor this year, I'm going to have to get her to like me. Now, I just have to work out how to do that. I'll have to think about it.

The three of us watch patiently as the Capitol seal appears on the screen. Maybe I should pretend to be excited for the games. Could that work? It's possible, but I'll need to watch her more.

The screen cuts to District One, where I'm pleasantly surprised by the fact that volunteering has been banned this year. It's unheard of, but I can think about that later. We watch the tributes as they're reaped - one who looks like they've been trained, one who looks like he's finding it a bit hard to walk.

The career districts are actually a little funny, with the reactions of failed volunteers almost making me life. I squash the laughter, though, so I don't upset Selene. She appears to hate us already. Or, rather, she hates the fact that we're from District Twelve.

When we get to District Five, I watch a twelve-year-old with green eyes and ginger hair walk to the stage with an unsettling sense of calm. For a minute, I wonder if I've seen her before, until I dismiss the thought. Twisted as it is, her being twelve is good for me. She won't win. She's twelve. One less person to worry about. The boy from her District is sixteen, and doesn't look particularly...noticeable. Apart from the fact he doesn't look like he's completely starved of food. Then again, District Five isn't as bad as Eleven or Eight or Twelve.

District Six has a pair with forced smiles who seem far too confident for a pair from Six. I don't think Six has had a Victor since the...57th Hunger Games? 58th? 56th? I don't really care or remember. They certainly don't have a mentor, which goes a long way. Although, neither do I. And now I'm thinking about how to get Selene to like me again. Wonderful.

District Seven has a fifteen year old and an eighteen year old. Wait... Cypress Rasmussen? His family's luck just keeps failing. I think his sister was in the Games two years ago, and his brother was in last year. That's just unlucky. Poor guy. But he has to die as well if I live. And I am going to live. He must hate the careers, since they killed his siblings. I think. Maybe I can trick him into taking himself out along with one of them. It's horrible, but effective.

District Eight is surprising. It's typical until the male tribute is Reaped. The girl seems calm, which is a typical reaction. Pretend to be calm. He just seems confused. Very confused. Like he doesn't quite know what he's doing. Or he doesn't know what's going on. It's rather...jarring to see someone who isn't panicked, or confident, or crying like almost every tribute is every year. He's just confused. I feel sorry for him, because, if he's not acting, he's just been thrown in at the deep end. He's going to die unless he's somehow amazing at using any particular weapon. He's too young to have any real chance at winning.

District Nine has a girl who's siblings cry far more than she does. A boy who hugs her in front of the entire District, the cameras, certainly visible in the Capitol. Selene laughs. I imagine the Capitol will paint them as the tragic ones who could never be together. They've done it before. Granted, that year Peeta told the entire Capitol he loved Katniss. On national television. The night before he was shipped off to fight for his death. Only time will tell.

District Ten has an outer District volunteer. He is promptly told that he cannot volunteer, before having his name called. He seems...happy. He's smiling. The girl, Vivian, seems greatly upset by him volunteering. And being Reaped. The whole thing is confusing.

District Eleven. Two tributes who seem...I'm not quite sure. On a normal year they probably wouldn't have a chance, but this year they could probably manage to win. With injuries. Unfortunately for me. I'll have to come up with a way to get rid of them. Or hopefully that boy from Two could get rid of them.

Finally, it's us. District Twelve. I look...angry? I can't quite read my own expression. Oh well. Maybe that's a good thing. Or it's bad and will get you killed.

Once we finish watching Selene tells us to go and sleep. I head back to my room with strategies filling my head, wishing I had some paper to write them down on.

So, that was the first part of the train rides, leaving four tributes left to introduce. Here we met Sophie/Storm and Becca, both submitted by Leafpool8788 (also please note that Storm uses they/her pronouns), Mason who was submitted by wiifan2002, and Colby who was submitted by Very New To This. I really loved writing this chapter but various things have gotten in the way, so it's been rather a long time since the last one. One more chapter before we arrive in the Capitol!