A/N: TW for implied child abuse in Kyna's POV

Sometimes your best is good enough.

Kyna Aydin, 18

District Six Female

My room is almost too hot. I don't really think about it though, because I have other things to think about. Laberia sent us to bed very early. I would never go to bed that early back at home, but I'm not at home anymore. Maybe I woke up early because that's what I do at home. I don't really have anything to do, so I'm just staring out of the window watching the last dregs of sunrise. If I was at home, I would be training and practicing by now, but there's nowhere to go. Nowhere to run around, nothing to punch. But there are things I can do. Stretch, do some star jumps, squats. And have a shower, because now the room feels far to hot.

Another thing to think about is the Hunger Games. I was Reaped. This was meant to be good. I think that's what Theta and Duke wanted. Now what would they want me to do now? They want me to win, but how do I do that? I've been training for this, so that shouldn't be a problem. But what else? Survival skills, careers, sponsors? Allies? Definitely not allies. How would I trust them? But then, does anyone really trust their allies in the Hunger Games? Probably not. And if I have sponsors then people will try and ally with me for an advantage, and then they'll kill me. Will the careers want me? No. At least not at first. If they decide they want me during training and ask, then turning them down sounds like a very bad idea. But I will not ally with the careers. If I ally with anyone, it won't be then. So I'd agree to ally with them and then... ditch them when we get in the arena. That would certainly give them a good reason to go after me. Which would get me killed. So I shouldn't do that either. So then I have to make sure the careers don't want me. So I don't want to perform well in training. But that won't work either because the Gamemakers have to get the scores from somewhere so they probably watch the tributes train.

So what do I do?

There's got to be another answer.

I want to keep thinking and find an answer, but I think I'm probably supposed to go and eat breakfast now. I wander down the hallway, my feet sinking into the carpeted floor. I don't think I've ever been in a room with carpet before yesterday. Most houses in Six will have a ragged rug at best. Mine doesn't. Didn't. We had hard wood flooring, which probably used to be polished but by the time I was born it had fallen into a state of disrepair.

In the main room Laberia is there already. Trevor is not. Good. I don't like him. I'm sure I've seen him at school having people gather around him and just ignoring them. And he also just acts horribly. To everyone. Most people I know hate him.

I serve myself with a bowl of fruit salad, fluffy bread, a drink I think might be coffee. Then I sit down next to Laberia and start eating. By the time I've almost finished eating, Trevor shows up. Laberia's face sours. She must not like him either. But she doesn't say anything, and neither does Trevor. So I use the silence to think about the answer to the question of the careers. If they try to get me as an ally, what do I do? There's no good answer. So what I want is for them to ignore me, or at least decide they don't want me as an ally. And then the answer hits me. Get another ally first. One the careers won't want. But I don't want any allies.

This whole thing is driving me crazy. I wish I was back at home. Actually, maybe that's not true. Is it true? I think I'm meant to want to be at home with Theta and Duke, but I actually don't. At least in the Hunger Games, I'm allowed to fight back.

I banish the thought from my mind. I need to focus, and that thought is not helpful. At all. I need an ally. Maybe I should get the twelve-year-old from Twelve. I could kill her in the bloodbath and run off by myself, ditching the careers in the process. It sounds horrible. Why am I thinking this? I'm such a terrible person. Maybe it's good that I'm in the Hunger Games.

I shouldn't be thinking like this.

But I don't know how I should be thinking.

Well, actually I do. I'm supposed to want to win the Games and bring glory to my family, after Berkeley got herself closed. At least that's what Theta said. I'm not sure I believe her. And I can't ask Laberia, because she'll tell me the typical Capitol idea: that winning the Hunger Games is full of glory and a goal for all to aspire to. Nice as she is, I still don't really trust her.

But there's no one I really can trust anymore.

The world will most likely forget you.

Arroyo Murphy, 17

District Four Male

Klymene has been talking incessantly since the start of breakfast. The meal laid out for us seems like it should feed twenty people, but apparently it's all for us. She keeps chattering about the furnishings. Or the nice colours. Or the clothes. Or how exciting it is we're going to see the Capitol. Or how exciting it is that we're going to be in the Hunger Games.

"So Lana told us that there was going to be a meeting really, really early in the morning, so Azure and I arrived to the cove at like half five in the morning, and there was no one there. And we're really confused about it, and so we sort of just spent the next half an hour discussing tactics and then everyone else started showing up and we were both really confused. It turns out Lana forgot what day the meeting was and it was actually a week later." Klymene says, telling yet another of her stories to Coral and Zirconia. Those two seem to have an interest in what she's saying, or in Coral's case, it's more a high level of patience.

Moru, on the other hand, has been moodily eating toast for the past half an hour. I don't feel like attempting to talk to him. I'm pretty sure he and Coral aren't particularly fond of each other. It reflects in the tributes each year and how they present themselves. And apparently Four's stylists have some sort of grudge against each other too. From what I can see we've had the most uncoordinated outfits of all the Districts every year. It's probably why District One does so well. Their stylists are obviously working together on the project of making sure they look nice. And the other Districts have varying levels of luck.

When Moru finally finishes his toast, he stalks out grumpily. And I have him as my mentor. Great. Just great. Maybe he'll cheer up if he doesn't spend time near Coral, although I doubt it. Coral sighs.

"I wish he wouldn't be like that." She says with a hint of sadness. I can't really tell why they hate each other so much. It looks like Moru started whatever argument it was. It might be something that happened in the Games, but I don't really remember his Games at all, so I wouldn't really know if it was something he did. Or maybe she ignored his advice in the Games. He was her mentor, after all.

I decide to go after him. He's my mentor too, and he hasn't talked to me yet. Hopefully he'll like me more than Coral. Zirconia is still listening to Klymene's story, but Coral watches me leave. I ignore it.

The corridor is silent as I make my way to Moru's room.

"Go away." Is the reply I get when I knock on the door. I don't listen. Instead I go in. "I thought I told you to go away."

"You did." I reply.

"So why did you come in?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"So you just walked into someone else's room."

"I'm going to be in the Hunger Games next week. No one gets guaranteed personal space there."

He gives me a questioning look. "I know that. But you aren't there yet. Anyway, did you consider that this might not get you off to a great start with your mentor? The person who's supposed to keep you alive?"

"You will try to keep me alive, even if it's to spite Coral and prove you're a better mentor." I say. He glares at me.

"That's not for you to say."

"Well. What can I say then?"

"Don't say anything. Get out."

I don't stick around to ask more questions. His time in the Hunger Games has left him bitter and unapproachable. No wonder Coral hates him. He doesn't seem like he likes me. Maybe I could have handled that better than just walking in. But still. He's meant to keep me alive.

He can't just let me die.

Back in the dining room, Klymene is still babbling on, this time about her parents and how she disobeyed them to train for the Hunger Games. Good. That's one more who'll almost certainly be in the alliance. Plus the boy from Two. Maybe the girl from Two as well, and one of the kids from One. Not...Ezio, I think his name is. He won't be useful, not from the way the Victors from One looked at him during the Reaping. Maybe some of the outer District kids, I'll see how they do in training.

"Arroyo, what did your parents think about you training?" Asks Klymene.

"Well..." I say, and then I continue and I tell them about my parents and how I've trained for quite a while to become a Victor, and how my parents taught me to tie knots and fish, and all the things that Moru obviously doesn't want to hear. Maybe Coral will help me if he won't.

But she might not be able to, because she is not my mentor, and Moru is.

One of the attendants tells us that we will be in the Capitol in an hour, and that we should make sure to be ready to exit the train quickly when we arrive. Does it really take that long for Capitolites to get ready? Apparently so, because Zirconia gasps and rushes off, apparently to "do her make-up". I wouldn't say she really needs more make-up, in fact, I'd say she needs less make-up.

Klymene, Coral and I continue our conversation without her. Moru appears, although he doesn't really join in, and just sits in the corner. When Zirconia arrives back in the room, we've just been told it will be fifteen minutes until we reach the Capitol. Zirconia starts babbling about what we have to do when we arrive, but I'm not listening. Instead, I'm watching the window, waiting to see this city that I've been waiting to see my whole life.

Remember? Don't remember?

Eryn Applewood, 16

District Eleven Female

I think I got lucky with my District partner. He seems alright, decently strong. I think I've seen him around District Eleven. Seems alright. I wonder how Hailyn felt when she made this journey. I don't really know. The last time I saw her before the Games, on interview night, she looked... well, she was smiling. The camera focused more on her costume than her face, so I couldn't really tell if she was faking it or not. The last time I saw her she...

No.

Not going to think about that.

I'm supposed to be convincing myself I can win. Not thinking about that. Not thinking about Hailyn. Not right now.

Dominik has been asking Wyllow questions all morning, but Wyllow's answers are very...unhelpful. All the while, Dominik seems to be getting angrier and angrier. Fair enough. She is supposed to keep us alive. I think Wyllow just doesn't want to think about, which I can understand, but without her help, we're going to die. Just like Haily-

Do not think about that.

It's really not the time.

Rusonia has left, saying something about how she has to talk with someone.

Not sure what that means. Maybe she wants to contact her family, but I don't know how she'd do that. Possibly some tech they have in the Capitol, which I think I learnt about at school. Besides, she'll be in the Capitol later today. She can talk to them then. And she will have seen them two days ago. That's not very long ago.

But I've never spent that long away from my family.

Except...

Do not think about Hailyn.

Wyllow leaves the room, apparently annoyed by Dominik's questions. Which leaves me and Dominik alone. We sit in silence for a while, before I decide to start the conversation I've been thinking about for a while now: allies?

Only I don't know how to ask.

Hey, would you like to join me in fighting for our lives?

Feel like possibly dying together?

They just don't seem like ways to ask someone anything, let alone to be my ally. I would be worried by these questions. Maybe less worried in the Hunger Games. Actually, maybe that could work...

I turn to Dominik, but he isn't there anymore. Great.

I'll ask him in the Capitol.

I go back to my room and choose something nice to wear. I am going to be in the Hunger Games, and I need the Capitolites to like me. With how mad they are about fashion, looks must be important. I choose something that I think they'll like. It's some weird pink and yellow thing with lots of feathers. I hate it.

The room is quiet, and it stays that way for a while. Eventually, I make my way back to the main area. Rusonia, Wyllow and Dominik are all there. I'm the last one. Rusonia is scolding Dominik because of something he's done, Dominik is smiling politely, and Wyllow doesn't appear to be particularly interested in anything that's happening. There's also a Capitol attendant trying to inform Wyllow of something. She ignores him, so then he tries to tell Rusonia, but she snaps at him to leave her alone until she's finished talking to Dominik. So that leaves me.

"We will be in the Capitol in a few minutes." He says. Then he walks off, apparently to try and talk to Rusonia again.

A few minutes.

Wow. Okay.

I look out the window, but I can't see the city yet. We're still in the forest, and I think we're approaching some form of mountain. Maybe.

By this point, the attendant has managed to tell Rusonia his message, and now she's rushing around the room trying to make sure we're all ready.

"Eryn! Eryn, you and Dominik need to be on your best behaviour when we arrive, okay?" She says, before quickly checking how she looks in one of the rooms many mirrors. Now that I think about it, there are a lot of mirrors in here. Probably some weird Capitol thing.

One of the attendants is closing the curtains around the room. Odd. Rusonia keeps telling them to make absolutely sure they've closed them properly. Apparently she doesn't like seeing the "common crowds" of the outer Capitol. It almost makes laugh, but I stop myself. She probably knows wealthy people who could sponsor me, and I don't want her to tell them I'm "not worthy" of sponsoring. That's probably something she'd do.

I end up pacing the room as well, not being able to stand still. I'm nervous. Of course I'm nervous. Why wouldn't I be nervous, after what happened to my sister. Hailyn. What happened to Haily-

Do. Not. Think about Hailyn.

Not now.

If I have to think about her, do it tonight.

That will work, right?

Probably not, but it's the best plan I have, and I won't be able to think of another idea before then. The Capitol attendant announces that we should now be ready to disembark the train.

We've arrived in the Capitol.

There can't be two Victors.

Salvo Harvie Singara, 16

District Nine Male

Amalia, Victricia and I must have been talking for an hour now. Victricia is obviously disgusted at having to talk to us, but I don't really care. She adds new topics to the conversation, things Amalia and I haven't talked about. Like what colours most people wear in District Nine (apparently dressing up as people from different Districts for parties is trendy in the Capitol), or how the temperature in the Capitol sometimes affects tributes from Districts with a distinctly different climate from the Capitol. Luckily, she says it's very rare. Some of the things she brings up are rather...uncomfortable. Such as her favourite Victors (Boaz Nolan and Bianca Blaze), who are some of the most violent Victors since the second rebellion.

Eventually Victricia leaves to do something or other. I don't exactly know what, she doesn't tell us. Which leaves me and Amalia by ourselves.

"So. We get to see the Capitol! Fun." She says, but her optimism seems forced. Which is unsurprising really.

"Yeah. Fun. At least we get to visit together." I reply. The room fades to silence, until an attendant appears to alert us that we will soon arrive in the Capitol and we should make any final changes to our appearance. Amalia tells me she's going to make sure her hair is brushed, because she doesn't want to annoy her stylist. Which leaves me alone.

My mind returns to what Amalia told me last night: Ryann tried to visit her. During the time that's meant for family and friends, Ryann tried to visit her. After everything in the last few weeks, he tried to visit her. I'm glad she was able to get the peacekeepers to make him leave. How could he do that? I'm glad that when she goes home, she'll live in Victor's Village and will be able to make him stay away. Or maybe something will change. But I can't worry about that now. I need to work out how to keep Amalia alive. What I need... what I need... what I need is to eliminate everyone else. Preferably I could poison a final opponent with a slow acting poison so they would kill me, and then die, leaving Amalia as the Victor. She doesn't deserve to die.

The attendant appears again and pretty much orders me to go and brush my hair. I decide to just do what I'm told. I can't really be bothered to fight back at the moment. I'll save my strength for the arena.

The corridor is quiet, and outside the window is forest. I've never seen it this dense before; the woods in District Nine are really just a few smatterings of trees here and there. It's beautiful. Maybe this would be the sort of place I'd like to live if I had the choice, but I don't. No one has a choice as to where they live. Apart from the Capitolites, I assume. They must have the choice as to where they live, even if it's just where in their own city. That's a choice we don't have. And maybe some people in the District don't care, but I do. Why should I have no choice where I must base my entire life? I shouldn't. But that's how Panem is.

I continue to my room, where I absently comb my hair whilst continuing to stare out of the window. The forest is changing, but I can't really describe how. It's getting...greener? No. But the shade of green is changing. It's darker now. Denser. I can't help but think it would be a beautiful arena to die in. But I force myself to think about something else. Like how to make the Capitol like me. That's going to be hard. Very hard. I'm almost certainly going to fail at that, but Amalia will be good at it. People like her, and she's got a good sob story in leaving her siblings behind her. The only problem is that they might find out about Ryann, and ask her about him. I don't know how she'd react to that.

I'll worry about that later.

I go back down the corridor to the main room. Victricia is there already, although Amalia isn't back yet. She must be doing... something. I'm sure she'll be back soon. An attendant tells us we'll arrive soon, and that leaves me and Victricia.

"So, Salvo, where do you know Amalia from?" She asks.

"Oh. We're friends. Back in District Nine, we spent lots of time together." I tell her. It's good practice for the interview I'll do. Live. In front of all of Panem.

"Really? I wondered if that was the case." She replies. And the conversation continues from there.

Amalia arrives back in the main room just in time to hear that we're experiencing engine trouble and will be delayed by an hour. Victricia gasps. She leaves the room, muttering something bout finding the person behind the delay. I hope they don't value their ears. As she leaves, Amalia sits down next to me.

"I wonder what it's like." She asks.

"What? To be like her?"

"Yes. It's- I've been wondering. What would we be like if we were from the Capitol?"

I don't know how to respond. Maybe I'd be the same, but it's highly unlikely. It's more likely we'd have grown up watching the Hunger Games as just another thing to do. I hope that if I'd been born in the Capitol I'd see how bad things were, but I doubt it. We try and continue the conversation, but it doesn't really work after that.

Eventually, Victricia comes back and tells us that we should be in the city in a few minutes. When we start to see crowds outside the window, I begin to feel slightly sick, because I'm watching people who will be smiling and watching me die in a few days. It's horrifying. And there's nothing I can do to change it.

This chapter marks the very end of tribute introductions. Which means we will soon be in the Capitol. A huge thanks to Averyrandomauthor for submitting Kyna, LC-it-gets-better-alt-account for submitting Arroyo, and Curiousclove for submitting Salvo. It's been a long time, and I have almost finished the next chapter, so it should be out by the end of the year. Until next time!