So… uh… yeah. Remember how I said your tribute will get a longer chapter in the pre-games? That might not happen. Sorry, but after a while, I just kind of… run out of things to write about for a character. Some chapters will definitely be longer than others, but that's mostly just because I want to make an alliance or have a scene planned out that will be important later in the story. I will say, however, that your tribute gets two chapters; a training day and one other thing. The training POVs are going to be pretty short, though. The reason I want everyone to get a chapter of training is because I want people to see everybody's strengths and weaknesses so if they want to sponsor that person, they'll know what to get. It might get a little repetitive, but you know...
Also, I know Alyx's chapter is way longer than Scorpius or Nathan's, but that's mostly because I was recapping the Reapings in her POV and it kind of had to be longer.
District 6: Nathan Hayes, Age 13
The sliding door to the train snaps shut behind Livia and I. I stare around the room before me in awe. It's even more fancily decorated than the one I waited in after I was Reaped. Velvet couches have been placed all around the room, and candles line the walls. A table stands at the center of the room, filled with butterscotch, donuts, cake, and other sweets. I've never seen such wealth in all of my life. "It's marvelous, isn't it?" Raeka says from behind us. "Just wait until you see the Capitol." She takes a chocolate bar from a bowl and chews on it. Seeing her do this, I grab a cupcake from a platter, Livia hesitantly following. My taste buds are flooded with the sweet taste, and I sigh in pleasure. I begin to shovel more food into my mouth, but Raeka stops me, saying, "Don't gorge yourself. There's more food to come. Besides, you're going to meet your mentor in just a moment." I sigh and reluctantly sit down on one of the couches.
Before long, I see two people walk towards us from a room down the hall. I recognize them from the Reaping- the woman is about 40 years old and wears her long brown hair in a tight bun. Her green eyes become filled with pity when she sees us. The male is younger, maybe 30. He has short blond hair with a small beard and blue eyes. He walks with an air of confidence, as if he thinks that he owns the world.
The woman sits down beside me, giving me a warm smile. "I'm Lara." She says, holding her hand out. I shake it. "I'll be your mentor." I give a shaky nod. Lara looks at me sympathetically. "Listen, I know you're probably still really upset about being Reaped. I completely get it. I doubt you want to do much of anything right now, but it's my job to try and get you home, and in that case, we should try to talk about strategy. Now, do you have any plans in mind for the games?" I hesitate for a moment. "Well… do you think you could explain to me how the Hunger Games work, first?" I ask. Lara looks confused. "What do you mean?" She says. I shrug. "My parents never let me watch the Hunger Games." I tell her. "I don't really understand how it works. I mean, I know that twenty four kids go into an arena, with only one leaving alive, but… that's about it." Lara stares at me for a moment, then gives a tiny shake of her head. "Okay." She begins. "So, basically…" She tries to explain it to me as best she can, but I can tell she's struggling a little. I begin to understand how it works, though. As she speaks, I become more and more disgusted by what the Capitol has done.
Lara finally finishes up. "I think I get it now." I tell her. She smiles, obviously relieved. "Great!" She says. "Now, do you think you'd like to be in any alliances?" I nod immediately. There's no way I want to spend my time in the Hunger Games alone.
We go over strategies and what not for a little longer. Then Lara lets me check out my room. I give Livia a quick glance as I leave. Her mentor is still relentlessly discussing strategy with her, and it seems as though she's not going to be getting a break for a while. I feel bad for her, honestly.
I walk down a hall until I come to a door labeled "Male Tribute". I push the door open and gaze around the room. Before me is a king sized bed with multiple colorful blankets. To the right of that is a large white drawer. When I look through it, I see that it's filled with multiple outfits. A desk has been placed in the corner of the room. I spot a door to the left of that and decide to see what's behind it. I open the door to find my own private bathroom. A huge shower is in the corner. I immediately shed my clothes and hop into it, turning on the water. I see multiple different buttons on the wall, but after pressing a few of them and getting soap and perfume in my eyes, I decide to leave them be.
After letting the warm water soak into my skin for a little while, I step out and grab a towel to dry myself off on. When I figure that I'm dry enough, I walk back out of the bathroom and look through the many pairs of clothes I've been given. I finally find a soft, comfortable long sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants to pull on. I put them on and move to the desk, curious to see if there's anything interesting in it. I pull open one of the drawers and am shocked by what I see. Sitting there, in perfect condition, is Stars from the Ashes.
I pick up the book and stare at it for a moment. Then, after a slight hesitation, I eagerly hop into my comfy bed and turn to the page I had ended on.
Maybe I will finish Stars from the Ashes after all.
District 8: Alyxandra Lernan, Age 16
I stare out the window and watch as the train whizzes past a huge field full of broken trains (I'm guessing we're in District 6 right now). The sun is slowly setting, turning the sky a brilliant orange. Huge purple clouds loom above the Earth, and I spot a mountain far off in the distance. I'm not able to enjoy the view, though. The terror of the weeks to come ruins it.
"Hey, Alyx!" My mentor, Diria, calls. "The Reaping recaps are about to start! You should come watch it. See who your biggest competitors are." I nod and run to the television set, sitting down on the soft, plush couch. I notice diamonds stuck in the arms of it and grit my teeth. All this wealth the Capitol has…it's immoral. Those diamonds could probably feed an entire district for a long time. But the Capitol has to keep all its money to itself and let all the district people starve. It's disgusting, honestly.
Diria flicks through the channels while Miavi, Tom, and his mentor, Torik, join us. Tom sits down beside me and I smile at him. "Are you nervous?" I ask him. He just shrugs and looks away. I sigh, turning my attention back to the screen in front of me. I've been trying to have a conversation with Tom all day, but he doesn't seem to like talking to people.
Caesar Flickerman comes on the TV, grinning from ear to ear. "Hello, people of Panem!" He shouts. "This has been a long and very exciting day. I hope you're all ready to watch the Reaping recap!" The screen switches to the District 1 Reapings.
The escort gives a small speech of how she's extremely excited to be at the district. She chooses a girl, Rosebud. Not long after, a girl volunteers. She has long red hair and intelligent green eyes. She walks to the stage with an unreadable expression on her face. She seems a little young, but by the way she moves and acts, I can tell she's going to be someone I've got to look out for. The boy, Blaze, also seems pretty strong and capable, but he looks pretty upset when he volunteers, as if he doesn't really want to. Still, he seems pretty determined, and he's obviously very strong, so I'm going to watch out for him.
District 2 produces two serious threats. The girl, Juno, is extremely tall and athletic looking. When she walks towards the stage, people trample over each other just to get out of her way. When she reaches the stage, she gives the cameras a vicious smile, her cold grey eyes glinting in the light, and I can't help but shiver. The boy also looks pretty menacing, with blond hair and a sadistic smile. He's also pretty tall and very muscular. He walks slowly up to the stage, smiling as if this whole thing is just a game to him. Of all the tributes, these two are probably going to be some of the toughest to beat.
The girl from District 3 looks pretty weak. She's short and cries all the way up to the stage. She could be smart- people from District 3 tend to be brainy- but as sad as it is, I don't see her lasting very long. The boy seems much more threatening. He's scrawny and somewhat sickly looking, yes, but he has a sort of calmness to him that's very intimidating. He also looks extremely intelligent. I can see him going far.
The District 4 girl looks like another vicious Career. She's somewhat pretty, with blond hair and blue eyes. She seems confident and strong, too. I need to watch out for her. When the boy is Reaped, I wait for someone to volunteer, but for a moment, all is quiet. I blink, confused. Finally, someone volunteers. He introduces himself as Nemo Fisher. I suddenly realize that the boy who was Reaped was Nemo's brother, and I wonder if the only reason he volunteered was to save him.
Before I can think more about this, however, the District 5 Reapings begin to play. The girl from District 5 doesn't seem particularly special. She's tall and somewhat skinny. She keeps her face completely expressionless as she walks to the stage. Nothing about her stands out to me, but she is able to remain calm when she's Reaped, so I guess I'll keep an eye on her. The boy, Jared, is Reaped next. However, someone volunteers for him. My eyes widen in surprise. The camera zooms in on a boy from the seventeen year old section. I can tell immediately that he's mentally ill. There's something about the way he moves and the wild look in his eye that tips me off immediately. It was probably the condition he had that led him to volunteer, seeing as he didn't seem to have much relationship to the tribute, but I decide to stay wary of him.
District 6's girl is pretty average. She's somewhat short, with dirty blond hair and freckles across the bridge of her nose. She tries her best to keep an expressionless face, but it's obvious she's scared out of her mind. The boy begins sobbing when his name is called and makes no attempt to stop it. He's slightly overweight, with glasses and black hair. I feel awful for him, but I have a feeling he's going to be a bloodbath.
In District 7, the girl who's Reaped begins hiccuping when her name is called. She seems like she wants to curl up on the ground and sob, but she manages to keep some of her composer. The boy is another volunteer. He has spiky brown hair and is tall and lean. He looks very athletic and is somewhat handsome. He'll be a pretty big competitor in the games. Caesar mentions something about how he was forced to volunteer by the Capitol, but before I can ponder this, District 8 shows up on screen, and I focus my attention on it.
When I'm Reaped, I'm happy to find that I manage to stay pretty calm and walk to the stage almost expressionless- almost. I may not look as powerful or as menacing as some of the tributes so far, but I'm alright with that. Tom looks more angry than scared. He walks up to the stage with a scowl on his face. He would look intimidating if it weren't for the fact that he's incredibly bony.
District 9 comes on. The girl, Rois, keeps a straight face as she walks up to the stage. She seems a little bit freaked out, but for the most part, she stays expressionless. The boy looks as though he's going to faint, but he's able to walk towards the stage. He has a mass of curly brown hair and light blue eyes. Nothing about him really sticks out to me, but he seems somewhat athletic, I guess.
District 10 is next to show. The girl walks slowly to the stage, obviously terrified. After a moment of shock, the boy begins crying when he's picked. The girl starts to sob when she sees him, so I assume they're close friends. I feel so horrible from them.
District 11 flashes on. The girl looks somewhat young. She's fairly pretty, with dark hair and electric blue eyes, which might attract sponsors. She looks skinny and weak, however, so I don't think she'll last all that 's nothing striking about the boy. He looks pretty young as well, and he cries walking up to the stage. However, when nobody volunteers, I see one of the victors onstage begin sobbing, and I assume he's her son. Victor's children can be pretty powerful, so I decide to stay wary of him.
District 12 finally comes up. The girl is honestly terrifying. She's very skinny and short, yes, but she glares at the cameras with a ferocity that makes me want to run into my room and never come out again. The boy, Sasha, looks horrified when he's Reaped. Then, the unthinkable happens. A boy shouts out that he volunteers. I hear Diria gasp beside me. The boy introduces himself as Beckett Roy. Oh, okay. He volunteered for his little brother. I suppose I would've done the same thing for Arabelle if she were Reaped. Still, that's really brave of him. Being from District 12 definitely puts him at a disadvantage, but he looks strong and athletic looking. He's definitely going to be one to watch out for.
Torik switches the television off and turns to Tom and I. "So… what did you think?" He asks. I turn to see if Tom has anything to say, but he just looks down at the floor, refusing to speak. I decide to talk for him. "Some of the Careers looked pretty strong, but the boy from District 1 and the boy from District 4 looked upset about volunteering, which could make the Career pack weaker. The boys from District 7 and District 12 both look pretty strong. The girl from District 12 and the boy from District 3 also might be people to watch out for." "Is there any you thought would make a good alliance?" Diria asks. We had immediately agreed that I should try to get myself into an alliance. We figured I'd do better with someone else. "The girl from District 5 and the boy from District 9 both seem somewhat athletic. They might be good choices." I reason. "The girls from District 6 and District 9 and the volunteers from 7 and 12 could also be good candidates." Diria nods. I think she sees how stressed the recaps have made me, because she lets me go to my room. Once there, I faceplant on my bed and start screaming into my pillow. This whole thing is horrible, forcing kids to kill each other. Thinking that all of those poor children, whether they were Reaped or they volunteered, have to die for me to come home… It's awful. Absolutely awful.
I guess it just goes to show how cruel the Capitol really is.
District 3: Scorpius Herin, Age 16
"What did you think about the tributes?" My mentor, Lighter, asks me. "Any that could be a serious threat?" "All of the Careers look pretty strong, though some of them seemed hesitant to volunteer." I answer. "The boy from District 5 volunteered, but he doesn't seem very strong to me. The other volunteers looked pretty capable, though. The girls from District 9 and 12 look pretty fierce. I should stay wary of them." I look to Jessica to see if she has anything to say, only to find that she's gazing at me. She quickly looks down when she sees I've caught her staring. My first reaction is to be angry at her for looking at me as if she thinks she's better than me, but then I remember the girl that visited me after I was Reaped. Scorpius, we'll all be rooting for you. Try to make it home. I decide that maybe I shouldn't judge Jessica so quickly. "What do you think?" I ask her, giving her a small smile. She looks up, seeming slightly surprised that I talked to her. "Uh…" She stutters. "Same as you. The Careers are pretty scary." She bites her lip. "I'm scared." I nod in agreement. I have to admit, seeing the recaps has made me pretty scared as well. There are some pretty strong tributes that are going to have to die if I want to make it home. If I were to get into a one-on-one fight with one of them, it would not end well for me. I shudder.
Four avoxes walk into the room, all carrying steaming platters of chicken, green bean casserole, mash potatoes, and all sorts of other foods. Drek claps his hands together in excitement. "Just wait until you taste the food." He tells Jessica and I. "It's delicious."
The avoxes set the the plates and bowls on the table, then hurry away. My eyes become set on a plate full of juicy looking pork, and I pull it towards me, tearing off a large piece of it and shoving it into my mouth. I don't bother using manners, despite the disapproving glare Drek gives me. I bite down on the chewy substance, flavor exploding in my mouth. I let out a moan of pure joy. The food is better than anything I've ever tasted in my life.
I want to try everything on the table, but I can only eat so much, so I decide to take a huge clump of mashed potatoes, ham, stuffing, grapes, a buttered roll, and some other things that I've never seen before. I stack them onto my plate and dig in, savoring the delightful taste.
I eat and eat until my stomach is so full it feels like it's about to explode. I lean back against my chair and sigh in satisfaction. I would continue to talk strategy with my mentor, but the meal has made me exhausted. Besides, I suppose there's always time tomorrow. I decide to go to my room. I walk down the hallway and push open the door. I sit down on the edge of my bed, staring at the wall.
After a moment, I hear the door creak open. I turn, surprised, but it's only Jessica. She sits down beside me. We sit in silence for a moment. "How are we going to get through this?" Jessica finally whispers. I don't respond. I'm not sure if I like the way she said we. Jessica may be nicer than I originally thought her to be, but I don't want to be in an alliance with her. If I'm going to win these games, it's going to be by working alone.
Jessica reaches for my hand, but I jerk away instantly. I definitely don't want her to fall in love with me. I mean, there's not much point in falling in love in the Hunger Games. In the end, someone has to die. Besides, there are other… complications that'll make it impossible for anything to happen between Jessica and I.
Jessica looks hurt and stands to leave. For a second, I'm tempted to call out to her, to tell her to come back, but I stop myself. She leaves my room, and I'm left alone once more.
I walk to the window and stare out of it. The moon is full, making the night a little bit lighter. I can see stars- millions of them, twinkling a million miles away. I've never seen so many before. They're beautiful.
I'm suddenly overcome with a feeling of complete and utter loneliness. Despite my best efforts to stop myself, I begin to cry. I cry because I'm scared of what's to come. I cry because of how cruel the world really is. I cry because everything seems so stupid right now. I cry because I know I'm going to have to become a killer if I want to return home to my family. And I cry because there's nothing else I can do. I'm so powerless in this world. All I can do is go through life, hoping for the best. I can't change all the bad things that happen to me. I can only pray that things turn out all right. But in the Hunger Games, nothing turns out all right. Even the victor is forever broken, never the same again.
In the end, the odds are in no one's favor.
Okay, that's the end of the train rides! Next we'll have a chariot ride preparation chapter with Rois, Tom, and Angelica. See you guys later!
Name one thing Scorpius ate for dinner.
What does Nathan wear after he gets out of the shower?
What is the name of Alyxandra's mentor?