I'm so glad that we're finally in the pre-games! I'm really excited for this. XD

District 10

Buck Hayford

The car slows to a stop just outside the train station. I lean forward so I can see the platform better, and feel a feeling of uneasiness settle in my stomach. The station is packed with people. Nobody that I know, just a bunch of cameramen. They turn and see our car pull up and get excited, rushing over to film us the first chance they get.

I must look a little shocked to see everyone rush over, because our escort, Renee Klaiar, delicately places her hand on my arm and whispers, "Just ignore them. They want to film you for the Capitol, and it would help you to retain this 'tough-mysterious-guy image' you currently have. If you appear as if the cameramen and whole ordeal is beneath you, you'll get sponsors."

I nod, a little surprised at her advice. She's been strangely kind to me ever since I was Reaped, as opposed to Arabella, who she has kind of ignored. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Arabella looking a little peeved. The moment we got in the car, her wide smile dropped, so I assume that was just a facade. Renee has definitely favored me so far, and I think it's because she believes I have a chance of winning. It's comforting to know she thinks I could survive, but I don't like Renee very much. Anyone who works for the Capitol isn't a great person, in my books.

Arabella takes a deep breath, and her face splits into another painfully wide smile. She opens the car door and steps out, immediately bombarded by cameramen. I do the same, and open my door, only to be greeted by even more cameramen. One man shoves his camera so close to my face, I suspect the viewers can only see my eye. The cameramen seem to be physically fighting to see who can get a closer shot of each tribute.

Luckily, Renee slides out of the car and steers me toward the platform. She grips onto my arm tightly, with long, manicured nails that dig into my bicep.

"Remember what I said," she whispers through clenched teeth, "ignore them." The three of us walk up the steps, still surrounded by camera crew. The minute we step up onto the platform, a pair of Peacekeepers come in to ward off the cameramen. I don't think it really matters, though, because the cameramen's attention is immediately turned to a second car.

It must be the mentors, but I don't get to see who they are because the doors of the train slide open and Renee pulls us inside. The doors close behind us, so I don't get a chance to see them.

"Who are our mentors?" Arabella asks, still looking in their direction, even though the door closed.

"You'll see in a moment," Renee assures her.

I look around at the interior of the train. Everything is so plush and fancy… even fancier than the Justice Building, which up until this moment, was the most expensive place I'd ever set foot in. The train's interior must cost more than my entire neighborhood doubled. The furniture is completely elegant, with velvet sofas, mahogany tables, and a glass bar area. The selection of food laid out on each of the tables is exquisite, and I can't wait to dive in. However, I know I should wait and talk to my mentor first. Survival is much more important than a few pastries.

My stomach disagrees, and so must Arabella, because before I can blink, she has rushed over and has begun shoving pastries in her mouth. Renee watches her with disapproval.

"Who will my mentor be?" I ask Renee after a moment. She looks ready to answer, when the door slides open once again.

I'm blinded by the flash of cameras as photographers continue taking pictures, but our mentors step inside quickly and the doors slide closed.

The mentors are Dakota and Furr Pollock, siblings and co-Victors from the 225th Hunger Games. It was the only Hunger Games to ever house to Victors. The Quarter Quell twist was that all siblings of the Reaped child would go in with them, regardless of age or gender. However, a special exception allowed multiple Victors, if they were all still alive at the end. Dakota Pollock was Reaped, and her brother, Furr, went in with her. They won using Dakota's intelligence and Furr's charisma.

"These are your mentors," Renee says, even though that seems fairly obvious. Arabella walks over, a frosted cookie in one hand. "Dakota, you will mentor Buck, and Furr will be mentoring Arabella."

"Hi, I'm Furr," Furr smiles and reaches out his hand to shake Arabella's. She transfers the cookie to her left hand and shakes his hand back, looking star-struck.

"Buck?" Dakota asks. I nod. "We should get started talking right away - if you want to survive, we have a lot to discuss."

District 1

Trajan Seth

My District partners sits upon the couch, alone. Her mentor, Estella Blake, is off somewhere, popping pills or taking a nap or something. Apparently, she's a great mentor, but her age comes at a cost. My mentor, Nereus, is in his room. He attempted to socialize with me immediately, but I don't need or care about him, so I told him to leave me alone.

I have yet to discover whether my District partner is a sheep or a wolf. If she's a sheep, I'll eliminate her quickly. If she's a wolf… then this should be fun. She'll die either way, of course, but I need to know whether she poses some sort of threat, even if it may be very small.

I slide onto the seat behind her as she turns on the television - the Reaping recaps. I'll need to watch that as well, to evaluate my competition, but I can do that later. For now, I'd like to find out more about my opponent.

"Trajan Seth," I say, and hold out my hand for her to shake. She looks at me with a mixture of disgust and confusion.

"Cecelia Hart," she introduces herself reluctantly, shaking my hand. She turns her attention back to the television, but I'm not finished talking to her. I'm only getting started.

"Was it for glory?" I ask. She looks a little surprised, turning her attention back toward me.

"What?"

"Why did you volunteer? For glory?" I repeat. She hesitates.

"For fame," she finally says. "I want to be famous in the Capitol." I narrow my eyes.

"I can tell when someone's lying to me," I inform her.

"Can you?" she says dryly. "But I'm trying to watch the recaps, so how about you use your… talents… elsewhere?"

"You're lying about your motive," I state, ignoring her previous comments. "You didn't volunteer for fame, and I doubt glory. You only would have lied about your motive had it been something you were ashamed of. So… money? Are you poor, despite what your outfit says?"

Cecelia doesn't respond, she just stares straight ahead at the television, where they're showing our Reaping.

"Are you bloodthirsty?" I suggest. "Volunteered so you could finally make a kill?"

"I'm not going to tell you," she says. "Besides, you seem more like the bloodthirsty type." She turns to me. "Why did you volunteer? You weren't selected. I don't think you're even enrolled in the academy. Was it on impulse?" I laugh aloud, which I think remotely startles her.

"You're never going to guess it," I say, a smile playing on my lips.

"Well, you should answer it, then. I answered you."

"You answered with a lie."

"I still answered the question."

"So you admit it was a lie?"

"I'm neither confirming or denying the validity of my answer. I'm just saying that I answered the question, and so should you."

"I could just say a lie, and that would be fair, then. But I won't. I'll tell you the real reason." I lean close to her face for a dramatic effect, but she immediately leans backwards, staring at me in repulsion. I chuckle lightly. "I volunteered to separate the sheep from the wolves. Are you a sheep or a wolf, Cecelia?"

She considers this for a moment.

Finally she says, "I'm the shepherd." She switches off the television and leaves the room.

District 8

Linen Baird

I step into my bedroom, and let out a large gasp. It's huge. My own bedroom is only an eighth of this size, and I share it with Magenta. It's hard to believe this entire room is all for me. I carefully walk over to the king-sized bed feeling out of place, and delicately run my fingers over the fur blanket spread over the bed. It's very soft, and I'm sure it will be very warm.

I can't wait to take a nap under all of the blankets and pillows, because I'll sleep deeper and better than I've ever done in my life, but first I want to try out the Capitol shower. I think of myself as relatively clean, compared to a lot of people in our District, but the moment I stepped onto the train, I realized how dirty I really was. Everything was so clean, which made me feel like I was disgusting.

There are two other rooms connected to mine; a large, walk-in closet with such a large array of clothes, even I can't wait to try some of them on, and a fancy bathroom. I go into the bathroom, immediately shedding my old, hand-me-down cotton dress and turn on the shower.

Water sprays down and steam rises, making it look very inviting. However, when I hold my hand out under the water, it's burning hot. I hiss and yank my arm back. I carefully hit more levers and buttons, but I can't quite find the one that changes the temperature. In the end, I decide to just bare it.

I painfully step into the shower, wincing. The water is very hot. I'm used to cold water, but even this seems a bit extreme. I reach for the soap, but slip on the wet floor and go sliding toward the wall. I use my hand to keep myself from falling, but it catches on a knob and turns it all the way down. Suddenly, the hot water turns icy cold.

I let out a yelp and quickly switch it back to the warmer setting. At least I found the temperature switch.

I soak in the shower much too long, but can you blame me? The shower is much more luxurious than the cold tub I'm used to, and it also has a very big selection of different soaps.

I slather myself with way too many soaps than I need to, to the point where I'm wearing the suds of more than half of the bottles on the shelf. My hair is especially grateful for all of the cleanliness, because it's very thick and curly and little scraps always get stuck in it when I'm darting underneath tables at work. The chance to get all of these random threads and scraps will be great.

I suddenly feel a twinge in my heart when I think about home. I've been trying to enter the Hunger Games with an optimistic angle, but this is the first time I'm confronting the likelihood that I may die.

Actually, scratch that. I probably will die. I'm young, weak, and have no idea how to survive in the wilderness because I've only grown up around factories. I've probably seen a total of five trees in my lifetime. When my family came to say goodbye, I promised them I would come home. I even fooled myself, slightly. But if I'm facing the odds, there's no way I'll see District 8 again. I'll never see my family again.

I feel tears begin to roll down my cheeks. The bubbles sliding down my skin no longer seem like fun and exciting, but just a reminder that all of this stuff; the pastries, the soaps, the clothes… it's all fancy layers to try to cover up the fact that in a few days I'll be dead.

I'm only thirteen! I shouldn't be concerned about dying, yet. I never have been. I don't even think I've considered the prospect of dying my entire life. I just took life for granted and assumed I'd always be as free as the wind and doing whatever I please. But now I'm realizing that this entire train is taking me to my death.

This elegantly decorated, treat-filled train car is essentially a hearse.

District 11

Kade Anderson

"Are we all ready to watch the Reaping Recaps?" Marcellina asks, balancing a plate of doughnuts on her hand as she skips over to the couch. We all nod, and Robin clicks the power button on the TV remote. The television flicks right on, and I'm seeing Cupid Bloke and Leandros Winthrop chatting.

Marcellina plops down on the velvet couch between my mentor, Callahan, and I, which is a surprise, considering there are several empty and larger spaces than that between Callahan and I. Callahan reluctantly scoots over, but I can't since Yael is on my other side. I consider taking the empty armchair next to the couch, but I'm worried that would piss off Yael, who doesn't seem like the type of person I want to upset. My hand still aches from when she shook it.

Luckily, she hasn't made eye contact with me since we got on the train and barely acknowledges my existence. I would be glad, but it creeps me out even more. I'm disappointed, because I was hoping my District partner would be someone I could woo and get on my side. Then, I could manipulate my way into winning these Hunger Games.

I'm slightly disappointed that Yael doesn't seem interested at all, since District partners are usually the easiest to get on your side, but at least now I can go for the higher-profile girls. Specifically, the Careers. They'll be more useful, anyway. Callahan told me it was tricky to get a Career girl on your side when I told him my plan, but I'm pretty experienced at getting girls to like me.

Cupid and Leandros finally quit discussing random Capitol events that no one cares about and the screen finally cuts to the District 1 Reaping.

The female, Cecelia, volunteers first. She's not different than most District 1 females, appearance-wise; she's strong, blonde, and fairly pretty. The male, Trajan, takes a while to Volunteer.

"That's good, isn't it?" I ask. "If he takes a while to Volunteer, he must be scared."

"Not always. He could just be trying to psych everyone out," Callahan reminds me.

The District 2 tributes both seem pretty tough. The male is pretty tall and muscular, so he looks like someone to be wary of. The female is a surprise, since she looks like she fits more in District 1. But she has all the confidence of a District 2 tribute.

The District 3 boy glides right under my attention; Bloodbath for sure. The female, Lennox, doesn't seem very special, but a kid cries out 'Mommy' when she's Reaped. It's possible that was just a coincidence, but from the way she looks around for the voice, I bet she's a mother.

The District 4 Reaping is actually kind of dramatic. The female, Noelani, only has one arm, and two boys Volunteer at the same time. The escort ends up choosing the younger one, which is good for me, since he looks less powerful and threatening than the other boy.

The District 5 Reaping is even more dramatic. The male cackles when his name is read and even talks about his excitement when he gets on stage. The female, or females, are a pair of Siamese twins. I'm sure I won't have to worry about them, but they're definitely intriguing.

District 6 doesn't provide very interesting candidates. Both are Reaped, and neither seem particularly skilled in any way. The boy is twelve years old and the girl, Tristana, glides right under my radar.

District 7 has a Volunteer, which is surprising. The boy, Ruce, volunteers, and he seems fairly calm, which suggests it was out of confidence. However, the female doesn't look like a threat at all.

District 8 produces a young female and a weak-looking male. I decide that they're Bloodbaths.

District 9's female doesn't look special, but the male looks pretty strong. He also has a few scars, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's had a few fights in his day. He looks tough, despite his short stature.

The District 10 female looks almost insane, with her maniacal smiling, but she definitely doesn't look like a threat. The male, however, looks very strong and intimidating. He seems angry when his name is drawn, which makes me feel a little bad for the escort, because I wouldn't want him storming toward me with a furious expression on his face.

I hold my breath when our Reaping appears.

"There I am!" Marcellina squeaks excitedly when she's shown. I roll my eyes.

Marcellina draws my name. I'm glad to see that I don't look too scared - I feel like I can see my fear, a bit, through that charming smile, but the Capitol may be able to buy it. Yael is drawn, and she walks up looking terrifying. My pleased smile fades when we shake hands and I look like a wimp when she crushes my hand.

Nobody mentions my yelp of pain and obvious injury, which I'm thankful for because it's slightly embarrassing.

The District 12 Reaping once again shows two useless tributes; an extremely dirty boy and a forgettable girl. The Capitol emblem appears on screen, then fades.

"What did you think?" Callahan asks. "Who's a threat? Who will die in the Bloodbath?"

"The Careers were pretty threatening, with the exception of the District 4 boy," I start.

"What about the outer District tributes?"

"Well, definitely the District 10 male and District 7 male. The District 5 and 9 males are also people I'll watch out for." I'm also keeping an eye on Yael, but I wouldn't dare say that out loud.

"Good. And the Bloodbaths?"

"What does it matter?" I ask, smirking. "I'm going to win either way."

District 9

Hadley Moreau

I lie in my bed, wide awake. Our escort, Phoebe, suggested we go to bed around 10 PM, which sounded like a good idea at the time, but it has been several hours now and I haven't been able to sleep at all. Just when I'm about to drift off to sleep, my mind turns to poor Cam and Jude and I feel too scared to sleep.

I really need to come home to see my little brothers again. They're young, our family can't function without me. They could get jobs, but it would have to be the low-paying ones and wouldn't make them enough money to survive. I stare at the ceiling. There's no use to remain in bed. I might as well watch some old Hunger Games to develop a strategy or something like that.

I tiptoe out into the hall, careful not to wake my District partner, or the mentors, or Phoebe. It must be 2 AM, so I'm guessing they're all deep in sleep.

However, when I enter the living room, I realize someone else is also up. My district partner, Savanna, must have had the same idea as me, because she's curled up on the couch, watching Cupid and Leandros discuss the best strategies of past winners. I carefully walk up behind her.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" I ask, sympathetically. She jolts around in her chair, but her face relaxes when she sees me. She shakes her head. "Me neither." There's an awkward moment when none of us says anything, and then I decide to introduce myself. "My name's Hadley."

"I know," she says.

"Right," I chuckle. Savanna turns back to watching the television, where Leandros is bringing up Johanna Mason's famous strategy of pretending to be a weakling so nobody targets her. "Do you want anything to drink?" I suggest. Savanna shrugs, which I take as a yes.

I go over to the bar and begin rifling through shelves. There are mostly alcoholic drinks, but I'm sure there's some non-alcoholic beverages in here.

"What's good for sleeping?" I wonder aloud.

"Warm milk?" Savanna suggests.

"Really?" I ask, turning up my nose. "That sounds kind of gross."

"It's actually pretty good. My dad used to make it."

"Alright. Warm milk it is."

I find two mini-cartons of milk in a mini fridge and begin heating them up on a hotplate. The kitchen probably has much better means of doing so, but I don't want to go all the way to the kitchen in order to heat up some milk.

"Are you nervous for the Games?" I ask casually.

"Obviously. I'm young, weak, and weird. I have no chance by myself, and no one would want to align with me," Savanna says bitterly.

"I will," I say before I know what I'm doing. Savanna's so surprised, she turns around in her seat to face me.

"Are you serious?" she asks. "Are you just messing with me?"

"Of course I'm serious," I shrug. I turn off the hot plate and carefully pick up the cartons.

"Why?" Savanna asks, astounded.

"I trust you," I say, simply. "Who better to go into the Hunger Games with than with someone I trust?"

"But why do you trust me? You just met me. I could be evil, for all you know."

"Are you evil?"

"No. But hypothetically…"

"Do you want to be allies or not?" I sigh, sitting down next to her. She takes her carton and smiles.

"Okay. Let's be allies."

District 4

Noelani King

The train speeds along. I'm still in awe of how smooth the train is. It travels so fast, I could hardly guess it was moving.

"We're almost to the Capitol," Malakai informs me. He's my mentor, and I'm not sure whether to be pleased or disappointed. He definitely seems a little unsure of what he's supposed to be doing, but he's able to answer all of my questions in a useful manner. He's not great at suggesting things, though. Luckily, Lucretius's mentor, Riley, knows what she's doing and helps me out, a bit, as well.

"When we get to the Capitol, are there going to be a lot of people at the train station?" Lucretius asks hopefully.

"Of course," Riley tells him. "It's going to be packed with a bunch of Capitol citizens and reporters all fighting to see you guys in person. You shouldn't ignore them, but don't answer any questions they have for you. It's better just to smile, wave, and don't stop walking. We'll have to get to the Remake Center fairly quickly."

"Do you know what our outfits will be for the chariot ride?" I ask. "I don't want to be dressed up like a fish."

"I don't know," Riley sighs.

"But I don't think it will be a fish," Malakai interjects. "Last year, the District 4 stylists were pretty good."

"What should we do before the chariot ride?" Lucretius asks. "You know, when we're just hanging out by the chariots and stuff. Should we stay in our chariots? Interact with the other tributes?"

"Generally the Careers use this as an opportunity for their first meeting," Riley explains. "You're planning on being in the Career pack, correct?" Lucretius nods. "Then you should make a good first impression on the Careers. And you should also watch them carefully. See possible inner alliances, see rivalries, establish a leader, etc. This is one of the most important moments with the Career alliance."

"What about when we're actually riding the chariots?" I ask. "How should I respond with the crowd?"

"Your stylist will mostly discuss that with you," Riley says, "but I'd recommend being pretty outgoing. Sponsors will already have low expectations from you because of your missing arm, so you need to compensate with friendly behavior. Make them feel special, like you're directing your smiling at one specific person. That almost guarantees their sponsoring. If they feel like they have a connection with you, they won't hesitate to send you gifts."

"Blowing kisses works pretty well, too," Malakai adds.

"Is everyone ready for the big day?" Tiernan asks, finally entering the living room. He's wearing a crisp, sea-blue tuxedo with shoes styled to look like shells. He looks very excited, edging on nervous. He smiles widely at everyone in the room. "It's going to be very stressful, but you guys can do it!" he exclaims, placing his hands on Lucretius and I's shoulders. His eyes drift over to the windows. "Ooh, look, we're arriving!"

I follow his gaze and sure enough, the train is speeding toward a city with towering buildings and fountains and bright lights. I wander over to the window and stare in awe at the approaching city.

"It looks like heaven," Lucretius says in admiration. The window goes dark as we head through a tunnel, but the view of the city quickly returns. This time, we're inside of it. The train begins to slow, and I almost lose my footing. Lucretius topples over, but Malakai catches him.

The train slowly makes its way through the city. As we head closer to the center, we pass pedestrians dressed in bright, colorful outfits who wave at us, excitedly. I'm too surprised to wave back, but we pass by them pretty quickly.

"I remember my first time seeing the Capitol in person," Malakai remarks, joining me by the window. He begins waving at the people in the streets, and I follow his lead.

The train grinds to a halt as we enter the station, which is literally packed with Capitolians, all craning to get a view of us. The doors slide open, and I'm blinded by a burst of light as hundreds of cameras take photos of us.

Sorry this took so long. I don't have an excuse since I wasn't doing anything all week, but I was finding it tough to write some POVs. Others were really easy, though. The next chapter will be out soon!

Don't forget to review. Do you have any predictions for alliances?

- Lilah