District Four- Dory (13) and Nautilus (71)

The games were wearing Dory out and it was only day one, which was a problem. All the talks of tactics and alliances and training was more than she could handle, bombarded with mentors and escorts before they had even boarded the train. It was all too much, no matter how ready she may have been to manipulate and fight her way to going home, for now, she just wanted to sleep.

So that's what she did, the minute she could Dory took herself off to a side room, flopping instantly across the sofa. For a few moments, she could forget about Nautilus and the games, and organising things. She reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out the small diary she had stashed there before that morning's reapings. Dory couldn't go anywhere without the book, it made her feel safe, it was her escape in situations she only wanted to end. She slowly flipped through the most recent pages, her breath catching in her throat of the memories she had before everything she had known disappeared. In situations that were foreign and confusing, Dory did the only thing that ever made her feel better: writing.

Dear Diary,

Her writing was messier than usual as she attempted to steady her hand from the constant shaking.

I'm scared, and I don't know how to make it better. It's all so new and strange and I can't see a way out of it.

I like Nautilus, I think we'll work well as a team. He's old, people like old guys, and I'm small and innocent, so I think he might be my alliance. I might be scared, but I'm also really excited to meet the other tributes, there's a young girl from District Two, we might get along.

Dory slammed the book shut, it wasn't providing her the relief and comfort it usually did. She wasn't surprised that it wasn't having the normal effect, this wasn't the usual situation. It wasn't being dumped or losing a friend, but an actual life or death situation. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back on her arms, the vibrant light that had always lived inside her dulling ever slightly.

Nautilus couldn't help but wonder where his district partner was. The young girl had left the Justice Building so quickly, he hadn't had a chance to check if she was okay. Being from a large family with young grandchildren, Nautilus felt almost responsible for the young girl. Nautilus had grown up with the games, trained for them in his prime, he had knowledge and experience. But this girl was still so young and clueless and innocent, he felt a duty to make sure she stayed that way for as long as possible.

After strolling the hall in search of another person for what felt like an eternity, Nautilus heard a noise coming from a room in the corner. Cautiously, he pushed back the door, seeing Dory curled into a ball, her head resting between her knees. For a second, he stood there, frozen in position. He had known this girl for only a few short hours, there was no way he could be expected to comfort her so soon. But then, it hit Nautilus that there was no one else, he was all that she had here. Her family and friends were gone, and he knew that they must be relying on him to make sure their daughter was okay. Sowly, he made his way over to the girl, setting himself beside her, and reaching his hand around to place on her back. Dory reminded him so much of his granddaughter in this instant, so frail and broken and sensitive. His duty to protect felt even stronger now, and he lent in further, pulling the girl towards him so her head was resting on his chest.

"You don't have to be strong all the time, Dory. It's okay to cry." He whispered, stroking her hair. "You don't have to be embarrassed to cry or be scared, you're only human, you don't have to hide away." Nautilus realised that the advice he was giving the girl was more for himself. He spent his life being strong and stern, and caring for others, the opportunities he had to really just sit back and feel were few and far between. Only now he was recognising the tragic effect that was having on him. In all honesty, Nautilus couldn't remember the last time he let himself cry. It wasn't anything to do with remaining manly, or not looking weak, Nautilus just spent his life comforting others, and knowing the emotional toll it put on him, he wasn't going to jump at the chance to put someone else through it.

As the girl's breath began to steady, Nautilus could only feel his own getting more rapid and frantic, raising his hand to wipe away the tears that pricked at the corner of his eyes. All he had to do was hold it together for a few more minutes, then he could leave the room and breakdown by himself. It hadn't happened in so long he had no idea what it would entail, no one needed to see that uncertainty.

Dory raised her head up, her cheeks red and blotchy, but her tears had dried. She looked Nautilus directly in the eye, and the girl could swear she felt her heart shatter. This man was so broken, she could tell, and not just by the games, by the life he had led. His face was wrinkled, and told a million stories, of heartbreak and love and pain, and Dory wanted nothing more than to hear all about them.

"It's okay to cry, Sir." Dory echoed the man's words from earlier, raising her hands to wipe away the tears from his face. "You don't have to be strong all the time, especially not around me, Sir." She smiled, unaware as to why she trusted the man she had only just met. Maybe it was because he made her feel so comfortable, the facade she had presented during the interview had disappeared the moment she was alone in his presence. He felt safe, he felt like the tiniest piece of home here on this twisted journey, and Dory was sure to cling to that for as long as she possibly could.

"You know, kid," Nautilus began, his deep tone alerting Dory, causing her to sit up, and shuffle across the sofa. "I lost someone too, someone like your Clam. It was years ago now, and I probably should be over it, but it changed me forever. These games used to be such an excitement, I had never lost anyone, so it didn't feel like it was a real thing. And then one day my best friend left, and she never came home. I realised that what I was celebrating every year was the pain that I felt. Hundreds of people every year watch their loved ones die, so we have a right to be scared and cry and be nervous. And if you ever need anyone to talk to about Clam, you know where I am." Nautilus hadn't realised how much he had needed to say that. He never talked to anyone about Pearl, she was his heartbreak, his loss, but sharing that with someone lifted a weight he had been carrying for over 50 years, one he was so glad to be freed of. He had previously written Dory off as a person to be used, they could help each other in an alliance, nothing more. But now, in these few short moments, they had formed a friendship, one Nautilus wasn't ready to throw away in any hurry.

"Thank you, Nautilus." Dory used the man's name for the first time, smiling at how good it felt to share a bond with someone despite the situation they were in. The man grasped Dory's hand as she stood up, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it.

District Five- Newton (19) and Dina (39)

Dina felt weird. She knew she should be more like her district partner, who sat in the corner of the room rocking, but she couldn't help but feel as though this was the moment she had been waiting for. Her life had been fuelled by anger. She had never met her extended family because of the Capitol, her dad had died being overworked because of the Capitol. They had destroyed District 13, her real home, the place where she belonged. And here she was, heading into the belly of the beast, seeing how the other half lived, in a sense. Dina could never understand how the Capitol was supposed to be respected and praised by the districts. All the body did was inflict a lifetime of pain and suffering on the citizens, such things they could never escape. So no, she wasn't thankful to the Capitol, she hated their very existence, and now she had been given the perfect opportunity to alert the world to it. The destruction of District 13 wasn't common knowledge around Panem, it had been so long since the rebellion that most people didn't even know the place had existed, erased from history forever, a thought that sicken the woman. This was her chance to remind the people what the Capitol truly did, that their angelic presentation was all a lie, sold so perfectly that it was almost impossible to deny.

Newton, on the other hand, was not a revolutionary. He was still getting over the fact that the reaping had just happened, that at 19 his worst nightmare was coming true, a nightmare that should have been over last year. He couldn't get that thought from his mind, the celebration he had done had all been for nothing. It made him feel sick, the way that if by some miracle he survived this, he would never feel safe again. Part of Newton thought that dying in the games would be the best option, at least then this whole bloody nightmare would be over forever. Even winning would break Newton, he knew that he would see things he could never forget, and be changed in ways that could never be fixed. Any want to return to normality would be impossible, both for Newton and his family, it would simply be unachievable. The thought of death was favourable to considering the life he would lead as a victor.

To deal with the pain in his life, Newton always found a distraction, whether it be reading or studying or reciting the periodic table. Now, Newton had no distraction, he was trapped in the prison of the train, seeing no way out to escape. So he did all he could. He rocked, backwards and forwards against the wall, his back hitting gently against the concrete of the wall to steady himself. He focused on the repetitive rhythm of his body, rather than the constant pain within him. Newton knew it was stupid, and wasn't helping him in any way, but for just a few minutes, his main focus could be on keeping up the movements, rather than how the hell he was going to get out of this mess.

"There's cake, man." Dina called across the room between bites. "You really gonna sulk and ignore the cake?" She smiled. At first, she was going to try and ignore everything the Capitol gave her: they owed her nothing, she didn't want to take anything from an organisation that sickened her. But then she saw the cake. She had an opportunity to take advantage of this place, and she wasn't going to pass it up. And besides, the most she thought about it, they did owe her something, they owed her the life that they had snatched away, her childhood that they had destroyed. The least they could do was give her some cake.

"I'm okay, thank you." Newton stammered, going back to picking the tiniest flake of paint that hung off the wall. It was comforting, noticing the imperfections, it showed the capitol wasn't completely flawless, it was damaged, just like the districts, no matter the image it tried to portray. He had stopped rocking now, it wasn't doing him any good, neither was picking at the paint, but it sure was a lot less effort than keeping his body in constant motion.

"It's Newton, right?" She was more than aware of his name, but she needed an excuse to make conversation. This boy was weird, but he might be useful to her. Dina walked over, standing in front of the boy on the floor, not making an effort to lower herself to his level. Dina couldn't deny how stupid she found the whole thing. He was an adult, she would expect such childishness from a young teenager, but this was just immature. This was his life now, there was nothing he could do to change it, he needed to pull through and enjoy what might be his last few weeks alive.

The boy simply nodded his head, he had no reason to make conversation with Dina, he didn't know the girl, and the games hadn't yet started, there was no way he was going to start thinking about alliances before he had to.

Okay. So this was going to be harder and more painful then Dina had initially thought. He really didn't want to speak, and Dina supposed she could make him. She just wanted to know what his deal was. Had he lost someone to the games? Or had a family tragedy? Dina could sympathise with that one. Or maybe he just wasn't totally all there. She wasn't sure which one would be more painful.

She backed away, walking towards the table and sitting down, going back to picking at the cake. "You're missing out, Newton." She called, not turning around again. "It's really damn good cake."

District Six- Ezra (28) and Lya (21)

Ezra tried his very hardest not to stare. But it was hard. Very hard. It was some of the finest reconstruction surgery he had ever seen in his life, not just in person, but through the countless textbooks he had read. Deep down Ezra had never believed that such advanced medical technology existed, yet here it was, in front of him. He felt like a teenage fangirl, and he hated every second of it. His eyes trailed from the stump cut just below her shoulder, all the way down to her finger tips. It was carved to perfection, in brilliant working order and Ezra was sure that most of the time the girl didn't even realise it wasn't her own arm.

Lya could see the older man staring as they entered the train. He was wildly attractive, so she should have taken it as a compliment. But she knew that he wasn't looking at her, no one ever did. His only attention was on the slab of metal attached to her arm. She was thankful, of course, to her father and the Capitol for getting her the new arm, she would be stupid not to, it had given her her life back. But at some moments, such as this one, Lya wanted nothing more than to rip it off and go back to normal. It wasn't part of her, or her personality, so why was it often the most interesting thing about her? She sighed, staring down her district partner as the boarded the ramp onto the train.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Lya muttered under her breath as she pushed past Ezra, getting onto the carriage first. She heard footsteps behind her, knowing it was the man following her, but not ready to turn around and face him.

Ezra had thought he was being discreet in the way he was looking at the girl, then again, he supposed she was used to the staring, probably a pro at finding people out. It wasn't exactly the start he was hoping to get with his district partner, and Ezra knew it was completely his fault, he knew she would probably be his only ally, and the thought that he had already ruined that played constantly on his mind.

"I'm sorry," He placed a hand cautiously on her shoulder, nervous about how she would receive it. "I didn't mean to stare, it just took me by surprise is all."

"No one ever means to stare." Lya smiled sarcastically, shaking the man's hand off. "But they just do." It wasn't only the disrespect of others staring that angered Lya, but the way it pulled her to the centre of attention in any situation. Sure, she may have been a thrill seeker and loved dominating the tracks, but when it came down to social situations, or even something as simple as walking down the street, she much prefered just keeping herself or herself. Blending into the background was always so much more favourable to standing out from the crowd, but with this robotic arm, the stamp of the Capitol on her forever, it was almost impossible. The way she acted racing, showing off, going faster, adopting a confidence that most people could only dream of, contrasted her personality so much, that it was almost difficult for Lya to believe that they were the same person.

She entered the carriage, thankful to finally be out of the harsh winds of the district, away from the eyes of citizens and cameras, watching on at her last moments of normality. For a few brief moments, Lya allowed her eyes to scout the train. It was posh, unlike her normal living quarters, and the girl felt immediately out of place, wanting nothing more than to go back to the comforts of the track, cursing the Capitol for putting her in this position as she took a seat on the sfa in the corner. Even the cushions were posh. She hated it.

Much to the girl's surprise, she wasn't alone with her thoughts for long. Almost as soon as she had settled down, the shadow of her district partner covered her, before she saw Ezra take up the seat next to her. She was sure she had made it clear that she was done with him for the day, but she guessed the signals must have been more mixed than she originally thought. Or he was just an idiot. Probably the latter.

"I'm a doctor." Ezra stated, feeling the hostility that Lya was emitting and instantly regretting his decision to try and apologize. He should have just left things until they arrived in the Capitol, but no, Ezra wasn't one to let bad feelings fester, especially with a girl he may end up fighting in the games. She seemed calm and collected, but with a deep anger, and he was almost sure that Lya wouldn't be afraid to kill. Ezra would not be remaining on her bad side for any period of time. "My life is dedicated to fixing people, to saving them, giving them back pieces of their lives they would otherwise have lost. I've just never seen anything as complex as your arm." He felt his cheeks flush a hot pink, going back to being a school boy, feeling almost as if he was confessing a crush to the girl. "I was just imagining the possibility of me being able to perform a surgery with something like that." Ezra knew he wasn't helping his case completely, he was treating Lya like a science project, a clinical trial, and he could tell she felt it too. "So what I'm trying to say," He began to backtrack, desperate to make things work. "Is that I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I was just taken aback and impressed. Is there anyway that we can start over?"

Lya sat for a few seconds, debating which way to take it. She could continue to be annoyed and offended, like she did with most people, if not only to avoid more conversation. Or she could forgive him, and make something of this. He was the only person here she could talk to, and no matter how much Lya just wanted to curl into her shell, she knew how lonely that would be, and in a situation like this, she knew she would need all the friends she could get.

Lya reached out her hand across the divide between the two. "Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Lya."

The Trains

The six trains raised along the tracks, carrying the cargo currently most special to the Capitol. The games already had half of their tributes, all more diverse and complex than the previous, and all with a story to tell and a life to live back home.

A majority were nervous, wanting nothing more than to return to normality, and dismiss this all as a nightmare. But a very few had a darkness growing within then, a want to kill and get justice. The aim of atonement was being twisted. The tributes were no longer atoning for their sins, they were ready to force the Capitol to atone for their's. For the way they had abused and broken the districts. For the way they snatched children from their families, destroying innocence and dreams and the hopes of a future. For the way their very foundation was using and manipulating people and discarding them when they were no longer needed.

The reign of the Capitol was stronger and more cemented than ever. But that did not mean it was indestructible.

Here we have it! The second part of the train rides, and a look at districts 4-6, I hope this was something you enjoyed. Next week (Wednesday, I think) the reapings will resume. However, I've decided to make a change and instead of writing the train rides for 7-12, I'm instead going to do their first night in the Capitol. This might change, but I just thought that would be a nice way to spice it up a bit.

As always, thank you for your reviews and comments and for simply reading this story, it continues to mean the world to me!

Until next time,

Alice xxx