Train Rides
Tapicca Shrone (14) D9F
There was something ethereal about the train.
Usually, tributes, or District residents in general, were in awe of such grandeur. However, to Tapicca, the glass chandeliers, the velvet carpets, the abundance of unknown and delicious food and the cool air appeared to be harbinger of something terrible; something unprecedented. Her humour seemed to have deserted her in her hour of need. It didn't help that Europa was pretty angry too. It had been an hour since their departure, and instead of trying to help the tributes, the woman was busy complaining about how some nasty little piece of *** had tricked her back in Nine. She went on and on about how the attitude of the District residents was the reason they got to nowhere and reiterated in her firm way that the Games were there for a good cause.
Tapicca internally cursed herself for planning the wretched prank on the escort. In her mind, she had been under the impression that the self-proclaimed beauty from the Capitol would recognise humour and laugh it off like a sport. But it seemed Rihan was right this time; big people didn't know how to take a joke.
Plus, neither Tybal nor their mentor Yizreel looked as miserable as she did. The two men seemed to get along very well for a pair that had met an hour ago in such dire situation. Neither spoke a word, with Tybal's eyes shut and his feet on the table that was supposedly placed there to serve food, and Yizreel twirling the cigar between his fingers, the pearly smoke enveloping the area around his mouth. Tybal didn't seem to mind both the smoke and Europa's bickering, which irritated Tapicca. Of course, she understood that different people had different ways to react to a situation but Tybal's indifference to the whole crisis was somewhat frustrating. It had been an hour and neither of the males had uttered a single word, or even reacted in any way.
"Your district produces bad blood! I won't be surprised if neither of you make it out alive. Nine doesn't deserve a victor!"
There was always a limit to what a person could bear to hear, and after seventy-two minutes of listening to constant and baseless insults, Tapicca had had enough. Her fists clenched, her face turning red, her mouth opened up and in a single scream, the words 'SHUT UP' were thrown out from it. The very vocal cords felt as if they were on fire. The scream was loud enough to silence Europa and terrifying enough for Yizreel to put out his cigar.
"If you can't help us," Tapicca continued heatedly, "Then don't say anything! It's been over an hour and all you've done is to complain about how you were tricked. Why don't you use your oversized head to think of some solution to get us out of this mess?!"
Europa couldn't comprehend the words as well as she would in usual circumstances. All she knew that this dirty little girl was telling her what to do. She was telling her to shut up when all the fault was of District Nine. Instead of feeling grateful that the Capitol had allowed the grain producing giant to carry on as usual despite the rebellion, the little rats in the Districts talked as if it was the Capitol's fault that it happened to them. Hadn't they heard of 'As you sow, so shall you reap'? Well, this was the Capitol's fault, partly. Mercy should be given in a limit and only to those who deserved it. District Nine fulfilled neither criterion.
"And you!" Tapicca said angrily as she turned to Yizreel, who still held his cigar in his hand, "You're our mentor! You're supposed to guide us, not smoke that cigar! It's irritating, you're irritating! How come I got stuck with you two?!"
Yizreel acknowledged that Tapicca must be really disturbed by the events, and hence he kept quiet at her outburst. However, the truth was that he had no faith in her. Yizreel was tired of trying year after year to get a victor home but the tributes never had it in them. And a girl like Tapicca had frankly no chance of even surviving the bloodbath, let alone win. The man knew that if it came to put money in his two tributes, who he would put his bet on. Tybal's calm reaction to the whole situation gave Yizreel some hope. Even now, despite the high emotional levels in the atmosphere, the boy was ignoring it and relaxing. It wasn't as if Tybal wasn't paying attention to what was being said but he knew how to handle himself.
"On top of everything," Tapicca continued angrily, although the young lass' tone was much more steady now, "My District Partner has been sleeping ever since he boarded the train! Isn't there anything that you can do or say, Tybal? At least have the decency of staying awake!"
But whatever Tapicca wanted to say fell on deaf ears. It wasn't that Tybal was actually sleeping, but arguing with the young girl appeared to be too tiring a job at the moment. No, he'd simply listen, as of now. Not that Tybal was going to train with Tapicca anyway, or even think of allying with her. Her emotional outburst was enough to let him know that she wasn't the partner he was looking for. No, to have an ally, he'd have to search from among the other tributes. Somebody he could use. Somebody who would be an asset.
And Tapicca was a liability.
Of course, the young girl didn't know that these thoughts were running through her handsome District Partner's mind. It was for her own good though, for had she known what he thought f her, it would have been even harder to control her emotions at the moment. It was no fault of hers that she was in this situation; it was just rotten luck. However, the little odds that she had of surviving were being ruined by her narcissistic escort, her good-for-nothing mentor and her ignorant District Partner.
It was enough. They didn't want to help her? So be it. She was going to prove them how wrong they were. She would show them. She would win the ninety-first Games.
Wesley Elster (18) D10M
"Hey, are you alright?" Lily Angler asked softly, her grey eyes boring into him in concern. There had been silence in the train since they had boarded it. Wesley had found himself to be speechless and had resorted into the comforts of his own world. A tear ran down his cheek earlier but he had wiped it away furiously. What good would it be to cry anyway? There wasn't much he could do…
"I-I'm fine," Wesley replied softly, not keeping his eyes on his District Partner. He didn't want her to see him in his weakness. After all, who knew what the other person had in mind? How could he be sure that she wouldn't use his emotions against him? Of course, as far as demeanour was concerned, Lily seemed not only nice but also very understanding of the entire situation. She didn't poke him and, despite the realisation of almost certain death, still tried to cheer him up. However, it was not easy to conceal truth from the eyes of a person like Wesley. The one human emotion that was pronounced in Ms. Angler's eyes was the dominant fear. He could see how she tried to keep it at bay. Her efforts were commendable, to say the least. As far as Wesley was concerned, Lily hadn't shed the pearls of emotions yet the way he himself had. In his humble opinion, it showed how strong the girl really was.
"Are you okay, Lily?" he asked finally after letting out a deep sigh. What was the point to sulk? He had little time left and that had to be utilised. It was this moment that he had to take a stand and man up, keeping his fears and emotions aside. He needed to take charge if he wished to get out alive. However, as the human mind was only too aware of it, some things were easier said than done. No matter how much Wesley tried to convince himself or how hard he reasoned with himself, he found it unforgivable to murder. Of course, murdering had become a ritual now in this sorry excuse for a country, but was he really ready to take part in it?
"I'm good too, Wesley," Lily said with a sad smile. She reached out for the silver glass next to her and brought it in front of Wesley with a soft smile.
"I've heard chocolate is good at times of stress," she continued as she held it, "I think you need some."
Wesley stared at the glass for a few seconds. The chocolate seemed to swirl inside the silver glass almost lustily. He had never tried it before and certainly didn't want to take something from Lily, not when they were going into the arena. However, he could do with some stress reliever, and so he accepted the glass with thanks and gulped it down in one go.
He could describe the taste as… chocolatey. However, the warmth of the viscous liquid did indeed calm his nerves. It was delicious and Wesley thought how nice it would be to have this back home.
"Wesley… have you- have you decided on a strategy yet?"
And there it came.
"Not yet," Wesley replied cautiously, "I haven't had the time to contemplate on that."
"It's okay!" Lily said, although she did sound rather downcast. However, she tried to cover that up with a smile and then leant back in her sofa as if trying to portray how she enjoyed the luxury. The very sadness of her pretence moved Wesley from within. Since when did he become so selfish as to ignore the pain of some other person? This was not in his nature. The Games were already taking a toll on his demeanour but Wesley knew he couldn't fall to it. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on Lily's shoulder, startling her. Her eyes widened and then she looked at him curiously.
"Do you-I'm already missing home…" Wesley whispered, finally letting all his emotions out in that one statement. Lily's face fell at that and she looked away sadly. Startled, Wesley wondered what he had done to get this reaction.
"What happened?" he asked worriedly, "Is something wrong?"
"I-I don't have a home," Lily whispered sadly, sounding as if she was on the verge of tears, "I'm an orphan. The orphanage isn't very nice on us…"
The young lad stared gloomily at the distressed lady, feeling weak as he thought about her situation. He recalled fearfully the day he had lost his leg. He remembered the feeling of hopelessness, the emptiness, in his heart. But what about Lily? How did she cope up with being left all alone to fight a world that was opposed to your very survival? What was there back in Ten for her to miss? Beating? Humiliation? Loneliness? Wesley found himself incapable of being in her shoes.
"I'm sorry Lily…"
"No, no, it's okay. You didn't know. I-I just don't have anything to go back for, you know? It's plainly unfair but-but maybe, in the Capitol, I may get to enjoy life in my last days."
"Hey, don't speak that way! Everything will turn out alright."
And yet, as the words left his mouth, young Wesley felt as if he was cheating an innocent soul. After all, if everything would turn out alright for her, they would not be so for him. And despite all his morals and ethics, his mind, the ever-selfish mind, told him to focus on himself. He could console Lily now and motivate her, encourage her, but when the time would come… he'd have to be ready to end it for her. She may not have anything to go back to, but he did. He had a family back home. A family that was waiting for him with baited breath. He had to think of them.
But for now, being nice to Lily wouldn't hurt. He would try to be his usual, kind self till he could. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to last very long.
Canon Tadashi (14) D3M
The world appeared to be spinning as of now even as young Canon held on to the armrest as if his life depended on it. Just a few hours ago he had been with his mother, joking around happily, taking pictures of random things and irritating her. But seriously, behind all that irritation was genuine love and adoration for her little boy. Her little boy who was gone, and was never to return.
Don't think that way!
Canon tried to listen to his wise brain. Shutting his eyes, he tried to block the dangerous thoughts that threatened to break him apart. But for how long? Tears started to stream down his face as he fought his inner emotions. No, no, no! This was not the time to cry. He couldn't cry! Not cry!
And the tears still fell. No matter how hard he tried, these darned little pearls refused to stop. Refused to give up.
"Canon, Canon, calm down," Raze said softly as he enveloped the young boy in his arms, "We'll figure something out. Calm down. Calm down…"
"B-but Raze, even if District Three gets a victor, one of us will die for sure," Canon whispered almost inaudibly. Raze's gaze fell at that; he did not have the strength in him to look at his tribute in the eye and lie.
"I know Canon," Mickayla said kindly, "But we still have to try, right? We can't give up. We'll have to be strong."
"They're right," Elizabeth said as she looked at the two tributes sadly, "Canon, you can't give up now."
Canon at least counted himself lucky to have a caring escort. He'd heard about the terrible ways that escorts treated their tributes. He had heard how they were ridiculed year after year and how their last days were made miserable by the escorts with their pro-Capitol thoughts. However, Elizabeth went out of her way to encourage and calm the tributes. Raze too, tried to help as best as he could. At least Canon could say proudly that he was lucky in this department. Plus, Mickayla was very sweet too. She had tried to calm him down, although it was not lost on Canon how badly she herself might be affected by this. After all, she was young too. Maybe she already had enough problems in life. And yet here they were, these three people, who were trying to encourage him.
This realisation of unprecedented kindness moved Canon. He furiously wiped away his tears and beamed at the three people he was surrounded with. Of course, he couldn't afford to be soft but right now… he was overwhelmed. He hugged Raze back tightly, to which the older male patted his head.
"There's my boy!" Elizabeth said with a smile, "Here, have some toffees."
"Thanks! Mickayla, you should have some too."
Looking at the innocent boy, Mickayla felt something tug at her heartstring. He didn't deserve to be here, even less than herself. Why was it that two innocent souls like she and Canon were trapped here? Going to a deathmatch? Well, maybe Canon was the only innocent one, but still. It would be a pain to watch him die. As her chest started feeling heavier, she only wished that his end wouldn't come by her hand. Would she be able to forgive herself in that case? She didn't know and neither was she keen on finding out.
"Sure, Canon!" she said and then glanced at the many toffees in the glass bowl. "How about this coffee flavoured one?"
"Sound cool to me!"
"The coffee one isn't sweet," Raze said solemnly, "Try this pineapple flavoured one."
Before he could even say why the pineapple flavoured toffee was better than the rest, the sweets were gone, and two children were singing praises for the delicious candy.
"You were so right!" Canon said as he sucked the candy, his eyes closed. Mickayla laughed at that and nodded vigorously.
"Raze has a good taste," she said, "One more please!"
"Here!" Elizabeth said with a laugh as she handed the toffees to the children, smiling as they tried to enjoy the taste, their problems forgotten momentarily. But Elizabeth felt their pain. No matter what, she knew that the children knew that they had little chance of getting out alive. Her heart ached to see a couple of innocent children being prepared for slaughter once more. It was horrible on the Capitol's part and she was no saint. After all, she was their escort. But this was why she had become an escort in the first place. She wanted to help these children. She wanted them to feel love in their last days. There was nothing she could do to stop the Games, but she could at least be there as a support.
Canon hadn't forgotten about his situation, however he pretended to. There was something attractive about knowing that you were going to die. It was this attraction that compelled Canon to pretend to be strong. He knew there was nothing that could be done to change his situation; there was nobody to replace him. But that didn't mean he would mope around. No, Canon Tadashi was more than that. He was not there to cry. He was there to fight. And fight hard. It was not going to be easy to defeat him. He may not look like much, but Canon was going to give it all he had. His mother… he had promised his mother. His brothers. He had made a promise.
His mother never broke a promise. Whatever happened, whatever situation arose, his mother kept her word.
It was his turn now. He knew he wouldn't win, but he had promises to keep. And that, he would do.
And with this, we come to the end of the train rides. Hopefully, it wasn't too boring. Do let me know your thoughts, beautiful people.
Have a great day!