After her parents left, her brothers came in as a pack.

"El," Dru started, but was at a loss of words. He was the closest to her in age, three years older. Ellah simply nodded, somehow understanding what he wanted to say. He sighed, stepping forward instead to wrap her in his strong arms. The embrace was familiar, not in the awkward way of her mom's. As if cued, Adrian and Chase were right behind him, adding to the hug.

Ellah let out a shuddering breath, accepting their comfort.

"Remember what Geoff did," Chase ordered when he pulled back. He was the oldest now, ten years her senior.

"I already do," Ellah assured him. "But I won't get caught."

Chase nodded.

"You can take care of yourself in a fight," he continued, much like their father had. Ellah was nodding. "So you need to learn how to survive outside of a fight. How to get food. How to hide. That's what you need to do between now and that countdown."

Chase had idolized the eldest Beckworth child in a way that only a little brother could. They all had, but being the oldest of the four, he had had a better knowledge. He probably understood her situation the best because of this.

"That was my plan," she nodded. Chase gave one final nod.

"Good."

"You can do this El," Adrian finally broke his silence, laying one large hand on her shoulder. "Out of all of us, it's you."

The middle brother was the quietest of the entire lot, only speaking when deemed necessary. She felt a touch of warmth knowing that she had merited the response. Against her will, she felt a familiar prick at her eyes, closing them and holding her breath.

Not yet, she thought. After a moment, she opened them again.

"You got this," Dru said, before another group hug. All too soon the peacekeepers were banging on the door, telling them that time was up. It was a little longer before she was lead out of the room, meeting up with Jensen again as they were transported to the train.


"And here is your room for the trip," Naja said in her silky smooth tone. Ellah pushed open the door, taking in the room silently. It was quite possibly the most luxurious thing she had ever seen, right after the rest of the train. Having grown up in a relatively big family, she was used to a more cramped, disorganized, well lived in mess.

"Dinner is in an hour."

Ellah simply nodded, waiting for the dark woman to leave before closing the door. Slowly she stepped further into the room, running her hands over the elegantly made bed, feeling the soft velvet of the top blanket. She wandered to a dresser, sliding open a drawer with curiosity. More types of underwear than she had ever seen before. The next drawer was a variety of shirts, followed by pants. Peeking at some of the tags, she noted they were all right around her size.

Interesting, she noted, before moving to the closet. There were even more clothes, and shoes, in it. With a sigh she slid the door shut and crossed the room to flop onto the bed, sinking into the mattress with a muffled groan. It was soft. Too soft, compared to her bed at home. She lay there what seemed like half the night, staring blankly at the ceiling. A knock interrupted her brooding, and she sat up.

"Come in."

Naja was back, studying her face critically.

"Dinner," she reminded her new charge. "The boy is already there."

Ellah blinked, before nodding slightly, clambering to her feet. She followed the bigger woman from the room, door shutting by itself.

"I expect you to be on-time for everything," the Capitol woman continued. Ellah didn't deem it response worthy as they entered the dining cart. Ellah headed to the seat beside Jensen, giving him a brief nod in greetings. His face was red, tear marks still evident, and she swallowed at the sight. Sinking into her chair, she idly toyed with the silverware as she took in the plates of food, many of which she had never seen before. The aroma's that hit her nose made her sit just slightly straighter.

"We're just waiting on the mentors," Naja informed the two teens. It was several minutes later when three people strolled in - District 10's remaining living victors. An elderly woman with short, curly white hair took the seat at one end of the table, looking at the teens with tired eyes after she sat. Izra Thackeray, winner of the 21st Hunger Games, where she had been entered at age 17. As a victor, you were almost guaranteed a longer lifespan than someone who still struggled day to day without money or food. If you took care of yourself that is, and Izra Thackeray was nothing if not cautious.

Izra was something of a legacy back in District 10, as she had won the games without ever being in a direct physical conflict. Having managed to survive until the final four, though there had been some close calls, the woman had slowly been building a stash of food - enough to last for at least a week. Then she proceeded to viciously booby trap her entire camp site, leaving only a spot for her shelter and food, so when the other tributes, all careers, finally tracked her down, they were dead before they could even get within striking range of the girl.

Settling on the opposite side of the table from the two tributes were two men, an older man who Ellah knew to be her father's age, and a much younger man, somewhere in his mid thirties. Thatch Plumme and Jonah Ackley, winners of the 39th and 53rd Hunger Games respectively. Thatch was a hulking man, and won solely based off of his physical strength, while Jonah had won with a mixture of clever traps and sheer luck.

There was silence for a few moments as the group tucked into their foods, Ellah slowly slicing a fine piece of roast beef, savoring the rich flavor that she had tried only rare bites of before now.

"So," Izra started, after dinner was well underway. "You two got any special talents?"

Jensen looked positively green at the thought before miserably shaking his head. Ellah simply shrugged, not wanting to give away anything to anyone.

"Having lived this long in life?" she murmured dryly, before ducking her head, pushing around the creamy potatoes, vibrant vegetables, and pieces of meat left on her plate. After her initial few bites the little appetite she had had waned.

The silence was deafening.

"Buck up, kiddo," Thatch said after a moment. Being an old school friend of her fathers, Ellah had met him several times before. It was a bit reassuring, going into the arena knowing that someone with any bit of control had a personal interest in your well being.

Ellah pursed her lips, eyes never leaving her plate as she continued to mash up her food halfheartedly.

"These games already took my brother from us. I just don't see how my family can go through that again," she stated, voice hoarse. "Can I go?"

Receiving a nod from Izra, the brunette pushed herself away from the table, not bothering to slide the chair back in as she stalked off without a backwards glance. Making it to her room, she locked the door behind her before she finally let the stress of the day hit her.

With a choked sob, she fell onto the bed, curling up as she cried herself to sleep.


She woke up unusually early the next morning, a dull headache reminding her of the night before. Thankfully after releasing her bottled up emotions, she was feeling more grounded.

Rising from the bed, she stripped off her green dress that she was still wearing, underclothes littering the floor on her way to the en suite. The bathroom looked like nothing she had ever seen before, bright and polished, a large stand in shower with more knobs than necessary took up nearly half the room. The toilet was simple, yet shining, sink ornate.

After relieving herself, she stepped into the shower, closing the glass door behind her as she studied the different knobs. She tried the biggest one, and jumped when water started pouring from the ceiling. The water was somewhere between lukewarm and hot, her preferred temperature if she were ever able to choose. After trying some of the other knobs, and finding a nice smelling soap, she scrubbed herself clean, feeling like a different person when she shut the water off and stepped out of the stall, wrapping herself up in a soft towel.

Heading back to her room she noted that her dress had disappeared. With a slight frown she shrugged, heading to the drawers before she grabbed a pair of loose, dark denim pants and a green silky t-shirt before sliding her boots back onto her feet. She pulled her hair back into a high, loose ponytail. As it dried it started to curl itself in its typical manner.

She wandered from her room, down the hallway to the meal cart. Naja was already there, sipping from a large, gaudy mug as she lounged on a couch. Izra and Jonah were seated at the table, talking amicably in light tones. They quieted as she made her way over, but Ellah paid no mind, taking the same seat she had the night before, across from Thatch's empty seat.

"Early riser?" Izra questioned the girl as she piled eggs and toast onto her plate. Ellah shrugged.

"Sometimes," she agreed lightly, in a far better mood. Jensen showed up several minutes later, bleary eyed and yawning. He threw himself into the seat next to Ellah before piling his plate with more food than she thought possible for him to consume. Thatch entered right afterwards, taking his own seat before helping himself to the food. Ellah ate in silence, discretely studying her companions.

Izra and Jonah resumed their conversation, something or other about the capital's politics. Thatch added his own input at odd intervals. Jensen seemed to come alive with the more food he consumed. Naja just ignored everyone, attention finely tuned to the stack of papers in her hands. Ellah continued to watch while finishing her breakfast.

"We'll be there this afternoon," Izra finally addressed her two tributes. Placing her fork down, Ellah sat back in the chair, nodding her understanding before glancing to Jensen.

He was looking rather ill again - from the abundance of food or the thought of what awaited at and after the Capitol, she couldn't tell.

This kid is definitely not making it out of the blood bath, she thought, feeling oddly relieved. That would just mean she wouldn't be stuck with killing him. She wasn't exactly sure how she would return to District 10 with that hanging over her head.


And here is part two, my birthday gift to you all. Since life is finally settling down (I've moved twice this year and went three months without any internet), I'll hopefully be able to get into the groove of writing regularly. I don't have a whole lot of little details thought out for this story, but I know generally where I want to take it, so please stay tuned!

-Shannon Riley