District 7 Train- Madelyn Rosegold
The train looks, and is, very cozy, if I can say that.
Everything is made of fine wood, cherry or oak if I'm right. Everything is so luxurious.
There is even a hearth, with some animal trophies.
The whole thing looks like a hunter's home.
Our Mentors, Johanna, Blight and Titus are quite the representatives of District 7.
Johanna is a fearless woman, strong, deadly, but knows how to act when.
She's good.
Blight can be the older brother of Johanna if you ask me. He is tall with broad shoulders, dark grey eyes and tattered black hair. He and Johanna don't talk much to us, more like whisper to each other, observing, and then making a grunting sound as an agreement, or shaking their head with…bloodlust in their eyes, as far as I can tell.
Titus, about eighteen, is the one talking to us. He is about as tall as Tobias, light brown hair, and cloudy eyes.
I keep staring at Tobias's hair.
It's white!
But he keeps ignoring me, fortunately, avoiding a very frustrating conversation.
"And this is how I became a victor," Titus finished his story of blood and gore, smiling, looking down at his hands. "Necessity is the mother of invention," he said, shaking his said but still smiling.
He seems alright, a bit mentally ill, talking about life like a toy.
"Do you have a reason for staring at me?" Tobias gives a signal that he is alive, still looking out the window, watching the wildlife.
I don't know what to say first. "Your hair," I manage to say.
"Why, is this the first time you saw someone with hair?" He asks, finally looking at me.
First I was feeling…no. I don't know how I was feeling towards him, but now I want to slam his head to the window, just because the way he talks, like he is better than everyone, but I keep my cool.
"One with white hair it is."
"Want an explanation?"
"Yes."
"It is from-" he started, but got cut off by Taylor, coming back.
"Oh yeah, that was good. Do not use the toilet for a while."
I show my high degree of discomfort by standing up, punching Taylor in the guts, pulling him on the floor and locking him into a different room.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" I sit back to my seat. Everyone except him was staring at me awkwardly, and then, Joanna started to clap.
District 8 Train- Cott O'Field
I await the tributes before the train, nervous about my job.
Mr. Taylor opens to door, and Ms. Majorka goes through, looking as blank as ever.
"I'm sorry to say that Melanie had to…leave, for an urgent matter. Instead, I will accompany you." Truth is, Melanie got a heart attack.
Fortunately, we did not have to wait for the train to depart, as soon as we took our seats, the train as moving.
The three Mentors, Woof, Cecilia, and Allen, who also is the Stylist, are waiting inside.
The inside of the train is quite comfortable, yet nothing special to the eye. No vibrant colours, sharp motifs, nothing. Everything is boring, but very much comfortable.
"What a lovely place," William comments. "Such luxury."
"If you die, why not enjoy your last days?" Woof answered with a rhetorical question. Not to be confused with the Victor of the 26th Hunger Games, he is his son.
"Too true," William said charmingly.
"William, you remind me of someone," Cecilia started a new conversation after an indefinite amount of silence. "Haven't I seen you?"
"I don't recall meeting you face-to-face, but you may've seen me on the streets, or maybe in the theatre."
"Yes, that's the ticket, in the theatre. You were the violin player in Sonata, am I right?"
"Correct, I was the violinist. I'm surprised you remember that play, it was, what, five, six years ago?"
"I believe it is one of your best plays I've seen."
"Why thank you, I'm flattered. Not like it matters, we all are going to die. Isn't that right, Eliska?"
"Hm?" She looks at William, she was in her world. "Yes, yes, all die, like flies."
"Shall we be in an alliance, or shall we try to destroy each other's lives?" He asks with a wink.
"Do as you wish, it doesn't matter if I die because of you, or because I was burnt to ashes," she says coldly.
"But I certainly don't want to die because of you."
"Then we are in an alliance," she said, and sighed.
Something's very wrong with poor Eliska.
I don't know what, but something very wrong.
"Excuse me for a while," she says and goes to the bathroom.
What at first was a silent whimper grew into loud sobbing, crying, and raging.
I wanted to stand up and check on her, but William looked at me. Into my eyes, as if saying 'She's alright.'
"Haaaa!" Eliska screams and shrieks, then starts to cry again.
This went for five minutes, alternating between silences and crying, and then she came out, looking like nothing happened.
Well, except that part that she had bite marks on her arms, and she looked like she could attack a grown grizzly.
District 9 Train- Codie Wilya
I'm not sure which I fear more; the Games, or to get between Liana and Jodi.
Without Scott I swear they'd be starting the Hunger Games right now.
"And why did you volunteer?"
"Why did you volunteer?"
"Why should you care?"
"Why should you care about the reason I volunteered?"
"Why should you-"
"Jesus fuck! Calm the shit down!" Scott moaned, speaking instead of me. "I swear. Just like The Dark Days."
"Then get her away from me!"
"Better yet, dispose of that filthy bag of maggots!"
"Who's the bag of maggots, you, you bitch!"
They were starting again, but Scott fired his bullet. It went right through the space between, breaking the glass, and out to the nowhere.
"The next one will go to one of your brains, and I'm not kidding."
The two Mentors walk in.
First one is Cane, followed by Phalant.
Cane was, is, and I'm pretty sure will be a dead serious man. He broke two guys' necks after gaining their trust. That man would stab his own daughter in the back.
Phalant survived thanks to her knowledge of plants, and her petite size. She went around poisoning people's food.
Both of them demand authority in the way of their appearance, so fortunately the two girls shut up.
They scan the room, and sit down.
Awkward but welcomed silence.
"Ah, this, is worth living for," Cane said. "Now, what was that cat fight about?"
"She volunteered for a girl, the same time, and then she just ran up and screamed her name."
"So did you!"
They were starting again, but a quick look from Phalant, and they stopped.
"If you want to die so dearly, we can do it right now." He grabbed one of the dozen guns Scott had put on a table and shot at Liana and Jodi, making me jump at least a foot, and two shrieks from his targets as they jumped away. "So you want to live, interesting."
Phalant didn't even move a muscle, and Scott was going crazy of the stolen gun.
"Why the hell did you do that?" Jodi yelled.
"To make sure you are both sane. Listen, now that you screwed your and other people's lives up, work together. Look at Codie. I bet you were ignoring him the whole time." That is true. "Now, let's all calm down, and enjoy a cup of tea."
District 10 Train- Anne Scarlette
I'd be mean if I say that Elliott is annoying in the sense that he keeps talking endlessly, and he is only annoying to me because I like it when it is quiet. He is kind, and to give it to him good looking, along with my partner, but looks are useless for the most part. It is good to be handsome and pretty, so you can appeal to the Capitolians.
On that note, I find it funny how almost every single tribute was good looking. No ugly tribute was ever sent to the Games.
Wow, I feel ashamed I didn't think of that, but I'll look after it.
Ugly people not getting reaped…
Cielly, a young but experienced victor, with long brown hair and brown eyes, with puffy cheeks and a good attitude seated herself next to me. Auspiciously, she didn't talk to me, so I could read the book I decided to read.
Patricia, an older woman with sundried hair and tanned skin, is enjoying her fifth apple. I clearly remember her Games. She was riding one of the mutts to victory. It was a predator, or at least an omnivore favouring meat. She died one of the tributes, if I'm right, which I am, it was her district partner.
Because of that, she was marked as a monster. But, aren't we all monsters?
Lastly, Brandon, a too cheery person, who was tagged as 'brother' and 'cheerful' and 'loveable' and all the other names I am too lazy to recite.
They are having fun, at least Cielly and the guys.
They should have fun, because I can bet that neither Aden nor I will win. I'd be lucky to have a quick death. Maybe at the bloodbath? Yeah, saving my aunt with sacrificing my life. Though, most probably, she'd just commit suicide.
"Anne, are you okay?" One of the girls asks, I cannot identify the speaker.
"I'm tired, my head is throbbing. I have heat waves, my nose is clogged, and I am shivering. I'd say I have a variant of the common cold, but that is a bad bet. Let's settle with that I am sick, maybe food poisoning since only I ate a peach." Yes, I remember eating a peach first thing, because I was moderately hungry.
This is a good start, sick before the Games.
District 11- Range Wisp
This year's District 11 team is just like a miserable family.
I just got promoted and sent to the Games while my sister is sick; oh, and poor.
Tayann is poor, with a bad family.
Seeder, one of our mentors, won the Games by out-starving the others.
Our Escort, Johnatan is a sickly looking boy who is always beaten up.
The other Mentor, Timothy, barely won the Games. Barely.
Tayann is curled up into a ball, listening to our conversations.
"Do you have any proficiency useable for the Games?" Seeder asks.
Spot on. I am useless, and so is Tayann.
"I guess you can call collecting fruits proficiency," I say.
"How were you collecting? From the floor? Do you know what is poisonous or edible?"
"That too, but I was throwing spears as to…" Throwing spears? What's the difference between throwing it at a moving or stationary target? Well, a bit there is difference, but that is something useable for the Games. "As to catch fruits."
"Now that's skill. Just with a bit more precision and strength, you'll be throwing spears at people. Or animals," Seeder says. "Well, people are animals by definition, but you get my point."
"And by the looks of you," Timothy begins, "if I may say that, minimal food will do for you, as Careers need a lot of food. That's a bonus too."
"Tayann, what about you?"
"Huh? M-me?" She blushes. "I'm good with kids…" She says, a bit ashamed.
"All the tributes are kids," Timothy says, "What do you mean you're good with kids?"
"She was looking after my sister when I was working," I inform him.
"I guess I'm good reading people," Tayann says. "As in, knowing their emotions. And if I have spent a significant amount of time with them, or we are on the same page, I notice minimal changes. Like muscle tension, or unnatural movements, for example, fake smiling or lying."
"That's good, that's good. At least in the beginning with the interviews and training. Some people get really chatty."
"Just a quick question, why do you want to win the Games?" Seeder asks.
"My sister," I answer.
She looks at Tayann, who was back to her ball formation, staring at her feet.
"Tayann," I whisper to her.
"Huh?" She looks up, surprised.
"Why do you want to win the Games?" Seeder asks her.
"I," she thinks about it. "For…uh…I don't know. Maybe I don't even want to win it. I have no one to go back to."
"Family?" Seeder asks, caught off guard.
"I wouldn't move a muscle to save them, besides, Range and his sister, they are more my family then them."
This equally frightened me, and made me happy.
District 12- Alia O'Larr
The goodbyes went well; I didn't show my true colours to the girls…
Anyways, would it be the right time to say that if you look at Anglis the right way, he is cute?
I mean, he is dark blonde, muscular, yet a tiny tiny bit chubby, with large brown eyes. I could just pick him up and hug him.
He is even more adorable when smiling his sheepish smile, and then laughing with Peeta.
"Isn't he adorable?" Mrs. Mellark asks me.
"Yes, yes he is…" I say, a bit too dreamily. "Wait…which one of them were you talking about?" She smiled.
"My husband, obviously. And you were thinking about Anglis, won't you now?"
"No!" I retort, trying to hide my emotions.
She sighs happily.
"Girl, I was your age too once."
"But, I don't love him," I continue to lie.
"Sure you don't."
Okay, maybe she's right. I do have those feelings towards him.
Then Anglis looks at me, smiles, and winks.
At me.
I felt my head heating up, like a thousand degrees.
"Are you okay? You look…red," he asks worried.
"You winked at me," I say, calming down.
"Oh, no, sorry. My eyes have seizures every so often, and I uncontrollably wink once or twice."
"Oh…okay…seizures," I say, then whisper, "so obvious…"