laptop246 again! Yes, thank you, screaming crowd! We love you! *kisses* ... Sorry, just warming up for the chariots! Anyone see the movie? AMAZING, isn't it? I caught Ninnnna making some references to it in her chapter, anyone else? You're tributes are wonderful. Not to be cold-hearted or anything but I can't WAIT to begin to kill them. Let's go meet a few, shall we?

... Just realized that, coincidentally, Lystra, Rayne, and Kayton all have a's and y's in their names ...

*Estella's POV*

I hesitated outside the doors leading to the chariots. Lystra's stylist - mine, now, I reminded myself - stood beside me. I looked over at his face, seeking reassurance. "Vincent..." I wished Lystra, Rayne, and Kayton were here. But Lystra and Kayton were out compaigning to get me sponsers, and Rayne was (hopefully) making her way into the Avox quarters of the Training Center, 11th floor.

"You look beautiful," Vincent reassured me, tucking a lock of my hair, finely curled, behind my ear. I knew he was right. He had made me beautiful as I could havve ever been. And, I supposed, the prep team deserved credit too. But it was Vincent who I felt giving credit too. He had, after all, designed me dress after dress at the request of Lystra. It wasn't as if he was unfamiliar with the process. He'd probably, knowing the good chances of my being Reaped, already had a dress designed.

When traveling in the chariots, we were dressed for our districts. District 11, known for our agriculture, normally ended up as pumpkins or walnuts, or something of that nature. Vincent had decided to make me different. "Let's make you shine," he had whispered to me. I thought he wanted me to win as badly as Kayton, Lystra, Rayne, and the others back home. Thinking of them brought tears into my eyes, so I shook my head and focused on my outfit. Vincent had made me a seed. Simple streaks of caramel ran down coffee browns. My skin was just light enough to make it work. The dress was simple, dark, and had the skirts for dancing. Though I doubted that I would be dancing that night, I was glad for the cormorting feel of them.

"How can I face them?" I whispered. Vincent smoothed my hair again, seeming to find doing that easier than speaking. When he finally did, his voice was soft,

"The same way the rest of them did." and he nudged me forward, towards the door that will lead me to the chariots. I knew some stylists accomponied the tributes to the carriages, but Vincent hadn't for Lystra and he didn't for me. Once I walked out, the door closed behind me, and I saw no way of returning. Gulping, I turned to face the other tributes.

They were milling about aimlessly, avoiding looking at each other. Some sat on the carriages, looking blankly at the horses. The girl from 10, dressed as the standered lean cow, was petting one of the horses's snout. It seemed to like her, and was nuzzling her hand. Others leaned against walls, stared at the others, the ceiling, anywhere. It seemed we were all still in a state of shock. Well, except for one group. The Careers stand beside the District 1 carriage, as far away from the other tributes as they could get. They are talking and laughing loudly. I listened for one moment to catch the girl from 1 saying, "...what a wonderful vacation, don't you think?" which caused loud laughter. I stopped listening but did take a moment to assess them. The ones from 1 seemed especially fit that year, the boy muscular, the girl tall and lean. The ones from 4 are quieter, but I notice the boy seems deadly. The boy from 2 looks completely out of place, but the girl from 2, Tawny, looks vicious. Her outfit has nothing to do with the masonry her district does, but she looks absolutely terrifying with knives sticking around her. She turns slightly, and upon seeing me, give a smirk with the corner of her mouth. I cannot help but flinch as though stabbed.

I turned my attention away from the Careers. I glanced across the room and met another pair of hostile eyes. Cletus. He is glancing at me with upmost superiority. The thought of standing beside him on the carriage made me fell trapped, and I did a few of the breathing excersizes that Lystra had taught me this morning. They help, and I stare firmly at the ground until I have brought myself back together.

Allies, allies, allies, Lystra's voice chanted in my head. I glanced up, around the tributes. I had to talk to a few. My eyes found a girl of about my age, maybe older. Her hair is long and deep red. She wore a silver tunic that sparks with electricity and made her hair look deeper. As if she can sense my watching her, she glanced up, and grey eyes met mine. I blinked and walked over to where she was slouching against the District 9 carriage.

"Estella Mason," I stuck out my hand.

The girl didn't take it, only staring at me a moment. "You live with the District 11 victor from a few years ago...Lystra Fay Gull, don't you?"

I made an effort to smile. "That's me."

"You've got an advantage over the rest of us," she said. "Everyone will want you to win." I grimanced inwardly as I thought that the Gamemakers wanted just the opposite. I was about to reply when she shook my still outstretched hand. "Viveca Celeste." Then it was my turn to gasp.

"But, aren't you the girlfriend of Romney Towner?" I don't add the next part: the boy who died in the Games from your district last year?

She closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded. "I was." I nod. So she and her boyfriend did something that offended the Capitol, just like Lystra and I did. Suddenly, I felt compelled to tell her about the song that got me into this mess, but I didn't. That might've only lead to more trouble, and that was the last thing I needed.

"What's District 9 like?" I asked, wanting to speak with her, but about something different.

Viveca shrugs the question off. "Like District 11, I guess." I nod, and stand there for a moment. This was becoming eceedingly awkward, so I stuck out my hand. "It was nice to meet you."

Her grey eyes met mine and she slowly took my hand. "You too." I walked back over to the door that seemed to have disappeared, and pretended to be examining it while I looked around at the other tributes. They all seemed so terrified. A good many of them were looking a me, perhaps having listened in on my conversation with Viveca. Suddenly embarrised, I resume my examination of the door.

I heard a small cough from behind me, and turned to see a smaller girl. My mind immediately identified her as one of the 12-year-olds. She was shorter than I would've thought. As she was from District 6, her stylist had tried to make her look delicate and sweet, dressing her as a petite version of the hovercrafts. Her arms were crossed and ruining the look entirely, and even had taken her hair down from some kind of braid. She stuck out her hand to me. "Lia Scott."

I took it. "Estella Mason."

She grinned. "I know." I got the feeling that this was one tribute I wouldn't want to mess with. The little devious look in her eye made me sure that she wouldn't go down without a fight, despite how others would misjudge her as young and weak. "I like your outfit," I offered.

Lia made a face. "I don't. It's absolutely horrible." I chuckled. "No, really, I swear my stylist wants me to look weak. And don't even get me started on the prep teams."

"Horrible, aren't they?" I agreed, feeling a bit of respect for this girl in the pit of my stomach. She was a survivor, I was sure, and that's exactly the type of person I wanted to team up with.

"Almost as bad as the Gamemakers," her tone was light, but I could tell the mood had shifted. She was testing me. I could see that much. But what reply she was waiting for I couldn't get at. So I simply shrugged and said, "Now, they're a lot you have to be careful with." I'd said the right thing. Lia's face lifted in elation.

"Too true, too true," she said. And then, "I saw you over there talking to electo-girl."

"Viveca Celeste," I informed her immediately. "Her boyfriend died in the Games last year." Lia nodded, as if saying, 'I know.' It seemed that she knew everything there was to know - I'd been the same way when I was her age, before all of this training nonsense.

"Is she looking for an alliance?" Lia wondered.

I shrugged. "Are you?"

Lia turned her attention from Viveca to me. Suddenly, I was struck by what made her appear so strong, despite her height, her young feature, the splattering of acne on her forehead, or even her slight chubbiness. It was her brown eyes, so determined, so strong. I wondered what her home life was like. Did she had to work hard to support her family? "Are you?" she wanted to know.

"Definetly," I answered immediately.

"Then I am, too," she decided. She extended her hand, no trace of doubt in her gaze. "So it's a deal?"

I took it, not hesitating either. Lystra had had a huge alliance, and she always claimed it was because of them that she won. I wanted a big one too, though I wasn't sure I was daring enough to declare us seperate from the Games, refusing to kill, as they had. "It's a deal."

"Good," Lia said. "So then, is Viveca a possibility?"

I nod. "I think so. You seen any others?"

Lia shrugged. "There's another 12-year-old," she said. "though she seems a bit ... weak." She raised her chin as she said this, daring me to aknowledge that she was also only 12.

I didn't, only saying, "Don't judge by appearences. A few years back, there was a boy, only 13, that seemed weak, but came around and won, remember? She may be more than she seems." I glanced towards the girl, wearing only a tank top and shorts, covered in coal dust, sitting in the district 12 chariot. Her token, a mirror-neckace, was held tight in her hand, and she was staring at it. I thought her to be very odd. Still, maybe there was an alliance available there...

"There's a lot that look like fighters," Lia told me. "But I don't know who would be willing to team up."

I nod in agreement. "Do you know all of their names?"

Lia grinned again in that devious way of hers. "Almost all. District 1," she pointed, "are Onyx and Indigo. Both volunteered. Both vicious. District 2 are Tawny and Micheal. Micheal seems weaker than Tawny. She'll kill him. District 4 are Alesana and Tanner. They seem like normal Careers - ready to rip us to pieces, but they're quieter than the others. Those are the Careers."

"They'll kill more than half the tributes," I reminded her. "They're definetly people to watch out for, don't you think? But who might be allies?"

Lia considered for a moment. "Olivia Knox, District 3, might be an idea. She's from 3, so she'll be really smart. She's kind of short, but she's got a temper."

"She's the one who yelled at the cameras on the stage, isn't she?" I chucked. "yeah, I'd say she has a temper, but that can be a good thing. Something tells me you've got one too."

Lia's grin widend. "Should we go talk to her?"

I glanced around until I find the girl, staring in apparent anger at a wall. I shook my head. "We'll talk to her later, in training. Is there anyone else?"

"Plenty," Lia reassured me. "Harper Wesley, Ivy Willows ... Asa Jocephas, from 9, Viveca's district. He's the mute boy. That ... makes him weak, doesn't it?" her eyes were on me again, and I sought out Asa in the crowds. He wasn't speaking to Viveca. They couldn't be close. Then again, if he was mute, he couldn't speak. How did he communicate?

"Quite the opposite," I told her. "It could be an act." She mumbled agreements. Peacekeepers called out for the tributes to make their way to their carriages. I nodded goodbye to Lia and headed over to my carriage. Cletus smirked at me. I ignored him, facing the doors. A Peacekeeper counted down the seconds, and the chariots burst out, one by one, to the cheering of the crowds. I smile when we're out, ignoring Cletus completely, waving and blowing kisses, trying to aquaint myself with the crowd as much as I can. I need them to remember me - to sponser me, to help me win...

The Opening Ceremonies were dull. I didn't really pay attention, just waving at the crowd and trying to keep the attention on me as much as possible. I think I managed fairly well, though a couple of Peacekeepers gave me looks for not paying attention. I didn't care. They couldn't hurt me. These people might be the difference between life and death... I blew more kisses, recieved more flowers.

And the chariots carried us off the training center, where we would spend the last few days of our lives training. We were followed by cheers all the way. I never looked back, only to the endless stream of Capitol citizens before me. And I never looked to beside me, where Cletus was still glaring death at me.