District 4:
Maya had been sitting beside Predator for almost a half an hour waiting for her mentor. She had done nothing but play with the knotted rope Tamlin gave her before she left. In a way, she didn't want to volunteer. She had a wonderful life, and three more years to train in the Academy. She and Tamlin made a promise that neither of them would volunteer unless told to by the Academy. And that is why she is sitting on the train next to a boy she barely knew on her way to the arena.
As she looked over the rope, she saw the spots where the water was splashed onto it. It still smelled like their beach, the beach where they had their first kiss. The beach where he asked her to be his girlfriend. The beach where they took late night swims. The beach meant everything to Maya, and that made her desire to come home stronger than her will to not kill the boy beside her. She placed the rope in her jacket pocket and undid her bun, letting her blond hair spill down her back.
Predator took a sneak peak at Maya's district token. A knotted rope meant nothing to him. Well, he didn't know the story. It's not like he'd want to know, anyway. He knew that if you learn someone's name, background, or favorites, then it would be harder to kill them or watch them die. It's easier to call them by their districts and assume that they have no family until you go on the Victory Tour. Without thinking, his fingers fly to his fish bone necklace and begin to touch the pointed bones.
The door slid open and their escort, Noi May, lead two people behind her. Under a new order from the Capitol, if a district has more than two living victors, only two mentors can mentor a year. This year, a man and a woman are sitting in front of their new tributes. The man sat in front of Predator and the woman sat in front of Maya. That is typically how they divide up the tributes.
"These are your mentors!" Noi says, her voice chirping like a bird. "Predator, your mentor is Indigo Greenlaw. Maya, your mentor is Gila Rankine. I'll leave you to talk about strategy while I watch Capitol News. I will call you when the Reaping Recap is on." Noi takes herself to the entertainment compartment and leaves the victors and tributes alone.
"You look someone who is a force to be reckoned with," Indigo says to Predator, examining him thoroughly. "What are you strengths, boy?"
"I am very good at swimming and wielding crossbows." Predator answers, noticing the approval in Indigo's eyes. Indigo brushed his bronze hair from his eyes and looked to Gila.
"What about you Maya?" Gila takes the hint and looks to her tribute.
Maya grabs a section of her hair and begins to plait it. "I can use throwing knives and spears. I am also very fast and no one can catch me." Gila's green eyes flicker up in excitement. 4 might have a victor this year.
"Now that we know your strengths, you have to decide what to do once you are in the arena." Indigo says, to both tributes in front of him. "Normally, you don't worry about the bloodbath. The tributes are scared of you anyway. But, there are years like last year when a tribute isn't built like a Career." Predator and Maya knew who he was talking about. Louis Lapworth died in the bloodbath last year, being killed by a District 2 tribute.
"Our strategies mainly consist of us being in the Career pack." Gila says. "Now, the pack doesn't last forever. You can choose to break off early or wait until the very end. It all depends on..." Gila is interrupted by Predator lifting his feet into his chair and his accelerated breathing. "What are you doing?"
He doesn't answer her verbally, he just points to an eight legged creature in front on Maya. She bends down and plucks the creature in-between her forefinger and her thumb, watching it try to walk away. She squishes it in her fingers and kills it without a second thought. "It was a tiny spider. You have been trained to kill eighteen year olds with crossbows and you are afraid of spiders?" Maya taunts her older district partner by shoving the dead insect in his face. He shoos away her hand, sweating forming near his bronze hair.
"Get that thing away from me!" He tells her, smacking her hand. Her fingers release the dead spider, dropping it to the carpet. Gila and Indigo look at each other. How is he supposed to be a killer if he is afraid of tiny spiders?
"Don't worry about spiders in the arena." Indigo says. "You are not living up to your name if you can't even kill a tiny spider."
"It's not my fault Dylan died because of a spider mutation!" Predator spits out. Indigo's eyes sparked when he heard the name. He didn't say a word, trying to preserve Predator's feelings.
"Anyways, the alliance all depends on who is left and if you can trust them." Gila gets right back on subject.
The strategy talk goes along smoothly, no longer being interrupted by silly insects. Maya listens intently to what Gila has to say. She needs this information so she can go home to Tamlin and live with him for the rest of her life. Oh, and bring pride to 4 too. Louis and Hollis did a terrible job last year. Maya hopes that she can outshine every victor to ever come out of the Games and be the most well-known, next to Braxton from 2.
The talk is interrupted by Noi collecting them to size up their competition. Maya and Predator sit side by side on the couch that is reserved for the tributes. Noi, Gila, and Indigo sit in different recliners and end chairs to watch the Reapings. The Panem seal flashes on screen and is replaces with Dusk Shine and Chal Sherwood. With each Reaping that passed, Predator took great notice in each tribute. 1 is strong, 2 might be weak, 3 will die in the bloodbath...his eyes were glued to the screen.
Maya noted each tribute that stood out. The siblings from 2 might be good allies. The boy from 6 might die early, because of the pained expression on his face. The giant boy from 7 looks good for the pickings. The girl from 10 is young, very likely to die in the bloodbath. The boy from 12 might make it past the killings; he is small and looks sly. The siblings from 14 might be good allies, coming from the medical district. That would be a good choice.
When the recaps ended, Gila looks to her tribute. "If I were you, take the traditional Career path. Also, add in the tributes from Fourteen. They might be good use if you are anyone gets hurt."
"I don't want those weak siblings." Predator says. "I'd rather have the boy from Seven." Maya rolls her eyes.
"Would you want a person who is nothing but brawn, or two people who can heal your wounds?" She raises her voice to him. "Besides, the boy from Seven might be a threat. He could kill you in your sleep."
"Do want you want, Maya. By the looks of it, you might be the first to get killed."
"You'll be following in the footsteps of Dylan!" The words flew from her mouth faster than she could stop them. What did it matter? In a week, they were going to be thrown into an arena where they would all kill each other.
"You little bitch!" Predator yells. He lunges for her, but is held back by Indigo. He turns Predator around and looks him in the eyes.
"You will have enough time to hurt her in the arena!" Indigo yells to his tribute. "Let's not kill her before her time! And you!" He turns his attention to Maya. "If you tick off another tribute, you will find yourself in a world of death. Take my advice and you might go home, darling."
District 5:
Rod fingers the light bulb in his pocket. He and Isadora are sitting in front the largest T.V he has ever seen, ready to watch the Reapings. Their mentors are getting ready to watch the Reapings as well. Rod, so far, likes his mentor. His name was Magnus Wellwood and he was known for stabbing people in the back, quite literally. He hid out in the trees and waited for a tribute to walk by. When they were close enough, he jumped from the trees and stabbed them in the back.
Magnus walked into the entertainment compartment and took a seat beside Silver Spoon. The T.V flipped on as the other mentor walked in. She took a seat next to Isadora, and tried making her feel comfortable. They joked about Chal's chubby face and his nasal-like voice. No nasty comments were said about Dusk, because she was easy to like. No one can even think of her as a bad person.
"Oh, I'm sorry Isadora. My name is Electra Hayes." Electra says to her tribute. Isadora shakes her soft hand and turns her attention to the Reaping.
Isadora didn't want to watch. In a week, she and about thirteen others will be dead in the bloodbath. The tributes from 1, 2 and 4 might be the cause of her death. They looked so monster like on the stage, ready to spill someone's blood on their weapons. The girl from 3 liked like she was terrified to be next to an escort. The boy from 8 also looked the same way. And they all look about Isadora's age. They might be good to ally with.
Rod didn't pay attention. His interest was lost after he saw the siblings from 2 and his own Reaping. These are the people he is going to fight to stay alive with. Nothing is more sickening than to see their living faces on screen, and then be transported into an arena where all but one dies. Despite his skills with certain weapons, he isn't sure that he can make it out alive.
The Reapings finish with District 14 and their tributes and the anthem plays out. Silver Spoon stands up and escorts her team into the dining compartment, where food was lain out for everyone. There was enough food to feed everyone in District 5! Isadora and Rod move to the table and begin filling their plates with stacks of Capitol foods. Magnus and Electra waited for their respective tributes to get their fill before they took theirs. Rod and Isadora took a seat right next to each other and began to dig in. Their mentors took about five minutes before sitting down with their plates.
After Isadora gulped down a glass of water, she looked to Electra. "So, how do we survive like you did?" Electra finishes her food and looks at the fourteen year old girl in front of her. It's hard to believe that she was that same girl over forty years ago.
"First, try to get a decent training score. A six or seven might do the trick. If you pull off an eight, you will have sponsors considering you." She starts, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Then, try to form an alliance. If you saw a tribute you liked in the Reapings, try to befriend them. It can only be temporary, but it will ensure your survival of the bloodbath and maybe to the top eight."
"Also, show off your strengths." Magnus says as he bites into a roll of bread. "The Gamemakers will be watching you train, and will increase or decrease your odds of surviving. If you show them your expertise, your odds will rise and sponsors might flock to you. Speaking of, what do you feel most comfortable wielding in the arena?" His eyes look to either tribute, expecting an answer.
"I like knives." Isadora says, putting a yellow substance on her bread.
"I prefer throwing knives." Rod answers, looking at Magnus.
"Ah. Knife lovers." He says. "Use those weapons on the second and third day before private sessions. On the first day of training, try using new weapons. And you two stay together. Most tributes split up and never talk to each other until they die. I stayed with my district partner and she made it to the final six with me."
The conversation stayed on the topic of strategy. With each bite of food that was taken, a new idea to survive was thrown around. Avoid the bloodbath. Take something close to you and run. Avoid the Career tributes. Don't make a fire if you intended to let it die out. The talks of how to survive kept Rod interested enough to comprehend what was being told to him. The food disappeared from their plates as the conversation kept going.
Before long, Isadora excused herself and went to her bedroom. She stood in the doorway, awestruck. The bed was larger than she was and twice as big as her bed back home. The room was a simple light green and everything was so clean. She moved to her bathroom and turned on the water. All the buttons confused her and she didn't know which one to press. Why do Capitol people have to be so confusing? She thought as she finally pressed the right button.
Rod walked to his room and was in the same awestruck state as Isadora was. The Capitol goes to the fullest extent to make every tribute happy and comfortable before they die. Another reason why the Games are a horror to the districts. You will feel all happy and content before the Capitol takes you to an unknown arena and kills you. He turned on his heel and went to Isadora's assigned room. When he opens the door, no one was present. He could hear the water from her bathroom running.
Before he could turn away, the water shut off and gushes of air were heard from the bathroom. After a few moments, the door opened and Isadora walked out with her pajamas on. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Rod in her doorway. Why was he here? Shouldn't he be in his own room? "Hey, Isa." He says, moving towards her.
"What are you doing here?" She asks quietly. She has never talked to Rod at home before, but saw him around school. This felt rather odd for her.
"I wanted to wish you luck when we get into the arena." He says, nothing different in his voice. He slowly moves to his district partner and wraps her in a hug.
Hugging before the Games begin can cause feelings. Isadora's feelings are locked away while Rod's are free.
District 6:
"Your mentor is the only living victor remaining from Six." Shining Armor says to Kira and Ryan. "She will help you survive and send you sponsor gifts. Now, if you do as she says, you might further in the Games rather if you wing it." He stands up and leaves the tributes alone. Ryan looks to Kira, who is watching the trees whizz by.
Every tribute has a connection with their district partner. It has been seen in many Games before. Some refuse to kill each other; others will kill each other if it means to go home. Ryan only sees Kira at school and at the shops. His connection with Kira isn't as well connected. He barely speaks to her; he can't speak to her. Kira has been the top of her class and she doesn't talk to anyone she doesn't know. Ryan can never get a word in to her anyway, so he has been silent around the smartest girl in 6.
Kira's eyes turn to the door. Their mentor, Amelia Spectral, walks in in her Capitol made dress. It shimmers as she walks, making the room glow with the jewels on her dress. She won the 158th Hunger Games, only after refusing to kill her district partner Nelson. During the final interview, she said that she wished Nelson was on stage rather than her. No one had a dry eye in the audience as she said those words.
That was eighteen years ago and she has grown into a strong woman from her Games. Amelia sat in front of Kira, but looked at both tributes. Her eyes examine Kira; tall, slender girl with slight muscles and strong facial features. She will be a competitor. She then examines Ryan; the brown haired, brown eyed boy couldn't weigh over 150 pounds. Ryan may have to truly prove himself in order to be considered by sponsors.
Amelia brushed her black hair from her eyes and looked at her tributes. "You guys want to know how to survive the Games? Play the underdog. I'm saying that you have to act completely weak and surprise everyone, just make sure that no one expects you. Your strengths will be your rising and downfall. I need to know what you both excel at. Kira?"
"I am very clever." She says. Ryan rolls his eyes. "I am also very skilled at rope tying."
"Good. What about you?" Amelia talks to Ryan.
"I can wield a sword rather well." He answers. Amelia's eyes flicker.
"Rather well may not help you in this case, Ryan." She says. She stands up and looks at Shining Armor. His eyes motion to the entertainment compartment. The Reapings will be replayed right about now. She turns her attention back to her tributes. "Alright you two. We are going to watch the Reaping recap. You are to watch and judge each tribute by their look and whether or not that they volunteered. Come on." She motions with her fingers to stand up.
The group of four walks to the entertainment compartment and take their seats. The Panem seal flashes across the large T.V screen. Dusk Shine and Chal Sherwood begin joking and turn their attention to the Reaping. As the tributes from 1 show up, Kira listens to Dusk's commentary. "If you think that Diamond looks familiar, you are right. She is the daughter of a past tribute. Her mother fought with Braxton from Two in the 160th Hunger Games. Let's hope that Diamond can avenge her mother's death."
Each tribute looks promising, but no one looks like a threat to Kira. Her biggest threat is the boy from Seven, Linden Ulmus. Dusk called him 'the biggest contestant in Hunger Games history'. How will Kira bring him down? She also takes notice of the girl from 14. The medicine district might help her survive. Or should she take the boy from 14? The boy can help her, and then she can leave him heartbroken. With his broken heart, he would be too weak to fight. Perfect.
Ryan only takes notice of one tribute: The girl from 7. She is one year older than him, but he thinks that they can both be in an alliance. However, is she refuses, he has to take another tribute to his liking. But, his eyes sparked when he saw that girl. All the other tributes...lacked that something Ryan was looking for. The girl from 7, whose name suddenly left his mind, looked like someone who can help him survive. That is the only thing that is in his mind right now; survival.
The Reapings ended and the anthem plays them out. Amelia looks to her tributes. "Which tributes did you like?" Kira pushed some of her hair behind her ear.
"I liked the boy from Fourteen." She says. "He is from the medical district and he might clean my wounds if I get hurt." Amelia nodded at her choice.
"That Blakely boy has a sister, remember?" she reminded her tribute. "In order to get to him, you must get past his sister. Can you do it?" Kira nods as Amelia turns her attention to Ryan. "Who did you like?"
The words were caught in Ryan's throat. He tried his hardest to clear them, but he could barely get a sound out. "I liked the girl from Seven." Amelia's eyes dim in color.
"Why her? Why not the boy? The boy looks like he can get you further into the Games." Amelia suggested. Ryan just shook his head.
"I want the girl to be my ally." He says with complete certainty in his voice.
"Okay. Kira chose Blakely and you choose Shelia." Amelia sighs and looks to Shining Armor. "Is dinner laid out yet?"
Ryan didn't pay attention for the rest of the night. He finally knew that girl's name and he promised to make sure that they were allies.
A/N: What is this? Another chapter? Why, yes it is. I wanted to prove that my release dates can be estimated, but I can always release them earlier than what I expect. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope I made your tributes to your liking. I added the 'alliances' because it might give me a base on how everyone survives or perishes in the bloodbath. No alliances are confirmed, but if you want to suggest one, go right ahead. I'll more than happy to make this story the way that you all like. :)
The next chapter will be with districts 7, 8, and 9. Also, isn't it grand that Linden always stands out? Thank you, Ace Johnson, for sending me Linden Ulmus. :) Did you see the new cover? You all voted and District 8 is now the cover!