What was I thinking? Yes, I had trained my whole life for this, but I'm against boys who are look like three of me and girls who can throw bull's eyes with knives ten times in a row. I've only trained in an abandoned warehouse, not a fancy gym with hundreds of kinds of weapons. Corina brings me back to my senses. "How exciting! Now, it's time for the men!" she yelps in that awful Capitol accent. Her clawed violet hand reaches deep down into the bowl, and comes out in a matter of seconds. They must have training for this type of stuff in the Capitol. "Fleiss Keenan!" A skinny 15 year old walks up. He must be from the poor area of District 3. That area was just like District 12, with children that had eyes that were hollow with hunger. They are the ones who always take the tesserae. Fleiss will obviously not make it. A wave of gratitude washes over me as I think of my home, always having food, and a school to go to. "District 3, meet your tributes!" Corina exclaims. She wisks us to the rooms where we will say good bye to our family and friends. My father runs into mine. "Sage, you need to get a knife. That's your weapon. Use it for the Gamemakers and to get in with the Careers…." My father tells me everything I need to know. "Sage, you did what was right. Volunteering for Rose was a good thing. I love you." My father is told to leave by the Peacekeepers guarding the door. Calmly, he leaves. I have no friends, and my father used all of my good bye time. He gave me my mothers pearl bracelet as a token. It is a mixture of rose and white. The bracelet is gorgeous.
When we enter the train, I hear Fleiss gasp. Laid before us is a feast of roast pig, green noodles, exotic fruit, decadent cakes, and dishes I can't name. Fleiss and I eat as much as we can. My father and I have just enough food at home, so this is wonderful. My car on the train is beautiful, with beds with silken covers and drawers full of all types of clothes. A knock on my door sounds. "Sage, Wiress would like to see you." Corina calls. Beetee and Wiress our only victors, and they are our mentors. They are very kind, but not to talkative. I walk down to the dining car, and everyone, including our stylists Kleena and Blozen are here. "Sage, we know that you will probably join the Careers, but Fleiss might just go solo." Wiress informs us. "Sage? Why would you do that?" Fleiss asks, his huge brown eyes confused. "Well, my dad told me to." I tell him. If I told him that it was the best way to survive, then he would beg me to help him join the Career. Corina pipes up. "Ahem. We are here."