We live in cities, you'll never see on screen;
Not very pretty but we sure know how to run things.
Sigma Snowden, 16
District Three Female
"Come along now dears, we have a tight schedule to follow!"
Rosemary grabs my hand along with Lionel's and begins to maneuver us to the train. There are too many citizens on the sides of the path that we are walking, so Peacekeepers are tasted with holding them back from trampling Lionel or I. All I can see is a blur of whites, greys, and blacks as I move towards the silver train.
"Watch your step Sigma dear," Rosemary whispers as she helps me up the steps that enter the train. I am amazed at what I see as I open the first door to what I presume is the main room of our part of the train. I'm sure it would have been more beautiful had I been able to see the actual colors, but it is still breathtakingly stunning.
Two rows of tables line the walls of the train car, and they are filled with pastries and delicacies I could only dream of being able to afford with my parent's salary. I begin to pace next to one of the long tables of food, and proceed to stuff my face with what appears to be a fried pastry of some sort. It tastes divine in my mouth, and I just want to keep eating more and more until I simply can't eat anymore.
I look to my left and I immediately see Lionel stuffing his face as well. Rosemary is looking at us as if we were crazy, but if she was a District child she would understand how special this is for us. I dip my hand into another bowl, and I pull something hard and solid out of it. When I bring it up to my eyes, it appears to be chocolate. It's very hard to come by chocolate in my district, as usually only the factory owners or the inherently rich people can afford to buy it.
I unwrap the clear wrapper around the chocolate's smooth form, and plop the whole dainty square bar into my mouth. The sensation of flavor after I begin to chew the chocolate bar is like nothing I've ever tasted before.
"Come along now children," Rosemary coos. "There's time to taste later as we watch the Reapings Recap. But for now I must show you around your section of the train and escort you to your rooms." I follow Rosemary's clicking heels as she sashays down the hallway, and Lionel walks up next to me.
"Pretty interesting lady, wouldn't you agree Sigma?" I keep my head straight forward even as he asks me the question. Something about him gives me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Why would he want to volunteer for this? He doesn't seem like some raging psychopath that did it for the killing, but at this point I can't rule out anything.
"Yes," I deadpan. "Very interesting."
"Lighten up a little Sigma," Lionel says. "You may not have that much longer to live, and we certainly wouldn't want you to die as an old stiff would we?" He laughs at his own supposed joke, but I cringe in response. Who does this guy think he is, joking about my life and my possible death? I am extremely grateful when Rosemary announces that we have reached our respective rooms.
"Sigma darling, your door is the one closer to the main car." She points to the room on the right side of this little hallway, and I nod in response. "Lionel, yours is the room closer to the dining cart." Once again she points to the door that Lionel's room is behind, and he thanks her without speaking a word.
"I don't know about you children, but I'm going to go freshen up a bit before the Reapings Recap!" Rosemary quickly shuffles her way out of this hallway, presumably to her room where she can change into one of her probable thousands of outfits.
"Maybe before the Reapings Recap we can head on over to my room and… have a little fun?" Lionel smirks and gives me a wink, and begins to shimmy his body in a seemingly seductive manor, but it just makes me roll my eyes in response. I slide the door open to my room and as I'm about to go in I can hear him call out. "Suit yourself! You're missing out on all of this goodness." He laughs quite loudly and I can hear him open his door and close it behind him as well.
As I turn away from the door, I finally have the opportunity to asses my living quarters for a little bit. The room I am in is larger than my living room and dining room back in District Three and it is twice the size of the bedroom that I share with Tate. Ah Tate, how I would do anything to hear her cries and screams.
Even though Tate is only a child still and can be quite annoying with her constant screams and wails, I miss her terribly already. She did keep me occupied, even if it was for the most trivial of things such as needing someone to burp her or give her some toys to play with. I would give anything to see her tiny little body and her big eyes again. I wonder how Alby is doing now, being the only one that can stay with Tate during the day now that I'm gone.
Alby was always the adoptive parent to Tate and I. With mother and father always working during the day, Alby raised me. And when Tate came along and Mother couldn't take the time off to watch her, Alby again took on the responsibility of watching over Tate. Alby had to mature very quickly, and I am going to be forever grateful to him for raising me and taking on the job of raising Tate too.
As I'm reminiscing, I manage to make my way over to the bathroom door and turn on the sink water with the diamond encrusted handles. I cup my hands and let the water fall into the crevices of my hand and when my hands are full of cold water, I splash the water on my face. The cold water cascading down my cheeks feels refreshing and it was much needed. As I'm drying my face with the cashmere towel, I hear a soft knock on the door and I shuffle my way over to the door. I slide it open and look straight into the eyes of my mentor, Nykon Adrion.
"Sorry if I'm intruding Sigma, but I just wanted to let you know that the Reapings Recap will begin in five minutes." She gives a quick soft smile before turning towards the living room car.
"Thank you Nykon," I say with a smile. "I'll be there in a second, I just want to change into something else." Nykon is a genuine person, and I really do think that we are very similar. She's quite intelligent, and I feel that we could have an intellectual discussion about any topic. I might even try to have a discussion with her tonight, just to calm my nerves down a little bit. I'm sure Nykon would enjoy her tribute actually spending some time with her and getting to know her beyond the fact that she's a victor.
I walk over to the closet that is on the side of my room near my bed, and I open it up. I can see an array of pants and shirts and skirts and dresses, no doubt of all different colors, before plucking out a pair of pants and a simple silky shirt. I quickly strip out of my Reaping clothes and slide into these comfortable Capitol clothes before making my way down the hallway and into the main car where Dakota, Nykon, and Lionel await for my arrival.
I sit myself down on a comfortable plush swivel chair that is next to Dakota, and I wait for the Reapings Recap to come up on the television screen.
"So all this does for us is it lets us see or competition a few hours earlier?" Lionel asks.
"It allows you to see their potential," Nykon answers. "Not only do you get to see who might be a good person to have as an ally, but you get to see who is a threat, who is confident, who is shy… who is weak. Facial expressions are everything, and as soon as their name is called pay close attention to what their initial reaction is. Everything after that is faking it for the cameras. You can tell a lot by a small smirk or a shocked expression." Nykon's explanation makes me smile. I knew I'd love her as a mentor, and even if we weren't in this situation I'd like to think if I had known Nykon we would have been good friends.
"Just pay close attention and you'll do fine," Dakota states. Lionel and I both nod, and as we do the television in front of us bursts to life with a few cracks and pops from the static.
I gulp. Now is the time to asses my competition, and I can't mess up at this. This isn't just getting an A on a project at school, or failing to help Alby watch Tate. This could be the difference between life and death.
"Welcome one and all to the Reapings Recap!"
Ralliath Ankina, 18
District One Male
I take a deep sigh as the train door is finally closed, and the flashing of the cameras subsides. Every year I watch as our tributes push their way through the crowds of Capitol citizens that always gathered at our station, but never in a million years did I think it was so intense. I literally had to push people out of my way to get to the train, as people from all over snapped pictures and yelled out questions.
Tharia handled it much better than I did, smiling at each flash and answering as many questions as she could on her way to the train. She was obviously more equipped to deal with that many people, and I could tell by the look on her face that she knew she had already gained an edge.
Jokingly, I stick my tongue out at her, expecting at least a smile in return, but instead I get a glare before she turns her head and looks in the other direction. How on earth did she go from that happy smiling girl who was more than willing to answer any questions asked to her, to this- for lack of a better work- bitch that stands in front of me?
"Well, why don't we all go take a seat in the living room and chat before dinner?" Kenisha suggests, leading the way through one of the automatic doors. I should be more impressed by the high quality of everything on the train. I mean yes it's cool, but I couldn't be bothered. It's all the same, just fancier looking. Plus, it wasn't as if I hadn't seen half this stuff before. Advantages of living in the luxury district I guess.
Kenisha leads myself, Tharia, as well as both Jeffra and Jayce into a larger room with plenty of couches and chairs to sit on. I, being me, quickly pick a chair and sit in front of a small table, putting my feet up.
"Ralliath! Get your feet of there! It's expensive!" I grumble as Kenisha swats my feet from the table.
"Sorry," I mutter, sitting up. Tharia again smirks at me, before taking a seat herself.
The room is completely silent after that. No one making a single sound. The tension is high for a reason I'm not even sure of, but I can tell you right now I don't like it.
"So, Jayce, you're my mentor?" I prompt, trying to get a conversation going.
"Yes sir, lucky for you!" Ah, still as arrogant as ever.
"More like you're the lucky one, having me as your first tribute and all."
"I told Jeffra over here the same thing. You're going to be victor right?" I smile, happy he already thinks so highly of me, but before I can answer Tharia let's out a loud snort.
"Him, victor? Please!" She laughs, flipping her hair behind her shoulder once again. You know the judgmental, arrogant thing was tolerable at first, but it's already gotten old.
"I'd like to see you get close to me, oh mighty one," I comment, mockingly bowing my head in her direction.
"Ralliath, our lovely own Kenisha over here could take you," she spits, motioning towards our escort who sits rather awkwardly in the corner.
"No need to prove her wrong," Kenisha quickly clarifies. I can't help but laugh, the woman actually considered I'd be stupid enough as to fight her, just to prove a point?
"No need to worry Kenisha, someone's just a little grumpy today."
"Enough you two, you do remember you will be allies right?" Everyone's eyes turn to Jeffra as she speaks for the first time since we all sat down together.
"How dumb do you think we are?" Tharia immediately asks.
"I believe you to be very smart, Tharia, which is why I chose you." Tharia smirks, obviously happy that someone finally appreciates her.
"I assume you both are sticking with the careers?"
"Of course," Tharia says, and I nod in agreement.
"Wonderful. Now, this bickering between you two must stop now. The others will notice it, and they'll manipulate you. Turn you against each other. District One doesn't need that."
"I will not be manipulated, don't you worry," Tharia again almost immediately says. The girl needs to relax; she's so defensive about everything.
"But I guess dummy over here might be," Tharia adds, smirking at me. I have no idea what I did to this girl, but we have really gotten off on the wrong foot.
"Exactly what I'm talking about Tharia. Those comments are only going to hurt you," Jeffra informs.
Tharia doesn't answer, instead she turns her attention out the window to where endless rows of trees are being featured.
Surprisingly, Kenisha doesn't say a word as she sits in the corner picking at her finger nails. I would have never pegged her to be the quiet type, but I guess dealing with our mentors probably forces you to be that way.
The silence returns, setting uncomfortably over the five of us.
"Well supper should be ready soon, if anyone's interested?"
"I'm starving," I smile, ready to try this famous Capitol food. No one else says anything, but they all get up and follow as me and Kenisha exit the room.
"What's on the menu?"
"Not really sure, but I'm sure it's something yummy!" Kenisha says over her shoulder.
After a few moments of silence, we walk through a door to a room that reveals itself to be the eating area, or dining room as most call it. My stomach grumbles as the delicious smells waft through the air.
"Everyone pick a seat." As it turns out, there wasn't much of a choice. Kenisha forced her way into the end seat, while Jeffra and Jayce quickly stole the pair of seats on one side of the table, leaving two empty chairs right beside each other. Oh good, I get to sit beside smiley.
"Shouldn't we talk about strategies or something?" I ask, attempting once again to get the conversation rolling. But I'm quickly shot down as Jeffra informs me that's for after dinner, and apparently now was the time to relax and enjoy the silence.
Silence was not something I enjoyed, at all.
The food was brought out not long after, giving me something to do instead of sitting uncomfortably.
Immediately I grabbed a piece of thick steak, smothering in it some sort of sauce, before cutting a piece and shoving it into my mouth.
The meat was good, amazing even, and so was everything else. But it still wasn't enough to distract me from the silence. Other than the occasionally scrape of a knife, or the loud chewing, the room was silent.
This was turning out to be worse than I thought.
Nico Devlin, 14
District Seven Male
I want to cry, scream, and hide under my blankets for days. All I want is to breakdown, but doing that would prove me weak, and that's not something I can show right now. Not in front of Asher, not in front of Sida, and most certainly not in front of Alivia.
I like Alivia. She's a sweet girl with a great personality. I can tell already, from the few short hours we've spent together that she's not the smartest girl, but who am I to judge.
"So where about did you live? I don't remember seeing you, ever," Alivia smiles, turning the conversation her and Asher had previously been having to me.
"I lived in the average part of the district, not too poor or not too rich. What about you?"
"Poor, very poor," Alivia says, her smile not faltering.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Asher buts in.
"Not your fault!"
"What about family?"
"Only child, and wasn't close to either of my parents." Her smile starts to falter, but she quickly regains it. Poor girl. Sounds like she hasn't had the best of lives.
"What about you Nico? How's your family?"
"They were great." I sigh. Family is most certainly not something I want to talk about. I miss them. I miss them a lot, and talking about them would just make me feel worse.
I look over to where Sida is sat. She has barely spoke since we boarded the train, and every time she had it was in small portions, and was usually quite negative. She was quite the downer, and honestly I didn't like her much, but she won her games and I had to respect her.
"The reaping recaps will be starting soon! Are you ready to get your first glimpse at your competitors?" Neither Alivia nor I respond, obviously not excited about seeing the kids who will either kills us or be who we will kill. But we have to. In order for either to us to have a shot we need to know everything we can about the other tributes.
Asher leans over and grabs a small device, pressing the largest button on it and pointing it at the screen. It instantly comes to life, illuminating Varro Decksheimer's rather pale features. Varro has been around since the start of the games, and has been the one to interview every tribute each year. He also is the one who is seen the most on screen. Some one would say he's the face of the Games.
"Welcome Panem to yet another exciting year!" Varro isn't half bad, from what I can tell. He's always cheerful and is usually nice to the tributes when he's interviewing them, something I respect a lot.
"Here we go," Sida sighs from the corner, taking a sip from her glass filled with some sort of alcoholic mixture. I smile at the woman when we make eye contact. Sure I may not like her, but I hate to see her so upset. She should be happy; she's not the one going into the games... Of course she already did.
Focus Nico, focus. I need to scope out the competition, see what I'm up against. I look to the screen to see Varro's familiar features fading into a dark screen, soon filled with white lettering that spells out District One.
They don't waste anytime, cutting right to the point where the name is called, and a female takes to the stage. Her last name I don't remember, but I hear her introduce herself as Tharia. Volunteer, definitely a threat.
"We should watch out for her, she's going to be strong," I say in a weak attempt to make myself sound observant to the others.
"You're right Nico." Asher smiles, and I smile back before returning to the screen.
The male is called Ralliath something, and it doesn't take long after he's on the stage before the bickering happens between the two.
"This is good, they're already fighting. It will cause cracks in the careers!" I beam, looking around at the others for some sort of agreement. Of course, Asher is the only one to reply. Sida seems like she couldn't care less, and Alivia looks to be zoned out, eyes fixated on the screen.
"Don't forget that Nico, it could come in handy later." I smile at Asher. I like him. For a victor he isn't that bad, generally happy go lucky, and those are my type of people.
District Two appears next, and much like District One they don't waste any time showing the tributes. The girl who steps up, Cascade, is undeniably good looking, so much so that I don't really pay attention to much else about her. Luckily, Asher is there to save the day.
"She's only 16, which means one of two things; she wasn't meant to volunteer, or she's that good that she beat out the 18 year olds. Definitely one to watch."
I nod in agreement. The boy is another volunteer, but he's rather unimpressive, claiming his spot on stage without much action.
"Nothing interesting there."
"Oh Nico, you're so wrong buddy. Never underestimate someone, especially not a career." Surprisingly it is Sida who speaks instead of Asher. Not that it matters. I still blush all the same, embarrassed by my mistake.
I stare at the ground as the screen switches to District Three. The girl is reaped, but I pay little attention to her, naturally underestimating her just because of her age and district. But then again, I'm a 14 year old District Seven boy, I bet all the other tributes see me as weak.
Alivia actually gasps at what happens next, the District Three boy who was reaped is replaced by an older, much more capable looking volunteer.
"A volunteer?" Alivia asks, sounding confused, "I don't understand."
"He wants to go to the games, he volunteers. Not much to understand." Alivia shrinks back at Sida's words, and I glare at the victor. That was no way to treat anybody, but before I can say anything Asher speaks up.
"Different last names, it's unlikely they're related," Asher puzzles, staring as the boy stands on stage.
The screen quickly switches to District Four, leaving all of us still confused over why the boy volunteered.
District Four is as expected, two older, stronger looking volunteers. Both real contenders; huge threats to me.
"They may leave very little impressions on you, but they're from Four, and should certainly not be underestimated. They both seem very capable of taking home the victor's crown." Asher's words remind me that I have to stop looking over people. Everyone is here to win, whether it be the younger girl from Three or one of the careers. We all want one thing, and that's to win.
District Five is next, and following tradition, the tributes are shown almost immediately. The girl, whose name I didn't catch, again looks rather plain but what does catch my eye is the girls slight limp.
"Could be faking it to make herself seem weaker," Asher comments. Would someone really do that? Fake an injury just to come off as less of a threat? It's actually rather smart, if she is faking. Clever girl.
The boy, who has a weird name, makes absolutely no impression on me as he makes his way to the stage.
District Six is another district that makes little to no impression. The girl, Amera, elegantly takes her place on stage showing absolutely no emotion.
I zone out as the boy is selected, and all I saw was a head of brown hair.
"Well there it is folks, the first 12 tributes! We're just going to take a quick commercial break before we continue!"
"Well, we definitely have an interesting bunch. Alivia, what do you think?"
"The careers look strong."
"What about the other tributes? The pairs from Three, Five, and Six?"
"I don't remember much of them," Alivia admits, staring down at the floor.
"That's okay. You'll have plenty of time to study them over the next week. Now, I have question before the reapings come back on. Will you two be allies, or not?"
The question shocks me. I hadn't given it much thought if I'm being honest, but as me and Alivia make eye contact, I see her raise her eyebrow slightly in a questioning way.
"Together?" I ask, smiling over at Alivia.
"Together," she repeats.
Looks like I've got myself an ally.
Jericho Haverfield, 17
District Eleven Male
"They're starting up again in 5 minutes Jericho," Orondo says. "Make sure you're back in this room by the time they start again. We don't want you to miss the other tributes." I nod in recognition and then walk quickly down the hallway of the train and into my room. I immediately walk straight to the bathroom door and shut it and then lock it. I slide to the floor with my back against the door and put my face in my hands.
How am I supposed to handle all of this? I'm only 17 and I'm dealing with life and death. Orondo and Kor are asking me to memorize everything about the tributes and I just can't do that. I don't know how Eden can just sit there and act like this doesn't faze her at all.
I stand back up and move over to the sink in the bathroom. I turn on the cool water and let it fall into my hands, and splash it all over my face. I need to stay calm and collected and I need to make sure that I do what Orondo and Kor want me to do. They're my only shot at making it out of the Games alive, and I need to do whatever they want so that they'll help me get some sponsors.
After I dry my face off, I unlock the bathroom door and walk back to the main room of our part of the train just in time because I can see 'District Seven' written in green cursive ink on the television screen.
The girl that's reaped screams bloodbath to me. She's on the younger side of the age spectrum, and she's screaming and crying for somebody to help her. Her cries don't even stop when she gets to the stage, and she remains crying for the rest of the reaping. I do feel very bad for the girl, Alivia, and I want to help her. But I know that if I was to make it out of the Games, I'd need a strong alliance. She just didn't seem to be the type to want to fight, and because of that I can't ally with her, no matter how much my heart disagrees with me.
The boy is around the same age, and I also write him off as a bloodbath. He appears to be trembling and shaking even as he walks towards the stage, but I am impressed that he manages to hold in the tears. He trips and falls once he reaches the steps of the stage and I send the television a sympathetic look even though the boy on screen can't see it. It seems as if District Seven has no shot at winning this year. It's sad to see two young tributes reaped, but it's a lot better for me and my chances of winning this year.
Next up is District Eight, and it's written in cursive writing with all different colors. Makes sense since they produce textiles of all different colors.
The male that's reaped seems very calm and collected, much like I usually am. He is clenching his fists visibly, and he seems to have an angry look on his face. I think that he's going to be a rather large threat in these Games, even though he isn't that old compared to the careers. Once he makes it to the stage his keeps his hands at his sides still balled into fists, and I think that's a vain attempt to calm himself down.
The girl that's reaped, Aedre, seems very calm and doesn't seem fazed at all with what's just happened to her. She even flashes a small smile to the cameras, probably to gain some early sponsors and to show them that she's "excited" about this opportunity. She seems like she can play up the crowd well, and I think that she might be able to slide her way to the win with all the sponsors that I think she'll be able to win over.
"District Eight seems very intimidating this year," I say. Eden pokes her head up from the chair she was sitting in and nods in agreement.
"They do seem like threats," Kor agrees. "Maybe they'd be good to have as allies since they seem to be quite strong." I'm not so sure I agree with him, but in order to not cause a rift between my mentor and I, I just nod and smile and watch as District Nine appears on the screen.
The girl that was reaped is quite pretty if I do say so myself, and she is clearly not afraid to use that to her advantage. She seems to be playing up the crowd, much like the girl from 8, and winks and smiles at the cameras as she makes her way to the stage. She seems to be one of those people that likes to use their looks to get what they want. She could be very dangerous in the arena.
The male that has been reaped is a different story. He seems to be a little bit lankier than I would expect from someone who probably works in the fields all day, and I don't think that he'll be much competition. He seems a little panicked when he's first picked, but accepts his fate as he walks towards the stage and ends up shrugging a few times before he joins his district partner on the stage.
"Girl seems to be a threat but the boy seems like he'll be nothing to worry about," I say.
"You'd be surprised what people pull out of their hats once the games begin," Orondo says. I can see Eden roll her eyes as District Ten comes onto the screen.
"I'm done with watching this stuff," Eden says as she gets up and walks towards the hallway. "This is pointless. We can't tell who's going to be a threat and who isn't until we see them in the Games. If you need me, I'll be in my room."
I watch her go away and the name of the female on screen gets my attention back to the Reapings Recap. The girl that has been called is very tiny and underweight. She seems to puff out her chest I guess to make herself look tougher. It doesn't really work, but I admire her courage. I don't think that she's going to last very long, but I am hoping that when her death comes that it'll be very quick for her.
The male is a complete turn around from his partner. He is extremely fit and seems to be very athletic. He'll definitely be hard to beat in the arena, and I certainly don't want to have to face him in a fight. He seems very angry as he walks towards the stage, and it only enhances his dangerous aura. His temper maybe the one thing that I can use against him though, which provides me with some hope that I maybe able to beat him.
"Watch out for the boy Jericho," Orondo says. I nod at him and thank him for letting me know what to do, and I prepare myself to watch my own Reaping on the television.
Eden's name is called and I can't help but admire her because she kept her face void of any emotion. I guess after getting to talk to her for a little bit on the train, it makes sense why she had no emotion on her face when she was reaped- she never has any emotion on her face ever.
I watch my own reaping and internally groan at my reaction. I looked like I was so fearful, and it wasn't at all what I was hoping to come across as. I do manage to see myself smirk as the reaping comes to a close, and I'm pretty proud that I at least managed to come off as some what excited that I was reaped to the Capitolites.
When District Twelve comes onto the screen, I can't help but scoff at the fact that another weak tribute has been reaped. I feel bad for all the young ones that have been reaped, but it increases my chances of winning tenfold. This one is the youngest of them all it would seem, and she definitely doesn't seem like she'll pose a threat to me. Poor girl, she probably won't make it past the Bloodbath.
The male is once again a different story. For someone from District Twelve, he is rather in fit and seems that he could pose a threat to me. He has a scowl on his face as he makes his way towards the stage, and once he's on there he makes a face at the crowd and then glares at the escort, like he blames her for the whole ordeal he is now apart of.
The television clicks itself off in an instant after the District Twelve tributes are introduced one more time, and I turn myself around to face Kor and Orondo.
"Any idea on allies that you might want Jericho?" Kor asks me.
"I think I might have a few ideas, but before I commit to something I want to see how they each perform in training first." I stand up from the couch and begin to walk towards the door to my hallway where my room is. "May I be excused?"
Orondo makes a gesture with his hand that indicates that I may go to my room, and I open the door to the hallway and begin to walk to my room. I spot Eden at the end of the hallway, sitting in the corner and watching the trees go by as we speed on towards the Capitol.
"Everything okay?" I ask. She looks up at me from her spot on the floor.
"I'm fine."
"Alright, if you need me you know where to find me."
"Thanks." With that little awkward exchange done, I walk into my room and shut the door behind me. I wonder why she's so short and to the point. Why does she never want to delve into a personal conversation with me? I can't be that scary. Can I?
If the rest of the trip before the Games is anything like today has been, this is going to be a long, depressing ride.
Aedre Moidart, 16
District Eight Female
"So what's life like for a victor?" I smile up at Chance as he sits on the couch alongside Velvet. His smile quickly fades, a look of worry appearing on his face.
"It's great. We have everything we could ever need and more," he says, his smile returning to his pale face.
"If I had your money, I'd give it to the poor."
"We do, all the time!" Velvet smiles, glancing over to where Fuller sits silently.
"Are you ok Fuller?" I ask, attempting to reel the boy into the conversation.
"Yes, fine!" he says, smiling up at me. Fuller's an interesting one. He's not distant or rude, he's actually rather nice. But he's not one to keep a conversation going really. He'll answer your questions and talk to you, but he doesn't initiate the conversation, he's just kind of weird.
"What did you two think of the other tributes?" Chance asks, glancing between the two of us.
"The careers are strong, as always." I nod in agreement with Fuller's statement. In all honestly, the careers were the only ones I really payed attention too. I vaguely remember a few others, like the little girl from Twelve, but mostly I was thinking about how easily I was forgetting each tribute that was shown. How on earth could the Capitol remember us all? So many tributes each year, it would be easy for tributes to just slip under the radar, never drawing much attention, and then when they died, they'd be forever forgotten.
I can't have that. I can't be forgotten.
"What about you Aedre, anyone interesting?" I smile up at Velvet without thinking, desperately searching my brain for any tributes that stood out.
"The boy from Three, the volunteer, he was interesting," I sigh, good, she won't think I'm useless.
"Yes, that was certainly something we don't see everyday."
"The boys from Ten, Eleven, and Twelve all look surprisingly strong this year," Fuller notes, barely raising his head. I do remember noticing that all three were older, and stronger looking than what those districts normally produce.
"There's a high chance they'll ally, it's not uncommon for those three districts to band together."
"Speaking of allies, what are your guys thoughts on the idea?"
"I'll be going alone," Fuller quickly says, before I could even process the question.
"Are you sure?" Velvet asks, concern obvious in her tone of voice.
"Yes," Fuller deadpans. Velvet sends a worrying glance in Chance's direction before continuing.
"If you insist, though I don't know if it's a good idea. What about you Aedre?"
"I plan to find someone," I say, thinking back to who I pegged as ally material.
"Don't decide now, you'll have to meet some of the other tributes first." I nod, but before I can respond the train cart instantly dims. I stand up and quickly look around, my blood curdling.
"What is happening?" I scream, looking over to where Fuller stands, alarm written all over his face.
I turn to the sound of giggling, to see Velvet and Chance barely containing their laughter.
"What's so funny?" Fuller demands.
"Everything's fine, we're just going through the tunnel that surrounds the Capitol." My cheeks instantly feel heated. I quickly take my seat, keeping my eyes on the ground in embarrassment.
"Come on guys, that was funny," Chance laughs, but neither Fuller or I respond.
"The good news is, we've arrived." I don't see how that's good news, but I still can't help myself but look up and out the window as the Capitol begins to come into view.
I hate to say it, but it's beautiful. Breath taking even. The way the buildings are built to the sky, and all the bright colors and the way the sun glistens off of everything. It's too much to take in at once.
"Beautiful isn't?" There's no denying it, the Capitol wasn't disappointing in appearance at all.
"Now, you guys should be prepared for when we get off the train."
"Is it going to be like when we boarded the train?" I ask, thinking back to all the cameras and questions, and just the general feeling of being overwhelmed that came with the Capitol reporters.
"It's going to be worse, a lot worse." Oh joy, I think, not looking forward to be bombarded again.
"You'll be fine," Velvet attempts to reassure, gently patting my back. I don't believe her though, how could I? We're going into the Hunger Games, a place were I'll most likely die a painful death. Sure that's scary, but that's not what I'm most terrified of. What if I'm forgotten? What if I die, and a few years later the name Aedre Moidart is never spoken again, and people completely forget about me? That's what I'm most afraid of; being forgotten. Just like Alston.
"Are you ready?" I nod, dying to get this over with.
Before anything else is said, Chance pushes the door open, and the chaos begins.
Flashes are everywhere, and I'm momentarily blinded. Questions are coming at me in all directions, people asking things from how good I think my chances are to my favorite color. I ignore most of the questions, instead putting on a big smile and gently pushing my way through the mass of people, and surprisingly it doesn't take as long as I thought.
As I push through the final people, I turn around to search for the rest of them. It doesn't take long before Fuller joins my side, looking more than a little flustered.
"Where's Velvet and Chance?" I ask, and Fuller simply nods to where Velvet and Chance stand just a few feet from the train door, completely surrounded in people. Suddenly, it clicks. I'm a rather unimpressionable, unimpressive girl from one of the poorer districts. I don't get much attention, which means I'm going to be forgotten. Unless… unless I win. It's as simple as that, even years after their games Chance and Velvet still got more attention than Fuller and I, simply because their victors. They're never forgotten, ever. Their names will forever be carved in history, but what of the 23 other tributes that went into their games? Not a trace of any of them.
Well, I guess I'm going to have to win the Hunger Games, how hard could it even be?
Living in ruins of the palace within my dreams;
and you'll know, we're on each other's team.
Song: Team
Artist: Lorde
A/N: Hello readers! First and foremost, I would like to apologize for the delay in the update. Fin and I both had exams the past week, so it was very hard to squeeze in writing during that time. However, Fin and I are both exam free this upcoming week so we should be good with updating on time this weekend!
Just an important announcement about updating: Starting in June, updates will be very slow. Possibly non-existent until the last week. The reason is because I have my finals and regents exams for 2 weeks in June, and the week before those weeks is packed with review classes and studying for the exams. Sorry about that.
Other than that announcement, here are the questions.
Questions:
Which POV was your favorite?
Which tribute(s) stood out to you this chapter?
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and Fin and I would love to see you guys drop a review! It always keeps us motivated and makes it more pleasant to write knowing what you guys think. Once again, sorry for the delay!
-Fin and Ace