Dakota Grangerford, 12

District 9 Female

Another set of Peacekeepers had to lift Dakota onto the train while Capitol reporters photographed and stared. Ezekiel kept his head down, and was keeping his distance from Dakota. She was relieved when the door slid shut behind her.

The train was incredibly fancy, decorated in shades of pink and brown. White roses filled the vases on the tables. It was all very atmospheric, but Amity's neon clothing most definitely didn't fit in. She was sitting on a cream-colored couch, sipping a glass of what Dakota thought was wine. She smiled at them when they entered, her pink lips stretching a little too wide.

Two figures that Dakota never paid much attention to before were sitting at a dining table, heads together while they whispered. It took her a moment to recognize them as Maddox Hume and Ceres Arthur, two of District 9's victors. Maddox was tall, with curly red hair and freckles, and Ceres had olive skin and short golden hair. She looked up when Dakota and Ezekiel came in.

"Hello you two," she said. "I'm Ceres." She held out her hand for a handshake, which Dakota begrudgingly accepted. She supposed Ceres was going to be her mentor. Girls usually mentored the girls.

"Thanks for the warm welcome to our deaths," Dakota grumbled when Ceres released her hand. Ceres frowned, stepping back, while Maddox snorted. Ezekiel's face paled.

"Don't remind me," he mumbled, looking away.

"Why? District 9 never wins, and I doubt either of us stand a chance. I mean, look at me!"

"You definitely don't stand a chance if you stay in that mindset," Maddox said, standing up. "You need to at least try."

"Why?" Dakota challenged, her voice sharp. "What's the point?"

"The point is not dying," Maddox snapped. Dakota rolled her eyes.

"Come with me," Maddox said. He walked over and began to push Dakota's wheelchair.

"Hey!" she protested. "That's rude."

"So are you," Maddox replied casually. He wheeled her into a more private sitting area before releasing her and sitting down.

"Listen," he said. "If you give up, they win. You've got to keep fighting. Have some dignity, and don't shame our district."

"Why aren't you focusing on Ezekiel?" Dakota snapped. "He stands a much better chance."

"Why?" Maddox said.

"Because," she grumbled.

"Why?" he repeated.

"Because he's not in a stupid wheelchair!" Dakota almost yelled. Amity glanced their way, but went back to her wine after a moment.

Maddox was quiet for a moment.

"I'll be mentoring you, not Ceres," he finally said. "Because I'm not giving up on you."

Indigo Li, 13

District 8 Female

Indigo sat on a fluffy couch, nearly sinking into the plushness. Zander, Kelsi, and Keith had disappeared together a few moments ago, which made her pout. Kelsi was supposed to be her mentor! She wiggled back further on the couch and tipped her head back.

She had to admit that it was nice to have no Peacekeepers around. The past few days had been absolutely filled with them, so she appreciated the peace. Ha. Peace from Peacekeepers.

The door slid open and Kelsi Sanchez came in. She was in her early 70's and won the first Hunger Games. Indigo had never seen her Games, but she assumed Kelsi had not won by brute strength. The woman was short and slim, like Indigo.

"Hi," Indigo said, sitting up properly. "Are you going to mentor me now?

Kelsi raised an eyebrow.

"Zander is still learning," she said. "And I mentored him too. I was just helping him out."

"Sorry," she said a bit sheepishly, looking down. Kelsi just chuckled.

"So, why did you volunteer?" she asked, sitting down across from Indigo and folding her arms across her chest. Indigo shrugged, looking away."

"No one volunteers just because," Kelsi said. "So, why?"

Sinking back into her seat again, Indigo mumbled the answer.

"I needed to escape the Peacekeepers."

"What?" Kelsi asked. "Whatever for?" She looked genuinely curious and concerned, and Indigo felt herself wanting to spill the whole story.

"A girl messed with my unfinished science project and it exploded and killed her, and my aunt turned me in even though it wasn't my fault so I was under house arrest but that was killing me so I tried to run away but I fell and hurt my arm and I was caught and then the Peacekeepers wouldn't leave me alone so I volunteered to get away from them."

She drew in a deep breath after speaking and bit down on her lower lip, stomach churning with nerves. Kelsi was just watching her, her face expressionless.

"Oh,' she finally said. "Well, that's a first for me. Weren't there other alternatives?"

"I guess," Indigo said, shrugging. "But I didn't have time to think of any."

"Indigo," Kelsi said, scooting closer. "I don't want to scare you, but you volunteered for a death match. I need you to realize the seriousness of this situation. Tributes younger than you have won, but only one. It is very likely you won't make it out of this."

A flash of fear darted through Indigo's mind, but it was quickly replaced by anger. She jumped up, getting in Kelsi's face.

"I know!" she shouted. "And even if I didn't, why are you telling me this? You're supposed to help me! It's not like I can un-volunteer. So why don't you be useful, or just shut up!"

Indigo whirled around and stomped away, to the bedroom Agnes had pointed out when they first boarded the train. She slammed the door behind her, falling face-first onto the buttery yellow bedspread. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she furiously rubbed them away.

She pulled the picture of her parents out of her back pocket. She'd tucked it there this morning, when she first planned to run away. It felt like years ago now. So much had happened.

Indigo flopped back on the bed and stared at the white ceiling. Why did she volunteer? Would being under house arrest for a few days be that bad? Compared to being in a death match, it was heaven. But she was stuck in said death match now. Might as well make the most of it.

Prince Middleton, 17

District 1 Male

Prince sighed, staring out the window as the world flashed by. Cosette and Queenie were chatting in the background, but he had yet to see his mentor Gleam. Everything had gone wrong. Maia didn't think he could do it. Ali was mad at him for volunteering. What was he supposed to do?

He had to win. He already had to, but now the stakes were even higher. Ali was really angry, and he hated that. He loved him so much, and it hurt to know he was the cause of Ali's distress. If he won, all of that would be rectified.

The door opened with a heavy clunk and Gleam stepped inside. He was carrying a glass of white wine and wasn't wearing any shoes. He looked around for a moment before spotting Prince.

Coming over, Gleam sat in the dining chair across from him.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"What?"

"Are you hungry?"

Prince squinted at him, but nodded. He was a little hungry. Gleam got up and walked over to a small circle on the wall. He pressed it and spoke aloud.

"Bring our lunch," he said. Then he came to sit across from Prince again.

"So, Prince, why did you volunteer in Elijah's place?"

He looked a little closer at Gleam's clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, and it hit him. Gleam was upset with him too. Sighing, Prince scrubbed a hand over his face and leaned back.

"It's a long story," he said. "But my parents are extremely homophobic. They refused to let me see my boyfriend. So I volunteered to escape them."

"Couldn't you just have waited until you were 18?" Gleam asked. Prince clenched his fists.

"I love him!" he nearly shouted, earning him strange glances from Queenie and Cosette. Gleam just watched him. "I can't stand being away from him. I had to volunteer!"

He expected Gleam to challenge him again, but his mentor just nodded.

"Alright. I got your training records before we left, and you aren't the most skilled trainee. But you're clearly very motivated, and that gives you an edge. And you'll definitely gain sponsors with that story of yours. I think you might stand a chance."

"Wow, thanks," Prince said sarcastically. He was about to continue when the door opened loudly again and a tall, pale man dressed in white stepped inside, carrying two large trays. He set one down on the table between him and Gleam, who took the cover off, revealing a large plate of what looked like ribs, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.

Gleam began serving them heaping portions while Prince watched him. He was hard to read, that was for sure. It was an art form many victors had perfected over the years, which was frustrating as a trainee and a tribute. Prince liked having an edge. He didn't have one with Gleam, and it made him cranky.

"Here you go," Gleam said, passing him a plate. But Prince shook his head.

"I'm not hungry any more."

Hey everyone! Here is Dakota, Indigo, and Prince's next chapter! I'm sorry if the writing isn't very good or if there are any errors; it's late and I'm really sick. But I wanted to get this chapter out, so I did! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. I've decided that reviews will help me get better quicker. Also, this is obviously a victor exchange, so Dakota will win, but if she didn't, would you choose Indigo or Prince as the victor? I'm curious.

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona