Here are the train rides - they, unlike everything else so far, will be written from an omnipresent view. Also, I OWN NOTHING - except the idea for the Arena, and in all actuality, I don't even own the setting or any of the land where this is set!


Cinnamon Spice, 18 - District 11

Cinnamon stared out the window as the countryside blurred by. Despite her dismissive, rebellious performance, she already missed her little sister. "Perhaps," she thought, "Perhaps I shouldn't have been so impulsive. Now I've no chance of winning, and they'll make Sugar pay for what I've done."

She snorted aloud. "Because, of course," she muttered, "that's how the Capitol works."

Ahron Ember, 15 - District 9

Ahron stared at the Escort, Pterois Aquatica, dully. Drowning out his endless chatter. He couldn't stop thinking about his little sister. He'd always had to protect her from the kids at school because she was smaller than they were. Now, without him, what would she do?

Pterois finally left Ahron's room. The minute he did, Ahron broke down in tears. Would he ever see his family again? What about his best friend Erich Mercer, who he'd worked with all his life?

Viole and Viola Ro, 13 - District 3

Viole and Viola were curled up on the couch together, crying. Viola lifted her soaked face from Viole's shoulder and said shakily, "At least we have each other. Together till the end, hey?"

Viole lifted his head too. "We both know only one can come out. There's no use pretending, anyway; we're probably the smallest Tributes this year. We don't have a chance!"

"You can't afford to think like that," said Eustace Circuit, their mentor, as he walked into the room. "You have to think positively, and remember that you have an advantage over the rest of the Tributes. You know how to use brains, not brawn..."

Mars Everett, 18 - District 2

Mars leaned against the door, exhausted. He was tired of pretending, tired of this cocky charade he was hiding behind. "All I want," he whispered, "is my sister. Why'd she have to volunteer? Why?"

He fingered the scar that ran across his face and thought bitterly of his father. His father, who'd beaten him that year Heaven had volunteered as though it'd been all Mars' fault that Heaven had died. His father, who'd forced Heaven to volunteer before she was ready. Who could now no longer touch him...

Mars smiled. He was free. He no longer had to face his father, no longer had to deal with drunken rages. Sure, he was going to the Arena, but he was FREE!

Roxy La Rose, 18 - District 5

She was sitting on the window seat of the train staring out at the landscape rushing by when the Avox slipped in silently. He stared at the sad little girls with an expression of regret on his face. He knew, all too well, what would happen to her in the Arena. If she made it out, her current state of mind would be nothing compared to the damaged psyche that was always the result of surviving the so-called "Games." Shaking his head softly, he turned to go when she said "Wait."

He paused, shocked, and stared at her. She laughed. "Yeah, I knew you were there when you walked in. I saw your reflection in the window. You know what's going to happen, don't you? You've seen it all before. Even if I come out, I'll be an empty shell. Even emptier than I already am. There's no reason to even try, is there? Don't answer. Just... just make sure that this gets back to my little sister, would you?"

Roxy handed the Avox a golden locket. On it was engraved a sideways eight- the symbol for eternity. He took it, hesitatingly. Slowly, he nodded. She nodded too. "Thanks."

Alaina Midnight, 17 - District 6

After slipping into a pair of ice-blue leggings and an evergreen tunic, Alaina headed into the main car. She knew that there would be a table HEAPED with Capitol food, and she was hungry. The shower she had taken hadn't helped curb the hunger, either - the delicious smelling soaps had just made her hungrier.

When she finally burst into the main compartment, she was shocked to see Cameron Cain, the Escort, already there. "You weren't kidding about being hungry, were you?" he asked as she, after recovering from her initial shock of seeing him there, began to PILE food onto a plate. She shook her head, mouth already stuffed.

He grinned. "Me neither. Can't say I blame you; this food is divine!"

Johny Harper, 18 - District 10

He stared at the screen in wonder. They were watching the Reapings Recap, and he had just fallen in love with the girl from 5. Even from the screen, he could see the emptiness in her eyes and he wanted to fill it with his heart. "I can't stand it when girls like her are upset," he mused to himself. "And she's hot to boot!"

Mazella Bancroft, 12 - District 8

She couldn't stop thinking about her boyfriend, Ben Carter. She'd miss him, but nowhere near as much as he'd miss her. Crying softly, Mazella remembered the all of the times that they had just bumped into each other in the halls at school and instead of talking; they'd just smiled and kept moving. Times that had been wasted simply because of being in a hurry, times that had been overlooked as paltry. Life could be so short- why hadn't she realized it until now? If only she had paid more attention to the little things, the things that actually mattered. Now it was too late...

Harrison Baleiv, 14 - District 12

Harrison stared in awe at the sheer amount of food on the table in the dining car. Never before had he had all the food he wanted, and now there was more than he could imagine in front of him! Temporarily forgetting why he had access to such a large array of delicacies, Harrison sat down and started eating.

Axl Floyd, 17 - District 4

Axl grinned confidently, running his fingers through his shaggy blond hair and swiping it to the left. He knew that he could win this thing if he tried hard enough. The main thing was to strategize. He needed to study his opponents, and the best way to do that would be to watch the recap of the Reapings.

Axl headed over to a desk and removed a notebook and a pencil. Walking over to the TV set, the thought that he should probably call Mistle crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't need Mistle nosing in on his note-taking, and he certainly didn't need her to be figuring out his strategy.

Candle Saunteir, 15 - District 2

"So, Mercy, what do you think I should try to pull for the interviews? And is it true what they say about exposure to the elements being the main killer in the Arena?"

Mercy laughed. "Slow down, Candle. With your looks, you could probably pull off sexy, but that angle's a little old. All these questions, though... You could probably combine something like curiosity in with sexy. Yeah, that'd be a new one. I don't think anyone, much less a career, has ever tried curiosity, so that would work for you!

And yes, exposure is a big killer. At the very least, it weakens the Tributes, much more than you would imagine. It won't be a big issue for you, though- you're a career. You'll have a Cornucopia full of supplies."

Candle looked relieved. "I'd never been good at all of the survival stuff at the Training Center. I'm excel with almost any type of ranged weapon, but I'm not as good with the bow as I am with spears. That's why I'm so glad to hear you say that I probably won't need survival skills!"


Next half of the Train Rides will be up soon. Hope you enjoyed, and please tell me what you think! Did I portray your tribute correctly? Is there anything you want to know more about? Anything concerning your tribute that you think I missed?

Thanks again!