Hey guys! I know it's been a bit longer between updates than I usually try to get them out, but the end of school this year's been just a bit chaotic. Since I only have a few days left, I'm excited to say that updates will hopefully come a lot sooner now that I don't have school. I'm super excited to get into the Pregames, and I hope y'all are too! Without further ado, here are the train rides!

Goldena Powers, 15

District One Female

Goldena was pretty sure that her district partner already didn't like her. He hadn't spoken a word to her in the time that they'd gone from the Justice Building to the train station, and he'd vanished off to his room as soon as they boarded their train to the Capitol.

Well, there could always be other reasons behind why he hadn't interacted with her much. Maybe he just didn't like to speak to anyone at all. She couldn't really recall at the moment how he'd acted at the Academy; Goldena mainly just focused on improving herself. Spying on other people, especially those not competing for the same spot as her, wasn't something she did.

On the contrary, her escort and mentor both had chatted a great deal to her on their journey to the train. Queenie, One's mentor, had won the first Games after they'd started again, putting her at only twenty years old. That was only five years older than Goldena was, but Queenie seemed to be at a level of maturity decades above her as she spoke.

Their escort, aptly named Amethyst to go along with the color of her outfit and hair, seemed a lot less well-spoken than Queenie. It made sense, because she'd likely not experienced anything close to the events that Queenie had. Plus, she was so caked up in makeup that Goldena had no idea of her possible age. There was no telling how old some of these Capitol citizens were. They had the resources and money to look like twenty when they were in their forties.

She'd taken a seat near the door once the train had started moving, and Goldena was very comfortable at the moment. The plush chair felt amazing compared to the furniture at home. She'd get to feel this luxury everyday after she won the Games and got to move into her house in Victors' Village. Hopefully her brother would understand what she'd sacrificed to help get them a better life when she came home victorious.

"Goldena, that's your name, right?"

Head snapping up to make eye contact with her escort, Goldena replied sharply, "Yes, that's correct."

"Wonderful then! I'm off to a magnificent start! That district partner of yours, his name's Sublime, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. You've got both of us right."

Amethyst smiled warmly at her in response, thanking her for her manners.

"It's not often that we have tributes like you, sweetheart. Most just care to get advised and then left alone to prepare themselves fully."

"Oh, of course. I was raised to have manners and to be respectful to everyone. I'd appreciate advice, but I know that we have some time for that later as well."

Queenie turned from where she was looking out of the window and murmured, "This one's one of the best we've gotten yet. I'll bet that the Capitol will like her. It's just the issue of whether or not the other Careers will accept such a young alliance member."

Nodding quickly, Amethyst offered another sweet smile to Goldena, perhaps to distract her from what Queenie had just said. Maybe she would be wrong and Goldena would be accepted with flying colors into the Career pack. It was just that her district partner was an introvert, that was it.

"It'll be alright," Goldena told them sweetly, "I'll prove to them that I can earn my spot among them if need be."

Clapping, Amethyst exclaimed excitedly, "Oh, I just know you will! That attitude will get us some amazing publicity and sponsorships!"

Queenie gave her a nod of approval and then made her way back over to the chair that she'd been sitting in. Goldena was very glad that she had an amazing mentor and escort that believed in her.

Their journey to the Capitol was rather short, since One was a neighboring district to the Capitol, it only took about an hour and a half to go from the station in One to the station in the Capitol.

Goldena spent the remaining forty-five minutes in their journey just sitting and staring out of the window as the scenery flashed by. She'd spent the first half just talking with Queenie and Amethyst, so it was nice to have a bit of peace and quiet before she was rushed into the chaos and attention that would be the Capitol station.

The landscape didn't change much going from One to the Capitol; both areas were a bit mountainous and somewhat snowy in the higher altitudes. Goldena herself had never been to such parts of One, but she'd heard stories from her classmates that frequently traveled all around the district. The Capitol, however, was different in the more urbanized aspects of such areas. One had a few different areas that were urbanized, one main area and a few more suburban areas. The Capitol's urban areas were all in one spot, spread over a huge area. It was incredibly impressive, which was pretty cool coming from the most urbanized district.

The only thing that Goldena assumed wasn't in that massive area of buildings were the arenas. The Capitol had a habit of building them where they weren't able to be seen, so that the Games couldn't be tampered with. Honestly, she thought that it would be pretty cool to see some of the past arenas, but she'd also heard that even the Gamemakers weren't allowed to see them. Oh well. She could always visit them in her imagination.

Speeding around a corner and into a tunnel, the train brought them coasting along into darkness, which suddenly flashed back into the blinding sunlight of the day. Goldena heard it before she saw it: the crowd which awaited their arrival. They screamed in excitement when they spotted the train. Her heart started to pound at the thought of all of these people knowing her name and cheering her on. It was going to be something new and exciting, and Goldena was going to enjoy and cherish every moment of it.

Hearing the whoosh of a door opening, Goldena's head snapped to the right and she spotted her district partner finally returning from his alone time in his cabin. He'd likely emerged because he felt the train slowing down and heard the crowd's loud cheers.

Goldena tried offering him a polite smile, but he just turned away towards the exit door of the train. It was worth a try, she supposed. He'd eventually warm up to her. Now, it was time for her to make the Capitol love her.

Zeno Capricci, 17

District Three Male

Zeno was still considering the odds of whether or not his notebook would be returned to him as he boarded the train to the Capitol. It hadn't been returned to him after he'd given it up for inspection, so he assumed that they'd denied his request for it to be his token. Was it a mistake on his part to try and sneak all of his ideas past the Capitol? Perhaps it was, but at least he gave it a try.

He was mainly just hoping that it would fall into good hands, no matter if it came back to him if he won or if it went to some Capitolite. Honestly, Zeno wasn't too sure about his chances of making it back to Three. He wasn't trained in weapons like any of the Careers and he had no experience with trying to survive and not starve because of his wealthy background. Even though his parents really weren't there for him all that much, it didn't mean that they still tried to make him feel better about it with their wealth and connections.

At least he knew how to take care of himself without anyone there to act as a parent figure. It would be different doing so in the arena, but he was used to being alone, which would come in handy for him if he didn't manage to gain any allies. Maybe he'd ask the mentor and escort for Three about it. Normally he wouldn't talk to people unless he absolutely had to, but he would consider that talking to people in this situation was necessary for increasing his chances of survival.

A gentle tap on his shoulder startled him and his head snapped up to make eye contact with his district partner. She seemed rather polite, asking him if she could sit across from him quietly. Perhaps she could be someone that Zeno could ask to be his ally.

"Ahh, good! You're both here!" exclaimed their escort. His name was Alabaster Rouge, which was quite different compared to the names of those in Three. It was yet another thing for Zeno to adapt to for his time in the Capitol. Their names there were rather unique, and he needed to remember not to have an unpleasant expression on his face if he heard a rather odd name out in public. That definitely wouldn't make for good publicity.

Avari Hahn, their mentor, had a bit of a more normal sounding name. Thank goodness for that. It would be easy to remember and wouldn't take up too much brain space that was mainly reserved for his ideas. If only he'd recorded some of those in places other than that one notebook that the Capitol had taken. He could probably write most of them down again, but there was always the risk for slightly changed details because of unclear memory.

"Yes," Avari said smoothly, "we would like to talk some strategy with you two before you both get all swept up in the paparazzi and the tribute parade."

"What are you wanting to discuss in terms of strategy?" asked the girl sitting across from him. Her name was Reverie, and she seemed to have recovered fairly well from her shock of being reaped earlier.

"Well, I want to talk with you two about your views on allies. In addition to that, I would like to learn what skills you two have that may help you out in the arena," stated their mentor.

Zeno and Reverie shared a glance before Reverie spoke up.

"I'm a quick learner and a hard worker. Plus, I'm ambidextrous for most things."

"What about you, Zeno?"

"Uhm, I'm pretty precise when it comes to working with small things like robotics projects and I guess I would say that I'm fairly smart," he mumbled.

Nodding while appearing to daze off, Avari responded, "Those are some decent skills to have. We can definitely work with that."

Alabaster nodded eagerly along with Avari's statement and exclaimed, "I think we have a very good chance this year!"

They chatted for a few more minutes about their intentions and opinions towards allies, and upon the conclusion of their conversation, both adults vanished into the next car over. Most likely, they were chatting privately about further details for the Games.

"Do you think that they really meant that?"

"Meant what?" Zeno questioned. Oh, she meant what Alabaster had said before he'd left with Avari. "Honestly, I think it might have been to make all of us more confident. There's no telling until we see our competitors and the arena."

The pair remained in silence for the remainder of the ride to the Capitol, only having about an hour left in their journey at that point in time. Soon, they'd be arriving in the nation's capital and all attention would be on them.

Perhaps it could be an excellent opportunity to study some Capitol citizens or the tributes as citizens of other districts. It would be fascinating to see how different they acted compared to those that lived in Three. He'd have to get a new notebook, of course, but he would find a way to keep making invention designs and observations somehow.

If he came out of those Games alive, he was planning on using all of his newfound resources to make Panem a better place. Nobody would be able to get out of a situation because of their wealth and affluence, and they would finally experience what those felt in the lower classes. And if he succeeded, perhaps he would be remembered for fixing Panem.

Kassiani "Kassi" Dolcetto, 18

District Ten Female

Kassi felt numb as she sat quietly in the plush chair in the train's last car. Her whole situation was just so much to process and she felt as if she hadn't even processed a quarter of it. And the cherry on top of the rotten cake was the fact that she was alone in all of this. Her father would be watching her on that screen in the living room and God knows what Taraji would be doing. She was probably roaming around somewhere in Five, just minding her own business and exploring.

Truly, she wished that she had someone to be with her while she experienced all of this, but she would never wish such a fate like hers on anyone. Kassi knew that she didn't have a very good chance of survival, and even the thought of the arena terrified her. She was scared to death of the fact that she would be going into the Games in no less than a week or two.

No, she wouldn't let herself be like this when she got to the Capitol. Kassi was going to keep herself composed and get herself the best chance that she had before she went into that arena. Hopefully she'd get lucky and have a merciful and quick death. It might not have been the greatest mindset for her to have, but at least it was realistic. It was better than being convinced by those silly Capitolites that she had an amazing chance at winning. There was no need to get her hopes up that much, because when it would come to it, Kassi definitely wouldn't stand a chance against any of the Careers.

She had no experience at all with weapons, and there was no way that she had it in her to kill someone. Kassi was just the type of person who would never even think about doing something like that. But goodness, there certainly was another person in a worse position than Kassi.

Her poor district partner was only twelve and he looked just way too young to be where they were at. The unfortunate child had the misfortune of being reaped in his first year of eligibility, and Kassi could already tell that he was probably going to be a Bloodbath. Maybe she should hope for a gentle end for him as well.

The sweet little boy, whose name was Oscar, was still sniffling even an hour or two after they'd departed from Ten's train station. Kassi hated seeing people upset, so she decided to try and raise his spirits, even if it was just slightly.

"Hey there, Oscar. I'm really sorry that this had to happen to you, but I can help you get through it if you want me to," she told him softly.

He sniffled back, "Thanks, Kassi. I really would like that. And I'm sorry it had to happen to you too."

The boy wiped his nose on his sleeve and then his eyes widened just slightly. "Wait, I can call you that, right?"

"Yes," Kassi smiled, "you're welcome to call me that."

"Seriously, thank you. Today's just really been a lot for me. First, this stupid bully of mine killed my cat friend, then I got reaped for the Hunger Games."

"Oh, that's terrible!" Kassi gasped, "luck just isn't on anyone's side today, is it?"

Oscar shook his head with a small, sad smile. At least he'd cheered up a little bit and had stopped crying. It made Kassi feel a little bit better about her people skills. She really just hadn't interacted much with anyone after Taraji left.

After what seemed like only moments after Oscar and Kassi had stopped talking, two figures entered the room rather loudly. It was their mentor and escort. They were also slightly terrifying to Kassi; after all, Cria, their mentor, had killed ten people in her Games. It also didn't help that their escort was a bit interesting. She had red nails that were longer than her earrings, which dangled close to her collarbones.

Perhaps this year the escorts were all dressed as colors of the rainbow. If that was the case, Cerise, their escort, would certainly win a prize for the best resemblance to a cherry. Every item of clothing on her was mainly red and so was her makeup and hair. Such an odd thing to choose to look like. Kassi would much prefer to just look wealthy, not as if she was about to be featured in a human rainbow.

Their mentor finally spoke up, stating a few things lowly, "Well, I hope that you're preparing yourselves for what's to come. It's never something that you'll survive easily."

Kassi shyly spoke up, "If I may ask, what are your best suggestions as towards strategy during the Games?"

"First off, you need to have a winning mentality. From what I've seen of you two, you don't look as if you are thinking like that. Second, you need to not be afraid to try new things. And lastly, you lot need to toughen up," snapped Cria.

It was rather clear that both Kassi and Oscar were taken aback by that statement. She thought that it was their mentor's job to encourage them, not criticize them. Or maybe Cria was right. Her points did make a lot of sense from where she was coming from. After all, this was coming from someone who won by killing other people, and a lot of them at that.

Also, it was fairly noticeable that Cria wasn't too happy about the tributes that she'd been stuck with for the year. Kassi could understand why she would think that; most wouldn't say that a twelve year old and a defenseless, emotional teenager would survive the Hunger Games for very long.

All that mattered now was how Kassi handled things from this point on. She would continue to watch over Oscar and try to help him, but there would be a point where it would be every tribute for themselves. Her most important thing that she wanted to accomplish was set, and now she settled in for the remaining duration of the ride to the Capitol.

Indigo Whitesand, 17

District Eleven Female

Indigo was impressed by the luxuries that the train taking them to the Capitol had. Back home, there was nothing like this. Even the buildings that the peacekeepers used weren't nearly as nice as the fancy train car that she was currently seated in. She'd also never seen such a large variety of food in her life either.

If only they could have something only a fraction as nice back in Eleven. People wouldn't have to work themselves to death and they wouldn't have to worry about starving. It would've been so nice if Indigo didn't have to give up her entire life to work in order to keep the rest of her family afloat. She understood why her parents needed her to help, but she also just wanted to do something other than just pick fruit for the rest of her life. Well, she wasn't quite sure about that now. There was a pretty large chance that she wouldn't come home after the Games.

On the contrary, Indigo did possess some skills that might set her apart from the other outlier tributes. Her stamina was better than most from working in the fields and she was brave, never wanting to back down from something she put her mind to. She would stay focused on surviving, and let her instincts from working in the field take her far into the Games. Indigo wasn't stupid; being brave didn't mean that she was going to charge the Careers with little more than a knife or something like that. Her bravery contributed to the fact that she wasn't going to be afraid of the arena or the Games. She was going to use them to her advantage instead.

Now came the question of allies. She'd begun to ponder lightly about if and who she wanted to ally with, but she was soon drawn out of her thoughts by the entrance of Eleven's mentor and escort. The pair seemed rather close, walking into the train car side by side. Both were rather young, with their mentor, Chrysalis, looking only a few years older than Indigo and their escort, Iris, who was around the same age as their mentor.

They came to a stop in front of the group of chairs that both Indigo and her district partner sat in, giggling to each other quietly. Somehow, it reminded Indigo even more of Verde and it made her heart ache. Truly, it was yet another reason for Indigo to be brave and try to survive the Games. She longed to see her girlfriend again, and maybe she could make that happen if she tried hard enough. Indigo wouldn't truly be satisfied until she was back home in Eleven, wrapped in Verde's embrace.

Enough of that, it was time for Indigo to focus on strategy. She was going to listen to what her mentor and escort had to say, because ignoring them could only hurt her. Paying attention to them would cause them to at least not hate her, and that would come in handy when the time came for them to help her out in the arena.

"Why hello there, tributes!" Chrysalis smiled. To Indigo, it seemed quite obvious that she was new to the whole mentoring ordeal, but she appreciated the effort. It was nice that she at least was trying to be friendly and interact with her tributes.

"It's nice to meet you," Indigo said softly as she shook the woman's hand, "My name is Indigo Whitesand."

"Likewise, Indigo."

At last, the almost silent figure that had been sitting across from her rose and made his way over to Chrysalis to introduce himself.

"My name's Agri Cola," he drawled, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ydrin."

He'd been surprisingly quiet for the time that they'd been on the train, not speaking a word to her and instead choosing to sit quietly and think to himself. Indigo had done something similar, so she could understand his reason why. The most surprising thing about him was the fact that he was a volunteer. Sure, it had been for his younger brother, but it was still really rare for someone in Eleven to do something so selfless just like that. To be honest, if one of her sisters had been reaped, Indigo wasn't quite sure if she would do something as gutsy as that.

Next, her district partner walked up to her and introduced himself.

"Hi there, my name's Agri. I hope that you won't be completely disappointed that I'm your district partner, and if you don't want to be allies, that's completely fine with me."

Taking the hand offered to her, Indigo shook the boy's hand, which was rough with calluses. It was a common thing in Eleven to have rough hands like that, and it was just a sign of how hard of a worker you were. Indigo's hands had never gotten that way quite as much as Agri's were, but her job didn't require as much wear and tear on her hands as his likely did.

"I'm Indigo. I'm not quite sure if I want allies or not, but I'm sure that you'll probably be at the top of my list if I decide to have an ally or two," she replied.

He offered her a small smile of gratitude and returned to her seat. Their escort and mentor had clearly decided that their jobs were done after introductions had been completed, so Indigo had nobody to interact with for now. She was glad to get back to her thoughts and was looking forward to what was going to come next. Perhaps she had a better chance than she originally thought.

So we're officially into the Pregames now! I'm super excited to be able to get to write these kids in the Capitol and I would like to thank everyone who submitted a kid (or more than one)! I'm also really excited to get to the Games, and I'll be putting a poll up on my profile around when each kid has had at least one POV in the Capitol. This will help me determine some final things before they get to the launch and the Bloodbath, so I hope you guys are looking forward to that as well. I'm not sure if I've said it before or not, but there will be eleven Pregames chapters including this one, and each will have four POVs. That way, each tribute will get two POVs in the Capitol before the Games start. I think that's it for now, and thank you guys so much for reading! See you in the next one!