I go to the lounge car. Fabiana is sipping something orange from a strange glass. The bowl of it is wide and almost flat. Woof is enjoying a glass of wine.
"Ooooh, don't you look pretty … unique," she coos at me. "Help yourself to anything on the food cart."
The cart is stacked with finger foods. I fill a plate with meat rolls and fruit, and sit down across from her.
"Would you like to see footage of the other Reapings?" Woof asks. "Get to see your competition?"
"Shouldn't we wait for Johnny?" I stuff a large strawberry into my mouth.
He pauses. "He won't be joining us."
I raise my eyebrows.
"He tried to jump off the train," Fabiana discloses. "He didn't know about the force field between the cars. Then he punched a Peacekeeper, so he's locked in his cabin for the night."
Woof looks kindly at me. "Tell us about yourself, kid."
"I'm good with throwing knives," I mutter. "I kill the rats in our building, so they don't bite my brothers and sisters."
Fabiana's smile freezes.
Woof nods. "How old are you? Do they have you working in the factories yet?"
"I'm 17," I remind him. "I'm a janitor after school. I'm small enough to climb under the machines and clean up."
"Your blue vest was very attractive," Fabiana says. "Did you make it?"
"I did," I say, before wiping my mouth. "I like to make things for my friends and family. Too bad it's not the Fashion Games."
Woof smiles sadly at me.
I pick up a meatroll. "Okay, let's watch the Reapings."
District 1 has two burly blond Tributes. Arnus and Glorius. They both volunteered. They're cousins.
District 2 also has volunteers. The female Tribute from District 4 is the last volunteer.
"I know the volunteers have been well fed their entire lives," Woof tells me. "But that can work against them. Their bodies don't know what it's like to go without food, and they can break down quicker."
"Great," I say. "I know about hunger."
The boy from District 5 looks like a rat, with a prominent nose and teeth. The girl from 7 is really pretty, and the boy from 12 is very tall and thin. Nobody else really stands out to me. We're all young people, forced into this macabre event. Most of us look terrified.