Albany Rosewood- District 2 Victor

IX

  Albany and Jonas silently follow Viyla out of the building. Just outside the door is a large, silver car. They climb inside and Viyla begins to speak excitedly.
  "You are both so lucky! You get to eat the most wonderful food, stay in the most luxurious suites, and get the honor of competing in the Hunger Games!" At the mention of the Hunger Games, Jonas immediately snaps his head up from where he was resting it on the window.
  "Tell me everything you know about the other tributes," he demands of Viyla. She laughs nervously.
  "Well, I don't know anything about them yet. You should be able to watch all the Reapings tonight."
  Jonas nods, his blue eyes lit up with excitement. He is smiling, but there is a hard, malicious edge to it.
"That's good. We'll be able to evaluate the competition. See who the weaklings are, who to take out first, and who to be allies with. Speaking of which," he says to Albany. "Do you want to be allies?" Jonas asks with an air of somebody who knows that the answer will be favorable. Albany gives him a long, hard stare. His smile begins to falter as the seconds of silence stretch on. Eventually, Albany nods to him and his grin returns.
"Great! After we evaluate the other tributes, we'll pick who else we want to ally with. Probably the tributes from District 1, maybe 4. Unless there's an unusual standout, everyone else are our targets." Albany continues to stare at Jonas, then she turns her attention out the window.
  By this time, they have reached the train station. A huge, sleek, silver train is waiting on the tracks. Albany stares stonily at her feet, but Jonas is staring at the train, eyes wide with awe. Viyla begins to chatter once more.
"It can go at 250 miles per hour! And since we're so close to the Capitol already, it should only take us about an hour to get there! That should be just enough time to meet your mentor and have a bite to eat. Oh, you two will just love it! Your every need catered to, everything you want right at your fingertips! I remember the first time I rode a Capitol train..." Viyla trails off as the doors slide open.
The inside of the train is exquisitely decorated, with gorgeous chairs, couches, tables, and paintings. Everything coordinates and shares a cool color theme. The room is awash with blue hues, from the deepest indigo to the palest turquoise, in addition to the greens, which range from a rich forest green to a vibrant grass green. The room also has purple accents on the throw pillows and wallpaper.
In addition to the decorations and furniture, there is also a cart piled high with food. Everything from roast beef to delicate pastries are arranged artfully on the cart.
  As he walks by, Jonas snatches a piping hot cheesy roll from a plate. Albany ignores the food and continues to stare silently at the floor.
Jonas tears into his roll, and with his mouth full of roll, he says, "You should have one, Albany. They're really good!" Albany looks at him with distaste and mutters something about not being hungry. She goes to one of the doors on the far wall and twists the crystal doorknob. It's locked, and Albany sighs and goes to sit on a plush lavender chair. Jonas throws himself into a chair across from her, now eating a chicken drumstick.
"So," he says, pausing in devouring his chicken. "Let's talk strategy. We've already decided to be allies. If the tributes from 1 and maybe 4 look capable, we'll talk to them. We won't let anyone else into the alliance unless they prove that they have something significant to add." Jonas pauses to take another bite. "Now, once we're in the arena, the first thing to do is grab weapons. We're faster and stronger than everybody else and we will get there first. Even if somebody was faster than us, nobody in their right mind would get in our way. After we get the weapons, kill everybody in sight that's not already in the prearranged alliance. Don't bother with the ones that run away. They will die of natural causes or we'll get them later. After the bloodbath, we'll decide where to set up camp, and we'll take out supplies there." Jonas is about to continue, but the doors to the train slide open. A tall woman with olive skin and curly black hair pulled into a ponytail walks in. She walks with a kind of lethal grace, similar to that of a panther. Her face is very angular, with prominent cheekbones and deep brown eyes. She is wearing simple black pants and a gray windbreaker. She surveys Albany and Jonas with a hard stare.
"I'm Kassie and I'll be your mentor," she says. "I saw your Reapings. Both volunteers, that shows either bravery or stupidity. From the looks of you two, you can handle yourselves in the arena, so it was probably bravery." She turns her gaze to Jonas. "Let's not waste time with the small talk. What are your strengths? Weaknesses?"
  "I have superb aim," says Jonas arrogantly. "So my skills with the bow and arrow, crossbow, spear, or anything else that requires good aim, are unrivaled. I can't think of any weaknesses that I have, I'm pretty much skilled at everything." Kassie nods at Jonas approvingly, then turns to Albany.
  "What about you?" Kassie asks.
  "I'm strong," says Albany. "So I'm good with the sword, machete, and throwing knives. My weakness is archery. My aim is okay, but it could be improved." Kassie gives Albany a disappointed look.
  "The first step to winning in the Hunger Games is never showing your weaknesses. Revealing them means showing other tributes a way to defeat you. So, Albany, if another tribute asks you what your weaknesses are, you will answers as Jonas has. Do you understand?" Albany nods, and Kassie begins to launch into a lecture on the importance of being aware of your surroundings.