Deceived: The 500th Annual Hunger Games

Chapter 5 - The Train to the Capitol

OVID FLOOG'S P.O.V

The train slowly halted at the District One station. I gasped at the site - it was even richer than I had thought. I'd heard stories that, unlike District Nine, some people could keep small amount of their District's product - ours is wheat. If we were to take the wheat that we produce and keep it for ourselves, the consequence is instant death and there is no way out of it.

Or you could be unlucky like Yarrow and Keelan and be forced to face a slow punishable death which will be sure to scare any tribute that wasn't a Career. Then again, Yarrow and Keelan aren't weak; they can handle themselves. It depends on what you deem unlucky. Personally, I'd prefer instant death to a slow death in the arena of hell.

The tributes from District One - most or all Careers - walk onto the train, looking more prepared than I'll ever feel. This year, they decided to bundle all of the tributes onto one train. What for? I'm not sure, but I hope to catch up with the other tributes in an attempt to get some allies. An alliance is vital if you're as small and as timid as me. To the Careers, I'm nothing but a fish that may fulfil the satisfaction in their shark-like stomachs for a little while.

Then, I see a couple of younger kids from District Five talking at the table in the corner of the carriage. Quietly, I slip over to the two kids in an attempt to make friends, when a hand grabs onto my shoulder and refuses to let me trek on down the train.

Petrified, I spin around and stare up at whoever thinks that gripping me like this is amusing. In my face ia an extremely tall blonde guy; no doubt that he is from District One. His eyes are small, as if he was putting a lot of effort into narrowing them just to intimidate me. Realising that he doesn't scare me, I can't help but pull a slight face of irritation. Looks can't kill. Weapons can though. His eyes aren't weapons; I'll be fine.

"What do you want?" I ask, keeping my voice as calm as possible. It isn't easy when some tall guy is leaning over you like the wheat towers over toddlers in Nine.

"Listen nerd," he snarls, his big beefy hands clenched into fists. "If you even get in my way, I swear to god, you'll be the first one I target in the arena. I have no patience for nerds." Oh wow, how original. Once again, I am being labelled as something completely harmless to society, People are pathetic nowadays. Why was I even petrified when he grabbed my shoulder?

All I can do is shrug, slightly confused by the kid and why he decided to make it clear that he wasn't one to mess with. It isn't like I had done anything to hurt the guy. Well, I hadn't done anything yet. Remember, looks fool easily. With some training, a kid who's barely classified as a teenager from a place as poor as District Nine could kick any Careers' butt just as hard as the guy who thinks he's super tough.

"At least tell me your name," I say, wanting to make this drag on. I may as well attract all of the attention that I can. "I'd like to know who my murderer is going to be. It's always nice knowing about people." It doesn't help the nerd stereotype that he's labelled me as, but at least he won't be expecting it when this nerd attacks him in the middle of the night.

"Atlus," Some boy replies from across the carriage – another Career just stands, watching as his friend returns to him. Turning around to find Wade, the crazed guy from District Five casually lying across a table, I decide to smile and show him that he isn't just crazy. At least I have the decency to remember his name – he's just like me to the Careers: a fish that can satisfy a shark's stomach for a while.

"Who asked you to answer?" Atlus snarls, looking over at the guy. The guy looks slightly annoyed with Atlus' outburst and that he's yelling at his own ally, but at the same time he looks fearful, like Atlus will ruin something deeper than an alliance that they've been forced to form.

"Well, Mr Rathbone," Wade says, pushing himself up off the table. "Your beloved brother, whatever his name was, killed my brother Skarm in his game. Thank god he died!" No one knows if Wade is talking about his brother or Atlus' brother, but Atlus looks outraged. Maybe Wade is discussing how he likes that both of them are dead – his father's love for his brother is why he is here.

Atlus shakes his fists and takes a step towards Wade; he looks as if he wants to murder us right here, righy now. Before anything gets too hectic, a Peacekeeper steps in and stops Atlus from progressing forward and harming one of us. Atlus sighs and leaves the room, attended by the Peacekeeper, to join his District One alliance.

"Thanks Wade," I smile appreciatively, looking at the boy's hand while I have the chance. It looks damaged, impairing. Pardon the pun, but he's going to be handicapped in the arena. "You mentioned your brother Skarm..."
Wade nods silently, suddenly calm after the storm that Atlus caused. This question suddenly springs to my mind.
"Why did you scream about guilt at the Reaping? I heard about it from the Capitol replays."

He sighs, looking into the distance like they do in soppy films on the television. "My brother was killed in the Hunger Games. He was loved by everyone in my town, especially by my dad. My dad blamed it all on me because I couldn't volunteer - I was dying. In fact, I missed the Reaping entirely because I couldn't move. They even sent Peacekeepers into my house to keep an eye on me whilst everyone was at the Reaping last year." He doesn't say anymore; he doesn't need to.

"Would you like to see your dad again?" I ask. Wade shakes his head, still not meeting my eyes. The tributes that I was originally going to walk over to look up, but I'm no longer interested in them or the new friends that they've acquired.

"Hey, do you wanna be allies? I only want one or two friends here, seeing as only three of us survive. I'll help you avenge your brother if you want." It isn't nice not knowing what to say in situations like this, but I genuinely want an alliance and Wade seems like an appropriate person to have alongside me.

Wade shakes my hand with his undamaged hand. It is settled then: Wade is my ally and I am his ally. I swear on my heart that I will do anything possible to help him avenge his brother.

That means we have to kill Atlus before he kills us.


TOPAZ PATCHOULI'S P.O.V

Seven of us - all District One tributes - sit around a table in the carriage behind the other Districts. Atlus had just almost gotten into a fight with the nutcase from District Five. Chester and Majoris had witnessed it too – Chester is still in there, refusing to acknowledge us. Majoris followed Atlus in, making sure that the kid didn't do anything stupid like attack the Peacekeeper.

"So, I don't know many of you very well. What weapons do you all use?" Velorum asks, "My preference is a trident." Oh, how original. He may as well be from Four; he has the looks and he uses the generic weapon from that District.

"I'm a sledgehammer guy," Majoris replies. Majoris is one of those people that everyone envies when it comes to fighting, but everyone hates when it comes to personality. The guy is a tall, muscular killing machine that's no fun to be around outside of training.

"Any dagger or sharp, close combat object is my kind of weapon," Roxen says, contributing to the conversation. Zak and Atlus nod; daggers are the most popular choice of weapon. They're easy to use and not a nuisance to carry around. Daggers are also a weapon that you don't have to collect when you use it, unlike a throwing knife or an arrow or something.

"I like using a sword, but spears are cool," I say. Septimus silently agrees with me, looking at the others; he isn't much of a talker. "It looks like everyone has a preference. It should be easy for us to take over the Cornucopia - even if all seventeen other tributes, including Chester, went after us. Of course, a couple of us may die, but we can overrun the Cornucopia so easily."

"So," Zak says, looking at us individually. "If most of us, at least five of us, get weapons while the other two distract and grab packs at the start before gathering weapons..."  The sentence is left for someone else to finish; the words hang in the air for a while before someone rounds up the sentence.

"The others will be powerless. We will round them up and give the Capitol a good show. Torture the weaklings, one by one," Velorum finishes, a sadistic smile forming on his face. He looks at Zak for confirmation; Zak sticks his thumb up. "Now to decide who goes where."

"Well, maybe the girls should distract whilst we men pick off the kids?" Atlus replies; I snort in disgust. What a sexist pig. I wasn't going to sit here and let him order me because I of my gender, no way. I am as strong, maybe stronger, than all of the guys here. Even Roxen looked uncomfortable and she usually doesn't care about what people say.

"Well, I think us girls should pick them off too, get the guys to distract. If sponsors can see that the girls are as capable as the guys, they may send is more help. Us two girls here do have the charming looks we need to wrap the sponsors around our fingers," Roxen states. She has triumphed; no one can argue and no one attempts to point out a flaw in her words. They could try but they would fail.

"Wrap them around our fingers the way the tributes will be wrapped when we trick them into teaming," Majoris adds; it doesn't make too much sense in my mind, but I don't try to see sense. Septimus nods, able to understand the idiot's words. He isn't one for talking, but he is wise. When Septimus agrees, everyone else agrees.

"That's all settled then. See you in a bit - I'm going to put some nice clothes on for dinner," I say, leaving the guys and Roxen to chat with each other about whatever topics they can find an interest in. Now I need to think: which tributes do I want to kill the most?


NANCEE RANKINE'S P.O.V

Sitting with Pomeline, Jaymes, Geranuim, Haile and Runyon, I know that we need to come up with a good plan to tackle the Careers.. From previous Games I've seen, when the younger ones team in big groups, they get close to the end. Hopefully one of us will get home. Maybe three of us; who knows?

However, none of us can use weapons, none of us know about survival. We are hopeless. It sucks that not a single person here has experience in anything. All I want to do is sleep and forget that I'm in the Capitol for a bit.
"I can't wait to train at the Capitol and learn new things!" Haile exclaims, looking overly excited. "I want to learn to use a bow and be able to identify edible plants."

"I want to learn to use an axe. They have them at the Cornucopia every year, so why not try and learn to use them?" I say. You can throw them, but they're also great in close combat. I bet the careers are all using swords and daggers. They do every year... They're pretty predictable.

"I want to learn how to find water and make shelter. I want to be prepared for any arena," Pomeline says, showing us from her first words that she will not initiate any kind of violent activity. "It'd be awful if we were in a desert and no one knew how to find water."

"Then I suggest we all go to the survival places, and focus on a weapon of choice each. I'm not sure I could kill anyone though," Runyon replies. Man, I've chosen the wrong people to hang around with, haven't I?

"How do people win and not feel guilty about the blood on their hands?" Haile asks .Trust me, blood on their hands isn't the only scarred memory they go home with. Every year is the same. People ally. People scar themselves by using their instincts. It's very rare to see a victor win without at least one kill. They watch their allies die and have nightmares that haunt them forever.

I've also heard storied that you don't live a full life of freedom after the Games. The Capitol uses you. Blackmail you. You can't go against them without being torture and potentially killed. What makes me chuckle then is the fact that none of these cowards are actually going to make it home if they don't start acting like they deserve the victory. "So, what about first aid?" I ask, snapping out of my little monologue taking place in my head.

"Leave it to me," Haile replies, smiling at me. "I have to go to the hospital all the time back home. I've learnt so much there!" I doubt Haile will be one of the three survivors. Especially being a haemophilic. She'll bleed to death if anything sharper than a splinter touches her. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be going home either...

"I'll learn too, just in case we have to split up," Jaymes says. Jaymes has more potential of surviving than Haile. Then again, I doubt Jaymes will make it far. I've chosen the wrong allies and I can't back away now.

"We also need to learn to make fires, recognise poisonous plants and foods and learn those fancy rolls and dives that ninjas do!" Pomeline says. She's right, but something about her tone makes me want to defy her.

"Don't worry guys," I say, trying to calm them all down as they were starting to freak out over what were the most essential skills that we need to learn in three days. "It'll all be okay." As I say this, the faint noise of cheering is heard. The rumbling of the train engine becomes fainter as we roll into the station. Bright coloured people screamed our names as the train slowly pulls to a stop. We had arrived at the Capitol.