The 25th Hunger Games (fanfic)

Chapter 3: The Train

I'm whisked out of my visiting room and out of a part of the Justice Building I never knew existed. We wind through halls until we end up at the back porch, just a five minute walk from the train station. I see Crystal to my right with tears down her face. Poor, helpless, innocent little Crystal. I sigh. A little innocent 13 year old in an arena with ruthless killing machines fighting to the death. What are her chances? But I must protect her. She's the only person I know for a fact I love, besides Mom. Dad, however, he never pays a mind to me, always working, and he prefers Crystal anyways. He said so to my face. That he would rather Crystal win than me, he would rather watch me die than Crystal. But I'll make sure that happens. I know I'm not coming back here, but I'll make sure Crystal does.

We walk to the station, while Crystal and I hold hands. We sit there and wait, me still in my tuxedo, fresh and white, her in her beautiful green dress. Finally, the train comes. I give a little gasp as I see the size of it. It could fit thousands of people on there. It's stamped with the Capitol Seal in red. As we step on, I am filled with shock at all the luxurious items. Velvet couches, elegant patterns on the ground and walls, giant vases and plants, wine glasses, chandeliers, candles, statues, it's like going to a museum for the rich, like my family. There are TVs all over the train, positioned so that if you need to change rooms, you can keep watching as you go, switching your eyes from one TV to another, each of them with only one programming, like all other TVs in the 12 districts. It shows the past 24 Hunger Games, clips from reapings, dramatic moments, personal favorites, ruins of District 13, reminders of what we have done to ourselves, and so on.

Maggie steps on board with us, and then I see someone that fits right in with the luxurious red walls. They step on, and I know who it is. Carly Truffler, the one and only victor of District 11. She is to be my mentor. I sigh as I realize our mentor is going to be a girl. Whatever little chance I had of winning, which was already about .05%, is now completely gone. I guess she knows how to handle gifts from sponsors, but for training? Not going to happen. What do girls know about physical training? Nothing. I sigh again. Maybe it won't be so bad. She's dressed in skinny jeans and a tank top. At least she dressed properly for the heat, unlike me, sweating in the sun. Her hair is down past her shoulders, blond and beautiful. She's wearing pink sunglasses, looking good off of her tan skin. She's in sandals and wearing faint pink lipstick. I have to say, even though all of this bad has happened to me, she looks hot and radiates beauty. No wonder she won, she can make any boy melt at sight. Sponsors must have just rained down on her. And when she speaks, I melt even more.

"The name's Carly. Go wash those tears off. We'll talk later." I can't help but follow her directions, she's got such an influence. I find the room with my name on it and walk in. I am disappointed by how small the room is. I remember on interviews how excited people were about the size of the train, but so far I'm disappointed. I hop in the shower and take a quick wash. I spike up my hair with the variety of lotions and gels, but we have even more at home. Everything I've seen so far we have at least two of at home. So I'm not impressed. But I am impressed by Carly. I've never seen her up close, but now that I have, I feel in love. She must have had sponsors tripping over her, and charmed her way through the Games. Never, ever have I seen such beauty. She must have stunned boys all over the arena, none of them wanting to hurt her. But girls must have wanted to kill her badly. I never saw her Games, because she won 10 years ago, while my Mom didn't allow me to watch the Games yet, because I was only 7 and they were too "violent". Well, now I'll find out what it's like in person.

I quickly get dressed in one of the many drab outfits and go to dinner. But halfway there, I stop dead in my tracks. I'm dressed in a gray T-shirt and jeans. Shouldn't I impress Carly? I hurry back and empty the dressers. I finally find what I'm looking for, a plain white, button down, long sleeve shirt. I get a pair of dark blue jeans from the drawer and get a pair of brown sandals. I throw off my clothes and get dressed. I unbutton the first two buttons, showing off some of my chest. I throw off my socks and roll up my sleeves, so I show off my muscles. I'm tanned, like her, so I actually look quite good. I hurry to dinner, and I think my jaw might drop when I see the bounty of food lining the room. Everything from chicken to beef to stew to potatoes to fruit to bread lies before me. Carly sits there, nibbling on some chicken covered in a delicious, steaming gravy.

"Eat up," she says. I don't hesitate to get a plate and go down the first table, putting everything on my plate. This table is apparently meat, because now my plate's covered in chicken, beef, roast, hamburgers, hot dogs, bacon, sausage, and anything else that you can think of. I set my plate down and go to the next table with a new plate, which is obvioulsy fruits and vegetables. I gether scoops of all of it, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, carrots, all sauteed in some sort of juice to give each it's own, unique taste. There's your normal food, then there's something in the shape and color of a rock, something that resembles a star, a tangy sort of squared, red vegetable, and so much more. Then I get to the next table which is soups, then grains, breads, spaghettis, and so on and on until I have a total of 9 plates. Carly looks disgusted, so I quickly flex my muscles without looking like I'm trying too hard. Besides, I need to gain weight, right? I'll be hungry for who knows how long?  So I'm halfway through the third plate, filled with all sorts of breads, when Crystal walks in in the clothes that I was recently wearing, except of course for girls. She gets a plate of little food, sits down, and I've just started my fourth plate when Carly talks.

"Crystal, get more food. You need to gain more weight, you're going to be starved in their. I'd know. Zac, well, don't get sick." Then she just glares at us, studying us over. I see her eyes glance towards me, so I flex to impress her.

"Zac," she speaks. And once again I melt. "Don't try to hard. I've got a boyfriend." My face goes red and I relax. I just shut up and eat my plate, filled with exotic salads and birds. But it looks like Crystal has this under her wing. 

"So, what's our strategy?" she asks. Carly thinks for a while.

"Well, when you first get there, you'll meet your prep teams and then your stylist. They'll prepare you for the opening ceremonies, which are tomorrow night. Whatever they do to you, don't resist. They'll shave you, soak you, do anything to you that they feel will make you look better, therefore getting you more sponsors. Then, we'll go from there. Now, finish up and let's go watch the reapings from the other districts."

I am on my seventh plate, filled with seafood like lobsters, clams, and other stuff when I begin to get full. I finish it off, go to my sandwich plate, and right when I'm starting my final plate of grains and spaghetti, I threaten to throw up. I force it down, and I hobble over to the couch where Carly is sitting next to Crystal. I wedge myself on the other side of Carly and allow myself to breathe in her beauty. I curl up next to her when I see the Capitol seal and the anthem plays. Then, we're looking at District 1. The girl, Shane Grant, is called and runs up to the stage. She's pretty, but not as much as Carly. Pretty brunette, blue, sparkling eyes, and shorts that look provocative. The boy, Crash Tian, is called up and I am instantly crushed from despair. The guy has twice as many muscles as me, is extremely handsome with flowing brown hair and green eyes, and gives the impression of someone with years of being a murderer. His eyes are filled with hate, and I know sponsors will be lining up down the block to rain down gifts on him.

Then District 2, where nothing catches my attention. District 3, and then 4 brings my eyes back. The girl is picked, and then the boy is quickly filled with tears. The two must be couples, from the way they're looking at each other and the eyes in the crows. They're going to go down fighting, and even worse, they're Careers, so we've got to watch our backs, because our competition is fierce this year.

Nothing else catches my attention up to 11. I see myself, screaming and thrashing around, kicking and hitting the Peacekeepers. I look like a fool, and I look up at Carly and go red. I see myself strap down, my sister called, Maggie sobbing... Wait, where is Maggie? Oh, well, I'll worry about it later. I know we must have some sponsors, from my muscles, Crystal's innocence, our being siblings, and then what catches the eyes of all of Panem is when I bring the chair off the ground to protect my mother. The camera angle is perfect, making me look amazingly strong and protective. And now, I must have sponsors everywhere. Now, I'm even impressed by myself. And when I beat up the Peacekeepers, I can't help but find myself having a chance in these Games. I don't think of Crystal, so no tears come.

District 12 comes and goes. Carly goes off to her room, so I go to look for Maggie. I go to her room, but its locked. Isn't it required for her to watch with us? I wiggle the door, but it won't open. I make sure the cameras are looking away, and I break away the handle with my hands. Carly's looking, so that's a plus. She must realize how strong I am. I creak open the door, and I scream bloody murder as I see a Peacekeeper drive a knife into Maggie's back, killing her.