Against His Odds - A Hunger Games FanFiction

Chapter 3

Iris sat alone in a room where the tributes were taken to give their final goodbyes to their friends and families. Her mother was sitting in front of her, hugging her intently. She was crying over her shoulder. "Mom," Iris said, "it's okay. I'm going to be fine." Although she spoke these words confidently, her and her mom both knew that they were only partly true.
     "Just be careful," her mother said, "and I love you. I hope you always know that." The peace-keeper opened the door to signal that her time was up and walked out of the room with her mother. Iris sat in silence until another peace-keeper came in and escorted her away.
     Iris looked around as she followed the peace-keeper through the hall. They exited through an opening that led out to the train station where she met Presley Barret and Chad. "Iris, Chad, I'm glad to escort you to your ride to the Capitol. This is the train," Presley said.
     She continued to speak, "And this is the recent winner of the Hunger Games from District 11. He will teach you tricks and tacticts to survive in the games." As if on cue, the peace-keepers stepped aside to reveal a young man, about 21, with short, black hair and dark skin. "Hello," he said, "I am Odis, your," he stopped to put hand-quotes on the last word, "mentor." Chad laughed. "I will be teaching you tactics for the Games that may help you survive," Odis finished.
     Presley motioned for them to get onto the train. Iris and Chad got on, followed by Odis and Presley. Iris looked around: the train was very nice and fancy. She saw a whole table of food that was very different from home lining the edges of the walls. There were extra carts with bedrooms for her and the other  passengers, each bearing the most comfortable looking beds she had ever seen. A longer cart had a living room of some sort with chairs, couches, and TVs. Iris was bewildered.
     "Say hello to your temporary living place for the ride!" Presley exclaimed. "Can you show us some tactics now, Odis?" Iris asked him. He shook his head. "First, we have the departure when everyone waves goodbye and wishes farewells. For most tributes, it is usually the last time they see their people again," Odis informed. Chad and Iris just shot each other a nervous glance.
     "It's time," a peace-keeper said, suddenly walking through the door. Presley nodded. "Look out your window!" She excitedly exclaimed. Iris and Chad looked out of the big windows. The people of District 11 were staring at them from the sides, either waving farewell or looking down sadly. Iris broadened her shoulders and waved at the people, looking confident. She looked over at Chad, who was doing the same thing, but knew he was trying to hide his fear and anxiety along with her.
     Once the train had left the area, Iris relaxed her shoulders and slumped down into the booth she was on. She looked over at Odis, who was staring at them intently. "You ready?" He asked. They nodded, sitting up. "First off, you need to know how yo survive with the resources you have. When I was in the Games, I could only get a hold of a backpack, which beared no weapon. But I managed to survive by making my own weapons and killing someone, finally getting a strong weapon. That is a very important detail, defense and attack," he said.
     "What about survival?" Chad asked. Odis responded, "Well, you need to know what berries are fine to eat and what aren't. There are a lot of threats out there, such as weather conditions, dangerous animals or disasters, hypothermia, poisonous foods, and starvation and thirst. Forget other tributes. Most tributes die due to the conditions in the arena. Although we don't know what arena you two will face, I would recommend studying."
     Iris nodded and got up. "Where are you going?" Chad asked. "To get something to eat. I'm starving!" Iris answered. "Wait for me," Chad said. He was stopped by Odis grabbing his collar. "You guys don't want to get along too well. It will just make you more upset when one of you die or you have to fight one another," he warned. Then he let go of Chad and they all walked to the dining room.