The Writing Games (:

The Train Ride There

(Third assignment. hope y'all continue to enjoy and wish Vexare the best of luck for her cruel self)

Vexare allowed herself to be directed onto the train that would be taking them to the justice building. She had once again regained control of her mental state—no longer was she just waiting to burst, but instead, she had returned to the feeling of nothing—completely complacent to the situation. She was oblivious to her surroundings, the huge old-fashioned steam engine was nothing more than blurred colors passing by on the wind, though it was still stationary as she moved to board it. She shut her eyes momentarily, the array of colors giving her a minor headache.

Cursing, she grabbed the golden rail and hoisted herself up the stairs of the train. Once inside, she saw a table completed with a delectable selection of meats and pastries, but she ignored it as she spotted Aaron and Mayor Mayella entering from the cabin across. Instead, she ignored the rumbling in her stomach and crouched in the corner, her gaze menacing and an obvious threat to anyone passing by.

The other tribute, Avery, had been right behind her as she boarded, but she had chosen to continue to completely ignore him. She didn’t care who he was. She didn’t care about his sob story, and somehow she counted on him not wanting anything to do with her. If he even thought for one second that he would be able to prey on her rumored history now to find an ally in the games, he was sadly mistaken, and she would be sure to set him straight.

She was stone cold and faceless by the time the idiot finally got the chance to approach her. Instantly, she wished the encounter was over before he even had the chance to get his first words out.

“I don't think I’ve ever seen anyone this at peace about being sent to their death.”

Great icebreaker! Vexare thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. “Who said I was going to die?”

“Your confidence could very well be the one thing that sets you apart from the other tributes, but it could also be the thing that gets you killed.”

“If I were you, I’d spend more time worrying about yourself.” Vexare wouldn’t go as far as to say she was confident, more like she didn’t care if she lived or died, and she certainly wasn’t about to ignore certain obvious advantages she possessed. However, confidence was a nice cover up.

“I already tried that. It didn’t work, so now I’m here.”

“Well could you try being somewhere else?” she snapped.

“Why? Are you afraid that if you like me too much you’re going to have a harder time murdering me in the Games?” “What makes you think that I like you at all? Or anyone, for that matter?” she argued, immediately cursing herself for it afterward. Why was she even bothering wasting her time carrying on any sort of conversation? At least he’s talking to you, another side of her countered smugly.

“Well, the only reason people have to not like other people, is if they’ve been hurt by other people. So, logically speaking, you must have liked someone at some point.”

The boy had gone too far for her tastes. The people she had cared about… they were gone now, though the old scars were still deep wounds. “Don't think you know anything about me because I can assure you that you don't.”

Vex elected to tune out any sort of response the guy made to her reluctance. Something about claims and observations. She was in her own little world until he spoke again.

What is with this kid? Is it not obvious that his company is not welcome? She continued irritably. The only reason he’s even bothering is because he doesn’t want to be alone in all of it. Though she had to admit, his next question surprised her a little bit.