(Sorry for the long delay. For those of you that don't know, I've been out of the country for a week and I'm just getting to my stories now to update them.
Just to make it clear, each district still has its own train, I'm just combining the chapters. The District 1 tributes and the District 2 tributes are not on the same train. It will be the same way for each of the next five chapters as well.)
~District 1~
(Rocco Balla's POV)
I study Greyson and Julian from across the train car. Julian occasionally glances apprehensively in my direction, but got the most part he and his brother ignore us. Greyson is in a deep conversation with one of the mentors. I told them I didn't need their moronic advice, and Han literally growled at them when they tried approaching him. I think we won't have to worry about them.
Han doesn't plan with staying with me long. Just until we can take out the Career pack. Then, we part ways so we don't have to interfere in each other's killing sprees.
If I run across him, I'll stab him in the back. I don't know if I could bear to kill him in an outright fight. But the thing is, I know he has no such qualms. All aspects of a human personality in him got beaten to dust last year when we watched our sister Maiya, his twin, die a gruesome death in the grand finale of the Games. The winner, the girl from District 2, beat her to death with a brick. And Han wouldn't look away from the screen. It did something to him; he hasn't been quite right on the head since. He's still funny, and not quite sadistic enough for the trainers to call in a psychiatrist (yes, believe it or not, District 1 trainers know the line between insane and Career-worthy). He's a delusional psycho, though. I have to lock my door at night or he will come in with a knife, sleep-walking, and try to kill me.
It's not that Maiya's death didn't affect me. It did. It just didn't turn me into a serial killer. I'm colder, more willing to kill, yes, but not like Han. I can still see reason. I won't tori tyre my victims, or stretch out their deaths just for the fun of it. I'm still human.
~~~~
(Han Balla's POV)
Whenever Julian glances at me, I glare at him. Or smile creepily. I imagine slowly sliding a knife blade across his throat, hearing his screams turn into gurgles as he chokes on his own blood, and I can't stop a smile from spreading across my face. He seems a bit shaken, which makes it even better. Scaring people is amazing.
The escort, a crazy woman with heels so thin I could use them as a blade, tells us we should probably get some rest, as we won't reach the Capitol until tomorrow. I slowly walk over to the table and grab a knife, then walk towards the door. I always sleep with a knife.
"Lock your doors tonight," Rocco says casually. I turn back before passing through the door to see Julian's frightened eyes locked in mine. I point the knife towards him then slip through the door to the passageway.
~~~~
(Greyson Carter's POV)
"It doesn't matter if you're afraid," I say. "Don't let him know. It's a sign of weakness."
Julian and I are sitting on his bed. He's really scared of that stupid little boy, Han. He shakes his head. "But...he's like...there's something not right about him."
"It won't be the first time there's been a lunatic in the Games." A few years back, there was a girl named Crystie from our district who was completely insane. About halfway through the Games she started going crazy, and started acting like a wild animal. She died by an "accidental" flood that was obviously not an accident. That's not the kind of victor the Capitol wants.
"Anyway," I continue, "we can take him, easily. One of us is getting home, and I want it to be you, ok?"
Julian looks up at me, pain in his eyes. "But-"
I shake my head. "No. I'm supposed to protect you. If I have to, I'll die doing it. You were brave enough to volunteer. You can win. You have too. Ok? For me?"
Julian looks down, thinking. "Whatever." I'll take that as a no, for now. I can't guarantee he'll win, but I can do my best to ensure it. And I will.
~~~~
~District 2~
(Jackson Wells's POV)
I smile flirtatiously at Trilia, who just rolls her eyes in disgust. I don't know her well, really, but everyone says we're incredibly similar. One difference: her sister doesn't hate her.
I glance at Liliana, sitting alone at the other end of the car, watching the replay of the reaping. Trilia, Eden, and I are talking with our mentors, who are conveniently ignoring Liliana's existence.
"So, what are your strengths?" one of the escorts, Marcus, asks us.
"I'm ruthless," I say immediately. "I love killing. I can use any weapon, but I prefer knives. I'm fast, and work well with my allies as long as I need to."
Trilia waits a moment to see if I'll continue, the starts on herself. "I'm strong, brave, and sadistic. I can use any weapon I need to but I'm best with a sword."
"You're both insane..." Eden mutters. A little louder, she says, "They like to torture their victims a bit before death, by scaring them."
The mentors nod, impressed. "What about you?" one asks Eden.
Eden shrugs. "I don't know. I know how to use a lot of weapons. Swords are too heavy for me, but I'm good with a bow, or knives. I'm smart, really." She shrugs again. Trilia smiles proudly at her sister.
The escorts nod, then send us to the other end of the car as they discuss what they've learned from our trainers and what we've just told them. I sit on the other end of the couch that Liliana is sitting on. She's incredibly focused on the reapings. It looks like it's in District 8, but I can't really tell. All those lower districts look the same to me. All those people, so resentful, after everything the Capitol has done for us. I don't understand it. They should be honored at the chance to compete in the Hunger Games. I don't understand them.
~~~~
(Eden Stell's POV)
After dinner, I sit down next to Liliana. Maybe I can get her to join us. Jackson would definitely be happy. I saw him glancing over to his sister a few times, earlier.
"Hi," I say, smiling.
"If you've come to recruit me, you can forget about it," she says flatly.
I slump my shoulders a bit, acting hurt. That's exactly why I came over here, but she doesn't need to know that. "Can't a girl say hi?"
"Not here." Liliana sighs and turns towards me. "What is it?"
"I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Ed-"
"Eden Stell. And that's your sister, the insane, infamous Trilia Stell who once slaughtered a training dummy so effectively that it was just a pile of stuffing." I slowly nod. I remember that. "Let me ask you, Eden, what are you going to do when it's just the two of you left? Think she'll let you live?"
"Nope. We've already decided. If it is the two of us left, which is unlikely, we'll find some poisonous berries so I can commit a painless suicide." Ok, we haven't exactly "talked" about it. But I've implied it enough that she gets the picture.
Liliana stares at me in shock. "What? You're just going to kill yourself?"
"I'll die anyway. I want Trilia to go home. She'll have earned it doubly, protecting me the whole time. I'm not a fighter." I shrug. It makes sense in my mind, anyway. And besides, if I die, I'll be with Mother again.
"You've accepted your death? Just like that?" Liliana's shock is giving way to curiosity, I think.
I nod. "Yep. I've accepted it. Might as well. There's a 1 in 48 chance I get out alive, and that's being generous. Chances are, I'll be dead in the bloodbath." I shrug. Things like death have never been hard for me to grasp. I wasn't incredibly sad when Mother died. Sure, I missed her, but I believed I'd see her again. Even if I don't, it's the belief now that counts.
Liliana gives me a strange look and announces she's going to bed. After s minute, I say the same. Dying won't be the hard part. Acting like a Career will be. I can fool Trilia easily enough. Jackson might not be so gullible. I'm not a Career, on the inside. I'm not sadistic and cold and I hate killing. To stay alive for long, though, I need to act like I completely embrace the Career philosophy: Kill for the fun of it. That will be the biggest challenge; bigger than death itself.
(Question time!
What do you think of Rocco? Han? Which one is worse?
Is Greyson a good brother? Do you think he'll really be able to sacrifice himself for Julian?
Do you think Liliana and Jackson will ever reconcile?
Is Eden's philosophy about death insane?)