24 Years, 24 Tributes

Chapter 13

Valencia POV

I sat next to Royal on the train and waited for our mentors to show up. I was in no rush, since Royal was easy on the eyes. He was pretending he didn't notice me staring at him. And boys say girls play hard to get.

The train door opened, and a tall man with short black hair and blue eyes walked in. I recognized him immediately- he was Azure Doyle, the Victor from five years ago.

"Let's see what we got," he said as he looked us over.

"I guess you'll do," he said to Royal. Then he looked over at me.

"Hey, princess, you just get your hair done today?" he asked.

I had, in fact, but there was no need to be rude.

"Well, excuse me. You're our mentor. You're supposed to help us win. How'd you win, anyway?" I asked.

He whipped a knife out of his pocket and threw it at my face. It stuck out of the wall a hair's width away from my cheek.

"Oh."

Thompson POV

I was greatly pleased to see to see Crag Steiner was the male mentor this year. Crag was a legend- three years ago he tore apart the games and set a death toll that still hadn't been matched. He killed the rest of the Careers and another three tributes with his ever present mace to score his win.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," I said. I shook his hand.

"Let's get you ready," he said. He crouched into a fighting stance. "Show me what you got."

I charged forward and aimed a fist at his face. He ducked aside and swept his leg out, and I fell flat on my bottom.

"I like your guts, kid, but you got a lot to work on. We'd better get started," he said.

Hailey Falkenrath POV

Acee Hal was not what I expected. I thought Victors were big and tough, but she was a tiny little pixie. She had sharp eyes and long fingers that were always fiddling with one thing or another.

"There's always a weapon," she said after we were introduced. "See that tablecloth? It'd make a fine noose. So will pants in a pinch. Fruits are high in acid. Lemons make great batteries. The Cornucopia's usually made of conductive metal. Sometimes the best thing in there is the Cornucopia."

She continued talking and I tried to keep track of all the things I could use to kill people. No wonder everyone called her Macgyver. He was big in the legends of District 3. One story told about how he stopped a nuclear explosion with a bar of chocolate.

After a few minutes, I knew I had a mentor like none other in Panem. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought it wasn't so bad.

Dane Verity POV

"Is it all right if I don't ally with the Careers?" I asked my mentor, Jonah Breaker. He was one of the older Victors- he won the fifth Games when he was eighteen. It was a desert arena, so he must be pretty boss.

"It's a good idea to keep your enemies close, but it's your choice," he said. "If you're not allying with them, though, you'd better keep a low profile. Don't let them think you think you're too good for them."

That seemed like solid advice. I guess Jonah knew what he was talking about.

"You'll still want supplies from the Cornucopia, though. Here's what you'll have to do…"

Sarla Mondins POV

I sat next to our only Victor, Soleil Pere. She won just two years ago by starting a forest fire in the pine-filled arena and jumping into a lake. She was only fourteen then, so she was almost my age now. She seemed more like a classmate than a mentor.

"I already know I can't do anything," I said. "Daniel will take care of me, though."

"Then I guess you'd better stay close to him. And don't run into the Bloodbath, not that you looked like you were planning to," she said.

"You were only fourteen when you won. Do you have any advice for someone so little like me?" I asked.

"Stay under the radar and use what you have," she said. "Anything can happen in the Games. Sometimes a Career wins, and sometimes whoever happened to be in a tree when the volcano blows wins."

"You'd better go help Daniel," I said. "He actually knows how to fight and stuff."

She got up to go.

"Just don't lose hope. You're not dead yet," she said.

Harvey Willis POV

District 6 only had one Victor: Toby Cash. That was probably since I hadn't been in the Games yet. He was a fat older man whose hair was already starting to fall out. I made a note to make sure to win. He was making us look bad.

"So I figure I should run into the Cornucopia and find something long range," I said.

"How fast can you run?" he asked.

"Fast enough," I said.

"You willing to bet your life?" he asked.

Suddenly I wasn't sure.

Ever Fellows POV

I wasn't quite sure about sitting next to Sequoia Wilson. She was almost six feet tall and looked like she could break me in half. Then there was the fact that she could kill a fly twenty feet away with a throw of her hatchet.

"So, you good at throwing hatchets?" she asked.

"I can throw knives," I said.

"It'll do. Hatchets are heavier, though, so get used to that," she said.

"Should I work on my fitness or anything?" I asked.

"Good question. Don't worry about muscle. If the others catch you it's too late. We'll focus on running. You're gonna run like you've never run before."

I smiled. That would be a piece of cake.

Caldwell Brax POV

District 8 had two Victors. That meant there was a man who could sit next to me and talk. I wished he wasn't there.

"What are you good at?" he asked me.

"I like to count things," I told him.

"Oh, so you're a quick thinker?" He asked. "You good at running or fighting?"

"No," I said.

He nodded.

"I see. Well then, you'd better just keep your distance. As soon as the Games begin run straight away from the Bloodbath. Focus on finding a shelter and water," he said.

I could do that.

Heidi Garrett POV

District 9 didn't have any Victors, so I was out of luck. As soon as Miller found the meal cart I was free of him, so I sat and watched the scenery go by.

I took stock of my skills. I could cook. Great, maybe the Careers will hire you. But seriously, maybe I could find some edible plants. I could use a kitchen knife, but I wasn't sure carving a loaf of bread was the same as carving a person. Maybe if I just flashed a few knives around in training the other kids would leave me alone.

There was one good thing about not having a mentor. It left me free to explore the train. I'd never been on a train before. If I was going to die in a few days, I might as well have a little fun.

Jean Roberts POV

"I can run, I can fight, and I can win," I told Cornflower. She stared at the edge of my face and listened quietly.

"That's good. Sounds like you know what to do," she said.

"Don't you have any advice?" I asked.

"Not really."

"But you're a Victor," I said.

"I happened to find shelter and it happened to be freezing. You're better off than I was- I was- I was," she said. She suddenly flinched and clapped her hands to her head.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I'll be all right. I'll be all right," she said.

"It's okay. Why don't you just take it easy? We can train more at the Capitol," I said.

Cornflower scurried away. I saw Fluvius guiding her toward a sleeping car.

Maybe I just wouldn't spend too much time with my mentor. I had a feeling she'd make me less likely to win. I didn't need her anyway. I wasn't the best here- I know that- but I have skills, and used right they can help me. Trust me, I'm going to use them.

Peppermint POV

Orchard Angelou turned out to be a pretty cool lady. I was scared to meet her at first- she did win the very first Hunger Games, after all- but she was nice. She was certainly intimidating to look at, though. She was a foot taller than me and she had shiny skin as dark as the fancy wood the Reaping stage was made of. I wished Apollo was with me, but District 11 had three Victors, so he was off with one of the men.

"Do what you have to. Destroy whoever tries to hurt you," she said.

That wasn't encouraging.

"What was it like, being in the first Games?" I asked.

"At first nobody fought, and they sent in Peacekeepers. They mowed half of us down with their guns, and the rest of us scattered. Then I decided I wasn't going to lay down and die, so I found them all one by one and squeezed the life out of them," she said.

"You killed them all?" I asked. That seemed pretty impressive.

"The Peacekeepers killed twelve, and seven more died of dehydration. The rest were easy prey," she said softly.

I didn't want to remind her about it any more.

"What should I do for my Games?" I asked.

"The kids won't be so easy this time," she said. "You're lucky you have an ally. Work together. Start with the weakest and let the strong grow weaker," she said.

I wasn't sure I was as intense as she thought I was, but I'd try my best.

Aspen Matthews POV

Twelve didn't have any Victors, so Valerie and I sat next to each other as the train moved along.

"Wanna be allies?" I asked her.

"We're already district partners," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but wanna really be allies?" I asked again. "We already know each other, and we get along."

"Sure, I guess. Strength in numbers, right?" she said.

"Think we should go into the Cornucopia?" I asked.

"I dunno… I'm not really a killer," she said.

"Oh really? I've seen the way you talk in school. You're ruthless, girl. You'll kill everyone by gossip alone."

Valerie smiled, and I smiled back. We'd get through this on a joke and a prayer.

Four Things:

1. Orchard is a total boss. I didn't even try to think up a ton of mentors. I just started writing and she turned out to be a complete BA.

2. Acee has a sister named Deecee. Thought everyone should know that.

3. I made up the number of Victors each district has, so if there are inconsistencies, c'est la vie.

4. Oops, forgot to use Hyden. He IS a Victor. He's just mentoring this year. He's... on vacation.