Everything after I stepped forward to volunteer for Lyssa's younger brother was a complete blur.

Being dragged onto the stage by the Peacekeepers. Introducing myself once I was on stage (A lot of whispers broke out as the name "Anderson" came from my lips, and a happy noise from Bryn. I'd almost forgotten that Cooper was a popular Tribute when he competed). Bryn's short speech about Lyssa and I. And finally, us being dragged into the Justice Building as we waited for our family members and friends to come see us. To come and say goodbye

I didn't have an awful lot of visitors. I had a few friends from school and work, but not including family, that was pretty much it. Mr. and Mrs. St. James came by and gave a teary thank you for saving JC from the fate of the games, and how they were grateful that they weren't going to lose another child when it hit me – a couple of years ago, the St. James family lost their eldest son, Jesse, to the Games.

He nearly made it back home – he was in the final three. But when there was a bundle of food left behind from a previous Tribute and a Career, as well as Jesse, noticed it? Well… let's just say that the Career had won that battle. I couldn't imagine the pain they would go through if both Lyssa and JC were going to the Games this year. While Lyssa's chances of survival were slim (as was anyone's who wasn't trained since birth), they could still hold onto hope that she would come back home to them alive. But if both were to go, then they were guaranteed to lose at least once child, unless for some unknown reason, the Gamemakers decided to change the rules.

Once the St. James' had left, my younger siblings all came running into the room. All four of them were understandably crying, especially Carson. I noticed that my parents and Cooper hadn't come in with them, and from the time, it wasn't long before I would be going to the Capitol. I'd be seeing Cooper on the train, so it wasn't like I wasn't going to see him at all, but my parents weren't going to see me. They didn't come in to even say a quick goodbye, despite the fact this could be the last time they ever saw me. This was the second time one of their sons was going away, potentially to his death, and they didn't care enough to even come and see him off. I remember with Cooper, they said a short "Bye" before leaving, but it looked as though I wasn't even going to get that.

The thought of my parents was just as bad as seeing my siblings as distraught as they were, but I wasn't going to break down. Breaking down in front of them wouldn't solve anything. It wouldn't change my situation, and it sure as hell wouldn't make them feel better. So instead, I took a breath and put on a brave face and assured them that it would be okay, that I was going to be fine, and they would see me again. I worked my way from youngest to oldest, slowly attempting to calm all of them down. By the time I got to Noah, he gave me his favourite badge – A simple circle with two axes in the middle of it, and the axes were placed in such a way that they resembled a cross.

It took me longer than usual to soothe them – which, really wasn't a surprise – and the Peacekeepers had came in before they were calm. The Peacekeepers made my siblings more emotional, and it was no wonder why. This… This was it. This was going to the last time they'd probably see me in person. Thankfully, the pair of Peacekeepers seemed to take pity on me and us, and gave me an extra minute to say goodbye and try to keep things as calm and okay as possible before dragging me off. It wasn't long, but I needed that minute. As I left the Justice Building, I saw their tears slowly coming to a stop.

Lyssa, Bryn, and I headed to the train on a wagon. I'd been on many wagons for my job, but they were never as fancy as this one. It was just a small one for carting the lumber I'd gathered around the district. Bryn had informed us that the train, for the first time, would be shared with another district, and would arrive slightly later. It explained why we were going through a large portion of the district rather than going straight to the train station – if memory serves correctly, then the train station is pretty much a straight line out of the Justice Building.

Around half an hour later, we stopped at the train station, and we were taken out of the carriages. The usually empty station was filled with camera men and other filming equipment, and, as probably as expected, me and Lyssa were the center of attention. Lyssa seemed to be doing what I was – putting on a brave face and not giving herself away to anyone. The Capitol wanted us to be crying. They wanted us to be upset, and I wasn't going to give them that satisfaction.

I wanted to cry. Badly. But now.. Now just wasn't the time.

Hearing the previous three Victors leave their carriages, I took a breath and grabbed Lyssa's hand as I stepped onto the train. Neither of us knew what district we'd be sharing with – we didn't even know what district was closest to seven, so we moved to try and find our own place to speak for a while before moving around the train. I didn't know what Lyssa had plans to do, but I was hoping to just check out the Capitol's technology and food. And maybe I was hoping to see what district was here, and find out more about my enemy. It.. It wasn't wrong. I was just being tactical. In a way, this change was good. It gave me an upper hand. I could find out two people's weaknesses earlier on. The same could be said about me and Lyssa, but I was hoping they couldn't find out anything to use against me.

Lyssa and I sat down in a room marked "District Seven". The room was large, and large couches and chairs were scattered across the room. There was a massive screen – though not as huge as the ones in the town square – mounted on the wall. This was probably where we'd watch the Reapings, and when the others came back, the Victor's Interview.

Sighing, I turned to look at Lyssa, "How are you doing?" I asked, giving her a small smile

Lyssa didn't answer my question. Instead, she asked, a slight waver in her voice, "Why did you do it?"

I swallowed back in surprise when she didn't answer my question, and tried to block out Lyssa's voice shaking. I hated the Games… I hated the Games for what they did to us. What they did to innocent people. So many innocent children died every year and for what? A couple of months of entertainment.

"I couldn't let your family have two kids in the Games.." I started slowly, glancing down before I looked into her eyes. "I saw your parents and they looked.. They looked so hurt. I couldn't just sit and do nothing.. Especially after what happened with Jesse."

I pretty much instantly regretted mentioning Jesse. Lyssa seemed to curl into herself and shut off, and before she began ignoring me completely, I continued, "And you.. I couldn't let you go through that. You'd have to fight your brother.. and see him die. No-one should ever have to experience that."

When I looked at Lyssa again, she looked as if she actually might have cried. But she managed to give me a small smile. She couldn't be too angry at me, which was sort of relieving, "I'm ever so grateful to you. You're the reason my baby brother has a chance to live a normal life" I didn't really know what to say, so I just smiled gently at her, and waited for her continue speaking. "If you survive and I don't, I know my family will find a way to show their gratitude. The best I can offer you is one less person you have to worry about killing you."

I gave a soft laugh and shook my head, "Lyssa, you don't need to offer me anything. It was the least I could do." I said, and quickly spoke before Lyssa could speak again, "But thank you, I really appreciate it. I want to let you know, I'm not going to kill you either. I was never going to. We come from the same district… We shouldn't be turning our backs on each other."

"You're right," Lyssa said, laughing gently. "But I still won't be able to thank you enough.

"Really, don't worry about it," I said, smiling as I shook my head. I sighed before standing up. "I'm going to go for a walk around the train right now… You're free to come with me or.. whatever you want to do."

Lyssa thought for a few moments before she looked at me ,"I think I'll stay here for a while. I need to be alone for a bit."

"Okay," I said nodding. "I'll be back soon." I smiled at Lyssa one last time before I turned around and left the room we were in together.

I didn't really know where to start looking for the other district members as I didn't know if they'd be on a section that was closed off from us. It wouldn't be hard to find them – I just had to find a boy or a girl who was probably around my age and wearing clothes that were nice, but not to the high standard of the clothes in the Capitol.

I walked down the carriages, glancing into every room for signs of other Tributes, before stopping outside a room that I had a feeling I would've just walked past when I heard what sounded like sobbing. I'd actually forgotten about trying to find the other Tributes at that point in time, and walked into the room slowly.

It was a fairly large room inside, much like the one where I had spoken to Lyssa before except there was more furniture and the TV was larger. Glancing at the door, I assumed that it was for the Captiol members or the Victors on board – there wasn't any signs for the district number.

I looked around for the sobs I heard when I saw a boy around my age curled up on one of the armchairs. He appeared to have stopped crying, but I could see that he was shaking slightly.

At that moment, a terrible thought came across my mind. I was planning on trying to calm him down when I came into the room, but now, I was thinking maybe I could see what I could learn about the boy. We were going to be fighting each other in a few days. It was best to see if I could find anything. Even if it was just a tiny thing.

Sitting into the seat opposite the boy, I leaned forwards and tapped the boy's knee. He jumped slightly and rubbed his eyes and frowned at me. I managed to give him a small smile back.

"You alright?" I asked, regretting the question as soon as it left my lips. "Sorry… stupid question." I mumbled, more to myself than to him

"Just peachy, thanks.." The boy grumbled in response.

The boy's tone was dark, and I started to wish that I stopped asking such stupid questions. Why would he be okay? Why would anyone be okay in this situation? This guy had enough on his plate without my stupidity making things worse.

"Sorry, my mum's always telling me to think before I speak," I said, managing a soft chuckle ."I guess I should listen to her more." It was actually more like my mother yelled at me. However, I wasn't going to rant to some stranger about my parents. He probably wouldn't care, and it might make him miss home more than he already did. Speaking of home, it actually hurt to think of it. District Seven wasn't exactly the best of places but… Home was home. My brothers and sister were there, as were the few friends I had. Hell, I was even missing my job at this point.

"Yes, you really should," The boy snapped at me, and I frowned at his hostile response. Well, if I had any plans on getting close to this guy – which I wasn't – then that wasn't something that would happen. I didn't really care though. It was obvious from the start this boy was a lone wolf, why else would he be crying alone rather than with the other Tribute for his district. And oh, look. I'd managed to do some deducting on my own. I wasn't going to let this be known, however. Instead, I stored the information in the back of my mind and planned to use it whenever the opportunity arose.

I thought for a few moments, before asking my next question;

"District?"

I watched as he sat up and sniffed lightly, and I tilted my head to the side as I waited for an answer.

"Eight," The boy replied, and my gaze instinctively fell to his hands. And yep. He was definitely from District Eight. I could tell from how thin and nimble his fingers were - admittedly beautiful – and just seemed perfect for threading needles, and making clothes, and whatever else they did over there. The boy's fingers also had callouses along the tips from where I assumed he'd pricked himself on numerous needles throughout the years. What was strange though, was the scars across his hands. They weren't big, but I was able to notice them easily, and well.. They didn't look like they came from working with needles. It might have been from something else though- as thin as the boy was, which was another indicator of him being from a poorer district, he was actually fairly muscular. Maybe the people in District Eight had more than one job. That would explain why this boy seemed to do something more physical like I did, and sewing like his District suggested.

I was a bit too caught up in these thoughts that I nearly missed what the boy said next

"You?" He asked.

"Seven," I said in response. It wasn't really that obvious from looking at me, apart from my arms. Because of how much wood I had to chop and carry about, they were fairly large, and it was made even more obvious because of the shirt I was wearing. It was short sleeved and was a bit too tight for my liking, but I was told to wear it. I couldn't really do anything about it now. "I'm Blaine, by the way. Blaine Anderson"

At the mention of my district, the boy from Eight's gaze dropped down, and seemed to be sizing me up or something. There wasn't really anything for him to find, apart from my arms. I wasn't scrawny, but the muscles I had weren't exactly obvious from what I was wearing. Though, when Eight's eyes fell on my arms, his gaze didn't seem to move away from my arms. My brow knitted together as the boy from Eight's lips parted slightly as his gaze stayed on my arms. I shuffled about uncomfortably. Best I just ignore it and move on.

Shortly after his lips parted, the boy from Eight shook his head and looked back up at me "I see…. Kurt Hummel."

"Well, Kurt, it's nice to meet you," I said. I knew we were going to be fighting each other and all, but there was no reason why I shouldn't drop the pleasantries that I'd grown up with. "And may the odds be ever in your favour." I hated that phrase, but I felt like I should. But for the Capitol, it was a meaningless phrase – it was like a tag line for their "show". But for the Tributes, it actually meant something.

"You too," Kurt said with a smile. Well, it was nice to see that Kurt actually had manners. But he gave a hollow laugh when I said the 'slogan' for the Games. "Who are you trying to kid?" He said flatly, "The odds are only in favour of the Careers. We don't have a chance in hell at winning if we're not one of them."

I paused for a few moments, and took a breath to calm myself before looking back up at Kurt, "Myself? I don't know." I said. "You're right. Don't think for a second that I'm going to win, I know I'm going to die." It was true – neither of us had a chance. All I was doing just now was keeping the little hopes I had raised. "I just… if all I have is a few days, I can at least try to.. I don't know" I said, trailing off as I looked up to hold Kurt's gaze.

"Well, it's good you're thinking like that," Kurt started with a sigh "You're not giving yourself false hope." I frowned. Kurt was.. He was certainly a downer. I understood why – he was going to be thrown into an arena and be made to fight to the death and probably end up dead himself, but so was I. But unlike Kurt, I wasn't trying to bring everyone down with me. "But simply trying to win? It's the best we can hope for."

"It's all we've got to hope for," I said, gradually frowning further. For some reason, Kurt seemed angry. What did I say that could've pissed him off? Was it the fact I was right that made Kurt so ticked off? It.. That didn't really make sense, or was Kurt just that stubborn? "And you're certainly not in the right frame of mind. If you keep thinking like that, they'll get you at the Cornucopia."

I was expecting to be snapped at again, so when Kurt gave a wry smile and a shrug, I was unable to hide my surprise. "I'm determined to get further than that." Kurt said.

At what Kurt said, I smiled crookedly, nodding as I thought for a few moments "If you've got determination, then you can go as far as you want. All you have to do is believe you can make it, and you'll get by," I said, "It's as simple as. You'll know when you've got to stop believing, when it's time. Until then? Just keep going. One false move, and you're out. Don't stop believing as cheesy as it is."

Kurt was silent for a while, as though he was just thinking about what I was saying rather than ignoring me. "I do have determination, and I want to win this but with what's being thrown against me? It's not making me have any hope at all," Kurt said with a small sigh. "If I'm lucky and I'm quick enough, I think I can get past the bloodbath. But I'm not having much hope that I'll get past that point."

"You just need to take it in baby steps," I said "Don't think about winning right from the start, because you'll die. Just… Take it slow. Set targets for yourself. Like to start with, focus on getting past the bloodbath. And just think 'Oh, I'll head over there' and once you do that, think of what else you could do. Just take things one as they come at you. Obviously, gather as much as you can along the way, but mostly, just try and take things a little at a time. The whole thing won't seem so daunting,"

"Are you sure that will work though?" Kurt asked as he sighed at me.

"No, I'm not sure." I said, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes as Kurt looked as though he was about to protest again – just how stubborn was this guy – and quickly spoke again before Kurt could make any kind of comment, "But I know that it's better than just letting them -"

At that moment, I took a deep breath, and looked around to make sure no one was around, and beckoned Kurt forwards. He frowned at me in confusion before leaning towards be as I moved in with a raised eyebrows, "They think they can just.. take us away and make us miserable. Kill us." I said, keeping my voice hushed. "I'm not going to let them get the better of me. I'm not just a piece in their Games. " I knew Kurt knew who I was talking about here, but we had to be near enough silent. If I was heard, then at best I'd be an Avox.

When I finished speaking, Kurt's eyes widened, and I couldn't help but frown slightly. Kurt then slapped my upper arm as he glared at me; I scowled back at him, and was about to speak when Kurt spoke.

"Shut up, what if they hear us!?" Kurt hissed under his breath, sounding very similar to a cat. "We can't just… talk about things like that!"

"I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking. You can't honestly tell me you think this is fair?" I said, looking at Kurt in disbelief, before I sighed. "Feel as good as it looks?" I asked, keeping my voice hushed, as I remembered the little staring contest Kurt was having with my arm earlier, before I rolled my eyes. I stayed silent for a couple of moments after making that comment as I expected Kurt to start yelling at me. His hands clenched into tight fists, and I fought back a triumphant smirk, just waiting for the snap. Kurt was actually starting to blush and holy crap, I thought that glare was going to kill me.

But the snap never came.

"N-no it doesn't!" Kurt stuttered out, not meeting my gaze for a while before he stood up and glared at me again "J-just shut up!"

He was about to turn and leave, before I grabbed his wrist when he walked past me. He raised an eyebrow with the blush still on his cheeks. For the first time since I came into the room, I smiled up at Kurt softly

"Hey, it's okay.." I said, trying to think of why Kurt was suddenly so defensive when he wasn't hesitating to jump down my throat another time I opened my mouth when it hit me. Taking a breath, I looked up at Kurt, holding his gaze, and tried not to break underneath the icy look being sent my way. "I'm on your team." I said, referring to my sexuality in years. I really hoped I was right about this – otherwise this could end disastrously.

Kurt's eyes widened and looked at me with a much softer look than before. "Really?" He asked, and bit his lip and seemed to think for a few moments after I'd nodded. However, when I expected Kurt to sit back down, and maybe have a conversation about this, Kurt let out a heavy sigh, and put the bitch front he seemed to be so fond of back up again.

"But of course I don't think it's fair," Kurt said slowly, and wriggled his arm out of my grip "But we can't exactly do anything about it can we? You saw what happened to Thirteen. And I'll be damned if I let that happen to the little people I actually still care about."

"We don't need to take it to the extremes that Thirteen did, though" I started, "We just need to -"

"Oh just shut up, and leave me alone, okay?" Kurt snapped, cutting me off. Before I could say anything else to him, or stop him from leaving, Kurt turned around and stormed over to the door. "Next time you want to talk to another Tribute? I'd advise not speaking to them about things that could get everyone around them into trouble."

And without another word, Kurt left, his footsteps surprisingly heavy as he walked away, presumably to where District Eight were staying. Letting out a groan, I buried my face into my hands.

So much for trying to calm him down.