Winnow stared out the window and watched the rolling crop fields of district 11 fades onto the mountainous landscape that surrounded the Capitol.  

"Hello, my lucky little tributes!"

A cheery voice made Winnow look up.

"I'm Daphnie Dior. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Now that she saw her up close, Daphnie really did look like a cherry. Her cherry red hair was in a large tower balanced atop her head, with a bright green bow to top it off. Her skin was stained a pale red, and her eyes were bright green.

"Why don't we have something to eat?" She smiled, clearly trying to diffuse the tension.

Winnow and Sirco got up from their spots and tentatively sat at the table, but they didn't take their eyes off Daphnie.

Winnow glanced down to inspect the food. Her eyes were drawn to the large bowl in the centre of the table that contained a steaming saffron yellow liquid filled with succulent chunks of meat and vegetables.

"Like the look of the curry?" Daphnie cut in. "Here, why don't you try some?"

She grabbed a bowl, measured out a sizable portion of the curry and handed it over to Winnow.

A beautiful aroma filled Winnow's nostrils and she licked her lips. She picked up a spoon and raised out to her mouth.

Winnow's eyes lit up. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. She began wolfing down the curry, somehow not spilling a single drop.

"Ah! The curry! That's my favourite too!"

Winnow looked up to see two others had entered the dining car. One was a woman in her early forties. Seeder. She had olive skin and black hair. She won the 23rd games when she was 13. The other was a man in his mid-twenties. Chaff. He had dark skin and hair, and one of his arms ended in a stump from where he lost his hand in the 45th games.

These two were the only victors district 11 had that were still alive. There was one other girl. She commit suicide not long after winning.

Chaff and Seeder were going to be their mentors. They would help them with 'important' things, like how to get sponsors.

Chaff sat down next to Winnow and poured himself a large bowl of curry.

"It's a pleasure to meet you two," Seeder smiled as she plonked herself down next to Daphnie. "I'm Seeder. This is Chaff. And you are?"

"Winnow Kerner," she replied, shaking her offered hand.

"Sirco Grieve." He did the same.

Chaff hummed a greeting but continued to eat.

"Chaff, that's beef curry, not see-food. Chew with your mouth closed," Seeder scolded.

Winnow grinned at Seeder's pun, and Sirco let out a snort. Chaff swallowed his food.

"Sorry," he mumbled, before scooping some more curry into hours mouth, being extra careful as to not open it.

"What a splendid selection of food they have here," Daphnie cooed. "Sirco, you must try the pulled pork."

After that, the conversation began to slowly flow, as the group got to know each other. Winnow remained silent for most of the chat and focused more on her second, third and even fourth serving of curry.

For dessert, Winnow could only fit in a couple of delicious chocolate chip cookies, but the others managed a decent sized slice of cake and ice cream.

Winnow yawned. All that food made her tired.

"I'm going to go to sleep," she announced, getting up from her chair.

"Good idea. You should get some rest before your big arrival in the Capitol!" Daphnie cooed.

"Your room's just in the next car, closest to the door," Seeder informed her. "Sirco, the one next to it."

The two left the dining car and made their way into the sleeping car.

"Well, um... goodnight..." Sirco mumbled.

"Yeah. See you in the morning," Winnow replied.

She opened the door to her room and stepped inside.

She had a quick shower, not bothering to work out what all the other random knobs and buttons did changed into some soft pyjamas and got into bed.

She took one final glance out the window before paying the button to close it.

"Goodbye forever, district 11," she mumbled into the darkness before drifting off to sleep.