❝ moose! ❞ a pair of rough hands clamped on his shoulder, and shook him hard enough to rattle his bones. ❝ oh, maverick. oh my boy... ❞ the voice was unmistakably his fathers, soaked with both grief and disbelief.

his mother looked drawn and she pulled him into a hard, desperate hug. she smelled like the kitchen: fresh break and old herbs. she wept, unable to muster up any words, as her fingers scrabbled in the fabric of his shirt. she wished she could weave him into a protective cocoon, prevent him from going to the games. but, there was nothing she could do but embrace him, and cherish every second of this moment, for it may be their last.

❝ maverick... ❞ his mother breathed out, her hands had since shifted from his shirt, and now tightly gripped his forearms, as though trying to ground herself. the shake within her tone caused maverick's stomach to jerk as he watched his mother break in front of his eyes.

she could barely stand. yet, a stubborn streak within her refused to break entirely. she couldn't do so in front on maverick.

her trembling hands fluttered towards his cheeks. a heartbreaking expression coloured her eyes: a blend of sorrow, and a hint of pride that kept maverick's throat from tightening, and his eyes from prickling.

❝ you have to win, ❞ she mumbled and she leaned her forehead against his. ❝ you just have to, ❞.

his fathers stoic face shattered at the sight of them, and at the words in which his mother choked out, and it left and exposed trail of profound hurt in its wake. he clutched maverick's shoulder and gave him a weakened smile.

he mustered his strength and his facial features scrunched in agony, yet he spoke. ❝ do whatever it takes to win, ❞

maverick looked into his mothers eye, but was caught off guard by the tide of agony swimming in them, and it reminded him of the ominous feeling that gnawed at him from the inside. he felt his knees buckle.

he took a shaky breath and pulled back from both his parents. his eyes burned and he gulped, taking yet another breath before mumbling. ❝ i-i'll try, i'll try. i really will. i promise- ❞

moose was interrupted as the door to the room he and his parents sheltered in blew open. ❝ that's it. times up, let's go, ❞. two peacekeepers pushed into the room and grabbed both of his parents roughly, dragging them from the room.

❝ maverick! maverick! my baby- no! let me go! let me go! please! ❞

the cries of his mother rang in his ears and maverick held back the tears that tickled at his ducts, eager to flow down his cheeks.

❝ win moose win! we believe- ❞

the door slammed slut and his fathers voice boomed throughout the hallways of the building. it was clear he tried to fight back, to have just one more minute with his son.

a strange, frightening silence fell over maverick.

the woman from the stage emerged from the door that opened once again and she escorted him outside where the other and much older tribute remained seated in a vehicle.

❝ oh the both of you are in for a treat. fine dining, hot showers and crisp, clean new clothes. fancy doorknobs and little knick-knacks and trinkets, ❞

the words in which the escort spoke seemed to be blurred out in the back of mavericks mind. he sat there with his hands clasped tightly for the duration of the journey, while the escort talked and talked, reliving the look on his fathers face, and his mothers cries for him to come back in one piece.

the platform of district 10 brimmed with whispers and disgruntled murmurs, faces staring expectantly, all painted with a number of expressions.

maverick was guided toward the looming beast of the train, armed guards flanking him, and his body felt like a fragile husk moving of its own volition, encased within it was a storm of terror.

he felt detached from his own body as though his soul hovered over him, observing the course of his doomed fate. drowned in this strange void of panic, his senses seemed significantly numbed, making every other sound around him seem like a distant memory. the shrouded figure of the districts female tribute flanked his right.

the threshold of the steel monstrosity lay just ahead, ready to swallow him into its iron belly, drawing him in. each thump of his heart mirrored the persistent chug of the trains wheels on the iron tracks.

the metallic hulk of a train seemed massive and intimidating, yet glossy with a polished sheen that almost made it look glamorous. maverick drew in a quick breath, then stepped onto the gravel and jumped up onto the train. a cloud of anxiety hung around him.

this was the chariot that would bear him away from his district and deposit him at the doors of a perilous future, inside the marble walls of the capitol.

it was a luxurious beast on tracks, opulent in its sheen. at first glance, it felt incongruous to have such luxury wedded to a future of certain death, but on deeper thought, it made a twisted sense.

the capitol did like their bread and circuses laced with spectacle.

the trains shimmering, obsidian surface seemed impervious, showing only reflections of the environment. and, once maverick had stepped inside, the luxury of the train smacked the him square in the face.

the carriage was lined with a velvet so fine and soft it seemed sinful to sit on it. but, a first-time tribute like him could only gawk at it in silence. he peered a look towards the female tribute who just sighed as she walked the train she had walked a number of years before, ready to relive it all again.

tinted glass panels, long stretches of hardwood floors and cushioned seating areas with low, polished tables were dispersed neatly around the room. everywhere, ornate lighting hung from the ceiling, radiating a gentle colours everywhere. ruby, emerald, and topaz drapes adding a riot of splendor. high-end luxury met the eye in every direction, all representing the gaudy richness of the capitol.

overly ornamented candelabras lined the windows and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling like heavy diamond raindrops, glittering dangerously with each sway of the carriage. every minute detail within the train suggested extravagance, and a reckless abandon of resources that could easily make a difference in maverick's impoverished district, or any of the other districts for that matter.

this train was built to instill an awe that mingled fear and excitement. as the engine roared to life, sending quivers down its glossy body. each clatter of the tracks beneath, every rhythmic pulse seemed like the countdown to a brutal end.

❝ sit, ❞ cordelia chimed with a pointed finger at the chairs that dotted the carriage.

mavericks eyes travelled across every inch of the room they sat in. a food cart, filled to the brim with a plethora of delicious food caught his eye. a polished bar counter, stocked with an abundance of long necked bottles, propped out from the wall. and, past the carriage he sat in, maverick eyed rows and rows of further carriages.

❝ i'm going to find montgomery... you two make friends, ❞ cordelia stood up from her seat and smiled at the two tributes, before walking from the carriage, into another. her shoes clacked as she walked.

eris wasn't particularly chatty. not to mention, she kept glancing out the window. she looked troubled and frankly, terrifying.

maverick looked around the compartment and then rubbed the back of his neck. ❝ so... my name is, uhm, maverick... but you, you already know that... ❞ he mumbled. he shifted uneasily on the plush seat.

❝ how does it feel to go back to the capitol? ❞

eris glared at him for a moment and quirked a raised brow at him, not replying to the comment he had made. she returned her gaze to the rapidly passing scenery, indicating the short conversation was over.

❝ how did you win your games? ❞ maverick uttered to break the silence. he knew she was a past victor, the districts first female winner. every winner gets talked about for months and months after they return back to the district, so her name seemed familiar to him.

eris, yet again, stared. she let the suspension and silence hang in the air, before she replied. ❝ i'm sure the district broadcasted it for everyone to see, kid, ❞ she stared at him sharply, and seemed to not blink, and continued. ❝ but, if you wish to know that bad, i suppose it won't hurt to tell you, and give you some ghoulish nightmares- ❞

cordelia walked through the metallic sliding doors of the train car, her striking eyes surveying the room as the cold, mechanical voice overhead declared: next stop, the capitol.

montgomery was right on her heels. the stocky, middle-aged man was sporting some well-worn jeans and a plain shirt with rolled-up sleeves.

cordelia turned towards maverick and eris. she cleared her throat. ❝ eris, you are already aware as to who this man is, but maverick does not, ❞ she began.

❝ this is montgomery dixon - your mentor, and a past victor from years ago, ❞

❝ can just call me monty, ❞ the man said, with a tip of his hat. he gave the pair a simple nod before he took a seat nearby the two tributes.

cordelia's shoes clacked as she walked towards a table nearby. she gripped a pot in her hand, then poured it into a cup.

❝ we have a few hours before we hit the capitol, and i advise you make use of monty being here, ❞ the woman said before vanishing into the car she had just emerged from.

montgomery's eyes trailed after cordelia as she vanished, and he turned to the two. with a quick cough to clear his throat, he began explaining what would happen.

maverick's eyes grew and shrunk in size as he listened in on monty's words.