The train is nothing special when you've seen the exact same one for four years. I mean, that's how long I've been doing tribute support, and the capitol have never thought to change the interior. It's always the exact same buffet with the exact same richly coloured cushions.

I know for any normal tribute this would be amazing, but maybe I'm just too shell-shocked to be able to appreciate it.

I think we're all a bit shell-shocked at the moment, given that all five of us are in the doorway, waiting to be told what to do. It's not until a peacekeeper shoves us forwards that we all reluctantly take a seat around the table.

All of us seem to be in a different state of emotion at the moment. Kasey is still looking at her hands wringing over and over in her lap, still trying to sniffle back the tears, trying not to look as weak as she feels. Leo's blinking around the train cabin, looking so confused it's almost as if he's just walked out of a dream. I  mean he's close, but it's not a dream we've walked out of, it's a nightmare we're walking into.

Little Allie's just looking around in wonder. I keep forgetting this is only her first year; she's not used to all of this. I'm kind of happy she's not used to it though. It means she has a distraction that she can focus on. At this point, my tears have stopped. That long 25 minutes in that room alone gave me a lot of time to come to terms with things, like the fact that quite possibly all of us will be dead in the next month, unless I work to make sure that one of us comes back out of it.

But it's Scott that scares me the most. He's just staring down at the floor, but his eyes are burning with a rage that I've never seen the likes of before. It scares me because I just know that he's going to do something rash and ending up hurting a lot more people than he'll realise.

All of us are just sitting here, our heartbeats matching the agonising pace of the clock constantly chiming in the background, waiting for something to happen - someone to do something - for someone to walk on and tell us that it was a huge publicity stunt - that we can all go home...

And then something hits me. Well, not something, but someone.

I look up and see dark hair, and feel arms crushing me so hard I'm worried a rib will break. There's only one person that hugs me like this.

"K-Kirstin? Why are you here? I didn't hear your name being called - it wasn't - you didn't do a dumb thing did you, and end up a tribute, or are you just saying goodbye? I thought you weren't allowed to - please, what's happening?"

Kirstin releases me, and I see her eyes welling with tears as she goes to hug all of the other tributes before coming back to me.

"Oh Mitch, I'm so sorry. There's nothing but panic out there, no one knows what's happening, the district is already revolting, they're trying to get the train moving but people are blocking the exits for the escorts - they only just got me out without being mobbed. Mitch, Maddie's just as upset as the rest of us, she didn't know it was happening - no one did - she can't stop saying sorry. But there's been a huge re-shuffle and I've been brought on for, well, y'know, t-tribute support..."

At those last two words, Kirstin can't look either me or Scott in the eye, consuming herself with guilt at the fact that she is safe and her friends aren't. Scott walks forwards and gently lifts her chin up to look in her eyes.

"Kirstin, you have nothing to be sorry about, neither you or Maddie. You didn't make this situation, and I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that you can't be blamed for the predicament that we're all in. Just be here for us, that's all we can ask for."

Kirstin, too lost for words to speak, just nods her head in thanks at all of us. All we can do is nod back in solidarity.

All of a sudden, the train starts to move, and three figures are standing in the doorway as they close. Maddie walks in to the room first, still with impeccable posture despite the fact it is clear she has only just stopped crying. Callum and Hayley walk in after her, not knowing what to do. Both of them have been personally mentored through the games by Scott and I, so they probably don't know how to coach through the games the people who got them through it. I don't blame them.

Maddie looks up at the five of us, and nearly starts crying once more, but just about manages to hold it in as she takes a seat in between Allie and Leo. Hayley and Callum chose to sit beside Scott and myself, but are intent on staring at the table. Maddie then opens her mouth to speak.

"I know that you haven't had time to properly process this yet," she says, looking feverishly at the peacekeepers in the room, not sure how much she is allowed to say in the way of comfort. "But there are some major changes to preparation this year. In the past, all of the, um, tributes", Maddie nearly chokes up at this word, "Have had a week in total to get ready. You will all have a month. Tomorrow you will arrive in the Capitol and have the parade. You will then have three weeks to train for the arena, and then a week to prepare for the interviews the night before you go in."

Maddie sees the peacekeepers leave the room and visibly sighs with relief. Hayley and Callum suddenly lean forwards bursting with information.

"The districts aren't happy, y'know, and the capitol's the most unhappy of all of them." Callum starts.

"And if you get them riled up enough, this could be your chance to get the games stopped once and for all!" Hayley continues.

All of us look around in desparation, none of us daring to hope it could be true.

Kirstin steps in, "What they're saying is true, but you have got to be careful with what you decide to do. This is not the time to act rashly. I'm genuinely so sorry for this, but at this point you've got to prepare for the worst."

Little Allie looks up at her. "So what do you suggest we do?"

Kirstin looks down at the small girl with renewed hope already in her eyes, and then stares at the rest of us, far more wary but with the same hope that none of us dare speak for fear it will go away.

"For now, every opportunity there is in front of the camera, try to convince the Capitol that this is a bad idea. Remind them of how much they'll be missing. But other than that...", Kirstin trails off.

"We train. Because our lives depend on it." Leo says. It's the first time he's spoken while we've been on this train, but his voice is surprisingly harsh, far colder than a 15-year-old's should be. Kasey nods grimly next to him.

"So, do we get to see our competition? The more we know, the better chance we have."

Callum is the one who responds. "You'll get to watch the reaping recap in a bit when it plays again. But for now what we can tell you is that the career system is going to work very differently this year. As none of you have been particularly training for this, the careers won't come from the usual districts. Instead, they will more likely be the ones with athletic talents."

Both Scott and I knew immediately who they were talking about. There weren't many, as it was much more difficult to impress with something like running, but some had managed to have sporting talents, it just meant that they were truly the creme de la creme. Those people we really had to be scared about. And all of us really are.

And it's these people that we start discussing as we are sped off into the distance, talking about Xander the artistic swimmer from district 4, Bekkah the track runner from 8, and Kyah the gymnast from 11. These people we're going to have to look out for.

As we think about strategies, and watch the recaps, we unknowingly get further and further away from the home that none of us know if we will ever see again.