'Cause I can't stop time, you keep blurring in my mind

Say goodbye, walk away, don't look back so it won't hurt so bad.

Then why does it hurt so bad? Even without looking back, I still feel the entirety of the pain I felt when my name was called. The entirety of the pain when I said goodbye to my parents. The pain is still there, as bad as ever. All I can do now is focus on the tracks ahead and hope I can make it out alive...

I enter the dining car; it seems the most reasonable place for us all to gather. Entering, I look around the car. It's the most ornate thing I've ever seen. Gaudy, flashy, and clean don't even do it justice. Flowers decorate everything, food is piled onto trays and tables, enough for a large amount of people. I slowly step further into the car, as if any step I make will break something. Slowly, I make it to a table with drinks on it. Looking through them, I find something that mom used to keep at the house. "Apple juice," I say, without even realizing the words have left my mouth. Stopping, I quickly glance around the car. I'm alone, for the moment. "Thank goodness," I mutter as I pull out a bottle of the liquid. Pouring a large glass of it, I set the bottle back and take my glass to a couch. Taking a careful seat, I lean back and take in the car more. It's as if I expect someone to come out of the walls and help me... protect me... save me? Maybe, but those are childish dreams. The only person that will be coming now is my mentor, who was lucky enough themselves to survive the Games. Maybe they can help me.

"Hello?" I question the empty car. Bottles rattle in response, and I am forced to turn and stare at the passing scenery while I wait.