Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in forever! My…erm… Well, I've just had writers block is all! Total bull, I know, but it's true!

Here is the anticipated next chapter!

"All right, let's start with looks and skills." Haymitch sat slouching in his chair, eyeing the two tributes. They were gathered around the table.

Lilly was still silently standing near the table, a good two feet away from Ed. She was still confused and scared of what Edward had managed to do using only his hands. He had just…created that pole which he was now leaning on. It was like some kind of creepy magic. She couldn't help but be a little afraid of him.

Edward, on the other hand, was busy wonder how the hell Haymitch could be so calm. He had expected a slightly bigger reaction from his mentor. I mean, he probably had never seen alchemy in his life! Ed was a little pissed, but he kept his attention fixed on his mentor, which was difficult because he was still painstakingly aware of the heaping plates of food surrounding him.

"Lilly. You good at anything?" Lilly's eyes widened and she turned red in the face.

"N-not really," she said embarrassedly. Haymitch made a noise in his throat that sounded strangely like a growl.

"Well, I suppose the training area will help you. Your looks are all right, will be even better once your stylists get to you." Lilly looked terrified at the thought.

"Edward. Or Ed. You can do the weird magic-y thing you just did, impressive enough, but are you good at anything else?" Edward smiled smugly.

"Well, I'm in the military and trained in martial arts. So I'd say I'm pretty good. Oh, and that "magic-y thing" is called alchemy. It's pretty easy, if you can get the hang of it." Haymitch looked about ready to hit Ed.

"Very funny, smart-ass. You look okay. Braid might have to go…What the hell is up with your eyes?" He smirked at his joke.

"I was born this way, you damn drunk."

"Right, right. You look pretty toned. Work out?"

"As if. I get caught in fights so often that I don't need to." Edward was a little surprised at how hostile he was. It was as though he thought that he somehow had to show this old drunkard up!

"Just joking. On to stuff that will help you in the arena!" Edward did not find the careless way Haymitch spoke of their survival the slightest bit amusing.

"First of all, don't set a fire," Haymitch said.

"But what if you're freezing? Do you expect us to freeze to death or what? Aren't these Games about staying alive?" Edward interrupted indignantly. Haymitch sent an annoyed look in his general direction; it was a little off because despite his calm attitude, he was still drunk.

"If you're freezing, chances are the Careers will be looking for a fire," Haymitch snapped, rubbing his bloodshot eyes with two grimy fingers.

"Careers?" Edward asked. Haymitch rolled his eyes.

"You know. Blood thirsty District one, two and four," Haymitch said. Edward raised his eyebrows questioningly but kept quiet. He decided he would be okay with figuring it out on the way, though he didn't like it.

"Moving on. I suppose I should tell you what to do when you get to the Capitol. Your stylist will be there, and then there's the chariots. Do not resist. No matter what they do to you, resisting will not help you." Edward furrowed his brow.

"Stylist? Chariots? What am I supposed to expect anyway?" Haymitch poured some clear liquid into his glass of wine, thinning it out. He sighed exasperatedly.

"Hey kid, how about you just shut up and let me tell the advice? Honestly, you must be the first tribute I've ever met who actually questioned my advice. Do you want to stay alive?" Haymitch said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Edward frowned, than nodded, glaring at his mentor, which was the last thing he wanted to do. He decided that he didn't like Haymitch at all, as he reminded him too much of Roy Mustang. Haymitch held his gaze with an equally cold scowl

"M-Mr. Haymitch?" They both looked up in surprise, making Lilly wince. She wrung her hands tentatively.

"U-um…" she trailed off. Haymitch threw his hands into the air exasperatedly.

"Honestly! I have one tribute who keeps interrupting, and one who won't talk at all! For God's sake sweetheart, just spit it out!"

Lilly flushed. "Well, I was wondering if it's possible to win the Games without killing!"

Edward stared at her in amazement. She had just managed to simultaneously both read his mind and manage to put to words the feeling that had been nagging him throughout the whole advice giving session.

Haymitch stared at her levelly for a moment. He straightened up in his chair. "It's not likely."

Edward winced as though the words have physically hit him. So there wasn't likely a choice. He would just have to….

But how could he?

It was going to be difficult, to say in the least. Adults, perhaps. If he had to. But children? Innocent children, who wanted nothing more than to stay alive?

The thought made him tremble.

But then he remembered Alphonse. Alphonse, who couldn't eat, or sleep, and who suffered more than anyone he had ever met. Alphonse, whose current state was his fault.

And, he realized, like it or not, he could kill, for Al. For his little brother, if only it meant getting his body back.

He would do anything.

Haymitch had begun talking again, but another thought had come to Edward. If there was only one winner, that meant Lilly would have to die. He turned in horror and met the gaze of the girl. Something about the cloudy, terrified look in her eyes told him she knew it. And it pained him.

"Oh people! Come, come! They are going to go through the Reapings of the other Districts in another car, and you don't want to miss your glimpsing your competitors!" Effie's freakishly cheerful voices rang through the car, the sound of clicking heels accompanying it. Haymitch was the first walk towards the other car, carrying his bottle in one hand. Lilly followed slowly, with Edward taking the rear. He was lost in thought.

Then his stomach rumbled, and his mind was brought back to the thought of all the food in the car he had just left.

Effie waited until they were all settled on a black leather couch before turning on a screen of some sort and sitting primly on the edge of a velvet loveseat. The screen seemed to blare to life, filling with an image of a reporter speaking on the edge of a crowd. Edward was mesmerized, but the others acted as though it was no big deal. He once again let it drop.

The screen slowly showed twenty two different tributes getting their names pick, or lunging forth from the crowd, crying desperately to be chosen. These children sickened Ed.

The ones that made an impression on him were a very select few. A malicious looking girl with a painstaking resemblance to Winry from 1. She looked as though she was nearly seven feet tall. A haughty dark-haired boy from 7. A wolfish, extremely skinny girl from 8, and a blonde, husky boy from 10.

The others were either too terrifying to remember, or too painful.

Then the screen showed District 12's reaping, complete with his blowout of rage on stage. The screen went dark and Effie jumped to her feet.

"Well, dinner time!" Edward couldn't believe she had no sympathy for the twenty-two tributes they had just seen chosen. He half wanted to ignore the chipper escort, but his hunger won out and he was easily the first person at the table, and the last one up.

Afterward, Edward heard Haymitch mumbling about how he had never seen a tribute eat so much and not get sick.

Edward went to his room with Effie as guide. She ushered him inside, reminded him not to stay up because of his "busy, busy day" ahead of him, and left, wobbling slightly on her ten inch heels.

Edward explored his room for a few moments, marveling at the luxury of the whole thingy, the crystal handles on the running water sinks, the fluffy white sheets on the bed, and the view of the passing countryside from the window. After he was sure he had seen everything, he collapsed on his bed.

He thought for a while about how incredibly horrible his whole situation was before deciding to fall asleep, not even bothering to take off his boots.

His last thought before drifting away was how utterly disappointed Effie would be in him.

When Edward woke up, sunlight was streaming in through his window. He yawned and got up, taking his time. He walked over to a dresser nestled in the corner of the car. He stared momentarily at the piles of clothing before shutting it again. He was much more comfortable in his usual clothes.

Edward stumbled through the hallway, opening and closing doors in his search for the dining car. The last time he had navigated his way through the halls, Effie had been with him, and her incessant chatter had made it nearly impossible remember the way. He finally found the door and opened it to find the three others already waiting there.

"Took you long enough," Haymitch said, gesturing for Edward to sit down in the chair next to him. Edward reluctantly obeyed.

"We should be reaching the Capitol soon. You most likely don't know what the Capitol is, and I don't feel like explaining." Edward scowled at Haymitch.

"You would be surprised," he snapped. Haymitch raised his hands apologetically.

"Didn't ask for that, and I'm not looking for a fight. Shut up and eat, why don't you?" He nodded at the breakfast foods. Edward stared at him a moment more before beginning to fill his plate 'til it was heaping with everything from toast to bacon.

He wolfed it all down in less than five minutes, ignoring the sharp, disapproving cries from Effie.

Lilly was silent throughout the whole meal, though he silence was easily filled with Effie's reciting of the whole day schedule, forwards and backwards. Edward's head was spinning by the time Haymitch announced that the Capitol had come into view.

Edward immediately jumped from his seat and ran to the window. His eyes widened as he saw the tall, silver, sparkling towers of the Capitol. His glimpse was cut short as the train zoomed in to a tunnel and the window went dark.

Edward heard the crowd before he saw them. A loud, scary roar filled his ears like a beast of some kind. Then the waves of people came into view, stinging Ed's eyes with their vibrant colors. He stared at the people in disbelief, noting their tattooed bodies and strange hair and stretched faces. It was disgusting.

Even more sickening were their excited expressions, anticipating gestures, and cries of delight. Edward didn't need Haymitch to tell him that these people couldn't wait to watch the Games.

"Time to get off!" Effie took off down the train, leaving Haymitch, Lilly, and Edward to follow. Haymitch hung back for a moment as Lilly and Effie got off the train, waiting for Edward.

"Just have one last piece of advice to give you," he mumbled to Ed.

"And Lilly doesn't have to hear it?"

"Nah, she already knows."

"Fine, tell me."

A strangely angelic look took over Haymitch's face. "If they tell you to strip, strip."

"What?"