1. Way Too Involved

The boy sitting across from her was average-sized. Certainly not one of those hulking kids who turned heads and made a fierce impression at the tribute parade. But he had a definite presence, not to mention a fiery head of hair, and was currently waiting for her to say something.

Bianca rubbed her eyes tiredly. She did not feel like going through another year of the Games, another year of her tributes being brutally murdered, not to mention more horrific things to add to her nightmares. But the kids were obviously waiting for her to say something. So she obliged them.

'You kids want to win?'

Why did I say that? Do they know the cost of being a Victor? But she couldn't take the words back. The boy leaned forward with interest. 'Yeah, sure,' he said, sounding interested, if not enthusiastic. The girl looked up at Bianca for the first time, smiling shyly.

Bianca sighed. 'Well, first, you'll have to play it up,' she said glumly. 'Be an actor. Compromise yourself.' That's just great, Bianca. Discourage them before they've even seen the Capitol.

'What do you mean?' The redheaded boy had a look in his eyes that reminded her of something, but Bianca's clouded mind could not place it. It made her want to do the right thing by him, even though she felt like climbing into bed and sleeping through the entire Hunger Games.

'First things first,' she said, sitting up straighter. 'Tell me your names and something you're good at. Anything.'

The boy started. 'I'm Finley Redding,' he said firmly, as if he were signing up to join the armed forces. 'Fifteen years old. I'm pretty strong, and I can sneak up on people.'

Bianca allowed him a weak smile before turning to the girl. 'You?'

'I'm Sienna Spotswood,' she stated, looking more confident. 'I'm seventeen. I'm not very strong, but I can heal people. I know a lot of herbs.'

That would certainly come in useful in the arena. Bianca nodded, trying to appear interested. She felt as though someone had taken a damp cloth and wiped her mind clean. Trying to focus on Finley's face, she continued. 'You'll have a chance to improve those skills in training . . .'

She wasn't aware that she had trailed off until Finley's voice cut through the fog. 'Miss Blueford?' he said uncertainly. 'Are you okay?'

His voice sounded hollow and echoey, as if he was shouting from the other end of a large cave. Bianca blinked rapidly, but everything appeared dark and gloomy. She tried to wave away the mist, but to no avail. Sienna said something, but was drowned out by a steady roaring sound. Bianca vaguely felt her chair toppling. Fortunately, she had completely blacked out before she hit the floor.

She awoke to heavy silence. Everything was sharp and clear, as it always was after one of her episodes. One thing that was different, however, was the presence of Sienna Spotswood, sitting quietly next to the bed.

She noticed Bianca and looked up. 'Miss Blueford, are you feeling better?'

Bianca noticed the time, as shown by the clock on the wall. 'Shouldn't you be sleeping?'

Sienna shrugged. 'I sent Finley to bed. Petal will make sure he stays there.'

Bianca smiled in spite of herself. The sweet, well-meaning escort would definitely keep Finley down.

'Miss Blueford.' Sienna's quiet voice interrupted her thoughts. 'Does this often happen?'

'At least every week.' Bianca frowned. Her 'episodes' led everyone to believe that she was crazy—just one more whackjob to shut up and forget about.

Sienna nodded. 'It'd be your sleeping tablets,' she said knowingly. '"Overuse can result in fainting fits and lethargy." Do you use them a lot?' There was no accusation in her voice, just concern.

Bianca sighed. The medication was the only way she could get a proper rest with no nightmares. She felt like a regular druggie, even though she wasn't taking anything illicit. But what can I do? Terrifying images crowded into her brain whenever she tried to sleep normally. She'd been 'overusing' the pills since she was eighteen.

Sienna seemed to understand. She pursued another subject. 'You know, Miss Blueford, I think Finley has potential.'

'Really?' Bianca murmured sleepily. 'What makes you think that?'

'I don't know.' Sienna seemed uncomfortable. 'I just . . . It's hard to explain.'

'Okay, then.' Bianca didn't want to delve deeper just then, so she just accepted it. It was easy to believe that Finley would go far. There was just something about him . . .

Sienna stood up. 'Sleep well, Miss Blueford.'

'You're a nice girl,' Bianca managed to say before her eyelids drooped and she slipped into the darkness once again.

'Miss Blueford?'

Bianca opened her eyes to see Finley standing in the door, silhouetted against a blaze of morning light.

'Um, I just wanted to know if you were okay,' he said, shifting uncomfortably. 'You were screaming before, you know.'

She grimaced. Nightmares. 'I forgot to take a tablet.'

He looked even more uncomfortable. 'Okay, then. Petal says breakfast is in five.' With that, he closed the door and left her in relative darkness.

Great, she thought glumly, getting dressed. Now the kid thinks I'm an addict. Or worse, even.

Before she could depress herself further, however, Finley's voice could be heard through the door. 'It's okay, Miss Blueford. I won't judge you!'

Bianca smiled thinly. That was encouraging, at least.

'Are you sure you know what to do?' Bianca looked her tributes in the eye, knowing that it would most likely be the last time she would ever do so.

Sienna nodded. 'We know.' She was trembling but resolute. Finley was pale under his freckles.

Bianca offered them what was meant to be an encouraging smile. Both her kids had scored decently in their private sessions with the Gamemakers, Finley earning a seven and Sienna a six. She told herself that they would do well, that they wouldn't be forgotten by the masses. But deep down, she knew that it wouldn't happen. Even those who survived to the very end of the Games were quickly forgotten in favour of new, flashy victors.

But they were shuffled off by Peacekeepers, she found herself desperately hoping that one of them would emerge the victor. Like it or not, she became emotionally attached to every pair of tributes she mentored, but these ones seemed different. Motivated, even. Is that a good thing now?

Bianca sighed and retreated. She had obviously become way too involved this year. Time for another sleeping pill.

You guys have to tell me what you think. Was it good? Bad? Weird? I'd like some constructive criticism.

It's basically Warriors in the HG universe, so see if you can guess which characters from Warriors were featured. If you guess right, you get a cookie! (It shouldn't be hard.)

Please, tell me what you think! If you'd like to see a certain character featured, just say so! I'll see what I can do.

Disclaimer: Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter, and The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins. If I owned them, I would have a lot more money than I have and I would not be writing fanfiction.