"Rudy Vermillion."

Breathless. The air bust out of my lungs creating holes every which way so I would never breathe again.

I look to the camera up into the stand. She had to have heard that. She just had too…

"Come up here, darling." The pink curly haired woman giggles, her personality champagne-bubbly.

Slowly, I take that step. It comes down hard and the dust beneath my foot gathers in storm clouds at my knees and I hear the thunder as my right foot came in to take the next step. My head spins to the boys side, Larkin's face is whitened and grim, but when he tears his eyes away from the screen to see me I'm afraid for a moment he is to burst into tears.

"Brother," I mouth to him, but in the sudden coldness I feel like he can't read my lips. Then Colby finally understands. Why my name was called finally registers in his young, five year old brain and he screams and cries in that sweet, sweet lisp that breaks my heart, "WUDY!"

His father shushes him. Tears in his voice become clearer and clearer, "WUDY! WUDY!"

I could hear the harsh, but muffled. "Shut up!" His crying didn't stop but he did grow quieter.

"Ladies and gentlemen," The Capitol representative announces as the guards push me to the stage, "Our first honorable tribute from District Nine, Rudy Vermillion."

No one claps.

No one wants to.

In the awkward situation the woman's smile wavers, but remains as she goes to pick the next prisoner doomed to die.

"Now for the boys…" Her fingers lollygag in the bowl, and I look to Larkin, I pray it won't be him. But Larkin's eyes were on the bowl his face an odd and rare state of hopeful. He glances at me and for a moment I am sure he'll step forward. He'll volunteer and I won't allow that. I shake my head to him. Thinkning solely about how Colby couldn't make it if we both weren't here. Colby's crying hits his hears, and he freezes up. Now he can only hope.

"DeFranklin Parsons." I turn to the dark skinned DeFranklin. Who stood, starting to shake as people turned to stare at him. Then I look to Larkin, stunned and suddenly hopeless. He's lost his chance to protect me, but he needs to stay.

From the stage I can see DeFranklin's mother slowly beginning to crash into herself.

When he's upon the stage, the woman takes him by the shoulders and rounds her arm around mine. I glue my eyes to the stage floor.

She starts to say something, but all I can hear is, "THE DISTRICT NINE TRIBUTES!" That's when you really realize, this might be your last look at everything. My gaze slowly peels off and looks into the world I've known. The solemn faces of the people supposedly 'risen from the ashes' all appear ashy. Ashy faces connected to rusty bodies spent too hard in labor and hunger now to watch their neighbors fall.

This is not how I want to remember everything. Everyone. No.

My eyes land and Colby, tears are streaming down his face. His eyes meet mine and it pulls some trigger within him.

"NOOO!" He screeches like a banshee and rips free. Running towards the stage, the announcer has shut up and is motioning for guards to get him. He toddles towards me and I jump off the stage boldly to stop him. A mumble goes over the crowds. Shoving the guards out of the way I push him back towards the crowd. "Go, Colby. I'll see you in the room."

"No! I don't want you to go!"

The guards begin to close in and Larkin swiftly comes in and takes him away. Reaching out his hands to me, I reach for them back. But then I catch the gesture he does then…

Three fingers to his lips and to the sky.

Colby…

They come for me and drag me back to the wild haired woman. Her long smile sickens me, "Well I think it's time for good-byes then!"