Shimmer Starlet

"All right girls, this is your last day training. Your father - the mayor - is watching. Why don't you c'mon and show him what you've got?" My trainer smiles at me. I am so ready for this. All my life training - paid off.

"So Shimmer," my sister Sparkle grins at me. "Where should we start?"

"The track," I say. She smiles and we walk to the track, a running track full of hurdles and pits. We are both good at this - we're agile and fast, and my strengths cover her weaknesses and her strengths cover up my weaknesses.

We walk to the starting line and our trainer counts us off, "On your mark... Get set... GO!"

I start, flying down the track, and soon I'm several feet ahead of Sparkle. I am the faster sister, always have been. However soon I am at the first hurdle. I hesitate too long, and when I land, I stumble before regaining my footing. In this time, Sparkle has caught up to me.

Our races always go like this - I'm faster, but she's more agile. I continue to run and jump, launching myself over a pit and managing not to fall in. Now Sparkle is ahead of me, but not for long. I pass her up and jump over a hurdle but she jumps farther and we're even again.

The race lasts for about five minutes until I soar over the last pit and Sparkle and I cross the finish line at the same time. I smile, panting, but proud that we did well in front of our dad. He'll know we're definitely ready for the Hunger Games.

"Nicely done girls," our trainer congratulates us.

"Thanks," we say at the same time. We giggle and turn to each other. "Jinx!"

"What skill are you showing next?" our trainer asks, smiling at us, his start pupils.

"I'll do my specialty skill," I say. Sparkle and I specialize in different weapons, mine being a katana and hers being a bow and arrows.

I step to the weapons display on our back wall and select a katana, or Japanese sword. Its handle is soft and a light pink; I just had it replaced.

The katana is heavy, but still lighter than other swords we own. I walk over to the dummies and activate them. They whir to life and l enter the matted area where they are now moving, all wielding katana's themselves.

I easily swing my blade and slice the head off the first one, then turn and face the other one. We are locked in sword combat - a series of thrusts and dodges, quick recoveries, powerful swings and weapons locked against each other. I surprise the dummy (as much as a mechanical dummy can be surprised) and roll, coming up to my feet and skewering the dummy with my katana from behind. I win.

My dad applauds me, saying that he is impressed by my advance in skill and honored that I will be representing him in the Games. Then Sparkle steps forward and grabs a bow and arrow. She's smiling, eager to hear Dad praise her too. I know he will; she's not a sight to miss with a bow and arrow.

She takes her bow and begins to shoot at the targets in front of her. She easily gets a bullseye each time, so she decides to nock multiple arrows. I see her load four arrows on the string, a difficult amount but one that I've seen her handle. She begins to raise her bow when she stops, adds one more arrow, and lifts her bow again.

Five arrows! I've never seen anyone attempt five arrows, not even Sparkle. She draws her right arm back to her cheek, two fingers under the nocked arrows. She closes her left eye for a moment, then opens it, and releases the arrows. They fly out in rapid fire succession, the first hitting the first target's bullseye but, due to her graceful and quickly moving hand, the others hit the side targets lining the left. All bullseye.

Dad's thunderous applause booms from over in the viewing stands, and he's smiling wide. "You girls are amazing!" He smiles.

"You were great!" My sister and I smile at each other, again speaking at the same time. "No you!" We giggle. "No you!" We start laughing harder. "Jinx!"

"Sparkle!" I shout. "Come in here and help me, will you?"

"Sure thing, sis," Sparkle calls from down the hall.

She walks into my room, holding a thin plastic sheet. The sheet is covered in small silver peel-off sparkles. "So we have the same idea," I smile. While I'm speaking, I hold up my sheet of pink sparkles, identical to hers besides the color change.

"Jinx," we both giggle.

In front of the mirror, we help each other apply the sparkles to our face. I put them around her eyes, and makes swirls across her cheeks. Then she put sparkles on my face; she uses them to create a crown on my forehead.

We take turns french-braiding each others hair, mine blonde with pink streaks and hers a dark brown. Then I do her silver mascara, her silver eyeliner, her silver eyeshadow and her silver lipstick. Next she does the same to me, applying my pink makeup.

Then we spin around in our flowing dresses, complimenting each other and finishing off our manicures. We finish our outfits with heels.

"You look beautiful," we say at the same time. "Jinx!"

Sheen de Halloran

"King of the Academy!" a fellow academy student shouts as I walk down the hall. "Is it true?" He asks.

"What?" I snarl, not in the mood for pesky admirers.

"That you're Volunteering?" He asks again. "You know, capital V Volunteering. The Volunteering."

"Yah," I say. "Your problem is?"

"You're fourteen! Isn't that young? Well I mean, you did..." The boy comes to a quiet stop.

I whir around and face him. "I did what?"

The kid gulps, "You, eh, killed your sister. After that, the Hunger Games will be easy!"

I turn away. "Easy. That's right. Now if you know what's good for you, leave this hall and won't talk to me."

"Yes, King," the kid shouts before he runs off.

I growl and make my way down the main hall of the training academy. Eventually, I turn down a side hall, making my way to the dagger training room. The door to the dagger room is much taller than me, the wood a rich mahogany. I raise my hand to the level of my eyes and slowly curl my fingers into a fist. Then I knock loudly; three loud, short knocks.

"Come in son," a deep voice from inside the dagger room shouts. Father.

I swing the heavy wooden door open. The dagger training room is an impressive size; all matted floors and mechanical dummies. All around the walls, simple silver daggers hang. Although the large array of blades is intimidating, the thing I fear more is the man sitting on a metal bench in the corner of the room.

The man wears all black; a black leather jacket, black boots, and a black tattoo of a flame on his arm. His brown eyes never look to me, but instead focus on sharpening the dagger in his hand.

I stand and wait for him to acknowledge me, and eventually he does. He throws his dagger at me and it hurdles closer, at light speed. I roll to the side, hearing the dagger whiz by my ear. I stand up and retrieve the dagger, which is now planted in the wooden door.

"How's your day been son?" The man stands up and walks towards me. I walk to him and we meet in the middle of the room.

"Fair," I say, looking at the wall of weapons behind Father.

"Look at me, boy!" He growls. "Plan to be volunteered."

"I know," I say.

"Remember what I've taught you."

"Of course. You're the best trainer in the academy."

"The Hunger Games are anything but a game," Father says. "If you don't come out, your dead. Just remember Silk."

I stare into my Fathers eyes, searching for hatred, but all I can find is intensity. He says it seriously; remember how you killed your sister. But Silk was his child too, his only daughter. I'm searching for the sound of regret.

I often wonder about how things would be if I lived in any other District. I wouldn't train, and I wouldn't Volunteer, unless, of course, I was District Two. Most likely, I would be hungry. I would have to work in a factory or a field. Most importantly, the morals would be different.

In District One, the sight of blood is ordinary. Killing is a source of pride. Citizens who murder are rarely shunned. If you come out on the losing side of a fight, you are disgraced, not pitied. When I murdered my sister, my reputation only got better.

Her name was Silk de Halloran. She had short brown hair and light blue eyes. Her favorite weapon was a bow and arrow, and she loved to spend long hours shooting with it. She was strong and born a hunter.

Only, I didn't like her. She was so sweet, and she always helped those younger than her at the academy. Wherever she went, she hummed. Cheerful little tunes that stuck in my head. She was Mother's favorite, and she was so, so perfect.

When she was eight, I killed her in her sleep. She looked so peaceful, until I thrust the dagger into her heart. For a moment, her eyes flew open and she saw me. Then her eyes glazed over and she died.

I was twelve when I killed her. I had already been on the track to volunteering, when I was at, say, seventeen. The moment I killed my sister, I became King of the Academy. I will volunteer at fourteen.

Mother misses Silk. Academy students miss Silk. Father; I'm sure that even he misses Silk. But no one can judge me. Killing is a way of life.

But sometimes...

Sometimes I miss her too.

Sparkle Starlet

I straighten my dress one last time in line. When I reach the front of the line, I put my hand out in front of me to let the registry woman prick my finger. It doesn't bother me. I'm used to it.

Shimmer follows me until we have to split to our different sections. I'm seventeen, while she's only sixteen. "Remember to smile!" We both shout. "Jinx!"

Soon our escort, Lillian Ruthless, is on the stage. She's petite, with gold hair, silver skin and eyes, and a copper minidress. "Well hello darlings," she coos into the microphone. "Aren't I lucky? The luxury District!"

"Now to the show!" Lillian smiles. She walks to the girls bowl and carefully pulls out a name. "This year's District One female tributes will be the daughters of..."

"I volunteer!" My dad shouts. As mayor, he was already on stage, so he just walks to the microphone. "I volunteer my daughters."

"Well, Mayor Starlet, what an honor!" Lillian says, suddenly more polite. "Now where are those precious daughters of yours?"

I smile and flip my curly brown hair over my shoulder. At first I walk, waving to the crowd of kids behind me. After a bit, I start to run, Shimmer doing the same.

"Now, beautiful girls, what are your names?" Lillian asks once we reach the stage.

"Shimmer and Sparkle," we say. Giggle. "Jinx!"

Sheen de Halloran

I've seen the girls before, the richest girls in the District. Sometimes they come to the academy, but most of the time they have private trainers. They're impressive, both good contributions to the Career Pack, but not anything that I can't beat.

"Now for the male tributes!" Lillian says. "This year's District One male tributes will be the sons of..." Lillian pauses, "Glitter Gems!"

"I volunteer!" My father shouts. He walks to the stage. "My name's Luxury de Halloran."

"Where are your sons?"

"Son," Father corrects.

I race to the stage, smiling and proud. "I'm Sheen," I grin.

"Shake hands," Lillian says to the Starlet girls and I. The girls turn, and I give them both a kiss on the cheek.

AN

Thanks for reading! Thank you angelofmusic4ever for the Starlet family and Lillian. Thanks LokiThisIsMadness for Sheen. Also thank you to anyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed!

I only have one reminder today, and that is too vote! I have the poll about the goodbyes on my page and only have received two votes. One person voted for doing every goodbye and the other voted for doing only some of the goodbyes. I need at least a tie break!

"I'm more than just a piece in their game."

~Oceane