The door opened again, and my six-year-old brother came in. He looked at me strangely. Then he said, "Am I never gonna see you again?" My eyes suddenly filled with tears. If there was anything that could affect me deeply, it was Drevan. I blinked them back, then thought about how to best answer his questions. "No, buddy. I'll be on the television, and I might be back here too." He looked up at me. "You're playing in those games they put on the television. Tell me more about them." I picked him up, sat him on my lap, and looked into his eyes. "When you turn twelve, you'll learn more about these games. They're not important to you right now. I'm going to go play in them, and you'll get to see me, okay? If I win, we'll get a new house, and food for the rest of our lives." "What if you don't win? You'll still come back, won't you?" I sighed. How was I going to explain this? "No, I won't come back. I get picked up and taken where all of the losers go." "Where's that?" Drevan demanded. "Somewhere secret. No one knows until they get there." That was true enough. "Can I visit you?" I shifted him to my other side. "You won't know where to find me. I couldn't send you any messages either. You might come to stay with me, though. After a while." He shook his head. "I don't get it." I sighed. "Neither do I, buddy. But you'll see me soon, okay? On the television. Got it?" He slid off of my legs. "Yeah." I smiled. "Good. Now, you go back out there, and do what Mom and Dad tell you, okay?" I stood, walked him to the door, and opened it. He walked out. I collapsed back into my chair and briskly wiped away the tears that had come tumbling out of my eyes before I could stop them.
The next person to come in was Liday , one of my best friends. She looked at me sadly, then sat down across from me. "Hey." She spoke quietly. "Hey, Liday. Guess this means I'm missing your birthday, huh?" She sighed. "Guess so." There was silence for a few moments. Then Liday seemed to remember something. She looked up and said, "Remember a few weeks ago, when Komet and I were kicking around that makeshift ball of ours, and it got stuck in the tree?" I frowned. "Yeah, why?" "Well, we called you up to get it out. And you climbed that tree and got down in just a few seconds. Your tree climbing skills are amazing, and I bet you'll be in a forest for these games. You can run, too. I know you can do this. You're better than you think you are." She sighed, stood, and then ruffled my hair as she said, "Good luck at training."
My next visitor was anther friend of mine, Komet. She reminded me that I could run, climb trees, and hide, and added another piece of advice – "Remember, Cazzie, it's all about personality. From what I've seen, if you manage to soften the hearts of the Capitol, they'll want to sponsor you. Make sure your stylist knows that! You'd be perfect for a sweet, innocent young girl role – you're only thirteen, and I don't think any of the tributes so far are younger than you. The Capitolites (Our nickname for them) are a shallow bunch. Give them a good show, a cute story, make yourself lovable, and you'll get sponsors. That's one of the most important things in the Games." She stood. "I'll go get Mimet." "Thanks," I said weakly as she left.
I was sure Mimet was my last visitor. I wasn't close enough to anyone else here. She walked into the room. Her hand was clutched in a fist. "Hi," I said, trying to sound casual, but sure I was failing. She looked at me in silence. Them she held out her hand, and opened her fist. "Take this as your token." She was quiet, but I knew it was an order. I took the object she was holding from her hand. It was a small circle of glass, with a wheat seed in the center. There was an inscription around the edge. The Smallest Things Have The Biggest Impact. I remembered giving it to Mimet on her birthday. She said, "I know it's mine. But you should have it. It's something that always reminds me of you, and maybe it will remind you of us. And I'll be wanting it back." Mimet closed my hand over it, then ran out of the room. I frowned. Why did she tell me she wanted it back? She knew the tokens weren't returned to anyone after the tribute died. The only reason she would give it to me would be if she knew I would come back, which she didn't.