"Now for the boys!" the woman reached into the other bowl and pulled out a name. Rose thought she saw something of sadness in the woman's eyes, but she figured she was imagining it.
"Johnathan Smith."
Amy was right.
Rose fingered the velvet on the chair, wondering what was going to happen next. She was glad that she was with the Doctor in these games, at least. Then a red-haired girl walked in who Rose immediately recognized as Amy.
"How did you know that the Doctor was going to be picked?" asked Rose.
"It's a long story," said Amy. She handed Rose a pack of cookies, and the TARDIS key given to Rose. "You dropped your key on the way up to the stage."
Rose looked at Amy. "You're with the Doctor, aren't you."
Amy looked down. "Yeah, but not the Doctor you know."
"He regenerated?"
"Regenerated?"
"You know, change his look."
"Oh, that." Amy nodded. "Anyway. Try out archery. You might be good at it." She smiled, and slipped out the door, and Rose thought she saw a man in a tweed jacket wearing a red bowtie.
Well, his fashion sense changes with every regeneration, thought Rose, laughing inwardly.
Then the girl that Rose had volunteered for walked in, along with some other people that Rose assumed were her family.
"I-I just want to say-thank you for volunteering for me," stammered the girl.
Rose smiled sadly. "I didn't want someone that young to have to end up in the arena," she said.
The girl's eyes widened. "Nobody from twelve ever has any chance of winning," she said. "It doesn't matter how old you are."
Rose kept a straight face, even though inside she felt like curling up and making this go away. "Even so, you don't deserve to die."
The girl turned to her family. "Can I talk to her alone?"
As soon as they left, the girl looked more serious. "Listen. No matter what, try archery. It's your best chance."
Rose frowned. "Someone else-"
"Told you that," finished the girl. "Amy. She told me that this year the Capitol would be undermined, but only if I told you that. Good luck." Then, she left, leaving Rose with her mind in turmoil.
