A/N: I should've said before, but I completely forgot, that Tristabelle's POV has possible triggers for rape and foul language.

Dawson- Six of Hearts

I sit by myself for a long time, fiddling with my cuffs and staring at my hands.

It's not real. This has to be some kind of nightmare. I dry the tears before they come and wait to be visited.

Wye runs in, sobbing and hiccupping loudly, tripping over his own feet and collapsing into one of the plushy tears, immediately burying his face in his hands and practically screaming with miserable sobs. My heart pounds harder in my chest.

I never thought I'd ever see Wye this broken ever again after last time.

For a second, I sit still, frozen in fear and shock and horror at watching him fall apart right in front of my eyes.

"W-Wye…" I make myself speak, as quietly as it came out, and pat his shoulder gently. "It's okay."

He goes quiet but still shakes with silent sobs he wants to hold back, looking at me through his fingers. "How can you say that?" he asks quietly, his voice quivering.

"Because…" I don't know how I've become so calm. I guess it's because I have no time for sadness.

"I'm used to dulling the ends of jackknives," I say quietly. "Do you think I could stay awake all night crying about my Mom? Not with two little ones depending on me for smiles. I've learned how to throw the things that hurt behind me and focus on the present. Right now, my job is to console you and anyone else that comes through that door. Then my job is going to be doing whatever it takes to get home."

He hiccups into his hands, hiding his face again. "Sorry," he squeaks tearily.

"Sh…" I rub his back gently, "It's fine, you did nothing wrong."

He keeps his face buried, shaking with sobs.

"It…It could be worse," I try. After all, my cousin Joanne was reaped, but for whatever reason Tiffany volunteered in her place.

"B-But if I had just come out… I could've been there with you… I could've volunteered for you!" another sob escapes him and this time he sobs loudly into his hands.

"I would've killed you a million times. I mean that." There's no way I would send him off in my place.

"But you have s-so much to live for… I just have parents I'm not out to and part of your family, most of who I'm not out to either… You have so much-"

"Wye. Stop it now. It happened, I'm going to focus on getting home. I don't have a choice."

He nods a little bit, sitting up and flinging his arms around me in a tight hug. I hug him back tightly and feel his hyperventilating breaths and hear his quietly sobbing.

"I need you to come back," he hiccups quietly. I nod, and we sit in a long silence, hugging tightly.

"I love you Dawson," he says quietly.

"I love you too," I say, trying to smile for his sake.

He tenses up. "No… I… More than friends… Like… I-"

"Time's up!" shouts a Peacekeeper, but in a flash, Wye grabs my shirt and before I can even blink he's kissing me and I'm kissing back. He pulls back and I think my heart forgets to beat out of confusion and grief and a sudden fear and sadness. My face and ears burn with an explosion of flushed embarrassment. And, when I blink, he's gone and just like that it's over.

When my Aunt and Uncle come to visit, my heart is still pounding and the blood is still roaring in my ears and I can barely even focus on what they're saying. So many emotions are racking my brain and I don't even know what to feel towards anyone or anything anymore. I hug and kiss my Aunt and Uncle and their two older children goodbye before they leave me to sort out my feelings.

I try to calm myself a bit before Joanne comes in, Sadie and Gaylen in tow.

Sadie hops up on a plushy chair and giggles. "Cool! This is really comfy! I like this place!" From the time Sadie was born I've dreaded informing my siblings of the realities of the Games.

"Yeah," I say, trying a smile, "It is."

Joanne puts Gaylen in my arms and kisses my forehead. She still seems to be frazzled from the reaping, but who can blame her.

"We can take care of them," she says.

I feel like a giant weight has been lifted from my chest. "Thank you," my voice cracks.

"Why are we here!?" whines Sadie, and I know that she's bored already.

"I'm going away and wanted to say goodbye," I tell her. "I love you."

"Oh. Bye." She hops up, "Can we go now?"

Joanne nods. "Yeah, Auntie is waiting for you out there." Sadie runs off and Joanne turns to me, sniffling.

Joanne sits next to me, sniffling and wiping her eyes. She tries to smile but soon the action is lost in a sad frown.

"T-Take care of Wye too, okay?"

She nods, "I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thank you so much." I feel like I'll never stop saying thanks to her.

"I promise I'll do my very best to watch them all and help them along."

I nod a bit. "It's all I can ask of you." She hugs me lightly around Gaylen, sniffling. Then, she lets go and walks to the other side of the dim room to leave me some time to talk to Gaylen. I bounce him gently and it doesn't take very long for his eyes to open and light up at seeing me there.

"Hey you," I say, booping his nose gently. He giggles quietly and my eyes tear up immediately, though I feel a smile spread across my lips.

This is the first time I've cried since… Well, I can't even remember when. It's been so long since I've really, truly cried. The tears roll down my face and don't stop.

"Jo's gonna take good care of you," I say quietly, my own voice shaking. "I'm going to be back sooner than you think." It's my only choice. "But until then, you be good." I laugh a little bit, trying and failing to control my tears. "I believe in you," I whisper, "You're a good boy." He stretches his arms up, grabbing for my face, as tears drip onto his blanket and I give up on stopping them. "I'm sorry things couldn't have been better for you." I mean that. I mean it to the ends of the earth. "You deserve the world, and all you've got is me for a parent. I'm so sorry I couldn't find Dad. And I'm sorry you never got to know Mom. She was a great woman." I'm determined to not let him forget about me. I want to watch him grow up. I have to come home.

"I love you Joanne," I say, and she comes back over. I kiss Gaylen's forehead. "And you, too."

"Daw," he coos quietly, causing me by some miracle to laugh as I wipe my eyes.

"I love you too, Cous." She takes Gaylen from me with a solemn nod.

"Time," says the Peacekeeper.

"You can do this," says Joanne. "Don't you dare give up."

"Never."

She nods to me one last time before leaving, bouncing Gaylen in her arms as she does so.

"Daw!" says Gaylen, and he has that look in his eyes right before he's going to cry.

That doesn't help my tears at all and I know my eyes are going to be puffy and red but that's okay with me. Let them think I'm pathetic.

I'm escorted out to meet Tiffany, who stands calmly with her arms crossed. "About time," she says with a sigh.

I sniffle, "Sorry."

"Come now!" chirps Lorelei, and together the three of us walk to the train that will take us away forever.

~.~.

Tristabelle- Three of Clubs

"Isn't this exciting!?" Cordelia says, clapping her hands. The train is speeding ahead and my buzz is wearing off at the same time, which factors for some son-of-a-bitch-level sickness.

Lyndon sits on the other side of the train from me, looking pretty relaxed for someone who was just reaped. I curl up into a ball, thinking about how I had violently shooed my family out of the room when they tried to visit me. Sometimes I just can't take them, and now is one of those times.

"Well," remarks Cordelia, "I can see that there's no sparks flying here." She scrunches up her nose. I stick my tongue out at her.

"You could at least try," she scolds.

"I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to survive."

"You're going to need an ally or two to survive," she says, mocking my tone.

"No I don't. Allies only fuck you over in the end, anyways."

"She might be right," tries Lyndon.

"Shut up. I'm not making friends."

Our escort takes a deep breath through clenched teeth. "You're never going to survive a second with that attitude."

"I think I know my abilities quite well. I know what I need to work on, and I'm the one that's going to do it."

"Never have I ever met a tribute so incredibly selfish!"

"Oh, bite me."

Lyndon looks uncomfortable and I don't care. I live in a constant state of uncomfortable, he can tolerate it for a couple minutes. I know it's a terrible mindset that makes me a selfish, horrible person, but I don't really care right now. Being a horrible person is how these Games are going to be won. The Capitol loves a good bitch, and they love a brutal but quiet murderer.

Cordelia shakes her head. "Never in my day have I seen such a isrespectful and rude young woman like yourself! Have some dignity!" She crosses her arms.

Somehow I feel like it's not her job to scold me like a parent, but I don't say anything.

"I am taking valuable time out my life to accommodate to your every need, and this is how you repay me?!"

"Well, I'm fucking sorry I'm not happy and smiley as I walk on my death march!"

She puts a hand on her hip. "Getting chosen for the Games is an honor and a privilege to respect your District, your home!"

"Yeah? Well my home is a pile of shit. We're poor and starving and we all hate each other!"

"Then fight for a better home! Everything you could ever want you can have if you're a Victor! The world could be yours, young lady!"

"Well I don't want it! I don't want to go into your stupid Games at all, and I definitely don't want to die in them!"

She crosses her arms, her face still scrunched up with hatred. I glare at her, my eyes ice cold, giving her a District-famous Tristabelle Baer death stare of deathy fucking death.

She turns around and stomps out of the room quickly. I feel a tiny smile spreading across my face at knowing I won.

Lyndon sits silently, his green eyes widened slightly. "She's an important aspect of our survival," he says.

"No she's not, and even if she's supposed to she's just acting like our babysitter," I say, scowling. He just nods a bit.

It's odd to me that he's even a little frazzled at the prospect of a fight; being a dealer, I'm sure he's seen a good number of them. And I'd be willing to bet that the missing part of his left ear, he's been in them as well.

I can read his mind through his eyes; he thinks I'm crazy for arguing with our escort. Well, fuck him, I don't care. If he wants to make friends and promptly lose them, then he can go and do that.

I've already lost everything once, when I was much younger and more naïve than I am today. I know better. I'm not going to lose everything a second time.

I pull a pillow over my chest and curl into the edge of the couch as the mentors enter the room, completely silent. District Nine has two Victors, their lives are a couple of messes. One is Brody Abel, Victor of the 6th Games. The other is Pierce Camerati, Victor of the 30th Games.

We all four exchange stares before Pierce speaks up. "…What happened?" he asks, "Cordelia is a mess."

Lyndon looks at me and arches his eyebrows.

"She's fucking crazy," I mumble, hugging my pillow tighter as the attention is put on me.

"Woman was bawling when we got to her," says Brody. "What did you do?"

I let out a sigh, not in the mood to be reprimanded. "I just… Showed her a bit of what I'm capable of." I smile as sweetly as I can, though soon get uncomfortable with it and drop it.

The two Victors exchange a look before glancing at Lyndon and at me.

"Take him," says Pierce, glancing at Brody. The old dog nods and leads Lyndon out of the room with a hand on his shoulder.

Pierce sits next to me, far enough away that neither of us could touch each other (good).

"So, you made her cry."

"I'm not here to make friends."

"Of course you're not."

"I'm here to survive," I continue, "She proved to possess no value in my survival so I got rid of her."

He looks dumbfounded, and unquestionably amused, though trying to hide the fact.

"You're a real character, aren't you?" he asks, a half-smirk spreading across his face.

"You don't know the half of it," I sigh.

"Well, I'm going to help you. Do I possess any value in your survival?" He smirks. He's so fucking funny.

"Yes. You're the only person that I can trust around here."

"Your trust isn't misplaced," he says, leaning back.

That's what Lazarus said, too, as he was pinning me down to the bed.

~.~.

Pontifex- King of Spades

January sits on the other side of the couch, a radiant grin spreading across her face.

"Can you believe it Ponty?" she whispers. "We're actually here. I can't believe it."

I look up and calmly put the iced tea I was sipping on the counter next to the armrest. "What did you just call me?"

She shrugs. "Pontifex is such a mouthful. I mean, I like the name but I think Ponty is a cute nickname for it."

"Alright, I'm stopping this before it even begins. No Ponty."

"We'll talk about it later."

I sigh. She looks so different in baggy PJ's and hair let down than she did this morning in her volunteering-garb. We sit together and wait for the mentors and Pierrepont to come sit with us to watch the recaps of the reapings.

"And can you believe we're going to work together with Nick Kensy and Priam Wynn!?" she asks. I know how she feels on this one. These Victors are my idols. They're the people I aspire to become. I mean, alright, who wouldn't want to talk to Nick Kensy, the Victor of the 16th Games? And Priam fucking Wynn, who won the 24th Games by strangling his opponent with his bare hands. Idols. Oh God, I watch their Games and I want to be them. I want to live their lives.

"No," I say honestly, "I can't believe it. It's amazing." I mean that.

Nick, who will be mentoring me, and Priam, who will be assisting January, sit down.

"Watch very closely," Nick says, "This is your competition."

"Make sure you take notes," Priam says. "First names, Districts, ages, your allies, and how strangle-able they are on a scale of one to ten."

"Uh… Okay…?" says January.

"Way ahead of you." Taking notes is essential for the Games. I grab a notebook and sharpen my pencil as Polymestor Treblanus and Yin Kozart appear on the screen, smiling largely.

"Good evening, Capitol."

"What a spectacle we have for you tonight!" Yin says happily. "The reapings of the 36th annual Hunger Games!"

"Alright now, let's get right to it, District One!"

The screen switches to the bright, sunny, colorful District One Town Square. The escort picks a girl's name but a beaming girl skips up to the stage with fair skin, silky black hair and bright eyes. She looks excited. I write down the name when I hear it.

District 1.

Empress. 18. Ally.

The boy soon volunteers and I watch him, writing it down.

Dream. 18. Ally.

He seems to be a lot calmer, like me.

My reaping come on and I write down quickly, not intent on watching myself at all.

District 2.

January. 18. Ally.

Pontifex. 17. The future Victor.

The rest of the reapings flick by and I watch with interest.

The girl from District 3 is tiny and blonde with wide eyes. The boy from District 3 trips up the stairs and everyone laughs. January snorts and Pierrepont bursts out laughing. The boy on the screen cries.

District 3.

Julianna. 15. Bloodbath.

Giovanni. 15. Not a Bloodbath.

After a brief montage of the announcers laughing their heads off, the District 4 reapings come on. I guess the girls weren't cutting it this year because no one volunteers for the 17-year-old that is reaped. She seems to be composed, so I wonder how much she's trained. The boy volunteers, though. He's a young kid, 14, and I bite my lip and wonder why.

District 4.

Tia. 17. Pending.

Mitchell. 14. Pending. Probably not a threat.

I wouldn't underestimate him, though. Nobody volunteers without a reason.

After an interested remark about the young volunteer, the scene merges into District 5. The girl that is reaped is 18 but someone volunteers in her place, from the 15-year-olds. Everything up to this point has been normal, which raises a lot of questions in my head. The boy is reaped from the same age group, slowly walking up to the stage with a dumb look on his face.

District 5.

Tiffany. 15. Possibly a threat.

Dawson. 15. Bloodbath.

"If they think they're going to join the Careers by just volunteering, they're crazy," I mumble.

"Consider outer-District people, though," says Nick. "Sometimes they can be a help."

"Sh, District Six is on!" says Janie, and we all look back up at the screen.

District 6 looks almost as dreary and dark and smoggy as District 5. The girl is reaped, though at first glance I think she's a boy, with a nice shirt and tie and a pair of slacks. She has a lot of confidence strutting up to the stage, which impresses me. The boy is reaped; a towering, well-built guy that definitely looks intimidating.

Tuesday. 16. Possibly a threat.

Garrison. 18. Threat for sure.

I hate being scared with all my being, so I shake off my nerves as the TV goes to the District 7 reaping. The girl is reaped first: a tall 17-year-old. My eyes widen slightly because I know who that is. The boy is reaped, shouting for his Mom, but I don't even notice, my eyes fixed on the girl standing up on stage with him.

"She's a Victor's daughter!" Janie says, taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Lucina Bristow," I say, my heart dropping to my stomach. "Lucina Bristow's daughter…"

"Lucina Tracey, to be more accurate," says Nick, "Thirteenth Victor."

"Holy shit!" Yeah, Janie, that's what I'm thinking too. My heart pounds and I can't believe I'm going to be in the presence of Lucina Bristow's daughter. This woman is what inspired me to ever go to Training. Stunning, in her Games and after…

"She could help us," says January, snapping me out of my trance. "Oh no we could not," I say, crossing my arms. "Don't you remember what happened to a Career alliance the last time a Victor's child was in the Games? Do you?" I do. I read a lot about it last night.

"Ponty-"

"The Two tributes were betrayed, remember? He killed the girl while she was sleeping! And if Pomponius Hilton didn't wake up, he would've killed Pomp too!" I cross my arms and Janie gives me a hard stare.

I realize who I was talking about and who I'm talking to and my face flushes. Nick gets up quickly. "I'm going to go get some water," he says, quickly walking away.

"You know Nick was friends with Os!" Janie scolds quietly. I nod, immediately feeling bad for what I said.

Priam just laughs. "Don't worry about it, kid."

I internally curse myself for talking, but there was nothing untrue about it. I will not have a Victor's child in my alliance. I scribble down names and ages as the Capitolites on screen boast about having a Victor's child.

District 7.

Katherine. 17. NOT IN MY ALLIANCE. NO.

Asher? 12? Bloodbath.

Nick comes back just as the District 8 reapings flash on the screen. It's slightly brighter than the others, but not by much. The girl is reaped first, a tiny twelve-year-old that quivers. I expect her to burst out into tears any second now, but somehow she keeps a level head. The boy is reaped soon after her, the District dead-silent. He walks out from the 16's, a carefree smile and posture on his face. My stomach flops. How can he be so fucking carefree!?

District 8.

Dawn. 12. Bloodbath.

Right? You never know, though. After all, I expected her to be a crying mess but she keeps a straight face as she shakes her District partner's hand.

Ori. 16. Possible threat.

After all, he didn't seem to crack at all after being reaped. Hell, he kept a smile on!

Polymestor expresses his faith in Ori and then District Eight becomes District Nine.

The girl is reaped first. She has a scowl that could kill on its own as she makes the walk up to the stage. The boy is reaped soon after her. He doesn't seem to be too devastated either. All these older tributes are making me nervous, though I try not to look like it.

District Nine.

Tristobel? How do you even spell it? I take a guess. Tristabell. 17. Possible threat.

Lynden. Yes? Lyndon. Which one is correct? I'm not sure so I guess Lyndon and keep writing. 18. Possible threat.

District 10 is next. From the Town Square, it appears to be a sunny place with wide-open fields of grass and lots of cows, but I don't know if that's true for the rest of the place. The girl is reaped but someone volunteers in her place. My stomach turns nervously. You trained. You can do this. This is probably the worst time for anxiety. Unfortunately, my nerves aren't scattered much when the boy volunteers as well, evidently from someone that is related to him considering they have the same last name. A winning smile, some stubble littering his chin and sideburns, bright eyes, and he looks older than 18. My stomach turns uncomfortably.

"Wow!" says January.

I feel like I'm going to throw up.

District 10.

Angel. 17. Possible threat.

Atticus. 18. Fuck.

District 11 comes on next. The girl is reaped and someone volunteers for her. The girl that volunteers doesn't quite as well off as the 10 tributes, though as I said, everyone volunteers for a reason. Whether it's a desire to be in the Games or the simple desire to save someone else, I don't know. The boy is reaped and walks up to the stage before promptly bursting out into tears on his way up. I let out a small sigh of relief. At least there's one tribute that's not happy to be here.

District 11.

Krissa. 18? ((Looks a lot younger)) Possible threat, though seems unlikely to be one.

Verdeman? Vardemen? Vardamen? God, what the hell is wrong with people?! 13. Bloodbath.

The reapings go to District 12 last of all, and I hold my breath. The girl is reaped and we hear a huge, loud scream that flies like a ghost across the silent crowd. It's still amazing to me how differently reapings are treated in 12 and 2. She quivers as she walks to the stage. I can take that. The boy is reaped and cries silently as he walks to the stage. Alright, that makes me feel better.

District 12.

Caladonea? Calidoniea? I am a bad speller, apparently. 14. Not a threat.

Copper. 12. Not a threat.

Each of the tributes is shown again, crazy close-ups. The District 1 girl is radiant, the boy is cuter up close, Janie is beaming happily and I'm glad to see that the bruises on my face are unnoticeable, even in the light and so close up. The 3 girl is crying but looks intense, the boy is teary, the 4 girl looks almost ready to crack, the 4 boy looks confident. The 5 boy is crying, the girl is stone-faced, both District 6 tributes are set in indifference. The District 7 boy cries but the girl is almost smiling, the District 8 boy is grinning like a bastard and the girl only quivers a bit. The District 9 girl has eyes that practically make my heart stop with anger and intensity, the boy looks purely indifferent. The 10 girl smirks and the boy half-smiles, prepared to meet her challenge. The 11 boy is bawling and the girl looks upset, the 12 girl frazzled and close to tears and the boy crying.

My heart pounds hard in my chest as I realize for the first time that I really am going to have to kill these people.

~.~.

A/N: Thank you SO MUCH, submitters! This SYOT is officially CLOSED!

Also, please know that the opinions on the tributes stated above are completely those of Pontifex. His predictions may or may not be true, so don't fear based on what he thinks of the other tributes! Sorry to those tributes whose names he can't spell, but I promise I know the actual spelling and everything! XD

Keep the reviews coming! I'm still adjusting the point system but you will get points for favoriting, following, reviewing, and especially answering chapter questions. Also, if you read my 41st Games story, all points from that will carry over. If you didn't, it's not too late! You can still get points for reading/reviewing that story and Voices, my other sponsor-system Games.

I'm really starting to like these characters, though about a third of them were volunteers XD Ah, what can you do?

Now that I have all my tributes, updates will be a lot closer together, I promise! Next up is chariot rides!

CHAPTER QUESTION: To my submittors, what did you guys think of your tributes!? :D What'd you think of Pontifex's interpretation of them? To non-submittors, which tribute of the bunch is the most memorable to you?