I rush into the room to find Takeda sitting on a couch. She seems to have… shrunk. She sits, hunched, her hair slightly out of place and her eyes rimmed with red. Her hands sit helplessly at her sides. I sit down next to her and hug her tightly. She doesn't react, seemingly in shock. I let go for a second to unclasp the cord around my neck. The small silver cat hangs on it daintily. I gently place it in her hand.
"It's for you," I say. "It kept me safe in the arena." I smile at her, trying to coax a reaction out of her. Wide eyes just stare at me blankly. I hear a sob escaping somewhere from deep within her, and I hug her close again.
"Is this how you felt?" Takeda chokes out. I look at her, concerned, and nod. The thought of leaving her again, of not seeing her anymore constricts me. I'm trying to not cry but the pain is ripping at my chest. How will I manage without her? I feel my eyebrows starting to show my worries and try to relax my face. I'm not helping.
I hear and noise and turn around. Bailey has just opened the door and is shuffling in silently. She seems to have been crying. She sits down on Takeda's other side and manages to hug us both at the same time. "What do you want to know?" I ask Takeda. She looks at me, something gleaming in her eyes. "Everything," she says.
I take a deep breath. "Get to know the other Tributes. Accept what your stylist does to you. Impress the Gamemakers. Get an ally—someone you can trust. Keep the drama going. If nothing gory has happened, talk about your feelings. Pride and morals don't exist." I think this is the most I've ever talked about the arena to my two friends. I let my breath out quickly, as if to get rid of the bad memories.
Takeda nods. "Most importantly," I say, "don't despair. Trust that this will end soon, one way or another." This grim thought fills the room with silence for a while. "Just don't turn into a monster," Bailey says, talking to Takeda but looking at me. I don't acknowledge her. That's how the Games work—eat or be eaten. Morality has no place in the arena.
"I'll be cheering you on. I promise." I say suddenly. "What about Wren's brother?" Takeda asks bitterly. I don't say anything, but this comment brings tears to my eyes. I hug Takeda and Bailey again, and we're huddling in a tearful, quivering mass. I hear a voice "Your three minutes are up!"
We all tense and hold on together, screaming last things to each other while the Peacekeepers are prying us apart.
"I'll never forget you!"
"Don't give up!"
"Make sure my family eats!"
"I'll remember! I promise!" I shout just as the door snaps shut. We're left standing outside and we have to leave the building immediately. I catch sight of Wren leaving too. He looks overwhelmed and sad. I continue on with Bailey, not wanting to talk to him. His jaw clenches and his eyes become angry when he sees I am looking at him. This brings fresh pain to my heart, and as soon as we're out of range, I start sobbing, for both Takeda and Wren.
Bailey, who hadn't missed anything of our nonverbal exchange, tries to reason with me, but I'm utterly and completely broken.
"Don't cry. He's not worth it." I ignore her soft, soothing voice, but somewhere it does affect me. I finally stop weeping and set my face into a blank expression, keeping the suffering on the inside. We continue the road in silence; feeling like part of our heart has been torn away.