Hope- An SYOT

Mrs. Jacqueline Morgan was sure that her daughter would become the victor of the 18th Hunger Games. But Savannah wasn't so sure. Yes, she had been training for this since a very young age, but she definitely wasn't the strongest Career that had ever gone into the Arena. To add to that, she had only ever really trained with weapons. If it came down to it, she knew that she couldn't survive in the wild. Unless, of course, they were conveniently by an ocean. But what were the chances of that happening? They had already done that back in the 7th Games.

So, when it came down to it, Savannah thought as she sat in her now-empty visitation room, she didn't particularly want to go into the Hunger Games. She had a perfectly respectable life right here in District 4, and her two best friends had only just left the room, dragged out, laughing, by two Peacekeepers. Savannah smiled. She would miss the pants off of Dana and Jason while she was in the Capitol. The three had been almost inseparable for as long as anyone could remember. They weren't Careers, but they accepted the fact that she was in training and they rarely mentioned the fact. Rather, they spent the majority of their time just hanging out and causing general mayhem in District 4.

But sometimes her mother would put her foot down at such "disgraceful activities" and would force her to spend the day training in their basement- a place that Dana and Jason jokingly called The Pit of Doom and Utmost Destruction. None of them had ever taken Savannah's training seriously. They hadn't known that her mother would actually force Savannah to volunteer.

After all, there was no reason for her to. She did well in her classes, was generally well-liked, and her family had plenty of money. There was no good reason why she couldn't have a perfectly normal life in District 4.

No good reason besides her mother's lust for power. Though Savannah was a general subject of admiration from some of the district's younger girls, she had never been good enough for her mother. She had always wanted be known as the mother of a victor and so she had forced Savannah, her only child, to volunteer for the Games at the age of 16.

And so here she was, sitting alone in her visitation room, just waiting. For what? She didn't know. To be perfectly honest, she just didn't want to think about what would happen to her in the Capitol. Would she become a monster like all of the other Careers did? Would she be tortured to death when the tributes from 1 and 2 found out her true views toward the Games? Would she even survive the interviews? She didn't know.

But whatever happened, she sure hoped that Mummy Dearest would finally be happy.

Jayce Holaway's parents were a far cry from the power-hungry Jacqueline Morgan. They had accepted the fact that Jayce was training to enter the Hunger Games, but they had never thought that he would actually be going. To tell the truth, Jayce hadn't known either. Sure, he had volunteered every year since the age of 14 and had been training since he was 6, but he was only one of many boys who fought for the honor of being District 4's male tribute every year.

So he had actually been caught off guard when no one else had shouted after the call for volunteers. But he had quickly recovered both his confidence and his cocky grin. This was his year. He was 18 and he was ready. None of the other tributes would stand a chance against the killing force he could be.

When he had first thought that, he had been standing on the make-shift platform in front of District 4's Justice Building, his eyes locked on the enormous feathered cap that District 4's toucan-escort had been wearing. "What do you reckon that old bird would do if she was chucked into an arena?" he had whispered to the girl standing next to him, leaning over so that the aforementioned hag couldn't hear him. At that, the girl- was it Samantha?- had giggled. At least his partner had a sense of humor.

It was a pity that he would have to kill her. Maybe one of the other Careers would do it before he had to. Though he would never let anyone know, he had a soft spot for those weaker than he. Of course, in an arena full of weak children, that might prove to be a problem.

Rosalie Aduriza couldn't be nervous. She was an Aduriza, the only daughter of the family that practically ruled District 5! She was Rosalie, the girl who had had the entire district on its knees since the day she had been born! She was the one whom every girl in District 5 envied; the girl who had a mob of "friends" who followed her around night and day, just to be close to her. She practically had 1/12 of Panem in her pocket. "Rosalie Aduriza" and "nervous" simply weren't words that anyone would use in the same sentence. Ever.

And yet she was. She couldn't control the GameMakers like she could control her mob of "friends", all of whom she had just kicked out of her visitation room. She needed time to think. So… for a strategy. She was smart, so she wouldn't be caught by traps. That would be useful, but it wouldn't keep her alive indefinitely. And she could find edible plants. Again, useful but not helpful if she was getting charged by a rampaging Career. She could throw knives, but other than that… in combat, she would be screwed. So why had she thought that it would be a good idea to volunteer? Right. She had been curious about what they were like inside the arena. Well, she sure hoped that whoever said, "Curiosity killed the cat" was wrong. Sorely and totally and completely wrong.

Her musings were interrupted by the creak of the door of her visitation room as it opened. She looked up, surprised. Her parents had already been in to wish her luck, and she had been quite clear when she had dismissed her posse. So who could possibly want to say goodbye?

Archer. The one person in her life that she didn't know what to think of. The only person who had ever seen her show any compassion, on that one rainy day when she had saved him from his father's beatings outside the factory. She hadn't spoken to him since. So what could she say to the one person who knew that she wasn't always the hoity-toity, perfectly manicured doll that she made herself out to be. The only thing she could say:

"Why aren't you with Vince?" Vincent DeLoria was the other tribute from District 5. He was also Archer's best friend.

"Just left," Archer replied. His face was stained with tears and his voice shook. "He's pretty torn up about it." Rosalie just nodded at this. What could she say? In just over a week, she would be trying to kill the very boy who was probably crying his soul out next door. This, of course, left an ultimate awkward silence. Several moments passed before Archer spoke again. "So am I. And not just about Vince."

At these words, a wave of tears threatened to spill out of Rosalie's eyes. She wiped them away, ashamed. How was it that Archer could always break through whatever false exterior she wore? Whatever it was, it didn't matter. It was likely that she would never see him again.

So she just smiled and said, "Thanks."

And he left.

A/N: I know, another short chapter. But shorter chapters mean faster updates! I hope you liked it. And yes, I will be skipping some of those tributes who will definitely be Bloodbaths. That will allow me to cut down on characters and make it less confusing.

Please review and tell me what you think! Thanks so much! ~Lily