A short chapter, about the night before the second day of training.

Kean Avrett, 18

District 10 Male

After a waking up from a bad dream, I find myself up in the middle of the night. The dream still resides in my foggy mind in fragments, but has mostly been forgotten. I cling to one part of the dream I can remember, the part where Damion walks out on me. I can't remember what he said, but in the dream, I think I came home, and he was with someone else. I was barely holding back tears, and he just laughed, his arm around a tall, muscular figure. I banish thoughts of him from my mind, because that's all behind me. Damion will be there when I get back. He will.

I realize I've just been sitting here, and I force myself up. My throat is bone-dry, so I leave my room to find something to drink. An Avox is standing outside my room, stiffly and silently. I turn to her, somewhat concerned.

"Go to bed," I tell her, but she frantically shakes her head. She opens her mouth, no sound coming out. She then walks over into the kitchen, grabbing a small piece of paper and pulling out a pen from her pocket.

Night-shift is written on the paper, and I nod to her and continue forward. I notice a light coming from the living room, and notice that the TV is on, playing some cooking show. I click it off, only to find Astelle sprawled out on the couch. I don't want to wake her up, but at the same time, she looks kind of cold. I go to the Avox woman, who has returned to her post.

"May I get a blanket, please?" I ask her, and she opens a closet across from her and fetches a large, puffy blanket.

"Thanks," I tell her, tiptoeing back to my partner, as if I'm afraid of waking her up. I drape the blanket over her somewhat small frame, and she begins to stir but goes still after a few seconds. I exit the living room and head into the kitchen, and I find a timer on the wall.

8:29:13 UNTIL DAY 2 OF TRAINING

I recall the day before. I mostly worked alone, because I have no interest in allies. It can be comforting to have someone with you in the arena, but they make the supplies run out twice as fast. And you never know when your life will end with their blade in your throat as you are sleeping.

I approach a large machine on the wall, with multiple buttons on it. I don't really know which one to press, so I just hit a few of them in a row, which causes it to start beeping. I yelp, trying to shut it up, but the Avox comes and fixes it, I'm not exactly sure how. All she did was press on the screen a few times. I sheepishly grin at her, and she gives me an unimpressed look. We just stare at each other awkwardly, until she angrily points at the machine. Asking me what drink I want, of course.

"Oh! Anything is fine," I mutter, and she rolls her eyes and hits on what looks like some sort of fruit drink. A cup pops out of the machine, followed by a stream of purple liquid that fills the cup to the brim. I carefully lift it, to find that the Avox is already standing outside my bedroom again.

I gingerly take a few sips from the cup, lowering the volume enough so that I can walk with it. I slump down at the empty dining table, gathering my thoughts. I don't think I've fully registered the fact that I'm going into the Hunger Games. But I need to, if I want to make it home and return to my boyfriend.

But what if he's with someone else? says the thoughts I had tried to bury in the corner of my mind. No, he wouldn't do that. But if I died, the first thing Damion would do is try to find a new boyfriend. I try to tell myself that I would do the same if he was Reaped. But would I, really? I guess I'll never know. Another reason these Games absolutely suck.

A pretty short chapter, the night before Day 2 of training. I wanted to get something out while I'm working on the next chapter. Sorry if it seems like there isn't enough character development in some tributes, but keep in mind that they just got here. Changes in their personality probably won't happen until a later part of the Pre-Games or Games themselves. Anyway, I'll see you next time! :)

-Ruby