Okay, I know I've told you guys this before, but your tributes are AWESOME. Honestly, I can go on and on and on and on about them, because they never get old! Every single tribute has been so expertly crafted by their creators that I feel it is going to be I-M-P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E to kill ANY of them off! So thank you guys for making me get sooooooooooo attached to your characters!
Anyway, that's my speech. Hope you enjoyed it. Moving on to district 7 now. Also, this chapter marks the half-way point for the tributes! 14/28 tributes have now been uploaded!
Slappinthebasson: Ah, your reviews are ALWAYS appreciated! I am so glad to hear from you! Anyway, thank you for your compliments on the chapter and for letting me know about your opinions and whatnot! Can't wait to write your other tribute, by the way! Thank you for your review!
ghostleon: I want to thank you, first off, for your very gracious review and comments! :) I like what your said about Buck's backstory (and how you say you know a lot of people like that!), and I am sooo happy you liked the way I wrote your tribute! Yes, Joust played a very important part in the theme of the Hunger Games, actually! So thank you again!
HeyyMan: YES! Good to hear from you! I'm glad you're reading and I'm glad you're looking forward to the story! It makes my day to hear from you guys and to know that you're still reading, so thank you for letting me know! Can't wait to write your other tributes! Thanks for the review!
x FallingAshes x : Ahh, I'm glad you liked it! I was hoping the finale would be chilling, hehe ;) And I like to hear that it was your favorite chapter, too! Anyway, thanks for your opinions on Joust/Buck, and there's something else that is verrrrry interesting that you said in your review that I liked, too! :) And I also found your answer to the question fascinating, but at the same time understandable. Since I know pretty much everything there is to know about all the tributes, I can kinda see where you're coming from with what you said. Anyway, no worries about your friends! Hope to hear from them soon and can't wait to write they're tributes, hehe. I have some ideas...thanks for your review!
Disclaimer: Thank you, PeenissandClato, for both the district seven female and the district seven male.
District 7
Jocileia "Chay" Amacrox, age 18 (District 7 Female)
"Chay, you're so lucky." It was her best friend, Alexandria, who spoke. The girls, along with Chay's younger sister, Ariela, had gathered together their best girlfriends that night for one of their monthly sleepovers. Being the mayor's daughters, Chay and Ariela were able to throw the most impressive and exciting parties whenever they wanted, and as long as they didn't bother their father, they could run the house. "It is loud in here, girl!" Music was blasting and lights were shining all over the rec room in the mansion; it was like a nightclub for teenage girls.
Chay stood up. "Alex, how do I look?" The fourteen year old girl spun around on the dance floor, letting her curly brown hair flit about like an opened parachute. She had her eyes closed, soaking up the fun of night. Before Alex could respond, Chay ran off to some of her other girl friends, screaming and shouting things about the party. "I'm not going to bed tonight! I'm serious! We're staying up all night."
On the other side of the room, Ariela turned to Alexandria and said, "My sister is crazy." Then she laughed.
"I know!" Alexandria agreed, a smile on her face. "She is crazy…but so optimistic and carefree. I guess that's what happens when you're the mayor's daughter, huh? All rich and stuff?"
"Yeah," Ariela sighed. "Still, I don't know where she gets her energy from. She's always so happy. Always." And then she looked at her big sister, who was dancing and smiling and yelling crazily with the other girls; Ariela just smiled. She loved to see her sister look so happy.
"What's your name?"
The girl on the other side of the table looked down at her plate. Her curly hair was slightly covering her brown eyes and the scowl on her face. Jocileia didn't really want to be there; she had been hiding in her room like a recluse all day, ignoring the district seven boy as best she could. But when she saw him a few times walk past her room, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt; she decided to talk to him. Perhaps he wouldn't be so bad, she had thought.
But now she just felt sick. It was a mistake; she didn't need anyone in the games. She didn't need a teammate and she didn't need a friend; she should have stayed where she was, she decided. The girl said coldly, "It's Jocileia." She poked at the food on her plate with a sigh and a smirk. She tried to look up at the boy to see how he reacted to her stubbornness; she almost wanted him to get unfriendly with her. "Didn't you pay attention at the reapings, Tobius?"
The boy just frowned; he looked no happier than she did. "I was just making conversation, Jocileia."
Tobius Gallagher, age 18 (District 7 Male)
Laércio Migon sat at the kitchen table watching his mom cook for his family the scraps of whatever food they had managed to salvage. His dad was at work, managing the family's library for countless hours, as he did each day. Often Laércio and his brother helped him, but that night their father insisted they rest. They were a poor family, yes, but their hearts and love for each other filled any kind of vapid monetary hole in their caring lifestyle.
"How was your day, honey?" his mother asked; she looked tired, but tried her best to stay optimistic for her children. Laércio loved her dearly for that.
"It was good, thanks," he answered politely. He smiled up at her. Despite the fact they were a poor family, Laércio did enjoy his life. He loved his parents and brother, and his good friend Fabian. "Do you need help?"
His mother smiled gently at him and shook her head. She walked over to the kitchen table slowly—she had a slight limp—and patted him on the head, her mind elsewhere. Laércio could tell she seemed distraught, and asked, "You okay?"
For a moment she remained voiceless. Then she smiled down at him. "Yes, I'm okay." The woman ruffled his fluffy brown hair and laughed as he pulled away. She looked at him for a second, as though she were trying to burn his image into her memory. He was only fourteen then, but she knew he was going to grow up to be a great man. He was tall, strong from chopping wood, and responsible. He would turn out to be a great person, she decided. A great person…
The boy stared at Jocileia through his unmoving, crystalline blue eyes; he stared at her face, at the emptiness in her dark brown eyes, at the light freckles that dotted her cheeks, and at the perpetual scowl on her face. For a second the boy didn't do anything, but then he scoffed at her. The two were miserable, and it seemed they only wanted to persist with their game of staring rather than construct a plan of action for the arena.
Jocileia just shuddered as she looked at him. It didn't matter that he looked strong, tall, and even rather attractive. She didn't care who the district seven boy was; he would never be a friend of hers, nor would he ever hold a place in her heart. "Well, we can sit here all day…or we can do something useful. It seems like you don't want me around, so I'm going back to my room." As she spoke her words, she kept a careful eye on how he reacted, wanting to see how infuriated he got with her. But she didn't stand up.
The boy merely buried his head in his hand and shrugged, using his other hand to mess with his fluffy blonde hair. He didn't even give her a second look. Jocileia, even more annoyed at her decision to leave her bedroom, noticed the way he ignored her and said, "Don't you have anything to say?"
"Father, I would like to ask you a favor." It was Fabian Amacrox who spoke. He was Jocileia's older brother, fifteen years of age. He spoke with politeness—he was a kind, gentle boy—but also trepidation—he feared his father. The mayor, Jack Amacrox, bade him speak, annoyed by his son's time-consuming asking. "May I please invite a friend over today? We would like to listen to some of the music in the library. He has a keen ear for good classical com—"
"Yes," his father said quickly, looking at Fabian through his beady brown eyes, and then back down at his paperwork. The man was bald and always hunched over, probably from poring over scandalous political documents every day. "Just stay out of my hair. I'm busy. Tell your sisters, too: I don't want any interruptions. I have a lot of work to do."
"Yes, father…" The boy said quickly, turning to the door. But Fabian must've been walking too slowly, for his father issued another direction order for him to "get out!"
In the hall, Fabian encountered Jocileia talking exuberantly to Alexandria. "Hello, Chay," Fabian said slowly. "Father is busy in his office. He wants…that we not disturb him."
"I would have guessed as much," the girl said, not sounding surprised in the least. "What did you need from him?"
"I asked him if I could let a friend over…"
Jocileia giggled. "Oh, Fabian. Is it to listen to that silly music of yours?" She winked at him and punched him playfully in the arm. Being the wild, popular girl she was, she always found Fabian's beautiful, classical music to be "dreadfully boring."
"Yes, yes," he said, trying to act like he didn't hear her. "I'll leave you to whatever you girls are doing…" And then he walked away, leaving Jocileia laughing jokingly at him. She really loved her brother, and she knew he loved her, despite the way she always poked fun at him. Other than her father…she really loved all of her family. She didn't know what she would do if she couldn't stay up late with Ariela, or play games outside with Fabian, or go shopping with her mother.
"You're just going to ignore me?" Jocileia asked, a little louder this time; Tobius liked that. He liked when Jocileia wasn't her quiet, normal self. But still, the boy said nothing. He stared down at his empty plate and let her cold stare wash over him. "Well, then I'm leaving," she said again. This time she stood up and began walking away.
"Look," the boy said as she walked. "The reapings." He pointed to the television screen at the end of the room. Jocileia turned to him at first, then slowly cast her gaze on the TV program. The Capitol was playing the district reapings over and over again, in an endless loop, for twelve hours. "There you are," he said. Indeed, on the television screen, Jocileia was being called by the escort.
"Yeah…that's me." The girl glared back at the boy. She didn't know what kind of game he was playing with her, and she certainly didn't like it. "What's your point?"
"Who are those people?" Tobius asked. The camera was showing the faces of a devastated mother, sister, and brother. A wealthy-looking man stood near the mother, sulking and muttering something to himself in frustration.
"My family," the girl answered quietly and with incredulity. "Why?"
The boy didn't answer her. Again, he turned his gaze upon his empty plate, his empty glass, the table cloth…anything. He just didn't want to look at Jocileia. Then she repeated her question, loud again. For a second Tobius was quiet, and only the near-muted sounds of the television could be heard. Then he said, "I wanted to hear what you would say about them."
Laércio waited by the tree in front of his house. His best friend, Fabian Amacrox, said he would return shortly. Being the mayor's son, Fabian explained that he needed his father's approval before he could invite people to the house. Laércio didn't complain; he had never had the honor of stepping foot inside the mayor's mansion, and being from a nonwealthy family, was more than willing to wait.
Fabian returned shortly thereafter, humming one of his favorite tunes. "Ahh…Laércio! My father sees no problems with you coming to the mansion!" Fabian was excited to spend the day with his friend listening to music and enjoying what he considered the "finer things in life."
The two reached the mansion quickly, and Laércio was immediately awestruck by the building's colossal size and impressive frame. Standing outside the mansion, he complimented Fabian on the beautiful architectural lines of the house; when he wasn't speaking, his mouth was hanging open. Laércio had seen the mansion before, but he had never once been able to cross the expansive outer grounds and walk up to the doorstep. It amazed him.
And of course, the interior fascinated him just as much. "Fabian…this…" He was about to finish his comment when he heard a loud, energetic female voice echo between the walls of the museum-like foyer. The girl who spoke seemed to be talking with another girl, neither of whom noticed Fabian or Laércio until they walked in the foyer as well.
"Hey, Fabs," the zestful girl said, smiling at her brother. Then she looked at the boy standing next to him; for a second her train of thought was lost, and nothing more came out of her mouth. Then she said, "Fabian, won't you introduce me to your friend?"
"Why did you want to hear what I said about my family? I don't understand."
"You don't understand much, do you?" Tobius answered, his face unmoved. He snickered at her then, and Jocileia looked offended.
"You know, I came here to open up to you. Maybe to meet someone new. I didn't want to, but I did. And this is how you speak to me? I don't want to see you in that arena, Tobius," she said, her hands tapping constantly against her leg so as to quell her frustration. She was still standing up, halfway between the door and the boy she realized she severely disliked.
"Okay," he muttered. "So be it. Leave. Go away. Maybe I don't want to see you either."
"Whatever!" Jocileia snapped, turning around quickly. "I hate you! You're so difficult!"
"Walk away," Tobius said loudly. "Go back to your room!"
Jocileia screeched as she slammed the door to the dining room shut. Then Tobius heard her yell, "You're not my father!" And then she was gone. It was quiet, then, in the dining room. Tobius sighed heavily, the wheels in his mind turning; he thought about the way he treated Jocileia. He wasn't sure if he liked it.
Laércio and Jocileia loved each other. "Call me Chay," the girl told him the day they met. And so he did, without any complaints or hesitations; Laércio thought both of her names were beautiful. "Just like you," he would always say. He admired her curly brown hair, and thought the faded freckles on her face were cute. And Chay loved him, too. He was tall and strong, but so very kind. She loved to run her fingers through his soft, fluffy brown hair and sing to him. She had a beautiful voice, Laércio recognized.
The two did everything met each other after school in the park and went on long walks. They played games in the woods. They were the perfect match for each other, coupling each others' strengths and weakness. Chay introduced him to all of her friends, teaching him how to have fun and let loose. Laércio taught her to appreciate the little things in life, like a satisfying dinner, or a beautiful sunset. Or most important, the value of family.
But it was not easy. Chay knew that she couldn't bring Laércio around her unforgiving rather. Even if the man didn't care an ounce for her, he still never would have allowed her to love such a poor boy. All the time they spent together had to be done in secret. They met when her father was out of town, or when he was swamped with so much work he cared little about checking up on his children. Chay snuck out of her mansion at night sometimes, even. On those nights, she always wondered what life would be like without her father. Just her brother and sister and mother. She knew her mother would never reject Laércio…her mother was kind, she was gentle. But she was wrapped around her father's finger just like everyone else in that town was.
Tobius thought about his life. He thought about it all. He thought about his friends and his family, and everything that went wrong. He wanted to go back in time. Not to fix anything, no. He had no regrets. But…he just wanted to spend another day with her. The real her.
And them.
Ashes. That was all. There was nothing else. Not a single speck of something recognizable. There was no kitchen table, where he and his father often played cards on a beautiful night. There was no living room, where he and his family spent hours together every day, loving each other all the while. And there was no family library…that, too, was burned down.
Laércio kneeled in the heap of ashes with his hands covering his face. The fire was gone, thanks to the Peacekeepers; they had long since left, not even bothering to help the poor boy when they found him crying outside his home. For a while there were neighbors—nosy people—snooping around the rubble. But they were gone, too.
It was the middle of the night, and Laércio had nowhere to go. He had no home to return to. But he didn't care about that. He didn't care about what petty things inside his house he lost. It all seemed so meaningless. Everything did. The concept of money, the concept of materialism. He cried that night for hours, praying that maybe he would get lucky. He prayed that maybe some of the hot ashes would unexpectedly go ablaze…and kill him, too. He prayed that maybe luck would be kind…and lead him to the afterlife…where he could see his family again.
Tobius shuddered; life seemed so meaningless. It seemed so pointless now. What was there to enjoy in life if everything good was gone? If all the kindness in the world had evaporated? He thought long and hard about that, but was afraid of the conclusion.
Laércio found the Community Home a day later. He cried himself all the way there, and cried as he looked up at the dilapidated building that would be his home. But he didn't care what his home looked like…he just cared about who was inside. Or rather…lack thereof.
And that was when he lost it.
He hated Mayor Amacrox; he hated him in every way he loved his family. But it was too late. Laércio could scarcely live his life anymore. Chay was gone…she thought he was dead, he knew. She thought he too died in the fire. But he couldn't go back to her…he loved her still, with all his heart, but he knew their love could not go on. For not only his sake…but for hers.
But he knew he couldn't abandon her. It wasn't Chay who burned his house down. Laércio knew the girl's life changed that night. He had watched her in town years afterward from afar. She no longer walked with a group of friends. She rarely even walked outside at all. He heard all of the girls Chay introduced to him, all of her friends, speak badly about her, as though they had never been friends with her at all. They complained of her attitude…the way she never wanted to see them…and the insulting things she said to them after his "death."
And what hurt Laércio the most was when he saw Alexandria walking with another girl every day. A new best friend. She even called her that…someone she cared about more than Chay. Laércio didn't know the specifics as to what drew Alexandria and Chay apart, but he knew it mustn't have been good; from what the other girls gossiped, Chay had turned into a cruel, arrogant girl overnight.
Laércio had to do something for her; he couldn't just watch as she wallowed in depression. He often sent her letters addressed from some of the other girls in her classes requesting that they resume their friendship. When he heard that Chay was beginning to fail her courses, he disguised himself as another boy from her school and explained to Chay's mother that her daughter needed her parental love (of course, he waited until Mrs. Amacrox was far outside the mansion). But even though he was helping Chay…he still felt a massive void in his soul. The Community Home…was not his home.
Tobius looked up, his eyes fastened on the television screen. There was a fire in his eye that glowed brighter with each passing second of the reapings. The Hunger Games…they ruined families. They tore children from their parents and siblings and cast them off to die. That year, Tobius realized, twenty-six more families would be destroyed at the hand of an unfair upper power. He couldn't let that happen…he couldn't let that happen twenty-six times over…
Days and weeks and months passed, and the boy was still not accustomed to the Community Home. Laércio couldn't walk past someone without thinking of his brother, or his father, or his mother. He couldn't sit down and eat a meal without remembering his mother's cooking. And he couldn't read a book…because with each turn of a page, he thought about his family's library, and the way it looked as it burned to a pile of ashes.
He hated everyone in the Community Home. When they wanted to talk to him, he scoffed at them and took off. He got in fights with some kids over petty arguments, and yelled at the others whenever he saw the face of his brother in one of theirs. They hated him, and he hated them. He hated everyone.
During the very first night he spent in the Community Home, he realized he had to change. He knew he couldn't live the life of Laércio Migon any longer. He knew Mayor Amacrox would come after him. He knew he would come after the poor boy from district seven if he thought he was still alive. That night, Laércio changed everything. He dyed his hair blonde…he changed the way he was around people. And…he changed the way he looked at life.
His prayer came true that night: the boy named Laércio Migon died in that fire.
And so Tobius Gallagher was born.
Honestly, guys. I love these tributes. HOW AM I GOING TO BE ABLE TO KILL ANY OF THEM OFF?! Can't twenty eight tributes win the Hunger Games this year? Do you think that would be a bad plot twist? Huh...maybe.
Anyway, I'd love to hear from you, of course, because your reviews honestly make the world go round! (okay, not really, but they always make me smile!) And...now that we're half way through the tributes, my question is...which district has the best tributes, combined, as a whole?
Thank youuuuuuuu!