Stark Logger, District Seven POV

The crowd gasped when Zara fell. A few even stood up and reached out, as if they could possibly catch her. But they couldn't. She plummeted off the platform, apparently because of her tall boots. I had two thoughts in quick succession. The first was: I wish I could get that much attention. The second one was: Hah. This is the first time a tribute will die before the Games. And she most definitely would have died. I quickly calculated the approximate height of the platform - 20 feet - and Zara's weight - no more than 110 pounds - and figured that she would snap some sort of body part and bleed to death. That actually would have been amusing to see, but that Rilan kid ruined it.

He was walking up as she was walking down, and was just underneath the platform. In an instant, when he saw what was happening, he put his arms out and looked like he was bracing himself for the fall. Sure enough, Zara hit dead-on into his arms, and he staggered for a moment before they both collapsed. Sure, the injuries were way less than they could have been, and that was great and all, but I would have liked to see some blood or something. Jeez.

A team of paramedics rushed over to check them out before taking them into a back room. Caesar looked flustered, but kept everything under control.

"For those of you watching at home, we're going to take a quick break and be right back," Caesar said, smiling serenely. It was almost creepy how calm he was. He signaled to the cameramen and the lights on their cameras went out. He then turned to the crowd.

"We're going to just give them some time, and then we'll resume the interviews," he said.

There was a rumble from the crowd, but no one protested. Five, then ten, then fifteen minutes passed, and everyone got a bit restless. In twenty-seven years of Games, this had never happened.

Finally, the doors to "backstage" opened and Zara and Rilan came out. Zara was limping a bit, but Rilan looked fine. I noticed that Zara's ankle was bandaged in one place, but it didn't look too bad.

She quickly sat down, and Rilan took his place at the interview seat. By the look on Caesar's face, he obviously had lots of questions.

"Rilan!" he exclaimed. "Please enlighten us about what went through your head and what happened backstage."

Rilan smiled, happy that he was at least in the spotlight. "Well, Caesar," he started amiably, "I really wasn't thinking too much. I just saw Zara fall, and the only thing that went through my head was 'I've got to catch her.' So I stuck out my arms and hoped for the best!"

"That takes courage! Let's give this boy a round of applause!" Caesar said. Accordingly, there was a round of smattering applause and whoops and cat calls from some of the teenage girls. It almost looked like he was blushing. How despicable.

Rilan continued his saga. "Then they took us backstage and looked us over. Zara had a bit of a sprained ankle, but they said that it should probably heal if she stays off it tonight. I had a long mark down my leg and they said it might not be good, but I think it's fine."

The crowd rumbled in admiration. This boy had won a place in their hearts, for better or for worse, because of his "bravery", if you could even call it that. They chatted a bit about the Games in general, and then his turn was up.

Next was my District partner, Sayria, a.k.a. the girl I really didn't like. She was a bit fiery in training, so it wasn't that she was weak, we just didn't get along well. Our personalities didn't . . . mesh.

She walked up to Caesar, red curls bobbing, not smiling but not frowning. "Hello," she said calmly.

"Hello, Sayria," greeted Caesar, quite unfazed. "Tell us a bit about yourself. Let's start with your volunteering. Who was the little girl you volunteered for?"

A flicker of a smile passed across her face before she answered. "That would be Janey Stevens. She's twelve years old and absolutely adorable," she gushed.

The crowd smiled and a few even laughed. It was obvious that she really doted on this girl. I noticed another side to it, though. If this girl was in the Capitol, she could have been used as a weakness. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Caesar continued with a genuine smile on his face. "So then, tell us about your family."

This time, a frown crossed Sayria's face before she continued. "My parents are dead," she stated simply. "My brother Marlow takes care of me." Sayria waved slightly at the cameras. "Hi, Marlow."

I was genuinely surprised. This girl was showing more emotion than I had seen from the Reapings up until this moment. Was it an angle, or was there more to her underneath her shell?

"Any alliances?"

"Oh, Caesar," she laughed playfully. "You know I can't tell you that."

He shrugged. "Worth a try." The rest of the interview consisted of playful banter about the Games and her feelings about home.

The buzzer sounded, and Sayria descended from the platform. I noticed it was very carefully. She obviously didn't want to repeat Zara's episode. I frowned. Too bad. It'd be nice to play the hero sometimes.

"Stark Logger, District Seven!" was called out by Caesar's commercial voice. I took a deep breath, plastered the familiar half-smile, half-mask onto my face, and climbed the stairs.

I sat down in the plush chair like I owned it, nodding pleasantly at Caesar. "Hello, Caesar."

"Hello, Stark. So, how has your experience in the Capitol been so far?" he asked me.

"Oh, it's been wonderful," I emphasized. "The city is breathtaking." Some people in the crowd whistled loudly in approval.

"Tell us about your home life."

I let my eyebrows furrow for a moment as if I was recalling painful memories. To tell the truth, I had become very distant from the memories of my family's death. Each death, other than my sisters', was scrubbed out, the facts from the newspaper the only thing remaining. I knew no more than any other bystander would, and I was happy that way. Not having anything to care about was an advantage. My sisters' deaths, however, were ones that I vividly remembered, mostly because I studied how they fought, searching for traces of their real selves. I never found any, so I gave up.

However, I pretended to sniff before I continued. "Well, Caesar, all of my family has passed away. My father was in a logging accident and my mother committed suicide shortly after." I paused to let that sink in with the audience before I dealt the final blow. "My sisters…" Insert misty eyes here. "My sisters all died in the Games before me."

The crowd gasped. "I'm so sorry," Caesar said, seeming like he really meant it. I fought off the urge to shrug and say 'It's no big deal' and instead settled for nodding as if unable to say anything. "I do remember one girl with your last name…" Caesar continued. I could tell he was receiving information fed to him through his earpiece - he would never remember tributes.

"Her name was Lissa, wasn't it?" he 'realized'. I nodded, playing along. "She was seventeen years old." Up on the screen, my tribute profile was replaced with pictures of my sister, one taken before the Games, and one of her killing someone in the arena. I smiled. I was particularly proud of that one kill. She had used her bow and arrow to surprise a pursuer, pretending she didn't know he was behind her.

Unfortunately, she really didn't know that there was someone in the trees above her.

The pictures abruptly disappeared. I guess they didn't want the audience dwelling on how sad the Games were for too long. "Your other sister, Maeve, was fourteen, I believe," Caesar said. I nodded again. It was just like the Capitol to have the names and ages and pictures of every person they killed. When I made it out of the arena, I would mentally remind myself to do the same. A scrapbook of my victory, if you will.

"So, are you excited for these Games? Going to outdo your sisters? Make the family legacy?" Caesar pressed on.

I regained the composure on the outside that I had never lost on the inside. "Yes, Caesar. I have a vow, one that I made from the day that I was reaped. That vow said that no matter what, I would come home and win the Games!" I said that last part very confidently. The crowd cheered, appropriately punctuating my statement.

Caesar nodded. "That was a good statement to make!" he joked. "Now," he started. We launched into a confident conversation about my strategy and my strengths before the buzzer interrupted him. "Oh, it looks like our time with Stark is up! Thank you, Stark." I could tell I was dismissed, and so I quickly returned to my seat, content to sit back and analyze the rest of my competition.

Next up was Aubrie Mahora from District Eight. She was wearing the classic strapless little black dress with striking purple heels and what looked like a purple hairpin. I had to admit, she looked good, though I could tell the smile on her face was forced.

"Hello, Aubrie."

"Hello," she replied coolly.

"How do you like the Capitol?" Caesar asked.

"It's nice."

"Are you excited for the Games?"

"I guess," she answered.

"Your training score was very high! You must be pretty good with something. Can you share anything with us?"

"Sorry, I don't think I can."

"Can you tell us about your family?" he questioned.

"My mom and dad are gone."

"I'm so sorry."

"Mm-hmm."

"Do you have friends?"

"Echo."

"Can you tell us a little bit about Echo? She must be nice." I could tell Caesar was getting frustrated at this point with Aubrie's short answers. I on the other hand thought it was pretty funny.

"Echo is a he," Aubrie retorted in the same cool tone she had been using the whole time.

"Who is Echo, then?" Caesar pried, never losing his cool.

Aubrie sighed. "Echo is the mayor's son. He's been my best friend since we were little. I live with his family now because my family is gone."

Caesar looked pleased that he had finally gotten a real answer out of Aubrie. "So, do you have any nicknames?" Wow, he really was running out of questions to ask this girl.

"The Needle," Aubrie said with a smile.

Intriguing. "And why do they call you 'The Needle?'" Caesar asked, genuinely interested.

Aubrie's face took on a frustrated look and she started to shout. "Because I can shut up annoying interviewers who keep asking me-"

Caesar flicked his hand a little bit, and a second later, the buzzer went off. I frowned. That wasn't nearly enough time.

"A-a-and that's the e-end of our interview w-with M-miss Mahora," Caesar stammered. I laughed, causing me to receive a few looks. That must be the first time Caesar has ever received a death threat from a tribute. I did have to admit that Aubrie had a point; Caesar could be annoyingly fake at times.

The boy tribute from District Eight climbed the stage, rolling his eyes a little bit as he did. I figured that he and Aubrie were in an alliance and he was worried about sponsors. Figures.

"Hello, Jay," Caesar said after announcing the boy to be Jay Harrow.

"Hello," the boy replied amiably. I could tell he was going to be extra careful not to tread on toes. Then again, he seemed just as boring and bland in training.

"So, tell us about your family!" Caesar said.

"Well, my mom is the nicest person in the whole world. Then I have two older sisters, Eden and Kosi, and one older brother, Nill, and two younger sisters, Fawn and Yuni."

Caesar whistled. "Wow, that's a big family."

"Yes, but we all love each other." The crowd awed and I mentally barfed.

The interview passed rather boringly, with Jay playing the perfect brother, friend, and tribute. It was so sickeningly sweet and disgusting.

Next up was the District Nine girl, Diana Reston. I knew that she was also a Career, like me. "Hello, Diana," Caesar said as Dianna took her seat. I was surprised he hadn't gotten tired of the interviews by now. I was so ready for these to be over. Diana walked up, and I noticed that she was wearing a long purple dress that really flowed.

"Hello," she said, seemingly uninterested. Her eyes wandered.

"So, how old are you?"

"I'm eighteen," Diana responded.

"Tell us about who you left behind at home," Caesar said.

"Well, my mom and my sister Katelyne, who is fourteen. Also, my boyfriend Carter and my best friend Mylena. I love them all," she answered, not really sounding like she loved them as much as her words implied.

"So, tell us a bit about your strategy. Your training score was very high! There must be some secret there."

This comment evoked a small, pursed smile from her. "Secrets are secrets, Caesar."

His eyes twinkled. "Indeed they are. In that case, maybe you can tell us what you think of your fellow tributes? Any alliances?"

"Well, the alliance part is a secret, of course. But as to what I think of my fellow tributes…I'm better than most of them," she said confidently, earning a few glares from the other tributes.

I raised my eyebrows. That was a risky statement to make. She continued. "I did say most of them, of course, but hopefully in the arena, I can be better than all of them." She laughed, and Caesar did with her. That got the whole crowd laughing quietly. Diana continued on about how excited she was for the Games, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I wasn't really listening to.

Fletcher Ross was the male tribute from District Nine. He walked up to the platform with an easygoing smile on his face.

"Hi, Caesar!" he greeted, smoothing his blue suit. "How are you today?"

Caesar smiled. "I'm well, thank you. And yourself?"

"I'm pretty good. Happy to be here."

"Happy to have you here. Now tell us a little about yourself."

"Well, I'm seventeen. I have a mom and dad, and a nineteen year old brother named Myles."

"Do you two get along?"

Fletcher hesitated. "For the most part." He winked, and the crowd chuckled.

I noticed that he seemed like a genuinely nice person. Although he did disgust me a little bit, I couldn't help but like him. He would get a lot of sponsors for this interview.

As the District Ten girl, Anna Moore, walked up, I just sighed and leaned back. This was taking a long time.

Rainbow-Light Moonshine, District One POV

I couldn't help but smile at Fletcher's interview. He seemed really nice. Anna Moore walked up and sat in the interview chair.

"Hello, Caesar." she said in a quiet voice. The look on her face said that she was determined and very serious. She looked young, though. Like Fireflight…

"Hello, Anna. So, how old are you?"

"Thirteen. I'll be turning fourteen soon."

"Tell us a bit about yourself. What's your home life like?" Caesar asked, warming up to her a bit because of her age. Even the crowd couldn't dislike her serious mask. She looked too mature for her age. I felt bad for her.

"Well, I live in District Ten with my mom and my best friend is Aralyn." She began to open up to Caesar. "I work in the fields with the livestock. I have a cow named Bessie." Anna smiled, probably thinking about her cow.

"And are you excited to be here?"

"Of course! I'm excited to be here and to prove myself. I will win these Games, Caesar, you watch and see."

He nodded, his smile lighting up the room. The interview carried on before Caesar finished it right before the buzzer. Then Zander Lox, Anna's District partner, was up.

Zander greeted Caesar with an overly happy smile. I could tell he was an easygoing kind of person, yet also very young. He was thirteen, and lived with his mom, dad, and little brother Joey.

"Are you especially good at anything?"

"But of course, Caesar! I just can't tell you. Yet. But you'll find out during the Games, obviously. 'Cause, you know, you'll be watching, and I can't exactly hold back. You know, while I'm in the Games. 'Cause, if I do, you know, I'll probably-"

"Well," Caesar interrupted. "If you can't tell about your strengths, how do you feel about the Games?" I could tell he was trying to make Zander look better.

"I'm pretty excited. Then again, I can't exactly be, you know, not excited, because, you know, I'm going into them no matter what. So, you know, I guess I'm excited. You know-"

Mercifully, the buzzer went off.

District Eleven was up next, and the girl tribute was Ivy Fields. I was surprised at her light skin tone, something that wasn't at all common for that District. I suspected she might not have originally been from there.

"Hello, Caesar," she said. I liked the way this girl carried herself. She was strong and confident.

"Hello. Tell us a bit about yourself, Ivy."

"Okay, Well, my name is Ivy Hazel Fields, and I'm sixteen. I live in District Eleven with my mom, and I work in the fields."

"How are you feeling about these Games?" Caesar asked her.

"Oh, I'm very excited. I've got some great allies." Her smile grew larger, and I wondered who these so called allies were. She only ever hung out with those thirteen year olds and the pair from District Twelve. How could that be something to be excited about?

"Oh, and who could that be?"

"Someone. I can't tell you, of course."

"Of course. Confidential." Caesar nodded.

Ivy laughed, and it sounded like bells. Caesar laughed, too. The crowd was warming up to her, I could tell, and the rest of her interview was like gold. I could just hear the phones ringing to sponsor her.

Next up was Saul Giovanni. I chuckled to myself when I noticed that he had the same last name as a District Six girl. Caesar noticed, too.

"So, Saul, any relation to Zara Giovanni?" he asked, very interested.

Zara blushed from her seat, and Saul scrambled to reassure the crowd. "No! There is absolutely no relation between Zara and me."

Caesar hurriedly calmed him down, and the rest of the interview went rather well. He was seventeen, and was an only child with both parents.

I could tell that he was a strong, silent type, not one to mess with. No wonder most of the Careers had wanted to invite him. I approved of their choice now. Of course, I hadn't really talked with him before, because he scared me too much.

Finally, District Twelve was up. Most of the tributes visibly relaxed, ready to be done with these interviews. Of course, being done with the interviews meant that all that stood in the way of coming back was the actual Games. I shuddered. Maybe I did want these interviews to go on forever.

Katarina Thorne walked up to the interview platform. "Hello," she said in a quiet voice.

"Hello, Katarina. Please, tell us a bit about yourself and your home."

"Alright. Well, I'm seventeen, and I live in District Twelve with my mom and dad. I have some great friends, too - Jeremy, Melissa, and Elizabeth." Katarina looked very pleasant and happy with herself. She was the type of person who could die tomorrow and not have any regrets.

As soon as I thought that, I mentally cursed myself. She could die tomorrow, and I wasn't being very considerate.

While I was reprimanding myself, she had said something that had made the crowd laugh, and I could tell that she had a way with words. Throughout the interview, when she spoke, it was always something worth listening to. If you captured her words in a jar, they would be worth a lot of money.

Last but not least, Ben Embers walked up for his interview. He was a handsome little guy, thirteen years old, and lived with only his parents. He didn't mention any friends, though, and I felt bad for him.

He seemed to always be glancing out at the tributes when he spoke, particularly near me. I could tell it wasn't at me, or Adam, or Kale, or even beautiful Rose. It was at the District Three tributes. Why on earth…?

Then I remembered that he had an alliance with them and the District Eleven girl, as well as his District partner. That could be interesting.

I smiled at his charm, and how grown-up he looked in his blue suit. It complemented his dark eyes very nicely. There did seem to be an air about him, though, and I couldn't pinpoint what it was. His eyes were stormy, and seemed to hold a lot for someone so young.

"So, Ben, are you excited for these Games?"

Ben smiled. "Yes, Caesar, I'm very excited to prove myself, and I want my parents to be proud of me."

"I'm sure they will be. Now," Caesar started.

He was interrupted by the buzzer, and the tributes all let out one collective breath, as if we had been holding it until the interviews were over.

Caesar smiled his brilliant smile and stood up as Ben returned to his tribute chair. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the tribute interview portion of the 28th Hunger Games!" He paused for a huge round of applause. There were a lot of yells, and some tribute names could be caught on the lips of the fans.

They were saying Ivy's name, Ben's name, Rose's name, Rilan's name, and some people were even saying my name. I smiled and waved at the crowd. They screamed louder. This was interesting; I had never considered myself to be a Capitol favorite.

"All sponsors may now place their calls to each tribute's hotline. Calls will be accepted until midnight tonight. Tomorrow, the Games will begin!" I groaned inwardly. "And now, a word from President Snow to send us off."

President Snow climbed the stage in all his glory as the Panem national anthem played in the background. He waved to the citizens. "Ladies and gentlemen, today you have seen the power, charm, and wit of our twenty-four tributes. Tomorrow, they will be in the arena. We wish them all the best of luck, and hope to see them back here as our victor. Let's send them off with a big farewell, and remember that the Capitol has ultimate power."

The last remark was aimed towards the camera, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Goodnight, Panem!" Caesar said, and the camera lights went off as the crowd roared and music played. We were ushered out of our seats by a nice young looking woman, and I led the way into the tributes' building. Once there, we were sorted into our separate elevators.

I smiled at Rose and Kale as our doors opened, and I stepped in with Adam right behind me. "You guys ready for tomorrow?" I asked.

Rose smiled back at me. A pretty solid friendship had formed between us, though I wasn't sure how long it would last. "As ready as I'll ever be," she answered. The rest of the ride was silent, and I gave a small wave back at Rose and Kale as I stepped out of the elevator.

Adam went straight to his room, and I shrugged at my mentors. "Goodnight," I said pleasantly, and walked to my room. I quickly got into my pajamas and grabbed a piece of paper that was next to my bed. Every night since I have been here, I've written down my thoughts for the day.

I wrote a short note to Fireflight tonight, one that simply said that I loved her and I always would. I gave it to my mentors and asked them to give it to her if I didn't make it back. They just nodded.

The other thing that I did was to write down twenty things that I wished I would have done before I died. Travel to the Capitol on a friendly visit, tell my friends how much I appreciated them, sleep under the stars, and straighten my bright red curls. Get contacts, read fifty books, graduate high school, and pick wildflowers just because.

I began to cry, so I put the list back on my bedside table and turned out the light. That night, I cried, and I thought, and I fell asleep. I woke up and I cried some more and fell back asleep. The third and final time I woke up, I just relished the moment. Tonight I would sleep peacefully for most likely the last time. I sent my love to my family and hoped they felt it, then fell asleep and stayed asleep.

My sleep was dreamless that night for what would be the last time.


A/N: Well, that concludes the pre-Games! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter even though I've been away for an atrociously long amount of time. I will not quit on this story no matter how long it takes me to finish it. I'm actually really excited about these Games and have already picked the Final Two!

The arena has been chosen, and so have the bloodbaths, so I'm ready to go. Expect a quick update or two, because I've got nothing but time as I'm now on summer vacation.

Thank you to all of those who are still sticking with the story, I appreciate your reviews more than you know. Though the sponsor system has been canceled, reviews still put the odds ever in your favor that your tribute will survive to the end and be featured often, even after the Games if they don't make it.

Also, I promise that most of the chapters won't be this long; I just wanted to make sure that everyone's tributes were featured, especially if it's for the last time in this story. If you get the chance, in your review, tell me who your favorite tribute is!

Thanks especially to Lostliveson4eva, my awesome beta who (thankfully) doesn't seem to mind my erratic updating. You rock; I appreciate you more than you know, Lost!

I hope your day is bright and sunny wherever you are!

Peace, Love, Happiness, Laughter,

~DG~