Gidget Ford- District Three mentor

We had similar motivations, but Lulu went down a different path than I did. I didn't fault her for it- love is more aggressive and forceful than many people think. Had I been in the same situation, I didn't think I would have acted differently. People thought I was a sweet, happy-go-lucky mom. That was because I'd never had need to be otherwise.


District Three

Only one good thing came out of Barnaby's death. Everyone was broken up about losing him, but he didn't live to have his own heart broken when the object of his culinary affections got a girlfriend in seventh grade. As Lulu thought, Leslie turned out to be uniquely suited to losing a sister. After she adjusted to the initial departure, Leslie kept her feelings to herself, as she always did. But she never failed to react to pictures of Lulu, even though she rarely recognized her own next-door neighbors.


LULU CHILCOTT- Laurel Pine

At the sound of the cannon, Randy and I looked at each other. We both smiled, and his was as scared as mine was sad.


Randy Mills- District Nine male

"Let's just let them take care of it."

I knew what Laurel meant. The Games had to end. The Gamemakers would send something to kill one of us. Maybe both of us, if they were really mad we weren't fighting.

Laurel opened her arms and came at me in a hug, her head barely at my shoulders. I hugged her back and somewhere in that hug, I realized what she was saying. She was so sure I wouldn't hurt her that she willingly put herself in arm's reach. It had never been a consideration that either of us would hurt the other. It was also something braver than I would have done. I wasn't big on politics, but it seemed like the Capitol might not want to hear someone telling them we weren't going to fight.

Laurel felt so tiny in my arms. I could have crushed her like a soda can, and knowing I could was exactly why I didn't. Being bigger than someone was a responsibility. It meant you should help them when they needed it, and always protect them, because they were littler. I couldn't protect Laurel from the Capitol, just like I couldn't protect myself.

"How long do you think they'll give us?" I asked once we'd broken apart.

Laurel shrugged. "Anything you always wanted to do before you died?"

"I always wanted to see a real zebra," I said. "Guess that one sailed."

"I always wanted to eat an entire pie all at once," Laurel said. "It's probably for the best that I never got to do that."


Laurel Pine- District Seven female

This was it. Any minute now, the Capitol would unleash some horrible mutt or set the Arena on fire. It was serenely quiet for the minute, and we were both aware how portentous that was, though Randy probably wouldn't have used that word.

"Not a bad place to die in," I said as we lay on our backs by the river, unicorns grazing around us. I got up and petted the one I'd been riding.

"We never gave them names," I said.

"How about Bob?" Randy asked.

It was so stupid I snort-laughed. "Bob the unicorn," I said. "I think they're not supposed to have names."

"They probably have names but we don't speak unicorn," Randy said.

"I read a book about a unicorn once. Her name was Amalthea," I said.

"I had the coolest picture book about a unicorn when I was little,"Randy said. "Her name was Star and she saved all the other unicorns from the dragons, but the dragons had actually been cursed and really they were all friends," Randy said.

"That sounds a bit cooler," I admitted.

"And her mom turned into a house with no doors to try to keep her safe," Randy said.

I bet our moms wish they could have done that for us.


Randy Mills- District Nine male

Laurel and I sat on the hillside, watching the sun rise as we twisted purple flowers into crowns. We'd had one full day of no monsters and another one was about to end. It was like the world's most messed-up vacation.

"You're the Victor," I said, putting my crown on Laurel.

"No you're the Victor," she said, putting hers on mine.

"No you," I said.

"No you."

"No you."

"You know what would be really messed up?" Laurel asked as we lay on our backs, looking at the stars.

"What?" I asked.

"If they played the Anthem and Titian's face showed up like a feast, but instead he told us both to pick a number between one and ten and whoever was farther got struck by lightning," Laurel said.

"Or if he went 'eeny-meeny-miney-mo' while pointing at us," I said.

"Then again, this is Titian. He'd made it way scarier, like setting up some complicated trap intended to test us."

"I would totally mess it up until he got frustrated and killed me," I said. "Hey, does it feel hot tonight or is it just me?"

"No, it's definitely hot," Laurel said.

"You think they're gonna heat it up until we get cooked?" I asked.

"No," Laurel said. "I'm pretty sure we're both sick. I've thought it for a while. I'm sore, too, like I actually worked out. I just didn't mention it, because we knew it was coming."

"Like the flu or something, but worse?" I asked, hoping I wasn't going to spend the rest day puking myself to death. I wished they'd send a disease that tickled you to death or something.

"Guess this is our last chance to chose," Laurel said. "But I don't think that's even worth mentioning."

"If we were going to choose, it should be you," I said. "You deserve it more."

"You think you're so dumb, but that's the only dumb thing you ever say," Laurel said.

"Don't you want to win?" I asked. I wished Laurel would be more passionate about all this. We were about to die. The world could go on without me, but she had so much to give.

"Don't you?" she asked.

"Honestly… I'm not even that sad. I'm scared about being in pain, but death is hard for me to think about. I don't think it will seem real until I'm already dead."

"For me, it's just logic. Staying alive isn't worth killing someone to me, at least not unless they attack me first. And suppose I win and the next day I choke on a chicken leg? And maybe they will pick me. I'm just gonna ride it out. I'm sure I'll be scared at the end, but that's life."


BONUS CHAPTER before the finale because I wanted this one to be dragged out like when Bambi spent three days looking for Tariq, who was... literally occupied. No need to vote again unless you're changing your vote.