*Trigger Warning: Rudi is an ass and disrespects a woman. His comments are assy, and if you are not able to read things like that I can give you a quick plot recovery through PM.*

Cortana Ramslee, 18

Hazel's #3 Female Pick

Cortana Ramslee was not a woman that allowed people to walk over her.

When she was younger, it was evident that she as a contender for the games. Not just to her teachers and the other tributes, but herself. Cortana was a smart girl. Smart girls didn't make silly choices like the other tributes. While most of the other girls were distracted by their boyfriends or who they had a crush on, Cortana had one thing on her mind.

Winning.

And because she had her sights set on winning, she missed out on a lot of childhood fun. That didn't bother her, though. In Cortana's head, she had convinced herself she would have her whole life to sit there and have a good time. Right now was for training. Right now was doing everything she can to get herself out alive.

And Cortana was going to do anything to get her way.

As Cortana walked down the street of the Capitol, she took a deep breath as she looked around for what felt like the first time. She never saw a point in exploring the city she grew up in. It was, after all, a city of crazy people.

She never understood the way people were so okay with mutilating their skin how they were okay with piercing holes into it or dying it different colors. What was wrong with what they were given? The vanity of the Capitol was something that had always turned her off to it. What Cortana did love about the Capitol was the research opportunity that it provided. The technology, the innovation, the medical advancements. It was all so fascinating to her.

And when she won the Hunger Games, she was going to help in those advancements.

So this is what people do when they have nothing to do, thought Cortana. This is boring.

The games were a mere two days away. Suddenly everything that the tributes were training for was right in front of them. They gave them free time for this week and even went as far as to lock the academy doors. Cortana was unable to train, and oh, how she tried to train.

She had to draw the line at breaking and entering, however.

"Are you Cortana from Game of Life?" Asked a citizen as they walked by her. Cortana smiled at them. She hated being approached by people that recognized her from the reality show. It was always so awkward, and she never quite knew what they wanted to get out of this situation.

"Yes," said Cortana. "It's nice to meet you."

"Can we have your autograph?!" said the girl excitedly as she frantically searched her purse for a pen. She pulled out a black marker and threw it at Cortana, who was taken aback by her enthusiasm.

Cortana smiled as the girl held out her white purse and motioned for Cortana to sign it. She wrote her name in her messy cursive writing, and when she walked away, Cortana felt a hard shove into her back.

"Oops," said the voice of Kitana Striker. "My bad, Cortana. I didn't see you there."

Eyes turned to the two girls as Cortana stood up from the ground and turned to face Kitana. Her face was stone cold as she glared daggers at her. "Of course you didn't, Kitana," said Cortana. "I wouldn't expect you to be able to see anything past that nose you're sporting."

Kitana's jaw dropped as she almost instinctively went to put her hand over her nose, but stood her ground. "Don't try and sit there and act tough, Ramslee," said Cortana. "We have two days before we step into the arena. You better watch yourself, because just as easy as I just shove you to the ground, a knife might go into your back."

"You don't scare me, Kitana," said Cortana taking a step toward her. She got closer and closer until their noses were almost touching. "Last time I checked, you were number two."

"And last time I checked, my alliance is not only bigger than yours, but it's scarier, and we are going to wipe the floor with your ass. Stay out of my way."

Kitana rammed her shoulder into Cortana as she walked by, and Cortana bit the inside of her lip in frustration.

Cortana had a shiver go down her spine as she realized something that Kitana had said.

Her alliance was big.

Cortana grabbed her phone from her pocket and began to call Delaine. She refused to lose the Hunger Games because she was unprepared in a fight to the death. She had trained too hard, accomplished too much. Kitana was not going to get away with this.

"Hello?" asked Delaine on the phone.

"We have to meet. Now," said Cortana bitterly. "Kitana is flashing an alliance, and you and I are going to have to scrape together a team and maybe go rogue and take some of hers. I refuse to lose to her."

"Whatever you say, Cor," said Delaine. "Bob's?"

"Yes," Cortana said as she clicked the phone off.

Rudi Carlson, 18

Hazel's #3 Male Pick

Rudi woke up with a pounding headache.

The world was too bright, and as the sun peaked through the window, he wished he could turn it off like a light switch.

As his vision became more oriented, he looked around to what looked like a bright purple room. His clothes scattered all around the room left him, slamming his head back into the pillow underneath him. "Shit," he whispered. "Rule number one, never spend the night." Hadrian was going to get a kick out of this.

He began to gather the clothes from the ground when a feminine voice clears her throat. Valerian sat up in the bed and rolled her eyes as she grabbed her sleep, romper off the ground. "You're seriously just going to skip out again, Rudi?" she asked me, annoyed. "Nothing is new, I guess. I don't know why I thought this time would be different. Maybe because tomorrow we are going into the Hunger Games, and I wanted to think that the last four years have meant something."

It was the same song and dance since they were fourteen years old. Valerian was a good girl. She had values and ambitions, but she refused to see this for what it was, a hookup. And while Rudi thought she was hot, and she was easily one of the prettiest girls he'd ever seen, there was nothing more to this.

He'd get drunk, he'd show up, and the magic would take place.

"Look, I'm not the one that refuses to see things for what they are, Val," said Rudi as he slid on his pants. "We've done this since we were kids, dude. Take it for what it is. I'm a great lay; you're a great lay, together we were a fantastic lay-"

A brush flew across the room with the intensity of a tornado hitting Rudi square in the nose. "Get the fuck out of my room, Rudi!" she screamed as she picked up a curling iron and sent it flying toward Rudi.

Rudi was known to have a short temper. He didn't like things not going his way, and he didn't like being shown up by a girl. Especially a girl that he just spent the night with. That was not cool.

"Have you lost your damn mind?!" Rudi screamed as he kicked the dresser, putting a hole in the cheap wood. "Do not throw things at me, Valerian! You're the one that refused to accept reality! I just needed a release-"

Valerian sent a straightener this time, hitting Rudi square in the nose. As blood gushed down his face, he turned and slammed his fist into the window. As the glass shattered around the floor, he continued to punch the walls. Various holes were now lined on the walls of the bright purple room, and as he hit the wall right next to the door, it swung open as Princeton Banks entered the room.

"What the fuck are you doing, Rudi?!" screamed Princeton as he threw the tribute against the wall. Rudi rolled his eyes. He was sure that it didn't take long to put two and two together. After all, he wasn't wearing any clothes, and his daughter's hair was a mess. "What did you do to my kid?!" Princeton screamed.

"Nothing I didn't allow, dad," said Valerian calmly as she stepped in the middle of the two men. "We got into a fight because Rudi is a tasteless cow who doesn't know how to value someone or relationships," said Valerian. "Send him home, please."

Rudi shoved Princeton's hands off of him as he threw his shirt on and grabbed his shoes from the ground. "This is fucking stupid. You're both jokes!" said Rudi as he walked out of the room.

Valerian followed him down the hallway, yelling expletives. The rest of her siblings began to appear in the hall. "And if you think for a second-"

Rudi turned to face Valerian with an intensity that stopped her dead in her tracks. "Let me get one thing straight, Valerian," said Rudi. He intentionally didn't call her Val as she preferred because he wanted his next words to sting all the worse. "You were nothing to me, Valerian. You were a late-night booty call that I knew would always be more than willing to put out when asked. You were easy. Nothing more than a conquest."

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as she turned away and walked silently down the hallway as her siblings watched in horror. Sagar walked up to Rudi and pushed him towards the door. "Get out," he said sternly. "Before you get yourself into a position, you're going to regret."

"Hope you're ready for the games tomorrow," said Cerise as Rudi rolled his eyes and stormed to the front door of the house. "It would be a shame if something terrible happened during the bloodbath."

Well, there you have it! House Hazel is done! I started writing this chapter at 12:30 am and fell asleep in my recliner, then woke up at 2:00 am and finished it. I hope this isn't awful! Let me know what you think of Rudi and Cortana! I'll be posting Hazel's update chapter tomorrow!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Caleb