Leah Rockwell, 32 years old

Two days after the 32nd Hunger Games

Hermes is gone.

I sat in that restaurant for an embarrassing two hours before I realised he wasn't coming. He hadn't answered his phone once during all that time. And none of the other Victors can tell me where he is.

When I got back to our apartment, he wasn't there either. Neither were his wallet and phone. He's definitely out there somewhere, in the city streets. Selfish bastard.

I painstakingly planned a lot of fun things tonight, to celebrate the fact that Hermes is now officially the first, and only, mentor to successfully mentor two winning tributes in a row. Even though those tributes themselves are really nothing to be proud of - Torrent is too oafish and Leto can't take a damned thing seriously.

Why is it that all of Hermes's winners are the worst possible tributes to have? Medea, Torrent, Leto - they all suck. Not necessarily in the same ways, but they still suck regardless.

It's honestly embarrassing to be out in public with any of them, especially when Hermes doesn't even try and correct their behavior. It's amazing how my reputation isn't completely in tatters by now.

It's so noisy outside; everyone's celebrating our new Victor, and the fact that Hermes had made history. But of course, he isn't around to celebrate with me.

Fuck it. I'm going to search for him.

And when I find him, I'm going to beat his ass.

I leave the apartment. The streets are packed, confetti and banners are flying everywhere, people are passing round drinks and sweets, music is blasting. I would be having a good time, if not for the fact that I'd just been stood up.

I check every single bar and nightclub in a five-street radius. I'm right in the middle of party town, so this takes a while. Despite my best efforts to search, I keep getting distracted. There are a lot of cute guys around, all a million times more handsome than Hermes. But I don't have time to play around. I have a bastard to beat some sense into.

As I turn onto street number six, I catch sight of him through the windows of what is probably the trashiest nightclub in the whole country. Fucking really? I would have thought that Hermes had higher standards than this!

I storm through the doors, pushing past the bouncer. Hermes and a few other Victors are dancing away without a single goddamned care in the world.

"HERMES!" I bark. Everyone stops, falls silent and stares at me.

Hermes freezes instantly. I march over to him.

"How could you, Hermes? How could you?" I yell. "I was waiting for hours, Hermes. Hours. I wanted to have a nice dinner with you, and then I find you dancing away in some club without me? How could you do this to me?"

There's no sound other than the music. Hermes just stares at me, with a stupid blank expression on his stupid face.

"I'm really sorry, but I didn't know you'd organized something." His words are careful, but not careful enough.

"How could you not know?"

Hermes tenses up. "Because you never told me about it?"

I fold my arms and glare at him. "Oh, so it's my fault, is it? It's all my fault? Is that it? It's all on me?"

"Aw, cheer up, Leah," Leto suddenly appears behind me, holding a beer bottle. "You should totally come dance with us, it's fun!"

I elbow her roughly in the stomach, causing her to back off. Hermes gasps as I do so.

"Leah, don't hurt her!"

"So? You've already hurt me! You stood me up, you bastard!" Hermes gulps at my words. Leto stands there awkwardly, eyes flitting about nervously.

"What's the trouble here?" It's the bouncer, the one I pushed past in order to get in.

"Nothing," I say to him, managing a weak smile. Then I turn back to Hermes. "When we get home, you're in big trouble, mister!"

The crowd 'oohs' as I march outside. Hermes is hot on my heels. He tries to grasp at my hand but I snatch it away, then slap him across his.

"Leah please, I'm sorry!" Hermes cries, pushing past people on the sidewalk. "I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

"Forget it Hermes, there's nothing you-"

Then suddenly I'm yanked back by the straps of my dress, right as a large red sports car suddenly zooms past me, clipping the sidewalk hard enough for everyone to cover their ears at the sound it makes. It speeds off down the street and several people squeal in fright.

I stand and stare after it for a moment, the shock of it almost enough to stop my heart. My chest heaves up and down with huge breaths. People murmur worriedly about 'dangerous driving'.

I turn around to see that it was Hermes who saved me. He stares at me with an expression of nasty shock. It takes a moment for him to speak.

"Holy shit, that was close. Are you alright, Leah?"

I nod and slide closer to him, throwing my arms around him. "My hero," I breathe, and I hear several people clap and cheer. At least Hermes is good for something.

But then something horrible happens.

I realise that the straps of my dress had broken only when it suddenly falls down, exposing me to the entire street. I gasp at the same moment the others begin to laugh. Leto in particular is practically rolling on the ground.

I can feel my face growing redder and redder by the second. Everyone's laughter is like the devil's cackling to my ears. Their faces all bleed into one big, gleeful expression. Oh my god, this is fucking awful! How could this happen to me?

I slap Hermes across the face, for what I suspect would not be the last time this evening.

"Now look at what you've done!"