At the end of a long train ride from the Capitol, Renata Asterfeld stepped off into District Twelve. This would be her first time visiting, the first time she ever needed to visit. Twelve's last tribute in the top eight was well before her time as interviewing correspondent for the Games.

Technically they weren't a part of the top eight yet this year either, but the way the tributes seemed to repeatedly be dying off in clumps had set Renata's producers on edge.

So, off she went, to interview the families of the top nine tributes this year. She was happy to do the job either way. Interviewing the families, seeing first hand where all of these wonderful tributes came from, getting to ask all the burning questions on her mind as well as on the minds of all Panems. Renata gave silent thanks to the Capitol for ten years well spent, and hoped she could continue for the rest of her life.

The Weitz Family, Anthracite, Distinct Twelve

Trudging through mud and dead plants across all of District Twelve left Renata with coldness in her heart. Entire areas remained charred and desolate, even now almost twenty years after the events of the 75th Hunger Games. Those few people she saw wore tired eyes full of suspicion and disdain for her, her crew, and her bright yellow hair. Renata tried to shake it off. After all, she loved her job.

The Weitz home felt above all that. Small yet sturdily built, Renata could see the light of a blazing fire flickering through the windows as she approached. There was sadness in their eyes Renata was familiar with, but it couldn't dampen the family's rambunctious, talkative spirit. They seemed just as warm as the fire in the hearth. Hope and fear blended together here.

By the time Renata was visiting the friends and family of a tribute, that tribute had the potential to win the games. But seven competitors still stood between victory and them. She tried to be delicate when she talked to families, aware that the person they were talking about might never come back.

"She always had a light to her." Kasha Weitz said, "Even when she was being fussy or dramatic. She could raise the spirits of any room just by walking in. Just had the kindest heart."

"Has, mom." Her older brother Ferro said, "She has a kind heart."

"Are there any friends you suggest I speak with before I leave this District?" Renata asked, hoping to gently redirect the conversation.

"Oh Anthracite has lots of friends, she's super popular." Brant, Anthracite's younger brother answered. From the moment her crew arrived, he acted quite fond of being on camera, and Renata could count on him to answer questions reliably well, "But her closest friend was Mattock. I was pretty sure they were going to marry each other, you know? He was always coming over here, doing stuff, looking at her. Did you know that he saved her life? Before the Games I mean."

"She did mention that during her interviews." Renata answered, "Would you mind elaborating on that?"

"Anthracite runs everywhere." Her father chimed in to explain, "Towards the beginning of the summer she ran across some unstable ground. A lot of that out here, cuz of… am I allowed to say the bombings? Well anyway that's what it was. Ground just caves in sometimes. She broke her leg, and it was really hot this summer. Brant was at school and the rest of us had work. So she was by herself most of the day. Mattock came by after school, and if he hadn't found her like he did… We owe that boy our daughter's life. Twice, I think. No one in this house is ever going to forget him."

Renata wrapped up the interview soon after that. On her way back to the train, a team of peacekeepers were assigned to escort her all the way from the Weitz home to the platform. They took a back road, and she was directed to board the train through a hidden entrance.

As the train pulled away, she peered out the window, and glimpsed a crowd gathering at the main entrance to the train station. On a sign with a picture of Anthracite on it, the mob had pasted mockingjay wings behind her image. One of the residents threw something, and a flame erupted on the loading platform, though it failed to reach anything important.

The train pulled away.

The Porter Family, Astra, District Six

The protestors were at Astra's house before Renata was. A thick ring of Peacekeepers surrounding her, wielding the heaviest batons she had ever seen, escorted her through the crowd as they screamed at her, jeering and shouting slogans.

"Remember Tanner! Remember Astra!"

"Stop the Games!"

"We deserve better!"

Renata watched as a young woman's nose split open violently with one blow from a Peacekeeper's stun baton, before she was dragged away, twitching helplessly from the electric current of the active baton. She looked the same age as Astra. But Renata looked away. She had a job to do.

"It's been like this ever since Astra rewired the speakers." Her father, Doran Porter, explained. Astra's mother and her sister were present, but neither seemed particularly keen to talk.

"Do you think she expected this kind of reaction?"

Doran shrugged, "She's a smart girl. And not impulsive. Always thinking things through, that one. She knew what she was doing."

"So you believe she wanted to incite violence?" Renata could barely believe her ears, and she definitely couldn't believe how calm the man was, whilst agitators yelled outside of his home.

He laughed. A bitter sound, but controlled, too. Doran seemed like a logical person, someone who never let his emotions take him over. But that calm unnerved Renata. It was like the calm of an open sea, placid on the surface but hiding a raging current underneath. "Incite violence? Who says we're the ones who started it? The Capitol takes our children. Forces them to kill each other. But no, my baby girl calling you out on it. That's a step too far. Are you a fan of the Hunger Games?"

"Of course I am." she said.

"Then you approve of violence."

"It's not the same."

"It's not. But you might want to ask yourself what makes it different."

Renata went silent, and so did Doran, for far longer than she was comfortable with. Only the angry chanting outside filled the air. After a minute or two, she realized none of the interview so far was going to make for viable promotional material, and so she tried to change the subject. "Do you... have any childhood stories that you would like to share?"

Doran smiled, and told her a story about a six year old Astra trying to build a train.

The Beckingridge Family, Violet, District Eleven

Renata had been to District Eleven a few times since she took over as head of field interviews, but it was not a district she knew very well. Still, she knew enough to recognize how grim things were here. As she and her entourage passed through the town square, she observed three bodies hanging limp in front of the center screen playing the Hunger Games for the public. Each had a placard detailing their crimes. 'Theft,' 'Sedition,' 'Conspiracy'. Last time she was here that square had a troupe of musicians playing. Now she asked her envoy of Peacekeepers to hurry them past.

The Beckingridge household looked as though it was one bad storm from completely collapsing. Renata could see various places patched and repaired with ugly timber or bits of ragged tarp, rather than replaced by new material. There was love in that house, if not money.

Inside was slightly better furnished, with comfortable chairs and a wide kitchen table that could easily seat four. At the moment, it only sat her and Violet's mother, a calm dark-skinned woman with resignation in her eyes. Renata could tell this was not her first time dealing with death.

"Her father?" Renata asked.

"Tuberculosis." Carmine Beckingridge said, nodding, "Shortly before Ethan was born. Hasn't been easy since then, but we've made it work. Violet...she helped make it work."

There was a scuffling sound and Renata looked up to see three children peering down from the top of the stairs. All of them looked about reaping age, but she would have guessed not by much.

"Go back upstairs." Carmine told them firmly.

"I really should speak with them," Renata countered quickly, hoping to stop them fleeing back to their bedrooms.

"Please. They're only children. Don't make them sit here and go through all the ways their sister could still make it out alive.."

It was unprofessional, Renata knew it was unprofessional, but she left the children alone.

The Granodum Family, Ashlar, District Three

'Finally,' Renata thought as she stepped onto the platform and away from the train, 'somewhere normal!' District Three's streets were clean, and banners hung from windows in support of Ashlar, Elixane, or both. A few people were milling around the town square to watch the Hunger Games. They seemed in jovial spirits, from what she could tell. Ashlar's father, Gig Granodum, was even attending a watch party at a downtown pub, a drink in one hand and a burger in the other.

"He's always been such a talented boy." Gig told Renata, his voice full with pride, "And when he told us that he wanted to go to the Career Academy, we couldn't be any prouder. He's doing right by us, and by District Three. I'm the luckiest man alive, to have him for my son."

At last a positive interview. Renata was relieved and grateful not only for Gig but for the entire district, for making her feel welcome. She asked if Ashlar had any friends, and was directed to his girlfriend Agata.

Agata Caryate, a beautiful, quiet girl with red-gold hair and dark eyes, was training to be a doctor. While they spoke, she nervously practiced stitching up wounds, using an old plastic dummy loaned to her by the university she attended. Renata thought she smelled cinnamon hanging in the air of her cozy dormitory bedroom.

"Ashlar's a great guy. And so good with people. I think that's an advantage lots of people forget about."

"How do you think that will help him?"

"Well, everyone saw how he talked to the Nine girl. Sent her running straight to a mutt. And he has the strongest alliance. All the people in the Games are people. That sounds silly. What I mean is... no one wins on their own. Not really."

"Do you think he can win?" Renata asked.

"I think he can. I hope he can."

The Marcus Family, Elixane, District Three

Strange contraptions lined the brick path leading the way to Elixane's childhood home. Broken computer parts dangled from mobiles, braided bits of wire twisted around scaffolding. Renata was sure she saw a half melted computer among the surreal string of displays. She was not exactly sure what any of it was, or why it was all here, but she found the pieces off-putting for reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Ah, do you like my art?" Elixane's father, Lysander Marcus asked when she brought them up, grinning from ear to ear, "It's what I've been doing since I retired."

"They're...interesting." Renata answered diplomatically.

"They're depressing." Elixane's motherTeres chimed in, "The reason we have them all out in the yard is because no one wants to buy them. At least they didn't used to. People want to now, but he won't sell."

"I am not going to get rich off of the death of my daughter!"

"Except she's not dead yet. In fact, most people favor her to win." Renata pointed out, "District Three is the only district with two surviving tributes, and she has the strongest alliance."

There was a pause. Then Teres replied, "Well... the Academy was better than I thought it would be. Trained her well, which I'm glad for. None of us really wanted her to train for the games, even just the practice can be...well, it's all too dangerous. But we couldn't really stop her though."

"Now though? Of course I hope that she brings it home for District Three. That would make everyone so proud. But I just...I hope she comes back to us."

The Waxy Family, Rust, District Nine

In District Nine things were completely silent. No one stood at the train station, no people roamed the streets. Even the birds seemed to have got the message, refusing to sing. Renata met a lone Peacekeeper so buried in armor she could not determine their gender, who led her to the house.

"We're in lockdown." The Peacekeeper explained, "But don't worry. We have everything under control."

Rust's mother, Hominy, was a fragile looking middle aged woman. She sat by the window and looked out, her rocking chair creaking back and forth, seeming to match her tone of voice. Renata felt like she knew more about Hominy than she had any right to. So, she made a mental note to not ask the woman any difficult questions, ones she might already have the answers to anyway.

"He's always been a strong boy," Hominy said, "He had to be, the way everyone here treats him. I don't think anyone ever saw who he truly was. They just saw where he came from. Even Flake."

She gestured towards the hall that led from living room to kitchen , where her husband Flake Waxy stood, arms crossed and leaning against the wall uneasily. Initially refusing to be interviewed, he had remained hovering nearby this whole time in silence, but now spoke up when prompted.

"I think I treated him unfairly. I never outright harmed him. But...I was cold. I regret it now, and I hope I get to tell him as much."

Hominy nodded, her head quivering like she hadn't the strength even for such a simple motion, and then she turned to stare directly at Renata, "If anything good has come from him being reaped, it is that now everyone can see what a wonderful boy my Rust is."

The Pierce Family, Carlotta, District Ten

There was a memorial in the town square of District Ten. Usually fairly bland, the fountain centerpiece of the town's community space was now absolutely buried in flowers, candles, and photographs. Renata knelt to examine a crude but lovingly made plaque, apparently hastily made from paper mache and bits of plastic. Painted in tender black letters across the plastic bit were four words.

'In Memoriam, Ruben Ashven'.

A member of her film crew happened to have a small birthday candle at the bottom of her purse. Renata thanked her, lit it, and placed the offering carefully at the base of the fountain. Someone in her crew coughed and someone else made a sound that might have been a soft sob. They left quickly.

Carlotta's aunt, Marge Pierce, ran a butcher shop. Despite it being early in the afternoon, during the Hunger Games no less, her shop was full of customers. They turned to look at Renata and her camera crew with accusing eyes, and left quickly once their order was finished.

"I suppose they don't know what to think of you," said Aunt Marge, a jovial and muscular woman in her forties, "Ruben captured the hearts of everyone in Ten. And Carlotta...well, she's not simple to love. But she has a shot at winning. Don't think Ten has ever had back to back winners. So everyone's just...very confused right now."

"What do you mean by, 'she's not simple to love?'" Renata asked, notebook at the ready.

"Well, I guess some more ignorant people would say she's difficult to love. That ain't true though. I loved her the minute I saw her, and despite everything that's happened I never stopped. Easy as breathing, loving her. But she's had a hard life, and the way she processes things ain't quite like everyone else. I made a lot of mistakes with her. Made her feel unwanted. And, well, I think all of Panem has seen what happens when that poor girl feels unwanted."

Renata thought about some of the ways the girl from Ten treated her allies and involuntarily shivered. "Do you even want her to come home?"

The normally kind woman's face turned sour. "Of course I want her to come home. What kind of terrible question is that?"

"I just mean, she's a little dangerous isn't she?"

"Oh so now you're upset someone is dangerous in the Hunger Games? She's a survivor. She's had to be, and I don't appreciate you coming into my house and judging her. Get out. Now."

The woman refused to answer any more questions and Renata was forced to leave.

The Topaz Family, Titania, District One

District One was a region of Panem quite familiar to Renata. She came here almost every year, and as with every year, the mayor welcomed her with open arms and a smile. This year, One was the only traditional career district to reach the top nine, strange as that was. None of the career tributes were at fault for the situation, either. They had been a particularly strong batch. Even Diamond, unconventional as he was, proved himself to be incredibly capable. Yet Titania was the only one who survived this long.

It just went to show that the Hunger Games was completely could train your entire life for them, and still be taken out by a reaped tribute with a clever plan and nothing to lose. But Renata supposed that Titania being the last of the traditional career pack made sense.

"I wanted to show you something." Renata told Sapphire Topaz at the beginning of their interview. She pulled a pendant out from where it hung around her neck, underneath the collar of her blouse. It was crafted in the shape of a heart, with gemstones expertly placed, appearing to change color depending on the angle and light. Green, then red, then a soft yellow, it shimmered beautifully, as intricate as it was sturdy.

"That's one of mine." Sapphire answered, her voice a breathy gasp, the sound of delight befitting someone whose work wasn't renowned across all of Panem. Yet Renata was sure her modesty was genuine.

They were seated at the heart of her workshop, which was a small room on the main floor of a modest two story house. It was a far more humble home than most would expect for a world class jeweler. But no one had spoken much of Sapphire Topaz for some time. Before Titania volunteered as District One's tribute, Renata actually thought she was dead.

"You are a true artist."

"Thank you." Sapphire said, a smile flickering around her lips, yet it quickly melted into a frown, "But I believe you're here to talk about my finest creation."

"Titania, yes. What do you think her chances are?"

Sapphire laughed. "Her chances? Come now, that girl has owned the Games since she first stepped on stage. It's hers to lose."

"Then why do you look so worried?" Renata asked.

"Because I was on top of the world once. I know from experience how you can do everything right and still fall."

The Lenovius Family, Serena May, District Seven

Lana Lenovius snarled and barked like an angry dog, and jabbed a finger in the direction of Renata's face. "Oh, so the Capitol took my baby, put her in that twisted murder show, and now I gotta do a fucking interview about it?" She scoffed and tossed a cigarette off the back porch, shaking her head.

Renata and the crew caught her late in the evening, after what the field reporter had been informed was a long day of labor. Yet somehow Serena May's mother remained absolutely stunning. Her soft, sandy blonde hair hung in perfect waves around her chin, and she maintained a lithe yet curvaceous figure unharmed by age. Toying with her own hair self consciously, Renata couldn't help wondering how the ill-tempered bakery owner managed it.

"This close to the end, Capitol sponsorships can be what separates the winner from the rest. I realize that this is a difficult situation, Mrs. Lenovius. But it is in Serena May's best interest that you cooperate with us, and give the best interview possible." Renata explained patiently, "She's quite a mysterious tribute. Everyone is excited to hear more about where she comes from."

"'A difficult situation.' No shit it's a difficult situation. Fine, I'll play nice. None of this Mrs. Lenovius though. It's Lana."

"Very well. Lana." Renata responded. Through the window, there was a view of the kitchen at the back of the house, where a portly black woman leaned over an oven. Smiling, the reporter gestured to her and asked, "Is that your girlfriend?"

Lana snorted harshly and shook her head. Instead of coming from her, the woman in the kitchen laughed nervously and offered the answer herself, as she stepped onto the porch with a plate of cookies just in time to overhear. "You're not the first person to ask, but no. We're just very good friends. I'm Nadya. I've been helping Lana take care of Serena May pretty much since she was born. She calls me her aunt." In contrast with her friend, Nadya's voice was light and kind, to match her round features and frame.

"Oh, I see," Renata said, "Well it's wonderful to meet you both. I'm sure there's so much you'd like to tell me about Serena May. What can you tell me about her father?"

After the interview came to an end, she was escorted once more to the District Nine train station through a spiderweb of back roads. Like before, she and her crew were surrounded on all sides by a bubble of Peacekeepers. This time, however, a crowd of people converged onto the platform just as they arrived there. They were yelling ferociously, pushing the station's Peacekeepers, holding signs with slogans on them.

"Justice for Tanner!"

"Stop the Hunger Games!"

"Bring Serena May Home"

A line of Peacekeeper reinforcements arrived with riot shields and beat the citizens of Seven back just as ferocious as the crowd had made their way there. Someone threw a rock that struck Renata in the temple, and she briefly doubled over in pain from the blow. There was a hissing as the train doors closed and the platform filled with tear gas. She couldn't remember the moment she and her crew had made it onto the train.

Sitting in one of the lavish train cars set aside for she and her crewmates, she held her knees against her chest and tried to breathe. Even though she knew she hadn't been exposed to the gas, Renata was overwhelmed by a cough, and couldn't stop her body from shaking. An avox dabbed at her head with a cloth and it came away with a few drops of blood.

Through the train window, she could see the skyline of District Seven, which ought to have been dark this far past sunset. But the sky was illuminated by a series of brilliant, bright pinpricks of yellow and orange. District Seven was on fire.

Shuddering again, Renata closed her eyes. She just had to remind herself that she loved her job. She loved her job. She loved her…

A loud boom, a flash of heat, and then the room around her became nothing but chaos. Those fires were more than a bonfire, they were explosions, one of which had just hit far too close.

The entire train bucked, her car was flipped off the track and began rolling down the hill where a track led up and out of District Seven. Fire surrounded her, in the car, outside among the treeline, and as she crashed painfully with flaming debris all around her at the bottom of the ravine, Renata was certain she could smell her own burning flesh.

Fire was the very last thing she saw.

AN: So those were the final nine interviews! I hope you liked them. Things are certainly escalating aren't they? Which makes sense, because we are four chapters from the finale and six chapters from the end. Can you believe it? Thank you to everyone who's still reading this.

In fact, I love you all so much that I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Desolation is going to have a sequel! Will it take as long to finish? Hopefully not. But! I have decided to open up submissions. The form is on my profile, and you guys are the first people I'm telling. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!