Signy Freyda, 15

District 10 Female

This was Signy's least favorite part of the pre-Games so far. Standing naked in a small room while her prep team circled around her, poking and prodding and judging. Dahlia had commented twice on her belly fat, making Signy's cheeks flame. She wasn't the skinniest girl around, she knew. But that wasn't a bad thing! Right?

Finally, her stylist Archibald came in, polishing his big round glasses. Signy shot him a pleading look, but he ignored her.

"Is she ready?" he asked. Vernon and Dahlia both nodded. Pearl frowned, reaching forward to tweeze one last invisible hair from Signy's leg. Then she nodded as well.

As her prep team filed out, Archibald handed Signy a soft, fluffy robe, which she immediately wrapped around herself, cheeks still flushed.

"Sit," Archibald said. "Let's talk. Darcia will be here in a moment." Signy did, and Archibald smiled at her.

"Your dress is one of my favorites," he said. "I think it really captures your artistic side, and the colors will bring out your eyes."

"I'm excited to see it," Signy said politely. And while her voice was neutral, she was excited to see his creation. She just didn't want to get her hopes up; after all, her parade costume hadn't been a brilliant piece of work.

Darcia slipped into the room, shooting a soft smile Signy's way. She joined her on the dove-gray sofa and gave her hand a squeeze.

"I took inspiration from watercolor paintings," Archibald continued, gesturing to the closet door. Signy folded her hands in her lap nervously.

He got up and threw the doors open dramatically, revealing a beautiful, creamy-white knee-length dress with beautiful wildflowers seemingly painted onto it. A soft pink ribbon wrapped around the waistline, and pink lace lined the hem and the neckline.

A happy little gasp came out of Signy's mouth before she could stop it.

"I love it," she whispered. Archibald smiled.

"And…" he added dramatically, "I have ballet flats for you. No heels!"

"Thank you," Signy said with a giggle. She'd struggled with her heels during the parade. Connor's stylist had even mocked her a little.

Both Darcia and Archibald helped her dress, and Archibald braided her hair into one long strip, then wrapped it up into a bun, which he tied in place with a pink lace ribbon… and lots of bobby pins. Then he dusted some light makeup onto her face and pulled back, holding up his hands like he was framing a canvas.

"Perfection," he decided, holding up a mirror.

Signy's jaw dropped. She looked beautiful. A few wispy strands of hair hung around her face, complimenting the soft look the makeup created. Her lips were a pale pink that made her spring-green eyes pop. She looked like a flower fairy.

"Thank you," Signy whispered. "You made me look lovely."

"You always look lovely," Darcia said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"But now you are stunning," Archibald said proudly. Signy smiled.

Signy sat by Connor's side, tapping her fingers against the soft folds of her dress. Connor had complimented her when she came into the elevator, and she'd returned the sentiment. He wore a deep, dusty purple suit that made his freckled skin and angular cheekbones even more dramatic.

Now, the two of them were sitting in the wings of the stage while Emerald, the girl from 1, did her interview with Caesar. Caesar was dressed in an emerald suit, so the two of them were joking about how Caesar was her new twin. Apparently, Emerald had a twin back home who was her inspiration. It was kind of a sweet story.

Kai from 2 also had a nice story. His mother was from 4 and he wanted to become a victor to take her back to her home, and to see the ocean for the first time. Brittany however, was angry and bloodthirsty, and was calling for the death of the "outer district weaklings".

Levi and Carla from 3 weren't very memorable, and neither was the girl from 4, Naya. But Edmar was cheerful and personable, and instantly became a crowd favorite. The pairs from 5 and 6 were quiet, but the girl from 6 seemed intelligent, and the audience cheered loudly for her. Signy filed this all away in her head.

During Jeremy's interview, the boy from 11 started breathing harder. She missed Ace's interview because he was panting so loudly. As Twill from 8 began to stutter, Signy turned to him.

"Just take deep breaths," she whispered. "It'll be okay. Just pretend the audience isn't there." He gave her a fearful look, but nodded.

Ariadne, the girl from 8, was almost as scary as Brittany, despite being 13. She stared Caesar down with a menacing glare and answered his questions with as many gory details as possible. Signy was glad when her interview was over.

The tall boy from 9, Saturn, was next. He was nice, but fairly forgettable. And then it was Braulia's turn. She was wearing a sunny yellow dress and a golden circlet, and looked positively radiant.

"My dad and I, we don't really have a house," she said when Caesar asked her about home. "We stay with friends, or we camp. But my dad, he knows a lot about plants. And he taught me. So though we're cold, we're never hungry!"

The crowd laughed, and Braulia smiled broadly.

"That's why I want to win," she said. "I don't want to die, of course, but I want to give my dad a real home." She was sent off with cheers and applause.

Then it was Connor's turn. He gave Signy a smile as he stood up.

"Good luck," she whispered, giving him a thumbs up. He returned it before joining Caesar onstage.

Caesar first asked Connor about his training score; a 7.

"I'm fast," Connor bragged. "I once chased down a run-away bull and wrangled him before the horses could get there."

"Impressive!" Caesar said. "Now, do you plan on facing the arena alone, or do you have allies?"

"I have allies," Connor said. "You just spoke with Braulia; she's been an incredible contributor to our group. I'm also allied with Signy. She's… a good friend, and a good person."

"Very sweet," Caesar said. "Well, I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you sir," Connor replied. They shook hands, and then it was Signy's turn.

Taking a deep breath, she walked onstage, waving to the cheering crowd. They seemed to remember her from the parade, even though her score of 5 hadn't been very impressive.

"Hi Caesar," she said as she sat down.

"Hello Signy. How have you been enjoying the Capitol so far?"

"It's beautiful here," Signy said. "I've never seen buildings so tall. I can't wait to get home to my easel and paint them."

"Oh, so you're an artist?" Caesar asked. "That's wonderful."

"Yes, I am. I love to paint landscapes, but portraits are fun too."

"Who is your favorite portrait subject?" he asked.

"My mom," she answered without hesitating. "She's beautiful. She's been through a lot, but she's so strong. She's my hero."

"She sounds like an amazing woman," Caesar said. Signy nodded.

"She is."

"Well Signy, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you," he said, standing.

"The pleasure is all mine," Signy replied. She leaned in and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you!"

She joined Connor and the other tributes on the other side of the stage. Connor stood up and gave her a hug.

"Good job," he whispered.

"Thanks," she murmured back.

She sat down and turned back to the stage to see how the boy from 11 did. She wasn't totally sure what his name was, but she'd seen during training that he seemed rather accident-prone. He was the only tribute to injure himself on the weapons.

He stumbled through his interview, talking mostly about his blind older brother. Unfortunately, she didn't think he'd make it very far. His district partner was witty and funny though, and ended her interview with a crowd-pleasing line.

"Don't count me out. I have a lot up my sleeve."

The pair from 12 seemed to know each other, and spent their time spitting thinly veiled insults at each other, and at the Capitol. And finally, it was over. Signy tried to find Braulia in the crowd of tributes, mentors, and stylists, but she wasn't able to spot her golden head. Instead, she was crowded into the elevator with Belle, Connor, and the pair from 4.

It was immediately awkward. Edmar and Naya were both eyeing her up as if she were a piece of meat, and poor Connor was squished between Belle and the wall. She was grateful when they got off at their floor.

Once they were alone, Belle tried for a smile.

"I'm proud of both of you," she said flatly. "I want you to know that.

Connor just nodded, but Signy took her hand.

"Thank you Belle," she said, giving it a squeeze.

Signy couldn't even imagine the pain Belle must go through, seeing children she cared about dying every year. District 10 hadn't had a victor since Darcia, almost twenty years ago. Was she about to be another one of those children?

When they reached their floor, dinner was on the table, but Signy didn't feel hungry. Instead, she excused herself to her room and turned on the bath, filling it with almost too hot water, stripping, and sinking in. The heat soothed her jangled nerves, and she was able to order nettle tea for when she was done. Sitting at the edge of her bed, drinking tea in her pajamas, she could close her eyes and pretend she was at home. But then she heard Arturo and Connor talking in the hall, and the illusion faded away.

Tomorrow, she would be in the Hunger Games. And she would either go home a victor, or in a wooden box. There was no way around it.

Hey everyone! Here is Signy's next chapter, and the final chapter before the bloodbath! Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts so far! I also realized I never gave an official tribute list, so here's one now.

TRIBUTES

District 1 Male: Luster Hudson, 18

District 1 Female: Emerald Wells, 17

District 2 Male: Kai Ellis, 18

District 2 Female: Brittany Reid, 18

District 3 Male: Levi Todd, 15

District 3 Female: Carla Milano, 15

District 4 Male: Edmar Dancer, 18

District 4 Female: Naya Hancock, 17

District 5 Male: Eli York, 12

District 5 Female: Eve Mueller, 17

District 6 Male: Apollo Greene, 17

District 6 Female: Cassandra Yale, 14

District 7 Male: Jeremy Aiken, 12

District 7 Female: Acacia Winters, 16

District 8 Male: Trill Hooper, 14

District 8 Female: Ariadne Levine, 13

District 9 Male: Saturn Parr, 17

District 9 Female: Braulia Crowe, 15

District 10 Male: Connor Baron, 15

District 10 Female: Signy Freyda, 15

District 11 Male: Basil Farley, 17

District 11 Female: Nellie Redmond, 15

District 12 Male: Milton Kang, 18

District 12 Female: Ivy Knott, 18

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona