(trigger warning for homophobia in Ray's POV)

Josko Makinë, 16

District 6 Male

District 6 wasn't the warmest place in Panem, but today was sweltering. 'The reaping tomorrow will be a nightmare', he thought, running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair. How Nix was running around in a sweatshirt was beyond him.

He was out on the outskirts of the district with his best friends, Leo and Nix. They frequented the old factories there, searching for whatever interesting things they could come across.

Leo was tugging at the chains binding the doors of an old motorcycle factory. Josko had been putting off exploring this building for a long time, but Nix finally convinced him to do it today.

"These aren't budging," Leo reported.

"Is there a window?" Josko asked, beginning to circle the building.

"Over here!" Nix called. Both boys ran to join her.

She'd found a small side door with a dusty window. When they tried it, it was locked, but when Nix hit it, it rattled in its hinges.

"Maybe we could kick it in?" Leo suggested.

Josko and Nix laid down side-by-side and began to kick at the door, feet pounding in unison. Finally, the old thing collapsed, sending up a puff of dust. Leo coughed, stepping over them to look inside.

Josko got up and offered a hand to Nix, cheeks flushing a bit when she took it. She held it for a few moments longer than necessary, meeting his eyes briefly before looking away again. By that time, Leo was already inside.

Josko followed Nix into the old factory. Light filtered through the old, corroded roof, dappling the dusty concrete floor. Their footsteps were muffled as the three of them fanned out.

Old, rusty machines were scattered about, some of them bent and broken. Leo climbed up onto an ancient conveyor belt to look around. Josko went up to a large something covered by a tarp. Pulling it aside, he found the skeleton of a motorcycle, and beneath it, a trap door.

"Come see this!" he called, dragging the motorcycle shell away. It was hard to move, but with Leo's help, they were able to completely uncover the trapdoor. Josko tried it. It was unlocked, and opened to reveal a metal ladder.

Leo pulled a flashlight from his backpack and climbed down first. Josko grinned crookedly at Nix and gestured to the hole.

"Ladies first!"

"So polite," Nix teased before following Leo. Josko brought up the rear.

They found themselves in a small room with bunk beds lining the walls. A round table was in the center of the room and several metal boxes were tucked under the bunks.

"What do you think this place was?" Leo asked, shining the light at the ceiling. A single bare lightbulb hung down, but then Nix flipped the switch on the wall, nothing happened. Josko ran a hand over the round table.

"Maybe it was a rebel base," he mused. Nix's eyes lit up in the dim light filtering in from the trapdoor.

"That would be amazing!" She hurried over to one of the bunks and pulled out the chest beneath it. Josko and Leo gathered around her.

Inside was a few piles of folded clothes, rotted books, and a picture frame. The photo inside was of a woman in a bandana holding a small toddler. She was pregnant, and smiling widely at the photographer. The toddler was sucking on its thumb, and Josko's chest tightened. Was this woman a rebel? Did she die during the Dark Days? What was her name?

Leo took the photo to examine it, and Nix dug deeper. She uncovered a small plate with a baby's handprint in the middle. It was blue. She smiled sadly at it, and Josko put a hand on her shoulder. Nix looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

"I wonder who they were?" she whispered.

"Me too," Josko replied. "Me too."

Alrik Garrison, 17

District 9 Male

Alrik carefully ran his knife through the slab of meat, slicing off a perfect amount and wrapping it in paper. He tied it neatly and handed it to Mrs. Hawkinson, who thanked him politely without making eye contact. It didn't surprise him. Alrik wasn't the most inviting person; not that he minded. He was perfectly alright on his own.

He placed the money in a tin and went to wash his hands. As he ran his pale knuckles under the water, he examined the old burn scars on his hands. Some were from the house fire he lost his mother in. Others were from his own experiments.

The bell above the door rang as another customer entered the butcher shop and Alrik shut off the tap. Turning, he saw Head Peacekeeper Lowe's wife, holding a shopping basket filled with carrots.

"I need a side of beef," she said curtly. Alrik frowned, but nodded, getting her the meat she needed. The Lowe family was always rude to him. When his sister went missing and then turned up dead, Alrik blamed the Head Peacekeeper. He'd done the bare minimum to find her, and called her death an "inevitable misfortune". Alrik would never forgive him for it, and his family knew.

A few more customers came in and out, and Alrik served each one meticulously. He may not have much to his name, but he did his job well. And the butcher knew it too. She even allowed Alrik to sleep in her attic in exchange for part of his pay. He was grateful to her, since he knew no one else would allow him to rent from them.

He wasn't known throughout the district, per say, but he had a reputation. He was the pale kid, the weird kid, the fire kid. The one who never talked. But he truly didn't mind. Why should he care what others thought of him? He was okay the way he was.

Though sometimes, at night, he would get a bit lonely. He missed his family. He'd been very close with his parents and his little sister, before he lost them. They didn't mind his quietness, his oddness. It was just who he was, and they loved him for it. Their deaths changed him, and not for the better.

Sometimes he would write poems about them. About joy and sadness and death and light. About where people went when they died, and who greeted them there. About the dead who watched over the living, protecting their loved ones as best they could.

And sometimes he would burn things. Clothes, books, scraps, his poems. Fire was how he connected to his mom, who died saving him and Siglinn. It was how he felt close to her, as his sister was cremated after death. He never knew what happened to his father, who vanished when Alrik was 11, but he had a distinct memory of his father lighting a fire on a cold winter night. Now that they were all gone, fire was his family.

Ray Phillips, 14

District 10 Male

Ray was annoyed. He was certain he'd heard someone in the woods earlier, but his father hadn't believed him. It was important to investigate though. It could be a threat to the family business!

Still, he knew better than to talk back to his dad. He was strict, but fair. But his word was law. Everybody in the family knew that. So when his dad said Jake had to leave for being gay, Jake had to leave.

Not that Ray minded. He didn't want to live with a gay freak. He heard the other day that Jake was married, and the thought made him shutter. In the back of his mind, he always sort of believed Jake would come back, apologize, and rejoin the family business. But if he was married, he was truly gone.

They were almost out of the woods when Ray heard a soft growl. He grabbed his dad's arm and pointed in the direction it came from. Both men began to creep forward quietly, and Ray drew his hunting knife.

As they circled a large clump of underbrush, Ray caught sight of two coyotes growling over the corpse of a rabbit. He glanced at his dad for instructions, but he just gestured to Ray. That was his sign for Ray to make the kill.

Carefully, Ray took aim. As the larger coyote snagged the rabbit corpse, he threw his first knife, sinking it into the smaller coyote's shoulder. It yelped as the larger one ran off. Ray threw a second knife into its side, taking it down, before rushing forward to slit its throat.

"Nicely done," his dad said as Ray wiped his knives on his black pants. The two men got to work skinning and preparing the body. Sometimes they'd capture coyote pups to sell, but this one was too old to make a good pet. So meat it was.

Coyote meat could be tough and stringy, but in a district like 10, people would take whatever they could get. They wrapped it and packed it into their bags before heading home.

"After dinner, take this to Marley's," his dad said. "She's offering quite a bit for fresh meat."

"Yes dad," Ray said, shifting his bag on his shoulder.

At home, his dad put the meat away while Ray headed inside. His mom was setting the table, staring sadly at the fourth chair; the empty one. He could tell his mom still missed Jake though he had no clue why. That disgusting scum didn't deserve her love.

"Hi mom," Ray said, sitting down at the table.

"Go wash your hands," was all his mom said. Ray frowned, but got up and did what she asked. When he came back, lamb stew was on the table.

Ray ate fast and didn't bother excusing himself or clearing his plate before grabbing the coyote meat his dad had packaged. Then he slipped out the door before his mother could lecture him.

The sun had just set and the sky was streaked with orange and purple. Marley's butcher shop was near the town square, which wasn't too far of a walk. He knocked on her back door and was greeted by Lena, Marley's 15-year-old daughter.

"Hey Lena," Ray said smoothly. "You look lovely tonight."

"Thanks," Lena said, raising an eyebrow. "Mom, Ray's here!" Then she retreated back inside.

Marley the butcher came to the door, and Ray held up the packaged meats.

"Fresh from tonight," he told her. "Probably the best you'll get for a while."

"If you're trying to get a higher price, forget it," Marley said, taking the package and handing over the money. "Now, scram."

"Yes ma'am," Ray said with a smirk. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Saoirse Brennan, 18

District 12 Female

Saoirse sighed, wiping some sweat from her face before picking up the poles she was carrying. The reaping was tomorrow, and she was helping the Peacekeepers set up the stage. She'd been working as an assistant to the Peacekeepers for almost a year now, ever since her dad had to stop working. It was a good way to fill the day, and it paid quite a decent amount. Usually she was helping repair the fence, which was always breaking, but today there were more important things to do.

Head Peacekeeper Simmons was shouting orders from atop the half-built stage, and everyone else was running around doing his bidding. Saoirse was setting up the poles that marked off the different age and gender sections. Another assistant was following behind her, tying the ropes.

She stopped to watch the large screen be hoisted into the air with pulleys. Simmons pressed a button and the screen blazed to life, showing off the symbol of Panem. Saoirse watched for a few more moments, impressed, before getting back to work at the prompting of her partner.

When they were done, one of the Peacekeepers approached them.

"This will do," he said, inspecting their work. "Everything else has to be done by a government official, so you're off for today." He said it smugly, as if his right to do work was more enticing than spending the day off. People worked half days before the reaping, and reaping day was a day off for everyone.

But both Saoirse and the other assistant just thanked him before taking off. Saoirse debated heading home, but decided to go to the Hob, where she knew Dirk would be.

Despite being two years younger than her, Dirk was her best friend. He was cheerful and determined, which complimented her gloomier, more passive personality. As she entered the warehouse, she spotted him near Bob's stand. Bob sold hamburgers, and though they weren't the highest quality, they were good compared to most of the stuff they had in 12.

Saoirse sat down next to Dirk and nudged his shoulder with her.

"Hey," she said before giving Bob a wave. He nodded back to her.

"Hi Saoirse," Dirk said. "How's your dad?"

Saoirse frowned. She'd come here to avoid that subject, but she supposed it was inevitable. After all, he was dying of black lung. They'd put in a request to see a Capitol doctor, and were near the top of the list, but no one had contacted them. There was a high chance he'd die before any doctor could see him.

"No improvement," she said flatly. Dirk just nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks, but no need to apologize," she replied. "It's not your fault."

"I know, but it's the right thing to say," he countered. Then they fell into a comfortable silence.

After a moment, Bob came over with two small hamburgers, which he placed in front of them.

"On the house," he said gruffly. Saoirse looked up in surprise.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Hey everyone. I've had way too much free time on my hands recently, so I've been writing a lot. And so, here's the second-to-last Open Arms intro chapter! I hope you like these four. Thank you to averyrandomauthor for Josko, Conquistador629 for Alrik, wiifan2002 for Ray, and Ace-0f-Sw0rds for Saoirse. I had so much fun with all of these guys! Also, expect more chapters coming soon, for all my stories. Apparently I am on a writing kick.

Questions:

1) Favorite POV this chapter? Why?

2) Can you picture any tributes getting along?

3) Which tribute would you most want to be friends with?

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