Magnolia Salix, 18, D7 Female

Frantic screams fill my ears and the choking smell of thick black smoke floods my nostrils in a very surreal combination, but it wasn't anything I wasn't used to. Along with being nearly licked by flames at all angles, I was in my element.

My colleagues were in charge of drowning the flames with torrents of pressurized water, while I got the more risky task of retrieving those who may still be stuck in the burning building. Considering almost all our structures are made of the wood taken from the trees that blanket the entire district, fires are an upsettingly common occurrence. A dull moment in my job is very rare.

What is also rare is me not rescuing every last person. That's why I'm determined to find the source of the screams that are still coming from deep inside the burning two-story cabin. Barely avoiding some smoldering beams that fall from the ceiling I spot a little boy huddled in the corner of the room, a thick blanket wrapped around him.

At least he's protected himself from the flames. A burned person is more difficult to guide out of danger because of the disorienting pain that prevents them from being able to follow instructions, even something as simple as "grab my arm".

I scoop up the boy, who can't be any older than five years old, and trudge to the door, panting from the unbearable heat and having to carry a child that only seems to be getting heavier. I haul myself and the child over collapsed beams and smoldering furniture. Meanwhile, the bones in my arm start to feel like they're dissolving. Letting out an exhausted and anguished sigh, I drop to my knees, setting the child on the floor.

"Stay low. Plug your nose so you don't breathe in smoke," I choke out, my voice sounding much more hoarse than usual. The boy looks at me with wide eyes, his lip quivering.

"Just go already!" I bark at him. He nods frantically and crawls out on his hands and knees. My cheek is already to the ground when I stare into the distance to see that the boy has escaped and is being picked up by some unknown person, probably his father.

I don't think I've ever gotten this tired rescuing someone. Maybe I didn't eat enough for breakfast this morning. Either way, I barely have enough strength to even keep my eyes open. I close my eyes for a moment but my vision still looks bright from the fires that surround me.

I should be more frantic considering I am about to be roasted alive but I mostly feel relieved that the boy is safe. Firefighters aren't really hard to come by. My life is replaceable but a little boy's isn't. I notice some of the fires have faces on them now. Most of them seem to be laughing at me. In the distance, I can hear Coco shouting at me.

"Li! Get up! The building is about to-"

I kind of wish I had asked Coco out before this happened. I'll come out of this either dead or scarred beyond recognition. Not exactly dating material.

It's a little weird that there isn't an ounce of fear in my body as some of the roof collapses in, letting the azure sky become visible. Surely I should be more scared than this.

…

I might call myself the bravest firefighter I know, but even I would be terrified if I was about to die in a burning building. Thank goodness it was just a dream. Or nightmare, depending on the perspective. Personally, I would not mind dying in the line of duty, but burning to death or being crushed by a building is not my ideal way to go, either.

That's the part that bothered me the most. I would never die. I'm too good at my job to make a mistake like that. I'm at least glad it was me instead of the victim. Seeing people die nearly made me quit this career at first, but thankfully it has not happened in years.

I'm not crazy about having a dream about dying the morning of the Hunger Games Reaping, but thankfully it is my last year of eligibility. Once today is over I can finally breathe easy for the first time since I was eleven years old. I'll be able to throw myself into my work without the constant threat of losing my entire career and life looming over me.

Willow, my sister, has taken the day off work at her library for us to celebrate me being freed from the Hunger Games later today. Willow always tells me she constantly feels indebted to me for my support of her when she made her transition and as a result, almost alway seeks to please me. I, on the other hand, try to remind her that no debt is necessary. It's what sisters do for each other.

"We can bring Coco and Ilex too, the more the merrier!" Willow suggests as she prepares pancakes for Mom, Dad, and me. "And the ale will be on me." My parents are arguing that I'm still too young to drink anywhere but the safety of home.

"Make sure she goes straight from the tavern to right back home, Willow! That place is seedier than the backstreets of Twelve." Mom tends to fuss over me and worry about my safety a lot, which is understandable. At the same time, considering my profession, she might be better off accepting that life is full of risks and that you just have to take them.

Dad does the same. So much so that he insisted on escorting his daughters, both over the legal age of adulthood at 18 and 21, to the Reaping. We both give him goodbye hugs as Willow heads to the adults section, way at the back. I step into the 18-year-olds section, smiling. A few people recognize me and thank me for my service.

"Don't thank me, just live life to the fullest," I tell a few of my peers. "It can be taken away like that." I snap my fingers to emphasize.

The evergreen trees sway lazily in the breeze, a few streams of sunlight peeking through the leaves. I sometimes forget how beautiful Seven is.

The escort is wearing a dress made of trees. How appropriate.

After his overture, he scurries over to the girl's bowl. After pulling out a slip I close my eyes and smile. I can't wait for this all to finally be over.

"Magnolia Salix!"

My eyes burst open and my heart stops. I can hear several people gasp, my name already well-known in Seven. Perhaps too well-known.

I stomp my way to the stage, my expression hardened. The escort looks scared of me even though I'm probably a full foot shorter than him.

"Any volunteers?"

Of course, the square is deathly silent, with only the trees providing any kind of noise.

I walk up to the escort with fire in my eyes and snatch the microphone from his painted hands.

"After all I've done for this district," I snap, which prompts several people to look down in shame. I hope they feel ashamed. It just goes to show that no matter how much you put others' lives ahead of your own, most people wouldn't do the same.

I hope you liked Magnolia, they are definitely a special type of tribute. Also shame on Seven. Guess they can find someone else to rescue them from buildings lol. Also, I will be making a blog once I get all the submissions in. If you didn't provide a face claim that is fine as I'll just find one myself. I was planning on making portraits myself but that would probably take too long. You'll still receive one but it might not be for a while.

Remember to review, thank you to everyone who has been catching up lately (KitKathy, Veronica, Lexi, Sakura). It means the world!

-Aemma