Aemilia Marsay, 31, Head Gamemaker

My fellow Gamemakers seem more interested in the endless bottles of champagne and extravagant dishes being piled onto the table, but for me, this is the time I enjoy the most.

Station after station adorns the Training Center, tributes gathering at them anxiously, trying to pick up some skills that might increase their probably meagre chances of survival if they aren't a Career. In the morning, most of the outliers were alone, but by now there seems to be some groups formed amongst them, as well as quite a few pairs. It warms my heart to see the less skilled tributes getting along, as tributes who go it alone without anyone to defend them are usually not long for the world.

After the lunch period the children seem a bit reenergized, Aemma included. She refuses to be confined to her chair and keeps wandering dangerously close to the edge of the balcony.

"Momma, can I go down there and talk to one of them?!" she asks excitedly. I shake my head at her.

"No, love, they need to focus on training. They can't have any distractions."

Aemma gives me a big lip. "I'll just watch them, then! I'll watch them play!"

A few other Gamemakers giggle, and Aemma folds her arms in annoyance.

"They aren't playing, dear," Kallista, the Mutt designer, corrects, rising from her chair. "These are very important days in a tribute's journey, and could determine life or death for them in some situations. Did you know that the underground part of this Training Center was originally built for the purpose of Peacekeeper training during the Dark Days, and…"

Aemma is obviously bored with Kallista's droning and before I can stop her, she's jumped off the platform separating us from the Training Center and lands in the arms of a frightened Peacekeeper nearby. I thank the heavens that she was caught because there was no padding whatsoever down there. I never thought I would have to think about childproofing this place.

"Aemma, get back here!" I cry out, staring down at my waving daughter.

"I'll be right back, I promise!" she turns and skips away, and I sigh.

"Quite a rambunctious one you've got, Millie," Salome says as Aemma disappears from my sight.

"I probably don't tell her 'no' enough," I admit, "because literally no other child in the world gets away with what she gets away with."

I start to frantically jog to the exit when I notice the oddly quiet Gamemakers in their chairs, looking like they're all about to doze off.

"Uh… hello? It's not naptime yet, guys," I tell my now-sleeping coworkers, who all seem to have turned off like a light.

"What in the…" I saunter over to notice that they're all drinking champagne with a purplish tint to it. I tentatively sniff it as I begin to fear that some rogue Avox has killed my Gamemakers. However, upon closer inspection of their rising and falling chests, they are all just in a deep sleep. They were probably given some kind of fast-acting melatonin that tired parents like me hoard like painkillers.

"Who did this?!" I demand, stepping out of the room into the hallway where the Avoxes come in and out. Around six of them are lined up near the kitchens, all looking deathly still. I know they are generally afraid to perform any open acts of rebellion anymore, under threat of execution, but I can't imagine anyone else having access to food and drink served to people as high-up as Gamemakers. They all become frightened at the sight of me.

"I know one of you did this," I say sharply. No response, as if I was expecting one. They just continue to clasp their hands and stare down, not making a single sound. I begin to tap my foot impatiently.

"If you don't come clean within the next thirty seconds, I'm going to have you all put in solitary for a month." This warning causes several inaudible gasps to escape the Avoxes' lips, and after a few tense moments, two of them step forward.

"So, you two laced the drinks?" I ask. I expect a simple nod but instead the male Avox opens his mouth.

"Sorry, just wanted to pull off a little heist," he says in a defeated voice. "I'm going to die soon anyway, so I might as well go out with a bang."

I blink rapidly until I realize who this 'Avox' is; Andrew Rodriguez of District 11, and the girl next to him must be his partner.

"How in Panem did you two even do this?!" I question, stunned beyond belief. Sixtine chuckles softly.

"I mean… anyone can look like an Avox with the uniform," she muses. "I guess it's a good thing that you don't drink?"

I want to respond but I'm completely floored by the fact that two children from Eleven were able to do this. In a weird way, I am somewhat impressed by their bravery to accomplish such a thing. At the same time, I'm apparently being schooled by children today, and someone in such a respected position as mine has the potential of looking very foolish if this goes public.

"I would like nothing more than to punish you two right now," I hiss at them, generating scared expressions, "but obviously I cannot do that as you are both tributes in my Games."

"Are you going to blow us up at the beginning?" Sixtine asks. "Cause, you know, I wouldn't mind that. Like Andrew said, it would be cool to go out with a bang!" Andrew turns to Sixtine, horrified.

"That is not what I meant!" Andrew cries. I rub my temples, already feeling a stress headache coming on.

"No, I will not blow either of you two up. That's just a cheap tactic by Gamemakers with broken egos." I wearily stare down the tributes, who seem to be holding in laughter. "Just… don't do this again… or else." I'm a little ashamed by my exhausted response, which seems to have not garnered any kind of fear in the tributes. Instead, they just nod and run away, giggling. The remaining Avoxes look up at me, surprised.

"Don't just stand there!" I bark at them. They all scurry off, and I slowly walk back to the observation deck to find Peacekeepers administering smelling salts amongst the Gamemakers, who all burst their eyes open, confused.

"W-what happened…" Kallista asks groggily, rubbing her eyes. I look over at her, a guarded smile on my face.

"Your story about the Training Center sent Aemma running and put us all to sleep, that's what happened."

Albert Hade, 16, District 3 Male

"Come on, we have to go knot tying next! That's a super important one!

Sophia seems determined to try every station, telling me she won't be satisfied until she's mastered every last one.

"Only two hours left of training, we have to hurry!" she admonishes.

"You do know we have a full day of training tomorrow too, don't you?" I remind her. She stops in her tracks and gives me a long stare.

"That's why we're going to do every station today, then do it again tomorrow! Because after that are the private sessions, and I am not failing those."

I raise an eyebrow at Sophia. "You don't pass or fail private sessions, you know. It's not a test."

"It should be," Sophia jokes. "Like, if you don't get a high enough score, you don't get to be in the Games at all."

"So they'd let you go home?" I ask before realizing that would be way too merciful for the Capitol.

Sophia bursts into laughter.

"I wish. I'd fail on purpose. But you'd be screwed, Al, because you couldn't fail a test even if you tried."

Sophia is set on portraying me to be the 'brains', and her the 'brawn'. She is pretty and well-mannered, attributes that might not attract sponsors on their own, but she is convinced that a girl like her having a 'nerd' boyfriend will win the hearts of some people who believe opposites attract.

"If we hadn't been Reaped, would you have asked me out?" Sophia inquires as we make our way to the knot-tying station.

"I don't think my father would have let me," I tell Sophia, a response I knew was going to disappoint her, but I don't see any point in not telling her the complete truth.

"But if he did allow you to?" Sophia asks slowly, leaning in with her hands folded. I let out a sigh.

"School probably would not have allowed me to, in that case."

Sophia seems close to scolding me, like she usually does whenever I tell her something she doesn't like to hear, but instead she just takes a deep breath and smiles at me.

"Well, good thing school isn't a problem anymore! Now we can just chill as a couple without any worries." Sophia starts to prance around like she did when we were younger, and I jog after her.

"On the contrary, Sophia, we will have lots of worries," I remind her. "As in a bunch of other people or things trying to kill us."

Sophia takes my hand and gives me that tender look that always gives me butterflies. "We'll handle it together," she assures. "Like we always do."

I can't help but feel incredibly lucky to have Sophia here, her being the one person who does not make me feel like an undesirable bookworm. For whatever reason, she's always liked me for more than that, and despite our differences, we're still close. I sometimes wonder if the reason we get along so well is because we've known each other for so long that it kind of naturally works out, but as we age and develop different personalities and interests… it has to be something more than that.

The knot-tying station is in a somewhat quiet corner of the room, and as we approach it I notice all the shadows framing the area.

"Psst! Over here!"

Sophia and I jump in surprise at the loud whisper, and we whip our heads around in confusion until we see a tiny figure in the corner.

"Come here!" the voice demands. We look at each other with uncertain expressions before approaching them. The person calling us looks like the child seen with the Head Gamemaker on the deck overlooking us, having the same green eyes and hair.

"Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?!" she asks us in an excited whisper. Sophia giggles.

"Yes, we are, little girl," Sophia says in a sweet voice, and the child squeals.

"That's so cute! Momma says I am not allowed to date until I am in university," the girl says, emphasizing university as if it were a foreign word, "but that's a long, long time away," I am starting to become confused by the purpose of this child's presence.

"So, what did you need from us?" I ask her, trying to mask the impatience in my voice.

"Oh! I wanted to give you this," she says, pulling something out of the pocket of her white jumpsuit. In her tiny hand she holds a medallion with a sun symbol on the front.

"Uh, what is this?" Sophia asks her, taking the medal from her.

"I can't tell you yet!" the girl giggles, covering her mouth. "It's a surprise. Momma wants these Games to be a surprise. But bring it with you to the arena, okay? Promise?"

"Okay, I promise," I assure the girl. She turns to leave before looking back at us.

"Oh, and don't tell anyone! Especially not Momma!" she hisses, and just like that she is sprinting off into the shadows until she's seemingly vanished.

Sophia and I just look at each other, dumbfounded, as she plays with the medallion in her hands.

"What do you think this is, Al?" Sophia questions, examining the object's feature. "Whatever it is, it's pretty."

"She told us to bring it to the arena, so let's not lose it," I instruct Sophia. She nods but her face falls when I snatch the medal from her.

"I gave you my homework to copy in Mrs. Keller's class, and lost it," I recall to her. "I'm keeping this."

"Oh come on, that was one time!" Sophia complains loudly. "That's not fair!"

"Hey, you never know, this might be something that keeps the both of us alive, Soph. I'm not taking any chances."

Sophia scoffs. "Well, since you took something beautiful and shiny from me, this is your cue to replace it with something equally as beautiful and shiny," she says in a smooth voice. Leaning over to my ear, she whispers, "Hint, hint."

In case you're confused, Andrew did allude to wanting to pull off a little trick a few chapters ago. In his intro chapter someone spiked some coffee he drank so he decided to do the same to a bunch of important people. Full circle!