Aslan Dreadstorm, 18, District 4 Male
Once they play the anthem, the interviews are officially over and they say we can return to our flats. I'm glad, because I suddenly feel more tired than I've ever felt in my life. It was only a couple minutes, but for whatever reason that interview seemed around five eternities long.
"Probably because of all of the lights and people and stuff!" Azure says, wiping some sweat off her brow. "My legs were, like, shaking."
Yvonne leads Azure to talk to some sponsors, so I enter a lift, and I'm followed by the male tributes from Six and Seven and their teenage mentors, Alysanne and Ella-Reyne.
Ella-Reyne places her hands on the shoulders of her young tribute. The boy is staring at me like I'm some kind of tourist attraction, and I find myself resisting the urge to rip his head off.
Tomorrow, Ash, I tell myself. Tomorrow.
"Don't stare," she hisses at him. Her brown eyes are full of uncertainty as she nervously glances at Alysanne.
"Sorry," he whispers to her. He tries to avert his gaze, and Indy looks incredibly uncomfortable. Like the interview, this interaction lasts only moments but feels like forever.
I step out of the lift once we reach the Four flat, which seems deserted. I'm silently grateful for being the first one to arrive. A few moments of peace, for what it's worth.
As I wander into the kitchen, craving something caffeinated, I hear a slight creaking noise which activates my lightning-fast Career instincts. Unsettled, I look around the room until I find what appears to be a figure of someone in the corner.
"Who's there?!" I grab a kitchen knife as I approach the person, who, upon looking closer, is not a person at all. It's a weird-looking teddy bear.
I feel like I've seen it before, maybe in a dream. Its expression is unreadable on its stitched, stuffed face but I can still tell it is angry with me.
"How would you like having your head ripped off?!" it says angrily. Unsettled, I back away from it. This thing seems unnatural in some way, and I'd rather not risk getting injured by a freaking teddy bear. It berates me for a few more minutes before hopping out of an open window. Peculiar.
Everyone returns to the flat and settles into their bedrooms but I linger in the kitchen, twirling the butcher's knife on the counter absentmindedly. An Avox is an arm's length away until I raise the knife to them and they scatter away, clearly getting the message.
I hear the lift ding again. I could have sworn everyone from District Four's party was already back upstairs, unless there was someone who stayed behind. Maybe Yvonne or Jaime was trying to get some last-minute sponsors or something.
My breath catches in my throat when I see the person standing behind the parted doors.
Coilee Undergaze, 18, District 2 Female
I lay flat on my bed, my palms facing the ceiling. I try to conjure some sort of semblance of a game plan, something to make me feel more confident about tomorrow. But I have nothing.
Will Aslan keep his word about letting me into the Career Pack, or will he backstab me the moment I step off of the pedestal? I could run away, I suppose, but they'd hunt me down like prey, because they are the predators. I wasn't even lucky enough for there to be any kind of Beta Careers from the stronger districts. I have no one else to back me besides myself.
I shouldn't even be here. I should be at home, helping Megara with the dishes and then with her homework. Hearing about Mom and Dad's day.
Thinking of home always makes me restless, and soon I'm throwing the covers off my torpid body and forcing myself onto my feet.
Almost in a zombie-like state, I make my way to the lift, where I press the button that takes me to the District 4 flat. I don't care if this is jeopardizing my safety. I need answers.
When I arrive two floors up, sure enough, Aslan is in the kitchen. I thought he would have been in his room instead but it seems he's as unable to sleep as I am.
His mouth drops open when he sees me, but then he develops a stern expression.
"What are you doing here? Last time I checked, you aren't from District Four."
I nervously clasp my hands, trying to forget how hot my cheeks already feel. "I just wanted to talk." Aslan raises an eyebrow at me.
"Talk about what? The strategy is in place. Just be patient and wait until tomorrow, after the bloodbath." He already seems to have lost his patience with me, and turns away before I grab his shoulder.
"Am I even going to be alive after the bloodbath?" I ask him, my voice trembling. He looks back at me and scoffs.
"Why wouldn't you be?" he asks smugly. "Are you not as strong as you let on?"
"No!" I say as quickly as possible. "It's not that! I'm just worried." I try to hold back tears but they're flowing down my cheeks before I can stop them.
"I don't want to die," I whisper, and for a moment Aslan looks a little concerned, maybe even sympathetic. But as he folds his arms, I can tell he's started to become even more annoyed with me.
"Careers don't cry," he mumbles. "You're digging your own grave, Undergaze. The others wouldn't be impressed." He starts to approach me, and without warning he throws his arms around me. They don't feel very supportive, more restrictive and suffocating. I want to be freed from his grip but I feel too weak. Finally he pulls back and looks me in the eyes, his bright blue stare giving me chills.
"Don't go soft. They'll kick you out in the blink of an eye. That's if you're lucky. Vinna and them would probably prefer to just kill you on the spot." As he's telling me these things I can't help but feel confused. Why is he being so candid? A few days ago he seemed like he couldn't even stand me being in his sight. Has he warmed up to me?
I keep staring at him, my whole body feeling like it's on fire. Slowly, I start to lean in and he does the same, and before we know it our lips are touching, delicately at first but then with more intensity. It's a fiery, searing kiss, nothing I've ever felt before. I pull back, looking at Aslan with wide eyes but he just smirks at me.
"Don't tell them about this, by the way," Aslan warns me in a serious tone. "Some people wouldn't be happy." He doesn't have to tell me twice.
"I'm sorry," I tell him in a nearly inaudible voice. He chuckles.
"Well, I could have easily just backed away or turned my head so… there's that."
I nod slowly and slink from the kitchen, my mind spinning relentlessly. I can barely think straight, and almost didn't hear Aslan as he called after me again. I turn back to him just as I enter the lift.
"You may be in the Pack right now, but I'm still going to expect you to keep proving yourself. I can't stand up for you if the others want you gone."
Azure Copenhagen, 18, District 4 Female
Hearing some conversation in the kitchen, I tiptoe over to my bedroom door in curiosity. Ever so slightly, I creak open the door, and luckily it doesn't make much sound. I can see Aslan standing in the kitchen with someone, a girl it looks like. They're chatting in hushed voices, as if not to draw attention.
Well, now I have to hear what they're saying.
"Careers don't cry. You're digging your own grave, Undergaze. The others wouldn't be impressed."
Coilee? Why was she in our flat? And why was she talking to Ash? He can't stand her!
They continue to talk until I see them getting closer to each other. Oh, no. No, no, no, please don't tell me they're going to do what I think they're doing.
My stomach feels like I've been pushed off a cliff when I see them kiss. Why is this happening? He doesn't even like Coilee! He's just tricking her into thinking he does! Why did he have to take away the one girl I liked in these Games?!
I want to burst into tears but that would give away my eavesdropping, so instead I storm into my bathroom, grabbing a wooden comb off the counter. I grip it so hard that it breaks like a twig.
I don't even know who to be mad at. Coilee doesn't know I like her, but she has to trust me more than she trusts Ash. Yet he's the one who got a romantic overture from her.
Maybe she doesn't like girls, I try to convince myself. If that's the case, then I shouldn't be so mad, but… why Ash?!
My mind cannot wrap around what I just witnessed. I want to keep this information to myself, because it's given me motivation to betray my district partner. But I really feel like ripping into Ash for what he's done.
I notice Coilee step into the lift, vanishing behind the doors. As Ash tries to quietly sneak back into his room, I step out of mine and plant myself directly into his path, leaning on a planter.
"Someone's up late," I say in a cheerful voice. Aslan looks surprised to see me.
"What the hell are you doing awake?" he asks, irritated. I cross my arms, scowling.
"Well, I know one thing I was not doing. I wasn't swapping spit with the non-Career you hated a few days ago!" My voice is shaky, despite my attempts to keep it firm and steady. Ash rolls his eyes.
"Why don't you mind your own business? And what do you even care, anyway? People like showmances." He is so casual, not even a little embarrassed that I caught him, which infuriates me more.
"You're just going to use her then throw her away like trash whenever you please!" I cry at him. "You don't really like her at all!"
"Look, Copenhagen, like I said, it's none of your business. I'm fine with you being upset, but I better not hear a word of this in the arena, or you'll end up in the same place as her." I want to argue back that there's no way anyone in the Pack would be okay with what he's doing, but the truth is, they're all on his side. Vinna, Armahni, and Kyle would have Aslan's back over mine any day. Coilee was all I had. Now Ash wants her too.
"She was literally my only friend," I mutter, "and now you're trying to take her away."
"Calm down. In all likelihood both of us will just pretend this never happened. You'll still have your little girlfriend." Ash walks past me like I'm air and heads to his room, locking the door behind him. I'm left dumbfounded, tears stinging in my eyes.
Please, Coilee, don't be stupid!
Salalai Asshaise, 14, District 10 Female
My stomach is hurting. Yes, I said my stomach, not our stomach, because it is my body and no one else's. I feel freer than I've felt in my entire life, and it's for a reason most people would take for granted. My head is clearer than a summer sky, or a cold stream with crystal water. I never knew this kind of happiness was even achievable.
I don't really have much of a reason to be happy. I'm going into the Hunger Games tomorrow, and I'll probably die before anyone notices I'm gone. I'm not afraid of death, really. Life has taught me that there are much worse things to experience than your life being snuffed out like a candle. It might even be peaceful. Lots of people say it's like walking towards a light at the end of a tunnel. In a way, it will be much more serene than any other in my life has been.
I can't just assume I'm going to die. Maybe everything will go perfectly, the stars will align in just the right way. It's a longshot, of course, with so many better tributes out there besides me. Everyone thinks they have a chance, but it only ever works out for one person.
I keep tossing and turning in the sheets. I can't seem to find a comfortable position. The thought of sleep isn't very welcoming, considering what I have to wake up to tomorrow. If I die in the bloodbath, who cares if I get a decent night's sleep or not? What does it matter?
Stop thinking like that! Adahy says out of nowhere. You're too negative, you sourpuss!
Great. In my moments of doubt, Adahy always sees an opportunity to make me feel even less sure of myself. My dose must be wearing off a little. Rebecca said she would not give me bigger doses until I needed them for the Games, but the last thing I want is for my mind to become a battleground. In these last moments, I'd prefer peace.
I shake Rebecca awake softly once I make it to her room. She's hesitant to give me any medicine until tomorrow morning but balks when I tell her I won't be able to sleep without it.
Once I'm back in my bed, my exhausted body surrenders to the warm feeling of the sheets, without a thought of the Games in my mind at all.