Rudy Jackson, District Ten

As Rudy looked around the large suite he found himself in, he couldn't help but think about a sermon his father held a couple weeks ago. He had said that God's plan was not always clear to mortals, and could even seem unfair sometimes. Being reaped for the Hunger Games certainly seemed unfair, but he had to trust that there was a reason for it. There was a reason for everything in his life, after all. This was just one more challenge. One more test.

The suite was empty except for his Sign partner, a muscular boy named Hades. He vaguely seemed to remember him volunteering, although the details were hazy. Reapings were difficult for Rudy. They always seemed to attract the ghosts of those who died during the Games. It gave him little opportunity to pay attention to the event itself. In fact, he was so distracted that he didn't even hear his own name called and had to be brought on stage by peacekeepers.

"Their meetings probably went long." Hades answered a question Rudy had yet to ask, "Lots of things to go over, kinks to work out. I imagine our mentors and prep teams will be here shortly."

"How did you know I was wondering that?" Rudy asked, "Are you psychic?"

The boy laughed, a booming sound that was actually a little intimidating. "No. Why, are you?"

"Sort of. I'm a medium."

Hades stopped and stared at him. It was a look Rudy had gotten quite used to in his life. In the church, his powers were well known and accepted. But the rest of District Ten always seemed to be skeptical. They had lost their way, his father had always told him, many of them no longer even believed in God. It was why the church didn't talk much to the other folk in the District. They had their own school, taught by Rudy's mother, their own source of food, their own everything. It was best to keep their miracles to themselves rather than waste it on those who refused to see.

"You're saying you can see ghosts?" Hades asked.

"And demons."

"None of those exist."

"Of course they do." Rudy protested, "If they didn't exist how could I see them?"

"I had an uncle who saw things that weren't there."

"Were they really not there?" Rudy asked, "Or did you lack the conviction to see?"

"Lack the- what are you even talking about?" Hades said.

Rudy was not a particularly angry person. He considered himself kind and accepting. But it was difficult to deal with people outside of his church. People who not only refused to believe, but saw his own faith as some sort of weakness. This boy Hades knew nothing about him, yet he had the nerve to tell him that his Sight wasn't real. Well, Rudy knew the truth. His father knew the truth. His entire church did too.

"I'm talking about faith." Rudy answered, "Something you clearly don't have. And you'll see, far too late, how valuable it is. When I come home and you don't."

Hades looked more confused than scared, but he turned around and walked away. Rudy considered that a victory. He decided that he didn't like Hades. He didn't like Hades at all.

And once he made up his mind about someone, it never ever changed.

Amber Black, District One

"Except the night before Reaping day, my father got pneumonia." Carnation finished her story with a flourish. She and Amber were both sitting on a lavish navy couch in their new suite, waiting for their mentors or the prep squad or anyone at all to show up.

Ever since the reaping, Amber had been shuffled from one crowd to another, to the point that being with just one person felt uncomfortable. However her new roommate was quick to put her at ease, telling her a story about her father's attempts to volunteer for the Hunger Games.

"And ever since then, he's been pressuring you to volunteer instead." Amber said. She knew she was skipping ahead a bit, but it was a familiar story to her. Plenty of her fellow trainees had parents like Carnation's, glory minded patriots who pushed their children to try and do what they couldn't. It struck Amber as a little distasteful. Her parents were constantly pushing her into the Games as well, but at least it was for a better reason than Honor. Honor was a pretty sounding word that meant nothing in the real world. Honor couldn't feed an empty belly.

"No, he's been pressuring my sister." The venom in Carnation's voice alarmed Amber. It was full of rage and jealousy and a barely concealed hurt. There was something about that moment's rawness that caused Amber to pull the other girl in for a hug.

"I don't need your pity." Carnation snapped, "I'm glad to be here."

Amber didn't let go. "There's nothing pitiful about you, Carnation. Compassion isn't pity."

At her words, the other girl's muscles relaxed and she began to return the hug. Amber heard her instructors snapping at her in her head about getting too close. Empathy was acceptable, but only as a weapon. That's what they would say. There was only one victor of the Hunger Games. However there was something about Carnation that Amber couldn't shake. It almost felt like she had known the girl her entire life.

After a few minutes the Seven tribute pulled away, "Well what about you then? I feel like I've been doing all the talking."

"My story isn't quite as interesting." Amber said, "My parents both work in gold mines. Not the most glamorous profession. We're kind of poor actually. I've been going to the academy on scholarship."

"What's a scholarship?"

"It's like… a fund for being talented. I remember when I was young, a person came to my elementary school and had us all play a series of games. Throwing, running, a game where they gave you a stick and had you hit a target as hard as you possibly could. I remember a game with these blunted training knives that I played with for hours. And a week later, I was sent to the Academy. Tuition completely paid for."

"Wow." Carnation said, "So… you're doing this for money?"

"Hey." Amber protested, "It's a completely valid motivation, miss I-volunteered-for-my-sister-out-of-jealousy."

"I did not!" Carnation screeched, and Amber felt a dull pain as a pillow made contact with her face.

Suddenly, the two of them were in full fledged warfare, lobbing intricate pillows at each other until they both collapsed into giggles, breathing heavily and staring up at the ceiling together.

"I didn't mean it. About the jealousy." Amber said.

"No, you're right. I mean, that's not all of it. I just… I want him to see me. Really see me, you know?"

"I do."

"And I think it's sweet, making sure your family has enough money. I didn't mean to imply it was a bad reason."

"Friends then?"

"Of course."

Carnation playfully smacked her again with a pillow and they both laughed so hard that they didn't hear their mentors coming in.

Eli Slater, District Four

Eli had been planning to volunteer for the games for years, but it only truly hit him how absurd everything was as he looked at his bed in the Tribute Center. It was massive, with dark green silk sheets and an intricately carved headboard. He could make out the symbol of his birth sign, Virgo, as well as various depictions of young maidens. The Slaters were a fairly affluent family, and District Four had its fair share of luxury. However he had never seen anything as extravagant as this bedroom that he would only use for about a week.

That struck him as typical of a regime as corrupt as the Capitol.

A moment of doubt passed through his mind as he looked over all of the finery. Was it truly possible to stop a tyrant by playing a tyrant's games? He wasn't sure he could imagine his heroes Thomas Jefferson or John Locke or Sam Adams would ever bow to the whims of the British. But Eli had no real power of his own. All of the Slater riches belonged to his parents, and they had all but disowned him after he found a pile of banned books in a dumpster behind a library. After he realized the true value of freedom.

If he was going to break free from his parents, become a lawyer, join the rebellion and destroy the Capitol, he needed resources. That was all the Hunger Games were to him, an opportunity. Perhaps it was counterintuitive. Perhaps he risked playing into the hands of his enemies, at least temporarily. But the path to liberty wasn't necessarily smooth.

"They really pulled out all the stops for us." A voice behind Eli remarked, "Seems wasteful. But that's sort of the Capitol for you, isn't it?"

Bixby Case, his Constellation partner, stood in the doorway holding a smoking object in his hand. Eli didn't know the boy well, but he had seen part of his reaping. The part the Capitol allowed to air at any rate. He imagined that Bixby's speech went on much longer, and was much more critical of both the careers and the Capitol.

"It's disgusting." Eli agreed, "What is that?"

"A joint. Want some?"

He wasn't entirely sure what that was, but he knew he needed to find allies where he could. So he took the object out of Bixby's hands, inhaled like he had seen earlier, and started to abruptly cough.

"Yeah should have warned you about that." Bixby said.

"You trying to kill me because I'm a Career?" Eli challenged. He couldn't help it really. Every inch of him knew that Bixby wasn't someone he wanted to alienate. But he always had a deep need to challenge things, to debate, to put someone on their back foot.

Bixby didn't appear to be easily shaken. He merely shrugged. "Nah. You're not from it's not really my business. Though don't mind me if I don't join in with any pro Capitol chants. Unless they're catchy. Never could turn down a catchy tune."

"I'm not pro Capitol." Eli said, "Just a Career."

"Bit of an oxymoron don't you think?"

"No I don't. I'm going to use the money to get through law school. Fight for justice. Publish papers. Change the world. The Capitol is going to help me destroy it."

The boy from Three looked Eli up and down then shrugged again "Well I've heard worse plans. Want another hit?"

He thought about it, then tried to inhale the strange object again. This time he coughed less. Although his head was starting to feel a little fuzzy. "What about you? You told people not to volunteer for you. So do you have a plan, or just a death wish?"

"A plan." Bixby said, "Well, sort of. I don't really have it mapped out or anything. I'm sort of a go with the flow person. A goal maybe? That might be a good way of putting it."

"What kind of goal?" Eli asked.

However, before Bixby could respond the door opened and a group of people poured into the living room of the Virgo suite. Eli left his bedroom to get a better look at the newcomers. Several of them were clearly the prep team, with metallic Capitolite fashion and overdone makeup. He didn't pay them any mind, instead looking at the two men who were clearly from Districts. One was a large man with a lush red beard wearing a plaid shirt. It didn't take a genius to guess he was from District Seven.

The other man was the Hero of Panem, Peeta Mellark.

AN: We're almost done with the introductions! Just three more people and you've met the whole cast. Today we met Rudy by Gomex, Amber by Sarielrises, and Bixby by Cthonicpython. Exciting right? And for those who haven't read Desolation, perhaps a bit of a surprise appearance at the end there. I don't really have a ton to say here. Just, enjoy the chapter!