A/N: Trigger warning for mentions of self-harm.
William Franklin, age 16
District 5 Male Tribute
Train Rides
As soon as the train doors close, I turn to Ada, my District Partner. "I think it's logical that you ally with me," I say to her.
The criminal tenses up and narrows her eyes. "Why?" she asks, shrinking away from me. "You don't know me. You don't even know what I did."
"I need an ally who can help me get through the Games, preferably someone I won't get attached to," I explain as the young mentors, Pine Heart and Elena Soul, hurry into the main compartment. "You're a convicted criminal who I probably won't become sentimental for, so you fit the bill. An alliance with me logically makes sense for you, too. I think you'd appreciate help in the Games, considering your background."
"I don't even know why I did it," Ada murmurs, hugging herself and looking down. "I was so scared, I was cutting vegetables but I was scared that I'd go crazy and turn the knife on myself. Then he came into the room yelling about how he was going to leave me, and I panicked, I couldn't lose him, not when he was the only reason why I was still alive. I was in such a state of shock, I barely remember what happened next, other than that he ran into my knife. He ran into my knife ten times."
I'm honestly surprised as I take all this in, but I rein in my emotions. "Were you in prison for murder?" I ask, more to keep a conversation going than anything.
"I… I guess," Ada stammers, shrinking away. "I didn't do it on purpose, but I did kill him." She suddenly bursts into tears, and I'm taken aback but I don't show it. "Please don't say that you don't want to ally with me anymore. You're right, I won't stand a chance in the Games on my own."
"I still want to ally with you," I say, keeping a neutral tone despite my District Partner's emotional outburst. "Like I said earlier, it makes sense logically." I turn to Pine and Elena, who have been watching the conversation awkwardly. "Mentor us together, please."
"It seems that that is a consensus," Pine says, nodding. "Would you two like to discuss your strategy right now, or take a break and come back here for supper in an hour?"
"Let's discuss strategy now," I say.
"I…" Ada gets out at the same time.
I turn to Ada questioningly. She glares at me, her tears gone.
"I was hoping I could take a fucking break," she mutters, crossing her arms. "But whatever, you're clearly in charge here because you're not the one who's experiencing upwards of fifteen emotions at any given moment."
"Of course, logic is always the right way to go," I say, keeping my voice level even though my District Partner intrigues me somewhat. I turn back to the Mentors. "Shall we sit down?"
We spend the next hour discussing our plan for these Games. Ada is, as I predicted, difficult to work with. She's angry and snappish towards suggestions, but sometimes she breaks down sobbing or happily agrees with the Mentors. I don't understand why she can't use reason. Wouldn't knowing for sure the right course of action benefit her?
I hate emotional people.
"Fine I'll try to reign in my emotions when I talk about what I did, now shut up," Ada sobs as we talk about our plans for the Interviews. "I'm sorry… please don't hate me. I don't know why everyone seems to hate me in the end. I don't want to hurt anyone."
"You need to learn how to regulate your emotions, or we won't get anywhere," I say, my voice rising even though I don't want it to. I take a deep breath to calm down, but I'm just so frustrated with this girl. "Now, where were we? Let's get back on track."
"I need to take a break," Ada mutters, standing up. She's about to storm off when Elena interrupts her.
"Now may be a bad time, Ada," she says carefully, "but the Reaping Recaps are about to start. If you'd like, you can watch them later, though."
Ada takes a deep breath. "I suppose it's important," she sighs, sitting back down. She turns to me. "Do you think we should have other allies?"
"No," I say with certainty. "We'd logically work better without extraneous confounding variables. However, it's a good idea to scope out the competition so we can see who to watch out for and who might be able to help us if we need it."
"How are you not freaking out right now?" Ada asks, squinting at me. "Aren't you scared of going into the Games?"
Of course I'm scared. I'm terrified, actually. Of dying, of failure, of making a fool of myself. But I can't show it. That wouldn't be logical.
"Being scared wouldn't make sense," I say, steeling myself and calming down my quickening breaths. "All we can do is figure out a path moving forward." I turn my eyes to the screen. "The Reaping Recaps are starting."
The District Team quiets down as the Reapings begin. As expected, Districts 1 and 2 both have two volunteers. District 3, on the other hand, has both tributes Reaped. The girl is visibly crying by the time she's on the stage, and the boy freezes up and has to be dragged onto the stage by Peacekeepers. Well, it's obvious that these two won't be threats.
District 4 is eventful. The name "Marlena Fisher" is called, but the thirteen-year-old who shakily takes the stage looks boyish and announces that he is actually a boy named Marc. The District gives him a fair amount of applause, but it's drowned out by the fact that the other tribute from Four is a volunteer. As far as I can remember, District 4 hasn't ever had a volunteer for the Games, but the District doesn't seem too surprised at Kai Walker volunteering as the boy tribute. He looks to be very strong and knows what he is doing. Perhaps this was expected? I'll have to keep an eye out for him.
Next is Five, which is home. I fight back tears as the familiar city is shown, Ada is Reaped in her prisoner's jumpsuit, and I take the stage as well, looking far more composed than my volatile District Partner. District 6 Reaps a gentle-looking eighteen-year-old girl who looks like she wouldn't hurt a fly, though her dark purple head scarf makes me think she may have a secret. Her District Partner is unremarkable but looks serious.
Both of the tributes from District 7 are Reaped but look strong, so perhaps they could be useful allies if they aren't dangerous threats. District 8, on the other hand, has a volunteer, which causes surprised murmuring. The tribute acts cool and confident, and introduces themself as Ryu Byung-Hee. The other tribute throws up when his name is called and has to be dragged to the stage. Well, I know who to watch out for from the textile District.
All of the tributes from Nine, Ten, and Eleven are Reaped, and none of them stand out to me except for the tiny twelve-year-old girl from Nine, who tries to run away when her name is called and screams and cries as Peacekeepers haul her onto the stage. Finally District 12 is shown, and to my surprise, the boy volunteers despite being only thirteen years old. He looks cold and angry, so he's definitely someone I'll have to keep an eye on.
"So, who stood out to you?" Pine asks as the Reaping Recaps end.
"I want to go home," Ada mutters, slouching and crossing her arms.
"Well so do I, which is why we have to strategize," I say, rubbing my temple.
This is going to suck.
A/N: What do you think of William, our District 5 Male? Do you have any first impressions on the tributes? Please let me know in the reviews!
This SYOT is now closed! Here is the full tribute list.
Tributes:
(Female/Male indicates the gender the tribute was Reaped as and not necessarily their actual gender)
District 1 Female: Barcelona Sterling, age 18 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 1 Male: Royal Madeira, age 18 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 2 Female: Carabella Astral, age 18 (submitted by santiagoponcini20)
District 2 Male: Zeus Scrapper, age 18 (submitted by santiagoponcini20)
District 3 Female: Pyra Cheng, age 18 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 3 Male: Lucas Robinson, age 18 (submitted by optimisms)
District 4 Female: Marc Fisher, age 13 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 4 Male: Kai Walker, age 17 (submitted by Enobariasteeth)
District 5 Female: Ada Shelley, age 16 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 5 Male: William Franklin, age 16 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 6 Female: Lilith Karim, age 18 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 6 Male: Ford Linus, age 17 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 7 Female: Christiana Han, age 16 (submitted by santiagoponcini20)
District 7 Male: Balder Lys, age 17 (submitted by PrinceOfCorinth)
District 8 Female: Byung-Hee Ryu, age 17 (submitted by abookoftears)
District 8 Male: Milan Toulouse, age 16 (submitted by abookoftears)
District 9 Female: Augusta Qiu, age 12 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 9 Male: Robyn Banks, age 15 (submitted by AlexFalTon)
District 10 Female: Tara Crosswell, age 15 (submitted by IIJamesII)
District 10 Male: Arthur Montana, age 17 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 11 Female: Marigold Spinoza, age 18 (submitted by daydreamer626)
District 11 Male: Granger Till, age 18 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 12 Female: Larch Colbert, age 14 (created by me, AmericanPi)
District 12 Male: Dustin Spruce, age 13 (created by me, AmericanPi)
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you all soon with the next chapter along with the story blog!