Aurora joins me in the common area of the District 4 suite after a while. She's sweaty and disheveled, and I can't help but smile. I'm proud of how hard she's worked.

"How'd it go?" I ask as she sits at the table across from me.

"Not awful," she says, still panting a bit. "I think Heinrich liked me."

"Really?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. "He barely looked at me."

Aurora just shrugs. "He must have been allured by my beauty."

I laugh, standing to lean over the table as I kiss her. What more could you want from a girlfriend? She looks so proud of herself, and I'm so happy for her.

"We have an hour until they announce the scores," Aurora says. "What should we do?"

I try to think, but honestly, there's not much for us to do. We're cooped up in these suites like caged animals until the Games begin. "Let's just go back to my room," I suggest, and I lead her down the hallway to my assigned room.

Aurora doesn't hesitate to jump on my bed as soon as she can, reaching over to the bedside table to grab a remote control from the counter. She grins as she messes with the buttons, pressing them one at a time. Around us, the colors of the walls, carpet, and even the view out of the window changes rapidly. Making some quick decisions, Aurora settles for an all-blue room, and flips through the options as the view changes from a forest to a busy city. After a few attempts, she presses another button, and it changes to a beach, the waves lapping so close I can almost touch them. I go still at the sight. It's so quiet, I can even hear the sound of the waves as they crash down the shore.

Aurora watches me for a moment. "You miss Four. I can tell."

I sit on the bed next to her, feeling knocked off-guard. "I… I guess," I sigh.

"I feel like this is all my fault," Aurora says quietly. "You don't deserve to be here just because my father made his own decisions. That wasn't your fault. You're only here so they can hurt me. So they have power over me."

"It's not your fault," I reassure her. "You just said that we're only here because of your father. And it's not even his fault. He didn't bring back the Games. He didn't force us to be here. Snow did."

Aurora's face cracks into a sob, and I hold to her tightly as her body shakes. "I would give anything for us to be back there," she sobs. "I don't want to be here."

Don't we all? Every second, we crawl one second closer to our deaths. In this cruel game of power plays, we're the pawns. Our deaths are simply symbolic, to show the power of the Capitol over the Districts. Our lives don't even matter. Who we are doesn't matter to them. Even I know that.

I switch the view away from the beach. After a few minutes, Aurora stobs her crying, and she just lays next to me silently, her face calm as she looks out the window at whatever I've changed it to. My heart is full like it could burst at any moment.

It's not long before an Avox knocks on my door. We're led back to the main suite, where there's a crowd gathered - Salacia, Nereus, LeeAnn, and more staff I don't recognize. They sit us in front of an advanced digital screen, which is going to show us the broadcast that will be played across Panem. My heart is beating fast as the broadcast begins - I'm worried I didn't do enough to make myself stand out. If I die in the Arena, I want to be memorable, right?

Caesar Flickerman the man announcing our scores tonight, which is no surprise, since he was the host of every mandatory Capitol broadcast, even during the war. He's just started the broadcast and is just spewing fancy nonsense. I don't pay attention to any of it until he starts announcing the scores.

"All of the Capitol has been waiting for days, craning to catch a glimpse of this years' tributes. Tonight on the show we will release the official Gamemakers' scores, which evaluate each tributes' skill in combat and survival."

I feel Aurora tense up next to me, and I rest my hand on hers. She glances at me nervously before looking back to the broadcast.

"As you know, the tributes were rated on a scale of 1 to 12 after three days of careful evaluation, and our Gamemakers, headed by Dr. Heinrich, have worked tirelessly to present us with the most accurate data possible. Let us begin."

Caesar passes down the list quickly, and I try to pay attention to the tributes I've noticed so far. Phoenix and Isabelle both score high 10s, which is not surprising considering their military background. Axel scores an 8, and Vesta gets a 7, which is not bad by any stretch. After them are the two kids from District 3, who both score a 5.

"Next up, from District 4, Griff, with a score of…"

"Eight."

I sigh with relief as Caesar reads my score. I'm on par with Axel, which is a great accomplishment. Aurora gives me a big hug, and Salacia is practically bouncing off the walls.

"Also from District 4, Aurora, with a score of…"

"Seven."

Seven.

"That's amazing!" I say, giving Aurora a hug of her own. She's really stepped up the challenge this week, and I'm so proud of her. Even Nereus is smiling.

As predicted, most of the other tributes score poorly. The District 7 boy, Vance, scores a 9, and his girlfriend, Willa, gets a 7, but other than them, most of the tributes get 5s or below.

Both the District 9 kids score a 1, which makes me think they're using a strategy to make people think they weren't showing their skills. That's possible, considering they are being mentored by Rye Albertson, a District 9 Victor, but it also could just be their legitimate scores. I mean, both the District 8 kids got 2s, so it's possible.

I don't pay attention much until the District 11 tributes. I feel bad for the two of them - they look quite weak, and I don't think they stand much of a chance. Every once in a while before the War, District 11 tributes had a good chance of winning because of their hulking stature, but the two this year are pretty scrawny. The boy, Jesse, scores a 6, while his sister Phoebe gets a 4.

After the District 11 kids are the District 12 pair. I think back to my conversation with Selina. I hope she did well.

"From District 12, Rory, with a score of two," Caesar says, barely pausing as he skims past the poor boy. Ouch.

"And finally, from District 12, Selina, with a score of… one."

My heart sinks as Caesar reads the poor girl's score. She was right when she said the Games were stacked against her. The Gamemakers are making it very clear - the odds will never be in her favor.

I push these thoughts aside as the crowd around me cheers again for our high scores. I've done well for myself, and that's all I could have done. In the end, almost all of us are going to die, so I try not to think about Selina. The closer I get to her, the more hurt I'll get later.