6 Days Before The Hunger Games - Afternoon


District 9

Siro Mista, 16


I lean my head against the window, watching the fields of grain blur past as the train shoots through the countryside. We must be nearing the edge of District 9 now, even though we just boarded the train half an hour ago. It suddenly occurs to me that this must be the farthest I've ever traveled in my life. I've never left District 9. Traveling between Districts is generally outlawed, though some special exceptions are given to the higher class (which I was never a part of).

Another thought occurs to me, this one far less favorable; this is likely the last time I'll see my home District. The odds of me winning the Hunger Games are very small. I'm a bit strong, but hardly more than most boys my age. I'm no match against the Careers. I press my face up against the glass and watch the fields with vigor, determined to soak up as much of my District as I can until I leave it forever.

It's only a few minutes before the fields begin to thin and finally, all of the grain fields have disappeared, leaving only a wasteland. A second later we pass a giant, barbed fence marking the border between Districts 9 and 5. I finally peel my face away from the window. I hear someone sit beside me.

"Are we finally out of District 9?" Rena asks, sitting on the other side of the table. I nod.

"Say goodbye to our homeland," I shrug. Rena laughs, even though I didn't intend it to be a joke.

I was surprised when I first saw Rena Reaped. She looked a lot like a dude at first, so I thought there was some mistake. But she was in the girls' section, so I guess she must be a chick.

"I'm not a girl, by the way," Rena says, as if she read my mind.

"What? Then why were you-"

"I'm trans. But the law sees me as a girl, so that's the category I go into for the Reapings and stuff. My name's Red," he says.

"Oh." I think for a minute. "That sucks. But I'm glad I have a fellow dude to chat to. Phoebe's driving me insane."

Red smiles lightly. As if on cue, Phoebe pokes her head into the dining car.

"The recaps are starting!" she urges, waving us to follow her. Red immediately chases after her, muttering something about wanting to know the name of whoever kills him. I stand up slower, my brain weighing heavy with the memories of my goodbyes with my parents.

I wish I could have hugged them one last time. That's all I really wanted. But Mom and Dad were so worked up about how this all happened because the Capitol knew they were onto them. The last thing Mom said to me before the Peacekeepers dragged her out was "the pigeons told them everything!"

When I enter the sitting car, the television is blaring the District 1 Reaping. I take a seat between Phoebe and Red. They're both very focused on the screen.

The tributes for District 1 immediately terrify me. Well, the dude does. The guy from District 1, some kid named Two, is tall, muscular, and handsome - he'll get a lot of sponsors. And since he Volunteered, he must be pretty confident in his abilities, too. Mirage seems far less threatening. She's quite small for a Career, and doesn't seem particularly strong. She's wearing a really fancy dress that implies wealth. What the hell is this girl doing in the Hunger Games?

If the tributes from District 1 scared me, that's nothing compared to the tributes from 2. Gladius Talamine is an absolute beast, standing at least two heads taller than the escort, who isn't even a short woman. He has a stoic look on his face when he Volunteers and I see absolutely no emotion behind his cold gray eyes. At first, I'm not particularly scared of his District partner, Setsuna Kobayashi. She looks athletic, sure, but I could probably beat her in hand-to-hand combat. Then the cameraman does a closeup on her face. Her dark, cat-like eyes pierce through the camera and seem to stare right at me. My insides fill with ice. I feel Phoebe shudder beside me.

The girl Reaped in District 3 is a welcome sight. Kinetica keeps a stoic expression, but I have a feeling I won't have to worry about her. A boy named Quantum Wu is Reaped. A slender Asian boy walks up to the stage. Quantum waves and smiles at the camera, but the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. He looks smart and charismatic - perhaps I could align with him?

District 4's Reaping is a bit dramatic. When the escort, Tiernan Brastos, asks for Volunteers, two girls volunteer at almost the same time. The one who barely volunteered first walks up to the stage, a tall girl of Indian descent. Based on the whispering that occurs in the audience, I'm guessing she was not supposed to volunteer. She keeps a neutral expression while the male is chosen. The male Volunteer is a guy named Arty Hackson, and I immediately have a good feeling about him. He smiles and casually walks up to the stage. His aura gives off friendly vibes, and I think we'd get along if this were any other scenario. I just have to remind myself that he volunteered to kill people.

The guy Reaped in District 5 is a short, golden-haired kid who smiles at the camera when his name is called. He seems nice and I mark him down as a potential ally. However, I completely forget about him when the escort asks for Volunteers. All of a sudden, this tiny twelve-year-old girl Volunteers. She's shaking like a leaf when she explains that she thinks she could win.

The boy from District 6, Newt Allium, immediately seems to be a Bloodbath. I feel bad for thinking it, but he can barely function when walking up to the stage. The girl seems to have a bit more potential. The dark-haired Amber Vernon manages to feign confidence despite her predicament. I immediately add her to my list of potential allies.


District 1

Mirage Fairchild, 18


When the escort for District 7 calls for the boy, some kid named after a tree, the camera immediately singles in on a freckled boy with broad shoulders who everyone has begun to avoid like the plague. He seems fairly strong; most kids from District 7 are. He probably has a job as a lumberjack or something. It suddenly dawns on me that he could easily overpower me in the fight; I'm well-trained by District 1's academy, but no matter what skills I have, I could easily be taken out by him. The thought makes me shiver.

Bear glances at me from the other side of the couch. He's been nervously tapping his foot the entire time we've watched the recaps. He seems to debate whether or not to say something.

"Are you okay?" he finally asks.

"Yeah," I mutter. I pause for a moment before continuing, "Thanks for asking."

The girl from District 7 is far less of a threat. She has nice, long dark hair, but other than that, she doesn't stick out much to me. She doesn't seem particularly strong. I have a sad feeling she'll be a Bloodbath.

District 8's Reaping contains some decent tributes. The girl is Reaped first. She's a tall and pale girl with black hair. When her name is called, her face screws up in what can only be described as a combination of anger and confusion and she practically storms up to the stage. The boy's reaction is pretty much the opposite. A blonde curly-haired kid slowly saunters up to the stage, seemingly undisturbed by this occurrence. He doesn't seem shocked or upset, but I suppose this is probably all a well-composed act.

When the girl from District 9 is Reaped, both Bear and I are very confused. Her name is called, but the person who walks up to the stage doesn't seem to be the right person.

"Is that a dude?" Bear asks beside me. I shrug.

"Looks like it."

The escort seems equally confused, and even asks Rena for confirmation. Rena shrugs and nods. The boy Reaped (or the official boy for District 9) is a short and black-haired kid who tries to act nonchalant when his name is called. He smiles and waves for the camera, but his fear is very evident when the camera zooms in and we can see him literally shaking.

The girl from District 10 seems quite strong and I think she could be a threat. She looks fairly athletic, and she's also decently pretty, which could get her some sponsors. The boy, on the other hand, does not give off the same impression. He can't even move when his name is called. I don't think he'll do very well in the Hunger Games.

The girl from District 11 is a Korean girl who doesn't seem unaccustomed to frowning. However, all of my curiosity about the District 11 girl immediately vanishes when a boy volunteers. He introduces himself as Avens Rosendale, and when he says his name, Bear gasps. Avens seems quite athletic and he has nice wavy golden hair, but I don't see why he would volunteer.

"Do you know him?" I ask curiously.

"They're a pretty good track and field athlete," Bear explains. "My brother Four keeps up with a lot of the sports in Panem. I think they were recently announced as being the best LGBTQ athlete in Panem."

My eyes widen at this revelation. I personally don't keep up with sports at all.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yeah. But, like, it's not that big of a deal. They're talented, sure, but there's not a lot of competition. Panem's favorite sport is the Hunger Games, of course, so most people don't deal with other sports anymore. And most people aren't out as LGBTQ in Panem anyway, so that narrows it even further."

"Still impressive," I shrug. "Do you think that's why they volunteered? Because they're really strong and they think they can win?"

"Probably," Bear decides.

The District 12 reaping produces a peppy blonde girl who doesn't look like she could ever lift a sword, and a tiny blonde boy whose face I forget within seconds. Bear flicks off the television as soon as the final Reaping is done. I guess we aren't going to watch the commentary on the tributes.

My plan going into these Games has always been to flirt with and manipulate a fellow Career into protecting me. It's the most useful strategy for a girl from District 1 with a pretty face, right? I've always been a good actress - you kind of need to be to maintain the mask of a happy-go-lucky girl that I've worn all my life. When I first met Bear, I thought he seemed like the perfect target - handsome, strong, and he didn't have that sociopath-vibe that would make him impossible to control.

But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to flirt with him. I know that I'll need to betray whoever I choose to manipulate at some point, and I couldn't do that to Bear. Maybe it's because he seems genuinely sweet, or because he's from my home District, but I don't plan on betraying Bear.

"So, are you planning on joining the Careers?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"Probably. It seems like the safest option, right?"

I nod. "So am I."

"Do you want to make a pact?" he asks.

I raise my eyebrows. "A pact? What do you mean?"

"I protect you, you protect me. At least until the finale. After all, District 1 has to stick together."

"Okay," I say, unable to keep from smiling. "Let's have a pact."


By the way, if a tribute misgendered Avens or Red, that was NOT me misgendering them - I figured that the tributes would assume their pronouns based on whether they're reaped as "male" or "female".

- Lilah