District 7

Chance Alector

Sleep has been rough ever since we discovered Dara was suspected to be a rebel, and soon to be tortured for information she didn't have. She's trying to act fearless, but I know she's actually terrified. I know I am.

We're running out of time before the Peacekeepers come for her. I think that we should leave the Capitol while we still have the chance, but Dara has shut me down whenever I've tried to discuss it with her. I think she just doesn't want to face the haunting fact that we'll likely be in trouble either way, so she's trying to delay the inevitable. But I won't wait around for her to get killed. We need to get out of here while we get a chance.

I'm not even trying to sleep, even though it's well past midnight. I've been watching the Hunger Games for hours now, even though I'm not really paying attention. The camera is just alternating through sleeping tributes, anyway. Nothing interesting is happening.

I finally decide to stop sitting around. I don't care if Dara thinks it's a bad idea, I will literally drag her out of the Capitol if I have to. I care about her too much to see her get killed by the President.

I switch off the television and leave the couch, going to her bedroom. We're going to leave the Capitol while we have the chance.

I burst open the door, not even bothering knocking. Dara, who is wide awake, sits up her bed and looks up at me.

"Chance? What do you want?" she demands.

"We're leaving the Capitol," I state simply. "Right now."

"What are you talking about?" she gasps.

"We don't have much more time before the Peacekeepers come to torture and kill you. We need to get you out of here."

"Chance, while I appreciate your concern -"

"Will you stop pretending like there's nothing wrong?" I shout. Dara's eyes widen in surprise. I slide onto the bed and grab her shoulders so that she's forced to look me in the eyes. "Are you listening to me?" I demand.

"Chance, your grip hurts -"

"Are you listening to me?" I repeat. She nods. "You're going to die if we don't get out of here. You will. Understand that. We don't have time to waste sitting around, because it changes nothing. If you want to live, we need to leave."

"But we'll get caught -"

"Probably. But that's better than definitely dying, isn't it?"

Hesitantly, Dara nods.

"Okay. Then let's get out of here while we can."

Dara doesn't argue as I pull her out of bed. I allow her to quickly dress, but immediately afterward, we leave our floor on the Tribute Tower. Leon is fast asleep in his room - I consider writing him a note explaining to keep quiet, but immediately decide against it. Leon genuinely likes Dara and I, but he loves the Capitol so much that I think he might rat us out if he gets the opportunity.

Dara and I ride the elevator down to the ground floor in silence. The ground floor is empty, but the moment we step out onto the street, we're bombarded by Peacekeepers.

"Where are you going?" one of them demands. The others grab onto us, holding us in place. Dara looks at me for help.

"J-Just a walk," I mutter.

"At 3 AM?" he asks skeptically.

"Yes," Dara says stiffly. "We couldn't sleep, since we were nervous about Vincent Elm. He's Chance's tribute."

I can't see through the Peacekeeper's masks, but I don't think they're buying it. Either way, they have no evidence against us.

"Well, stay on your floor. We don't want any mentors going missing."

"Fine," I say. "We'll go back to sleep."

The Peacekeeper leads us back inside the building, and doesn't leave until we enter the elevator. The moment the door shuts, I groan and bury my head in my hands.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Dara says. "Did you really think they'd just let us walk out of here?"

"I don't know. I usually can go wherever I want in the Capitol."

"Well usually, you're not suspected to be a rebel."

"We'll just need to try again, another way," I say determinedly. Dara sighs and leans against the wall.

"I guess," she says, with no confidence in her voice. She knows time is running out, and she knows we probably won't get out of here in time. But I won't stop trying.

Time for another super long eulogy!

EULOGIES:

10th: Rachel Ivy (D12F): Skull smashed by Tristana Rockett (D6F) - Rachel was a really interesting tribute, and I was surprised so many people disliked her. She may have been sneaky and untrustworthy, but in the end, she was just doing what she had to do to survive. I'm guessing that it was the contrast between her and a lot of the more moral tributes that made her appear so villainous, but I personally don't consider her a villain. I was glad to see that while she was more unpopular between her and Tristana, some people still liked her and were rooting for her. I actually like her a lot so I was disappointed to see so many people hating her in the reviews and polls. When I asked who everyone would prefer to survive, though, a decent number of you said you preferred Rachel over Tristana, which I was glad about. I was worried it was going to be too obvious who the survivor was and who everyone wanted to survive. I think the vast difference in opinions over Rachel shows how complex she is. I was surprised that so many people thought Rachel would be the one to survive. But in the end, I decided it was Rachel's time to go. Between her and Tristana, she was the less popular one. I also felt like if she didn't have an alliance, she'd end up being a lot like Lennox, and I didn't want to have two very similar tributes wandering around the arena without very many interactions. She didn't have very much potential after her alliance died, since most of her strategy came from manipulating her allies. I think 10th is a good placement for her. Sorry, CallmeLegend, but you haven't reviewed in a long time and didn't respond when I messaged you to check if you were still reading. Despite this, Rachel did pretty well, so if you're reading this (which I doubt) I hope you're pleased with where she placed. I was disappointed we never got to see her kinder side, since she was a better person at home. In her submission, she was described as nice and loving but someone who was willing to do whatever it took to win. I know some of you will be disappointed that Rachel was the one who died, but I'm sure most of you prefer her dying over your tributes. This has become one chunk of a paragraph so I'm going to end her eulogy, now, even though I have much more to say on her. RIP Rachel.

- Lilah