I'm finally done with finals.

Here is chapter two.

Submit!

Why did you leave me?

Why'd you have to go

I was counting on forever

Now I'll never know

Jada Mastiff

CEO of J&A Media

Life is cruel, isn't it?

It's funny how something that is so fragile holds our everything. We exist in the presence of a whim. A simple chance that we just happened to fall into. We also leave on a whim as well. Because in a moment, everything can change. One minute your twin is alive and everything was a normal day, and the next day you wake up to a phone call saying she's dead.

My heart still stops when I think about those words. Dead is such a permanent verb.

This is just a dream, Jada. I think to myself. This is just a dream.

I was brought into the world with Amber. We've never been separated since. We've talked every day, we saw each other everyday, we do everything together.

Did everything together.

"You okay?" ask Katherine. "Well, I mean obviously not okay, but are you feeling good enough to fake strength?"

Katherine arrived at the Capitol a couple of hours after I found out about Amber. When Amber took over the Capitol, and Cassidee was able to come home, all of us just kept in contact with her. After leaving thirteen she moved back to District 1. We've been great friends ever since.

"I don't even know the meaning of the word strength anymore, Kat," I say placing my head against the back passenger window of the car we're in to go to the ceremony. Katherine sits across from me, and places a hand on my knee and gives me a weak smile.

"I won't lie to you and tell you that the pain ever goes away. It doesn't, and it's going to sting like a bitch every day. Eventually, you'll learn to live with it, though, and after a considerable amount of time, it'll still suck."

As weird as this sounds, that was the most comforting thing anyone has told me since Amber was killed two days ago. Everyone keeps rubbing my back and telling me that it's okay. Employees from our office keep bringing me food and telling me that they'll understand if I need time off. But I don't need all of that. I just need to hear the truth. Katherine has never sugar coated anything, even when you wish she would.

"Thanks," I say taking her hand in mine.

The car pulls into the parking lot of the funeral home, and my heart sinks down. Today isn't just the day that I say goodbye to my sister forever, no because that would be too easy. Today is the day that I become a mom. I'm taking my niece Adela because I was asked to be the Godmother. I remember when they asked me I laughed for a good five minutes. I hate children! There is no reason I should be trusted with any of them, ever!

"Nothing will ever happen to us, obviously." I remember Amber saying, "But just in case I want her to have the best."

Now that the best is dead, what happens to this child? And that's not even the only thing, in Panem, when a President dies they name their heir. I always imagined it to be Adela because she was supposed to be big when her mother died, not two. I know it's going to be me, and I don't know if I'm ready for that responsibility yet.

The driver opens up our car door and Katherine and I get out. The media swarms us with questions as we walk through the crowd and towards the building, and Katherine has to push a reporter down because she won't let me past.

"Honestly, she's burying her sister today!" screams Katherine at the lady who bows her head in shame. As she should. They all should.

We get to the door of the building but I can't bring myself to push it open. Katherine comes next to me and puts her arm around my shoulder. She reaches out and pushes the door open and leads me in. The room is bright colors. There are blue flowers everywhere, and bright green and pink walls. Ribbons fall from the ceiling and the chandeliers are bright orange.

"Well this just screams inappropriate," says Katherine looking around the room in disgust. "This is a funeral for crying out. Not a kindergarten classroom."

We walk into the ceremony room and walk past all of the important bigwigs in Panem. All of them here to pay their respects to the late President and all of them here to push their agendas on the new one.

We take a seat on the first row and sitting in two coffins with the lids closed lie my twin sister and brother-in-law. There is a giant portrait of their family standing in front of the coffins. Just incase we forgot what she looked like like she hasn't been blasted all over the room.

Adela stands at the portrait and stares at it. She's in a black dress. She looks sad like she has seen more than a two-year-old should have. And she has, the poor girl has. If the news wasn't talking about the murder of the President, they were talking about the fact her toddler daughter is a new orphan.

"I heard she found them." says someone behind us on the second row. "Poor child hasn't said a word since. Can you imagine being that young and waking up to dead parents?"

The funeral director comes into the room and works his way to the front. He stands behind a podium and clears his throat. People that were talking and conversing with one another quickly find their ways to their seat as he starts the ceremony. All except for Adela, who stands at the portrait still. She reaches out and touches her mother's hand and frowns as it doesn't grab hers back.

I walk up to her and bend down putting on a smile. "Hey sweetheart, come sit with Aunt Jada. They're about to start the ceremony for mommy and daddy." she turns to me and sticks her arms out for me to pick her up. I lift her up and make my way back to the seat next to Katherine. Cassidee is standing in the doorway in the back of the room making sure the paparazzi can't get in. She waves to me as I make my way back to my seat. I nod my head to acknowledge her.

"We are here to celebrate the life of Amber Mastiff. Fourth President of Panem, sister, mother, wife. We are also here to honor the life of Richard Drax. First man of Panem, father, husband. Let us have a moment of silence for the two." says the director as he bows his head.

I somehow have managed to convince myself today that everything is just a terrible dream. That when I wake up this morning I'm not going to be a mom, a siblingless person, or President of Panem. But in the moment where I listen to this speaker give my sister's eulogy, and in the moment where I see her casket go into the ground tears well and fall from my eyes. For the first time, I have to acknowledge that I'm not asleep. That this is my reality, and I'm never waking up from this nightmare.

And we begin to understand

The things in our past

That led us this far

That shows us the path

And we start to learn things we never knew

Like the storms don't always pass

The sky isn't always blue

Katherine Farrow

District 1 Resident

Jada asked me to come with her to the reading of her sisters will. It's a big day for this country. It's a big day for everyone really. It's been awkward at the funeral. I want to mourn my friend, but I feel like I need to be there for Jada. She's destroyed on the inside. She's having to learn for the first time that her life can no longer be lived in codependency. She's having to be strong on her own for the first time.

How can I be selfish and not be there for her?

"Thank you for coming to the reading of the will." says an old man with glasses on. The Mercay lineage is not something that is in great heaps anymore. Very few people are sitting in this room right now, but we all know that no matter what your relationship to Amber was, everything is going to Jada and Adela. "Amber has written a copy of her final will and testimony as written in our law book. What this President orders is final on all counts, and may not be repealed."

He adjusts his glasses and clears his throat as he opens up a black binder that sits on his lap. Adela and Jada sit in a giant armchair in the center of the room, and I'm standing behind them tracing the leather of the chair. Cassidee stands against the door again, and there are a few more people I'm not quite sure what they're there for.

"I. Amber Mastiff, being of sound mind and body, leave this as my last will and testament." begins the man as he reads with a loud clear voice. "She wrote a letter that she would like me to read," he says.

It's weird being in my twenties and asked to write a will. This whole taking over the world thing requires a lot, huh Jada? You're probably not laughing right now, because if you're reading this I'm gone. But when we were 16 we made a very important vow to each other, and that would be to seek vengeance on a corrupt leader that ruined our family. We decided that we were here to seek justice that was never given to us in the first place.

Jada, at 24 years old, I just took the office of Panem. We accomplished our goal.

I'm proud of the woman you've become, and I'm so excited to see you again. Because if I learned one thing about us, it's that nothing can keep us separated.

Your sister,

Amber

Jada laughs as she cries listening to the letter, and the man begins to read the will.

"To my daughter Adela, I leave a trust fund that you will be able to access at 18. This was an amount that me and your dad set, and we want you to be a good person. So don't blow it all on makeup and clothes. I wish nothing but the best for you, baby."

"To my friend Cassidee," continues the man, "I leave you your sparkly black dress that I stole when we were eighteen. May the memories of parties and the thoughts of happily ever after leave you remembering me with this black dress. I also leave you my diamond necklace. Wear it with pride, boo."

"To my sister Jada, I leave everything in the Presidential mansion. I give you full ties to whatever you need to sustain yourself, and all that you need to provide for my daughter. I leave you all of my money, all of my clothes and jewelry other than the necklace, and all of my shares at J&A media."

The room is full with buzz now because Amber didn't leave the presidency to Jada. This was something that we all thought was a for sure thing. As the room gets quiet and Jada turns to me looking confused, she reaches up for my hand.

"To Katherine Farrow, my beloved friend. This may come to a shock to many people, but I see so much in you. I respect you for all you've had to go through, and I really see you as the most impressive person I've met. With that being said, I leave the Presidency and all of the privileges that come with it, to Katherine Elaine Farrow of District 1. I ask that you honor my last will with Jada and allow her and Adela to live in the mansion as it's the only home they know."

"I'm sorry...what?" I ask confused.

Jada stands up with Adela in her hands, and for the first time in three days since Amber died, I see the relief on her face. She sticks her hand out and smiles at me. "Congratulations, Ms. President."

Slack-jawed I watch as multiple people swarm me asking questions about what happens next, and when will we make a press release. Cassidee breaks through the crowd and grabs Jada and I and rushes us out of the room. We make it to a room in the corner of the building and I'm all the sudden very lightheaded.

"I'm so glad it wasn't me," says Jada very pleased with Adela's face in the crook of her neck. "I just didn't think I could do that."

"What the hell just happened?" I ask again

"You're President of Panem, Kat," says Cassidee.

Well, there you go! Here is chapter two. I'm sorry if this isn't as nice as the other chapter, but there is always a subplot in my stories and not everything can be a thriller you know ;).

Also, Amber took office at 24. She wasn't married and didn't have a kid. She obviously edited the document for Adela, but I doubt she thought to add to the letter because she didn't see herself dying anytime soon.

I have so many plans for this, but I can't do it without you guys! Submit a tribute! Tell a friend to submit! Tell your mom to submit! I don't care. Just give me some good characters.

Keep it classy,

Caleb