A/N: Hello everyone. I'm putting this A/N at the beginning because 1) I want to get it over with and 2) I want EVERYONE to read it. I meant to put this on the last chapter, but I forgot.

So I thought that this would go without saying, but apparently not. But I don't tolerate disrespect. Now, I encourage my readers to be critical of the tributes and tell me who they do and don't like, because obviously I don't want to keep writing all this stuff with someone nobody likes. However, in being critical, (and again, I thought this was OBVIOUS), I also want my readers to have some respect for each other. I want you to be honest if you liked or didn't like a character, but if you are saying something derogatory or rude about the AUTHOR of those characters, that's taking it too far. I'm saying this because recently I got a guest review from some anonymous coward that didn't want people to know it was them totally disrespectful towards one of the authors. And I'm just telling you now that I will NOT tolerate that. The review in question was deleted as soon as I saw it. Please, just have some decency. Criticism of the tributes is encouraged, but personal jabs at authors? No no no. I didn't think I had to say it, but don't be an asshat to other authors, alright? I don't want any drama to spark and I don't want anyone to be hurt, this is just a fucking story alright? Alright. Sorry for seeming mean but I really don't want anyone to get hurt and I don't tolerate disrespect. -Celtic

-Callum, D1M-

Iridesce is pissed.

I mean, Iridesce was pissed before, she was pissed when Gravity was reaped and an Academy dropout of people volunteered for him. So maybe I was pushing my boundary a little bit. But I have to do this so that I can be independent. Grandma and Grandpa, as much as it hurts to say, aren't going to live forever.

She talked the whole ride up about how pitiful the Career alliance is. She wasn't too thrilled when the 2 boy was reaped. And, unlike Gravity, I think it was pretty obvious that he wasn't the scheduled volunteer. So yeah, Iridesce was kinda pissed. And Mary Catherine was also pretty pissed. I have a lot of proving to do, which is how it's always been I suppose. But now there's even more pressure on me.

My mentor is one of the most intimidating Victors I've ever seen, Gloss Constable. He won his Games with his brute strength, and since then has kept up the image. The Capitolites love him. I want to be like him. Everybody loves him, I bet he's never spent a day of his life feeling lonely.

My Head Stylist, Acrisius, is a short, slightly pudgy man with a navy comb-over and skin dyed green. His eyes are orange, and today his lips are matching. He looks like an alien, almost, a creature almost human but not quite.

"So, you said you are not apart of the Academy?" he asks, scratching his chin.

"That's right," I say quietly as they pluck my eyebrows.

"And you volunteered-"

"Yes, to gain financial stability, I told you."

"No need to be snippy," he says, with a disapproving sigh. "Don't worry about it. When we're done with you they won't be able to get enough of you. You are average at best from the District 1 standard, but you are material we can work with. With a little bit of improvement, they'll adore you."

I nod a little bit, and they sit me down and start to work with my hair.

"The outer District tributes will only dye part of it, but I want you to make a statement so we're going to do the whole thing."

My heart drops to the pit of my stomach. They're going to dye my hair?! A vibrant color!? What if I have to camouflage somehow!?

"It will wash out by the time your Games begins," Acrisius says, "Don't worry." He says it like it's stupid to be concerned for my safety in the Arena. He's so incredibly frustrating to me. But, I do the smart thing and keep my mouth shut. "They're going to be crazy about you," he muses as the room fills with a horrible stench. I almost gag, but stop myself.

They put it all through my hair, rub it into my scalp and I almost want to throw up. It's a process that seems to take forever, but the prep team makes conversation the whole time.

"That girl from 1, she's killer. Like, yaaaaass bitch yaaaasss. Slay me."

"Totally," another agrees, causing me to feel dejected and slightly anxious.

"I'm right here," I remind them.

"Oh, but of course you're better," they quickly add. Acrisius stays quiet throughout, in thought. One of them starts singing a song that's all the rage now in the Capitol, and the others join in. Even Acrisius hums under his breath to that one.

I just sigh and sit still, trying to be polite like Gloss told me. Take it all with a smile, he said. And I do just that. When they're done with my hair, they blow-dry it and drape a velvet cape over my shoulders. They press a needle too close to my eyes for comfort. Then, just like that, they're done. They take me to a mirror and when I look into it I can't say anything, I'm too frozen with shock.

My hair isn't blonde, not even close. It's… Purple. Royal purple, in fact. Bright royal purple. So bright it almost gives me a headache to see my own reflection in the mirror. There's a headache on my head. I'm so bright it almost hurts. And my eyes. They're purple. Just like my hair. It physically hurts me to look at myself.

"You're ready," they say, smiling and exchanging looks.

They guide me back out to the main room. It smells faintly of horses, their breathing steady and gentle. Mary Catherine is patting the nose of a white horse, cooing at it, half watching the horse and half staring across the way at the escort from District 2. Then, she notices us and comes over, her heels clicking against the hard floor.

"Oh, Callum, there you are! You look stunning, of course, wonderful job by your prep team." She smiles at me, her eyes reassuring. "Iridesce should be out in a second."

At the words, I look up at the clacking of heels to see her there. Her once blonde hair is now magenta, and her eyes match. She's dressed royally like I am, her head held high and confident, which adds to the look. When the District 2 tributes come out, she gives them a glare. The girl's hair, once brown, is now a much darker brown streaked with gold, and the boy's hair is certainly more golden than white-blond now. The girl's eyes are truly and completely gold, and they're almost piercing when they lock with mine. The boy from her District… It appears they haven't changed his at all. They're still just as dark as they were before. They're both dressed up in gladiator armor, and now that they don't seem nervous anymore, they look absolutely stunning. They could possibly be stiff competition. Nikko Hollenbeck-Young gives the girl advice. Pit Kensy is picking a fight with a horse. The escort runs off to get her heating pads.

The girl gives me a subtle nod and I turn back around to where Iridesce is mounting the chariot. The girl's hair seems to have made a dramatic change, black with silver on the tips. The boy's hair is still black but with silver highlights. She looks dramatically uncomfortable.

"Callum! Come on, or else the horses will go without you!"

"Oh, right, sorry." I climb on the chariot next to Iridesce just as the horse starts moving, causing me to wobble. I'm pretty okay, until I see the people. Then, my stomach drops with fear and I just feel terrified. I realize how many people there are, how many eyes are on me. I start to shake, uncontrollably, but at seeing how easily Iridesce gets the crowd cheering for her, I put up a hand and smile and wave as best as I can. I keep the smile pasted on, trying to make it look genuine. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Iridesce blowing kisses at the crowd, waving, showing love. I realize that I'm being upstaged, again. I could make it convincing, if only I could stop shaking.

The chariots come to a halt in front of the Presidential mansion, but, for the first time in close to 40 years, President Snow isn't the one talking. It's Joltee Rutilus, one of his top advisors who often makes appearances on TV.

"President Snow offers his deepest apologies that he cannot make an appearance tonight. As we all know, our fearless leader is currently hospitalized for a minor condition, and he fully intends to be back where he belongs for the 85th Hunger Games."

The crowd applauds wildly, and Joltee raises a hand to silence them, just as effective as the real president himself doing the action. "But, he wants everyone to know how much he cares, and that the celebration of the 84th annual Hunger Games should not be put on pause for his sake alone. So, we begin our festivities with a tribute to our very own President Coriolanus Snow. Cheers." He raises a glass up high, and everyone else applauds and cheers wildly, the crowd shouting exclamations such as "We love Snow! We love Snow!" and "Get better soon! Get better soon!" Joltee claps with them, the big screen showing a smile across his golden lips that hides malice behind it.

"So, tributes," he spreads out his arms to all of us. "We welcome you to this place. To our home. We welcome you to the Capitol. We hope that you enjoy the time you spend here as you prepare to make your Districts proud with your participation. And, before 23 of you make the ultimate sacrifice in the values of District love, courage, and honor. We welcome you to this celebration of you and what you have accomplished, and what you will accomplish. And we wish you well. May the odds be ever in your favor."

The crowd applauds, and I wait and listen desperately for at least one "Callum!" in the crowd. I can't hear any on my side. Maybe on Iridesce's… I can only hope.

Our horses start to move again, and take us back to the main room in good time. Then, everyone dismounts, and the tributes have some time for talking.

"Well Callum, you did volunteer, so I suppose that you can work your way into our Career alliance, but only if you prove to have what it takes." I swallow hard and nod.

"Let's go find the group from District 2," she says. By the time we reach the Two chariot, the boy is already gone.

"District 1," says the girl, putting her dark and golden braid back over her shoulder. "Maggie Blackstone."

"Iridesce," she says, shaking her hand.

"Callum," I say, doing the same.

"You're only 16," Iridesce observes, crossing her arms.

"Don't count me out because of my age," she warns.

"Alright," Iridesce says, her now magenta eyebrows raising.

Maggie balls her hands into fists. "I trained. I can fight."

"I believe you," says Iridesce. "And I want you. Let's go talk to the two from Four."

"My District partner didn't seem interested in joining the Careers. I think it's dumb of him."

"He'd have to be really fucking impressive if he wanted to join us anyways," Iridesce says certainly. I nod. It's best to let her take the lead, I think.

"Let's go to the Four tributes," I suggest. Iridesce nods, and we start walking past the three tributes to the 4 chariot. We catch the 4 girl after having talked to a couple of outer District boys. When we get to the Four chariot, we look behind us and notice that Maggie's gone missing, lost within the chaos of tributes. We find her talking to Santana Villanueva, one of the co-Head Gamemakers. We keep going.

"Hello," says Iridesce to the Four boy. He looks up at us, his now sea green hair matching his now bright blue eyes.

"Hm? Oh, hi."

"Collin, right? I'm Iridesce. This is Callum. We're from-"

"District 1. I know."

"Well, we're gathering fellow Careers, so-"

"Oh. I don't think I'm going to go with the Careers," he says, suddenly becoming extremely awkward. Iridesce exchanges a deadly look with me before looking back at him. Up close, I notice his tan skin is decorated with black tribal tattoos.

"Oh." Her voice is coated with annoyance.

"Maybe Serafina Anya would want to, but…" She seems to be making friends fine on her own. The girl comes back over, shuffling in her mermaid outfit. Her figure is highlighted by the tattoos they put on her, and we get a good view of her breasts, only covered by seashells. I try my very best not to stare.

"Careers, correct?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but I think I'm looking other places for allies." She glances back at some of the other girls she was talking with.

We're approached by Diesel Bundren just then.

"Ah, here we have our mighty Careers," he says, coming over and putting a hand on Iridesce's shoulder. "My, don't you all look lovely?"

I feel like the embodiment of a headache. We all shift awkwardly, and he gives us all a seemingly well-intentioned smile.

"Good to see you," says Serafina Anya, breaking the ice. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to come down and get to know my tributes better, of course!" He pats me on the back. "We want to play to your strengths after all!"

Iridesce gives me a look, that implies: and weaknesses.

"So, we have… Iridesce, Callum, Collin, Serafina Anya, yes?"

We all nod and he beams. "Wonderful. So, Iridesce, Callum, has my baby sister been treating you well?"

"Yes, she's been very good," I offer, trying not to quiver in my boots.

"Oh, Mary Catherine is a love," says Iridesce. She seems to know how to charm. "She's done everything to make me comfortable, I couldn't have been blessed with a better escort."

"Well, that's good to hear! And the mentors, eh? I must admit that I myself was not immune to the wave of adoration for that Gloss Constable when it came 'round. Granted, I was young, quite young, but still. And that Niesha Varlett, she surely is something, isn't she? Kind of fell out of the limelight quickly, but she has to have a reason for mentoring two years in a row after she won."

"Yes, the mentors have been helpful," Iridesce says. "They've really given me helpful guidance."

"Yeah, they're really nice," I add, planning out every word as carefully as I can. I can't control the nerves I feel, this is so important that I make a good impression…

"And you from Four, how have you enjoyed Hydra? He's certainly a character, isn't he?"

"He seems to have pretty high expectations for us," says Serafina Anya, "But he's certainly been a help."

Collin nods in agreement, his eyes glazing over to look at the other tributes, maybe looking for an escape.

"And your mentors? Who's there for you, Donovan and Annie, correct?"

"He's been very… Honest," says Collin. That seems to be true about the 77th Victor.

"Annie's doing her very best," says Serafina Anya with a small smile.

"She's a fighter, of course. Well, good to see then, good to see."

Santana Villanueva comes over just then, holding a clipboard. "There you are," she says to Diesel, before turning to us. "Sorry for any trouble he's caused."

"Oh, he hasn't been trouble at all," says Iridesce. She really knows how to talk smoothly, and something in me is insanely jealous of that ability.

"Well, I'm Santana Villanueva. And that's Diesel Bundren. And you are the Careers?"

"Er, no," Serafina Anya says. "I was going to find more options."

"Me too," mutters Collin awkwardly.

Iridesce scowls. Diesel raises an eyebrow, his bright ice blue eyes boring into me.

"Oh, interesting. So, what about the Two tributes then? Maggie and Vidarr?"

"Maggie is with us," says Iridesce. "And I intend to scout out other options."

"Interesting, very interesting." Santana writes something down, Diesel looks interested.

"Well then, why did you all volunteer then? I'm… Particularly interested…" He glances at me and my heart drops to my stomach nervously.

"I volunteered to get honor for my District and family, and for myself," says Iridesce. "I came to win."

"Mhm."

"I wasn't supposed to volunteer," says Serafina Anya, "But the girl in the one spot dropped out and I was up. So I volunteered for my family and my District."

"Mhm," says Diesel, Santana taking notes.

"I was chosen. I'm doing it to honor my father who died in a boating accident, and for my little brother Tel."

"Very good," Diesel muses, Santana flipping her page. His eyes meet mine. "And you, Callum?"

"Er…" He knows, dammit, he knows. They all know. I thought they wouldn't, but they all know. They know I shouldn't be here, they know Gravity should've been here instead. They all know. I start to panic a bit, and take a shaking breath.

"I r-refused to be alone," I say. "I ended up with k-kind of a shitty lot, and I needed this to prove myself and gain independence. I need it, I'm g-gonna get it."

The others all glance at me and I really wish I wasn't panicking right now. I swallow hard. "Excuse me."

I turn around and quickly retreat back to my room.

I thought I could pretend I belonged here, I thought I could pretend my volunteering was planned. I thought people would think I was supposed to be here, not Gravity, but nobody was fooled. I'm nothing. I'm not a star, or a winner, I'm nothing, I'm just Callum.

I'm nothing, and by the end of this week, I have to be everything if I even want to have a chance.

I go to my room and shower, and I'm thankful when I can finally climb into bed and cover up.

I take deep breaths, staring at the ceiling in the dark. When I close my eyes, I see flashbacks of the reaping, of Gravity's green eyes boring into me, of Iridesce looking at me with disgust, my purple eyes, magenta eyes, judgmental blue eyes of Diesel…

I have to prove that I can be something.

And now, my life is on the line.

~.~.

-Serafina Anya, D4F-

I haven't been able to connect with my District partner.

Collin is quiet and introverted, he very rarely speaks unless he has to. He hasn't taken to my positivity, he seems pretty disconnected. I suppose it's not good for me to try and get him to let me in, as various Games in the past have demonstrated. It's probably better that I don't connect with him. It'll be much easier to hear his cannon that way.

Hyrda is extremely helpful and polite, and he treats us well. However, he has kind of been pushing his Victor mindset on us. He was pretty disappointed when we both revealed that we weren't intending on traveling with the Careers. I guess he thought this year the four tributes would be taking over with the absence of the good Two tributes. I still don't trust them, though, and I never wanted to be a part of the Careers. Collin apparently feels the same way. He says he doesn't want such a big alliance, which I understand as well. I mean, he can't even connect with one person, let alone five.

The train ride is slightly awkward. I had a chat with Annie, my mentor. She won the 70th Games, but was never the same after watching her District partner be beheaded. She doesn't mentor if she can't help it, but she has to be thrown into the mix every once in a while. She spoke quietly, timidly, she refused to meet my eyes. I never truly wanted to volunteer, and now I feel even more afraid.

I just have to get home to my friends and family at this point. I wish I hadn't felt the pressure to volunteer. I wish I wouldn't have volunteered. I wish I could've been above the peer pressure instead of having a moment of weakness like I did.

Annie will never be the same because of her Games. And neither will I.

We're escorted down to be fawned over by our prep teams. They talk the entire time as they change everything about me. They don't leave my eyes or hair or eyebrows the same. The cover my face in make-up. They put tattoos on my stomach and do everything they can to make my breasts appear symmetrical (newsflash for you, buddy: boobs aren't symmetrical on anyone, okay!?) short of surgery. They do nothing to give me any kind of coverage up top, talking about how beautiful and strong my body is. They dress me in a mermaid tail that binds my legs together so I can't walk, I have to shuffle and hop. When I look in the mirror, I don't see Serafina Anya. But it's going to take someone a lot stronger than the Serafina Anya from back home to get out of the Games alive.

My prep team escorts me out to meet the rest of the crew from District 4. Collin looks extremely uncomfortable in his mermaid outfit. Instead of brown, his hair is dark blue and streaked with green. He doesn't look a thing like himself.

"Hey Collin," I say, trying to raise his spirits, even if only a little. "Some crazy outfits, huh?"

"Yeah," he sighs, crossing his arms. "They say that this is what it takes to get people to like me."

"It's not just you," I say. "We're all here to look a little ridiculous and make them smile," I say optimistically.

"We have to lose our identities to become like them," he mutters, staring at the ground.

I sigh a bit. "You're impossible. I think this is a night where we should try to forget our situation and have fun for once. Relax."

"I'm not relaxing until I'm home again and Tel is in my arms."

Collin has to use the railing to mount the chariot, and I copy him. He doesn't look at me, instead looking at the silver District 3 tributes in front of us. The doors open and I hear the cheering of the crowd. District 1's chariot takes off out the door, and the others follow. Soon, ours takes off into action after the Three chariot.

The crowd is screaming and cheering as we go. I put a smile on my lips, deciding to use what I've got to make the crowd cheer. I beam at the crowd and wave, making eye contact with people in the front and hear cheers of my name. I smile brighter at knowing they really love me, that I'm making a good impression on the people, they really like me, I have a chance.

Next to me, Collin is not waving, not smiling. He's stoic and tough-looking, which draws just as strong of a reaction from the crowd. I catch a rose that was thrown at me and kiss it before holding it up, causing everyone to cheer and yell for me. It sends a wave of positive energy through me, causing me to smile bigger and wave bigger, smiling.

The chariots return to the main room. I pat the horse's nose in thanks before Collin and I separate to talk to other tributes. We decided early on to avoid allying together.

I approach the tributes from District 6 first. The girl is quick to leave and retire back to her chariot, but the boy sticks around. He's young, 15, but looked confident.

"Hey."

He looks up. "Hi there. My, don't we have a pretty lady here?" He smiles at me and I smile back, laughing a bit. He's a funny, cute kid.

"Thanks," I say. "You're Amari, right?"

"That's right. And you are… Er…"

"Serafina Anya. Nice to meet you. I'm from District-"

"Four. Of course. You little mermaid princess."

I laugh. He's surely a charmer.

Another tribute joins us just then. It's the boy from District 10. "Hey," he says.

"Hey," I say casually. "What's your name? I'm Serafina Anya, and that's Amari."

"I'm Raoul," he says. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," we both say.

"These outfits sure are ridiculous," I say, laughing a bit. The attention of both boys are drawn to… Not my face. They both nod, though.

"All these horrible District stereotypes," sighs Raoul, glancing up despairingly at the cowboy hat he has to wear.

"Isn't that the truth?" I sigh, glancing at the mermaid tail that I can barely walk in.

"But that's okay. Anything for sponsors, right?" Amari asks, sighing.

"Yeah, true."

There's this kind of awkward silence between us, and I don't think I'll be talking to either of these guys again.

"I have to go, but maybe we'll run into each other later."

"Maybe…" they both say. I nod and leave them.

Before I can move anymore, I'm picked up by the tributes from District 1 and brought to a conversation with the two Careers and Collin. I have to tell them and the co-Head Gamemakers that I'm not going to join the Careers. Luckily, Collin is in the same boat (ha) as I am, which somehow makes it easier because I'm not the only one. The conversation is long and awkward, and I know that Iridesce isn't happy that we volunteered and aren't begging on our knees to join the Careers. The conversation drags on until Callum is put on the spot, and surprisingly, the boy from District 1 panics. He forces out his reason for volunteering and then quickly stomps away, excusing himself.

"Well… Golly, I hope he's alright," says Diesel. He doesn't sound too incredibly genuine.

"Thank you for your time," says Santana, giving Diesel a nod before she walks away, and he follows. I say an awkward goodbye to the others and quickly go to the closest group of tributes, the girls from 9 and 12.

"Hey!" I say, causing them to look up.

"Hi," they say.

"I'm Wren, this is Karima."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Serafina Anya from District 4."

"Nice to meet you too," says Karima, clutching her bunny. She notices her District partner with the girl from 10 and hops off to meet them, pulling a stuffed bunny closer to her as she goes.

"You volunteered, didn't you?" asks Wren.

"I did, but I'm not going with the Careers." I look at her fiery braid, dyed red and orange and black.

"Oh, I see. You're 17 though, right?"

"Yes, that's right." I can't say I remember much about him.

"I'm 17 as well," I say.

"Oh, cool. I need an ally that can look out for me."

"Let's meet up in training," I say. "Maybe we'll end up hitting it off after all."

She smiles a bit. "Yeah. Okay. Sounds good to me." I return her smile. The two of us shake hands before we're caught by Diesel and Santana.

"Well well well, hello there ladies. Serafina Anya, a delight to see you again. Wren, correct? You look lovely. How's the search for allies going?"

"Not committing to anything yet," I say, giving him a bright smile. Diesel's eyes light up as he laughs and pats my shoulder.

"Me neither, my girl. I don't commit either."

Santana rolls her eyes. I thought they were engaged… But I guess that's none of my business.

"Well, either way, you'll have to pick one somewhere down the road." He twists the engagement ring around his finger. "I know you'll figure it out. Wren?"

"I'm still not sure," she says politely.

"Well, my friend, you've got time to figure it out. But not too much." He laughs and pats Wren's back. I laugh with him. Wren looks much more upset, not hiding her fear nearly as well.

"We'll see you later then," says Diesel, "Good luck, ladies!" He and Santana leave. Wren makes a face when they leave, causing me to laugh.

"I'll catch you later, Wren." She nods politely.

I turn around and go. More of the tributes are retiring as the time for communication runs out. I go up to my room, washing the ink off my skin.

I need more time to figure this out before the Games come… More time, time, time…

Time that I don't have.

A/N: Sorry if this chapter was eh at all, I did it while watching Parks and Rec so I was kinda distracted XD I hope you enjoyed it anyways, though.

Alright, so some people have been asking questions of the Silhouettes tributes, so keep it up! That's fun and helps me to get to know the characters more.

Thanks for being encouraging, as always, hope you like this chapter.

Chapter Question: Which of the other tributes would you like to see chatting with the Head Gamemakers?

As always, let me know what you thought, and if there's anything more you want to see. Thanks for reading!