A/N Now onto one of my favorite districts, District Four. There are so many different perspectives to choose from in this one! Last SYOT, I had one of a dirt-poor, rebellious girl from the outskirts. But now it's time to explore the separate society of Careers that also exists there. So I present Fehlix Khouryn from BecauseofKillianJones.

Khouryn Family:

Pihlar Khouryn (44)

Ceshar Khouryn (46)

Fehlix Khouryn (18)

Pahloma Khouryn (15)

Bianiz Khouryn (18)

Jonathany Khouryn (2)

Fehlix watched his line bob up and down in the blue, choppy water.

He was grateful for the stillness. The dock, which stood right in front of his family's house on the water, provided him with much needed silence. He ran his fingers up and down the rough wood and stared down at his bare feet, which dangled above the water. The water was just starting to get warm enough for him to take Jonathany in, he thought. The boy was two years old now.

The dock was still close to enough to the house, though, that when the kitchen window was open, he could hear the clattering of dishes. His mother was probably cleaning up from breakfast. It had been a good one. A feast because this was Fehlix's last Reaping. Dinner tonight would be a good one. They would probably stew some salmon with that delicious sauce Bianiz made so well. His father would complain that the salmon was overcook and Pahloma would spend the whole time giggling about how her boyfriend had gotten all dressed up for the Reaping. Fehlix would probably sit his son in his lap.

"Jonathany, no!" A voice, probably Bianiz, called from inside the house, above the clattering of the dishes.

Fehlix sighed to himself and laughed. What was the boy up to now? Let Bianiz or his mother take care of that. Both of them were so patent, where he was not. Yes, if there was one thing he was lacking, it was patience. Truly, he was not much of a father. He knew that fact well. He just wasn't that type. Jonathany had come as a complete surprise. And what sixteen year old wouldn't be surprised? Now he was eighteen and changed some, yes. But not really all that much.

He watched a seagull taking flight over the shallow waters of the bay that the family's house was situated right next to. Maybe someday it would set in that he was some little kids' father. That the kid's life depended on him. He did love his son, of course. They had the same black hair and handsome looks. He was satisfied with Jonathany. Not like how his father was with him.

That was Fehlix's greatest fear. That he would end up to be just like his father.

The man never smiled. Fehlix new he did not smile much either, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Ceshar was never satisfied with anyone or anything. Least of all, his own son. Most of Fehlix's memories consisted of him being scolded or being given a disappointed look by his father.

Ceshar was one of the most well-known men in their part of the district. He, along with his wife, owned and operated a small hospital a short walk away from the cottage. Of course, no real medicine could be had. All of that was in the Capital. But Ceshar and Pihlar, Fehlix's mother, did what they could with what they had. And in most cases, that was enough. Both were intelligent and very much respected. Both expected their children to follow in their footsteps. And yes, Pahloma probably would end up at the hospital. Not because she was particularly bright or anything. She just wasn't one to question or change anything.

He, on the other hand, would likely never work in that place.

Fehlix knew that his place was in a training center, like the huge underground one being run in his district. How else would they have become nearly as respected in the Games as One and Two? Sure, it was technically illegal. But for Fehlix and for many other young men and women like him, the center was everything.

It provided an escape. An escape from Fehlix's own less than perfect home life. A short escape from his baby son, born to parents far too young to assume responsibility for him. At the center, Fehlix didn't have to listen to Jonathany's cries and worry about becoming failure as a father. At the center, he didn't have to deal with Bianiz latching onto him like a barnacle to wood. Or Pahloma's ever annoying giggling.

Or, worst of all, his father. Just seeing the man felt like a dark cloud starting to hover over his head.

He loved the clanging sound the swords made when they hit against each other. The feeling of driving his knife into one of the dummies filled him with satisfaction and provided an outlet for all that pent-up frustration. Was it healthy to convert that frustration into stabbing dummies with real knives? Well, maybe not. But it worked.

Sometimes Bianiz would come with him, if his mother was around to watch the baby.

Bianiz was a different person during training. At home, she was clingy and over-emotional and a whirlwind spinning around, trying to keep her son under control or fix a meal or help out in the hospital. But when she followed Fehlix to training,she was as calm as can be. She had every bit as good of an aim with the knives as he did. Oh, and that look her eyes would get when her knife hit the target…

It was in the training center in Four where they had fallen in love.

As Fehlix steadied his hands on the fishing pole, he thought back to that day. They had been fifteen years old and both at the top of their training group. Sure, Fehlix knew who Bianiz was. His young trainer, Denizard, often complemented her and shouted out praise. So Fehlix took notice. He saw how her golden hair would swish in that ponytail of hers and how she would bite her lip in the cutest way when she was concentrating. What really drew his attention was when her deep blue eyes filled with steady focus on her target. She was determined, that girl.

When he got to know her better, between water breaks and sparring together, he learned that she was ever bit as ambitious as he was. She, too, had parents who were less than supportive of her goal. Well, she only had one parent and that was her father, who didn't care what she did, really. Bianiz felt overshadowed by the new women he had met and was planning to marry and betrayed in that he was just forgetting about his wife of fifteen years, who had died.

They bonded over their plans to leave it all behind, in the hope of a better future.

The months flew by and the two became regular sparring partners. Since they both threw knives as their weapon of choice, they motivated and coached each other on the side. And finally, Fehlix got the courage to ask Bianiz to come down to the beach with him and take a walk. They talked about their plans.

Eventually, they had a whole strategy world out.

They both would spend hours every day training. Then, at age seventeen, Fehlix would volunteer himself for the Games. He would join the Career pack and hold his own against the kids from One and Two. But he wouldn't be a leader or particularly intimidating. Not yet. When the Careers had been weakened, perhaps at least two killed off by mutts or other tributes, he would take on the rest, riding on the success of the pack as a whole to get him through the first part of the Games.

Then, after killing the rest, he would emerge as the victor.

Bianiz, however, would not be satisfied at just him winning. No, sharing a house with him in the Victor's Village meant nothing to her. She wanted to win to. She would not stand to be in anyone's shadow. And Fehlix loved his fearless, determined girlfriend for this. She would adopt another strategy, this time choosing to go her own way rather than with the Career pack. Bianiz planned to hide and lay low, despite the fact that she was a volunteer. Then, she would strike. Bianiz, when she wanted something, would fight with every ounce of life in her until she got it. The glory would not be shared and divided between the two of them.

It would be multiplied.

The plan was foolproof. Or so they thought.

It happened when they were sixteen. Bianiz had turned sixteen only four days before. It was a balmy, still sort of night with a full moon. They had spent the evening walking on the beck when Fehlix suddenly blurted, high on the beautiful weather and his own emotions for Bianiz, that she should come spend the night with him. Spend the night. That was how he put it. His parents were working late shifts at the hospital and Pahloma was fast asleep already. And Bianiz accepted.

Fehlix knew something was wrong right when they had finished. Yeah, it had been amazing and everything he hoped for and all that. But something felt really wrong. Not physically or anything. He just felt some sort of a change. A few weeks later, Bianiz told him she was pregnant.

And so Jonathany came into the world.

Fehlix had not gone to the Games last year. He had a baby boy to take care of and a girl, who now lived with his family, to take care of. Bianiz had moved in shortly after she became pregnant. The two planned to marry in a few months, after they turned nineteen. For some reason, that seemed an acceptable age.

By some silent agreement, neither of them talked of the Games anymore. Fehlix still went to training and still threw knives. Bianiz joined him on occasion. Sometimes their trainers would ask them what their plans were. But they stopped asking a little while ago, when neither of them could provide an answer.

By now, the annual Reaping was merely something that was finally coming to an end.

They had no special plans for this year. Jonathany would be left at home with the parents and Fehlix and Bianiz would have to walk with Pahloma, who always got over-emotional on Reaping Day to the ceremony. Then they would come home and have a nice meal. Maybe he would take Jonathany out to the water with Bianiz. That would be nice. The Quell didn't change much. Only that there would be no volunteers. So maybe some scrawny kid would get picked or some brawny guy from training who had put in his name the maximum times possible from tesserae.

It didn't matter to Fehlix. He hadn't put his name in any extra times.

The dreams and hopes he and Bianiz had shared for the Games had been in another time entirely. This was now. This was reality. No more time to fantasize about crowds screaming his name or his face on every screen in the country. He had resigned himself to a quiet life taking care of his young son and fiancé and inheriting the hospital from his father.

Except, well, maybe not completely.

The truth was, Fehlix still held onto his old ideals. It was far too hard to simply throw away everything he had worked so hard for. The Games had been all he had ever thought about for years, besides Bianiz. It was impossible to get rid of those thoughts completely. He could not control those thin, quick shadows that crossed his own mind. Yes, he lay awake many nights, listening to the crashing of the waves outside his window and imagining himself in the arena.

This was all he had ever known.

It was then Fehlix noticed that he had been sitting out on this dock all morning and hadn't caught a thing. Bainiz would probably be on him the minute he walked in the door. His father would be none too pleased either. Well, that we the equivalent of saying that the sun had risen.

He sighed and reeled his line in.

At that moment, he heard the sound of clumsy feet smacking the dock in a sprint. He recognized those frantic footfalls as quickly as anything. This was a reflex to him by now. His sister's pounding feet shook the entire small, rickety dock so much that Fehlix worried he would fall into the water. It was no wonder the girl never went to train like he did. She would trip off the platform as soon as the Games started.

"Feeehlix!" She called. "Oooh Feeehlix!" Her voice was high and whiny, as he had always remembered it being.

She skidded to a halt right next to him, her caramel-colored braid whipping behind her. For such a clumsy thing, Pahloma was surprisingly delicate-looking. There was no doubt that she looked very feminine, almost the epitome of what a guy wants in a girl, looks-wise. Just curved enough to keep things interesting, but small enough to make him look bigger. Probably why that boyfriend of hers had picked her. Yes, the Khouryn family had never been short on good looks. But looks seemed to be all that was going for this annoying creature.

Pahloma had the intelligence of a clamshell. She was probably the single most naive girl on the planet.

"What is it, Lo?" He used his pet name for her, more in an attempt to annoy the pest back than anything. Amazingly though, she never seemed fazed by this. Actually, she always seemed thrilled with whatever attention Fehlix seemed to be giving her, even if he was just telling her she better step back from the target range or his knives could kill her instantly.

She grinned widely. "You'd better come in, Fehlix. Bianiz wants to head to the Reaping now. After, she says she's going to use that flour we still have and we're gonna make some cakes for everyone! You know, to celebrate that it's your last year and everything. Maybe I can meet up with Asher too!"

Fehlix rolled his eyes. "Pahloma, can you ever shut up about that guy?"

Pahloma giggled and tossed her hair. "C'mon. There's no more time for you to sit around and mope. You need to get dressed up! What if the camera goes on you? You'll be on television across the country! Can you imagine?" She got a far-off look in her eyes.

Little did she know, he certainly could imagine it. He had spent his whole life doing that.

But ah. That was finished now. It was time to finish things up with this Quell and watch an entire family get sent away. Probably someone he didn't even know, too. And it was far better that way. He would watch the Games with Bianiz after they had tucked Jonathany in bed. Or maybe they'd let him watch. Conditioning starts young, his trainer always said.

Conditioning. What a word for it all.

He pulled himself up and followed Pahloma down the dock, watching the water gently lap at its barnacle-covered sides. They hit the sandy land and climbed the old wooden steps that went up to their whitewashed house with its blue shutters and violets in the window boxes. The hospital was just around the corner, a long and low metal structure that was more makeshift than anything else. But it was clean and organized, thanks to his parents. Even if they didn't have any real medicine.

As they walked back to the cottage, with their feet slipping in the sand, Pahloma chatted the whole way. She twirled a strand of her caramel colored hair and went on about how she and Asher were going to take a romantic walk on the beach or something. And did Fehlix have any tips for romance? And how did Bianiz know when he was trying to "make a pass?" And where on earth did they put their noses when they made out the way they did?

Did the kid have any sense what day it was today? No, Pahloma obviously thought nothing about how a whole family was going to have to fight for their lives. And, though the odds were so small, wasn't she even slightly scared about her own family's fate?

He grimaced and grunted the whole way up the sand dunes.

They reached the cottage door, with its path leading up made of crushed shells. Bianiz stood at the door, the breeze rippling her light, ankle-length turquoise skirt. She was wearing a pretty little white blouse and balancing Jonathany on her hip, who was sucking on his fingers.

She pressed the boy into his arms and Fehlix breathed in the little-boy scent. Like the freshness of the sea itself and something sweet and the faint smell of Bainiz's homemade perfume. Jonathany relaxed in his arms. Woah. It was pretty incredible to have someone who loved him and depended on him like this. He gently kissed the top of his son's head. No, he was not going to treat this kid the way his dad had treated him. Jonathany was perfect and Fehlix would be proud of his boy, no matter what.

He gently lowered Jonathany to the ground and caught Bianiz smiling at him. "You're so good with him, Fehlix," she said softly. She said this to him often. It was like he needed to be reminded that, yes, he was capable of being a father, even though he was hardly more than a kid himself.

His mother appeared at the door, coming from the family's kitchen where she had surely been making some sort of herbal remedy. She wiped her hands on her apron and nodded at her children and her daughter-in-law.

"Where's Dad?" Pahloma piped up. For some unfathomable reason, she and her father had some kind of bond. Fehlix could never comprehend why, seeing how flighty and shallow Pahloma was. Well, his father saw something in her because he frequently mentioned her running the hospital. Like Fehlix was some driftwood in the room and not really there at all.

Their mother sighed. "He's still at the hospital, cleaning some things up. He's got a man in there with a nasty broken leg that needs setting right away, so I think he'll be excused from showing up at the ceremony right away." It was clear from her dismissive wave of the hand that she, like her daughter, was not thinking of what today really meant.

"You all go on. Walk together, all right? Today is a day for families, like it or not. There are so many people that I want you all sticking together, got it?"

They nodded. Fehlix knew his mother could be very assertive when she wanted to.

"I'll take Jonathany, dead." She said to Bianiz. "You just walk ahead with Phaloma and Fehlix, all right?" She scooped up Jonathany from the floor. His golden hair caught the glint of the sun and Fehlix felt a swell of pride in him. His boy was going to be a looker, just like the rest of the family. Jonathany frowned for a moment, confused that his father and mother were both leaving. He extended a hand, reaching out for them.

Fehlix waved at him. "We'll be together again before you know it, Jon-Jon."

Jonathany wiggled his fingers to wave goodbye. "Bye-bye!" He called, a smile on his face.

As soon as they were several yards from the cottage, Pahloma burst into giggling. "Jon-Jon?!" She laughed. "My Fehlix is not one to come up with cute little nicknames, now is he?" She laughed some more and her eyes shone brightly. "What, has Fehlix gone soft?"

"Shut up," he mumbled.

Bianiz only laughed and laced her fingers into sandals seemed to only barely touch the ground and her long hair whipped behind her in the ocean breeze. Bianiz always seemed so free and at ease. Even when she threw knives, she made it seem like some sort of dance. Not the way he threw his, with such force the entire target wobbled.

They walked on as the read began to widen and more people followed them to the city's Square. Occasionally, Fehlix spotted someone he knew from school or training. There was Livia, the black-haired girl with the fierce glare who probably would have volunteered this year, if it weren't for the Quell. And Remus, the boy with the big brown eyes who sat next to him in class and was the son of the Head Peacekeeper.

They filed into a line in front of one of the tables, to get their fingers pricked and to verify that they hadn't cowered and run away. The woman at the table jammed a needle into the fleshy part of each kid's finger and huffed loudly whenever someone winced.

To Fehlix's utter shock, Pahloma stepped right in front of him to get her finger pricked. And she didn't even blink when the needle went into her finger. He was still shaking his head when it was his turn to get his blood put on the little piece of white paper. Sometimes Pahloma surprised him.

Pahloma eventually scurried off to meet up with her friends in the fifteen-year old girls' section. They took one look at Fehlix and Bianiz together and burst into giggles, whispering and laughing to each other. They reminded him of a flock of seagulls.

Bianiz squeezed his hand tighter. "I don't want to leave you," she sighed. "But I guess I have to go now, don't I?" She pointed her head towards the eighteen year old girls' section. Her brown eyes looked full of worry, which was an expression that Fehlix did not want to see on her pretty face.

"Oh, you'll be all right. It's our last year, remember? We just have to get through this, Quell or no Quell."

Bianiz nodded firmly. "You're right. And after this is over, we'll get through these next few weeks somehow, like we always have been. And I guess this means no more daily trips to that dingy underground target range." She rolled her eyes and smiled.

Fehlix nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." He shrugged. "Well, I will just see you later then."

"Okay."

"Okay."

They parted their ways and Fehlix walked to his place in the eighteen year olds boys' section with his hands shoved in his pockets. The boys around him looked around with serious expressions. Very unlike the curious and jerky movements of the younger kids. This was their last year. They knew what to expect and they knew that for them, this would be over soon. All of the recent events hadn't changed all that much, like people thought they would. Sometimes Fehlix did feel confused about it all, though. He couldn't quite make sense of any of it.

Why had two victors been allowed last year? And multiple ones this year, too?

President Snow did not seem like the generous type. Fehlix mulled this over in silence, tuning out the sound of the ceremony starting and the same video that was played every year starting again. He fixed his thoughts on last year's Games and all that strangeness they had brought with them. "Turned the nation upside down for just a moment", his mother had said. He remembered her saying that as she leaned over their worn out couch to watch the screen.

Turned it upside down. If only for just a moment.

For some reason though, Fehlix just could not shake the feeling that the moment his mother was referring was not over yet. Oh, not at all.

"Hey, Fehlix." A thick voice, coarse and taunting leaked into his ears. The ceremony was in full swing with the mayor giving a speech and the citizens shuffling their feet in anticipation. The voice was soft, and so no one turned a head to look at its source. Fehlix didn't need to either. He knew where it was coming from.

"What is it, Cyrus?" He groaned softly.

Cyrus had trained with him since they were small. He was a large, brutish type of boy. Just the kind suited to fit that Career stereotype. In fact, if it weren't for the Quell, Cyrus would have probably volunteered. He might have won, too. The boy could handle a machete well. Fehlix had seen him at the training center looking bitter and slashing at dummies wildly. He had missed his opportunity to go, unless he put his name in the bowl the maximum times or something. But he had a little bother at home, no more than ten. He wouldn't make the boy come to the Games and likely die. Or….well, Fehlix would put nothing past Cyrus Nestor.

Cyrus's blue eyes and their familiar cruel glint in them. He sneered at Fehlix. "You mad you couldn't volunteer this year?"

Fehlix tried to appear nonchalant. "Nah. I got the kid at home and Bianiz and I are talking about a wedding. It would just be too much, you know?"

Cyrus snorted. "Too much? Aw, come on, Fehlix. You're just a coward. That's why you didn't volunteer last year when you knew you had the chance. Everyone knows that was your plan in the first place." He tossed back his black hair. "But everyone also knows that you backed out cause you're a coward."

He couldn't help it. Fehlix felt every fiber of his being fill with rage. He took a long, deep breath to calm himself. Keeping his voice steady, he told Cyrus the truth.

"I am no coward," he said firmly. "I never have been and I never will be. I do not run from anything. I did not run from the Games. I knew that it would take a hell of a lot of courage just to hold myself down and stay at home. It ain't easy taking care of a baby and a girl who depends on you. That's not a job for cowards. I would just like to see you try it, Cryus."

That shut the brute up faster than anything.

And Fehlix was glad.

He watched as the escort, Antonius Velour, strutted onto the stage in a metallic gold suit that made Fehlix cringe. Antonius walked toward the Reaping Bowl, which was absolutely huge because twice as many names had been put in it as the girls and boys had to be combined this year.

Fehlix did feel a little sinking feeling that he could not shake, seeing all those names in that bowl. The odds were so low.

He gritted his teeth and planted his feet firmly into the ground. What the hell was he thinking? He had a kid and a fiancé at home to take care of. Now was not the time for stupid dreams like that one. He only had to get this over with and then go home. And pretend the last six Reapings had never happened. Like all the adults did.

He busied himself staring at the past victors onstage, with their range of expressions from anticipation to terror.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Antonius thrust his hand into the bowl. The man dug around for just a moment, dangling his hand as if to keep everyone's suspense. Which was probably exactly what he was intending to do, the sadistic man.

The crowd's breathing seemed to stop as he pulled out a single, pure white slip of paper and opened his mouth to call the name.

"Fehlix Khouryn!"

The Goodbye Room

The whole way up to the top room of the Justice Building, Fehlix and Bianiz had kept their hands entwined.

They had walked up the stairs with their fingers laced and their heads held high. Despite all the staring. Fehlix grabbed her hand and held her close to him. "Just look straight ahead," he had told her. "Just keep looking right ahead of you."

He had been so overwhelmed with emotion that talking to Bianiz actually helped him keep calm. His mind had been so jumbled up with thoughts screaming at him from way down inside his head. His chest had felt like it was pounding so hard he would fall down for sure. But they had made it.

Now, his mind was still racing. Adrenaline was pumping through him, like the Games had already started. Here he was, having secretly hoped this day would come for years. But now? Now that it finally had come, he would do anything to wish it away. This was not how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to have gone into the Games alone and win them for Bianiz. Then she would go in and have her own moment of victory.

Now his entire family was coming along. His heart seemed caught in his throat. What did that mean for him?

It meant that they would be fighting together. He and Bianiz would be together and would take down anyone who stood in their path. That much was clear and this he had faith in. But what of the others? His mother would surely die. She could not pick up a weapon, let alone kill someone. His father might be better off with this sort of thing, but Fehlix knew the man could neither run nor climb. He might last a night, but not much further. Pahloma would not last an hour. She would run to him and seek his protection. And what if he couldn't offer it?

And Jonathany. Oh, Jonathany.

He could tell from Bianiz's grief-wrought face, sitting in stone cold silence on the chair next to him, that she was thinking only of her baby. And the fate that awaited him. Jonny was two years old. Two. His third birthday would not be for another three months. He could barely walk or talk and the only pain he knew was the pain of his mother being away from him for a few short seconds. What did he know of death?

Fehlix reached his hand out and put it on Bianiz's knee. She made no movement to show her acknowledgment. So lost was she in thought of her baby boy.

"We will protect him, Bianiz." Fehlix said softly. "I will carry him in my arms the entire time, if I have to. Nothing will touch him because he had me in front of him. You have my word. And my word is as good as anything, okay?"

She nodded, her eyes brimming full of tears. "I know you will Fehlix. I know you would do anything for your family. That's why I love you." She shook her head, a tear making its way down her pretty cheek. "Oh, Fehlix! That's not why I'm crying. It's not that I don't trust you. It is only….I'm afraid it won't be enough."

He offered his shoulder for her to cry on. This was all that could be done. Because that was the very thing he was afraid of, too.

"I trust you, too," Pahloma's voice suddenly wavered. It sounded so soft. So unlike her usual loud, chirpy sound. She had her hands folded in her lap and her legs were crossed tightly. Her large brown eyes met with his blue-green ones. She stared at him with a steady gaze. "I have my full trust in you."

Fehlix looked at his little sister. She confused him so. All the way up to the Justice Building at to this tower room here, Phaloma had followed behind him and Bianiz silently. She had not walked close to them or asked for comfort. Pahloma had not shed a tear. Her face only wore an expression of steadiness as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. All the way, she had tread on silent footsteps. For once, she had not tried to be noticed by someone. ''

Here was his sister. The girl who wore a smile bright as the District Four sun in July every time she was around him. Here was the girl who laughed and swung her feet over the dock and thrust her arm around Fehlix when she thought he wasn't looking. He always was. And he always quietly removed it from his shoulder.

"Why, though?" He choked out. "Why do you trust me like that, Lo?"

Her eyes widened. "Because you're my brother. We're family, Fehlix. You're a really great father. And you are a good brother, you are!" She smiled at him. Really smiled at him. Even though they were in a strange room getting ready to be sent on a train that would take them to a strange place where she, at least, would probably die. The girl most likely had about four days to live. And she was smiling!

His face burned hot. Why did she have such a twisted view of him? Why did she think he was so great?

He finally decided to get an answer. "Pahloma, why do you always say stuff like that, huh? Why do you like me so much anyway? What did I ever do to you?"

She shrugged. "Not too much, actually. Oh, but I don't mind. I understand it, really. You think I'm annoying and I know I am to you. It's just because you're my big brother and I love when you smile at me. However rarely that might be." She stared down at her hands. "At now that we're in such a scary situation, since you're my brother, I know you will do anything you can to protect me. And that's enough for me."

Bianiz looked at her and then back at Fehlix. "We will do this together."

Pahloma nodded, her face finally lifting from staring at her hands. "And I know I don't really have much to offer to help our family. But I will give whatever I have for us." Her voice sounded steady and unwavering. She was so so sure of herself. So sure of Fehlix.

And Fehlix wasn't sure about anything.

The door of the room opened and two Peacekeepers led the rest of the Khouryn family inside the room. The proud, strong Khouryn family. How out of place they seemed here in this place, being dragged inside by men in uniforms with glares! It certainly did not seem right. Ceshar Khouryn, the proudest man of them all, was staring at his boots. Too afraid to look at his own wife. Pihlar Khouryn, her face usually so calm, now had swollen eyes and a vacant expression. She was in shock. Jonathany sat in her arms, looking around the room with curious eyes.

He reached for Bianiz. She gently took him into her arms and kissed the top of his head. "Oh, Jon-Jon. My little Jonathany." She kissed him again.

Little Jonathany had no idea what was going on around him. He was content to sit in his mother's lap, accepting all of her affection. He stared up at Fehlix with big blue eyes. His eyes seemed to have a serious look to them. Like a deep understanding beyond his years.

Fehlix's heart sank. Even this little two year old seemed to be telling him that he depended on him.

Ceshar stared down at his son. His eyes were steeled and cold. Fehlix hoped that his eyes would never look like that. Ah, but too late for such a hope. He knew very well that his eyes were exactly like his father's. The only difference was their color. Ceshar frowned deeply. "Well, this is what you've been training for, haven't you? I guess you got your wish, boy." He growled low in his throat and shook his head.

At that moment, Pahloma sprung up from her seat. "Stop it!" She shouted. Her hands clenched into two fists by her side. She met her father's eyes and stared him down defiantly.

Fehlix was confused. Pahloma had always been their father's favorite. He had spoiled her because he saw something in the flighty shallow thing that Fehlix had never seen. For some reason, Pahloma had been given affection by their father. He had talked of giving her the hospital, even though Fehlix knew as well as anyone that Pahloma's only thought of the future was spending it with her silly little boyfriend. She was content with her place as their father's favorite. Content with her place as the favored one, sometimes with both their parents, who could not understand their son's want to go to the Games.

Yet here she was. Proving him wrong another time.

"You live him alone!" She shouted. Bianiz and Fehlix's mother seemed to snap out of their vacant looks from the outburst. And so Fehlix had to be grateful for Pahloma for that. She crossed her arms in anger. "Fehlix did nothing wrong, Dad. He only wanted what was best for his family and he still does. He didn't want to go to the Games, not after Jonathany was born. Of course he didn't! That's why he didn't volunteer. He was brave enough to stay at home!"

Ceshar looked at Fehlix. He seemed to be trying to get a closer look at his son.

"Yes," Pahloma went on. "Fehlix is the bravest person I know. And it's about time he got acknowledged for that."

The room was silent. Everyone stared at the girl in the center. Only, she in turn was only staring at her brother. Her brother who couldn't meet her eyes for the life of him. Bianiz took his hand in hers and set Jonathany's hand on theirs. "Thank you," she said softly.

Ceshar cleared his throat. "All right."

That was all he said. And it was enough.

Fehlix stood up. "Okay," he said. "Okay. We need a plan. A strategy. I say we stay away from the Career pack. Unless any of you is feeling particularly desperate for supplies. But honestly, I think Bianiz and I can handle it. We have been training for years."

He directed that last sentence at his father. And the man actually nodded. "You and Bianiz fight with every ounce in you, boy. You get me? I don't have much skill with weapons, but I do know enough about one plant from another. I'll be in charge of keeping you all fed and keeping whatever injuries you have in check. We all have to put in something."

Fehlix's mother went from looking like she was in shock, to looking like her old self. Her old self full of ideas and plans. "Yes, I'll help your father with supplies and medicine. I'll personally take charge of food preparation."

Pahloma stood up taller. "I know what I can do. I'll take care of Jonathany and make sure he doesn't cry or anything so we can stay hidden. I'll carry him the whole time if I have to," she echoed Fehlix's earlier words. "You can count on me." She smiled.

That was when Fehlix realized how extraordinary of a girl his little sister could be. All those times she smiled at him. Those times he'd been so angry because she was smiling in such an awful time. Like earlier today. That was just Pahloma's optimism. The girl could hope through anything.

Huh. That Lo really was something after all, wasn't she?

"I trust you, Lo." He said. And he didn't say it softly, either. "I trust you because you're family."

Pahloma rushed over to him and thrust her arms around his neck. She squeezed tightly and he could feel a tear slipping out of her eye. She was terrified. But she was still standing and smiling and embracing him. And maybe there were different kind of courage, besides just throwing a knife at an enemy or winning the Games.

One thing was for sure. This was one family that would not be backing down.

Fehlix lifted his arms and returned his sister's embrace.

A/N There's an even longer Reaping for you all, just in case that last one left you wanting more. 5,000 words and counting, people. And this one was 6,00o. Sheesh.

Again, thank you for your support. Spread the word and make me smile! Well, I'll smile anyway. I'm just a smiley person like that. Gosh, I love Pahloma. I don't know why, BecauseofKillianJones. I just was. Excellent submission and I loved writing for this family!

Thank you to all of you who put up with my slow updates. Again, high school takes a lot from me and I love school, so I do try to do well in it. :) I also love writing and all of you guys and I won't let you down. I have some fun things planned for this here story. Mwhahaha…

Please let me know what you thought! Kat loves you all!