Adonis Serrano, 17

District 1 Male

I pulled the string back on the bow and breathed out, focusing on the target. Releasing the arrow, I watched in satisfaction as it whistled through the air and sank firmly into the center of the target. A few younger trainees applauded and I bowed, laughing a little.

"Thanks," I said. One of the girls blushed when I spoke to her.

"Nice job!" my friend Clos said, slapping me on the back.

"Thanks man. I think that was my best session yet."

"Agreed," Clos said. Ever since I'd been announced as 1's chosen volunteer last week, I'd been training twice as often, and it was really paying off. I was doing great. But then again, I always was.

Clos and I headed to the cafeteria, joking and laughing. I'd miss him when I was in the arena, but I knew I'd be back soon. I was ready to win the Games and give my moms and sister everything they deserved. It was true that we were fairly well-off, but Flora would do much better in a Capitol school, and my moms had worked so hard to get to where we were in life. They had earned a life of luxury ten times over, and I was going to give it to them. I was expecting to volunteer next year, but when they announced my name, I felt ready.

"What do you want? Clos asked, pulling out his cafeteria punch card. "On me."

"Thanks, but I'm heading home to eat," I said. "Flora wants to hang out before I have to leave."

"Alright. See you around," he said. I waved and headed for the doors.

District 1 had an old trolley system from before the Dark Days that was still in operation, so I took the trolley home. It was nice, since we lived on top of a hill. I was defintely in shape, but nobody likes walking up hills.

When I opened the front door, Flora ran to greet me, her dark pigtails bouncing. I crouched down a bit to hug her. She was 9, but quite small for her age, so many people thought she was younger; though she was probably more intelligent than all the other 9-year-olds in our district combined.

"How was training?" she asked.

"Great!" I replied. "I got a bullseye on every target."

"Yay!" she cried, offering her hand for a high five, which I accepted.

"What's for dinner?" I asked her.

"Mama is making burritos!" Flora said happily. I grinned. Burritos were her favorite.

"Welcome home love!" Mama called from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon. Go shower first!"

"Yeah," Flora agreed, waving her hand in front of her nose. "You stink.

"How rude!" I scoffed, reaching down to tickle her. She shrieked with laughter and pulled away, racing across the living room. I grinned.

After I'd showered, I came back downstairs to find Mama and Flora setting the table. The smell of beef and fresh tortillas filled the air, and my other mom was squeezing orange juice.

"Hi Adonis," she said. She still had her work clothes on, but she was smiling brightly. "Flora said you did great in training today."

"Yeah, I did," I said, sitting down at the table and running a hand through my damp brown hair.

"Nice work," she praised.

Once the table was set and the juice was squeezed we all sat down to eat. Mom and Mama chatted about work while Flora shared all the fun things she learned at school. I was mostly quiet, just enjoying the presence of my family. I'd miss them while I was gone.

Lumine Bellerose, 18

District 1 Female

I was breathing hard as I dodged a punch from Lace and stumbled back, surveying my options. We'd been sparring for the last ten minutes and while I usually wasn't the best at hand-to-hand, my nerves and adrenaline were keeping me afloat. Lace was bigger than I was, but that also meant she was slower. I could take advantage of that.

I rushed forward and tried to sweep her legs out from under her, but Lace jumped my kick and socked me in the jaw with a padded fist. I fell back again, barely managing to keep my footing. Lace charged me, and I was just pulling my hands up to block my face when someone called my name. We both dropped our fists.

Amethyst Abraham-Solo was the victor currently in charge of the Academy. And she was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, looking directly at me. Lace stepped back as I walked over to her.

"Hello ma'am," I said. "Can I help you?"

"I want to have a talk with you," Amethyst said. "Follow me."

She led me to her office, where I sat down across from her at her desk.

"I'll cut to the chase," she said. "Lumine, you are a very talented young woman."

"Thank you," I said, but Amethyst just held up her hand. Worry filled my gut.

"You were chosen to volunteer this year. But we may have to revoke that decision. Due to your… beliefs, we are worried it won't be safe."

I stared at her for a moment. This was my worst nightmare. I'd worked so hard for a chance to go into the Games and share the voice of the Sacrament, the small religion I and several other people in our district belonged to. Now Amethyst wanted to take back her decision?

"I understand that ma'am," I said. "But with all due respect; are the Games ever safe?" Amethyst made a face I didn't quite understand, and then she laughed.

"Clever answer," she said. "However, I am worried about your family. We all remember the incident with your father."

I took a deep breath. I hadn't considered that. When I was only eight, my father began going door-to-door, spreading the word of the Holy One and promoting the Sacrament. It was not well-recieved, and ultimately resulted in his death, and the death of many other Sacremites.

"I see your point," I told Amethyst. "May I speak to my family before a decision is made?"

"You may," Amethyst said. She stood and gave me a somewhat sad smile. "You are dismissed."

After showering and changing, I began the long walk home. It was dark when I arrived, but I didn't mind. I was always able to watch the sunset, which was something I never wanted to miss. At home, I could hear my triplet sister Dione practicing the violin. She was a skilled classical player and her music was breathtaking.

As I opened the front door, her playing stopped. I stepped into the living room to see my whole family there, gathered on the sofas, as well as Takara. I smiled when I saw my girlfriend, who jumped to her feet and gave me a quick kiss.

"Welcome home dear," my mom said. I tried to smile.

"Is everything okay?" Dione asked. Alsephina, our other triplet sister, looked up at me worriedly.

"Amethyst is worried about me volunteering," I said.

"Why?" Takara asked, guiding me to sit on the couch.

"She's worried about the repercussions it could have on all of you."

We sat in silence for a few moments. I could see the pained look on my mom's face, and it hurt me. And then my older brother Boreallis spoke up.

"You should still do it."

"But what if-" I began, but Alsephina cut me off.

"He's right. You shouldn't give up on your goal because there's a small chance something will happen."

"We're strong," Boreallis said with a smile. "We'll be fine."

Dione and Takara both put an arm around me.

"Do your thing," Takara said. "We're so proud of you." My mom nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," I said. "Now, I'm in the mood for cookies. Anyone want to help me bake?" And the chaos began.

Amethyst Abraham-Solo, 34

District 1 Victor of the 42nd Hunger Games

I ran my perfectly manicured nails over my shimmery purple dress, smoothing it out. With a name like Amethyst, you better be ready to wear purple for every public appearance. My stylists played into the look until I was thoroughly sick of the color. And that was before I went into the arena.

The victors around me were chatting and laughing, but I was struggling to join the conversation. I was worried about our picks this year. On paper, they were pretty much perfect. But District 1 had done terribly the past few years. Regina? Injured in the bloodbath. Helios? Begged to be killed. And the pair from last year were pathetic. Neither of them got a kill. We'd be the laughingstock of the Career districts if Adonis and Lumine didn't do well.

"Loosen up!" my fellow mentor Prosper said, bumping me with his hip. "If you keep frowning like that, you'll get wrinkles."

"Like yours?" Colette asked. I snorted as Prosper reached up to touch his cheek. My former mentor gave me a wink.

Before Prosper could retaliate in any way, the doors to the Justice Building were flung open and a Peacekeeper signalled for us to walk out. I squared my shoulders and led the line, since I was the youngest victor. District 1 was in a dry spell.

Our district's escort, Clio Lang, strutted onto the stage. She was wearing a tight yellow jumpsuit with a plunging neckline and ruffly straps. Her red hair was up in a high ponytail and she seemed sunny and perky.

"Hello District 1!" she said cheerfully. "Are we excited!"

The crowd roared with cheers and applause and I clapped along as well. When the noise died down, Clio continued.

"First we'll watch this little film, and then we'll discover who our tributes will be!" She pressed a button and the screens above us began to play the short film we watched every year. Finally, mercifully, it was over. I still applauded with everyone else, but I knew everyone was glad when it ended.

Then Clio made her way to the girl's bowl. She plunged a hand in and pulled out a slip from the middle.

"Sapphire Spaulding!" she called out. A heartbeat later, Lumine was stepping forward. She raised her first in the air as she spoke.

"I volunteer as tribute!"

Her dark brown pixie cut, which was usually messy, was brushed and slicked back, and she was wearing makeup that made her brown eyes look bigger, and that hid the birthmark under her right eye. Her dress was long and pale pink.

Lumine climbed the stairs and shook hands with Clio.

"I'm Lumine Bellerose," she said when her name was asked. Clio smiled.

"Lumine! What a lovely name. Congratulations."

"Thank you very much," she said. Clio nodded.

"Now let's find your district partner!"

This time, she took her time choosing a slip and I sighed under my breath. It wasn't like it mattered. We knew there'd be a volunteer.

"Sheen James!"

"I volunteer!"

Adonis strode forward, his head held high. Adonis's appearance was an enigma. It was hard to tell his race, and his family was quite mixed. I'd only met his mothers once, but they were quite nice. And they'd raised an excellent son.

Adonis came to stand beside Clio. He took her hand and gently pressed a kiss to the back of it.

"Hello," he said. "I'm Adonis Serrano."

"Adonis! What a fitting name!" Clio gushed. "Now, shake hands you two!"

Adonis turned to Lumine, who's hand was already extended. He shook it as Clio announced their names.

"Panem, I give you your District 1 tributes: Lumine Bellerose and Adonis Serrano!"

Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter! I will warn you in advance; I wrote this with no internet, which means no spellcheck. Which means there might be mistakes. I wrote Anodis and instead of Adonis SO many times. But I think I fixed everything. Thank you to LadyCordeliaStuart for Adonis and ladyqueerfoot for Lumine. I really love these two and had a blast writing them, as you can probably tell from their slightly longer POVs. Anyways, please leave a review and let me know who your favorite tribute is so far! We're more than halfway through the intros!

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona