trials

My feet tap against the floor. Anxiety is finally getting to me. District 1, who I now know as Glimmer and Marvel, has already gone. Cato and his partner, Clove, have also come out, too. District 3, Loki and Mars, have already exited. Then went District 4, North and Zara, after them was District 5, Jace and Cyra, then District 6, Roth and Sidra, and finally, District 7, Chet and Jezebel. Finally, it's our turn.

"Clay Jenkins."

I squeeze Clay's hand one more time before letting go. He takes a deep breath before standing and walking forward. He's still shaking a bit. "Clay." The boy looks back, and I offer him a weak smile. "Good luck." Clay smiles back, and enters the room.

My breathing is heavy as I wait for my partner to exit the room. He staggers out, looking worn, but pleased. I stand up and rush forward. He pulls me into a hug. "I did it. I got them to look at me properly." I smile and congratulate him.

"Leilani Oakwood."

Breathing deeply, I steel myself once again and walk through the hall. My hands are shaking, but that's my only sign of weakness. Before I walk into the training room, I look back at Clay. He offers me a small smile and I go in.

The doors slide shut behind me. I walk up to stand in the center of the room. I can feel the Gamemakers' eyes on me. "L-Leilani Oakwood, District 8," I say quietly, stuttering my name out. I can see a few of the Gamemakers coo and admire how "adorable" I am. I frown and turn away, grabbing a hatchet angrily.

It flies from my fingers, and I see it sink into the left shoulder of one of the dummies. I frown; not good enough. I pull another one from the stand and toss it again. It lands in the side of the ribcage. Another lands in the leg. I frown. None of them are kill shots. I'm doomed.

I swallow harshly and bow. "Thank you." Before they can say anything and before I can see their reactions, I walk out of the room, keeping my head high. But as soon as I exit the room, I run up to Clay and start crying.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," he soothes as I sob. "I'm sure you didn't do as bad as you think you did."

Pulling away, I wipe away my tears. "I missed with three hatchets. Three. Not one, not two, but three. I have no chance," I whimpered. Clay tried to find something to say, but he couldn't find the right words. He just held my hand and brought me up to the room.

{ may the odds be ever in your favor }

Marvel, District 1, with a score of 9.

Glimmer, District 1, with a score of 9.

Cato, District 2, with a score of 10.

Clove, District 2, with a score of 10.

Loki, District 3, with a score of 7.

Mars, District 3, with a score of 5.

North, District 4, with a score of 8.

Zara, District 4, with a score of 6.

Jace, District 5, with a score of 2.

Vie, District 5, with a score of 5.

Roth, District 6, with a score of 5.

Sidra, District 6, with a score of 4.

Chet, District 7, with a score of 6

Jezebel, District 7, with a score of 3.

I hold my breath as Clay's face pops up on the screen. He squeezes my hand tighter and his breathing is shaky. Cecilia and Maret lean forward in anticipation. Cloud pulls a cigarette from his mouth, and Simba steals it, tossing it away.

Clay, District 8, with a score of 9.

I practically scream in joy as I hug Clay. He's laughing in relief and he hugs me back as we wait for my score.

Leilani, District 8, with a score of 4.

My heart falls. I got a horrible, horrible score. I start crying again; I knew I'd done bad, but getting a 4? I had to have been one of the worst scorers there. Clay rubs my back soothingly as I cry. Simba kneels in front of me and pulls me into a comforting hug.

Cecilia attempts to cheer me up by saying, "Well, look at it this way. You've got a good opportunity tomorrow during the interviews."

I shake my head. "No, I don't, Cecilia. I'm not a people person, I'm too damn naïve and caring for any sponsor to support me." She frowns and lets Simba hug me, falling silent. Even she knows a hopeless case when she sees one. "I'm done. Let them kill me," I say quietly.

"No," Clay cuts me off. "I won't leave you behind. Either we're both getting out or I'm dying with you."

Wiping tears away, I protest, "Clay, don't you dare. I won't let you die. I'm not going to drag you down." He doesn't say anything after that. He just steals me from Simba's arms and holds me.

{ may the odds be ever in your favor }

The next day comes quickly. I'm still in a daze after the events of the pervious day. Simba dresses me and styles me on his own. He's ordered the Prep team to let us be as he makes me look good for the interviews. The only conversation that the two of us have is when he tells me to look up or raise my arms or to do something that makes his job easier for him to do.

"Close your eyes," he says as he does my hair. I obey, losing myself in my thoughts as he styles my hair nicely. I don't know how long he's playing with my hair. Hours, minutes, seconds… but when he's finished, Simba orders, "Open."

The girl in the mirror looks nothing like me. She has pale, flawless skin. Her eyebrows are thinned out and her hair is wavy. Her blue-green eyes shine, popped by the light makeup on her face. In her wavy hair is a tiara made from red ribbons. I want to cry. All of Simba's hard work won't do anything to save me.

I hug him again. He kisses my forehead. "Look at me." I look up at him, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. He shakes his finger in my face. "No. No crying. Smile, Lei. Smile and show the Capitol that you are strong."

Always faithful. Always strong. Always courageous.

I haven't been very strong lately. I realize this as I hug Simba. "Thank you," I mutter. "Thank you." I pull away, with a bright smile on my face. "I'm going to be the strongest Tribute you'll ever see from District 8."

He nods, a smile worming its way on his face. "That's my girl. Now, when you get out on that stage, show them that you're determined to win, but be sweet and be honest. All in all, be yourself. That's going to win."

I grin again. "I never wanted to be anyone else, Simba. Thank you." He strokes my hair and hugs me once more.

{ may the odds be ever in your favor }

The interviews are going fantastic. Glimmer is playing off as a sexy young girl, depending more on her looks than her personality. Marvel is, I must admit, funny and open. Clove and Cato are both equally arrogant, and I roll my eyes, ignoring the rest of Cato's interview after the first question.

I hug Clay quickly, not letting go of his hand as I'm escorted onstage, his hand falling from my grip as we're separated. "And here's the girl whose giving and caring nature won you over from her Reaping, Leilani Oakwood!"

As I walk onstage, I smile, pausing at the entrance. I look back at Clay, who sends me an encouraging smile. I walk forward, seeing Caesar Flickerman sitting down. He has a smile on his face, and I walk over, almost tripping. I laugh at my klutziness, feeling a blush wash over my face.

Caesar stands, and shakes my hand, inviting me to sit down. He starts with his question almost immediately after I settle into my seat. "So Leilani, tell us, why did you volunteer for that little girl?"

I smile warmly and nervously play with my hair. "First off, Caesar, please call me Lei. It's a mouthful to call me Leilani. As for why I volunteered, you said the reason yourself. She's a little girl. She's a good friend to my little brother, only twelve. I wouldn't want to be in her position if I was her age. That's really why."

The blue-haired man laughs. "Well, darn! I thought it was because of your so-called relationship with your partner."

"W-With Clay?" I ask incredulously. I have to laugh. "No, no, no, I'm sorry, you've got it all wrong. We've never even spoken before a few days ago." I laugh nervously. "He's the only friend I've got in the arena now."

"Aw, well everyone thinks you two are adorable." I blush a little, laughing along with Caesar. "Then I have to ask if you have anyone back home? Or anyone at all that you harbor special feelings for?"

My eyes widen, and I pause. "Wow, hard question, Caesar." I frown a little, putting my finger to my chin as I sigh. Only two blue eyes flash in my head. I recognize them immediately as Cato's eyes, the ones that he used to pin me with a fierce gaze after the Tribute Parade, the ones he used to look down at me and tell me that I was doing better than he'd expected. "Well, I don't know. But I know I won't be able to tell him, even if I was sure of my feelings."

He frowns a little and leans in closer, as if asking me a secret. "Two more questions; why aren't you able to tell him? And who is he?" he asks, speaking quietly into the microphone.

I shake my head, laughing, and lean in as well, speaking into the microphone. "Well… based on my training score, I have about a very small chance, if any, of surviving. I wouldn't get to tell him. As for who he is… I'm afraid I can't tell you. After all, he's someone who's watching this right now."

Caesar laughs good-naturedly and throws his head back. I smile; I'm actually rather enjoying this. "Your partner volunteered for your little brother. Did you say anything to him before you left?"

Now this confused me. "To Clay…? Why? He came here with me."

The crowd laughs, as does Caesar. Suddenly I feel stupid, and my face flushes a deep red once more. "No, sorry dear, but I'm talking about your little brother," Caesar repeats, this time so I can understand.

I pause again, folding my hands neatly over my dress and biting my lip. After a few moments, I quietly ask, "Caesar, did you know I'm one of four kids?" He shakes his head. "Well, all three of my siblings came to visit me, and I promised them all the same thing. I promised them that I'd try to win. And I'm going to try."

Once again, that seems to win the crowd. They give me sympathetic looks as I realize that there are tears running down my face. I quickly look to the side and wipe them away before Caesar asks, "One last question. That song that was sung at your Reaping, when you and your partner volunteered, what was that?"

Smiling, I reply, "That's a lullaby from District 8. It's a lullaby called 'Safe & Sound', one that used to be sung at… at funerals."

"Aw…" Caesar coos. "Would you mind singing it for us?"

I nod. "Sure. But I don't sing very well." I take a deep breath and realize that Panem is watching. Myre had always loved this song as a child. "Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be all right. No one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound…"

{ may the odds be ever in your favor }

Unable to sleep, Cato finds me on the roof again that night. I stare out at the city again as I hear footsteps behind me. I still have his jacket on over my pajamas, zipped up to protect my tiny figure from the cold. I don't turn around. I can tell it's him. "Hey there, Cato," I greet quietly.

"Hey there, Lei," he replies. He moves forward and looks out on the city with me, leaning against the rail as well. "Nice interview."

I grin a little. "Same to you." The noise from below is deafening. The Capitol people are celebrating the start of the Hunger Games. "They make me sick," I deadpan. "They're cheering for our deaths." Cato's hand lands on mine. "I'm not going to play their sick game."

Cato looks down at me. "You're going to have to."

Shaking my head, I look up. "No. I don't have to. It's not a situation with no choice. I've made my choice this time. I'm going to die and I know it. But I'm going to show the Capitol that they have a reason to fear the Districts."

"I guess you've got a point there. Just be careful, okay?"

I laugh dryly. "Cato, this is the Hunger Games. I can't be careful while running for my life. I only have Clay to depend on."

He shakes his head and turns me around to face him, his eyes boring into mine. "Not true. You've got me, too, Lei, don't forget that."

I frown a little. "Cato, you're a District 2 Career with the second highest score and an amazing chance at winning. I mean, your odds are one to one. Mine are fifty to one, as much as I don't like to admit it."

"Listen to me. Lei, I am not going to let you die." I try to stutter something out, but Cato shakes me, and puts a finger to my lips, his stare practically burning through my skull. "You listen. I swear to you that at that Cornucopia, I will watch you and make sure that you don't die."

"Cato…"

He shakes his head and shushes me again as I try to speak, try to talk some reason into him. "No. Listen. Don't talk. There's just… I don't know, something about you. If we'd met under normal circumstances, I'm pretty sure that I'd have passed you up, to be honest. But I guess it's because we're in the Hunger Games. But I can't watch you die."

Before I can say a word, Cato's lips are on mine, even if only a moment. He pulls away, and I stutter out a few words that are complete nonsense. But Cato understands my message of shock. He just kisses me again, this time a little longer than the first.

He pulls back slightly. "You see? This is why I can't watch you die."

I frown a little, but kiss him lightly. "Cato, you know that once we're in the games together, your entire group will be trying to kill me. You know that we…" He shushed me, and hugged me to him. "Cato. Only one of us would win. You and I are… an impossible feat."

"But Lover boy and Fire girl are? That's not fair. Lei, forget the Careers. Forget that we're in the Games. Forget…"

I cut him off this time. "Cato. You listen now. To be honest, I'm also really, really attracted to you. You've never done anything to wrong me, but I can't yet say if my feelings for you are so solid like I hope they are."

He nods quietly, clearly understanding the severity of what could happen if we did go through with a relationship. "I'm still not going to let you die. I said I'm going to do my very best to keep you alive. And I will. I promise, Lei.

Frowning, I grab his hand. "You know that I have to look after Clay as well. We're District 8. We look out for each other."

Cato thinks for a moment. "Well, he did get an amazing training score. 9, right?" I nod quietly. "Hey. Hey, I've seen you train. You're amazing, just as amazing as your partner, and you know it." I smile at his warm words and nuzzle my face into his shirt. He wraps his arms around me again, and I feel safe. I feel safer than I do in Clay's arms. He tangles one of his hands in my hair and rests his other firmly on my back. He nuzzles his face in my hair. "So this will be a secret for now?"

I nod against him. "Yeah… for now. But… please, Cato. Don't forget that I care about you. I don't want to watch you die." He begins to say something, but I continue, "If anything happens to me in that arena tomorrow or the following days, and if I'm beyond your help, run. Just leave me and run."

"I won't, and you damn well know it," he growls protectively. He pulls away and kisses my forehead. "Get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for the both of us," mutters Cato, resting his lips against my forehead.

I nod slowly and kiss his cheek. "Goodnight, Cato. I… I'll see you tomorrow." He nods, a small, gentle smile on his face. He squeezes my hand softly before letting me go back to my floor. "Hey," I call before closing the elevator doors. He turns from the city to look at me. "You need sleep too. Don't stay out too late." He nods, not saying a word as the elevator takes me down to my floor.

{ may the odds be ever in your favor }

The blue-haired Caesar sits back down, the good-looking teenager with a broad grin sitting right next to him. "So Cato, you come from District 2?"

"Yeah, that's right," Cato replies, nodding proudly. "I'm real excited to be here."

Caesar makes a surprised face and laughs. "Well, that's good to hear! Why are you excited about these games?"

The blond shrugs, a smirk plastered on his handsome face. "It's an honor for me to represent my District." That wins people over as the Capitol people begin to cheer for the young Career. Clearly, he's already a favorite to win.

"So you're a fighter?"

Cato nods, one of his legs crossed over his other. His foot is twitching, he seems to be almost irritated that he has to be here. "I'm prepared. I'm vicious. I'm ready to go." He hopes it's over as he continues to be grilled by the host of the Hunger Games Interviews.

He answers all the questions with relative ease, but when Caesar asks one specific question, he has difficulty answering. "Do you have anybody special in your life?" The people of the Capitol, especially the females, hold their breath as Cato struggles to find the right words to answer.

"Yes. Yes, I do. Although by the time I get out of that arena, I'm not sure she'll want to be with me. You know, I'm not sure if she'll even be able to be with me. But like the Games, I'm going to try," he answers, hoping that he won't be asked who she is. But Caesar does ask who she is. "Well… I can't give a name. But she's beautiful. She's got this long blonde hair that just fits her perfectly, and every time I see her, I just want to protect her with everything I've got."

The entire audience practically swoons, and Cato knows that his mentors won't be too happy with his answer. He'd left a bit of mystery, but he knows that Enobaria and Brutus aren't dumb. They'll realize sooner or later that the girl he likes is one of the Tributes.

More specifically, she's the District 8 Tribute, Leilani Oakwood. She's the girl who captured the hearts of the Capitol with her nature and her song. She's the girl who made a promise to her siblings.

Cato Falkner likes Leilani Oakwood.

{ may the odds be ever in your favor }

The morning of the Games is hectic and stressful. Clay and I are saying tearful goodbyes to Woof and Cecilia. She winks at the two of us. "I'm rooting for the both of you," she whispers. She smiles before turning away, and I can see tears in her eyes. She doesn't want to lose us.

Woof grabs onto my hand, and I smile at him. I hug him softly. "Thank you for everything, Woof."

He pulls away and grabs onto a piece of my hair, his eyes boring into mine. He smiles slightly. "You win," he says softly. "You fight, an' you win." I can tell that he's not just making me promise. He's going to be rooting for me.

I nod. "I'll try, Woof." I turn and grab Clay's hand as we walk towards the hovercraft. I pull away from Clay as he takes a seat near the exit. I walk over and sit across from Cato, who sends me a tiny, reassuring smile. I grin and blush, looking away from Cato, whose smirk only grows.

"Give me your arm." A Capitol woman grabs my arm and sticks a needle in it. I squeak a little in pain as a small, glowing object snakes into my arm. I whimper as she pulls the needle out. Clutching my arm to my chest, I look over at Cato, who only winces slightly as the needle is jabbed in his arm.

The entire flight is silent. All twenty-four of the Tributes are lost in thought. I'm thinking of whether or not I should follow Cecilia's advice. She specifically told both Clay and me not to run towards the Cornucopia. But at the Cornucopia will be food and weapons and things that I'll need to survive. I nudge Cato's foot with my own, and his eyes shoot up to meet mine.

I smile at him and he subtly moves his hand to place it over his heart. In the Districts, that's a silent way of promising someone something.

Seeing the hand over his heart, I make the decision to run at the Cornucopia. I know Cato won't let me die. I mimic his gesture, putting my hand over my heart. He grins a little. Now we've both made promises.

His promise is that he's going to protect me. My promise is that I'll try to stay safe.

{ may the odds be ever in your favor }

As soon as the door to my room opens, I run in and hug Simba. He strokes my hair as I sob into his arms. He shushes me, and quietly begins to sing. "Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be all right. No one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound…"

My heart almost breaks in two as my stylist sings in a soft, sweet voice. He sings the lines of the lullaby that I sung not too long ago in my interview. I repeat him in a shaky voice. "You and I'll be safe and sound…"

He pulls away. "I want you to win. Do your best," he mutters, wrapping the jacket around me. It's over Cato's jacket, which is already a violation of the rules.

"I will." I can't bring myself to promise. Simba kisses my forehead. "Thank you for everything." Simba hugs me once more before I pull away and walk towards the tube that will take me up to the top. "I'll see you later."

Simba smiles, taking those words as a promise that I'll come out alive. "See you later," he repeats. I wave to him one last time, a smile on my face as my pedestal flies to the top, into the arena.

I look around at the forested area, and think that I'm going to die. My eyes fly all over the place, looking for Clay and for Cato. Clay is six Tributes down from me, while Cato is only four, in the other direction. I look at Cato, and he moves his hand over his heart once more as the countdown continues.

Having to smile at that, I focus on the Cornucopia. There are weapons inside, but I'm honestly terrified. But Cato promised, and I plan on holding him to it. Clay doesn't know. No one but us knows.

I think of my parents, my two brothers, and my sister. Cato's jacket is wrapped around me, too big for my body. But the jacket that's part of the uniform given to us is keeping it from falling off my shoulders. For some reason, the warmth of the fabric gives me reason to keep hoping that I'll be alive after an hour.

The countdown continues from one minute.

I bite my lip. There's only one minute left until the race to survive begins. I can feel my heart racing once again, and my hands start to shake. I clench my fists and continue to remind myself why I'm here, why I volunteered for the arena.

Jade. Myre. Fleur. Glenn. Clay. With those thoughts, I look up, a fierce expression written across my face. I look over to Cato and nod. He grins a little and turns back to the Cornucopia.

There's thirty seconds left.

I can feel my pulse beating faster and faster as I grow more and more anxious. My eyes narrow and I lean forward, preparing to take off. I can feel the watch, which Simba had put on a necklace and had me tuck in my shirt. I can feel its metal hanging against my chest. It's ticking down the seconds along with the clock.

My eyes lock on the weapons and the bags inside and around it. Tributes all around me have the same fierce expression on their faces.

The world is watching.

Let the Games begin.

I'm really, really excited for this next chapter. It's the Bloodbath!

So um... yeah, no reviews and very few favorites... I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it's kind of making my self esteem go pretty far down. If you'd like to leave a review, please do! It'd certainly make me feel better about continuing this story...

Anyways, this chapter is much shorter than the others, as I had to cut it short from the actual Games. I wanted to add Woof in, as well as give Simba a pretty good role. He's going to be really important in the future, and I absolutely adore him. He's my favorite character I've created in a long time. He's created to give a sense of familiarity and strangeness to Lei's world, and to be the person she goes to for some "adult" support.

Clay is another favorite character of mine. Of course, I love Lei, but Clay is literally my baby. I love that kid. I think he's just adorable, which made me expand his part as I was writing this story.

Now, as for having Leilani and Cato have a relationship so quickly, I wanted to make it one of those things where falling "in like" with someone doesn't take a long time. It really doesn't. Getting to know someone is a basic thing, having them being attractive makes it easy. Cato and Lei have around... oh, half a month left. I'd want someone who cares about me there at the end. It's a personal preference. They're "in love" with each other, but right now, it's a cute, kissing under the table relationship. It evolves to a point later, but why I'm having their relationship go as it's going is because of the themes of this story.

As for my next project (considering how this one is almost finished), it will be a side project. It'll be a story about the Tributes of the 74th Hunger Games, as well as the mentors, who have been in the games, and have either had someone ripped away from them by the Games or have someone waiting for them at home, but are unable to make it back due to their deaths.

The other two projects I'm currently working on is for The Walking Dead and X-Men: First Class. I suppose I'm a real sucker for action stories.

Anyways, review, favorite, follow, whatever you want.

Thanks for sticking around!