Leah Oakley

Sitting alone in the room laden with silk an velvet, I wait for my family to walk through the door directly opposite the sofa I'm pacing in front of. I watch the door knob intently, it twists, ever so slightly to the right. I stop pacing. No more movement comes from the door knob, but I hear dad telling mum to calm down. I consider sitting down, but decide against it. The door knob slowly turns all the way and the door opens. I see Lily in front of me. "You shouldn't have done it." She whispers with a tear rolling down her cheek.
"What?" I'm puzzled, but I have no time to work out what she just said before she is hugging me so tight that it's almost impossible to breath.
"Leah," Mum walks in, "You saved your baby sister."
"Yeah, I did. I guess." Next thing I know, Mum is hugging me too. So much so that it is getting even harder to breath. Luke doesn't say anything when he comes in, he just runs to us and finds his way to the center of the group hug to hug me. I see dad.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

They're all sitting on the red, velvet sofa, dad and I standing, facing each other, arms crossed. We haven't said anything for twenty minutes. "We're going to run out of time." I say, breaking the eerie silence of the room. He hugs me. "Dad..."
"I'm sorry. I missed it."
"Dad...?"
"The tree. The battle for the tree. I missed the reaping for your tree."
"My tree? You mean you won?!"
"Not yet."
"Not yet? What do you mean not yet?" The peace keepers come in to usher my family away, so I scream after dad, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT YET?!" Then, the door is closed and my throat is sore so I can't scream any more. It was our final goodbye, and we didn't even say goodbye.

meanwhile

Ellie Rouke

Waiting. Bored, but waiting. It's not like I can go anywhere, I just want to see Fang. I promised him I would do it this time...
"I'm finally ready," I said, "I'm going to volunteer, I'll be the most dangerous tribute in the 74th Hunger Games. When I win, everyone in all of the districts will bow down before me, including all of the victors. I'll get the glory, Fang. Don't you worry about that." He growled and I didn't understand why, he should have been happy that I was finally ready, not growling at me. Oh well. Now I'm a part of it. I'm on the road to glory, I will have it all.
But still, no-one comes. Finally, the doorknob turns and I stand up to face mother. The door swings open and she's not there. And Fang doesn't come rushing in towards me. I don't see a Yorkshire Terrier anywhere. "Fang?!" I call out.
"They won't let any pets in, that includes Fang, love."
"What about mother?"
"She didn't wan to see you."
"And you know this, how?"
"She would have come to see you if she'd wanted to, wouldn't she?"
"So why are you here? Just to tell me that my mother doesn't want to see me? To put me down before the games? Trust me, that won't work."
"I'm here because I wanted to say goodbye, and good luck."
"But I thought you hated me."
"I thought you hated me too."
"I didn't want you to come in the first place."
"Good luck Ellie. And whatever you do," he leans in to whisper in my ear, "get out of it alive."
"Go away, Josh. I don't want to see you...EVER again." I push him back through the door and slam it shut behind him. He's gone. I say my final goodbye that I planned to thin air, speaking through the district to mother and Fang. "I'll see you when I get back. I don't need luck, I have skill. And about 11 years training. And love."

meanwhile

Abie Karimloo
Who's going to come waltzing through that door? Mum? Dad? Ruth? Tim? Anyone? I have to see them. I can't not see them, not before my certain death. The doorknob turns, the door swings open, they're all there. Mum, Ruth, and Tim. "Abigail..." Wait, where's Dad?! Mum hugs me. When we break apart, Ruth hugs me too.
"Good luck, little sis."
"I'm not little." I tell her.
"I know." We break apart and she smiles. Next is Tim, but I don't expect him to hug me so I just hold my hand out to him, and the most extraordinary thing happens. He hugs me.
"Good luck, Abie."
"Thank you." I'm feeling just a little uncomfortable now, but I don't say anything. We break up and everyone stands in silence. "Well," I say after about 5 minutes, "I guess this is goodbye."
"Don't say that!" Says Ruth.
"It's kinda true, though. I'm going to my certain death, so if we don't say goodbye now, then we never will have said goodbye before I died."
"Don't say that either!" Says Tim.
"We love you, Abigail, and you're right. This is goodbye."
"MUM!" Ruth and Tim yell at once.
"For now." She finishes. "Come on, I think there's someone waiting out side to see her." She says, as if I'm not even here. They leave, but Ruth stops in the doorway. She doesn't turn around, but she says.
"Good bye, Abie. Final goodbye."
"Bye, Ruth." Then it's just me again, wondering why my dad hadn't come with them. The handle turns again. "Dad?" I ask, expecting my dad to walk in. But someone else comes in the room. "Merry?! Shouldn't you be with your cousin?"
"He told you about what happened between us, didn't he?"
"So what if he did?"
"I'm sorry. Tell him I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt him."
"You didn't. his father did. Get out of my sight."
He turns and leaves, and I don't stop him. I wont say a word of this to Pippin. It'll just upset him. Now, Merry's just put in me the fire I need to do the best I can to win the 74th Hunger Games. Tributes, look out.

meanwhile

Kayly Scribbles
I like this. I'm in the 74th Hunger Games and I'm certainly going to die. This is the happiest day of my life!

I watch the doorknob turn as my mum enters the room, bawling her eyes out. "Kayly..." She manages to stutter.
"Aw, don't cry mum." I say, standing up. "This is the happiest day of my life!"
"But... You... You're going to... To die..."
"EXACTLY!"