Mira Marlina, 17

District 4 Female

I sat with my hands in my lap, staring out the window at the ocean. Only yesterday I had been diving beneath the waves, free as a dolphin, and now I was trapped in a small room, waiting to enter the Hunger Games. But it would be worth it. I was certain.

The door opened and my parents came in, followed by Kai and Ciren. My dad opened his mouth to speak, but my mom pulled me into a tight hug before he could.

"Mira!" she gasped, squeezing me a little too much. Still, I returned the hug. Mom had been the most welcoming when I came home, besides Kai, and I was grateful to her for it.

"Shelly, don't crush her," my dad said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Mom stepped back with a nod and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Listen Mira," Dad said. "This is absolutely insane, but you-"

"I don't need your insults or your doubt," I snapped. His eyes widened as I continued. "You've never supported me, and I did all of this without you. You don't get a say in what I do anymore, or how I do it!"

Dad stood there with his mouth open, gaping at me as I crossed my arms and glared.

"Mira…" Mom said softly, reaching for me, but I turned away.

"We have faith in you Mira," Kai said slowly. "But can you ever truly be ready for the Hunger Games?"

I wanted to yell at him, but Kai was the last person on my side. So I bit my tongue and stayed quiet, pointedly ignoring the smug look on Ciren's face.

"I can do this," I told them. Mom nodded, but she was crying. Dad's face was red with anger. Kai just stepped forward and hugged me.

"Good luck," he said.

"We love you," Mom added. She gave my hand a squeeze and then they left.

I wasn't expecting any more visitors, so when the door opened again I was wary. And I was right to be. Flynn stepped inside, a smirk on his face. I clenched my fists, memories of shouting and blades flashing through my head.

"Get. Out." I growled.

"Aww, baby, don't be like that," Flynn cooed.

"I'll be however I want to be," I snapped. "And you will leave this room immediately."

His eyebrow twitched up and I found my eyes following the curve of a scar. A scar that I gave him. Instead of making me afraid, it made me angry. I stepped forward, easing into a fighting stance.

"Make m-"

He tried to speak, but I slammed my fist into his nose, feeling the satisfying crunch of cartilage and bone.

"I said: get out!"

Flynn staggered back, clutching his nose with one hand while reaching for the doorknob with the other. This time, he was the one to flee.

Jackson Forester, 15

District 7 Male

My hands were shaking violently and I felt like I was going to be sick. Janet died in the Games and now I was going to die too. Dad tried to prepare me, but I refused. Was I wrong?

The door slammed open and my family rushed in. Jake threw himself into my arms, tears streaming down his cheeks. He was only two when Janet died, so I was the only sibling he remembered. And now he was losing me.

"My baby," my mom sobbed, dropping to her knees and engulfing Jake and I in a hug. Dad came to join us and we stayed in the embrace for a little while, crying together. Finally, Dad pulled away and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Jackson, I wanted you to be prepared," he said, his voice pained.

"I know," I whispered. "But I don't want to kill. If I die, I want to die as me."

"You're not going to die," my mom murmured. But I knew she was just denying it for Jake's sake, and maybe her own. We all knew I wouldn't be coming home.

We stayed huddled together until a Peacekeeper knocked on the door. My mom leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"We love you Jackson," she said. My dad and Jake nodded, and then they were leaving.

I was still crying when Dave and Rose came in. Rose had tears in her eyes too. She took my hand and tried for a smile, but it was watery and broken.

"I'm sorry this happened," Dave said, sitting down on the worn sofa beside me.

"It's not your fault," I mumbled. "It's just how it is."

"But it shouldn't be," Rose whispered. I nodded glumly, and we sat in the quiet for a bit longer.

Finally, Dave spoke up.

"Are you going to tell Jade?" he asked. In spite of the situation, I felt my cheeks heat up.

"Tell her what?"

"Come on," Dave said. "We all know you like her."

"Is there a point in telling her?" I asked. "I mean, if I'm going to die, should I make her wonder 'what if' for the rest of her life?"

"I think you should tell her," Rose said. "If I was in her shoes, I'd want to know." I took a deep breath.

"Okay."

Dave and Rose each gave me one last hug, and then Jade was entering the room. Somehow, this felt more intimidating than going into a death match. And I must have had an odd expression on my face because Jade frowned when she saw me.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I just blinked at her, at a loss for words.

"Sorry, dumb question."

"Jade… I have something to tell you…"

"Okay…" she said nervously.

"I like you. Like, as more than a friend."

For a moment, we both stood in silence. Then Jade nodded awkwardly.

"Thanks for telling me. I… I don't know how I feel about you though… I'm sorry."

"That's okay. I just wanted you to know." Jade nodded and rocked back and forth on her feet.

"Well, good luck. I hope you come back."

"Thanks," I whispered. She gave me a small smile, and then she was gone too.

Ruby Ashmead, 13

District 11 Female

I threw myself down on the dusty couch, sobbing into the cushions. How could this have happened? I didn't even take tesserae! Curling up, I hugged my knees to my chest and cried. I was going to die for sure.

The door opened with a creak as my parents came inside. Jonathon and Ambrosia were right behind them. Mom scooped me into her arms and held me, the way she did when I was just a toddler.

"Ruby," she cried. "Oh, my baby girl."

"Mom, I'm scared," I sobbed.

"I know honey, I know."

Dad came over and took my hand.

"Be brave Ruby. you can do this."

"No, I can't," I cried out.

"Yes, you can. Younger tributes with worse odds have won before."

"You've got to be strong," Ambrosia said, crouching on the wooden floor so she was level with me.

"You're a tenacious kid," my dad added. "And the Capitol will love you."

"You'll get sponsors for sure," Jonathon added.

"You really think so?"

"I know so," he said confidently.

"Okay." I wiped my tears away and sat up a little straighter. "I'll try."

"We know you will," Mom said. "I'm so proud of you, my little girl." We all hugged, and then Ambrosia reached up. I'd sewn a scrunchy for her when she first started growing her hair out, and she wore it all the time. Now she pulled it out and handed it to me.

"For your token," she said. "To remember how skilled you are, and to remember we love you."

"Thank you," I said, leaning in to hug her. She squeezed me back, and then a Peacekeeper knocked on the door. Mom gave me one last kiss on the forehead as they opened the door and escorted my family out.

Mollie and Sansa came in next. Mollie tackled me in a hug, squeezing me even tighter than Ambrosia had. When they pulled back, I could see anger in Mollie's eyes.

"Mollie," I said in a warning tone. There were Peacekeepers right outside the door, and I knew my best friend well enough to know they were about to go on an anti-Capitol rant. Instead, they bit their lip and held my hands in theirs.

"Please try to come home," they said.

"Of course I will. But if I don't, can you tell Summer that I… you know… like her?"

"We will," Sansa said. Mollie released me so she could hug me instead. Tears filled my eyes again and I grabbed Mollie's hand.

"I'm scared," I reiterated.

"It's okay to be scared," Mollie told me. Then a Peacekeeper knocked again. We all shared one last group hug, and then they were gone. And I was alone.

Hey everyone! Sorry for the gap between updates; school has been busy and my mental health has been bad. But I had two hours on a plane so I was able to crank this out.

Questions:

1) Whose goodbye was your favorite? Why?

2) Is Mira right to be so confident?

3) Will Jackson stick to his vow and not kill anyone?

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

- Fiona