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Tinkra Bram

Tinkra had been punching the couch. Her hand was in pain, and Tinkra knew there would be bruising. She had been crying, but she didn't want her family seeing that.

The first people that came were Tinkra's brother and sister. Maxfield pulled her onto his lap – she was small enough – and Jenna sat down next to them.

"You'll be okay, Tinkra," she said, but Tinkra saw that'd she'd been crying. Jenna was 19 and Maxfield was 23, so they were safe from the Reapings. They wouldn't have been able to save her, not like they would. In most cases, even the most loving family couldn't save you from the games.

"How? How in the name of Panem will I be okay? Don't lie, Jenna. I know I'm going to die, so don't lie to me." Tinkra was angry.

Maxfield pulled her head so she was facing him. She could see the tears in his eyes. "Don't talk like that. Of course, you'll be okay. You can win. You're smart. You're beautiful. How could the Capitol not love you? You can win, Tink." She pulled herself off his lap, and started walking back and forth in front of them.

"Think about what you're saying. You know what winning means. It means I'd have become a murderer. I can't even think about killing someone. The other tributes, all ninety-five of them, they've done nothing to me, and even if they had, I could never take their life.

"It's the only way." Tinkra couldn't believe what Jenna said. What had Panem done to everyone, where they were willing to think of people as animals for the slaughter? Did no one have respect for life anymore?

That's when the Peacekeeper knocked on the door. Max and Jenna stood up, and Jenna hugged her sister.

"We love you, Tinkra. Good luck." She said.

"Don't forget that." Maxfield lead Jenna from the room, and Tinkra tried harder than ever not to cry.

Her father came in a minute later, with no attempt to staunch the flow of tears. He pulled her tight, and even when she tried to pull away to talk, he wouldn't let go.

"I love you, Tinkra. So much."

"I love you, too, dad.

Aaron Sierra

Aaron knew his father was downstairs, in the lobby of the Justice building. As mayor, he had to talk up the district tributes to the Capitol. He had to try to get sponsors for the tributes, which would be harder this year given the number of tributes going into the games. Aaron wasn't expecting him to be the first visitor.

The first to come see him was Elizabeth. He was so happy to see her; he just wished it were under certain circumstances. They kissed, and if Aaron had more time with her, he wouldn't have pulled away. He watched Elizabeth pull off the ring he'd given her this morning.

"Wha…what are you doing?" He asked.

"I want you to take it as your token." She also removed the silver chain from around her neck, and wove it through the ring. "Wear it so that I'm always with you. Promise?" She handed him the chain.

"You know that they won't give it back if I don't come home, right?" Aaron was afraid of her not having a part of him. He had this horrible feeling in his gut that he wouldn't get to marry her, and it was a physically painful thought.

"I know, but I also know that you'll come home, and you will marry me. You asked me. It'd be rude of you to back out of this." Aaron smiled when she laughed at her own joke. He'd be happy knowing that even through this she'd be happy with the thought of their wedding.

"Did you see my dad out there at all?"

"He was finishing with his speech downstairs when I snuck by. I don't think he'd be too happy knowing I got to see you first." Aaron frowned.

"He'll come around, Liz. I promise. Once we're married he can't say no to you." Again, she smiled. The Peacekeeper knocked on the door, calling her away. He'd have to win in order to see Elizabeth's face ever again. Aaron wondered if he'd have to wait any longer for his father.

And he did. His next guests were his mother and his sister, Brooke. He and Brooke usually never got along, but she rushed to him and hugged him tight, with his mother following her into the hug.

"We love you, Aaron," cried his mother. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"It's not your fault. I was Reaped, it was just bad luck. I'll miss you both so much." He pulled back from them. "Even you, Brooke." She laughed through her tears.

"I'll miss you, too."

There was a knock on the door. Aaron's mother looked panicked. "Our time isn't up yet," she hissed at whoever opened the door.

"It's me, hun." Aaron's dad entered the room. The three of them broke apart. The Mayor put his hand on Aaron's shoulders.

"I talked you up the most. They'll obviously think it's favoritism, but I did the best I could. I'll talk to all the richest people in Three, and try to get them to sponsor you. Just show them what you can do in the Capitol, and I'll do everything I can here."

Aaron knew his father had a hard time in the emotion department. "I love you too, Dad."

Danice Holmes

Danice was scared. She was alone in the holding room, waiting for her family to arrive. They all came in at once. Danice's little sister climbed onto the couch with her. She was only five; It wasn't mandatory to watch the Games until you turned seven, so Jenna didn't even understand what was going on right now. Danice wondered what her parents had told her.

"You must be excited, Dani. You get to go to the Capitol!" So that was it. They'd simply told Jenna that Danice was going to the Capitol. She knew to play along from here.

"I am excited, Jenna. It's going to be really exciting."

"When I'm old enough, I want to come to the Capitol, too." Danice looked at her parents in shock. Her mother cut in.

"No you don't, Jenna. Three is a much nicer place." Jenna sighed and crossed her arms. "Why don't you wish Danice goodbye for now and go wait in the hallway." Jenna smiled again, and looked back to Danice.

"Bye Dani, I'll see you soon, right?"

"Of course, Jen." Danice hugged her little sister, who slid off the couch and skipped to the doorway. She waved goodbye before leaving.

"Mom?"

"Yes hun?"

"If…if I don't come home, don't tell her what happened until she is older, please? Tell her I'm just staying in the Capitol?" She was crying now. So were her parents. Her father wrapped his arms around her.

"Okay," said her father. Danice leaned into him. "You're being so brave, sweetheart. We'll always love you, no matter what."

"I love you, too. I'll try my hardest."

The Peacekeeper came to take her family away.

Veris Sphene

Veris paced back in his holding room. He was in one of the original two rooms, which was a mistake on the Peacekeepers' part. He'd smashed nearly every decoration in the room. He was angry with his parents for lying to him. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to see them at this point.

"Veris?" He heard his mother's voice, muffled by the thick door. He sat down on the sofa, which was one of the few things left intact. "Veris, can we come in?" He ignored her again. They could come in if they wanted, but he wouldn't tell them to enter.

His father came in first, followed by his mother. He turned to face them. His father had a look of shock on his face, probably from the destruction he did to the room in the short amount of time he had. His mother looked sad.

"Veris," she choked out, "I'm…I'm so sorry."

"You lied." He said flatly.

"We know. We lied to you, and it was wrong, but we didn't want you to be scared all the time like so many other kids in the district." His father sat down next to him on the couch. "I've been that guy that's had to drag kids from the crowd, to stand guard outside these holding rooms while they cry with their parents. Your mother has had to forcefully check kids in at the Reapings because they were having panic attacks."

"We never wanted that for you," said his mother. "We wanted to get you pulled from the Reaping, and we tried, but the law is absolute…"

"And as two of the highest ranking officers in Three you have to obey. Why didn't I see that sooner?" Veris was on his feet, staring them down. "I should have known that it was impossible! But no, I let myself believe I was safe! That the Capitol couldn't touch me! Do you know how much worse that made me feel when Charlotte called my name?"

Veris' mother was crying again. His fault, no doubt there. She probably thought he hated her. He wasn't sure how he felt right now, except for that constant terror and nausea he was feeling in his gut.