"Today - your exams -" Wiress began watching her two children eat breakfast. "Traps?" The children nodded.
"I'm doing a survival and trap mix." Estelle explained. "I'll start out with -"
"Estelle eat. Hand me -" Wiress took her daughter's notebook. Nodding at Beetee who had Noah's notebook, they began marking up their children's drawings and writing notes.
"Dad? You showed us already!" Noah yelped. He and Estelle went to bed three hours after dinner shortly after their parents began bickering about how much longer the children should be awake.
"Hurry up and eat, Noah. No talking. Both of you. I mean it." Beetee commanded as he scribbled in his son's notebook. After the children finished their compulsory two plates of food, they joined their parents in the living room. They spent half an hour going over their traps.
"Now, children, remember -" Wiress began as she straightened her children's uniforms. "Head high, stand straight, look at the Gamemakers as you state your name -" She paused to gaze into each child's face. "My Estelle, my Noah -" She whispered before hugging them both. "Remember - remember - I am proud - your father - so proud - You remember - ok?"
"Yes, mama." Estelle whispered. "Mama, dad, I know you are both proud of us. Always."
"I'm working hard because I know you are working hard. Doing whatever you guys are doing, mom and dad." Noah replied before his father pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheeks. Estelle received the same treatment.
"You're smart kids. And no matter what score you get, you two both will have 100% in our mind, ok?" Beetee asked. "Now go down there and show them what you got!" He smiled at his children eagerly waving back at him as they walked to the elevator.
"Wiress Carpenter." Atala announced through the loudspeaker in the Tributes' waiting room. Wiress waved at her District Six allies before entering the room. Spotting the throwing knives, she threw several at various intervals. Pausing to smile at the Gamemakers, she went to the survival stations and busied herself with building a fire, a shelter, and hoisting a bag of supplies to a tree. As she tugged at the vine holding her bag to the branch, another vine attached to the bag pulled on sticks in the fire launching a burning stick out of the fireplace before another tug on the vine pulled on a post in her shelter collapsing it. The camp was an elaborate trap. Wiress curtseyed as the Gamemakers quietly applauded.
"Oh, Wendy, Max, Terrin, Lock - Taylor - please - please -" Wiress pleaded through The Force as she closed her eyes knowing her children were in their individual training sessions. "Please help my children, please." Reaching over to Beetee, she grasped his clammy hand.
"Wiress, I know they can do it, I know, but if they get scored low - I - I don't know, Wiress -"
"We trained them with -" Tears brimming from her eyes, Wiress placed her hand over her husband's heart. "All. With all our heart."
"I know, baby, I know." After a quick cry in each other's arms, the Teslas heard their children as the elevator doors opened.
"Yeah! All the components of my trap worked!" Noah cheered before Beetee ran to him in three large bounds and wrapped him in a hug laughing and crying. "Dad -"
"I'm so proud of you, buddy! I'm so proud!" Noah held his father who cried onto his shoulder.
"Mama! I did it!" Wiress laughed and cried tears of relief along with her daughter. "Mama, I think they smiled at me!"
"Yes - my beautiful girl - how could they not?" Wiress gasped before gazing into her daughter's large eyes before kissing her cheeks. "My children - change and then -" Nodding at Beetee, she smiled as he brought their strategy game to the dining room table.
"Yaaaay! Game time!" Noah and Estelle cheered.
"Beetee -" A strangled whisper broke the silence as national anthem played.
"Shhh." Beetee hissed as he grasped his wife's hand in a white knuckled grip.
"Mama, it's ok." Noah soothed. Beetee's heart twisted watching his son tenderly take his mother's hand. Noah knew when to be gentle with his mother and sister even though he usually acted like a goof. Beetee pleaded with The Force to prevent the Games from turning his sweet little boy into a brutal killer.
"District Three, the children of two Victors! Let's see how they did! Noah Terrimax Tesla - five!"
"Oh, buddy, good job!" Beetee gasped as he wrapped his son in a hug.
"Estelle Wendy Tesla: Four. Not bad for non-careers. That must mean they showed their smarts to the Gamemakers -" Caesar's words were lost in sobs as Wiress and Beetee wrapped their children in hugs and cried in relief and out of pride for their children.
"Proud - so proud -" Wiress whispered.
"Ok, well, tomorrow is interview training." Beetee said finally after Wiress was done hugging their children.
"So, no farting on TV?" Noah asked grinning.
"No, buddy." Beetee laughed. "You know that."
"Yeah, well, I can still do this -" Noah lifted his arm to put his hand in his armpit to simulate farting noises before he yelped. "STELLE!"
"GOTCHA FART-FACE!" Estelle squealed tickling her brother under one then both armpits.
"MOOOOOOM! DAAAAAAAAAD!" Noah squealed as he rolled off the couch onto the floor before Estelle jumped on top of him. Watching her children playing, Wiress laughed until tears streamed down her face. At Beetee's word, Estelle and Noah raced each other to their parents' bedroom.
"Sleep in. Interview training only tomorrow." Wiress whispered as she and Beetee pulled the covers over their children. She and Beetee stroked their sleeping children's faces and nuzzled their faces against them until the wee hours of the morning.
"No matter what, I know they are strong." Beetee whispered as he and Wiress fell asleep with their hands clasped over Estelle and Noah's sleeping forms.