"You should go home."

Victor Tristan Mclean looked up at his fellow district Victor, Drew Tanaka. Drew noted the dark circles under his eyes, the redness in them, the grief and new wrinkles that were on his face. He seemed to have aged five years in the last five days. The Capitol wouldn't like it. Drew didn't either.

"To what?" Tristan's voice was brittle. Drew almost wished that it was angry.

Drew shrugged. "I wouldn't know, hon. Maybe you can do it with another model. Wouldn't be the first time."

And now rage flickered over his face. It was a common rumor that Tristan had gotten a Capitol model pregnant, resulting in, well, Piper. It had never been confirmed, of course, but Drew had no doubts that Tristan didn't want to hear a single word against his beloved daughter.

"Chin up, Tristan. She died in the best way possible."

"Fuck you."

Drew smirked. "Gladly."

"She was my daughter! She was my everything!"

"She was all you had left," Drew said in a bored voice. "Don't mistake the two."

"You…you…" Drew was almost surprised that he didn't attack her.

"Don't get me wrong, she was a great girl. Pretty and all. Darling. Loyal. But 23 out of 24 kids die every year. She wasn't even your Tribute."

If looks could kill, Drew would be dead, but they couldn't. Instead, Drew let Tristan's gaze burn holes in her skull as she turned to watch the interviews. District 2 was on first, and watch as the interviews started.

Chiron, the famous Final 8 interviewer, was in District 2. He was talking to the 2 girl's older sister. Drew felt hate go through her at the sight of the Career trainer. The Careers cut down their tributes every year, more often then not, and Drew was sick of it. "Reyna's always been strong," Hylla was saying. "Determined, you know? I taught her things—not for the Games, of course, just to keep her safe here at home—and she picked them up quickly. She's talented. I have no doubt that she could be the next Victor."

"If you could say one thing to her right now, what would it be?"

"Stay strong. Stay smart. Stay tough. This is where things start for real." Hylla seemed hesitant, but continued. "I love you."

"Anything to say about your father, the famous Julian Ramirez?"

"No."

The screen flicked forward to District 4, leaving Drew wondering if Reyna really had no other friends or family. "I'm here with Ares La Rue, Clarisse's father," Chiron said. "What do you have to say about your daughter?"

Ares smirked. "She's never been the best at anything, but I have to admit that she's been doing a pretty bang-up job."

"Any clues to how Clarisse got her amazing score of 10?"

"She's worked on the fishing boats all her life. Worked up some skills with a spear. I guess she just must have been a fast learner with the spear." Liar, Drew thought.

"Any response to the allegations that Clarisse was constantly bruised up at school?"

"Nothing to do with me, if that's what you're suggesting." Ares took off his sunglasses and snapped them shut. "Look, she's always been a rough-and-tumble kid. An embarrassment sometimes. But nothing to do with me."

The camera switched to a young man. "You are her brother, correct?"

"Yeah. Sherman La Rue."

"Any advice to your sister?"

"Don't get stabbed in the back by that Reyna kid. You're strong enough to do it alone from her on out. Just go for it."

"You think that your sister is the strongest in there?"

"Of course? Haven't you seen her?"

"Despite Zoe Nightshade scoring higher?"

Sherman glared at the camera. "A fluke, okay?"

The camera switched to a woman, possibly Clarisse's mother. "Any thoughts on how Clarisse was hesitant to kill Percy Jackson?"

"I'm glad she didn't. They were district partners, after all."

"You would have done the same thing in her position?"

You could almost see how instantly the woman became icy. "I trust my daughter's judgment."

Quickly, the camera flipped to another young man. "You would be Christopher Rodriguez, Clarisse's boyfriend?" Chiron asked.

"That's right."

"Anything to say on her choice to volunteer?"

"I wish that she hadn't." Chiron was silent as Chrisopher swallowed, hard, and went on. "I really love her, you know? I would have loved it if she could stay where she's safe. I think we would've had a great life. But she was always determined to…try…and, well…you can't deny that she's been doing a great job."

The image faded to black, and 'District 9' flashed across the screen. A middle-aged couple was standing there. "How do you feel about your son's chances?" Chiron asked.

"To be honest, we weren't expecting him to make it this far," said Will's father.

Will's mother lightly slapped his arm. "Apollo!" she looked at the camera. "We've done nothing but hope for Will's safety ever since he's been Reaped. And, well…he's made it this far."

"Do you trust Will's ally, Nico?"

"He's done a good job at keeping Will safe so far," said Will's mother.

"Crazy, though," said Apollo.

The camera switched to another blonde boy that was a dead ringer for Will, and a young girl. "How did you feel about your brother being Reaped?" Chiron asked.

"It was awful!" said Kayla. "I wanted to cry. I was so afraid that he would die and then Lou-Lou died so soon but he's still alive, and I just want my brother back!" Kayla's adorableness almost made Drew sick. Tristan was crying in the background, and Drew glared back at him.

"It was…the worst experience of my life," Austin said.

"You could have volunteered, correct?"

"That's right," Austin mumbled.

"So why didn't you?"

Austin gave a hopeless, helpless shrug. "I ask myself that every day. I know that I should have. And I would give anything—anything—for my brother to make it home so I can apologize to him and tell him that I love him. Anything."

It was a tear-jerking performance to anyone but Drew, who liked to think herself able to withstand stupid sentimentality. The camera flipped to another two people. "You would be…"

"Naomi," the older girl said.

"Cecil," said the boy.

"Cecil, Will mentioned you as being his friend."

"That's right." The dark-haired boy grinned. "Me, Lou, and him called ourselves the Three Musketeers. That's a reference to…yeah."

"And how to you feel about Lou Ellen's death?"

Naomi sniffed. Cecil closed his eyes for a moment. "It's been…hard. I could never have imagined my friend dying, not like that. But…now's for Will. We're all rooting for him." Nice save, thought Drew.

"Even you, Naomi? Lou Ellen's sister?"

"Even me," Naomi said. "We all just want Will to come home. We all love him. Everyone in the District."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

There was another fade-to-black, and District 10 was scrawled across the screen in an aesthetically pleasing handwriting. A woman stood with Chiron, looking…vacant. "You are Hazel's mother, correct?"

"That would be right."

"What can you tell us about her?"

"She's a wonderful girl…" and then the woman was sobbing. Drew almost felt embarrassed for her. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Hazel! I know I was a horrible mother. But I just want you to come home! Everything will be different. No more morphling. No more Terra. Just you and me. Come home, please!" It ended in a shriek.

Chiron grinned. "Wow! A great show of emotion. Next, we have Frank's grandmother."

The next woman looked imposing and stately, and at least like she wouldn't start sobbing. "Fa-Frank is my grandson, yes."

"What happened to his parents?"

"His father was a bastard who ran off, not taking any responsibility for the boy. I wish hell upon his head. His mother, Emily, was my daughter. She died in the Hunger Games as well."

"An early pregnancy, then. Any feelings of bitterness towards Frank? Shame?"

"Why would I feel bitter? It was not the idiot's fault that he was born. Shame, yes! But not for the reasons that you think. My grandson can be an idiot boy sometimes, truly an idiot. But he has proven himself to be strong and wise in the Hunger Games. I a proud of him."

"So you're waiting for him to come home, then."

Frank's grandmother shook her head. "Of course not! I assume that you are not as unobservant as you seem, young man. Frank and his district partner seem to be in an unlikely romance. I saw that coming from miles away, and Hazel is a wonderful girl. Too good for my grandson, but for some reason she likes him. I do not want him to have to come home without her. It may seem as though their romance has only existed for a day or two, but those two are halves of the same whole. I would not deign to wish separation on the two of them."

"A love story for the ages."

"I suppose that if you must call it that, I will allow it."

The camera switched to District 11, where Katie's sister was looking nervous. "Katie volunteered for you."

"I think that everyone knows that." Miranda clamped her mouth shut. "Sorry. Yes, yes she did."

"What are your feelings towards that?"

"I feel guilt, I guess." Miranda laughed. "She made me promise not to feel guilty, but I still feel like it should have been me. I don't want her to die. Still, she's been doing a great job, huh?"

"Yes. Of course. Your parents passed away?"

"When I was young. Katie raised me."

"Have you been doing well on your own?"

"As well as can be. This district respects Katie. She's one of ours, that's for sure. They've been wonderfully helpful."

"Do you think that your sister can make it home?"

"Yes." Miranda looked directly into the camera. "I really think that she can do this. She's strong. Smart. With enough luck, she can live and we'll throw the best part that this district has ever seen."

"You think so?"

"You can count on it."

"Luck doesn't have anything to do with it," Drew chortled as the camera switched to District 12.

"I'm here with Matron Diana here at the District 12 orphanage, where both Zoe and Nico lived for a few years. Diana, tell me about Zoe."

"Zoe…Zoe Nightshade. Tough kid. Tried her luck on the streets and did a pretty good job, as I understand. She was never the friendliest, but always respectful. Kind to the little girls."

"Can you tell us about the rash of volunteers that have been coming from your district?"

"What about it?"

"For the last four years, District 12 has had a female volunteer. Going backwards, I believe that would be…Nymph Corrin, Britomartis Avayella, Celyn Merrite, and Bianca di Angelo. All of whom came from the orphanage. None of them made it past the first day, of course, but Zoe made it to the final eight. What can you tell us?"

Diana looked uncomfortable. "Well, I wouldn't know anything about that. Zoe's come a long way, though. And with that 11? I think she can come home. We'll be proud of her. We already are."

Liar, Drew thought.

"And Nico?"

"His sister died four years ago, of course. He was ten. Real torn up about it, real torn up. He got angry. Didn't really talk to anyone. Never violent, though. He was always polite to everyone, just didn't see to particularly care for the world."

"Why do you think that he volunteered?"

Diana shrugged.

The screen faded to black, but Chiron started a voiceover. And your Final 8! Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano! Clarisse La Rue! Will Solace! Hazel Levesque! Frank Zhang! Katie Gardner! Zoe Nightshade! And Nico di Angelo!"

The program ended.

"Piper should have been up there," Tristan said.

"Yeah." And Beroe. And Tyche. Lacy. Anteros. Adrestia. Harmonia.

Together, the two losing mentors stood quietly, letting the ghosts of all the Tributes that they had failed fill up the silence between them.

Tributes:

D2: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano
D4: Clarisse La Rue
D9: Will Solace
D10: Frank Zhang; Hazel Levesque
D11: Katie Gardner
D12: Nico di Angelo; Zoe Nightshade

And now you can start voting for whoever you want to win. Feedback, please?