Hawk Travers

The hovercraft touches down in District Six. I step out, and my chauffeur drives me through a familiar route. Not only did I visit District Six last year for an interview, but I also had the pleasure of going to the same exact house. Peyton's sister certainly was a strong tribute, though unfortunately, she was killed by a career in one of the last few days. I don't know if the same can be said for Peyton. He isn't exactly what I'd consider "strong." Although, he has outlasted two-thirds of the other tributes, so he has to be doing something right.

With a glance out the car window, I notice we're getting close to the Stanley residence. So, I pull my notes out for one final review.

PEYTON STANLEY

District: Six

Gender: Male

Age: 12

Height: 5'3

Weight: 90 lbs.

Preferred Weapon: Knife (sort of)

Appearance: Small and skinny, blond hair, blue eyes, freckles

Points of Interest: Allied with Swirl, youngest tribute remaining, near-death experience when him and Swirl got separated

People to Interview: Mom (Taryn), dad (Buck), sister (Sabrina) Friends: Max and Hayden

Estimated Capitol Ranking: 8th

We pull up to the curb outside of Peyton's house. I look up at the familiar white house with sky-blue shutters. If I remember right, Mr. Stanley owns a car company, so the family isn't exactly poor. Although, I have seen bigger houses in District Six, but rarely.

The awful stench doesn't hit me until I reach the front door. My hand shoots to my nose as the smell of alcohol wafts into it. "Oh no," I think. This isn't the first time I've pulled up to a house with this stench. I ring the doorbell, knowing what I'm going to find inside. This isn't going to be a pleasant interview.

Mr. Stanley answers the door. He's wearing a wrinkled blue shirt with a giant brown stain in the middle. He's also holding a bottle of liquor in his hand. An even stronger scent hits me, but this one is mixed with body odor and other various smells. "Come on in," he slurs, a blank expression covering his face.

Mr. Stanley leads me through his house. Empty bottles of alcohol litter the floor in nearly every room and hallway. We finally reach the room where his wife is sitting. Unlike Mr. Stanley, Mrs. Stanley doesn't look like she's been drinking. Her clothes look as though they've been ironed and clean. Although, as she looks up at me, I see the broken look in her eyes. Tears form at the corner of her eyes. When she wipes them away, I notice a faint bruise on her cheek.

"So shall we get started then?" I say, clapping my hands together. Without waiting for a response, I help my camera crew set up, and begin the interview.

"Where is everyone?" I ask first. "I understand that Peyton has two friends who planned to show up, as well as a little sister."

"Peyton doesn't have any friends," his dad says. "Friends are stupid. The two of them came over a few minutes ago, but I made them leave. Peyton shouldn't have any friends. The more people you're close with, the more of a chance you'll become heartbroken if something bad happens. That's why I'm never be coming close with anyone again- not even family." He takes a swig of his drink, signaling that he's done.

"What about Peyton's little sister?" I ask, starting to become a bit worried. "Where is she?"

Mr. Stanley shrugs. "I already told you," he said. "I'm never going to make the mistake of being close with someone ever again. Sabrina's on her own now."

"But she's five," I say, remembering the bright little girl I interviewed last year. "Did you send her to the community home or something?"

"No," he says. "I think she still lives with us. At least, I think she still sleeps here at night. But she also sort of lives on the streets. She's gotten in trouble for digging through people's trash, looking for food."

"You don't feed her?" I ask, shocked.

"We don't have enough food," he says. "I got fired from my job at the car company a few days ago, and the money's already starting to run out. Since I made the money that bought us the food, it's only fair that I get all of our remaining food."

"So how do you get food?" I ask Mrs. Stanley.

All she does is shake her head, refusing to answer. I decide it's a good time to change the subject. "So what do you guys think of Peyton's performance in the Games?"

Mr. Stanley laughs coldly. "I haven't watched a second of the Hunger Games this year. I've told you a million times- I'm not going to be close with anyone anymore. Besides, he's already dead. I knew that the second he got reaped. I smashed the t.v. when I got home that afternoon. I'm actually surprised to hear he got this far, but I know he'll die next."

"But, I though it was mandatory to watch the Games," I say. "You could be arrested for that."

He laughs the same way again. "Do you honestly think I care if I'm arrested?" he asks. "They've already taken two kids away from me. What more could they take?" He stands up, shaking slightly. "I'm done with this," he says. Mr. Stanley hobbles over to the doorway. After slamming his now-empty liquor bottle against the wall, he walks away.

Not a moment after he leaves, someone tiny emerges from the doorway on the other side of the room. It takes me a second to recognize the small figure; I nearly gasp when I realize it's Sabrina. She is nothing close to the cute little girl I interviewed last year. Hunger has stolen much of her body. I can see the outline of her frail little bones along her arms, face, and legs. Her face glistens with tears.

Sabrina doesn't even seem to notice my camera crew and I. "Did you get any food, Mommy?" she asks, running over to her. Mrs. Stanley nods and pulls a single slice of bread out of her pocket. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she shrieks, stuffing the whole thing into her mouth. She closes her eyes, apparently savoring the taste.

When Sabrina opens her eyes, she looks over and notices me and my camera crew. "Mommy, who are they?" she whispers a little too loudly.

"They're here for Peyton," she answers.

"Why, is he coming home?" she asks, her eyes lighting up a little.

"No," she says. "Sorry, sweetie. But he might be coming home soon, so they're here to ask us about him. Remember, this guy came last year for Kat."

"Oh yeah," she says. Then she turns to look at me. "Do you know when Kat is coming home?" she asks me.

I don't have the heart to tell her the truth. "I don't know," I say. "I'll let you know if I find out."

"Thank you," she says. She walks back over to her mother. "I'm going to go see if the butcher threw anything good away. Then I'll look through the neighbors' window at their television to see if anything happened to Peyton." She gives her mother a kiss on the cheek and walks out of the room.

"Okay, folks," I say, turning to the camera. "Thanks for tuning in to hear more about Peyton. Tune in later to hear from Mapelle Green's friends and family."

With a wave at Mrs. Stanley, I exit the room, walking back towards the door. I nearly step on Mr. Stanley, who's lying on the ground in the kitchen doorway. After checking to make sure he's unconscious and not dead, I walk over him and find my way out of the front door.

As the hovercraft lands in District Seven I wonder how this next interview's going to turn out. That last one was interesting, but I don't think I want another one like it just yet. I step out of the hovercraft and into a car. Before I know it, we're on our way to Mapelle's house. I take one last glance at my note sheet.

MAPELLE GREEN

District: Seven

Gender: Female

Age: 14

Height: 5'7

Weight: 98 lbs.

Preferred Weapon: Axe/Knife

Appearance: Pretty- shoulder-length, auburn hair, green eyes, skinny, freckles

Points of Interest: Originally allied with Nylah and Cherry, last remaining member of alliance, escaped from careers

People to Interview: Family: Mom (Venus), dad (Axle), brother (Barry) Friends: Ivy and Serena

Estimated Capitol Ranking: 7th

We pull up into Mapelle's lawn since she doesn't have a driveway. Once I step out of the car, I get a good look at the house- if you could even call it that. It's the smallest one I've been to today; it's even smaller than Eridan's. Although, it is a little nicer looking than the one I found in District Five. At least this roof is 99% intact.

I walk up to the front door (as a matter of fact, the only door) and knock. A woman who could only be Mapelle's mother answers the door. She's got Mapelle's auburn hair and high cheekbones. "Come on in," she says with a slight smile.

Mrs. Green directs us through three small rooms that lead into one another: first a kitchen, next a bedroom, and finally a living room. The only other room in the house seems to be an attic. There's some sort of trap door on the ceiling of the living room; that must be where Mapelle sleeps. When we reach the living room, I get a good look at the other four people in the room. Mr. Green is sitting in a chair over by a dusty window. He nods at me when I walk in, but remains where he is. A little brown-haired boy sits on the ground, toying with three small, wooden blocks. He must be Barry, Mapelle's younger brother. Two teenage girls sit on the couch- obviously Mapelle's friends. The dark-haired girl wearing glasses introduces herself as Serena. The other girl, the one with blond hair and blue eyes tells me her name's Ivy.

My camera crew has been taking less and less time to set up as these interviews go by. That's a good thing, because this house isn't exactly the nicest. Once the cameras are rolling, I begin with the questions. "So Mr. and Mrs. Green," I start, looking over at them. "Give me some insight on Mapelle's life back here."

"Mapelle has lived a life of poverty since day one of her life," Mrs. Green says. "Thankfully, though, she's never been a complainer. She's always thinking of ways to help those even less fortunate than herself. For example, when her father lost his job a little while ago, she immediately marched straight up to the Justice Building and demanded more tessarae. It surprised us a little, because she's generally really shy and not much of a talker. However, it's just like I said before. She's always putting the needs of others before her own."

"Clearly," I say. "She showed that in the Games by allying with Cherry and Nylah. What do you think of her old alliance?"

"I'm proud of her for picking to be with those girls," Mrs. Green says. "They weren't muscular powerhouses, but they weren't weaklings either. Mapelle was able to contribute in instances such as grabbing some water at the cornucopia, and teaching the two of them to climb trees. I'm proud of her for helping them out. I'll always be proud of her." I give her a second so she can wipe a tear away from her eye. Then, I continue with the questions.

"What was your reaction when her and her allies were found by the careers?"

"I was scared to death, obviously," Mrs. Green says. "Thank goodness she escaped alive."

"What did you think of the deaths of her allies?"

"I was very upset," she says. "Cherry and Nylah were the closest thing she had to friends out there. She's on her own now, but I think she'll be able to sustain herself for a little while."

"Mr. Green, what's your opinion on the way your daughter has played the Games so far?" I ask.

"Just like my wife said, I'm proud of her," he says. "Now do I think she has what it takes to win? Maybe, maybe not. But, if there's anything I've learned from living with so little is that you can never give up. There's always hope. You just have to try to find it."

"Interesting," I say. "Your daughter's ranked seventh, if you didn't know. What does that mean to you?"

"Nothing, really," he says. "No one can predict what will happen in the Games. Yes, Mapelle may be outmatched physically, but there's other parts to her that can make a difference in how she plays."

"Thank you, Mr. Green," I say. I decide it's time to interrogate Mapelle's friends. "Tell me about the Mapelle you know," I say. "What was it like, having her as a friend?"

"She was a great friend," Ivy says. "We miss her dearly. She's a great girl, and always put our needs first. She was the heart of our little group. I was the mouth and Serena was the brains. We miss our heart."

"How do you think her alliance compares to your friendship?"

"I think Cherry was a little like me," Ivy explains."Except I think she's the less harsh version. Nylah isn't really like me or Serena, but she still seems like a great girl. Under different circumstances, there's a chance we could all have been great friends."

"What did you guys think of her training score? Was it fair?"

"I think a five's pretty fair," Serena answers. "Obviously, I can't know for sure what she did, but a five seems to be what she'd get. Mapelle isn't very strong, but she does have some speed and agility. That's probably what landed her with that five."

"Maybe," I say. I decide to ask Mapelle's little brother a question now. He's only three, but I think he'll be old enough to answer this one. "Hey, Barry?" He looks up from the blocks he was playing with. "Was Mapelle a good big sister?"

He nods. "Mapelle's so nice."

"Do you miss her?"

He nods, and then a back to his toys. "Okay guys I think we're done here," I say, looking into the camera. Rejoin me later for news on Harvest Anson of District Nine." The camera shuts off, and I let out a sigh. Once I've said my goodbyes, my crew and I head back to the hovercraft. We've got two interviews left, and I've got to make these last ones great.

As my pile of discarded notes gets bigger, I realize how small my pile of unused notes has become. I only have two more sheets left: one for Harvest and one for Swirl. I pull Harvest's out and read over it again.

HARVEST ANSON

District: Nine

Gender: Female

Age: 18

Height: 5'9

Weight: 112 lbs.

Preferred Weapon: Spear

Appearance: Relatively skinny, caramel-colored hair, hazel eyes

Points of Interest: Two career kills, only non-career who has killed, alliance with Osborn, highest ranked non-career, training score of eight, volunteer

People to Interview: Family: Mom (Mazie), Dad (Barric), little sister (Caritta), twin brothers (Milo and Rye) Friends: Bran and Peara

Estimated Capitol Ranking: 4th

We finally land and go through the familiar routine of climbing into the car, driving through the district, arriving at the tribute's house- blah, blah blah. I'm not too impressed when I get my first view of Harvest's house. It's in the poorer section of town, but it's not too bad-looking compared to those around it. The house does stand two stories tall, but I doubt there's more than two or three rooms on each floor.

Seconds after I knock on the door, it's answered by a girl who looks to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. It's not hard to tell who she is; the girl has Harvest's carmel-colored hair, hazel eyes, and fairly skinny body. "You must be Harvest's little sister," I say.

The girl nods. "I'm Caritta. Come on in."

Caritta leads me to a small, packed, room. With all of the people in the room, there's barely enough space for my crew to set up their equipment. As they attempt to make it work, I look around. Mr. and Mrs. Anson, the only adults in the room, sit on two wooden chairs situated next to a couch with two boys laying on it. It only takes me a glance to realize that these boys are identical. They must be Harvest's little brothers. On the other side of the room, I see Caritta has taken a seat in one of the chairs. A girl, around Harvest's age, sits in a chair next to her. That girl must be one of Harvest's friends. The last person in the room is a boy who also looks to be eighteen or nineteen- Harvest's other friend. He's sitting in a chair next to the girl I've assumed to be Peara. At that moment, my crew gives me a thumbs up, and I get the interview going.

"Welcome to District Nine," I say, facing the camera. "During the next few minutes, we will be talking with some of Harvest Anson's friends and family to get a better grasp on the tribute we think we know." I direct my first question at Harvest's parents. I think I've started the majority of my interviews this way, but I really don't care. After all, the parents know the most about their child. "Tell me a little bit about your daughter's life," I say.

"Harvest grew up as the oldest of four," Mrs. Anson begins. "She's always been there to help her siblings whenever they need it. Since my husband and I both have jobs, we're grateful that she was always there for her brothers and sister. Harvest is also very important to her friends as well. At school, she met Peara and Bran, and they've been a big part of her life ever since.

"Many people have been asking each other one main question about Harvest," I say. "Why did she volunteer?"

"Well, as soon as that little girl's name was called out, I looked over at Harvest's face and knew instantly what she was going to do," Mrs. Anson says. "She grew up with three younger siblings; it's in her nature to look out for little ones. Harvest knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she let that girl go into the Games. Knowing that she had at least an okay shot of winning, she decided to volunteer."

"Did Harvest ever train?"

"I don't believe so," her mother replies.

"Then how did she get so strong?"

"I'm afraid that's my fault," Harvest's friend Bran interrupts. "Well, mine and Peara's. The three of us have worked at the wheat farm for years. It doesn't seem like farming wheat would make you strong, but it's actually a very hard job. The knives we use to chop the wheat are pretty heavy and cumbersome. Plus, the sacks of wheat we haul through the fields aren't too light either. We've all gained plenty of muscle from it."

"I see," I say. "Do you think that's what helped her kill those two careers?"

"Yes," Bran says. "But I'm sure luck was involved too. Taking down two fully-trained careers is extremely hard to do, even with some muscle. You'd be a fool to think luck didn't play a factor in her triumph. "

"I suppose so," I say. "Although she obviously is very talented. She's been placed into the fourth ranked position by the Capitol. Since the careers have taken spots one, two, and three, basically what the Gamemakers are saying is that if a non-career takes home the victor's crown this year, it'll probably be Harvest. Peara- what do you think about that."

"Well, it sounds great when you say it like that," Peara says. "But it'll be almost impossible to beat those three careers. She's taken down two careers, but they were the weakest ones. She'll need a miracle and lots of help if she even wants a shot at taking them down."

"She did get a training score of eight. Caritta, what ran through your head when you saw that eight flash onto the screen?"

"I was proud of her," Caritta says. "She's a very talented girl. I'm sure she worked extremely hard to get that score."

"What do you think she did?"

"Well, she's deceptively strong from throwing the wheat all around," Caritta says. "I'm sure she somehow showed the Gamemakers how strong she really is. They were probably surprised and impressed, so they awarded her with an eight."

I've spoken to everyone but the twins, so I decide to ask them some questions. If I remember right, they're eight years old, so they should have no trouble answering these. "Was Harvest a good big sister?" I simply ask.

They both nod. "She was the best," one of them says.

"She'd help us out with lots of things," the other one adds.

"She'd make us food, help us with our homework, dress us in the morning, and lots of stuff like that."

"We really loved her."

"And she loved us."

It's cute how they finish each other's thoughts like that. "Do you think she has what it takes to come home?"

"Yes."

"Definitely."

"She's super strong."

"And tough."

"She certainly is," I say. "And I wish her the best of luck in the Games." I turn back to the camera. "Thanks so much for watching. We'll be back soon for our final interview."

With one last round of thank yous and goodbyes, I help my crew pack. At last we leave, climb back into the car, and find our way back to the hovercraft. Once we're situated, it takes off again, and I prepare myself for District Ten.

At last, we touch down in District Ten. Stepping out, I realize that it's already dark here. Night has begun to fall so I need to begin this interview immediately. Since citizens of Panem will be going to bed shortly, I'll get in trouble if half the country is asleep and unable to watch my interview. Because of this, instead of reviewing my notes before stepping in the car, I grab a flashlight, climb into the car, and review my notes during the bumpy ride.

SWIRL WINTERS

District: Ten

Gender: Female

Age: Thirteen

Height: 5'2

Weight: 92 lbs.

Preferred Weapon: Throwing Knives

Appearance: Small, brown, wavy hair, blue and green eyes, pale skin, freckles

Points of Interest: Alliance with Peter and Peyton, training score of eight, escaped from careers

People to Interview: (No family found) Friends: Nathan, Angus, Tazzy, and Allison

Estimated Capitol Ranking: 5th

When finding information on Swirl, it surprised me that she had no known family, but I was still given an address to go to. Normally, orphans are sent to the community center if they don't have a family. Maybe they decided to hold the interview at one of Swirl's friend's house instead of the cramped, crowded community home. I guess I'll just have to find out.

We pull up to a small but friendly-looking house. When I knock, a blond-haired lady answers the door. "Kids, they're here!" she shouts over her shoulder before letting me in. "I'm Angus's mom," she says. "He's one of Swirl's friends." She leads me into a room filled with four kids about Swirl's age. "The kids will answer all of your questions," Angus's mom says. "Have fun." She turns around and exits the room, shutting the door behind her.

As my crew sets up, the kids introduce themselves. Angus looks just like his mom. He's got long blond hair that's pulled back into a ponytail. Nathan has striking red hair, and sits next to Angus. The two girls, Tazzy and Allison, sit on a couch together. Tazzy is tall and has brown hair, and Allison has abnormally small, squinty eyes and black hair.

Once we're done with introductions, I get the interview rolling. "So we're in Angus's house right now," I say. "Why is that?"

"Well, Swirl doesn't have a blood-family, so the four of us decided to meet here," Angus says. "We're her real family. Family doesn't have to be by blood. All that matters in a family is love, and we've got plenty of that to go around."

"That's sweet," I say. "Does Swirl live in the community home?"

"No," Nathan says. "She's too much of a free spirit to do that."

"So does she live with one of you guys?"

"She floats around," Nathan says.

I'm not quite sure if that's legal, so I decide to change the subject. "How did you guys meet Swirl?"

"Well, Swirl used to live in the community home," Tazzy says, "so Nathan and I met her there. We became instant friends and have been close ever since."

"Angus and I met her through Nathan," Allison says. "We immediately knew that we were all meant to be friends. We've created a very special bond, owing to the current circumstances..." She trails off, looking upset.

"How do you think Swirl has done so far, in the Games?"

"She's done very well," Angus says. "We're ecstatic that she's made it this far. We aren't really surprised, though. We know what Swirl's capable of."

"How so?" I ask. "Did Swirl train?"

An uncomfortable look forms on all four of the kids' faces. There's a moment of silence, and then Angus speaks. "She didn't train, but she's been active her whole life. Swirl and I used to race each other. We're both very fast, and the friendly competition caused us to become even faster." The three others nod. I wonder what that moment of awkwardness was for at the beginning. Are they hiding something?

I shake off any feeling of suspicion when I realize that I have more questions to ask. "What was your reaction when she got that training score of eight?"

"Relief, really," Tazzy says. "We knew that she had it in her, so we were very happy when we saw her score."

"Do you think her Capitol ranking of five is fair?"

"I think so," Nathan says. "Since she's younger, I can understand why they've ranked her fifth."

"What do you guys think of her ever-changing alliance? How does it relate to your friendship with her?"

"I think her alliance is really a lot like our friendship," Allison says. "However, I think Swirl kind of became the leader in her alliance. She was the strongest out of the three of them. In our friendship, we don't have a leader. We're just... friends."

"What did you guys think of Peter's death?"

"We were sad," Tazzy said. "Peter seemed like a sweet boy."

"What about Peyton? Is he nice too? Do you think Swirl would be better off without him?"

"Peyton is a very nice boy," Allison says. "I don't know if she'd do better off without Peyton. Yes, Swirl is a bit stronger and smarter than him, but I think he supplies her with some mental and moral support. That's often even more important than physical strength."

"Now I have one more question, but I need an answer from all of you," I say. I'm starting to run out of time, so I need to wrap this up. "Do you think Swirl has what it takes to win?"

"Yes," Nathan says. "She's very fast and talented. I think she can do it."

"Same," Angus says. "I think many of the other tributes tend to overlook her because of her age and size. Hopefully that'll work to her advantage."

"It'll take some luck," Tazzy says, "but I think she can do it."

"I hope she can win," Allison says. "She's a great girl, and it won't be the same here without her."

"Well I'm sure we all wish the best for Swirl," I say. I turn around to look at the camera. "Thank you, citizens of Panem, for turning into this year's final eight interviews. I'm Hawk Travers, signing off. Good night everyone."

For the last time tonight, my head cameraman shouts, "We're clear." I say goodbye to the kids, and leave the house, happy to be done. I have to say, I'm pretty satisfied with this year's batch of interviews. I'm sad that I didn't get to go to District Four, but I'm even happier that I didn't have to go to District Eleven or Twelve. Last year, I had to go to District Eleven for two interviews. Plus, I didn't even get to go to District Four. Hopefully, next year, I'll finally return to that district.

Midterms are over! Yay! (Shoutout to my English teacher for entering my grade wrong online and making me think I got a 69 instead of a 96.) We've entered districts for basketball, and I honestly have no idea how well we're going to do. We could be done tomorrow, or we could be done in three weeks depending on how well we do and on how far we go. So, I have no idea how long my next chapter will take.

Anyway, make sure you've voted in the final eight poll. It's going to become harder and harder for me to kill off these tributes, so I need as much input as possible. I'm not going to promise a death per chapter anymore, but there will still be plenty of action. The Gamemakers haven't interfered much so far, which means that there will definitely be mutts and other obstacles during the days to come.

Thanks for reading! :-)