Mozu Striker, 18

District 2 Female

Mozu stretched her arms above her head with a yawn. She'd been studying since the sun rose, and now it was nearly noon. She was usually an early riser, but studying could get exhausting very quickly.

Across the room, Nyx looked up from their book.

"All good?" they asked. Mozu shrugged one shoulder and then rolled her neck to stretch it out.

"I finished this chapter," she said. "Can we take a break?"

Nyx shut their book with a sigh.

"You're going into the Hunger Games tomorrow," they reminded her. "You need to keep studying." Mozu swallowed hard. She knew the reapings were tomorrow, and she was scared out of her mind. Studying was providing a distraction, but it could only go so far.

"My brain hurts," Mozu protested, tucking a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear. Nyx gave her an unimpressed look, making Mozu frown.

"You need to be ready! I don't… I don't want you to die." Nyx lowered their voice, looking away from Mozu. She stood up and put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"It'll be okay Nyx," she assured them. Nyx kept their eyes down, but finally nodded.

"Alright. Let's take a break and get some lunch."

The Academy cafeteria wasn't too bad, Mozu had to admit. Although it was all she'd eaten since she was 10. Sometimes Corrina would bring her something her husband baked, but she usually just ate whatever the Academy provided.

The cafeteria was a large room full of round tables with a few bars at the back with food. It was all self-serve. Nyx and Mozu both grabbed a tray. Mozu filled it with the healthiest stuff she could find, while Nyx just grabbed a few small things. Mozu didn't push them.

"Mozu!" someone shouted. "Over here!" She looked up, spotting her best friend Oboro across the room. He waved her over.

"There's my victor!" he cheered, throwing an arm over her shoulder. Mozu flinched, but laughed a little.

"Well, we'll see," she said with a shrug.

"Oh, nonsense," Oboro said. "Don't be so humble."

"On the contrary," Nyx said. "Be humble, unlike Oboro."

"Ha ha," he mocked, guiding them to a table.

Mozu took a bite of her salad, listening to them bicker. She'd miss them when she was in the arena. She still wasn't entirely sure why Corrina and the other trainers chose her. She wasn't exceptionally strong, or smart, or big or intimidating. She was just a kid Corrina found in the remnants of a mining village, crying for her dead mother.

Sometimes, at night, Mozu still felt like that little kid. Scared and alone. But then she would roll over and look at Nyx, asleep across the room, and remember. She had Corrina, and Nyx and Oboro and Effie and Hayato. They were her family now.

Her cheeks flushed a little when she thought about Hayato. He was the newest addition to their friend group, and one of the most interesting. He was a firm believer in magic, and could read horoscopes and things. She was crushing hard on him, and everyone but Hayato knew it.

If she won the Hunger Games, she'd ask him out. Effie had encouraged her to do it sooner, but Mozu didn't want to. It was terrible timing, and would lead to heartbreak. She couldn't handle that, on top of everyone else. Tomorrow, she'd be volunteering. That was enough.

Wyler Kline, 18

District 3 Male

Pain drummed behind Wyler's eyes as he hunched over his laptop. His headache was only worsening, but he didn't have time to take a break. His application was due in a week and it had to be perfect.

Wyler was applying to the most prestigious school in 3, one that even had some Capitol internships. He was at the top of his class and easily one of the smartest students in school, but he couldn't afford to be cocky. One could always improve.

A soft knock on his door forced him to break away from his work.

"Come in," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. His parents knew he was busy. What did they want? But it wasn't his parents. It was Visa, his youngest sister. She was in her pajamas and clutching a binder to her chest.

"Wyler?" she whispered. "Can you help me?" He grit his teeth, but nodded, gesturing for her to sit down. If it was anyone but Visa or his other sister Kay, he would have told them to leave. But Visa and Kay understood the pressure he was under, because they were under it too. Their parents were incredibly strict, and he didn't want Kay or Visa to struggle.

"What do you need?" he asked, shutting his laptop.

"My trig homework is really confusing," she said. "And it's due the day after tomorrow." Visa was taking a summer class to jump a grade next year. Wyler sat next to her on the bed as she opened her binder.

He looked over the math problems and got up to grab a pencil, going through the basics of the first problem on a piece of scratch paper. Eventually, the two of them transferred to the floor, and though Wyler's hands itched to get back to his application, he sat with Visa until she was done.

"Do you feel more confident now?" he asked her. She nodded, tucking her notes away.

"Good. You're smart; don't forget that."

"Thanks Wyler. Sorry for interrupting you."

She left with a half-hearted smile, which Wyler struggled to return. His head was still throbbing and he still had so much to do! He didn't bother climbing onto his bed again, just readjusted his glasses and grabbed his laptop.

Chemistry was one of his strong points, so he began to detail his experiences in school with the subject. Having a father that was a chemist helped with that. Not that his dad ever helped Wyler with his schoolwork. His parents believed in letting them do the work themselves. At first, Wyler thought it was because he was adopted. He was black, while his parents and sisters were white, so while they had never outright said anything, he figured it out pretty young. But it wasn't because of that. It was just how they were. Kay and Visa were held to the same high standards.

'More like impossible standards' he thought with a scoff, rubbing his eyes. The pressure he was under was insane compared to his classmates, and most students in 3 were competitive anyways. Wyler had to be the best.

Lavinia Danse, 13

District 7 Female

Danse crouched behind the dumpster, watching Copper carefully creep across the street. Her teeth dug into her lower lip, her hat falling low over her eyes. Copper looked back and forth and then bolted towards her. He slipped into the alleyway just before a Peacekeeper patrol went by.

"Nice job," Danse whispered, grabbing his elbow and tugging him further into the shadows. "What'd you get?" Copper unfolded the blanket he'd wrapped his treasures in, revealing a fancy watch and a pearl necklace. Danse grinned.

The two kids snuck back out of the alleyway and set off down the street. The sun was setting and the street merchants were putting their wares away, closing up shop for the evening. Some would be taking inventory, and it was best to be out of the area by then.

Thievery had been getting harder and harder, ever since the Peacekeepers upped patrols. It was all because of that murderer, but he'd be caught! They didn't need to be so on-edge.

But she and Copper reached the compound safely, where they were greeted by Heidi and Dahlia, another pair of Mort's kids. While they weren't actually Mort's biological children, Mort served as a sort of father figure to Danse and the rest of the orphans. He cared for them better than the community home did anyways.

When Danse was 10, she ran away from the community home. Mort found her a few months later. Now, she was on top, but never let the other kids feel unwelcome.

"Is Mort here?" she asked Heidi. She shook her head.

"He's out on an errand. He said to leave the stuff in his office." Copper nodded and set off while Danse stayed to chat.

"Any good hauls today?" she asked.

"We got the reward for Mayor Addams' missing dog," Dahlia said. Danse grinned.

"Nice. I'm going to miss him though." The little dog had been hanging out around the compound for the last week and a half while they waited for the reward to ramp up. He was a sweet little guy.

"Danse, do we have to go to the reaping tomorrow?" Heidi asked.

"Yes, you goof," Danse said, ruffling her curly hair. "We don't have a choice. You know that."

"The Capitol fucking sucks," Dahlia pouted. Danse raised an eyebrow. She was definitely rubbing off on the younger kids. Not that she minded. It made her feel like the big sister she always wanted to be.

Colette Reilly, 13

District 8 Female

"Close your eyes!" Colette sang, swirling her makeup brush through the glitter dust on her palette. Uncle Joey did as she asked and she began to paint purple eyeshadow onto his lids. Nose wrinkled in concentration, Colette lay down a solid layer and then began to spread it around, making it darker near the lashes and more faded near the top. Finally, she set the brush down and gave a nod.

"Perfect."

Uncle Joey opened his eyes and took the handheld mirror from Colette. He gasped dramatically when he saw her work.

"Colette! This looks beautiful!"

She giggled, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Thank you! I've been practicing a lot."

"It shows," he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Thanks for doing my makeup hon, but I've got to get to work. I'll see you tonight!"

"Okay!" Colette said brightly. "Bye!"

As Uncle Joey left, Colette began to clean up her makeup. She liked to keep her room - and the house - nice and tidy. Messes were unbecoming, and she was a lady. Her mama always said that Colette would be a good mother someday, and Colette couldn't wait. She'd have at least two girls, she decided, and they would be very pretty like her, and wear makeup and like to sew. And her husband would buy her flowers every day, and they would spend the evenings just talking like her mama and papa.

"Oh!" Colette gasped. In her daydreaming, she had knocked a teacup onto the floor. It hadn't broken, luckily, but tea had spilled out onto her rug. She quickly picked up the cup and stared at the stain.

Rushing downstairs, she grabbed a cloth and ran it under warm water before rubbing lavender soap into it. Then she ran back upstairs and began to sop up the spilled tea. By the time she was finished, the rug was wet and soggy, but no longer stained. She sat back, a satisfied smile on her face. Yes, she'd make an excellent mother. Babies spilled things all the time!

Up until a few months ago, she'd dreamed of Landon Whitmore being the one to propose to her someday. But then Wyck Ballinger brought her her homework when she was sick, and told her to feel better soon, and now he was the one she daydreamed about. He was the candlemaker's son, and candles were so romantic. It was perfect!

The clock struck noon and Colette got up from the floor. It was time to make lunch! Heading back downstairs, she washed her hands and began to boil water for pasta. She was going to make homemade sauce today. She'd been practicing with her mama and today was the day.

Everyone in the Reilly family worked, and so Colette was often in charge of cooking and cleaning. Her mama and Uncle Joey would help with the difficult things, or the places Colette couldn't reach, but she did most of it. Not that she minded. It was excellent practice for being a housewife.

Tying on her frilly pink apron, she smoothed her curls back and looked at her reflection in the window. Yes, she perfectly looked the part. Now all she had to do was grow up.

Hey everyone! Here it is; the final intro chapter! Thank you to AmericanPi for Mozu, Very New To This for Wyler, Carlpopa707 for Danse, and LadyCordeliaStuart for Colette. I love all of these guys, and I'm SO excited to be done with intros. I've been writing a lot of them recently :)

Also, sorry that Danse's POV is a bit shorter than the others. I wrote it at midnight.

Questions:

1) Who was your favorite POV this chapter?

2) If you had to choose a victor right now, who would you choose?

3) If you were an SYOT tribute, what would you want your intro scene to be?

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

- Fiona