Five months before the 128th annual reaping

-Amiah Amaryllis, District 5-

She quietly tapped her eraser a few times on her wrist as she read through the question. The longer the test went on, the longer and more complicated the questions got. It was almost a paragraph, but that wasn't going to stop Amiah from finding the right answer. It was sort of like a fun little riddle, or mystery, and then it would repeat itself with each coming question!

She started to calculate, showing her work just as they wanted to see it. She took great care to ensure that each number was lined up on top of and beside each other, written out clearly and neatly so that they could see how she reached her answer. That was what they wanted, after all, or that was what she would want if she were on the board of those wildly smart people. And maybe she would be, someday.

She found her answer and a smile spread across her face as she wrote it on the line. Another problem, solved. And she was sure that it was right, just like she was sure that the last was right. She did double check again, though, just as Ms. Reeds had suggested. She could barely contain her joy at another problem being solved, but knew better than to move too much. Still, she happily swung her legs under the table as she started reading the next problem.

"Ten minutes," said the proctor, and Amiah immediately focused again. She would have lots of time to celebrate after the test was over. Those ten minutes went by quickly, and it was a race against time for Amiah. She kept that laser focus as she wrote in the last two answers, not quite as diligent as before in checking those answers. She would have been more diligent if she wasn't so confident. But Amiah knew that she had studied so hard for this, and she hadn't caught a single mistake yet. She was just writing in the last digit when the proctor announced, "Time's up. Please close your AST test booklets."

She'd done it. She'd completed the test! Amiah's smile grew as the proctor came around to collect each of their tests. She held hers up high for him to take from her hand, barely able to sit still in her seat as he collected the rest of the tests. After that, the students were released for the day. Students moved to the door, all of them looking like zombies. Amiah didn't feel like a zombie at all!

She got out of her seat and felt the familiar feeling overcoming her. She couldn't hold in the joy any longer! Amiah twirled on her feet a little bit and it just felt so right. She had to express what she was feeling, it was an energy that she couldn't keep contained. It was a spirit of such goodness, that was so free and wild, one that she couldn't exactly control… But one that she could harness.

Amiah danced out the door, allowing her body to move however it saw fit. It was almost like relinquishing control to this energy… But the energy was also a part of her.

She twirled past groups of students that were just so… quiet. Sure, they were talking, but they were so quiet. Their bodies, turned into themselves, hunched together, so small. Expressions like stone, unchanging. That was what made a person quiet. Not the use of something as inconsequential as a voice.

Her dancing stopped quickly as she saw a familiar figure and her feet stopped themselves. She went shy, but only for a moment. She embraced the feeling, it only came around one person after all. But it quickly dissolved as soon as Leah put up her hand to wave.

"Oh… Hey, Amiah."

At hearing Leah say her name, just as she always did, Amiah smiled and felt a blush course over her. She could have held it back, perhaps, but she had no need to hold anything back from the world. It was such a beautiful place, and in comparing beauty, Leah's was exponentially above all other kinds that Amiah had seen. It was… so beautiful, Amiah couldn't control how she bounced on her toes. Not that she wanted to. She waved excitedly.

"So, uh… How was the test?"

Amiah beamed at that and twirled around a little bit, reveling in the feeling of how her skirt flew around with her. Perhaps the others would have that enjoyment, if they had worn skirts that day. She then blew a piece of hair out of her mouth, which fluttered above her before falling back into place. Not the right place, but what did it matter?

The test was great!

"I… I guess that's… good," Leah said. She was quiet too, but her quietness was just… beautiful. If only she would run free with Amiah, she could understand what Amiah already knew to be truth. Just how beautiful the world was. She wanted nothing more than that.

Let me take you on a date.

Just like last time, Leah's face read like nothing. "Yeah, I thought it was tricky, too…?" It came out sounding like a question. She couldn't understand Amiah. And yet, there was something beautiful about the way she continued to talk to Amiah despite that barrier.

Don't let your love be so confidential.

She always talked with Amiah, and why wouldn't Amiah love to listen to a person with such a wonderful personality? They knew so much about each other… Maybe Leah was planning something on her own, or maybe they would accidentally fall in love, or… Well, love itself was just such an amazing thing, so Amiah was sure it would be amazing when it finally happened. She could be patient, someone like Leah was so worth the wait.

So she simply nodded for now, a smile spreading across her face. She just loved spending time with Leah so much, and that was enough. They could go as slow as Leah wanted to.

"I didn't finish the test," Leah said. "So… Any hope I had of getting into Three is basically gone." She frowned.

Amiah didn't miss a beat. You're alive. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. District Five is a great place! They will need you here!

"Right, thanks," Leah said, before Amiah was even finished signing.

"I'll see you later, Amiah."

Ok. Bye! Amiah waved to her again, but she had already turned away and couldn't see. She would see soon, though. This was a nice place to be, just as nice as District Three! Amiah would make her see it, if Leah couldn't see it herself. That was all that she ever wanted, after all.

"There you are!"

Amiah quickly turned around at the voice of her best friend calling. She just couldn't help but think about all the amazing memories they had together, and look forward to the many memories they would make in the time to come.

"How'd it go?" Jed talked slower than usual, as he was also trying to sign at the same time. He was doing such a good job of learning how to sign.

Amiah gave him a smile. Great!

"Awesome! I… Well, I got caught right on the last question. But, I was about halfway through solving it, so they'll probably see that I was on the right track." He gave her a smile, and Amiah felt that happy feeling coming back quickly, which she welcomed. He was right, they probably would know that! They would be able to go to University together, and maybe even share a dorm! That would be so much fun. But if Leah was going to be here in District Five, Amiah would have to visit often.

You're right. Plus, we have the writing portion tomorrow.

"Yeah, I'll have to put my best foot forward for that one."

I know that all of us will! Amiah signed with confidence. She was confident in not only herself, but every other student there. She was confident that all of them would do their best. And the ones that weren't chosen, they would still be able to do great things! After all, there was the Delacroix scholarship still, or maybe they would become famous some other way and be able to go Uni, just like Gian Mariani and some of the other Victors! It wasn't the end of the road for any one of them.

Even with that thought, Amiah was still going to work hard. She wanted to leave the testing room with no regrets, knowing that she did the very best she could. From there, it was in someone else's hands, and she would accept whatever judgement they made.

It would just be so great to get into a prestigious university… Especially with her friends! Anything could happen.

Amiah could feel the rhythm in her bones, and by the look on Jed's face, he knew it was coming. Jed was never the one to start dancing, but Amiah couldn't completely blame him. Sometimes, all it took was the beauty in someone else's happiness to get it started.

They were about to dance away from there when a great thud sounded, scaring both Amiah and Jed. The hallway was mostly empty at that point, quickly emptying out of people after the sound. But Amiah was never one to stray away from fear. Especially not with a sound like that.

Amiah walked over with Jed, who was keeping a distance behind her, not sure if he wanted to follow. She turned around to face him.

Don't let your mind be so darn judgmental. Whoever it was obviously needed help. But Jed just shook his head again, causing Amiah to turn back around and keep moving towards the source.

She soon found the culprit of the sound. It was hard to miss it – the dent in a locker, right in front of the student who was in a ball, crying quite loudly. Jed was not behind her when Amiah sat next to the student, but Amiah didn't mind. She saw a sad scene in front of her, and she wanted to help. She wanted to show everyone that the world really wasn't so bad after all!

She waited a few moments, hoping that he would realize that she was there, but he didn't. She leaned over and gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder. The boy looked over at her, his teary eyes glaring at her.

Why did you punch that locker? She frowned over at him, not afraid to show how his actions had scared and upset her. It wasn't a good thing for him to have done, really. There was no need to make the world any darker for other people by doing things like that. You scared a lot of people.

He looked away from her, effectively cutting off any way for her to communicate with him. But she didn't leave. Not yet. He obviously needed help, before he could go scare anyone else.

"I don't want your sympathy, or empty words. Please, just leave me alone."

Amiah noticed his hand, gently pulling it up and noticing that it was split open and bleeding. Nothing that a few days wouldn't solve. Amiah took off her scarf and wrapped it gently around his knuckles. Maybe if he wasn't hurting on the outside, he wouldn't hurt as much on the inside, and unfairly take it out on this beautiful world. She tied it off gently and let his hand go. His hand was gentle, not tense, and he looked the wrapping before looking back at Amiah again.

It's going to be alright. You're alive.

"I'm going to be trapped here forever. Five fucking answers… Empty. Why would I even show up tomorrow? I need to get straight to work. I can't believe I chased this when I should have been working. Making money."

You don't need money.

"I'm not even going to show up tomorrow. Who will even hire me now!? I need to start begging. I need an income. I should have started earlier, worked up the ranks, made money for longer."

You could get into District 5 University! Just keep fighting and you can do anything!

"Hana needs me. Dammit, why did I think I could do this?" He couldn't understand Amiah. But she didn't need to be understood. She liked to listen just as well. Maybe that was what this boy needed right now. Just to not be alone. To realize that other people weren't bad people, nobody was bad. Even if he thought they were. Amiah sat quietly as the boy cried, opening and closing his fists. She didn't know for how long, but she didn't care. What was time, anyways? She still had plenty of it.

Don't let mistakes be so monumental.

He wasn't looking at her. But he did quiet down quickly. He looked surprised when she was still there. She put a hand on his shoulder. She couldn't communicate with words. But Amiah didn't need words.

"You want this back? I won't be seeing you. Or anyone."

Amiah put out her hand, pushing his wrapped hand back towards his chest, and shaking her head. Keep it.

"…Thanks." And just like that, he was gone. Amiah smiled to herself once he left. He was going to be fine, and he wasn't going to be angry anymore. Maybe someday he would understand, just by her simple action of giving a scarf. That was why she had to keep living. She would be that spark for as many people as possible.

Amiah got back up and walked out of the building. Jed had since gone home, and the sky was growing darker. But Amiah didn't mind. She danced, just as she loved to do, to show the darkness that she welcomed the coming of the night. She loved the breeze, the darkness of the sky, the way that the silhouettes of the trees would dance as the sun set… Just like her.

She opened the door to her house, feeling light as a feather, and beaming as she saw her parents at the dinner table. They always made such wonderful food! She was so looking forward to the meal.

"Where were you?! We were worried sick!" her mother finally said, coming over and giving Amiah a tight hug. Amiah smiled and hugged back. She worried so much, but it was her calling to be a mother and Amiah knew that her worry was part of that job.

I was spending time with people.

"Well, in the future do not stay out with people so late…" her father said, his forehead creased in worry. "If something were to happen, you couldn't scream for help…" He was getting himself worked up again. Amiah came over and hugged him, knowing that he would relax. She loved her parents, and she knew they loved her so much. That was what mattered most.

"Well? How was your first day of ASTs?" asked Mom. "Was the test too hard? Were the proctors rude? Did you finish everything? Did you double check your work!?"

Amiah was already signing at the first few questions, even though she knew she would have to do it again. She just wanted to calm her mother down.

The test was great. Not too hard. The proctors weren't rude. I double checked. I finished."

"You finished your ASTs?!" Dad exclaimed, immediately beaming. "Honey, that's wonderful! I'm so proud!"

"Our baby…" Mom smiled and had a bit of tear in her eyes. But it was the happy kind of tears, so Amiah just felt even more joyful. "Congratulations, Amiah. That's quite an accomplishment!"

Amiah fluttered her feet on the floor as she happily dug into her dinner and her parents continued to tell her how proud they were.

She was so happy to be alive, to be here, now, celebrating with her parents.

The world was such a wonderful and beautiful place, she just wished she could make everyone realize…

Please, let your heart be more influential.

~.~.

The day before the 128th annual reaping

-Ruthie Mercras, District 6-

It was so rare to have a full house.

Usually, it wasn't a bad thing. In fact, having that normal family life was somewhat exciting for Ruthie. Mom was finally home for a few days, and her being there obviously put Dad in a better mood. Plus, there were more hands to look after Kelvin, little rascal, and keep his destruction away from her projects.

Just thinking about another one of her projects getting destroyed made Ruthie clench her fists in annoyance. She had timelines, self-set timelines, and goals. They did not account for a snotty eight-year-old to come and ruin them. She didn't have time! He had pushed her goals back as much as three weeks! Three weeks! That was a lot of time, a lot of extra work, and most importantly, it set her behind in her yearly schedule. There was nothing worse than that. Ruthie knew exactly what she had to do, and with other forces coming in and ruining it…

She huffed, trying to let go of the annoyance. It had been months since he last made it into her room, and her projects were protected much better now than they were before. She would just have to let go. She just hated that feeling of being behind so, so much… It always felt like she was struggling, drowning, like she should work three times as hard to get back to where she was, but it simply wouldn't happen in a day.

"Ruthie!"

Speaking of things that disrupted her plans…

Mom was so rarely home that Ruthie knew she needed to enjoy it while it lasted. And she did want to spend time with her mother! She had planned out days for when mom was back, and they were flexible. She wouldn't have a problem using those days if Kelvin hadn't set her three weeks behind. She opened her closet, looking at her latest project. It was looking optimistic, so hopefully Ruthie could make it work again. What if the first time was just a fluke, or a mistake? What if she couldn't get it to work again?

Ruthie frowned at that. She was really trying her best, but if she failed… Well, she couldn't even think about it.

What a way to start off her day.

Ruthie put some clothes on and headed downstairs.

"Ruthie, your hair, dear." Mom was already holding Kelvin's hair out in her fingers, pulling it to see how long it was. "And Kelvin… This boy needs a haircut, Allen." Ruthie knew what she was about to say next. "And so do you."

And just as always, the response was the same. "I'll give him one when I have time. I'm pretty busy running the shop."

"I could help run the shop while you're away, Dad." Ruthie smiled and sat next to her father. "You always say that I'm a natural repair person, after all."

"Oh, you certainly are sweetie." He smiled and bumped his daughter's shoulder. "Maybe I'll take you up on that sometime."

"See, Mom? I really am going to succeed doing what Dad does! He said so!"

Mom smiled slightly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "What would you all like for breakfast?"

Everyone gave their usual request, and she started making the meals. Ruthie swung her feet under the table, tapping her fingers lightly on her napkin as her mind started to wander. Before she could configure the controls, she would have to test the circuitry. Again. Then maybe she could calibrate everything in a few hours on Saturday. Dad would understand.

Maybe I could take it to the shop, even.

No. She couldn't do that! If it were to fail in any way, if she couldn't get it to work… What would the customers think of her? They always commented on how smart she was and how she was going to follow her father's footsteps. But if they watched her make a dud… Then what would she be? She would make sure it worked first, then take it out. After all, his customers watching her fail wouldn't be very good for business. And business already wasn't great as it was.

She would just have to sit down and redraft her goals. It was unavoidable at this point, especially with mom home.

She wasn't home at this time last year. They didn't let her come home for Ruthie's first reaping… She was so nervous. Thankfully, Dad was there for her, but… It wasn't the same. That was the life of a driver. Maybe it paid well, but being ripped away from your family because the Capitolites needed material things… Not a career that Ruthie had much interest in. Especially not after the stories that Dad told her about the process of getting your license. If he couldn't stand those people, there was no way that Ruthie could.

Soon, breakfast was served, and the big happy family ate their helpings quickly. It was meager, but enough to satisfy to the point that none of them remained hungry.

"Mama, how long will you stay?"

"Just until the reaping is over. Then I'm scheduled to leave for another delivery."

"That's not very long… Can we stay home from school?" Kelvin stuck out his lower lip, silently willing her to say yes.

"Well…" said Mom, looking over at Dad. "What do you think, Allen?"

"One day wouldn't hurt too bad!" said Dad, leaning over the table to ruffle his son's hair. "What do you say, Ruthie? Shop's closed on Mondays anyways."

Ruthie considered it for a moment. She did enjoy having her family home, but also she couldn't justify staying home from school when she was feeling just fine. She had work to do, and there was so much to be learned… She really liked going to school and didn't really feel like staying home and doing nothing all day.

"I think I'm still going to go to school," Ruthie said. She didn't want to disappoint her family, but she knew that they'd be alright. "I like to learn and I won't do much of that here at home." She noticed how her parents both seemed to frown a little at that. She didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, she was only telling the truth… She felt slightly ashamed at that as she took her lunch from the fridge and put it in her backpack. "But I'll be back this evening, and we'll spend it all together, I promise." She came over and hugged both of her parents. "I love you."

"You're so independent," Mom commented with a small laugh. "Don't grow up too fast, okay?"

"I won't."

"Hey… How about I give you a ride?"

"I want to ride too!" Kelvin said, his tune quickly changed at the prospect of riding in Mom's big truck.

"I'll take you out later, Kel," she said. "This one is just a girls-only ride."

Ruthie felt like she didn't have much of a choice. But it certainly beat the long walk. "Alright." She smiled at her mother. "That sounds good to me."

"Well boys, I'll be right back," Mom said, getting up and grabbing her keys. "Let's go. I'll take you the long way."

Ruthie sighed to herself as they went out to Mom's truck. The long way meant that Ruthie was about to get an earful. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just… She had heard it all before, and she still hadn't changed her mind.

Ruthie closed the door behind her. She did like being in the truck. But that was it, she just liked being in the truck. She loved working in the shop.

"How have the boys been? Not getting into to much trouble, have they?" Mom asked, as she started to drive.

"They've been good," Ruthie said. "No, they've been just fine."

"Good. With your Dad, sometimes I just don't know," she teased, and Ruthie laughed.

"I've been keeping them in line." It wasn't a total joke, but both of them laughed about it anyways.

"How is your schoolwork coming?"

"It's good, as always. We're starting to learn about hydraulics in detail and it's really fascinating. I even stayed after class and Mr. E explained to me how the pressurized force is used to power so many different things, including cars, for suspension."

"Wow, you certainly keep a lot up there in that brain of yours."

"Well, I just think it's interesting," Ruthie said simply.

"A brain like yours is far too sharp to stay in that dusty old junk shop forever." And, there it was.

"I never said I would stay there forever," Ruthie said again. "Maybe I don't want to stay there forever, but I definitely don't want to do this!"

Mom sighed. "Then what do you want to do, baby? I know that your dad loves that old place, but if you take it from him you'll never be able to leave without hurting him."

Ruthie frowned at that. She wasn't wrong. But, still… "I want to engineer. I want to take things apart, and put them together, make things out of spare parts. I want to invent things! I can do that working in a lab, like in the Capitol, all I need is a degree, so if I can just keep studying…!"

"Those are big dreams, Sweetie." Mom smiled over at her, but only for a moment. "But how realistic are those dreams?"

"They're very realistic, actually," Ruthie said. "I have a plan. I have my trajectory set, Mom. I know that you don't believe it but I can do this!"

"I know you could… But it's just not a very stable path for you. I mean, you know that between us we can't fund your education…"

"I'll earn scholarships then."

"That's an extremely competitive endeavor, getting a scholarship. You're competing with thousands from all over Panem! And there are many that are just as bright as you are."

"I can do it, though. I'm at the top of my class here, right? Why can't I continue to learn and be on top of the class somewhere else?"

"You are thirteen now. So much could change before you get to that point."

"Then why do I have to commit to being a driver now, if I'm only thirteen?"

Mom sighed quietly, then smiled again. "You don't. You certainly don't have to commit to anything right now. But… Well, I just want you to think before you lock yourself into a career that is unstable, at best. You still have so much potential… I don't want you to lose it before you can use it."

Ruthie nodded at that, but her mind was already made up. "Alright. I'll keep thinking about it." She would never do what her mother did, and she knew it. The guilt that she would let her mother down slowly crept in through the rest of the ride, for which they listened to the radio. Maybe she should just tell the truth. But she didn't want to start an argument with her mother over this, not again. Besides, she would know that Ruthie was lying if she told the truth now, then she wouldn't trust her, and be angry with her. And mom was only back for two days, one of which was the reaping…

But she still felt terrible. She was so relieved when Mom pulled up the truck to school. Could Mom see what she was feeling? Did she know something was wrong? It wasn't a big deal to some people, but Ruthie just really felt uncomfortable lying, especially to someone she cared about.

She kissed her mother goodbye and then hurried into school. This would distract her from all of the frustrations happening at home. All she had to do was sit down, and focus.

She took a deep breath as she walked into her first class. This was where she thrived. Here, and Dad's shop. She couldn't wait to go back there, but she couldn't waste any time daydreaming about it here. Here was her place to learn everything she possibly could, anything that would help her chase her dreams.

Ruthie walked into the room, already sweating slightly from the heat as the school didn't have good air flow. She sat down at her desk and pulled out her binder.

"Hey, Ruthie."

Ruthie looked up and smiled at her friend. "Oh, hey there Paya." The girl in question sat next to Ruthie at their shared desk and got out her binder of supplies.

"How was your weekend?"

"It was good. My Mom drove home yesterday to surprise us before the reaping."

"Oh, nice. I keep forgetting that's tomorrow."

"Are you nervous?" Ruthie looked at her friend.

"Uh… I guess so."

"Why just I guess?" Ruthie tilted her head curiously.

"Well, I don't know. I feel like I shouldn't be nervous because there's so many other names, but sometimes I just can't help it."

"Well, the odds of either of us getting picked are so low, I'm sure we'll both be fine."

"Me too." Paya gave her a strained smile.

"How was your weekend?" Ruthie returned the question, waiting for their teacher to start class.

"Pretty normal."

"Meaning?"

"Well, we didn't really do much. I did a little bit of reading."

"Oh, nice! What are you reading?"

"Right now? Just a short nonfiction about anatomy."

"Did you learn anything really cool?" Ruthie was really interested in anatomy from the short lesson they'd had in class about it.

"Well, actually-" Paya cut herself off. You probably already know it, anyways. "Nothing really."

"Oh, gotcha," Ruthie said with a sigh. She always liked to collect new information, but Paya wasn't exactly the same in that manner. Still, Ruthie liked to talk to her friend and was happy that they shared a desk this year. After all, if anyone was going to give her competition for the spot of star student, it was going to be Paya. That was why Ruthie liked to sit with her – they always had really interesting conversations. But now, she was stumped as to what to ask Paya next, so she thought about it while they sat in silence.

"What do you think we're going to learn about today?" asked Paya, thankfully keeping the conversation going.

"I don't know… I really want to learn about chemistry, though! There so much to know about atoms and their parts, and how they react to each other."

"I doubt we'll learn about that, considering we just started the hydraulics unit," said Paya. "But I guess you never know."

"That's the joy of school, isn't it? You never know what you're going to get! But you always leave knowing more than you did yesterday."

"Yeah, you're right." Paya smiled at her as the teacher called them all to their schoolwork.

"Students, please open up to page 74 in your textbooks. We-" the teacher stopped when he saw the raised hand. "Yes, Ruthie?"

"What are we going to learn about today, Mr. E?" she couldn't help but ask the question, even as she quickly skimmed through the text. She didn't notice the rest of the class sighing at another one of her questions: she could only see the excitement on her teacher's face that someone was engaging with him.

"Well, Ruthie, I'm glad you asked!"

~.~.

A/N: There you have it folks, last pair of Celtic intros you will ever see. Thank you so much to David12341 and BerryBush123 for Amiah and Ruthie respectively. I am so excited to finally start planning and writing the pre-Games! That's where stuff is really gonna start getting interesting.

All tribute drawings are now posted to the blog! I did full body for all featured tributes. Some non-featured tributes were drawn before their status changed, so they also have full body. Some were non-featured before they were drawn so I threw in a bust of those ones so that everyone could be drawn in some form.

Hope you liked these two girls, lots of similarities between the two of them that I didn't realize until I finished this chapter!

CQ: Which tributes are you excited to see interact? Which are the standouts?

See you all next chapter for reaping recaps, then this train is really gonna start moving forward!