Chapter title taken from the song "Dream Sweet in Sea Major" by Miracle Musical
General reminder that Theo's pronouns are she/it!
III.
We'll Go Together In Flight
As the Peacekeeper read over the list, they nodded once to themselves and checked Theo's name off the list.
"This is everyone you know of reaping age?" they asked.
Theo nodded. "Everyone I know that has witnesses to prove I know them," she informed them.
The Peacekeeper grunted and typed the names on the tablet in front of them. As soon as the list was complete, they told Theo, "Looks like some of these names matched people who say they know you personally. You're all good, kid."
And like that, Theo was allowed to enter the reaping crowd. It looked around as it joined the girls on the right side of the square, and among the other eighteen-year-olds, Theo only caught sight of Betty waving her down from within the crowd.
Betty looked beautiful in her Sunday best. Her hair was tied up in a low bun, and her dress was so simple that it looped around into being stylish. Even the light makeup she wore made her look even more angelic than usual. Theo smiled bashfully at her as it approached, waving back meekly all the while. When Theo made it to Betty's side, Betty kissed her on the cheek and looped one arm around Theo's—almost like a couple would do on the street, walking home together after a dinner date.
"You look really pretty," Theo blurted out. Betty grinned and swished her skirt with her free hand, and Theo liked the way the material seemed to flow like waves on a beach.
"I was saving this baby for a hot date," Betty told it. "But it'd be hard to get any dates while the Quell is happening. Better I wear it now before I can't fit in it anymore because of stress eating."
Theo blinked, surprised by the answer. Did Betty have someone else she liked? Shit, was what Theo planned to do in the Capitol going to make things weird? Even if Betty insisted she was fine with it, Theo could never be certain she was okay with the idea of dating someone who had to let her brother die in order to come home. And then there was the whole issue of whether or not Betty liked Theo that way. What if Theo was being a massive creep about it all?
Oh God, what if Betty hated Theo after this?
It wasn't just that Theo might potentially be a creep—it was potentially going to kill Betty's twin brother on live television! How did you salvage a relationship from that? You didn't!
"Theo?" Betty asked. Theo jumped a little, startled out of her thoughts, and looked down at Betty with a nervous smile.
"Yes, I'm Theo," it blurted out. And with an internal cringe, Theo quickly tried to laugh her response off casually. "Sorry. You worried me a little with, ah, the stress eating part."
"Oh! I was kidding. Well. Half-kidding." Betty squeezed Theo's arm gently. "Today's the last day I'll be seeing you or Char—or worse, both of you. The dinner was nice, but I worry it's not enough for… all of this."
Oh. Betty was worrying about that? Theo could handle that better than the idea that Betty would be disgusted by it once the Games were over.
Theo smiled at Betty and relaxed a little more. This felt easy, far easier than freaking out over the what-ifs that would come later.
"We put a whole lot of work into preparing," Theo reassured her. "I guarantee you, one of us will come home. Or maybe they'll make a twist—something like the last surviving pair being crowned victor. Me and Char would make a pretty badass pair of victors, don't you think?"
Betty seemed to take comfort in the words. But rather than address the possibility Theo broached, Betty instead said, "I did notice you soar up the ranks all this time. It was dazzling."
Dazzling. Theo felt like someone had punched it in the stomach, all air in her gut leaving her body. Betty thought the sight of Theo becoming the best was dazzling.
"W—Well," Theo tried, taken aback and blushing red like a bell pepper, "you were pretty dazzling too—"
The feedback from the mic onstage cut Theo off midway. Both it and Betty cringed, everyone in the crowd curling in on themselves, and the escort onstage let out an awkward giggle as the microphone was fixed.
"Oops," the escort said, voice high and cutesy like a child's. When Theo looked onstage, where the forms of Desdemona Qiang and Gunner Zimmerman were scowling and holding their ears, she managed to spot the tiny person who'd caused such a grating sound. This escort was new, as far as Theo knew, and they were all pastel pinks and pastel purples as their hair was tied up in two large space buns and their very frilly dress swallowed their small frame whole. If Theo hadn't learned that escorts were only allowed to apply after the age of eighteen, she would've assumed this one was twelve. "What a funny noise. Is everyone alright?"
They giggled again and waited for a moment for a reply. No one deigned them with one, though, and they simply brushed it off with a shrug.
"Oh well!" they chirped. "Since I have everyone's attention, I might as well start. Hello, District Two! I'm your new escort, Birdella Vaine! I've previously worked with District Six and District Ten, and thanks to your usual escort overdosing at a Quell celebration party last week, I'll be standing in for her until she's out of rehab! Isn't that fun?"
Despite how bright and cheerful Birdella was, acting like it was all trivial, Theo couldn't help worrying about Ursula, their usual escort. Ursula wasn't perfect—her older sister had been the escort for Desdemona and Gunner for the last Quell and the Games before it, and according to mentors at the Academy, she was just as uninterested in the victors and cared more about the exposure she got with the Games. But Ursula did at least try to elevate her tributes to stand out among the crowd. According to Desdemona in past lectures, an escort was instrumental to swaying public opinion and sponsors to back you in the arena. Mentors could only reach so far before their campaigning was ignored.
She hoped Ursula was doing okay in rehab. It sounded like Capitol parties were wild.
"Now, I hope you're all excited for this year's Quell!" Birdella gestured to the crowd broadly. "I know I am! Twice as many tributes means twice as much fun! And you're all going in with your friends and family—what fun! If I had a bestie and I was in the Districts, which thank God I'm not, I'd want to go with them to the arena over anyone else!"
"I don't think I like this new escort," Betty muttered to Theo.
Theo cleared its throat. "They're a bit much," Theo agreed. "But maybe they'll look out for us in the Capitol like Ursula would've."
"They'd better," Betty mumbled darkly.
Birdella picked up the mic and began walking up and down the stage animatedly, very clearly excited but unaware of the effect their words had on the children in front of them. At the very least, Theo could understand their excitement; this was a day, in fact even a Quell theme, that Theo was looking forward to most in its life so far. Even if Birdella was a little strange with their wording, it wasn't a bad thing for them to be excited.
It wasn't like everyone was scared, either. Most people were disappointed that the restriction was personally knowing someone of reaping age, so a lot of nineteen-year-olds were disappointed they didn't have a second chance at glory, and the more antisocial Academy students with promising talents were ruled out unless they volunteered or could lie convincingly enough to Peacekeepers about knowing who they'd want to take with them. It was hard to gauge what constituted "personally" knowing someone enough to be counted, but at the very least, with so many people knowing that Char and Theo were glued to the hip, Theo didn't have to worry about that much for now.
A lot of the negativity in the crowd was disappointment, and Theo could understand it.
"I'm sure you're all familiar with our mentors for this Quell," Birdella went on. "We're currently at the Seventh Quarter Quell, but we're also fortunate enough to have the victor of the Sixth Quarter Quell mentoring this year! Everyone give a warm hello to Desdemona Qiang!"
At least Birdella's attempt to hype up the crowd was successful. People from outside of the reaping area cheered and applauded Desdemona as she stepped forward and waved to the crowd. Her short hair was styled back into a slicked back style, her mauve three-piece suit matching the silver jewellery on her ears and fingers. Desdemona had won at the same age as Theo was now, and the past twenty-five years had been kind to her. Despite being almost forty-five, she didn't look a day over thirty.
When Desdemona stepped back, Birdella bounced across the stage to where Gunner stood.
"And not to be outdone by our previous Quell victor, we also have the victor of the One-Hundred and Forty-Ninth Hunger Games!" Birdella waved for Gunner so step forward. The scruffy man did so, albeit reluctantly, and rubbed a sliding mechanical ring on his finger to seemingly cool his nerves. Theo immediately felt sympathetic of him—from what she knew of Gunner, even after winning his Hunger Games, his agoraphobia hadn't eased up from the victory tour and instead only got worse over time. It was a miracle he agreed to mentor this year, especially when he was considered a genius at cobbling together improvised weapons from anything he could find in the arena. "Everyone give it up for Gunner Zimmerman! Hasn't he aged like a fine wine?"
He'd certainly aged well, though not in the youthful way that Desdemona had. Gunner looked older than the mere forty-four he was supposed to be, though not by much; he had a lot of worry lines and dark circles around his eyes from a lack of sleep. Despite his attempts to shave along his jaw cleanly, the stubble accumulated over the past couple of days cast a shadow that didn't quite show as clearly as his moustache. He adjusted the jacket of his tweed suit, and he cleared his throat nervously as Birdella took a squat and outstretched their arms, almost showing him off as the District cheered for him.
Gunner stepped back quickly once the applause began to die down. Theo didn't miss the way Desdemona hurried to his side and took his hand, squeezing it with a stoic expression. It didn't miss the way Gunner relaxed and moved his lips a fraction, likely thanking her for being there for him.
From what Theo and others her age knew, Gunner and Desdemona used to be an item until their competitive natures got in the way. The year Desdemona was supposed to volunteer—the same year Gunner was set to volunteer—Gunner had bribed another girl to cut Desdemona off before she could volunteer, and Desdemona had been seething when he'd come home a victor that year. And then when the Sixth Quell happened, Gunner was forced to face the music: He had to mentor Desdemona, and whatever had gone down in the Capitol had ended any chances of them mending bridges romantically whatsoever. But right now, it seemed that time had made things easier for the duo. It seemed that, despite the grudge and guilt between them, Desdemona still cared for Gunner enough to be someone he could rely on after avoiding mentoring for so many years since the last Quell.
That was why Birdella was making such a big deal about them both. Not only was this the second time Gunner was mentoring ever—for another Quell, no less—but it was the victor he brought home from the last Quell mentoring alongside him. And Desdemona had been the undisputed MVP in the last Quell by her own merits.
"What an excellent lineup, truly," Birdella laughed. "I think we've got this in the bag this year. What do you say, District Two?"
A loud cheer from the crowds, and some of the children in the reaping lines cheered as well. Peacekeepers didn't jump in to make everyone simmer down, only waiting for Birdella to get to the meat and potatoes of the reapings—drawing names and waiting for volunteers.
Birdella was back in the middle of the stage as the bowls for the boys and girls were rolled out from behind the curtain. They looked at each bowl, putting on a show of marvelling at how small the amount of slips compared to Six and Ten were, before finally skipping over to one of the bowls and reaching in without hesitation. Birdella only paused when they pulled a slip out, running back to the mic to announce, "Whoops! I'll start with the boys, okay, chickadees?"
Theo giggled a little at the absentminded darting around. It was somewhat childish to see, reminding Theo of actual kids who got ahead of themselves when they got excited. Theo could remember even seeing Betty act like this once, when she'd gotten extremely excited for a training class she'd been looking forward to for years by that point.
Beside it, Betty squeezed its arm and leaned her head on its shoulder.
"Time to see who Ajax picked," Betty mumbled. Theo hummed in agreement.
Birdella popped open the slip of paper, and they held it in front of their face as he said into the microphone, "Let's see… Cain Alburn?"
From the seventeens section of the boys' side, a boy gave a screech of, "God damn it!" and stormed out with a huff. He stomped up onstage, looking absolutely enraged, and he glared at Birdella the whole time he was up there. Theo's brows were high on her forehead, as were Betty's, and it became pretty clear as Cain Alburn scowled at the boys' side of the crowd that he'd planned to usurp Ajax and volunteer before Ajax had a chance to.
"Always one each year," Betty mumbled. "I'll bet Ajax is glad his competition is basically ruled out for the spot."
"Ajax is very lucky," Theo agreed. She hadn't even known someone else was trying to take the volunteer spot for the boys' side. If Char had volunteered, would he have had to compete with Cain in order to raise his hand fastest? Theo didn't even recognise Cain's name—which meant he wasn't exactly among the more skilled of their age range.
It hoped that Cain would take the next year to refine his skills properly and earn the volunteer spot next year.
"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Birdella said brightly. They were trying to cheer Cain up, but even Theo knew their reassurances weren't going to ring true. "You might still get to go into the Games. Who would you pick to bring with you, Mr. Alburn?"
Cain sneered as the microphone was shoved into his face. In almost a mumble, like he didn't want to say it out loud just yet, he told Birdella, "My sister, Adele…"
From the section in front of Theo and Betty, a girl screamed up at the stage, "You piece of shit! You're fucking dead when we get home!"
Theo hadn't heard the name Adele Alburn before either, which meant that Cain and Adele were either at the Academy and poor performers, or they just plain weren't students at the Academy and Cain had tried to use the Quell twist to drag Adele kicking and screaming into the arena.
Betty was cringing as she watched as Adele was escorted by the Peacekeepers and continued to yell obscenities up at the stage, but Theo couldn't stop watching the way Cain turned red in the face ever so slowly, his rage turning into shame, and Birdella tried to talk to him again—only for Cain to turn around and face Gunner and Desdemona as he clamped his hands over his ears, blocking everyone out.
That was going to be a messy conversation when the reapings were over. Theo hoped the best for the siblings, especially if Cain had some kind of issue that he could've spent his time best talking it out with Adele.
"Right…" Birdella cleared their throat and shook their head. They tucked a loose pastel pink stand of hair behind their ear and faced the crowd again. "Anyway! Any volunteers to take Cain's place?"
Ajax's hand shot up faster than anyone else's. Theo was impressed, and the Peacekeepers were swift in escorting him out before anyone else could claim they'd been faster. Bridella clapped excitedly at the first volunteer of the day—"I tell you what, we don't get many volunteers in the outer Districts!"—and they shooed Cain off the stage as Ajax ascended the stairs with a glare trained on the other boy.
Ajax stood proudly on the stage in his dress shirt and neatly pressed chino pants, and Birdella congratulated him for volunteering so eagerly. He seemed almost comfortable up onstage, with everyone watching him, and Theo thought with a hint of satisfaction that it was for the best she'd suggested Ajax to take Char's place as the male volunteer.
"Such a handsome young man," Birdella praised Ajax. Ajax was practically preening with their every word. "What's your name, honey?"
"Ajax Formido," Ajax said, confident.
"Ajax Formido, the Formidable Ajax!" Birdella was clapping again, laughing at their wordplay. "I see you came from the seventeens section, Ajax. So tell me, is there anyone in particular you want to bring with you to the Capitol?"
Ajax looked Birdella up and down, still smirking, and when he looked out to the crowd, he seemed to be almost searching for someone in particular. His gaze moved over Betty and Theo, and he seemed to almost consider them, but then he continued his search in silence.
Eventually, though, he found who he was looking for and didn't once look away as he spoke into the microphone.
"I had to check this was okay," he told Birdella. "See, they're family, but we're estranged. So the last thing I want to do is break what constitutes as personally knowing someone."
"Oh?" Birdella was very interested. "I believe estranged family is allowed, since you know family rather intimately, regardless of how well you get along with them."
"Good, good." Ajax was smirking even more, and Theo couldn't help wondering just who was the estranged family member Ajax was thinking of. "In that case, I choose to bring with me my cousin, Bellatrix Pavor."
There were several reactions to his declaration. Behind him and Birdella, both victors had vocal reactions that the microphone managed to pick up—Gunner coughed into his hand, trying to stifle whatever had been about to bubble up, and Desdemona snorted a laugh that she quickly silenced with a hand clamped over her mouth. From within the crowd, in the same section that Betty and Theo stood in, one of the taller girls let out a loud, "What!?" as Peacekeepers filtered through in search of her. And further back, among the parents and siblings outside of the reaping age, the people Theo assumed were Bellatrix's family members let out loud laughs at Ajax's decision.
Ajax's expression fell when a very big, very muscular girl stepped out of the crowd with Peacekeepers on either side of her. Theo couldn't tell why he was so disappointed at the sight of her, not until Betty cleared her throat and spelled it out for Theo.
"He was hoping to make winning easier for himself," Betty explained. "He tried to take someone who could be classed as dead weight so there was less competition among the careers for himself."
"Oh…" Theo stared at Bellatrix. She wasn't as tall as Theo was, but she was definitely wider in terms of frame and body fat. She wasn't overweight, but the fat along her muscles made her bulkier—far bulkier than the fat on Theo's muscles made it look. "That's… so mean of him."
"He really didn't want to take someone from the Academy, looks like." Betty scowled up at the sight of Ajax as he tried to backtrack, attempting to tell Birdella he misspoke. But Birdella was ignoring him, starstruck by the sight of Bellatrix as the girl climbed onstage. Bellatrix far outclassed Ajax in terms of physique once they were side by side. "I hope she kills him."
Theo laughed nervously at the remark. Ajax… certainly deserved some karma for this. But maybe not to be killed.
"Oh my…" Birdella fawned. They were walking around Ajax and Bellatrix with wide eyes. "Oh my, it couldn't be… Do my eyes deceive me?"
Bellatrix, with her red lips tugged down in a frown, blinked slowly enough that Theo could see her winged eyeliner from this distance. "May I help you, Birdella?" she asked, voice a low deadpan.
"Aren't you the Bellatrix Pavor who got special permission to do blacksmithing in District Two?" Birdella asked. Ajax's tan skin turned a ghostly shade of white in record time. "The one who provides weapons for the training centre in the Capitol?"
The next thirty or so seconds were spent hammering home just how incredible and talented Bellatrix was compared to Ajax, and as each statement left Birdella's lips, it became more clear to Ajax that he'd chosen poorly for his power play. His confidence was gone, and the sour visage of him that Theo had seen earlier this week took over again. He sulked in silence as Birdella hyped up Bellatrix and had the crowd clap for her, and it didn't take long for Birdella to move on to the other reaping bowl on the other side of the stage.
They reached in and opened the slip of paper, and with a big, excited grin, Birdella spoke into the microphone.
"For the girls… Do we have a Daphne Iver?"
Oh! Theo brightened as it watched Daphne raise her hand and strut out of the seventeens section. Now this was unexpected! Both she and Betty watched Daphne make her way onstage, proud and posing every so often at the cameras sending the live feed to the Capitol, and Theo couldn't help giggling as Daphne pointedly waved to Ajax and called out to him. He ignored Daphne, of course, and Birdella was giggling the whole time they watched the interaction.
"Oh, goodness, this is so much fun!" Birdella cheered. Daphne grinned at them.
When Birdella held up the mic to Daphne, Daphne said loudly, "It sure is, Birdella. I think I just saw enough drama to last a whole soap opera plotline."
"We have a show in the Capitol," Birdella told her. "The plot is about all these kids of a rich politician competing to inherit his entire career and wealth— Oh, what am I doing? I might get ahead of myself and spoil it for the folks at home! Whoopsie!"
Both Birdella and Daphne laughed loudly. They were like two peas in a pod, and Theo couldn't help trying to stifle a laugh. It hoped Daphne had fun onstage before Theo could volunteer.
"Okay, okay," Birdella said after they stopped laughing. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Daphne. You're seventeen? I assume you are, since that's the area you were standing in. So tell me! Who would you take with you, if no one volunteers? Do we have more drama for our soap opera?"
"Oh, I hate to disappoint, Birdella, but for once I'm not that bitch adding fuel to the fire." Daphne flicked her hair over her shoulder. She looked so in her element onstage. Theo was excited to see her flourish next year in the spotlight. "But I do have a very interesting friend I'd take with me! If I were to go into the arena this year, I'd take Theodora Vanek-Haddad with me."
Betty shook Theo slightly. "Oh, she's giving you a clear chance!" she whispered.
"Birdella will hear me before anyone else from up there," Theo whispered back, breaking out into a smile. As Peacekeepers approached the section of the crowd where they stood, Theo smiled down at Betty with hope in its eyes. "Wish me luck."
Betty reached up and pecked Theo's cheek with a quick kiss. Theo waved to her as it was guided out of the crowd by the Peacekeepers.
The view of District Two from the stage was breathtaking. Certainly, it was the same view Theo saw every single day of her life, but the circumstances made it all feel so beautiful. Daphne took her hand and beamed at it, and it smiled back at her as Birdella hovered around them both.
"You're Theodora?" Birdella asked. Theo nodded.
"I usually go by Theo," it told them. Birdella nodded sagely as they looked Theo up and down, taking in her height.
"I usually go by Birdie," Birdella chimed in. "But then again, that's my stage name, so… Anyway! You're Daphne's friend?"
Birdella seemed to glance at the Peacekeepers nearby, and one of them held up their hand with a thumbs up, signalling that the choice made by Daphne was verified.
"I've known Daph for a while," Theo said, sheepish but ultimately proud to boast about her friend. "She's one of my best friends."
"Oh, how sweet!" Birdella looked between Theo and Daphne excitedly. "You're right, Daphne, you didn't bring more drama! I think this wholesomeness is very needed after the first two picks from Cain and Ajax!"
Theo and Daphne looked at each other with confident smiles. If Birdella was enjoying their solidarity, then Theo was even more confident about how much they'd enjoy its solidarity with Char.
"Actually, Birdella," Theo broached. Birdella had been about to call for a volunteer, but before they could pull the mic back to their mouth, Theo had managed to stop them. Birdella looked back at her with wide, excited eyes. "Before you continue with the reaping, I'd just like to say something, if that's alright?"
"As long as it's not treason," Birdella joked. They held the mic to Theo's face, and Theo laughed softly as she shook her head. No, this was certainly not treasonous. Just crafty.
With the entirety of District Two watching it, Theo leaned closer to the mic and announced, "I volunteer as tribute."
The girls in the eighteens section were already shouting that Theo was cheating by taking advantage of being onstage, but Birdella quickly shut them up with an excited squeal that the microphone picked up. More feedback rippled through the air, causing everyone to cringe and cover their ears, but Birdella quickly turned the mic down and waited for silence to reign over the District again.
Once the feedback ended, Birdella let out a low sigh of relief and looked back at Theo.
"I'll allow it," they said into the microphone. As more complaints sounded out, Birdella said more firmly, "Ah, ah, ah! Naughty children who complain about missing out don't get picked to come with Theo to the arena!"
That shut them up faster than the feedback. Theo felt bad, just a little, that she'd snuck in a chance to volunteer this way. But like everyone else in the crowd, Theo had worked hard for and looked forward to this day for the longest time. She was just as worthy as they were, if not more—according to its trainers and the Academy's own judgements.
Birdella looked at Theo with one hand on their hip, setting down the mic to flex the other. For the first time since the reaping started, Birdella simply let the microphone remain upright on the stage.
"Are you going to take Daphne with you to the arena?" they asked Theo. Theo shook her head, and Birdella let out another interested sound. "Who did you have in mind, buttercup? I'm sure we're all dying to know!"
Birdella stepped back to allow Theo to speak into the microphone. Theo nodded in thanks, and as it stepped forward to look into the crowd, it saw Betty's face among the girls' section. Betty looked so proud of her, so dazzled—just like Betty had said earlier. And it gave Theo a rush it didn't realise it needed right now.
So when Theo looked at the boys' section, she found Char immediately and broke out into a broad smile.
"I'm taking my best friend, Charles Bennet, with me," Theo announced. "Daphne can shine in the Capitol next year and make us both proud."
As Daphne walked offstage with a big wave to Birdella, promising to join them next year if they came back to replace Ursula again, Char was escorted from the eighteens section on the boys' side by Peacekeepers. Birdella fawned over him, much like they had with Ajax, and commented on what a pair he and Theo made now that they stood side by side. Theo and Char exchanged kisses to their cheeks in greeting—it was the first time they'd encountered each other today, after all—and Birdella latched onto how "adorable" they were with their public display of affection.
"Looking at the four of you now," Birdella said in their closing speech, "I'm feeling pretty confident about Two's chances this year! I mean, really, you can't get more magnificent tributes than this anywhere else!"
The crowd clapped for the four tributes, and behind them, Theo could hear Gunner and Desdemona join in the applause. Birdella seemed to revel in the applause, hyping the crowd up again to clap louder, and by the end of it all, Theo was rubbing its velvet yarn necklace between its fingers as the reaping came to a close. It truly felt like everything was finally coming together, like Theo's wildest dreams were coming true, and as Char gripped her hand tightly in his own and smiled just as brightly as Theo did, Theo couldn't help feeling a little emotional over it all.
Six years of hard work and training. Six years of navigating the social circles of the Academy before finally, finally finding one that fit Theo like a glove. Six years of yearning and preparing, all for this moment and every subsequent one in the weeks to come.
It was finally happening.
Because Birdella had taken up so much time with hyping up the crowd and commentating so animatedly, the fifteen minutes allotted to tributes for goodbyes was shortened to five. So when Theo saw the door open and its parents enter, it was unsurprised when both Alamo and Rhyol crowded her and began peppering kisses on her face over and over in a rush. Rhyol held Theo's face in her hands as she continued to reassure Theo that it'd do well in the arena as long as it listened to Gunner and Desdemona and remembered her lessons in situational awareness. Alamo fumbled with his pockets in search of something, babbling that he was calm, he swore he was calm, he promised he was calm, but Theo could see him holding back tears as he finally found what he was looking for.
Alamo grabbed one of Theo's hands and pushed the item from his pocket into her palm. It felt cold and heavy, circular but not spherical. Theo couldn't see it, but the shape and weight of it soon formed a clear picture in Theo's mind. Alamo closed her fingers around it, and Theo clutched his signet ring tightly in its palm.
"You're going to be incredible," Alamo told it softly. "I have made many designs and gotten so much recognition in the Capitol for them, but if there's anything I'm most proud of—anything I'd be honoured to call something I helped make—it would be you, Theodora. And I want you to be proud of yourself, too."
Rhyol was busy untying the braided yarn necklace from Theo's neck as Theo nodded. It felt like saying goodbye for one final time, like Alamo was preparing to never see Theo again, and it couldn't help the tears that began to well up in her eyes.
"I'll make sure everyone knows you're the one who helped me get to where I am, Dad," Theo told him. The yarn necklace came off, and Rhyol gently pried Theo's fingers off of the signet ring. Theo watched as she looped the yarn through the ring, and when Rhyol reached up to tie the yarn around Theo's neck again, Theo sniffled and reached up to hold Rhyol's arm. "Both of you. I want everyone to know how proud I am to have you as my parents."
"They'll know," Rhyol reassured her. "You're so earnest, there's no way they'll never know."
"I love you guys."
"We love you too, Theo," Rhyol said softly.
"We'll always love you," Alamo agreed, just as soft.
As those precious five minutes came to a close and Rhyol and Alamo left the Justice Building, Theo watched them and wiped at its eyes with a sniff. It felt bittersweet, leaving them behind to compete in the Hunger Games, but Theo had long since accepted both outcomes of this Quell. Either it won and came home a victor, reuniting with her family and living life as normal once again; or Theo lost and never returned home, dying peacefully at the hands of someone trusted and someone who could be relied on to support its family when he won.
And that someone—Char—entered the room as soon as her parents had left. He held out a hand, a half-smile on his face, and he asked Theo in a lighthearted voice, "You ready to go, Teddy Bear?"
Theo took his hand. It was warm and grounding, a firm grip that kept Theo's mind from wandering as they left the room together.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she told him.