Jessie Cabello- A Night to Remember D2F
I loved Fable's stories. Not just the fairy tales, but also the ones about her real life. She would tell stories about fun things her family did or silly things that happened, and they never ended with anyone getting mad. She had so many great memories. It seemed like she thought back on her life with ease, not worried that she'd pull up something she'd rather leave buried. It made me think the world outside my own home wasn't so bad.
"We really shouldn't have, since you can totally break someone's neck by pushing them into a pool, but she didn't die, so it was pretty funny," she finished.
"I never really swam just for fun," I mused. "Once I got super into it since it was a training fad. Then my hair turned green and I was terrified it would fall out, so I didn't get into the pool for months." I smiled at the memory. "I snuck some dry shampoo home and for two weeks I didn't even wash it- I just wrapped it in the towel and pretended."
"I think cheap jewelry can do that, too. Guess we should ask a One," Fable said. She squinted "Also, is that girl staring at us or is it just me?"
I turned my head to look at the girl standing three stations away at the spears station, only turning halfway so it would look like I wasn't looking. None of the spears on the table seemed to have been moved.
"I think she wants to come over," I said. I knew that wistful look of someone wanting to jump in but too scared to make the move. "Act natural so we don't spook her."
The girl picked up a spear, then laid it back on the table in a slightly different spot, like someone moving their broccoli around the plate to pretend they'd eaten it. She peeked over, then looked behind her shoulder, then peeked back at us and started over. She stopped a few feet away.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," Fable and I said at the same time like a couple of nerds.
"So uh, do Careers ally with non-Careers?" she asked, getting ready to move out if we shot her down.
Fable glanced at me. "Sometimes," she shrugged. "Who's asking?"
"Me," the girl said. "Oh, I'm Elise. And my boyfriend Arno."
"What would make you a worthwhile ally?" Fable asked, as much curious as dismissive.
"We're strong enough to keep up but not strong enough to give you trouble," the girl said. "And you outnumber us, with your sister."
I smiled a little. "That seems pretty fair."
"Have you ever done anything like this? Other than the first time?" Fable asked.
"Well..." the girl took a deep breath. "My boyfriend got framed for murder so I've been tracking down his killers and that's pretty intriguing so we'll probably get sponsors."
"Wait, what? That sounds awesome," Fable said.
"Yeah, you should have led with that," I said.
Fable Anders- A Night To Remember D1F
We definitely made the right choice. Elise was super cool. Her story just kept getting juicier- if she hadn't been so earnest I'd have thought she was making it up. For example, she left out the detail that the person her boyfriend was framed for murdering was her father. I didn't see stories that delicious even on the soap operas! Of course it was super tragic her father died, but... oh, the story! It was like a tawdry detective novel come to life.
"We have to get the word out somehow," I said, a slice of pizza lying limp over the edge of my hand. Sure, I should have been training, but I'd been training my whole life. I'd never been sucked into a murder mystery before.
Elise shook her head sadly. "I've tried. No one cares."
"Dumb question, have you tried since you got to the Capitol?" I asked.
Elise looked up, a little guilty. "I didn't really think about it."
"No, no, I get it. You were busy not dying," I said. "But before we die this time, we should totally try to get this out there."
"Like on the news?" Elise asked. "It was on the news when it happened, but nothing came of it."
"Pfft," I waved my hand. "What, half a dozen neighborhood cops looked around a bit and went home? We have the entire nation as our audience. Plus," I said. "We don't even have to get on TV. We have the internet."
Poisoned Futures: Murder in District Four
What you're about to read will sound unbelievable. You'll probably think it's straight out of fiction. But reader, this is real. Everything you're about to read is the true-to-life story of Elise Delacroix, District Four Tribute.
On July 8th 62 AP, Gilbert Delacroix was found slumped over the kitchen table in his District Four house, crumbs still on his shirt and a broken teacup by his limp hand. There was no sign of forced entry, and he had no known enemies. The question is, who killed Gilbert Delacroix? After a cursory examination, a Peacekeeper investigation uncovered three intact fingerprints- fingerprints they neglected to run through the nationwide database. Instead, reputed local troublemaker Arno Dupont was framed for the crime- even though he was Elise's own beloved boyfriend. Elise swears Arno was nothing but kind to her father, and her mother's testimony in his favor got the boy released, though District suspicion ran so high he tragically volunteered for the Games in an attempt to regain his honor. Despite constant pleadings from Elise and Marie Delacroix, no further developments have been made on the case.
That's not the end, of course. Someone knows something. Someone out there knows who killed Gilbert Delacroix, and why. Does the lack of official interest indicate powerful connections- people who would rather stay hidden? Is there more to Gilbert than his family knows? Panemians, somewhere out among you is someone who can make a difference to a triply bereaved daughter. Below you'll see all the available pictures and evidence released to the public about the case, plus Elise's own notes. Look closely. Think closely. Somewhere in there is the answer. We need your help finding it.
Malcolm Royden- Swing Vote D1
It was weird being with Hyden instead of Kazuo. I'd gotten used to Kazuo's skittishness, his humble earnestness, and his frank and practical suggestions. Hyden, on the other hand, was every District One stereotype possible, rolled up into one brightly dressed man wearing glittery green eyeshadow.
"So, any new thoughts on the strategy?" Hyden asked at our morning meetup in the lounge. He asked it every day, and I was starting to think he wasn't getting my subtle hints.
"Not anything interesting," I shrugged. "Just running a few thoughts."
"Like what?" Hyden pressed, blocking the doorway.
"Look. I'm sorry, but I'm not really about this," I said. "I'm really thankful for your time, but I need to focus. What I'm trying to do, you can't help me with."
"And what would that be?" Hyden asked, crossing his arms.
"I have a lot to prove to the other Careers. You wouldn't get it," I said, tilting my head impatiently as Hyden continued to block the door. I did appreciate his time, and I knew his skills were valuable, but I had other things I needed to do.
"Ew." Hyden drew his curled fingers to his chest. "Why are you wasting time with that?"
"What?" I asked, my impatience clear.
"What a stupid waste, spending time caring about what other people think," Hyden said. "There are two kinds of people in the world: people who like me and people who don't. People who don't are stupid, and I don't care about what stupid people think."
"Did people think you were a loser your entire life?" I asked.
"No, duh," Hyden said, his face wrinkled in derision. His eyes widened. "Ohhhh... I get it."
"Right," I said. Part of me was thankful and a little uplifted by Hyden's self-love attitude, but the thing was, it was easy for him to say. It's easy for someone to say you shouldn't care what people think, when people think well of you. It was like rich people who told poor people that really money wasn't everything.
"All right. How about this? Yes, it can suck what people think, but you're the one that matters. Try to remind yourself that life's too short to chase people who refuse to see what great stuff they're throwing away. If they don't like you, they don't deserve you."