I'm only alone for a little while before the door to the room opens again and three people I've never seen before walk in slowly. Well, I've never seen them in person, at least, because these must be some of my online friends. An older teen, looking at the ground, shuffles in first, followed by two girls who can't be more than twelve years old.
"Hi Margaret," one of the younger girls says with a small wave. "Gosh, it feels strange calling you by your real name. Anyways, we thought we'd come and send you off. I'm Vera, by the way."
"Hey," I say with a small smile. "I don't think we've ever met in real life until now."
"Hi, I'm Willa from Bonfire," the other younger girl says. "Fionna wasn't feeling well so she went home, but she asked us to let you know that she wishes the best for you."
"That's nice," I say with a nod. I turn to the older teenager. "Are you Aqua?"
"Aqua had work," the girl says, not making eye contact with me. "She and Gray say they're sorry they couldn't make it, though."
"Ah," I murmur. "Check on Aqua, okay? I do worry about her."
"That's very kind of you, Margaret," the still unidentified girl says. "You should take care of yourself too."
"I'll do my best given the circumstances," I sigh. "So since you're not Aqua, I suppose you're Elsie?"
"I thought the lack of eye contact would tip you off, but yes," the older teen says. "Listen, if Woof Hemsworth can win the Hunger Games, so can you."
"That does make me feel a little better, so thanks," I say with a small smile as I think of the skinny Victor from District 8. "Thanks for coming, guys."
"Of course, you're our friend and we care about you," Vera says, a tear in her eye. "How are you feeling?"
"Awful, but I'm doing my best to manage," I say with a teary smile. "Listen, if I don't come home, I need one of you to take care of my stories and projects. So I'm entrusting you with my passwords, okay? I can easily change them if I do in fact come home."
"We don't know most of your plans, though," Willa says, frowning.
"That doesn't matter," I say. "I trust you guys to do whatever you need to do with my things." I look around and spot a notepad on a desk in a corner. "Here, I'll give each of you a copy."
"Thanks Margaret, and I do really hope that you win," Vera says softly as I get up from my seat on the couch and write down the pertinent information on the sticky notes. We're all silent.
"Here," I say, giving one note to each friend. "Thanks again for sending me off… I'll do my very best to come home."
"Learn how to find and purify water first, everything else is secondary," Elsie says.
"Remember the three rules of three: three minutes without oxygen, three days without water, three weeks without food," Vera murmurs.
"I don't have a Hunger Games tip at the moment so just do your best, Margaret," Willa says, wiping away a tear. "We'll take care of things while you're gone but we really really hope you win."
My online friends and I continue talking, mostly sharing tips for surviving the Games, until it's time for them to leave. They aren't gone for long before the door to the room opens again and Charles Calderón barrels in, copious tears in his eyes, and embraces me in a very tight hug.
"Don't go, baby," my boyfriend sobs, burying his face into my chest. "Please don't go. I need you."
"Oh, Charles," I murmur, crying as I hug him back. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm coming back. I'm coming back."
I try to sound more confident than I actually am.
"Promise?" Charles says, placing his tear-stained glasses onto the coffee table and gazing pleadingly into my eyes.
"I promise baby, I promise I'll come right back to you," I sob, holding onto Charles's hands tightly. "But while I'm away, you'll need to take care of yourself. Try to eat and sleep well, it would kill me to see you suffer."
"I know I'll be fearing for your life the whole time," Charles bawls, not hiding his distress.
"I know. I know. So will I, honey, so will I. We'll both take care of ourselves, okay? I promise I'll take care of myself, and you have to promise to take care of yourself."
"Do whatever it takes to come home, Margaret," Charles murmurs. "Whatever it takes. I just need you back by my side."
"I'll come right back to you, babe," I say softly, leaning closer to my boyfriend. "I'll come right back to you."
"Oh, baby," Charles sobs, and we hug each other more tightly, crying.
For a while, my boyfriend and I are silent as we hug and cry. Then Charles breaks away and stares pleadingly at me.
"Do you have a token, Margaret?" he asks.
"They'd better let me take my glasses in," I say bitterly. "I'm blind without them."
"They always let tributes take their glasses in," Charles murmurs. "You'll be okay. We'll be okay. We'll do our best and you'll come right back to me."
"I will," I say, squeezing Charles's hand. "I promise."
"I don't wanna go," Charles says softly. "I'll stay with you until they make me leave."
"I'll stay with you baby," I murmur, leaning forward to give my boyfriend a gentle kiss on the lips. "I think I left my nightgown on your bed so you'll always have a part of me."
"This isn't goodbye," Charles says, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I'll see you again."
"You will," I say, leaning my forehead against my boyfriend's. "I love you. I love you so much."
"I love you too."
Charles and I sit on the couch, hugging, kissing, and crying until there's a knock on the door and a Peacekeeper warns us that we have five more minutes. Charles hugs me tighter and sobs into my shoulder.
"I'll send you a crossbow," he murmurs, not letting me go. "I'll figure out a way. I'll send you a crossbow and anything you might need. I just need you to keep on living and find your way back home to me."
"Of course baby, of course," I say softly, holding the love of my life tightly in my arms.
"Time's up," the Peacekeeper at the door calls out as she opens the door. Charles, obviously not wanting to be physically dragged away from me, reluctantly gets up off the couch. He gives me one last kiss and tells me he loves me one last time before hurrying away, the door closing behind him.
I'm a mess. I've been crying so much, and since my family is about to visit I know that I'll only cry some more. The door to the room opens again, and my sister, my darling little sibling who really tried to sacrifice her life to save mine, runs in, bawling as she throws herself into my arms. My mother follows her, crying as she squeezes me and my sister in a big group hug. My father follows more slowly and closes the door behind him.
"Swibbs you gotta let me go into the Games instead of you," Anne Zhang says, crying as she hugs me tight. "Come on, I could pretend to be you. You could give me your glasses."
"Don't be ridiculous sis, you look so much different than me," I sob. "And we'd get in huge trouble regardless."
"I'm willing to get into huge trouble if it means saving your life!" Anne yells.
"It's not going to work Anne, you look too different from Margaret," Dad says, taking a seat next to my sister as my family shuffles around me. "How are you feeling, Margaret?"
"Is this some kind of rhetorical question?" I ask bitterly, wiping away my tears.
"Margaret, Margaret," Mom frets, burying her head into my chest as she holds me close. "My precious baby. You can't go."
"I'll be back in a few weeks, I promise," I say, trying to sound strong but in all honesty I'm exhausted. "I told that to Charles and all my friends."
"When you get launched into the Arena, just run," Mom implores, gazing into my eyes. "We'll sponsor you everything. You know that we can and we will."
"Thank you," I say earnestly. "Anne, stay positive while I'm away, okay? You have people who will help you."
"I'll be terrified for you every second," Anne murmurs, still crying. "I still wish there was something I could do."
"If you want something to do, just carry through life, day by day, that's all I'm asking of you," I say, squeezing my sister's hand. I look up at my parents. "Mom, Dad, please take care of Anne. She's only eleven. If you are bad to her because of me, you will not hear the end of it."
"Don't worry about that," Mom says, somewhat distractedly. "Margaret, we need you to come back. It doesn't matter what you have to do in the Arena to get home, we'll understand and forgive you. Please Margaret, you have to try."
"I will," I say, nodding.
"Try to taper down your medicine," Dad says. "Your prescriptions might not be available but it can't hurt to ask. Just keep a level head; at least the worst of the tapering will be in the Capitol."
"Oh shit," I murmur. "My meds. I was so stressed about getting Reaped that I forgot about them."
"Don't worry, we brought your travel case," Dad says, taking it out of his pocket.
"Dad, I already have my glasses as my Tribute Token," I say softly. "They won't let me keep my meds."
"It can't hurt to try," Mom says.
"Alright," I murmur, taking my medications. "I love you all. Be good while I'm away and I'll see you soon, okay?"
"You're gonna make me cry again," Anne sobs.
"Sorry," I say, hugging my sister one more time. Our parents join in, and we all sit there hugging, crying, and saying last-minute farewells until it is time for my family to go. As soon as they're gone, the Peacekeeper by the door collects me, and I'm flanked by several Peacekeepers, who march me and my District Partner to the tribute train.
Kai doesn't look like he's cried, which astounds me. I'll have to find some way other than the strength my District Partner has for people to believe in me. I already have my loved ones back home. Now I need to impress strangers who just might save my life.
A/N: Chapter question: Which one of Margaret's friends and family is your favorite?
No real blog update this time around because most of the characters haven't been introduced yet. I did add some empty pages for later, though. Also, as a heads up, I might put this fic on a long hiatus as I work on earlier Games in my canon, because I'm considering writing my Hunger Games stories in chronological order.
Thanks for reading, and have a great day!