Welcome to wonderland
Look where you're at
Maddest of hatters
The Cheshire Cat
Magical cabins and lovely white rabbits with clocks

Robert Smith

District 1, He/Him, 18

(First Floor)

...

Dinner is mostly eaten in silence with the sound of chewing filling the grand dining room. I suppose that's what you get when you lump a bunch of people who have been brought up to become killing machines into one room. Communicating isn't a characteristic that many Careers can claim and that was proven pretty clearly in today's training. The Careers splitting up was by no means ideal, in fact, quite the opposite. Almost everything in The Academy was centred around the expectation of a Career alliance and, without one, I will have to adapt.

"So, The Careers split up?" Layton asks while chewing on a chunk of steak as if reading my mind. I nod as I pick at the broccoli on my plate and Aisling responds with an indistinct noise somewhere between an 'mhm' and a 'yep'. Layton shakes his head, chuckling. "Ah, Career drama never gets old. What was it this time, disagreement over who should stay and who should go? Or the classic leader debate?"

"The latter," I murmur, crunching on the broccoli. My appetite is almost nonexistent after the failure that was today but my mind keeps telling me that I'm going to regret taking all this food for granted when I'm starving in the Arena. "Quincy and Scylla. We were sort of forced to pick sides." Layton lets out another laugh, resting his hand on Opal's shoulder who looks visibly uncomfortable with the interaction.

"Sounds like Cora's Games, hey Opal? God, those were fun."

"It does indeed," Opal replies, shrugging away from his hand. "Though, I am glad the two of you decided to stick together." He says before taking a sip of wine. I didn't exactly choose to side with Scylla for Aisling, it just seemed like the logical option. I assumed Ranger would be choosing Scylla as well and didn't want to be stuck in a trio. Of course, I was wrong and here I am stuck in that very situation.

"Makes things easier for us. I can't imagine what the other Career mentors are dealing with." Layton smiles, shaking his head. It makes me wonder how he's able to make light of something that he must be haunted by. Because you can't survive The Hunger Games and stay so carefree, so happy, can you? It's not about my happiness, though, I know that. Being a Victor is about pride and not just my own but my family's and my district's too.

Once we finish with dinner, everyone heads to their individual rooms. I perch myself on the edge of my bed and turn on the TV, it's about 7 pm so there are a couple of hours of relaxing ahead. I sprawl myself over the bed, relaxing my muscles that still ache from the intensity of the training. Scylla was formidable with a sword and my slight struggle to keep up only spurred me on until I beat her in a couple of rounds. At that moment, though, the fear that overwhelmed me was terrifying. Until then, the doubts about my becoming a Victor were very minimal. Don't get me wrong, they were there, but they were something I could easily ignore. Now, my head is filled with questions and scrutiny.

What if it came down to Scylla and me and I simply wasn't good enough to beat her?
Have I even worked hard enough for this?

"Fuck." I groan, turning over onto my stomach. This is the worst time to feel like this, Robert, pull yourself together!

Around an hour later, there's a knock on the door. I roll out of bed, having not moved from my previous position, and open it to find Aisling. Their blonde hair is tied back into a ponytail and they wear loose-fitting blue pyjamas. "Hey." They say, standing awkwardly in the hallway.

"What's up?"

"Sorry, I know how weird this is..." They murmur, eyes on the floor. "Today was just...I don't know, I guess I just feel like talking to someone."

"Yeah, sure. Come in." They look up at me with an unsure smile and I step aside. Once I've shut the door behind us, we stand in an awkward silence. "Want to sit down?"

"Okay," They say, sitting on an armchair while I sit on my bed. "Thanks for sticking with me today."

"It looked like the better alliance." I shrug and they nod, the silence surrounding us once again. I don't break it because I'm not entirely sure what to say to them, talking to others my age has never been something I've had to do. Most of them were intimidated by me, 'The Golden Boy of the Academy', but I suppose I've never made the effort to reach out having very little time on my hands.

"I didn't want to do this, you know." They say quietly, looking down at their hands. "I'm not physically strong like you and Scylla. My mother told me before I left that my intelligence would be enough, that's the reason I was selected after all, but I can't help myself doubting her. Doubting myself." I'm not sure whether they're even talking to me or themselves until they look up at me, our eyes locking. Keeping things to myself and hiding what I truly feel has been all I've ever known but Aisling is my ally and I can tell they want me to talk.

"I'm not all too sure about this either." I sigh. "I mean, did you see Scylla and me today? She tore me to shreds. But we need to stay focused, Aisling. Think about most of the other tributes, they weren't prepared for this at all. The odds are in our favour." I smile encouragingly, although, I'm not even sure I'm following my own advice right now. Aisling sniffs and slowly nods with a small smile.

"You're right, I'm being ungrateful." They chuckle. "God, I must be one of the most cowardly Careers ever." I smile.

"I'm not so sure about that and, if you are, then I guess I am too."

Adam Cooper

District 9, He/Him, 18

(Ninth Floor)

...

The stars are noticeably brighter than they were in Nine, winking at me from the night sky. I can't help but wonder if Gena looked at these same stars, from the same balcony that I now stand on, only a year ago. She's all that I've been able to think about, whether she went to the same training station or slept in the same bed. Those things don't comfort me, to understand that she was likely as scared as I am now as she restlessly rolled around in bed at night. The stars, however, offer some sort of...not comfort. A warm feeling, though, the thought that maybe she could've stared up at these very same balls of fire.

The night air is cool and dry, nothing compared to the sweltering humidity of nights spent in Nine. It feels strange to be experiencing another part of the world, the lavishness and luxury disgust me as I'm aware of where it all came from - the exploitation of the Districts. As much as it disgusts me, I indulge in it anyway. There truly is no point in caring about much else anymore, other than The Games. Winning. Winning for Gena and finally being worth something in a life that has, so far, been so meaningless. As a Victor, my parents may finally recognise me as their son.

Suddenly, there's a sound to the left of me and I whip my head around to see Kaylee slipping out of a door and onto her own balcony. She doesn't notice me, folding her arms on top of the railing and placing her head upon them. I watch as she looks out at the city skyline and the few cars that speed across the road below. In truth, I have been avoiding her. As guilty as I feel about it, every time I even think about speaking to her I feel a sudden sense of remorse and regret that drives me away. Gena was in the very spot she is in now, the young District Nine Female whom nobody could possibly see winning. They were right about Gena, and they will probably be right about Kaylee too and the thought of having to lay witness to that is unbearable.

To my surprise, Kaylee turns to look at me as if she knew I was there all along. There are tears in her dark eyes and her slouched shoulders and scrunched nose suggest her dismay, if not a total loss of hope. At first, I avert my eyes from her own and pretend as if I haven't seen her. Then, I think about Gena. What if she had been in a similar situation, with no allies or hope? I would want someone to have helped her. How can I expect that from someone else and not from myself? I turn back to face Kaylee, she remains watching me with her tearful eyes.

"Come over here," I call to her and I swear I can see the hint of a smile reach her face as I do. She's quick, spinning around and rushing off of the balcony. A couple of seconds later, she has let herself in and is standing in the doorway to my balcony. "Shut the door, please, I don't want any cold air getting in." She nods sheepishly and steps onto the balcony, closing the door behind her.

"Sorry if I'm being a bother." She murmurs, walking to stand beside me at the railing.

"I invited you over, if you were going to be a bother then I wouldn't have," I state. "Why are you crying?" It's a stupid question, really. She's crying because she has been forcefully taken away from her home and sentenced to almost guaranteed death within a matter of days. I had at least a bit of time to mentally prepare before I volunteered, this innocent girl had been thrown onto the tracks of an incoming train with no chance of escaping.

"I miss home." She whispers, voice cracking and tears continuing to roll down her tanned skin.

"Your family?" I ask and she nods.

"My parents. I can't imagine how they feel right now."

"I can." I sigh. "My sister was here last year." We stand in silence for a couple of minutes, as if she isn't sure how to respond.

"That's why you volunteered?"

"It is." I hesitate before continuing. "Well, I like to tell myself that. I suppose, in reality, it's because I wasn't sure what else to do." It's something that has been on the back of my mind but that I have yet to confront myself with, I don't know why I choose to now but it feels like the right thing to say. To share that I'm feeling just as vulnerable as she is right now, to show her that she is not alone.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Your sister."

"Oh. Yeah, I am too." I utter, rubbing my tired eyes. "I wasn't good to her."

"I find that hard to believe." She says, inching closer to me so our arms are touching. "You have been good to me."

"I've ignored you for the past couple of days." I chuckle and she bumps into me playfully.

"I think I understand why." I smile at that, she's clearly emotionally intelligent. A gift that should not be wasted, that should not be thrown away simply because she got a little bit of bad luck.

"We could be allies, you know if you would like," I mumble, looking down to watch her reaction. She practically beams up at me and I notice her tears have dried, I guess I have been somewhat of a help. Finally, something that I can do.

"I would like that very much, Adam."

A/N: This chapter was fun! I hope you understand/learned a little more about these tributes.

Alliances:

Robert, Aisling and Scylla
Marcus and Nicole
Malory and Odalis
Sky, Ephron and Saxony
Quincy, Felix and Wells
Marya and Smith
Adam and Kaylee

- Neb