Velveta Devi, 18, District Eight Female.

"Sure, my past will haunt and refuse to leave me. But it's a reminder of how much I've grown."

Velveta Devi is a woman of many things. To most people, she's a tough, cold and guarded woman. It's only once you really get to know who she is that she often shows what's hidden. To people she is close with she is someone who is sensitive,compassionate and gregarious. This is who she just happens to be.

But, it wasn't always like that.

She was someone else not that long ago.

An emotional mess.

That was how almost everyone described her at some point if they ever met her. She was someone who was dealing with a lot going on in her female dealt with a lot. Unhappiness, depression, anxiety were the ones that appeared the most. Other people saw a person that was doubtful, unmotivated and didn't trust others as well as someone who never stood up for herself. And sometimes she saw herself as such.

She would willingly let people get her down, make her feel bad about herself and that overall made her a shy person

That was the old Velveta. The person that she swore that she would never be again.

But now she was different. And a lot had changed within the last year for her.

And for the better.

She was unrecognizable to people. And not just because of her appearance.

Gone was the shy girl and in her place was a tough woman. In the process of coming to her senses, she was now more confident in herself and in all of her actions. Velveta stood up for not only herself but for other people when needed. She then became a person that someone could talk to about anything that was bothering them.

No longer was she a push over, or the type of person that people could take advantage of easily. The female was able to call out someone for their bullshit miles away. And she often did, not caring all that much about peoples thoughts on that.

Part of it was her realizing that this was not a way for her to live and the other part had to have been when she left her abusive boyfriend. And ever since she left his ass? She became more sociable and started to come out of the shell that she was placed in by him.

The change happened almost instantly and everyone was talking about it. That mask that she put on was her way of trying to cope with everything that he had put her through. Her coping mechanisms changed. She didn't push people away and hide her feelings, instead she got tattoos. Those allowed her to express herself.

And of course, with the tattoos came with the fact that some people were intimidated by her. She never let it get to her, knowing that once people got to know her for who she was, they didn't mind her tattoos at all. Speaking of tattoos, they were her creative outlet. She expressed herself and her inner wants each time she got a new one.

Of course, she still struggles with elements from her past relationship. Looking back on how it turned out, she didn't find herself surprised when she started having nightmares and flashbacks to those times. Some days are harder than others but she always tries to make it work out positively.

She could remember a time when life was normal. Before anything happened and before everything seemed to go to shit. Sometimes she wishes she could go back to those days where everything wasn't so hard and it was al y.

Her family was among others in their District, always struggling to get by and to make ends meet. But for her family they made it work, and one thing always remained a constant throughout the years.

They all had each other.

Of course, looking back at it now it was clear that she took it for granted. How she had been naive back then and then her life changed again. All because of a boy. Had it only been three years since she started dating Twillo? He seemed so sweet and kind at first but it didn't take long for him to show his true self.

Everyone noticed the changes happening to her but herself. She became withdrawn and closed off. She started to shut people out as a way of coping. He became the center of her life and it seemed that he started to control her life. Sure he hit and bruised her from time to time but he was just showing his love to her right? And sometimes she did deserve them.

It didn't take long for her family and her friends to notice the bruises and the occasional cuts that littered her body. She always shoved them off, using the fact that she was occasionally clumsy as the cause for them her family tried to get the peacekeepers involved but to no avail.

It was only a few months later that she admitted that she had been abused by him and broke up with him that same day. Of course, he tried to threaten her to take him back and always seemed to be wherever she was going. Luckily her friends and family were always there when she needed them.

Of course, that's not saying that her recovery wasn't without setbacks. Nightmares happened every night for the first seven or eight months. She couldn't keep living in constant fear. And then she started to change herself into who she was today. All with the help of a little old woman who was known through the district as Granny. If it wasn't for that woman, Velveta didn't know where she would be.

"Ve, are you listening to me?" Gwen's voice caught her out of her thoughts. She had found herself thinking of the past and just as far she had come from then. The needle of the tattoo gun was brought down onto her right shoulder, as Gwen completed another line in her newest addition to her tattoo collection.

"Uh, something about the reaping and how we have a short amount of time left?" Velveta spoke sheepishly with a grin as she peered over at the blonde hair female beside her. The blonde just laughed as she shook her head.

"So you can pay attention while dissociating."

"I just picked up on some words and pieced it all together." The dark haired spoke as she shrugged her other shoulder. "Line work is getting better." She peered at the woman, a smile on her face as she finished another line, wiping away the extra ink. She had been coming to Gwen for all of her tattoo needs since her friend told her that being a tattoo artist is what she wanted to do. Velveta was her best client, and this work was just as good as the others.

The broken clock on her right shoulder was almost done as she leaned back into the chair, a sigh escaping her.

"Nervous about today?"

"Not really but it's the reaping, I can't help but worry that this year will be the year that I'm picked. You're lucky that you've aged out."

"Yeah, knowing the Capitol, I would have been their first choice." Her friend laughed as she finished the last line of the tattoo.

"I just think it's sick that they're choosing the tributes. Where's the fun that they wanted by the surprise?"

"They'll always get what they want, let's just hope its you know who is getting picked." Velveta let out a laugh, her lips curling into a grin. She froze as Gwen grabbed the instant healing pad that was from the Capitol and placed it over the tattoo. Thankfully with that technology, she never had to wait a week or two for it to heal.

"He'd be the first one killed in that arena.. I swear, if I see him one more time today I'm punching him."

"You'd have to beat me to it. You know I've been wanting to land one on him since we found out." Gwen finished cleaning her station, eyes locked with Vel's. "What do you think?" Fingers pressed against the now healed tattoo.

Her eyes glanced at the art work. Black ink made way to show a beautiful clock face with cracks in it. Gwen of course had always outdone herself as per usual. "Outdid yourself as per usual. I'll be back next week once I get the next idea for the next one."

"You'd be back in later today if not for the reaping." Vel's lips curled into a grin. She hopped down from the chair she had been relaxing on during the tattoo and glanced at the time. Almost noon.

"Just so you know, it's almost noon, we have to be there soon."

"You're lucky that I let you leave your dress and shoes here."

The dark skinned girl stretched her back, joints popping as she headed into Gwen's bedroom. The dark blue dress stood out against her friend's faded blue sheets. Humming to herself, she peeled off her tank top and slid out of her shorts. They hit the floor as she grabbed the dress and stepped into it.

Zipping it up the side, she grabbed her clothes off the floor and placed them back on the bed.

"Want me to do your hair?" Gwen asked, a grin on her face.

"Tradition has to continue!" It was something that the pair of them started to do before reapings as a way to calm their nerves.

Twenty minutes later found both of them dressed with hair done. Velveta had done Gwen's into two long dutch braids. Vel's own hair was braided in two french braids that wrapped around the sides of her head before turning into a ponytail. A light dusting of make was added before they heard the bell toll.

She was already starting to get into her head about the Reaping. This was her last reaping before she aged out. Her last one before she got her freedom, and then would be able to live without fear of going into the Games.

"Come on, let's head out." Gwen tapped her shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts. She blinked, and nodded. Of course, as luck would have it, they just had to run into her ex. He looked as he normally did, not a hair out of place yet the same sinister smirk on his face. Her eyes rolled as she caught Gwen's gaze.

'I can handle him.' she mouthed.

"How many times will it be before you come to your senses and realize you are nothing without me."

Vel scoffed, eyes narrowing at the man in front of her. "I'm better off now that I don't have you abusing me for fun."

"You deserved it every time. If you would have just listened to me, I wouldnt of had to do it to you."

"You know, I used to believe that. Used to believe that if I was good and that I listened, you would love me, but I've come to realize something."

"That you need me?" He stepped closer to her then.

"No, that you're only capable of loving yourself."

His face twisted with anger as his hand came up to her, she reacted how she should have the first fist connected with his nose with a satisfying crunch. Blood immediately started flowing and this time she let Gwen grab her hand to pull her away. Not before she stopped her heel down onto his foot.

They walked together, words going unspoken between the two of them, though they held each other's hand. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out, they split once they reached the check in line for a minute. Face blank as her finger was pricked, the drop of blood placed on the identifier sheet to check her in.

They took spots next to each other as the few younger kids came in.

Their escort for that year took the stage. Her blue and gold heels tapped against the small stage that was set up. Her long nails tapped against the microphone. From then the female tuned everything out.

That night, Gwen and her would celebrate both of them finally being free. Gwen had gotten ahold of some alcohol and it would be the one time that she allowed herself to drink. Maybe she'll convince her to tattoo her spine that night. She had just finished the design the previous night and was excited to get the blonde's thoughts on it.

Tattoos were her way of coping and if she could, and hell, who knows, maybe she'll end up being covered in them. She loved them and Gwen was always happy to tattoo her.

A sharp jab to her side pulled her out of her mind.

The name was being chosen.

There were a lot of things in life she never wanted to happen.

Hearing her name was one of those.

"Velveta Devi."

Her head tilted to the side as a wave of shock overcame her. She had been the one they picked. Why her though? Taking in a deep breath and holding her head up high, she squeezed Gwen's hand once before making her way up.

Was this the Capitol's way of punishing her? Was this because of all of her tattoos and they thought her to be a bloodthirsty criminal?

Were they in for a surprise.

A small, but noticeable sigh escaped her lips as she climbed the steps onto the stage.

The male tribute was called, and she found herself taking a step back. He was her age, and she had seen him here and there around town. Instinctively she knew she would never trust him. Call her paranoid but it is what it is. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the male as they were forced to shake hands.

She wouldn't go down without a fight. She knew that much.

She would survive it, just like she did with everything that had been thrown her way in life.

Sterling Nadir, Seventeen, District Eight Male

"I may not live forever but my name will."

In life there's always going to be people that are easily forgotten. Whether it be from them leaving behind nothing to remember them by, or simply because they never made an impact on people's lives.

That's not how it was for Sterling Nadir.

Well, that's what he wanted to think that others believed.

Ever since he was young, he had the idea that when he left this world, he would be remembered for everything he did. He wanted the fame and everything that came with it. If someone were to ask him what his goal in life is, that would be his answer.

Fame.

Fortune.

A chance to be remembered for something…

great. amazing. memorable.

He wasn't sure why or how it came to be like this. But Sterling seemed to insist on having a poetic life. As he always said, "everyone will light a candle on the wind for me when I die." But if he had to place the time as to where it all started. It was just one passing glance at the television screen one day when he had to have been about ten or so. The Capitol Master of Ceremonies interviewing tributes. He was intrigued by the sight of it. His parents never let him watch anything related to the Games. They never talked about it but watched enough. He had been at his best friend's house that day. The person had a commanding aura, a charisma, a glory to them. It was like they knew the purpose for their existence. That was something that Sterling didn't have. To him, all he had was no future outside of meaning clothes for the rich people in the District. But how he desired to have something like the person had.

And you know what happens with desires. If it gets bad enough, they turn into obsessions.

Unluckily for Sterling, what happened was just that.

As the years passed, one thing became more clear than anything else. Less and less time was spent at home. His parents, they would just be another thing that would stop him from reaching that goal. They were just… there.

It made him glad that he had found the old apartment when he did. It became a safe space for him. More often than not, he hid out there without anybody noticing. The apartment was where he held his ideas. His attempts at writing, his attempts to design, his attempts to act. His materials, his notes, his machines and other stuff, it all went on in there.

But it all amounted to nothing.

Sterling Nadir was slowly wasting his life away, waiting for that proper moment to shine, but there were just never any opportunities. Never once had anything significant happen to him.

Little did he know however.

People, at first glance, would think that he was self absorbed and perhaps even a touch narcissistic. It wasn't that he was narcissistic per say, but Sterling really only was concerned about one person.

Himself.

People have also noted his strangeness, so to speak. His mind is always seven steps ahead of where it needs to be. He wants /needs/ everything to go to plan. Everything needs to be thought out and planned out to the second. Everything is of the utmost importance to him, although he doesn't get terribly upset when things do go wrong. But everytime something goes wrong, he gets angry. There's never a time where his first plan doesn't have a backup plan. Which also means the back up plan has a backup plan.

He's a logical person. He knew that much without a doubt. And sure, most times he does come off as standoffish and rude. It's not really his fault. He's just a goal oriented person. He wants what he wants, even though he's very dramatic and controlling. Logical enough to take the cold hard facts about everything over the emotional input when it comes to the endless planning that happens in his mind every single day. There are points when he's not losing his mind over the tiniest of things, it all smooths out into a weird balance of logic and emotion. It doesn't make sense to other people, he's tried to explain what it's like. Time and time again, he's tried to figure out how to explain what inside his head was like.

But they'd never understand.

No one will.

He's a sort of overthinking type, although as long as nothing goes wrong, this doesn't cause him to burn out.

If nothing goes wrong.

If.

A lot of things could go wrong.

Soon he would find that out.

The morning of the reaping approached him sooner than he would have wanted it. His eyes, bleary with sleep as his hands sought out his glasses. He shoved his hair out of his eyes as he waited to wake up a bit more. The cold air helped a touch as it seeped in from the several cracks in the roof of the apartment.

A lot had changed within the last twenty four hours.

May was gone.

Left him.

She had been the one to report him to the landlord. It didn't take that much to figure it out.

Just like that.

She had left him.

Something about not being able to watch as he drove himself mad with all the plans he had created. She couldn't handle it anymore.

And then the landlord of the dingy apartment had found out about him. An hour later, there was a note requesting that he have himself and all his things out by the end of the day. Everything was going absolutely wrong and he did not like it one bit.

Nothing was going how he had planned it.

May was supposed to stay with him through it all. She was the one that helped him find this place. She was the one constant throughout his life and now she was gone.

A breath escaped him, knowing that the reaping would be happening within the next half hour. Sterling got off of the mattress that he had found in the streets and while it wasn't exactly the cleanest it was better than the cold floor.

Hands scrubbed at his eyes as he yawned, heading off to the tiny bathroom to wake himself up a bit more. Another breath as he wiped his face and stared into the dirty mirror.

Dull and tired gray eyes stared back at him. His blond hair still looked good from the shower the night before. He shoved his fingers through it a few times, trying to get it to look as good as he wanted it to. After a few tries however, he just left it how it was.

Sterling threaded back to the main room, a frown on his face at everything being in boxes. He'd be moving back in with his parents, if he could even call them that anymore. He thought they were inconsequential. They resented the Capitol and anything related to the Games. He wouldn't get anywhere with them like that.

The Games would be his chance at victory.

It would allow him to make a name for himself.

He could just see it now.

Sterling Nadir, Victor of the 100th Hunger Games.

A grin overtook his face as he pulled on his button up shirt.

"Just imagine the legacy I could leave if I win." He spoke to himself as he did up the buttons and eased into a pair of hand through his hair as he glanced around the space. Multiple boxes of destroyed items and another one full of his writings. He'd come back for them later that day, after the reaping was over.

If he didn't get picked that was.

He wanted to be picked. Wanted to know that he had one opportunity at his dream.

Letting the door slam behind him as he pulled on his shoes, he pushed his glasses up his nose from where they fell. The clock tolled once, and he picked up the pace, through luckily the apartment wasn't far away from town square. The air was tense and quiet, and the sun was hidden behind clouds that promised of rain later that day. It felt like you could cut the tension with a knife, he noted as he got into the last line to check in.

Face blank as his finger was pricked and the sample scanned, he was waved through. There were not a lot of spots left open but he managed to snag the last spot in the last row in his age section. The faces around him were a mix of emotions. Some were nervous, some scared and others, like himself, blank of all emotion.

Couldn't let anyone think he was weak.

Their escort that year was someone new, but his eyebrow raised at the woman's skin color. Pea green seemed to be the theme that year, even going as far as to dye her skin that color. A scoff escaped the blond's lips as she wobbled her way over to the microphone. She looked to be about two seconds away from breaking the heel.

God the Capitol was weird with their fashion.

The same boring video played and a part of him wished that they would change it up from time to time. At least make it more interesting. He turned it out, only coming when the female name was getting called.

Velveta Devi.

He knew of her, and went to school with her. She had changed a lot within the last year, that much he knew. Tattoos stood out against her skin as she took the stage.

Then the male's name was called.

While he knew he had the chance of getting picked, he never really thought it would be his name.

Sterling Nadir was called.

The horror that passed over him was shocking, but it was true. The absolute horror of hearing his name being called. He stood rooted in his spot for another couple seconds before he snapped out of it, making his way to the stage. Then came the intrigued feeling. Knowing that he finally got his chance. The first time in his life that he was given the opportunity to prove that he can make something for himself. Being the Victor would be the ultimate fame.

If.

No, when he wins. He'll never be forgotten.

No.

He would be remembered.

This was the one shot. The one he had been waiting for his whole life. The once in a lifetime chance.

He would not throw away his shot.

Sterling met her gaze as they shook hands. Her eyes narrowed at him and he could detect some sense of fear and nerves coming from her. Either they would be allies or they wouldn't.

As he looked out one last time, he met May's eyes and she nodded at him, a tight lip smile.

He would do this.

He would be victorious.

Hello Hello Hello!

Apologizes for this update to take over two months. Life has been absolutely crazy and add that with writers block was just absolutely horrible. But here it is! I really hope y'all enjoy Velveta and Sterling. Huge thank you to VeryNewToThis and HumanWiki for these gems, I hope I brought them to life.

As always dont forget to leave yall thoughts in the reviews.

Who are your favorites so far, who do you not like, who do you think will make it the farthest out of the ones we've seen so far.

aspen 3