Chaney de Kuyper, 17
Thirteen-year-old Chaney rattled his keys into his front door and pushed it open. He wasn't in the best of moods as he'd just been yelled at by the principal for firing a paintball gun in class, but at least it got him the attention he was craving.
(Even if it was negative attention, it was more than he got at home.)
"Dad, I'm home," he calls, not expecting a response.
(His dad had been gone for weeks now.
He did this often, and usually returned after a few days... or weeks in this case, Chaney supposed.)
"Hey, pops!"
No answer. No surprise there. The boy huffed and headed into the almost cupboard-sized kitchen. It was only then that it dawned on him - overdue bills were piled up on the dusty kitchen table. Chaney checked the pantry for a snack - it was empty.
(He couldn't be gone for good, could he?)
(Then again, this is his father he's talking about. He wouldn't put it past him. Chaney is convinced he never loved him to begin with.)
There's only one way to know for sure; whenever his dad had disappeared before, he left his belongings behind in his bedroom, at the very least.
Chaney charged upstairs. He had to know for sure. Why did he care about this man that didn't care about him? He's not sure... he just had to know.
He burst into his father's bedroom and went straight to his wardrobe. All his father's clothes were gone. He ripped open the bedside table - empty.
He swallowed. "Dad?"
(He had been right. His father didn't care about him at all. He abandoned him. Just like his mother. Just like everybody else.)
Chaney slapped the empty lamp off the bedside table and curled his fists in anger.
But his thoughts soon turned to his own survival. How would he pay the bills? Pay for food? What's a lone thirteen-year-old in District Nine to do?
A fist thumps at the styling room door. "What's takin' so long?" Briar calls from outside.
Chaney's stylist finishes buttoning up his black dress shirt, whilst struggling against his fidgeting. She then pulls a black leather jacket over it - matching his tight black pants and shiny black boots.
"Ready!" Chaney calls back. He paces over to the mirror, raising an eyebrow at his reflection. He looks like a rock star.
(Some part of him can't help but be enjoying this. Despite the awful situation, people will be cheering for him, be clapping for him. People will notice him.
Not just people - all of Panem.)
The young man pulls the door open to find Briar standing there in a slim, silky, black dress to match his own outfit. His mouth is suddenly agape, but then that's nothing new when it comes to Briar. She's probably the only person in Panem that can leave him speechless.
"How do I look?" He smirks, gesturing to himself.
"Like you're heading to a circus." Briar has her usual frown etched on her face - a frown that's grown deeper and more frequent since they were thrown into this situation.
"You look… beautiful," Chaney says.
Briar pokes her head up and down the corridor to check if anyone's about. "Careful…"
"What? Nobody's around."
Briar closes the door behind him, and then presses her boyfriend into it, gripping his jacket tightly. The couple let their lips meet naturally - but not for too long so as to not be caught.
If only the moment could last longer. Instead, they are soon being hurried along by their Mentor, stylists, and Escort to their chariot.
Scores of Capitolites gather around them on their way to the chariots, hollowing and sticking out their hands in an attempt to meet the tributes, only separated by a couple of ropes. Chaney drinks up all the attention of course, like a glass of fresh juice on a hot summer's day.
The Peacekeepers, and more so Briar, fight to keep him away from the crowds. But, his eyes zone in on a shiny, crystal-lined watch around a Capitolite's wrist. His thieving, or survival, instincts kick in, and he reaches forward to shake the Capitolite's hand, swiftly snagging their watch in the process.
A mischievous smirk appears on the boy's face.
By the time they notice. I'll already be on my chariot.
(Was there any benefit to stealing a watch in this situation? Probably not, but it's just what his brain decided to do at that moment.)
There is a pause as they wait in a dimly lit area by their chariots for the parade to begin. Briar pushes her hair back, and darts straight into the chariot. However, Chaney decides to hover outside for a moment.
He saunters up and down, tapping his fingernails on the chariot. It's then that he notices a girl leaning against the chariot behind their one - it must be Ten's chariot. She's leaning against the side of it with her arms folded. She has short hair and is of average height but with a strong build.
Chaney can't tell if her permanent frown, that's saying "Don't talk to me", is because of the ridiculous farmer outfit, or the situation, or if that's just how she is.
Only an idiot would attempt to talk to her. So, Chaney waves with a smile. "How's it going?" He greets.
The girl's eyes meet his. She tilts her head, surprised that someone would dare to try to talk to her.
"Have I got something on my face?" She responds.
"Two eyes, a nose, and a mouth?" Chaney quips back.
Unexpectedly, the joke seems to land, if only a little. The Ten girl drops her frown and moves forward, still no less intimidating; Chaney instinctively takes a step back.
"What do you want?" The girl questions.
Chaney shrugs. "Was just sayin' hi!"
The girl's eyes travel down to the shiny Capitolite watch on his wrist, and they light up in surprise. She points down at the watch. "You're from Nine, right? But that looks like it was hand-made in District One."
"I suppose it was… then it was hand-stolen by me about five minutes ago," Chaney grins.
"So, you're a thief?"
"We prefer the term 'highwayman'," Chaney replies, staring down smugly at the tips of his fingers.
The girl from Ten places her hand under her chin, examining Chaney. "Hmm."
"I take it your mentor gave you the alliance talk too?" Chaney asks.
The girl nods.
This girl looks mean, sure, but if she's on their side then she'll be attacking anyone but them. It will increase their chances of survival… of Briar's survival.
Chaney offers out his hand. "Name's Chaney."
"Auren." She doesn't shake his hand.
"So, it's an alliance then?"
"Looks like it."
"Great!" Chaney throws his hands out, almost hitting Auren in the face!
Immediately, her scary frown returns.
"Oops, sorry…meet us tomorrow in training, then?"
"Us?"
Just then, Briar steps down from the carriage. "Bab-Chaney what's takin' so long-" She freezes when she notices Auren.
"I was just making a new friend! This is Auren!" Chaney exclaims.
Auren folds her arms. Her eyes move between Chaney and Briar suspiciously.
"C'mon," Briar yanks Chaney by his jacket up into the chariot with her.
"So… it's a deal, then?" Chaney yells back to Auren.
"What are you doing?" Briar questions as the chariot begins moving off.
"Trying to make allies… like our mentor said."
Briar sighs. "But don't just talk to the first random stranger you see, if there's ever a time we need to be picky, then it's now."
"But… you were the first random stranger I saw, and that worked out pretty well," Chaney counters.
"That was different… I wasn't gonna be tryin' to kill you-"
Chaney sends her an amused glance. "You had a knife to my throat…"
"Ok… but you get the point. That girl looked dangerous…"
"Exactly…"
Chaney takes a deep breath, and Briar braces herself as she's about to endure Chaney explaining his logic.
(In the past this has generally been a hopeless endeavor.)
"I figured we'd want the most dangerous person on our side. That way they'd kill the people not on our side first, rather than the people that are on our side… which is us." He furrows his eyebrows, trying to see if even he can comprehend the sentence that just left his mouth.
But for once, Briar seems to understand his reasoning. She nods, in half acceptance. "Fine… but if she double crosses us… if she hurts yo-us… then you know the rest."
Chaney places his hand under his chin. "Something about eyes and crows?"
"That's right."
"I'm just glad you're on my side," Chaney chuckles.
As the light pours down on their faces, and the Capitol erupts in cheers, Chaney can't help but throw his arms out.
(They can all see him now. His father. His mother. They have to notice him. They have no other choice, and there's something ironically delightful about that to Chaney.)
Aida Canterra, 18
Aida is in stunned silence, staring at the side of her chariot in the dark. The roars and cheers from the crowd outside are an alien chant to Aida. Will they really be cheering for her? Does she deserve it?
(Or is it really the girl that was consumed in a burning house that deserves it?)
(No, because Aida doesn't make mistakes.)
"You ready?" Brizio's hushed but sharp voice shakes Aida out of her thoughts.
She nods back at him.
Aida's six-foot district partner is wearing a sleeveless jumpsuit that gradually goes from a dark blue bottom to a white top, with jagged edges all over. His black hair is slicked back neatly and professionally which seems to suit the placid but slightly intimidating boy. The final touch to Brizio's outfit is two rows of bloodied shark teeth prosthetics, and him looking decidedly uncomfortable in them. Maybe that's all that's creating the intimidating aurora from this boy, but Aida can't help but feel that is something more.
The pair's interactions on the train didn't go beyond pleasantries, as neither of them were particularly interested in small talk but Aida is all too familiar with keeping secrets, and Brizio's eyes have plenty of them.
Aida gives herself a once-over. She is wearing a dark, purple, silky dress. It gives her an element of mystery that she supposes her stylist was going for.
"Nice outfits!" A boy calls from a couple of chariots down.
Two new figures have strolled up on the Four's chariot - the pair from Two. They are both dressed as gladiators, with armour that displays their muscles like an exhibit.
The boy puffs his chest out, and the most charming smile he can muster is on his face. "I especially love the teeth." He points to Brizio's fangs.
Aida and Brizio raise their eyebrows at each other, trying not to burst out laughing at the boy's blatantly fake amenities.
(Something Aida doesn't remember doing for a long time.)
The two tributes from District One have also slipped into the conversation, completing the career pack.
"I know right, please don't bite me," the boy from One chuckles. His smile is childish and excited but seems more real than that of the boy from Two's.
The One boy is wearing an open suit jacket, with no shirt underneath to show his abbs. To complete the outfit, he has slim dress pants and white opals decorating his auburn hair, which is tied neatly in a bun for the show.
Now that all five eyes are on the young man from One, he rubs his hands in anticipation of something. "Check this out." He performs a backflip, then lands ecstatically on his feet and poses. "Landon Singa," he greets.
Aida disregards Landon's performance fairly rapidly, her eyes drift to his District partner; a tall girl in a red, gold-decorated pirate outfit with a tri-cornered hat. The girl is silently studying Aida; she seems to be putting the girl from Four together in her mind like she's a jigsaw puzzle, and Aida doesn't like it, not one bit. She narrows her eyes at the One girl.
Landon cuts in the middle of them, and it's only now that Aida realises that the pair from One are the same height.
"I'm… sensing a bit of tension here," Landon laughs. "This is Genevieve, but everyone calls her Geneve," he opens his palms to Aida. "And you are?"
"Aida." She keeps her eyes stoically on Geneve.
The girl from One finally offers her a smile. "Nice to meet you, Aida," she says.
(Maybe Aida got Geneve all wrong. If she doesn't manage to relax then people might start to suspect that there's something up with her.)
(She's got nothing to hide, right?)
"Nice to meet you too."
The three of them shake hands, in turn.
The Two boy clears his throat. "I'm not gonna do a backflip or anything… I'm Romulus but you can call me Rom."
Romulus begins shaking hands with each career until he reaches Brizio. The boy from Two offers out his hand, adorning his usual charismatic smile. But, Aida's district partner simply glances down at it and steps past him toward his chariot. Romulus is left biting his lip, disgruntled.
Aida steps up to join Brizio by his side. "Why did you do that?" She mutters.
He turns his head to her. "What?"
"Not shake his hand."
"I don't like him one bit, he's not what his smile makes him out to be. Trust me, you'd be better off watching your back around him," he whispers.
"And what about you? How do I know I can trust you?"
Brizio twists his lips. "My actions speak louder than my words, so I guess you'll have to find out for yourself."
"Fair enough."
The chariots begin rolling forward. They are met with a wave of light and a thunderous roar from the crowd.
Whilst Brizio watches the crowd with contempt, almost sneering, Aida resists the urge to shy away from their ruckus applause. A growling lump of anxiety has begun to form in her gut, she shields her eyes from the sun and the Capitolites. Is she going to be sick?
(She never got applause from the academy when Sadie was throwing her down on the mat for the fiftieth time.)
Does she really deserve to be here? Or should it always have been Sadie?
No, she deserves this. She deserves this one hundred times more than that girl. The crowds are cheering for her, not Sadie. She'll win the Hunger Games, and finally be worthy to inherit her family's business.
But everyone has their secrets, don't they? Aida looks behind, just a couple of chariots down the boy from Six is standing in silence, cooly detached while the smaller girl in the same chariot is nervously waving.
A couple of chariots down from that, Aida can make out a smile on the boy from Eight. Although, the smile is bordering on maniacal and looks like one that belongs in a horror story. Their district partner, on the other hand, is simply trying not to collapse.
So it seems, that everyone has their little secrets; things that they'd wish they could drop into the deepest darkest hole, never to be seen again. It just comes down to who is better at hiding theirs.
Aida takes a deep breath, washing away the anxiety. She puts her shoulders back and faces the crowd with stoicism.
Lilac Rafflesia, 16
The only times that anyone ever got a glimpse of Lilac Rafflesia was at a funeral when she and Damon would be standing guard over the caskets, or for a brief period during the reapings - that was the only time she left the cemetery.
Yet here she is, stood in front of the entire country, an exhibit to all their beady eyes.
So, this is the land of the living? Perhaps it's not all it's cracked up to be.
(Maybe her family was right, maybe she was never meant to leave the cemetery.)
Lilac tucks her wings together, bowing her face down so it's underneath her beak. The feathers on this crow costume are starting to itch her skin. Her outfit reminds her of some of the monsters from her mother's stories - the gargoyles. They have dressed her just like the monsters that took her mother in her dreams; if that is truly why she's no longer around to tell her stories.
I may have the chance to ask her myself, soon enough.
Lilac glances around at the crowd, so far, the Capitolites' eyes seem too preoccupied with the other tributes to give the grave-digger and her district partner any attention. Are they expecting her to do some kind of performance? Like a circus animal?
"Caw, Caw, motherfuckers!" She exclaims.
That caught some of the eyes from the people at the front, although they didn't seem that impressed. What were they expecting? They dressed her as a crow.
Lilac turns to her district partner. The tall, broad boy's eyes are wide with shock. His name is Dario and looks like most other boys from The Seam.
"What? You not gonna squawk like a crow too?" Lilac asks, deadpan.
He points to his coal-stained miner's outfit. "Urm… I'm a miner."
Dario never quite got Lilac's sense of humor from the beginning. I guess there's still time… or actually there's probably not - she thinks to herself.
At long last, the stupid ceremony comes to an end. Lilac didn't particularly enjoy her first tour of the land of the living but there's still time for it to grow on her, she supposes.
Lilac follows her district partner out of the chariot. Around them, all the other tributes are also stepping out, some of them disappearing in a flash, while others stick around to savor the attention. They aren't like the Capitolites. They're more like Lilac, ghosts in the wind. All with their own stories, their own fears, and soon their own deaths. But, they are from the land of the living, Lilac is not.
Of all the other parade outfits, the girl from Seven's catches the young mortician's eye the most. She's wearing a dark, peridot, green, tunic dress with white sleeves that show off her arms and carved wooden armbands and waistcoat.
Whatever Seven has going on, they must have an abundance of wood if they wear it.
Lilac's not sure if it's just the outfit or the sadness in the girl's face that drew her to her attention - maybe a combination of both.
The girl soon notices her staring and sends Lilac a wave. Lilac quickly looks away and then wanders off back to her apartment behind the Peacekeepers.
When Lilac arrives back at the apartment, she finds Dario sitting on the sofa, still in his greasy miner's outfit. His eyes are red, and bloodshot from where he's been crying. However, once he notices Lilac, he hurriedly brushes his tears away.
It suddenly dawns on Lilac. She had seen death her entire life. She'd grown up with death, she'd been a part of it. Her mother was taken from her before her eyes. But most importantly, she had taken the life of another.
On the other hand, this kid from outside the cemetery has no clue what to expect; how could he be ready for what was going to happen to him after that gong rang? People from the land of the living seemed to live in a kind of blissful ignorance, which is all well and good… until they are thrown into situations like the hunger games.
Lilac moves over to the sitting room and sits down on the sofa opposite him. "Maybe next time I'll go as the hunky miner, and you go as the crow?" She quips, removing the crow mask from her head.
Dario's despair is broken by a little chuckle. Lilac is a little taken aback; is he finally getting her sarcasm?
Dario leans forward. "I don't get it… how you're staying this calm. We're going into the arena in less than a week," he says.
Lilac just shrugs in reply.
"Oh c'mon…"
"Ok fine…" Lilac ponders for a moment, searching for her response.
(He can't know that she's the one they call the banshee. The murderer. This is the first long conversation she's had with someone from the land of the living and she won't squander it.)
"My mum… she used to tell me these stories every night, stories about how she took on monsters… or more specifically, the undead. She used to tell me how she looked death in the face and laughed. So, if my mum could take on monsters then why shouldn't this be a walk in the park for me?"
Dario chuckles again. "Your mum had quite the imagination."
Lilac stares at him with blank eyes. "Are you calling my mother a liar?"
"What? No! I just meant… wait, you don't actually believe she… what did you say? Took on the undead?"
Lilac just stares at him in silence now, unable to respond.
Sensing the awkwardness that he created, Dario stretches out his arms and yawns. "I'm gonna grab a shower and then head to bed, long day… thanks for the talk," he says.
Lilac nods faintly.
As the shower water runs in the background, her mind is pounded by unsavory thoughts. Her mother's stories couldn't be wrong, because then she would be wrong for defending the graves from the robbers, and that just wouldn't make sense. She always wanted to run away past the cemetery walls to the land of the living. Turns out, the land of the living kind of sucks.
Meridian Birdie, 18
"In two days, we have the tribute parade. So we're gonna want people to believe you two like each other."
That was Meridian's mentor's request. It would seem like a simple one. But, even as Meridian glances over at their district partner beside them on the chariot, and they put on their best fake smile, something their father taught them to do well, they can't help but clench their fists.
(Day is the reason his father hates him, after all. Who else would he blame?
Who else can he blame?)
So, he smiles and waves at the crowds of capitolites, and Day does the same. The journey on the chariot seems to last an eternity with their bodies covered in wires with flashing lights.
But eventually, to both their solace, it does come to an end. Day hops off the chariot immediately, disappearing through a line of peacekeepers to get as far away from Meridian as possible.
Meridian, red as a tomato, scuttles away from the chariot, not knowing what to do with themself. Here, he is the very definition of a fish out of water.
Of course, with their eyes zig-zagging about all over the place, he doesn't see the small, frail, shaking girl from Three to his right.
CRASH
Glass beads fly all over the place. They were attached to the girl's gold and silver, metallic dress.
"Whoops, sorry!"Meridian crouches down immediately and begins plucking them up from the floor.
The tiny girl is still red and shaking but offers a smile. "It's ok," she says. "I-I should have been looking where I was going. Besides, I don't think I'll be needing them anymore, now that the parade is finished."
Meridian isn't quite sure why he's helping her, anyway. It's not something his father ever taught them. In fact, one of his most common lessons was "Look out only for yourself, because no one else will look out for you in this world."
(The only place Meridian could have possibly learned to help others was Dawning Avenue.
But nothing good came out of that place, right?)
Meridian was never the tallest kid in the world but when he returns to eye-level, the girl from Three is still below them. She still has the same smile on her face. She appears to be unconditionally delightful, and unfortunately, that unquestionable kindness to strangers is reminding Meridian a bit too much of Day… when they first met.
"I'm Meilin." The girl from Three offers out her hand.
"Urm… I'm Meridian." He awkwardly shakes her hand. "Well… urm… bye," he says.
"Bye," she smiles.
With that, Meridian turns and scurries off behind the Peacekeepers to head back to District Five's apartment. They jab the appropriate button on the elevator until it pings, and then head straight to their door.
Once inside, he finds that Day is sitting confidently at the kitchen table, leaning their head on their hand. She has used the wire from their outfit to place a line on the floor in between the kitchen and the sitting area with the TV.
"What's this?" Meridian inquires, hesitantly shutting the door behind him.
"I've carved up the room," Day states, holding her head up high. She points to the sitting area. "That's your side." Then she points to the kitchen. "And this is my side."
Meridian nods. "Ok, fine by me." They stroll over to the sofa, plonking themself down. "Then I guess you won't mind if I watch some TV." He switches on the TV but then rapidly taps the volume down button on the controller. "With the sound down." He intentionally positions himself in front of the TV so that Day can't see the screen.
"Why would I care?" Day shrugs.
"And also," he reaches his hand into a bowl of dry snacks. "Munch on my tasty snacks." He blatantly shoves a handful into his mouth and begins smugly crunching on them.
Day huffs. "They're my snacks…"
The girl from Dawning Avenue pushes themself up, heads to the cupboard, and reaches for a pan. "Excuse me, excuse me! I don't know your name," she exclaims.
"Oh, what's that? I'm sure I just heard something really boring like a mouse dying in a nearby field or something," Meridian says, placing their hand by their ear.
Suddenly, a thick metallic object bounces off his head!
"Ow!"
Meridian glances around in shock, rubbing their temple in pain.
A saucepan clatters to the carpet! Day just threw a saucepan at his head!
Day descends into a chuckle. "That's for Dawning Avenue!"
"You!" Meridian growls.
Meridian leaps up off the sofa, charging over to a nearby lamp. They rip it out of the wall and race back over to Day.
"What are you doing?"
Day ducks their head as the boy launches the lamp in their direction! It collides with their back before smashing on the kitchen floor.
Before the violence can escalate any further, the door bursts open. Nicola comes storming in, surrounded by Peacekeepers. "What the hell is going on in here!?"
Meridian and Day freeze in silence. "It was their fault!" They both point at each other.
But Day soon throws herself back down on the kitchen chair with their head in their hands. "I'm sorry," she says to Nicola. "I let it get out of control… I just can't be in the same room as him!" They point to Meridian.
Nicola places her hands on her hips. "I leave you alone for five minutes and this is the result?!" She Chastises.
"I'm sorry," Day repeats.
"If you're already fighting, then what chance do you think we have when you get to the arena?"
Meridian and Day both nod in agreement.
"Apologies… I'll do better next time," Meridian says, going back to his mechanical tone.
After giving Day a final glare, they disappear into their room, slamming the door hard behind them.
How did he let her get under his skin like that? His father always taught him to control his emotions.
I can't let my father down, not the one that gave me every opportunity.
Prime Birdie's son collapses down on their bed, still rubbing their sore head.
Hey! Not much to say, alliances are stuff are beginning to form! How do you think things are going to pan out in training, let me know! See you next time.