I make sure I get plenty of sleep the previous night, but I still feel tired as I follow Mom through the halls of the Training Centre and into an office room. I wonder when I'll stop feeling this way all the time. The day's barely even started and already all I can think about is turning around and hopping back in bed. I mentally remind myself that 6 hours is not very long in the grand scheme of things, and I didn't have any other plans for the day anyways. I can make it.

"Don't tug at your clothes," Mom snaps. I quickly let go of the hem of my blouse. Wearing a dark green top, my favourite colour, is helping me feel a little bit better about the current situation. And the fact that Mom made me dress up because "I don't want the tributes thinking you're a slob" or something. I don't know with her sometimes. Occasionally I ponder the thought that my mom cares more about her reputation than me.

Two chairs have been pulled from the table and face each other. I sit down in one, and suddenly feel my foot tap against the ground. My jitters from my medication are back. Mom glares at me and I force myself to stop. Can't have the tributes knowing her daughter has something wrong with her either.

Another strange thought pops into my head: is this marriage more for my mother or me? Is it genuinely time I grow up and join the great majority of happy couples…or at least couples who pretend to be happy? Or is my mom tired of people making snide comments that I'll never find love and decided to take matters into her own hands before I became an old maid?

Ugh, this is not the attitude I want to start today with.

"I'm going to get the tributes," Mom announces, and then I'm left alone. I fidget uncomfortably in my seat; why do office chairs always have to be so annoying? There's a part of me that wants to hurry up and get this over with, and another part of me that feels like I'm gonna drop dead of boredom if I have to wait another minute. What's taking everyone so long?

I try to think of what I'm going to do once I get home. Probably nap. But maybe I can get some writing down as well?

Then I hear muffled voices. It must be time.

The door opens and Midas steps in. He's wearing a gold dress shirt and tie, which makes me feel a bit better about getting dolled up.

"Hey, babygirl." Midas winks and I bite back the urge to scoff. Babygirl? Never heard that one before.

"Hey," I mumble shyly, suddenly feeling very awkward. I remember my plan and decide to just be blunt about it. Kinda like ripping off a bandage; best to do it fast and swift instead of drawing everything out.

"Look, I'll just say it. I don't think I'm really attracted to you, or any of the tributes for that matter." The words come stumbling out and I struggle to regain my composure. "I…I think I'm ace."

Midas shrugs, folding his arms behind his head. "Not a problem with me at all, babe." Is he flirting with me? I honestly have no idea. God, this is so awkward.

"Um, thanks." I fold my sweaty hands in my lap. "That you're okay with it, I mean. God, I'm making this all about me. Tell me some more about yourself."

Midas makes a big show of flexing. "I'm always on the grind, sweetheart. Training, working out, that's my life." He leans in. "But don't tell anyone, I also like to listen to pop music too."

I can't help but laugh at that. "Alright. Your secret is safe with me." Maybe this won't be so bad. Midas does seem like a pretty nice guy, if a little bit dumb. Aquilo said he liked him, but not in a gay way. I had just rolled my eyes. Midas doesn't need to know that.

We chat a bit more about the kind of music he likes and his hardened expression seems to fade into something softer by the time the door opens and a Peacekeeper gesture for Midas to leave the room. I sigh in relief. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

"I want to show you something before we start," Cyrus says as they sit down across from me. I watch as they pull a locket from around their neck and crack it open. They then hold the locket out so I can see the picture inside: Cyrus sitting with a baby girl on their knee.

"I hope you like kids," they say with a small laugh.

I can't help but gush a little. "Oh my goodness, she's so cute! What's her name?"
"Her name is Serenity, and she is the light of my life." Cyrus closes the locket and tucks it back into their shirt. "Everything I do is in the name of giving her a better life. That's why I'm here."

"Do you want any more kids after Serenity?" I ask. "Because I think I'm ace and I don't know if I'd want to…you know…" I wave vaguely.

Thankfully, Cyrus seems to understand what I mean. "Oh. Yeah, I don't think I really plan on having anymore. I'm perfectly happy with Serenity. And honestly, I think you and her will get along well. She loves meeting new people."

Right. At the age of 18, I might already become a stepmother. I shift uncomfortably in my seat. "Um, I don't know."
"I trust you," Cyrus says earnestly. "Believe me, when I found out I was gonna become a parent, I wasn't entirely sure if I'd be ready for it either. It threw a lot of my plans out the window; I was ready to win the 148th Games and I had to suddenly give all that up. But if I had the chance to redo things, I wouldn't change any of it."

"That's awfully noble of you," I mumble.

I can tell Cyrus seems a bit hurt by my lack of enthusiasm and this is not the way that I wanted right now to go. I quickly change the subject to something a bit more lighthearted. "Anyways, what kind of food do you like to eat?"

Cordin appears to be a squirming mess as he enters the room. As soon as I tell him that I'm ace, he lets out a loud sigh of relief. "Oh thank God."

"Huh?" That wasn't the reaction I was expecting at all.

"I'm ace too," Cordin quickly explains. "And if I'm being honest, I'm not really looking for much of a relationship right now. So hearing you feel the same way takes a huge load off my shoulders."

I feel a pit in my stomach disappear. "That was good to know. Thank you for telling me."
"No problem." Cordin shifts around uncomfortably, eyes darting everywhere but not looking at me. He must be very nervous.

"So why did you volunteer?" I ask, trying not to press the matter too much. But I feel like I want to know. Cordin just radiates anxiety, he isn't even into me…I don't understand why he'd end up in a situation like this willingly.

"I didn't have a choice," Cordin suddenly blurts out through quick and shallow breaths. "I didn't want to, but my parents wouldn't hear the end of it! And I didn't want to get disowned and I didn't want them to find out but they did and…and…I…"

He drops his head in his head. "...I didn't want to get disowned…"

My heart sinks in my chest a little watching Cordin. "Hey. It's okay."
"It's not," he says miserably. "My family hates me. Even if I win, I'll never have their love again. I…it's not like I can control how I feel or which pronouns fit me the best. All I wanted was to be accepted by them!"

Tears begin to slowly stream down his cheeks. I see a box of tissues behind me and silently offer them over. Cordin wipes his face clean, but still looks upset. I don't know how I can comfort him. It makes me feel sick. How could a family force their own child to throw their life away like that?

"I'm not supposed to be here."

"...huh?" I ask bluntly.

Gaius folds his arms. "You heard me. I was rigged. I shouldn't have been Reaped at all but I was."
"I don't think that's how that works-"

Gaius drags his chair closer. "No. I was rigged into here. You can lie to me all you want but I know you Capitol bastards have it out for me. Look, I'm practically district royalty."
"But the districts don't have royalty-"

"My great-great-grandparents were Sandy Ronalds and Mackerel Stormer! I'm the nephew of Pearl Stormer, okay? I'm the son of mayors and politicians! There is no reason there wasn't a volunteer this year! This whole thing is stupid!"

Gaius flops backwards into his chair with a huff. My heart begins to pound. I don't know what to do or say. My mouth feels dry. I don't want him to lash out at me again. I don't know if I should go get my mom or someone else before things get worse.

"Can we change the subject?" I beg.
Gaius scowls at me, but nods. I take a deep breath to steady myself. "Do you mind telling me a bit more about yourself?"

"I don't see what business it is to you. I had everything. Then my family died. Then I found myself here. I don't even wanna marry you."

I decide not to remind him that the feeling is mutual. I also try to pretend his words don't sting. It's not really his fault and I guess I do appreciate the honesty, despite how blunt it is, but it still hurts to know you're not liked. I've never been good at dealing with that.

"Anything else you want from me?"
"...no…you can go now if you want."

Gaius gets up and leaves without another word, slamming the door shut behind him.

After Gaius, I pray the next person coming in will be a lot nicer. I don't want to get yelled at a second time. My stomach flips. This is so hard to do.

Gaius's district partner Coral enters the room and flashes me a winning smile. "Hey there, sweetpea."
"Hey," I mumble, still not used to the whole flirting thing. "I think I should let you know, I'm not interested in-"

"Psssshaw." Coral waves a hand and I suddenly feel very small. "That's a total joke. Everybody is interested in Coral Rawlins."
"No, I meant like-"

"I think you and I will get along very well, Miss Tremblay. I've gotten everything I ever wanted back in 4 but the Capitol is unexplored territory for me. You'll find I'm the perfect wife to be attached to. I'm ready to make this city my bitch."

My mouth goes dry. How dare this girl speak to me like I'm a hunk of meat instead of my own person! "What the hell are you talking about?" I'd almost crack a giggle at the absurdity of the situation if it weren't for the dead serious look in Coral's eyes.

"I'm gonna win, idiot. There is nobody in that arena that can best me. The rest of the Career pack is nothing but a bunch of whiners or has-beens, and Wilson and Kurosaki think their stupid little alliance can even hold a candle to me!? They're joking."

"Well, you're…awfully confident." That feels like an understatement. I don't know what else to say. Something about Coral puts me on edge and makes me want to tear my bright green hair out and throw the clumps at her. I settle for just gritting my teeth. Artemisia Tremblay didn't raise her daughter to be an asshole.

"Don't I know it." Coral inspects her nails. God, I hate the way she's unintentionally making me feel insignificant and worthless in her eyes. I can tell she's never thought about anyone but herself.

Coral continues to ramble on about her plans for the arena and I just pray for the rest of the time to pass.

Ari doesn't look very happy to see me. Just indifferent, bored even. Great. Three in a row of bad meetups. Just my rotten luck, I suppose.

I start off by telling Ari I'm asexual. "Cool," he mutters, and that's it. It feels a little dismissive but I'll take that at this point. Something tells me Ari isn't trying to be insulting. He just genuinely doesn't care.

I ask him what his life is like back home. At that point, I see his gaze soften a little and his lips faint curl up at the edges. "It is what it is. I work as a garbage collector, which is fine; it pays the bills. Gives me plenty of time to spend with my kid."
"You have a kid too?"
"Yep. His name is Varus." Ari looks like he wants to say more, but he suddenly stops talking as his eyes dart around the room. I don't press.

But I should probably handle Ari with more delicacy than I handled Cyrus; I don't need more people mad at me.

"How old is Varus?"
"Turning three by the end of the year."
"So you had him at…" I do the math in my head. "You were 14 when he was born? Wow. That's awfully young."

"Yeah." Ari blushes a little and it's oddly endearing. He's been so stoic and empty so far so it's nice to see him display a little more emotion than just sitting there staring at me with an unamused expression on his face. It takes two to hold a conversation.

"I just want what's best for him," Ari speaks up after a few seconds of utter silence. "I don't want him to grow up on the streets like I did."
"I'm sure he won't. You're a good dad."

Ari finally cracks a small smile. "Thank you."

My stomach turns in knots as I wait for Braydyn to enter. She seemed a little off at the Reaping. Not that it's a problem, I certainly don't see an issue with it, but what if she can't fully comprehend where she is and what's happening to her? I hear she barely was left alone during training.

"Beary," Braydyn says as a Peacekeeper leads her into the room and guides her to sit down in the chair. She yelps when the Peacekeeper grabs her arm. He tries to almost push her into the chair and Braydyn begins to scream.

"Leave her be!" I yell. Braydyn's eyes fall on me as the Peacekeeper quickly leaves. Braydyn begins to wave her stuffed bear around. That must be Beary.

"Um…hi." I manage a small wave. "I'm Tati. You must be Braydyn, right?"
Braydyn is clearly more interested in staring at my hair than making eye contact with me. Immediately, I feel a pang of guilt. This girl isn't going to do well in the Hunger Games.

I decide to hold my hand out, keeping a good distance between the two of us but making sure Braydyn can see my movements. She reminds me of a second cousin I have who's autistic. Does Braydyn have autism? I wonder if they can even get such a diagnosis in the districts.

Braydyn uses Beary's paw to gently tap my fingers, then pulls back. She begins waving the toy around. "Mama? Kaydyn?"
"They're, uh…they're not here. It's just you and me. Do you want Kaydyn?"

"Kaydyn," Braydyn says louder. "Kaydyn!"

"Alright, I'll get you Kaydyn." I get up and knock on the door, signalling to the Peacekeeper he can come take Braydyn back to her room. Braydyn makes a series of noises as she follows the Peacekeeper out, her grip on Beary not even letting up in the slightest.

I wait until the door closes again before a tear slips down my cheek.

Thankfully, I get myself cleaned up and composed by the time the next tribute enters. It's Kaydyn, Braydyn's brother. And he looks worried, a strangely urgent look etched onto his face. Before I can say anything, he speaks. "Don't worry about me. What matters is that Braydyn stays safe."

"What do you mean?"

"First things first, I'm not interested in romance." Kaydyn points to the door. "I couldn't care less about the Quell twist. All I care about is my sister. I volunteered to protect her. It's my job to take care of her and look after her. She doesn't understand what's happening. She won't know to survive. Kai and Shadow said she'd be safe in their alliance but that means nothing if I'm not right there next to her."

Kaydyn looks at me earnestly. "What about you?" I finally ask.
"What do you mean?"

"Well…this time is supposed to help us get to know each other better. And I know about Braydyn. I already met her. But I know nothing about Kaydyn. About you. Aren't you gonna tell me more about yourself, or maybe what you like to do?"

Kaydyn shrugs and stares at the ground. "It doesn't really matter."
"Of course it matters."
"No. it really doesn't. That's what my job is and what my mom wants me to do. Take care of my sister."

I can't decipher Kaydyn's tone and figure out whether he's being genuine, or if there's some resentment hidden behind there. He still refuses to look me in the eye and I wonder if he'll start crying.

"Do you think you can help me help her?" He finally asks.
"I'll see what I can do," I admit, then file away a mental note to ask my mom about accommodations for Braydyn.

Kaydyn just gives me a relieved smile. "Thank you."

"Hello~!" Hyacinth sings as she skips into the room and flops into the chair, crossing one leg over the other. Her pink skirt billows around her. "My my, don't you look stunning."

"Thanks." I've gotten slightly better at taking compliments and flirting now. It's still pretty awkward. I watch as Hyacinth twirls a strand of hair around her finger as she cocks her head to one side. When it becomes obvious she's getting nowhere with me, she drops the act and smiles. A real smile, not that coy little grin she's been doing earlier.

"I mean it." There's sincerity in her voice. "Not just saying it to win you over, I actually think you look pretty. I've never seen anyone with green hair before."
"You're very nice," I comment.

Hyacinth's eyes sparkle. "Why, thank you! I always try my best to be kind. There's just way too much negativity in this world, you know? Why join in on the misery when you could be using the time to brighten up someone's day instead?"

I nod. I've never been one for philosophy, but I think Hyacinth has got some good ideas going on. The sponsors will love her.

"And I do love it here," Hyacinth continues. "The Capitol food is amazing. Getting to train was so cool. My alliance is sweet. Cassandra, Indigo and Irie are all lovely people." She covers her giggles with her hand. "And pretty easy on the eyes too, if I had to say."

I chuckle too. "You're not the first tribute to admit they find another one attractive and you're probably not gonna be the last."

That sends Hyacinth into a fit of hysterical laughter; she practically doubles over in the chair as she clutches her sides. "Really! Well, I'm sure as you've figured out by now, Miss Tremblay, I'm just full of love!"

After an interesting fifteen minutes with Shadow, who makes it painfully clear he's interested in somebody else and pointedly won't tell me who, I meet with his district partner Cassandra. Her eyes widen as she steps into the room.

I pick up very quickly that like Beatrix and Ari, Cassandra isn't much of a talker. Which leaves me the very wonderful and very fun task of instigating all the conversation. I tell her I'm ace, which doesn't get much reaction aside from a small nod, then try to ask her what her life is like back home.

"It's okay," she mumbles. "I work."
"What do you work in?"
"Construction."

I wait for Cassandra to elaborate on her answer, which she doesn't. She's been staring around the office room, taking everything in. "It's so big in here," she finally says after maybe a minute or so of very awkward silence.

"I take it you don't have an office at home?"
"Small house. I have to share it with a lot of people?"

"Big family?" I ask.

Cassandra's nods are deep and quick. "Oh yes. Very big family."

I can't imagine that. I'm good with living with just three other people in my house. My mom doesn't even employ Avoxes.

"I also like dogs," Cassandra adds. I fight the urge to mutter finally out loud. Now we're actually getting somewhere!

"What about cats? I find I'm more partial to cats than dogs."

Cassandra shrugs. "Yeah. I like cats too. Animals are animals."
"That is fair, I suppose. Do you have any pets?"

"Uncle Michail is allergic," Cassandra huffs. "Which sucks. But I have my shelter, so it's okay."
"You run an animal shelter?"

Cassandra only smiles shyly in response. It seems she's being drawn out of her shell a bit. I want to ask her more, about the kinds of animals she looks after and the like, but soon the fifteen minutes are up and it's the next tribute's turn to come in.

Roxy doesn't bother hiding her displeasure as she loudly stomps in and slams the door shut behind her. "Let's just get this over with. I don't even want to be here."

"Hi, Roxy. My mom said she'd make sure all your Games records had your chosen name instead of the name your escort called out. Did she inform you?"

"Yep." Roxy snorts. "Makes all the difference in the world, doesn't it? You're all still gonna kill me even though I had every reason in the world to assume I never had to worry about the stupid Reapings ever again, but hey! You'll make sure I'm not deadnamed! Even though it already happened on live TV!"

I discreetly scoot my chair backwards. Not discreetly enough, because Roxy hears it and sighs. "Fuck. Look, I'm…not mad at you. I know it's not your fault and you probably didn't even want this."
"I don't. I'm asexual."

"Really?" Roxy cocks an eyebrow. "Well I guess you and I are two freaky peas in a pod then, aren't we?"
"I don't think you're a freak."

"Well, thanks. But it's like I said, I'm not mad at you specifically, I'm just…mad in general. My parents suck, my escort sucks, my district never did anything to help me, the world just wants me dead. Life is shit."

I remember feeling upset and helpless. Spiraling. Panic attacks. Getting that damn depression diagnosis that ruined everything. Pills in a bottle. Lying in bed for weeks after the Quell announcement.

"Yeah," I say. "Life is shit."

Another snort, but this one sounds less malicious. Roxy is actually smiling now. "Huh. Maybe in another world where your mom wasn't dumping me in a glorified deathmatch, you and I'd be friends. You get it."

"Trust me," I mutter, still a bit lost in my own thoughts. "I get it a lot more than you realize."

"I don't think this is going to work out if I win," Indigo sighs, dropping their head in their hands. "I don't even like girls! I have a boyfriend back home!"

"Well, if it's any consolation, you're not the only one thinking that. I've been telling everyone that comes in here that I'm not interested in any of them. A few of them have said that back."

Indigo presses a hand to their lips in shock. "Oh my, my. What a crazy place we've found ourselves in, then. A prize who doesn't want to be given away."

I suck in a shaky breath. "Well, when you put things that way…it iss a pretty crappy situation, all things considered."

Indigo nods solemnly. "I find the Hunger Games are never not crappy."
"I've heard that sentiment echoed a few times. Hey, they didn't interview you for one of the Games, did they?"

Indigo wraps their arms around themself. "Yeah, the 147th. I'm proud of my brother for making it to 7th place, but it doesn't mean anything if it isn't 1st place."
I feel slightly guilty and I have no idea why. "For the life of me, I cannot remember who won that Games."
"Me neither."

"As long as you don't hate my mother for it," I laugh bitterly. "Cause that would be pretty awkward. Well, I guess it would be awkward, period. Cause you have a boyfriend and all."

Indigo blushes. "His name is Devin, and I love him very much. I hope I live long enough to get married to him."

It's oddly sweet to hear Indigo gush like that, but thankfully it's not sickeningly sweet. As long as they don't start waxing poetic about the colour of his eyes or whatever, I can live with that.

"You think if I do win, I can still see him?" Indigo asks hopefully.
"I won't say anything if you won't."

So if you're wondering why only half the tributes are featured in this chapter, it's because they were created by some friends of mine on Discord and are the only ones eligible to actually win the Games. The rest were fillers created by me.

Whose sessions stood out to you? Who do you think Tati has the most chemistry with?

Next chapter will be interviews so stay tuned for those,

-Vr