Trydan Briod, 17

District 5 Male

The work rooms were always hot. District 5 being located in a desert was a factor, but why a wind farm couldn't cool the workers' stations was beyond me. Still, I wasn't going to complain. If I was going to get ahead in the company, it would be by following the rules and being the best of the best.

The sudden shudder and crunch of machinery made me jump to my feet.

"Careful!" I gasped. Jackson, my co-worker, jerked away from the motor he was inspecting with a loud curse.

"Easy Trydan!" he snapped. "I had it under control."

"No, you didn't," I said. I walked over to his work table and pointed to a bent fan blade. "This was too close to your hand."

"I was fine," Jackson muttered, but his eyes were on my hands now. I looked down at them as well.

I'd always dreamed of working on a wind farm, just like my father. I came to work with him a lot when I was younger. When I was 11 I caught my hand in a turbine and lost two of the fingers on my left hand. In my desperate attempts to pull my hand free, my right index finger was also severed. On that day, I vowed to be as cautious and precise as I possibly could be.

My fingers served enough of a testament for Jackson to get back to work more carefully. I went back to my own station and continued reviewing the blueprints for a new turbine model. My manager asked me to look them over and I was more than happy to.

If he wanted my feedback, then he must have seen potential in me. I was one of his best workers and I had a feeling a promotion was coming my way soon. It made me smile. The harder I worked, the more prepared I would be as an adult.

An old bell rang when it was time for our lunch break and I followed Jackson out of the room - after making sure to put everything in its place and turn off the lights. Lunch was always outdoors, but about a year ago we'd convinced the plant's owners to put up a tent to keep us in the shade.

Picnic tables were set up in even rows beneath the white structure. I instinctively went to sit at the furthest table to the left, but paused. I wasn't with Faraday anymore. It would be weird to sit with him at lunch.

Faraday broke up with me around three months ago and it still hurt. He said I was "too competitive" and "only cared about work", which wasn't true. I cared about him too. His words stung and I knew when he criticized me that we were over.

I hesitated for another moment or two before walking towards the table in the middle of the rows. This was where my boss Samuel sat, and his boss, Mr. Judd. Mr. Judd was about as high up in the company as someone not related to the owners could be, and I wanted to be in his position someday.

"Can I join you?" I asked when I reached their table. Mr. Judd looked surprised, but Sam nodded and grinned and scooted down the bench to make room for me.

"Frank, this is the kid I was telling you about!" he said excitedly. I bit the inside of my cheek to suppress a smile.

"I had him going over the new blueprints. He has eagle eyes, I swear."

"And what did you think?" Mr. Judd asked me.

"It's a very efficient design," I said slowly. Mr. Judd's gaze was cold and unimpressed and I was suddenly worried about sharing my proposed changes. But if I was going to get to the top, I had to take chances.

"However, I think the shape of the turbine blades should change. It's nothing drastic, but I think they'd catch more wind if the angle was slightly different."

Before I could lose my nerve, I launched into an overview of my new design. Sam and Mr. Judd listened in silence, and when I finished I bit down on my cheek again. Nerves fluttered in my stomach. But then Sam started grinning and Mr. Judd gave me a nod of approval.

"You were right," he said to Sam. "He's a clever kid." Then Mr. Judd turned to me. "Trydan, I want to see you in my office on Monday morning. We have a lot to discuss."

"Of course," I said. "I'd be happy to meet with you." I smiled politely, secretly fighting the urge to pump my fist.

Birdie Seguaro, 14

District 5 Female

My drawing was looking nice… for a scribble in the dirt I made with my toe. I was trying to find ways to pass the time as I waited for Sunnaria. My best friend was rarely late, and I could only assume she was delayed because she was with Cyrus.

I didn't hate Cyrus. I really didn't. He was a nice guy and he clearly liked Sunnaria a lot. She was really happy when they started dating, and I was happy that my friend was happy. But I was also a little sad.

I'd known for a long time that I liked Sunnaria. But I was too afraid of ruining our friendship to tell her. And now she was dating someone else.

'Don't put off until tomorrow what can be done today.' It was something Uncle Solano liked to say when I complained about doing the dishes or helping in the garden. It was annoying to hear, but it was true. If I'd been brave and confessed my feelings, I could be the one kissing Sunnaria and holding her hand.

She was my best and only friend, and I didn't want to lose her. She was just as passionate about veganism as I was and we'd protested together lots of times. And her parents were hippies, just like my aunt and uncle.

I looked up from my masterpiece to see several weary figures walking by. Our little cottage was away from the main district, but just off the road the wind farm workers walked home on. We had a small stand that sold agua fresca and chile peppers and other yummy things, and it often attracted thirsty workers.

Sure enough, an older woman split off from the group and walked towards the stand. I jumped up from the front steps and hurried over to her.

"Hey there," I said cheerfully. "It's a hot one today, huh?"

"They're all hot ones," she grumbled. "How much for six tomatoes?"

I told her, and she opened her wallet to count the coins. She nodded to me and I began to carefully place the tomatoes in a paper bag.

"Vegetables are a very important part of our diets," I told her. "Humans actually don't need meat to have a healthy diet. And Panem's meat industry is cruel and inhumane. If we can't stop violence against animals, how can we stop violence against people?"

"That's nice," the woman said. She reached for the bag and I let her take it, accepting the coins in return. She nodded curtly and then hurried down the road to catch up with her co-workers, not bothering to thank me.

I put the money in the old, beat-up lockbox and sighed. The Capitol forced meat on its citizens by making it so hard to have gardens and get access to fresh produce. And once a year they slaughtered us without mercy, as if we were just cattle for a District 10 butcher to carve up.

The thought of big slices of beef being cleaved from a cow's body made me shudder and I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the image. I didn't like to think about that horrible stuff. But it was exactly why I wasn't going to give up on being a vegan, or give up on advocating for the vegan lifestyle.

"Birdie!" someone shouted. My head jerked up and I saw Sunnaria coming down the road. She waved to me and I waved back before taking off in her direction. I tackled her in a tight hug and laughed when she gasped.

"You're going to break my ribs!" she groaned.

"Only because you're a twig," I teased. "Aunt Yahaira is making flan. You need at least two servings!"

"I'll take three," Sunnaria said with a laugh. I took her hand and we headed towards the cottage, giggling together.

With Sunnaria, everything was better.

Hi everyone! Here are the District 5 intros! We only have District 6 left, and then we're done! These POVs are a little longer than normal, since I got a bit carried away. Hopefully they don't drag on or anything. And thank you to ItsaCatsWorld for Trydan and cassy2002xo for Birdie. They're very different but both very fun to write.

Please leave a review, if you can, and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and the story overall. Reviews mean a lot to me; it's nice to know that people are enjoying what I create.

Also, you may have noticed that I changed the year of these Games. This makes the prologue irrelevant, but I did it because I'm working on two Victor exchanges and I'd rather have those Victors show up as mentors in this story rather than spoil who wins these Games in those stories (yes, I have a few Victor candidates in mind). I know it's a weird thing to change, but hopefully it won't affect too much.

QUESTIONS

1) Which tribute did you prefer? Why?

2) Will Trydan's perfectionism be helpful in the arena, or will it be his downfall?

3) Will Birdie be able to stay vegan in the arena?

4) Who has been your favorite tribute out of everyone who's been introduced?

Have a nice day, be kind to each other, and never stop reading!

- Fiona