A/N: Trigger warning for Karter's section.


Chapter 5:

District Seven

Baylor Lennox, 18

Two Years and Five Months Before

"Ugh I just don't get how to do this!" Baylor tosses her pencil over her shoulder in frustration, hearing the soft thud when it hits the wall. She turns to face her older sister when she chuckles about it. "Can't you help me with this? I thought I understood it but then Dad showed me a different way to do it and now I'm all confused."

"What are you working on?" Gracidea asks as she walks over, picking up the paper covered in faded marks from erasing and plenty of crossed out work. "Algebra? Oh heck no, I can't help you there."

Baylor groans loudly as she puts her head down on her desk and Gracidea laughs some more as she rubs her back soothingly. "I give up. Algebra will be the death of me."

The doorbell rings, making Baylor pick up her head to give Gracidea a curious look. "Were you expecting anyone?"

"No, I was going to meet Douglas at his place later," Gracidea frowns when the doorbell rings a couple more times as the person grows impatient. They both get up and head out of Baylor's room. Sure, there's been weirder things than someone showing up without notice, but their father almost always told them when he had visitors coming over and to stay upstairs. There was no warning today.

"Someone's here uninvited then," Baylor tells her, so sure about that statement.

Gracidea glances back at her just so she can see as the older girl rolls her eyes. "Or Dad just forgot to tell us."

"Dad doesn't forget those things," Baylor points out as they run down the stairs. They run to the living room where they hear voices coming from and stop in the entrance, taking in the scene in front of them.

Her mother sits on the couch, shoulders tense as she watches her husband as he stands, arms crossed and facing off against the woman and two men with her. In the background, the TV is frozen on an image of a young boy, an image Baylor recognizes from all the times her father has studying the 137th Hunger Games.

"Dad?" Baylor asks, bringing all of their attention over to her and she gasps when she recognizes the woman. "You're Vera…"

"I sure am," Vera Snow smiles at her and Gracidea puts a hand on Baylor's shoulder, digging her fingers in. "The grownups have some important information to discuss here."

"Girls, upstairs. Now!" their father commands and Gracidea starts pulling Baylor away from there, but the younger girl lingers, wanting to know what's going on. But one harsh look from her father gets her feet to finally move and she lets Gracidea lead her back up the stairs.

Gracidea pushes Baylor into her bedroom and shuts the door behind them. She leans against it for a moment before getting into action, moving around Baylor's room and frantically grabbing clothes at random and shoving them into a bag. "What are you doing?" Baylor asks her, grabbing the bag away from her, just for Gracidea to quickly snatch it back from her.

"Preparing," Gracidea says quietly, glancing at the door anxiously before turning back to Baylor. "I don't trust her being here… Not with the two others. She doesn't make personal house calls so…you know Dad has his plans if he was discovered."

"But why would he be discovered?" Baylor asks in confusion as she watches Gracidea move around the room. "She's the leader of the rebels! He's working for her!"

Gracidea freezes up, her back to Baylor and she stands there for a few seconds before slowly shaking her head. "Don't trust everyone, Baylor. There's lots of things we don't-"

"No, please don't-!" their mother's screams are cut off with a loud gunshot that makes the girls jump.

Baylor's eyes start to water at the silence in the house and she takes in a ragged breath of air that turns into a sob. "Mom…" she whispers as her tears start pouring down her cheeks. "Mom!" she yells and starts running towards the door. Gracidea drops her bag and catches Baylor by the waist and the younger girl starts flailing and yelling at her to put her down. "Let me go!"

But a second gunshot stills Baylor and Gracidea holds onto her still, her arms shaking as they hear heels clicking on the floor as someone comes up the stairs and towards their door.

"Knock, knock," Vera says in a singsong voice before she opens up the door. She stares down at the two teens, hands folded behind her back as she steps inside the room, making Gracidea step back as she still holds Baylor. "Now, girls, pay attention here or you will end up like your parents."

"What did you do to them?" Gracidea asks, trying to stay calm as she continues to hold Baylor, who is anything but calm right now.

"Your father thought he could try to manipulate me," Vera lets out a laugh at this, letting them know exactly how well that went. "As if he could blackmail me. Do you know the price for trying to extort me?"

The two shake their heads and Baylor trembles in her sister's arms, afraid of what the answer is. If it's spoken out loud…that makes this all real. A sick, twisted reality.

"Death," Vera finally says after the girls stay quiet and Baylor lets out a sob of pain. "Now this is very important if you don't want to follow in mommy and daddy's shoes. When the authorities come from reports of gunshots, you make no mention of this," Vera tells them slowly, making sure the girls both understand her. "You were upstairs and hid when you heard sounds of a fight – after all, it was what your father told you to do. And after the authorities have left, you won't seek us out. If you do, we'll make sure they find evidence of you two being rebels and you'll be put away forever."

"Why are you doing this?" Baylor yells at the woman, not caring in that moment that she's screaming at the leader of the rebels. This woman just killed her parents! "WHY?!"

"Baylor, just shut up for once!" Gracidea tells her sister, putting a hand over Baylor's mouth to keep her silent as she glares up at Vera.

Vera gives the two a cruel smile as she crouches down to be at their eye level, making sure they're paying attention. "Because your father thought he could use information against me. No one blackmails Vera Snow and gets away with that." She reaches out and slaps Baylor's cheek twice before standing up. "Keep that in mind or you'll end up just like them."

With that, the head of the rebels turns and leaves the room, her heels leaving bloody footprints on the floor. Her heels click against the stairs and finally they hear the front door slam shut with no other sounds in the house aside from the sobs from the two orphans.

"Oh my God," Baylor gasps for air and collapses in her sister's arms as grief overwhelms her. "They just- Mom- a-and Dad-"

"Shh," Gracidea holds her close, but Baylor can feel her sister trembling. A small sob escapes her as she tries to be strong for Baylor, always more of a mother figure than their own mother. But now…Baylor lets out another loud sob as she realizes her mother is dead. "We'll figure something out."

"Figure out w-what?" Baylor asks her older sister, desperately clinging to her. Her only family left. "W-we have no one!"

Gracidea's face is a blank slate as she stares at the wall out of focus and Baylor shakes her shoulder, trying to get her focus. Baylor's touch snaps her back to reality and her eyes start to water with tears, but she blinks them away before they can fall. "We'll go to Douglas. He'll…he'll keep us safe."

"Are you sure?" Baylor asks, afraid to go to her sister's boyfriend and either put him at risk or find out he won't take them in. He's a nice guy who doesn't deserve to get put at risk because of them. But…they have no one else to go to…

Gracidea nods her head with resolution, even if her eyes betray the pain she's struggling to hold back for Baylor's sake. "We were already talking about plans to move in together so I…I guess this just expedites things… I trust him with my life."

Baylor nods her head in agreement as she reaches up to brush fresh tears off of her cheeks. "Okay, I trust you and if you trust him, then I trust him."


Karter Beckwith, 15

Six Months Before

Karter isn't exactly sure what led his feet here, but then again, he isn't sure how to even feel anymore. His arms sting as he stares up at the shiny new building, just waiting for people to enter, and he fights the urge to scratch the healing wounds, some fresher than others. A painful reminder that he wasn't enough to do anything to help his mother this morning, or the previous, or really for the last few years. But what's the point in showing up here? He's learned enough from the hours and hours of boredom, sitting in the back of the pawn shop as he waited for someone to come in and buy something. He's not going to actually do this…right?

Maybe it's that small flicker of hope that if he does do this, he can actually have a purpose to his life. With all the changes…he's worth more to his family now by dying in the arena than staying here in Seven. Not that he plans on dying but…well if it happens, at least he can die knowing he has helped save his family. His death would give them the money for his mother, bring her back to the woman his father fell in love with all those years ago before she withered away. He could finally do something to save her.

That thought makes his feet move on their own accord and he pushes open the double doors, taking in the building in front of him, imagining for a moment he's a young kid in a career District entering training for the first time. But that mental image quickly fades as he looks at the reality of the building. Well, he didn't expect there to be a front desk greeting him, but he should have known they'd want to keep track of who is going in and out of the building.

Of course he has to do paperwork before he can go train. He gets in the short line to check in, behind someone chatting away with the receptionist and seemingly having no idea that Karter is waiting behind her.

"Alright, Miss Lennox," the receptionist finally gets through and gets the girl to stop talking. "You're all set to head in."

The girl nods her head resolutely as she turns towards the doors into the rest of the center, a small bit of fear in her eyes before she glances at Karter and notices him watching. With that, she puts her shoulders back and heads into the center.

Karter is envious right away that she can get started and approaches the receptionist, already dragging his feet at this unnecessary step. But hey, at least the receptionist is a cute guy around his age with pretty eyes. There are certainly worse people for him to have to waste time with. "So how'd you end up here?" Karter asks him as he enters Karter's info into the computer.

"My dad got shipped out here to train and dragged me with him," the boy rolls his eyes at that and Karter chuckles a little. "Thought it would be good, build character or something making me work here. Dads, am I right?"

Karter forces a laugh at that, knowing all too well what it's like to be forced into working by his father. "Of course," he says, a little awkwardly, not knowing what to say as resentment builds up in him at the life he could have had. He tries to focus on the boy in front of him instead. "So, you're from the Capitol then?"

The boy cuts him a look with a scoff before turning back to the computer. "As if you couldn't tell by my hair."

"I don't know, there's been weirder things that have happened in Seven," Karter shrugs at the boy's mint hair, but he's a little excited about the thought of flirting with a Capitol boy.

"Well, Karter, you are all set," the boy says, turning towards him and lingering a little bit. When Karter flashes him a flirty smile, the boy's cheeks start to flush a little. Oh yeah, still got it. "I'm Otello, by the way. And…hopefully I'll see you around."

"You will," Karter says with a wink before heading off into the actual training center, chuckling to himself at the flush he catches on Otello's cheeks.

But his laughter stops when he enters the next room and his steps slow as he takes in the assortment of training stations in front of him. So many shining weapons, begging for someone to use them. And so few people there that he can have his pick of the room.

Where to even start?

Karter's eyes linger on the katanas and he knows he should start with something simple, but his feet lead him over there anyways. His hands linger over the hilts of the katanas, begging him to take one and feel it as an extension of his arm, swing it with the grace of the careers…

He picks one up, the weight of it feeling right for him and he gives it a few swings, already much smoother than some of the others in the room. He's already prepared himself over the years and now being here…it hits him just how ready he actually is for it.

Maybe he really could manage to win the Games.

"Whoa there, kid, let's not jump the gun here."

"Please I can handle it," Karter scoffs at the woman talking to him, trying to patronize him, but as he turns to face her, he stops himself from any further remarks as recognition hits him. He expected to see some of the victors from Seven here in the center but he certainly couldn't have anticipated meeting one of the career victors. "You're Maylene Henderson," Karter says in a quiet awed voice.

"Please don't," Maylene holds up her hand with a wince, clearly anticipating some kind of reaction from him.

But nothing could stop the excitement in Karter at meeting one of the victors he's seen numerous times when sitting in the back of the shop, watching Games reruns and studying everything about them. "Victor of the 120th Hunger Games, District Two, and one of the few to earn a 12 in training – excluding the chaotic scores of the 137th Games which don't exactly count. Arena was a hot springs terrace, the career pack turned on you but you trapped them and killed them all before pairing up with your District partner until the end where you beat him to win."

Maylene waits with a small grimace on her face, clearly expecting him to keep rattling away about her brother's Games – and he could, he knows every detail about the Fifth Quell, but he won't. He can see the pain on her face at just the possibility of it and he won't knowingly cause this woman pain. Just the thought of that is enough to put a dark haze on his mind and his arms start to itch once more. When she realizes he's done and won't keep going, her shoulders noticeably relax. "Yes…that's me. But here, I'm just another trainer trying to make sure you don't lose any fingers."

"That would be quite the story to tell," Karter comments, not at all worried about her comment. He knows he'll be fine.

"Are you trying to scare the kids away?" a teasing voice calls over to them and the two look over at the victor approaching, one of Seven's own. Laurel greets Maylene with a handshake before pulling her into a hug.

Karter watches on, a pit in his stomach at what the two women share, longing for something like that, before shaking his head to himself. Getting close to someone like them will only result in getting hurt when he inevitably can't save them. Isn't it easier to not care at all instead of suffering over them?

"Someone needs to make sure they know what they're getting into," Maylene tells the woman, keeping her arm around her for a few seconds longer than anyone that is just friends would. Karter fights off the jealous pang, reminding himself that if he allows himself to have that, he'll just get himself hurt. Just like Maylene did when her brother was Reaped in the Quell all those years ago. "Isn't that why I am here?"

"It is," Laurel says, glancing around the sparse training center nervously. While she's here, it's clear she isn't fully on board with all of this yet. "I guess I'll leave you to it."

Karter focuses on Maylene as she watches Laurel walk away, before turning back to him. "Teach me everything you know."

"I have years of training experience," Maylene chuckles at his eagerness, but her laugh doesn't hide the pain in her eyes. "I don't think we have time for all of that."

"Trust me, I'm a fast learner."


And there we have our pair from Seven! Thank you to goldie031 and TheMayflyProject for Baylor and Karter respectively! Of course we have a bit of subplot in D7 lol. But also some training which is exciting! And yes I'm gonna take every opportunity I have to add in my victors to these intros lol, I just love them, okay?

Not much else I have to say. I'm still chugging along with the intros and have next week's intro finished up which will put us at the halfway point with updates. Although I might take a couple week break from writing intros after that to do some other writing and write something other than intros for a bit, idk we'll see how I feel in a week.

RQ #5: idk my brain is struggling to think of a question, write me a haiku about anything and I'll give points lol.

Alrighty, see you all next Friday!