Aster Spruce, District Seven Female

"Cedar Knott"

Aster Spruce's feet were already moving towards the aisle before her head registered what happened.

It wasn't her.

All around Aster, there was a wave of movement among the eighteen-year girls. Sheer relief she guessed. The possibility, however small, of being reaped was finally lifted. Now they could live.

Aster should have been the same. But all she felt was numb.

It wasn't her.

She had been ready for it to be her. Said her goodbyes, hugged her grandparents, gave instructions on how to divvy up her things among her roommates. She even carved a wooden ring as a token and came up with a bullshit story about it to tug on the heartstrings of the Capitol idiots.

She had been ready.

But it wasn't her.

Cedar Knott, a shivering fourteen-year old had reached the stage. Their Escort, Poppy Proudham, called for volunteers. For one crazy moment, Aster thought they expected her to volunteer. But that thought passed, as Poppy moved onto the boys without much fanfare.

As the woman's dyed orange hand groped through the ball, Aster's heart froze again.

She was safe. But there were others still at risk. Nuka, her coworker and friend, was also in his last year.

Or it could have been Koa or Jerrah.

Her stomach twisted, same as it always did when she thought of her half-brothers. It suddenly seemed just like the Capitol to spare her and take one of her half-brothers instead. Force her to go on tv and talk about how it felt to see her brother fighting for his life. She didn't know them well, but she could see them both in her mind's eye. Big, friendly Koa and tiny, energetic Jarrah. In the Games…

"And the gentleman from District Seven is…"

Not them, not them, not them. So close…

"Liam Frond"

It was over. It wasn't them.

They were safe.

Around her, the remaining tension of the Reaping broke. The names were read, they and their loved ones were safe, and the eighteen year olds at least wouldn't have to stand in the pens ever again.

Aster felt like she was in a dream. The sun, the crowds, the Escort's grating voice all seemed far away. She spun her wooden ring around her finger, focusing on the smooth grain of the wood, the vines she carved on the outside. The ring that was meant to keep her grounded in the Arena.

Aster Spruce was safe.

Aster had never once felt safe. Not from the Reaping.

That was the price for being the daughter of a Victor.

Aster didn't know how it was in other Districts, but it was a long tradition in District Seven that the newly freed from the Reaping spent the night partying and getting drunk. Maybe it was just them, but in the moment, beer in hand, she felt like she'd reached a certain level of kinship with the entirety of the Panem. Even the Capitol was partying now, although they had vile reasons.

She had planned on following that tradition upon arriving on the train. Waking up to a blinding headache the next day she thought for a moment she had.

But no, she wasn't on the Capitol train. She was still in District Seven, in the tiny room she had shared with her friend Kauri for years. Still alive.

Even if the headache made her wish she wasn't for a moment.

Still, she couldn't stay in her room forever, so she managed to make her way into the living area, where she found not one of her roommates, but a colleague. Nuka was sitting at the table, sipping tea like he had a reason to be here.

Of course, there was one reason…

Aster groaned and collapsed onto one of the chairs. "Really, Nuka? Did you spend the whole night celebrating with Alya?"

Nuka chuckled in response. "You're not wrong. But I also wanted to congratulate you." He raised his teacup in salute. "To our favorite tribute that never was!"

"Asshole" At that, Aster's headache pulsed again, and she made her way to the teapot. She could smell the simple herbs within. Normally, she preferred mint tea, but the softer smell was comforting at the moment.

She moved to pour herself a cup, but a thought came back. One she'd been trying to forget as she partied the night away. "I didn't make it up, you know. They visited us every time a Seven made the top eight, just to check on me." Her voice sped up, as the memories came flashing back. "When Johanna won, they did a special on all the Victors. Orangey Proudham told me how pretty I was and much she was looking forwards to working with me in a few years. I had a reason to-"

Aster couldn't see him, but she could hear his snort. "No shit. I don't know why the Capitol bothers with pretending it's not rigged for Victor's kids. Even Careers have to deal with it."

Her shoulders sagged in relief. "RIght. I know." She managed to pour the now lukewarm tea into her cup and moved to take a sip, only for a knock at the door to interrupt her.

For a few minutes, she tried to ignore it, but the knocker was persistent, beating a tattoo into Aster's head. Finally, she moved to answer it. "Alya better not have locked herself out again." she grumbled only to stop when she saw who it was.

Her mother. As always, wearing a nice dress with flowery patterns, carrying a basket of buns.

Aster had never lived with either of her parents. Her father, the Victor, took to morphling almost immediately following his games. He died when she was two. Before then, he couldn't take care of himself, much less an infant.

And her mother… just left her with her father's parents. Within the year, she was married and pregnant again.

Aster only saw her on holidays, and occasionally on her birthday. The rest of the year, her mother looked away when she saw Aster on the street.

She never changed. No matter how much Aster used to want her to.

Nuka must have guessed who it was from her body language, because he called out to her. "Don't answer it. You know better"

But Aster knew if she didn't answer the door, her mother would never leave. So she steeled herself and answered it. "What do you want?" She forced out. Stay strong, Aster.

Her mother looked startled, but quickly became all smiles again. "We missed you at the party last night. Koa wanted to celebrate surviving the Reaping with you.. He is your half-brother, after all."

"I'm aware." Born ten months after Aster. Even in the same Reaping group. Aster tried very hard not to think of him as her mother's replacement for her. It wasn't fair to Koa, but she had trouble being around him without those feelings bubbling up. So she stayed away, and continued to stay away. It was for the best, even if her roommate Kauri thought he was cute.

Aster didn't have much more to say, so tried to stretch out the silence. It was too much to hope her mother would get uncomfortable and leave, though. So Aster forced herself to continue. "We don't really know each other-"

"Well, this is the perfect time to start! Now that-"

"Now that I'm not about to be whisked away to the Hunger Games, it's okay to spend time together?" Aster tried to keep her voice level. It didn't work, judging from her mother's hurt expression. They'd talked about her mother's absences before, and her mother always said the same thing. It's hard to raise a child knowing you're going to lose them. You don't know what it's like.

No, Aster didn't know what it was like, waiting for your child to be taken by the Capitol. But she had lived her whole life with the Games hanging over her head.

Did it really matter now, though? Could they start over?

Aster didn't say that. instead, she just said. "And I didn't think I was welcome."

At that, her mother actually gave a trilling laugh. "What? Don't be ridiculous. You always have a place in my home."

Her home. Not Aster's home. It had never been Aster's home. But…

"Well, I'm sorry I missed it." Aster replied unconvincingly. She paused, then offered to take the package.

Her mother beamed and let her take it. "It's your favorite. Cross buns!"

Aster still didn't know where her mother got that idea, but she merely nodded. The package felt heavy in her arms in a way that had nothing to do with the weight of some baked goods.

Seeing Aster take the package brought a big grin to her mother's face, and suddenly Aster found herself in a large hug. Her mother'sg rip was tight and her arms were warm as she gushed about how grown Aster was, how happy she was to see her grow up so well.

Just for a moment, it felt like they were really mother and daughter. "Do you want to come in, Mom? We have some tea-"

And then it was broken. Her mother pulled away. "Oh, darling, you know how much I would love to but-"

And then came the same old excuses, all the errands she needed to run, the lessons she needed to prepare for her students. At least this time she didn't use Koa and Jarrah as an excuse.

Just like that, her mother was gone, leaving Aster behind with only a package of buns to show she was there.

Trying not to cry, Aster opened it and took out a bun.

It was stale.

Garland Firedamp, District 12 Female

Since her birth, Garland Firedamp had never felt like she had a place in District 12. From the beginning, born on the outskirts of town. Her father worked in the mines, but as a demolitionist, not an ordinary miner. Well off enough to not take Tesserae, so long as they were careful and stretched things as far as they could go. Living with a vat in her backyard full of… stuff that her father used to make saltpeter. Not quite Seam, but not Merchant either.

She hated it.

Garland knew she could fit in, could be their friends. She wanted to be their friends, wanted to be someone. Wanted a career other than mixing gross and awful-smelling things together so they could blow holes in the mines to allow people to gather coal.. Her mother told her she should be grateful, and she was, but was it so bad to want more? To not be satisfied with how things are, and see what you could be?

It was impossible. Until it wasn't.

Until the day of her first Reaping, where she took a chance anc complimented the dress of a girl rich even by merchant standards. A girl who decided it would be fun to havea dark haired friend who knew several ways to blow rocks to smithereens.

The day of her first Reaping changed Garland's life. It seemed only fitting that the day of her last Reaping would do the same. And that the day afterwards, her first friend would come to her house first thing to congratulate her.

"So tell me! When's the big day? What kind of cake are you getting? How many people are you inviting? Did he blow up your mine afterwards?" Garland ducked her head to cover her cheeks heating up at the onslaught of questions. Especially the last one. Gerania may have been her best friend for years, but Garland still had difficulty with how… forward she could be.

Thankfully, this time Geriania wasn't asking these kind of questions in a crowded classroom. They were walking into town to celebrate her engagement by buying cake.

Her engagement. Garland was engaged.

A small smile crept onto her lips as Gerania continued to talk incessantly, not noticing Garland's relative silence. Which was also normal for Gerania.

As they walked, Garland felt the eyes of the other townspeople on her. New traveled fast in District Twelve, and word had certainly gotten out that she had gotten engaged. This wasn't uncommon for girls after their last Reaping, but the fact that she was marrying Valerian changed things.

She was no longer Garland Firedamp, daughter of one of the mine's demolitionists. Not Seam, but certainly not high class either.

Now she was the future Mrs. Valerian Hanshaw. Future daughter-in-law of the Bank President Harlan Henshaw. She mattered.

Garland was prepared. She was wearing her favorite dress, patterned in purple, green, yellow and red. She gave a cheery wave to the grocer, a smile and a nod to Rooba the butcher, a short curtsey to the elderly inn owner who raised his cap in greeting. All the while she basked in the acceptance. She floated through the town like a dream, carried by Gerania's endless stream of words.

Only to come to Earth with a plop when they reached the bakery.

The bakery was normally a warm, cheery place. One of the Mellark boys would man the counter, offering treats as the baker gave recommendations. It was a welcoming place, and one of the few shops in town where she never felt singled out for her black hair.

But things are different now. The baker stood behind the counter, shifting the baked goods left and right without energy. Distantly, Garland heard the sound of Mrs. Mellark snarling in the back. Judging by the smell, something was burning. Two male voices responded, pleading, and explaining in the face of her shrieks.

Only two.

Garland always tried to avoid thinking about the Reaping. It was awful, but there was nothing she could do to change it, and without tesserae she was unlikely to ever be reaped. It didn't affect her, and now that she aged out, it never would.

But this Reaping. Peeta Mellark's reaping. A Merchant reaping. It felt too close to home.

Gerania bounded into the shop, oblivious to the change. "Two of your freshest cakes, Mr. Mellark. We're celebrating!"

Garland could have sunk into the ground, or smacked Gerania upside the head as the baker straightened up and tried to force a smile on his face. Instead, she approached cautiously, trying to appear less awkward than she felt.

"Mr. Mellark. I'm..." Garland trailed off, trying to come up with an ending. Sorry for your loss felt wrong, even if his son was gone, and highly unlikely to come back. Almost like she was wishing death on Peeta. But saying she was certain he would live also felt wrong, because that was a lie and everyone knew it. Garland made it a policy to not tell lies people would see through easily.

She settled on "I'm sorry about yesterday." The baker slumped, tears welling up in his eyes.

Alarms rang in Garland's head. She hated being around crying people. It was always uncomfortable and awkward, so she did what she could to comfort them. Only, what kind of comfort could she offer? "I mean, it must have been hard, but you know how strong Peeta is. How much everyone liked him. If anyone in District 12 has a chance, it's him, you know." She babbled, still grasping for something to make it right.

Gerania butted in. "Oh, yes! And so handsome and charming! Everyone's going to love him!" she added brightly.

"And please let us know if there's anything we can do for you." Garland didn't even know what she was saying, really. Just that she had to say something.

Mr. Mellark forced a smile onto his face. "Right now, all I need is to see you two happy. What'll it be for you today?"

Once again, Gerania took the lead. She hemmed and hawed over lemon tarts and bran muffins, before finally deciding on coffee cake. She handed over the coins with a flourish. "It's all for Garland. She's just got engaged to Valerian Handshaw. They're going to be married right before the Reaping next year. It's going to be an event to rival even the Quell-."

Garland cut in before Gerania could bring the Games into the conversation anymore. "Thank you so much, Mr. Mellark. I'm sure it will be absolutely delicious."

He managed a nod in response as he boxed up their treat "I hope so, too.-"

Another shout from the back. "Rye! Are you planning on slacking off talking to customers all day? We're behind enough as it is!"

Mr. Mellark's face contorted, struggling to find the smile he needed to show. "I guess I must be going now. Have a nice day!" The box was shoved awkwardly into her hands as he moved to the back.

Garland turned to leave, only to be interrupted by a last remark from the baker! "Oh, and tell your fiance congratulations for me! I hope you two will be happy together."

Something in that statement made Garland stop short. Happy together.

She was going to marry Valerian.

Sweet Valerian, who had spent his proposal telling her how he found home in her eyes, and her smile lit up the room. Overlooked Valerian, who worked extra hours every day in the hope he'd be noticed by somebody, especially his parents who favored their older son. Proud Valerian, who was always calling her "my beautiful girl" and showing her off to his friends.

Ambitious Valerian, who wanted to be mayor someday. Practical Valerian, who needed the right girl to be the mayor's wife.

Valerian, who Garland was fairly certain didn't actually love her. Valerian, who she was certain she didn't love herself.

The baker's marriage showed how uncomfortable marrying the wrong person could be. Garland's parents had always told her they'd accept anyone she brought home; that as long as she loved that person, they'd love them too.

But despite what the old songs said, marriage couldn't be sustained on love. Marriage was about forming a life together, and Garland knew she and Valerian could do that and be comfortable.

She would have comfort, security, status, money. And Valerian. And it wasn't like she wouldn't give anything back. She'd be a good wife, give him children, support him in his old age. If he successfully became mayor, she would be a credit to him, unlike their current mayor's wife who spent her days in a morphing filled haze. Garland would do everything right.

They would marry. And then she would be happy. She was sure of it.

A/N: And now starts the intros. Rather than introducing them by District, I will be following the tributes over the course of a year. Starting with the end of the Reapings for the 74th Games, and ending with the Quell Reapings. Hope you all enjoy! And credit to AcrossTheRio for Aster, and Audmirable for Garland!