Hello again everyone! I'm super excited to be sharing the second half of the goodbyes with you all! This will include everyone from Milo through Agri, and then we'll be able to get on our way to the Capitol. The chapter after this one will be a Capitol POV from our Head Gamemaker, then the following one will be our train rides! Let's get into it!

Milo Kirk, 16

District Six Male

Milo still hadn't fully processed what had just happened to him. He'd been dragged from his spot in the crowd to the stage so quickly and had just looked around dazedly for the rest of the Reaping ceremony. After that, he'd been once again dragged to the room he was in now.

His peacekeeper escort had slammed the door behind him as soon as the last part of his body had passed through the doorway. Although, Milo was relieved at the fact that he was getting some alone time after being thrust into the spotlight, and therefore out of his comfort zone. He hated having everyone's attention on him. The spotlight was just not for him, and he would be getting a lot of that in the Capitol, that was for sure.

He'd have to go through the tribute parade, training and private sessions, and the tribute interviews, in which all watching would see him. Milo was awkward speaking to his superiors at work, so he really didn't want to think about how he would act in front of an audience of thousands and a camera. The thought of it was just so terrifying.

Hearing the squeak of the door hinges opening, Milo sat up in his seat. He knew that it was most likely his parents coming to visit him and say goodbye, but he could never be completely sure.

As Milo had predicted, it was indeed his parents that entered through the now open door. It shut quickly behind them, locking with a click. That way, nobody could try to escape or do something else foolish.

His mother rushed over to him, taking his face in her hands upon reaching Milo.

"Oh, my poor baby. This is so terrible!"

His father waited behind her, letting his mother fuss over Milo as long as she did. This was exactly how the household survived. His father was more often than not away working and his mother was always one to complain about how he needed to find a different job that would allow him to be home more. Despite their little time together, Milo was a lot closer to his dad than his mom. For his sake, they tried hard not to fight in front of him, but that didn't mean that Milo's other senses couldn't pick it up.

He heard them fighting rather often after he'd claimed to have retired for the night, but he hadn't said anything out of fear of making things worse.

"Son, all three of us know that this is a pretty bad situation, but I think you have a chance, no matter how slight, of getting through it. But you can't let yourself fall into a bad place after having to be in the spotlight as much as you will be. Focus on why you're doing it, and I think that you have a good chance of coming back home."

Something even more shocking happened after his father finished his statement: his mother nodded in agreement with his father. Milo hadn't seen them agree on anything in at least a year. How tragic was it that good things happened as a result of bad things.

Now he needed to be the one to keep this agreement going. If they could agree on their belief in him coming back and he succeeded at it, maybe he could fix their relationship. Perhaps he could fix everything that was going wrong in their lives.

Valerie "Val" Wright, 15

District Seven Female

Val was frustrated at both the situation currently at hand and her brother. It was so stupid of him to volunteer; Val could defend herself just fine. Well, Vince might not know of a part of her ability to defend herself, but he knew that she was headstrong enough to fight without a weapon. She could certainly say that being the next Katniss Everdeen could be her goal, but it wouldn't exactly be true. Val didn't want to fall in love with anyone (that was stupid anyway), and she certainly didn't want to be any face of a revolution. The only reason that she would say that was because she used a bow and arrow and that she wanted to get out of those stupid Games alive.

Hopefully she could at least convince the peacekeeper standing guard outside her door to let the two siblings say goodbye to each other. If they didn't, they might as well go ahead and load them up on the train. The pair didn't have anyone except themselves to say farewell to.

Banging on the door, Val shouted, "Hey guard dude! Could you maybe let us talk to each other? Otherwise, it's really a waste of everyone's time to do this; we've got nobody that's coming to say goodbye!"

As she pressed her ear up against the door, Val could hear footsteps heading away from her door. Maybe they'd just walked off because they knew that the door was locked, but she really was hoping that she'd convinced them to let her see Vince.

Hearing the clicking of a lock, Val backed up from the door, not wanting to get hit or punished for seemingly eavesdropping. The door opened quickly and someone was shoved in with a grunt and the door quickly shut behind them. It was her brother.

Vince looked up at her with a flushed face, presumably from protesting to see her a lot more passionately than she had protested to see him. Val had to give him that, once he decided on something, he was dedicated to it and wouldn't stop until he got exactly what he wanted.

"Valerie," he breathed, crushing her into a hug.

"Whoa there now, you gotta let me breathe," Val said squeakily.

Chuckling a bit, Vince released her and took a seat in the chair across from the one that she was standing in front of.

"You are so dumb! Why on earth would you volunteer just because I was reaped? I'm not that defenseless you know."

"Yeah, I do know, Valerie. I just want to protect you as much as I can, and even if you think that you can survive on your own, there will be people there that can kill you in a second."

Val shook her head at what her brother had just said. She was going to be just fine, but Vince had just made the situation worse. There was only going to be one victor, and there were two of them. Maybe that's another way she could say that she wanted to be the next Katniss Everdeen: winning a Games that had two victors.

Vincent "Vince" Wright, 18

District Seven Male

Vince was still running on the adrenaline rush that he'd gotten once he volunteered. It still hadn't faded after the rest of the Reaping ceremony and the time that it had taken the peacekeepers to escort him into the room that he was locked in. There was literally no point in forcing him or Valerie to participate in the Goodbyes, unless they were going to let the siblings talk to each other. He hoped that they knew that the pair had nobody to say goodbye to.

Valerie would probably be rather upset with him volunteering to help protect her, she always hated it when he tried to help her with anything. He understood why she wanted to be independent, but he didn't get why she didn't want to just relax and let people help her once in a while. Oh well, now she was going to have to let him help her survive the Games. Vince wasn't planning on letting her die when he was there to help protect her. In the end, he would be the one to push her to the victory and ultimately the survival of the Games.

But first, they needed to let him see his sister. Vince banged on the door, shouting requests to be moved to his sister's farewell room. He figured that it must have at least worked somewhat, perhaps even aided by his sister asking to see him, when the door opened and he was yanked out into an unfamiliar hallway. A peacekeeper that wasn't holding him unlocked the door with a key and it opened, revealing his sister.

"Valerie," he breathed, rushing towards her and wrapping her up in a crushing hug.

"Whoa there now, you gotta let me breathe," Valerie squeaked out.

Perhaps his embrace might have been a bit too tight. He could always blame it on the fact that he thought that they were going to be separated until they boarded the train to the Capitol.

Chuckling as he released her, Vince took a seat in the chair that was behind him, across from the one Valerie was standing in front of.

"You are so dumb! Why on earth would you volunteer just because I was reaped? I'm not that defenseless you know."

And he was exactly on the mark with how he thought that she was going to act in response to his volunteering. So predictable, but Vince was trained to see the details in things, which made a bit more sense as to why he'd first thought that.

"Yeah, I do know, Valerie. I just want to protect you as much as I can, and even if you think that you can survive on your own, there will be people there that can kill you in a second."

He wasn't stupid. Vince knew that his sister had enough spunk in her to fight somebody without any weapon or item of defense other than her own fists. She was too impulsive and overconfident for her own good, but that was exactly why he was going to help protect her. She would learn to grow out of it eventually, and hopefully the Games would offer a lesson as to why she should leave those characteristics behind.

No matter how hard she tried to protest, Vince would be the line of defense in front of his sister. She was going to be the one returning to Seven, and Vince didn't care how she felt about it. Valerie was the only good part left of his life, and he was going to make sure that her goodness was going to live for years to come.

Georgette Coiro-Metaxas, 18

District Eight Female

Georgette was perfectly poised as she sat in her chair awaiting the arrival of her family. She was positive that they would be here soon since they'd all been in the crowd watching the Reaping. It was rather unfortunate that she'd been chosen in her last year of eligibility, but she'd gotten over the initial frustration over being reaped before she'd reached the stairs beside the stage.

Her training had taught her to let go of emotions as soon as possible, they just got in the way of what needed to be done as a peacekeeper. In fact, during training, they were punished for showing emotions at all. Georgette had never needed the punishment, because she'd learned her lesson about it before even starting on her training. Thanks to her father, her emotions were long locked away by that time.

With a sharp click, the door was opened to reveal her parents and brother. They'd come to wish her luck and say goodbye, which would be temporary. Georgette had enough confidence in herself that she could make it all the way, and that confidence would only be magnified by that of her family.

They all took a seat, and her father spoke first.

"What a rather unfortunate circumstance, but I trust that you can make the best of it, Georgette."

"Yes, I indeed can, Father," Georgette replied.

Her mother grabbed her hand and said, "I know that you are best contender for victor out there, Georgette. Those Careers don't stand a chance against you and your training."

A confident smile emerged on Georgette's face upon hearing her mother's statement. It felt wonderful to receive such a comment, and Georgette would remember it and use it to motivate her to win even more.

Her brother murmured his own little encouraging comment, likely bored of having to sit down and have such a long family discussion. It was certainly a teenage boy like thing to do, and Georgette was certain that he'd be more positive towards her position once she returned as a victor.

Her family stayed for another few minutes to talk more about how she should go about everything for the Games from now on, and they had all suggested to show off her strength, but not make herself an early target for anyone either.

Georgette pasted an appreciative smile on her face as her family departed, all wishing her the best of luck. Her confidence would not falter and her skills would keep her on top. She would return to Eight victorious and prove that she had truly earned her spot in the peacekeeping forces.

Billy Gauge, 14

District Eight Male

Billy's heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest. The adrenaline rush that he'd gotten from volunteering still hadn't faded away, even after the last five or so minutes of the Reaping ceremony and the time that he'd spent sitting in the room that he was currently in.

The furnishings and decorations were a lot nicer than what he was used to at the community home, and he'd spent some time just feeling the fancy fabric of the chair he was sitting in. It was such wonderful quality, and this was just what was in Eight. Billy couldn't imagine how much nicer the furniture and other stuff like food and technology in the Capitol would be. Such things would soon make themselves a part in his reality, and he couldn't wait to see the luxuries that the Capitol offered.

Sure, witnessing and experiencing these luxuries would soon come with a price: participating in the Hunger Games, but Billy wasn't really focused on the negatives like that. He was dying anyway, why not go ahead and do things he wouldn't normally be able to do before hopefully experiencing a quick and painless death. It was a whole lot better than slowly dying of his lung condition.

A soft knock came at the door, and Billy was confused by it. Who had come to visit him? Miss Jacket certainly wouldn't, and he couldn't really think of any of the other kids that would come pay him a visit either.

The door softly opened, revealing his mysterious visitor. It was the little boy from in the morning. All of a sudden, Billy felt kind of bad about his actions. This poor little kid would be devastated when he found out that once he left this room, he would never see Billy again. No, this little boy likely didn't have a clue what the Hunger Games were yet. The kids at the community home were just so sheltered into doing chores, they didn't find out about the Games until their first Reaping. This kid was still several years away from that moment, so Billy was just going to have to lie and be believable.

It was so hard lying to such a little boy about such a terrible subject, but Billy really didn't have a choice. He would feel even more horrible if the kid refused to leave and got punished or if he ran out or got dragged out bawling about it.

"Hey! How'd you end up on this side of town?"

The little boy replied with an eager grin, "I followed you! What did you volunteer for?"

Billy grimaced on the inside at his response, "Oh, it's just a game for big kids. You have to wait until you're old enough to watch it or participate in it. I get to go to the Capitol, and then I'll be back to see you in a few weeks!"

Bless that little kid's heart, his grin didn't falter once, "Okay!"

Embracing the child, Billy let his guard down once he was positive that the little kid couldn't see his face. It was going to be okay. Billy knew his fate. He just hoped that the little boy wouldn't be too heartbroken once he discovered that Billy lied and that he wasn't going to come back.

Natalia Maude, 18

District Nine Female

Natalia was frustrated. Fate just really wasn't on her side at all. Like, why would it be her that was Reaped right as she was about to be free of those stupid Games.

It didn't matter now. She wasn't about to be foolish and try to escape her fate, which was basically sealed by now. Survival was the ultimate excuse for murder in this situation. Natalia knew that she had a decent chance at winning if she locked in and wasn't hesitant about doing whatever it took to survive. It would be a bit difficult for her to kill if the person wasn't a big threat, but she would deal with those situations if and when they happened.

For now, she would enjoy the peace and quiet in the goodbye room, aware that nobody was going to visit her. The fact wasn't bothersome, Natalia had become accustomed to being alone. It was how she survived now and it would be how she survived the Games. After all, there was only one winner.

That winner could end up being Natalia. That was going to be her goal. If she won, she could finally stop having to work so hard to just barely be able to survive. She could finally relax and let her guard down for just a few moments a day. Letting her guard down all the time could end up disastrous, so a little bit a day would suffice.

Yes, that sounded like a wonderful plan for the future to her. All she needed to do now was face the present and overcome the obstacles in her way. Looking too far ahead could cause her to be distracted from the task at hand, and that wouldn't end well in the Hunger Games. Making a mistake or not could be the difference between life and death in the situation that Natalia was currently in.

She leaned back into her chair, closing her eyes. This was the time to relax. Soon it would be the time to succeed.

Elias Walker, 17

District Nine Male

Elias was furious at the world. It wasn't fair that he was going to have to participate in the Capitol's stupid Hunger Games. They were stupid and all they stood for was to punish the Districts, which he thought was just not fair at all.

He'd complied with the peacekeepers that had dragged him into the farewell room, but it definitely took a lot of willpower. He hated peacekeepers almost as much as the Capitol. They were just mindless slaves of the Capitol, not thinking about the morality of the actions that they were ordered to perform. He would rather die than be like them.

Rebelling with yet another action, Elias had chosen to sit on the floor instead of on one of the fancy looking chairs in the farewell room. He wasn't about to let them be satisfied by him using the things that they wanted him to.

The rather angry expression on his face faded a little bit at the arrival of his parents. He wasn't going to plague them with his terrible anger; he was sure that they had already experienced enough upsetting things for the day.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad."

They both responded with similar greetings, his father's sounding a good deal softer than his mother's. His father wasn't one to be very loud, but when he did talk a lot, it was usually about how Elias should think before he acted. His mother was just one to scold him for his prior actions, no matter what it was, as long as they ended badly.

Elias understood where both of them were coming from, but sometimes it was just extremely difficult to think before he acted on his passionate anger and frustration about the Capitol and its enforcers.

"Elias," his father started, "you're going to need to put on a new face in this situation. I know how much you hate the Games, but you're not going to get anywhere with anybody if you act like you feel."

Pressing his lips together in a fine line, Elias replied, "Thank you for your suggestion, Dad. I'll try as hard as I can, but sometimes I just can't keep those feelings in. The Capitol needs to realize that what they're doing to the Districts is wrong."

His mother cut in, "Yes, we all get that, but you can't control what they do. All you can do is control yourself in order to give yourself the best chances of leaving alive."

And that was what would be the hard part. Control was hard to maintain when one was ruled by one's impulses and feelings more than one's thoughts. There was a possibility that it could be his downfall, but there was a possibility that it could become his strength. He would only find out when the time came.

Kassiani "Kassi" Dolcetto, 18

District Ten Female

Kassi was shaking as the peacekeepers led her to the farewell room. Why was her name on that slip of paper? Why couldn't her father do something to fix this or even prevent this? She didn't want to have to go through this. It was such a terrible thing to be forced to participate in.

Killing someone was not something that Kassi would do. The unfortunate part of that was the fact that it was exactly how you got out of the Hunger Games alive. The whole survival aspect of it was terrifying. It was murder or be murdered, and worst of all, the Capitol citizens thought it was entertaining.

Why on earth would someone think that kids murdering other kids was entertaining. It was just absolutely barbaric, and Kassi thought that the Capitolites were delusional if they hadn't realized it by now. By God, didn't they think that the Districts had been punished enough? It had already been seventy-nine years of this horrific annual event, shouldn't the bloodshed have been enough for them by now?

It apparently wasn't, which meant that Kassi was going to be forced to participate in this terrible event. She just didn't want to die. At eighteen, most girls her age were worried about their boyfriends, but now Kassi had to worry about being murdered. It just seemed so wrong, yet it was how Panem functioned. Come August each year, each district, One through Eleven got ready to say goodbye to one, most likely two teens that lived there.

Kassi finally looked up from where she was staring at her lap as her thoughts were spiraling when the door opened and her father appeared behind it. Sighing in relief, Kassi rushed over to him and embraced him in a tight hug. She was glad to have someone here to help clear her thoughts, even if it was only for just a few minutes.

When they finally broke apart, Kassi's father offered her a sad smile and said, "I'm so sorry kiddo. I really wasn't expecting any of this to happen, and if I could do anything to help, I would."

Nodding sadly, she responded, "I know, Dad. I really wish something could be done, but nothing can. It's all up to what I can do for myself in the Capitol."

"Yeah, I would definitely agree with that fact, Kassi. I know you can pull something off to get back home."

"Hopefully. And if not..."

"No, Kassi," her dad interrupted, "we're not going to think like that. If you get into a bad mindset, it's just even greater of a chance that you'll be an easy target for someone."

This was when Kassi started realizing her fate. She had so much less of a chance at coming home compared to people like the Careers, who'd trained specifically for surviving and winning the Games. There had to be some strengths that she had, and they would hopefully make her fate just that much better.

Oscar Gamero, 12

District Ten Male

Oscar was terrified and exhausted. He'd experienced so much just this morning, with his best animal friend being murdered in front of him and then getting reaped for the Hunger Games. To be honest, he still couldn't believe any of it. The shock was still affecting his ability to process what had just happened, but Oscar was beginning to understand what was to come.

It seemed absolutely frightening to him. In a short time, Oscar was going to be sent into the arena to face twenty-one other tributes, likely all older than him. He was sure that he was going to be murdered. There was no way that he stood a chance against those Careers, for goodness sake, he probably didn't stand a chance against any of the outlier tributes either.

Perhaps there could be a bright side to all of this misfortune. He was going to be able to witness all that fancy stuff that the Capitol had to offer. Oscar supposed that it might make up for the whole getting murdered part a little bit. It would be a night and day difference compared to what he was used to in Ten.

Oscar's eyes began to well up with tears once more as he thought about all the animal friends that he was going to leave behind. He would never get to see them again, and they wouldn't have anyone to talk to them as they were fed.

It just wasn't fair, to Oscar and to the animals that he cared for. Why did it have to be him? It was only his first year. The odds were supposed to be in his favor, except they just weren't.

Indigo Whitesand, 17

District Eleven Female

Indigo finally dropped the brave face that she'd kept for the remainder of the Reaping ceremony once the heavy doors of the Justice Building shut behind her. Now that Verde couldn't see her face, she could finally express the emotions that she'd experienced on the inside. The truth was, Indigo was scared about what was going to happen to her.

The Games were a truly terrifying thing to think about, and everyone in Eleven knew that if you weren't particularly strong and courageous, your parents would be mourning you pretty much by the time that the Bloodbath was over. If you were lucky, you'd survive a day or two before being hunted down or dying from hunger, thirst, injury, or exposure.

Hearing the door open, Indigo looked up quickly and spotted her parents and sisters entering the room. She offered them a small smile and it was returned by all of them. Standing up, she met them in the middle of the room and soon was wrapped up in a group hug. It felt good to find some comfort in an otherwise terrifying situation, and Indigo was glad that she at least had people to say goodbye to before she had to leave.

All stepping back from the hug, Indigo's mother took the opportunity to take her hand and press something into it. It was a vial of dirt, likely from the fields that Indigo herself worked in.

"Here sweetheart. A token to remember Eleven by."

Appreciative of the thoughtful gift, Indigo responded, "Thank you, Mom. I'll be sure to cherish it during all my moments away from home."

Nobody had brought up the whole murder aspect of the Games yet, and Indigo was glad about it. She knew that they would probably be saying goodbye to her for the final time, but it seemed that if nobody said it out loud, then it might not actually become real. They kept up the small talk for a few more minutes before Indigo waved them out of the door, all offering goodbyes before they crossed the threshold.

Once they were gone, Indigo let out a sigh. Now Verde could come visit her, it was just all up to whether or not her family saw her and if Verde had thought to come visit her. Thankfully, her anxious thoughts were relieved by the sight of Verde slipping in the door a short few minutes after her family's departure.

Upon reaching her, both girls knelt on the floor, just embracing each other. Neither of them wanted to let go, and Indigo didn't want to have to leave Verde behind. The unfortunate part about it was the fact that she didn't have a choice in the matter.

Verde whispered into Indigo's ear, "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'm so sorry that this happened to us. I'll try my best to come back to you, but I don't know if I can make it past those Careers."

"Hey, it's okay. You have the disadvantage compared to them, and I know that you're going to try your best at making it out alive."

They were forced to separate soon after by a harsh knock on the door, indicating that Indigo's time for goodbyes was up. The girls shared one last teary-eyed expression before Verde disappeared from Indigo's sight.

Now, Indigo had a better reason to survive all of this. She loved her family, but she loved Verde even more. And for Verde, she was determined to make it back to Eleven alive.

Agri Cola, 15

District Eleven Male

Agri wasn't sure whether his luck was good or bad at this point. It was confusing to determine, because he'd just found his missing brother, but he'd also volunteered for the Hunger Games. The decision to save his brother had been a noble one, and Agri didn't regret doing what he did one bit. His brother wouldn't have stood a chance, while Agri had better odds for surviving the Games.

Despite his left side being weaker, Agri was still confident enough in his strength that he believed that he had a pretty decent chance of winning. Sure, he didn't have the training for this exact situation like the Careers did, but he had the skills because of his work. Unlike those rich snobs, Agri gained skills through hard work alone, not by being taught how to murder. They were strong, but so was Agri.

Hearing the sound of the squeaky door hinges, Agri's head darted upward. He was relieved upon seeing his parents and brother in the doorway, thankful that they had come to wish him luck and bid him goodbye for now. Standing up, Agri made his way over to his group of visitors and embraced them each individually. His brother got a ginormous hug, his mother got a more gentle and loving hug, and his father embraced him strongly.

"Son, I'm proud of you for what you did for your brother there. It was a real act of kindness and selflessness."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Oh, I'm just so sad that we were reunited this way," his mother said shakily.

Murmurs of agreement came from all the family members at her statement, all wishing that they could have been brought together in a better situation than this. Agri would have given all that he currently earned working in the fields to just have stumbled upon his brother one day while walking the streets of Eleven. Fate was just so twisted that it decided that the Hunger Games needed to be involved in their reunification.

Why had it been this separated family afflicted with such horrible conditions upon being brought together. The Games and the events caused by it had been the thing that had separated them, why did it also need to be the thing to bring them together once more.

Anyway, thinking about the unfairness of their situation wasn't going to do anything to help it or fix it. Agri would be the one to make the most out of it, and he was determined to come back to his newly reunited family. His parents didn't need to lose a son because they just found one once more.

"Good luck sweetheart," his mother told him, "I know that you can make it through this."

"I'm really sorry that you had to volunteer for me, Agri. I wish I could make it up to you in some way, but first you need to make it back here. I want my brother to come back to our family," stated his brother.

Agri pulled his little brother into another hug, knowing that the boy was probably feeling terrible about what he had just done for him. It was alright. Agri would much rather handle something like this instead of seeing his brother struggling.

"It's all going to be okay," Agri whispered in his brother's ear, "I'm going to make it back, and we're all going to finally live a good life. That I can promise you."

With that, our goodbyes and time in the Districts have been wrapped up! Apologies about Natalia and Oscar's point of views being shorter than others, it was mainly due to the fact that they didn't have anyone to say farewell to. I'm super excited to write the tributes' time in the Capitol, but as I said at the beginning of this chapter, we're going to have a Capitol POV with our Head Gamemaker of the Reapings and other little tidbits before we see the tributes on their way to the Capitol. Thank you guys so much for reading, and I'd really appreciate it if you left a review! See you all in the next one!