Happy 2024!

TW: Homophobia

"I know more than you realize."

Macha Callaghan, 18, District 2 Female

October 12, Year 74

Callaghan Household

Fourteen-year-old Macha Callaghan waited patiently in the dining room. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, and she tapped the table anxiously.

She couldn't believe it had come to this. As the eldest child of the House of Callaghan, she had been groomed from a young age to take on the role of a spy, forming relationships and gaining information that could be passed on to the Capitol for them to do as they please with it. That included rooting out rebels and turning them in before they could become a problem.

She had hoped and prayed that her best friend was not one of them, but her prayers went unanswered. Macha had spent the past four years trying to gain Paisley's trust. It didn't take long for the girl to latch onto her. Paisley was naïve, gullible, and went along with whatever Macha said. She was the perfect friend, really. She knew that Paisley had her doubts about Capitol rule. To some extent, Macha knew where such a sentiment would come from. Her older brother was killed in the Seventy-First Annual Hunger Games. Macha wanted to tell Paisley that her brother gave his life for his country. He did his duty to Panem and died with honor, but she didn't want to say anything that would alienate her from Paisley. She needed to get as much information out of the girl as possible.

Macha didn't expect to get as attached to Paisley as she did. Despite the fact that Paisley never got to know the real Macha (whoever that was), she was such a kind and loyal soul. Macha just wished that Paisley's loyalty to the Capitol was just as strong. She dreaded the day that she would have to choose between her friend and her duty, because she knew exactly what she'd choose.

That day had come when Paisley, fully trusting Macha and buying into the anti-Capitol persona she had put up when around her, had admitted to her that her parents were secretly working against the Capitol. "You've seen the protests in the other districts! This could be our chance to finally change things for the better, and we could really use someone like you."

Macha had agreed, if only to solidify Paisley's trust in her. Then, she left Paisley's house at the first opportunity that she could without being suspicious, and quickly ran home, feeling sick to her stomach.

Now, she was waiting for her father to come home from work so she could inform him of what she heard. Paisley would never forgive her, but it was better this way. If she survived this, she'd understand one day why Macha had to do what she was about to do. Rebellion in District Two would be disastrous for the whole country. If Panem's most loyal district turned against the Capitol, that would only embolden rebels in the other districts, and that could not happen.

Macha forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. She had to do this. It wasn't just her country at stake, but her family's honor, and family always came first.

"Blood before all," she told herself. "Blood before all."

Within the hour, her father was home. Sensing Macha's discomfort, he quickly got something to drink for both of them and sat down across the table from her. "Macha, do you have anything to report?" he asked, cutting straight to the point.

Macha stared into her glass of juice for a moment. She closed her eyes tightly for a moment and tried to push Paisley's pleading face from her thoughts. Macha steeled herself and looked up at her father. "Yes," she said firmly. Macha then told her father everything, about Paisley, about her parents, about the rebel activity that was linked to the Charles Family.

When she was done speaking, her father remained silent for a moment, thinking hard about her words. Then, he gave her a nod of approval. "You did well, Macha. I know this must have been difficult for you."

"Not at all," Macha lied. "I'm just doing my duty."

Macha's father hummed a bit, either in agreement or slight disbelief. "Either way, you did well. Rest assured; I'll take care of everything from here."

Macha nodded firmly, and as soon as she was dismissed, made a beeline for her room.

Two days later, the Charles Family had vanished, and Macha found herself wracked with guilt. She had betrayed Paisley, likely gotten her killed. Her father eventually noticed and sat her down. He reassured her that she did the right thing, that she was only doing what was best for her family. "If you had kept that information to yourself, the Capitol would have seen that as an act of treason. We would have been the ones taken away, not that girl and her family. Everything this family worked for over generations would have come crashing down in an instant. Your mother and I would have been executed, you and your brother would have been avoxed, and that was if we were lucky. Not to mention what it would have looked like to the other districts, especially with what's been happening as of late. This family is vital to Panem's survival, and because of that, this family must always come first. Blood before all."

Macha had nodded, her guilt eased by her father's words. What she did now seemed justified compared to the utter devastation her failure to do her duty would have caused. She now understood that she did the right thing. However, that didn't change the fact that betraying Paisley and subsequently losing her had hurt. It cut into her very being like a hot knife. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't let herself get so attached.

Macha resolved right there and then that she would remain detached. The only people she would allow herself to truly care for were her parents and her brother, Nigel. She shoved the memory of Paisley Charles to the deepest recesses of her mind and tried her hardest to forget she ever existed.

As the years passed, Macha kept to that promise. As she made new "friends," Delilah, Maverick, Anya, she never let herself truly get close to them like she did Paisley. If the day ever came where she'd have to turn them in, she could do so without any pain on her part.

Meanwhile, she continued to put her family before all else. She remained loyal to her father and even began to look forward to their weekly chats, where they would pass along information over tea and occasionally pastries. She was grateful for her mother, who supported her interests and training despite the distance that had grown between them. She fought hard to allow her younger brother, who was often overlooked due to his status as the second born, to feel more included in the family, and even started training him herself at the Academy whenever they both had the time.

Macha was a member of the proud House of Callaghan, and they were the only people she knew she could truly count on. As long as Macha remembered that, she knew she'd be fine.

Blood before all.

"We're all made of memories."

Zhenya Katolin, 18, District 2 Male

May 12, Year 78

Katolin Residence

Zhenya Katolin sat on the balcony, listening to the world go by below him. A cup of coffee that his parents gave him before he was sent away from the coffee shop sat cooling on a nearby table.

He pulled his notebook out of his bag and turned to the latest blank page. Shiloh had asked him to write some poetry for Kane. "I'll buy more from you when I get back," she had told him.

Zhenya appreciated the vote of confidence, unlike Moraine who asked for poetry lessons just in case. He didn't really feel comfortable with that for a variety of reasons, and just opted to buy her some books instead.

Zhenya stared at the blank page for a moment. He pictured Kane in his mind, his messy dark curls, his slightly crooked smile, and those dark eyes that seemed to hold an entire ocean. He thought of Kane's infectious laugh, about how he seemed to light up a room when he stepped through the doorway, wearing that ugly striped shirt he loved so much and was constantly replacing.

People always asked him why he never bothered to find a girlfriend. "I just don't have time right now," Zhenya would always reply. One would think people would take a hint after getting the same answer a million times, but alas, Zhenya had no such luck.

They couldn't begin to understand, and Zhenya didn't dare even try. The homophobic remarks from his parents, the jokes from his friends, the blatant bigotry from the man who handpicked him and paid his tuition for the Bloodstone Institute, he was terrified that his world would come crashing down.

So Zhenya Katolin put on a mask, complete with a fake smile. He attended classes, signed up for choir and dance, and trained as hard as he could, and let out his feelings the only way he felt like he could: poetry.

Zhenya always had a way with words. His friend group picked up on that really quickly, particularly Shiloh and Moraine, who were constantly paying him to write poetry for their boyfriends. Other girls followed suit. As much as Zhenya wanted to write for himself, writing for others was the perfect excuse. If it came out that he wrote poetry like that about boys because he wanted to, well, the very idea of that was too painful to think too hard about.

Zhenya sipped his coffee and tried to come up with something meaningful to write about. Then, he looked up and saw the sun beginning to set over the dusty grey buildings that made up his neighborhood.

Then, inspiration struck. Zhenya began writing, letting the words flow, pouring his heart out for a boy he could never have.

Right as Zhenya finished writing, there was a rapid tapping at the glass door that separated the balcony and the living room. Zhenya quickly closed his notebook and turned to see who it was. He found Moraine, face practically pressed against the door.

Zhenya raised an eyebrow at her as she stared at him. "Are you going to open the door or are you just going to stand there?" he asked.

Moraine opened up the sliding glass door. "So Aries, Kane, Shiloh and I were thinking about hitting the coffee shop, and I know you just got finished with your shift there, but Aries has been craving one of those super sweet lattes, I can't remember what it was called, and to be honest, an expresso shot is just what I need after a long day so do you want to join us?"

"Sugar cookie latte," Zhenya told her.

"Huh?"

"The super sweet latte Aries likes," Zhenya reiterated. "It was a sugar cookie latte."

Moraine had a brief moment of realization and nodded slowly with a soft "oh."

"How did you know that?" she asked curiously.

Zhenya barely managed not to wince when she asked. "I work at the coffee shop, remember?" he said. "I can't tell you how many sugar cookie lattes I made him."

"Oh, yeah! I remember now! He always said your lattes were the best!"

Now Zhenya was in danger of blushing. Aries thought his lattes were good?

"Anyway," Moraine continued, breaking him from his thoughts. "Are you coming?"

He was honestly surprised she still wanted to hang out with him, given that he had turned her down just a year prior. The awkwardness and guilt he felt when he politely broke her heart, how she acted like it was all fine and dandy when she looked like she wanted to cry, that moment was still burned into Zhenya's mind, even after she eventually bounced back and found Aries, and they settled into being just friends once again. He was happy for her, he really was, even if being the fifth wheel in his friend group stung.

He just wished his memory wasn't perfect. There was so much he wanted to forget.

Zhenya nodded. "Sure. Just give me a moment." He stood up and took the now cold, half-cup of coffee inside. He stared at it for a moment, then drank the rest of it down before throwing the cup in the trash. After telling Moraine to wait where she was, Zhenya went to his bedroom and tucked his notebook into a lockbox that he kept under his bed with the rest of his valuables, before exiting his room. As the two headed downstairs to meet Aries, Zhenya turned to his friend. "How did you get in?" he asked.

Moraine just shrugged. "You need a new doorman?"

"Right…"

As they walked to the coffee shop, Zhenya hung back a little bit, letting Aries and Moraine chat. They were talking about the sugar cookie latte again. Aries was giving Moraine a hard time about her forgetting.

Zhenya smiled at this. He thought his lattes were average at best, but knowing Aries liked them… He knew that would give him a confidence boost behind the counter during his next shift. Maybe his parents would let him jump behind the counter and make one. He could tell them that Aries preferred his for some reason. It wouldn't have been the first time that the way a barista made a drink was the preferred method.

It wasn't a long walk to the shop, but Zhenya didn't mind either way. One of his favorite things to do was watch the world go by, and a walk was the best way to do that. He listened to the conversation in front of him, occasionally tuning it out in favor of some of the people walking by. One was discussing the upcoming Hunger Games, how Two's odds looked with Zhenya and Macha going into the ring. Another was talking about the upcoming mandatory programming. Someone else was shouting into a communicuff, something regarding a missed deadline.

Eventually, they reached the shop. Zhenya moved to open the door for Aries and Moraine, but Aries rushed ahead and did it for him. Zhenya gave him a gracious smile and stepped inside.

"Surprise!"

Zhenya just about jumped ten feet when he saw the decorations decorating the coffee shop, including a giant banner that read "CONGRATULATIONS ZHENYA!" across the top. His parents, his friends were all standing with giant grins on their faces. Even Marcellin, his sponsor, was sitting at one of the tables, as stern and stoic as ever but still here to celebrate.

Zhenya just about wanted to cry. "I… I…" He couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face. "I don't know what to say!"

"You're going to the Capitol next month," Kane said with a crooked grin. He was wearing that stupid striped shirt again. "Of course, we're going to celebrate! This is what you've been working towards for years!"

The Capitol. The thought of getting on that train and heading to the greatest city in the world filled Zhenya with a joy that he couldn't explain. In District Two, people like him were mocked, belittled, and sometimes worse. Not the Capitol though. The city was so extravagant, its people so flamboyant. They were able to be their true selves, something Zhenya was envious of.

Zhenya longed for a taste of that freedom, the ability to be himself without any sort of repercussions. He wouldn't have to pour his heart out onto a piece of paper. He could express himself however he wanted, and the people would love him for it.

As he mingled and chatted amongst his friends and family, Zhenya couldn't help but smile at the thought finally being able to be the real Zhenya Katolin. It was even possible for him to meet someone, finally settle down and live out his dream, his real dream.

If he won the Hunger Games, he'd have his whole life ahead of him, a life he could have only dreamed of before.

Bringing pride and glory to Two didn't matter to Zhenya in the grand scheme of things. That life, a life with the right man by his side and the ability to be himself.

That in and of itself was worth fighting for.

This just in, local author tries to write romantic interest for the first time in her entire life. Please let me know how I did. In other news, District Two SUCKS! Thank you to n3b for Macha and ladyqueerfoot for Zhenya! I had a lot of fun writing their introductions, and I am so excited to see where their paths lead them. Macha's faceclaim is Shay Cohen and Zhenya's faceclaim is Jai Younes!

Next time, I will be introducing Cordy and Rhys from District Three! Also, I'm married now! Yay!