𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟕𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ✔️

𝕍𝕀𝕀𝕀

Aurora joins me in the common area of the District 4 suite after a while. She's sweaty and disheveled, and I can't help but smile. I'm proud of how hard she's worked.

"How'd it go?" I ask as she sits across from me.

"Not awful," she says, panting a bit. "I think Heinrich liked me."

"Really?" I ask, arching my eyebrows. "He barely looked at me."

Aurora just shrugs. "He must have been allured by my beauty."

I laugh, standing to lean over the table as I kiss her. What more could you want from a girlfriend?

We relax in the suite until the evening when we're joined by Salacia and Nereus. They sit us in front of an advanced digital screen, which is going to show us the broadcast that will be played across Panem. My heart is beating fast as the broadcast begins - I'm worried I didn't do enough to make myself stand out. If I die in the Arena, I want to be memorable, right?

Caesar Flickerman is the host of the broadcast, which is no surprise, since he was the host of every mandatory Capitol broadcast, even during the war.

"All of the Capitol has been waiting for days, craning to catch a glimpse of this years' tributes. Tonight on the show we will release the official Gamemakers' scores, which evaluate each tributes' skill in combat and survival."

I feel Aurora tense up next to me, and I rest my hand on hers. She glances at me before looking back to the broadcast.

"As you know, the tributes were rated on a scale of 1 to 12 after three days of careful evaluation, and our Gamemakers, headed by Dr. Heinrich, have worked tirelessly to present us with the most accurate data possible. Let us begin."

Caesar passes down the list quickly, and I try to pay attention to the tributes I've taken notice of so far. Phoenix and Isabelle both score high 10s, which is not surprising considering their military background. Axel scores an 8, and Vesta gets a 7, which is not bad by any stretch. After them are the two kids from District 3, who both score a 5.

"Next up, from District 4, Griff, with a score of..."

"Eight."

I sigh with relief - I did great! I'm on par with Axel, which is a great accomplishment. Aurora gives me a big hug, and Salacia is practically bouncing off the walls.

"Also from District 4, Aurora, with a score of..."

"Seven."

Seven.

"That's amazing!" I say, giving Aurora a hug of her own. She's really stepped up the challenge this week, and I'm so proud of her. Even Nereus is smiling.

As predicted, most of the other tributes score poorly. The District 7 boy, Vance, scores a 9, and his girlfriend, Willa, gets a 7, but other than them, most of the tributes get 5s or below.

Both the District 9 kids score a 1, which makes me think they're using a strategy to make people think they weren't showing their skills. That's possible, considering they are being mentored by Rye Albertson, a District 9 Victor, but it also could just be their legitimate scores. I mean, both the District 8 kids got 2s, so it's possible.

I don't pay attention much until the District 11 tributes. I feel bad for the two of them - they look quite weak, and I don't think they stand much of a chance. Every once in a while before the War, District 11 tributes had a good chance of winning because of their hulking stature, but the two this year are pretty scrawny. The boy, Jesse, scores a 6, while his sister Phoebe gets a 4.

After the District 11 kids are the District 12 pair. I think back to my conversation with Selina. I hope she did well.

"From District 12, Rory, with a score of two," Caesar says, barely pausing as he skims past the poor boy. Ouch.

"And finally, from District 12, Selina, with a score of... one."

My heart sinks for the poor girl. The odds will never be in her favor.

I push the thought aside as the crowd around me cheers for my high score. I've done well for myself, and that's all I could have done. In the end, almost all of us are going to die, so I can't get too attached to Selina, or I'll just get hurt later on.