- Jax's Pov -
I've always been good at keeping my emotions in check. Growing up in District 8, you learn early that feelings don't put food on the table, and they sure as hell don't save lives. My job was simple: protect my family. But as I stood in the town square, watching that woman with her perfect smile walk toward the bowl, everything inside me unraveled.
"Lira Reed."
I didn't hear the gasps of the crowd. My world zeroed in on one thing—my little sister. Too small, too fragile to even comprehend what was about to happen. I looked down at her, her face pale, eyes wide, fear so thick I could feel it in the air.
No. Not her. Not Lira.
Before I could even react, Onyx's voice rang out, cutting through the tension like a knife. "I volunteer as the Fated!"
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. My heart twisted in my chest—anger, panic, desperation swirling inside me. My sister had just volunteered to take Lira's place in the Blood Games. No one from District 8 ever volunteered. We didn't grow up trained for this like they did in District 1 or 2. But Onyx, always stubborn, always thinking she could carry the weight of the world, stepped right into a death sentence to save Lira.
And I couldn't let her.
Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped forward. "I volunteer as the Fated!"
The square fell into stunned silence, and I could feel eyes on me, but all I cared about was Onyx. I was walking toward the stage, locking eyes with her as I climbed up. The look on her face... God, it felt like betrayal. But I wasn't going to let her go in there alone. I couldn't.
The woman with the microphone raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "Name, young man?"
"Jax Reed."
Her smile widened. "Oh, a brother-sister duo. How exciting. A family reunion in the Blood Circle!" Her laugh was sharp, grating, and she reveled in the spectacle.
The Gamemakers dragged us away soon after, and I felt the crowd closing in behind us, their whispers like a dull hum. They led us into a small room where we sat in silence. Onyx paced, her hands clenched into fists, her shoulders tense.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Her voice was sharp, eyes blazing with fury.
"I was thinking I wasn't going to let you go in there alone," I shot back. My voice was calm, steadier than I felt.
She stopped pacing and glared at me, blue eyes filled with fire. "I did this to protect Lira! To protect you!"
"And I'm doing this to protect you!" I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Onyx, if you go in there alone, you'll die. I'm not letting that happen."
She looked away, her shoulders slumping. "Jax, one of us has to make it out. If we're both in there..." Her voice faltered, and for a moment, she looked small. Vulnerable. "It'll just make everything worse."
"We'll figure it out," I said, even though the words felt hollow. We both knew the truth—only one person ever left the Blood Circle alive.
The next three days passed in a blur. After the Choosing, we were taken to the District 0 - also know as the city of hope - . I'd heard stories about the City of Hope, but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer magnitude of it. Towering buildings, gleaming streets, everything so clean and perfect—nothing like the dust and grime of District 8. Here, people lived in luxury, untouched by the harsh realities of the world outside.
But none of it mattered. Not when you knew in just a few days, you'd be thrown into the Blood Circle, where you'd have to fight to survive. To kill.
The first day of training felt like a nightmare. The Gamemakers didn't waste time—they had us in front of weapons, survival stations, and combat drills immediately. The arena changed every year, so we had to be prepared for anything—deserts, forests, mountains. But the one constant was the fighting. You didn't win unless you killed, and you didn't survive unless you were ruthless.
Onyx, of course, was a natural. She picked up a bow and hit targets with deadly precision. Her focus was unbreakable, her movements fluid, and I could see why people always said she had a chance. She'd always been good at hunting, but watching her now... it was like she was made for this.
Me? I was strong. I could hold my own in a fight, and I had enough muscle to back it up. I spent the entire first day training with hand-to-hand combat, learning how to take down someone twice my size with nothing but raw force. The second day, I focused on knives. I wasn't as good as Onyx with ranged weapons, but I was fast. I had to be.
The other tributes were a mixed bunch. The kids from District 1 , 2 , 11 and 12 —the so-called "Careers"—were intimidating as hell. They were trained for this. From the moment they could hold a weapon, they were taught how to kill. The rest of us? We were just trying to survive long enough to avoid their gaze. There were some who looked terrified, barely able to hold a weapon steady. Others, like us, were determined, their faces set with the grim realization of what was coming.
We didn't talk much during training. Onyx kept her distance, always at the archery station, her mind clearly on what lay ahead. I kept my distance too, focusing on what I needed to do. There was an unspoken agreement between us: we'd protect each other as long as we could. But we both knew how it ended. One of us would die.
Three days. That's all we had before we were thrown into the arena. Three days to prepare for a fight that would change everything. And no matter how much I trained, no matter how ready I thought I was, there was one truth I couldn't shake:
One of us wasn't coming home. And it terrified me.
