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District 1 Female: Ruby Grace Faberson

I can feel his fury from across the table. I could probably see it, too, except I'm too afraid to look. It isn't as though I can't picture it clearly, the way his jaw is clenched, the tightness of his shoulders and his furrowed brow. But worst of all, I can picture the angry fire in his eyes.

He probably wants to hit me harder than he ever has before, but he knows he can't. Not with my silly escort so near. Certainly not with the cameras we'll encounter at the station. I've nowhere else to look, so I study my nails; they are neat and slightly longer than the average citizens. I was never allowed to obtain the habit of nail biting. My mother thinks finger nails are important to one's beauty regimen; my father thinks they can make useful weapons if I'm ever backed into a corner.

When the train comes to a stop, I stand and smooth my clothes, still avoiding eye contact. I walk calmly to the exit, fully aware I am about to catch my first glimpse of the Capitol. Despite being one of the few families with the means to visit, my father has never brought me or my younger sisters. He always said he wanted our first visit to be a part of our games.

The people here don't look like people. I know I should be accustomed for them, but seeing a few on the television doesn't adequately prepare one for the shock of being surrounded by them. I hide it well. Or, at least, the live version of me I can see on the televisions that are everywhere in the station does. I can feel my father's hand gripping my shoulder behind me as he fends off reporters with a charming smile and wave.

They're interested in me, of course, the District One tributes always get a lot of attention, but they aren't usually so young. However, they already know about me. As the first-born daughter of Quartz Faberson, there were predictions of my eventual win even when I was little. The reporters are far more interested in Flame Pirkas. He wasn't supposed to come- Onyx Tapper was. Flame didn't even attend the academy. He didn't volunteer either. Why Onyx didn't come forward to claim his spot mystifies me.

********

We are given the first floor in the Training Center. This is fine with me, as it's closest to the actual training room. I'm shown to my room by a pale Avox. It's slightly more lavish than my room back home. The screen in my wall is an extra luxury, but it's simple enough to control. I quickly change out of my dress and into a pair of pants and shirt I find in the drawers before sitting down on my bed.

I have only been in the room for a few minutes when a knock comes at the door. I call for whoever it is to come in. My father's entrance surprises me. He never knocks at home; someone must be in the hallway. For the first time since that morning I am forced to make eye contact. Fear causes my intestines to twist.

He shuts the door behind him before he begins to yell. "What were you thinking?" No one can hear him through the soundproof walls. "What in the hell was going through your head? Do you think you can win?"

I take a deep breath before answering, "I'm the top ranked girl at the academy."

"You're fifteen." Now his voice is steely calm, this is the most dangerous part.

"I'm better than the eighteen year old girls. None of them can beat me in any of the physical challenges, and I score higher on both the psychological and intelligence tests."

"You can't compete with the males. Onyx could beat you in a one on one fight." Color is rising to his face.

"He and Shine were the only two, and I don't plan on getting caught in a hand to hand battle."