The 122nd Annual Hunger Games: The Anti-Careers

The Last Night

XX, i - Mikaela Liezer, District 8 Female

The interviews were a disaster; by disaster, I mean that I was nothing special or interesting. I was just another girl participating in The Hunger Games, only seen as one of the little trophies the Careers collect on their way to victory. It was especially hard to work with because I had to follow one of the fan favorites that night, Evan Ashe from District 7.

I sat directly adjacent to Stephen at the dinner table with the two mentors, two stylists, and the escort. I noticed Stephen was anxious to get away from the table because he ate quite fast and tapped his fingers on the table, trying to steer away from any conversation going on.

I was stilled bugged out about turning down Evan's easy offer for me to join their alliance but at the same time I questioned the dangerousness of doing so. I felt I would have been casted away easy once the games got to a certain point such as the final eight. Ever since he had asked me to join, I always left it as a possibility in my head but I never reached a finality. If I wanted in, I had to ask him in the morning right before the games started.

After dinner ended, we all exchanged some words about what was coming up in the morning. It was almost strange until I realized how the mentors were still like us tributes and how the division between the districts and Capitol was never faint. I could tell the stylists and escort were always ready yet nervous for the upcoming games to happen in some kind of dumbfounded manner but our mentors were apprehensive and solemn as the days numbered less every night and morning. They were afraid, anxious about sending another two into the arena again for another year because they knew exactly what we would see and what it takes to win and how easily you could lose these games; everyone knew it in the districts as well.

As I laid in bed, I found myself uncontrollably crying because I had determined I was going to die. I was silent except for some fits of squeaks and squeals that I could not hold back. My tears began to soak my face as I couldn't sleep so I decided to get up and just get some air in the living quarters, large and spacious. In my house back in District 8, the wooden floorboards would have creaked annoyingly loud that would have probably awakened my little brother or mother but the cold, marble floors of the Tribute Center concealed me without my effort. I was able to keep calm by walking circles slowly around furniture and other things.

For a few minutes, I simply stood in the barely visible dark in front of the grand windows with a view of the city until a light appeared in the reflection the window; its cleanliness allowed it to happen. I jerked my head around and saw Stephen tiptoeing his away out the front door, to do what? To escape? Impossible. Wherever he was going, I didn't stop him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

XX, ii - Julius Abend, District 11 Male

Araina was the one who organized the special meeting before the general time everyone would be having dinner in their district penthouses. After the interviews, everyone returned to their rooms where there was some free time for relaxing but Araina forced us-Cole, Listy, her, and myself-to join together in a team session meeting. Listy and I showed up on level twelve, their floor, for the meeting. We found them sitting at the end of the hall next to a potted plant.

"Congratulations!" Cole cheered, "you have just found the poorest area of the whole building."

We all laughed a little but it bugged out the girls to think about how much our lives sucked in the districts. "And the number of poor people has just doubled in size," I added.

"Wait-so why are we here again?" Listy asked confused.

"Game plans," Araina said. "We need to figure some things out."