The minute Mona's mother, Carmen, walked into the small room where her daughter was being kept, the lizard mutant was being enveloped in the tightest hug she'd ever received. Tears poured from her mother's eyes as she cried hard into Mona's shoulder, holding her daughter close.

"Mi pobre bebé," she sobbed. "Oh, mi pobre bebé!"

Mona hugged her back, her own mocha eyes glistening with tears. She buried her face in Carmen's neck, taking in her pleasant warmth and wrapping her long tail around her comfortingly.

"I'll try to win, Mamá," she promised, her voice sorrowful but determined. "I will."

The two of them remained locked in a tight embrace until two Peacekeepers appeared in the doorway, one clearing his throat. Slowly, Carmen pulled away from her daughter, sniffling.

"Adiós, my Monica," she whispered.

"Adiós, Mamá," came the sad reply.

Carmen pressed one final kiss to Mona's scaly forehead before the Peacekeepers escorted her out; she took one final glance at her daughter before she vanished out the door.

In the next room over, Leonardo pressed his face into Splinter's warm, soft fur. Tears burned at his eyes, begging to be released and roll down his cheeks, but he refused to let them fall.

Don't cry now. Look strong for your father.

He hugged his adoptive father even tighter, a sob threatening to shake his body. Splinter stroked his son's shell comfortingly, his ratlike hands brushing its surface softly.

"It is okay to cry, my son," he soothed in that low, gentle voice of his that Leonardo loved.

The tears came immediately, streaming down Leo's green face and soaking his blue mask. Moisture began to accumulate in Splinter's eyes as well, and he rested his chin on his som's head gently.

"I can't do this, father," Leonardo whispered with a sniffle. "I can't go up on TV in front of the whole City and kill other people."

"They are not right, these Games," Splinter told him quietly, still stroking his shell. "They are cruel and unfair."

He pulled away from Leonardo's embrace, placing a hand on his the mutant turtle's plastron–right over his heart.

"Do what you know is right," he murmured. "Good luck, my son."

Leonardo took a deep breath, nodding, just as the Peacekeepers came. Splinter turned and left the room with them without a word, his long tail swishing on the floor, leaving Leonardo truly on his own for the first time in his life.

***

Piper's Uncle Bill peered into the small room where she was staying. The cat mutant sat on the cold stone floor in the far corner of the room, her back to the entrance. She didn't bother looking up when she heard the door creak open, assuming it to be more Peacekeepers.

"Piper," her uncle whispered softly.

The cat girl stiffened with surprise at the sound of his voice, turning her head to look at him. Bill stepped into the room, his eyes warm but sorrowful. Piper leaped to her feet and sprang forward, enveloping her beloved uncle in a tight hug.

"Hey, Pipes," Bill whispered. "I'm sorry this had to happen. I wish things could be different."

Me too, thought Piper, though she said nothing.

Her green eyes flickered around the room, a new question popping into her mind. Her uncle pulled away, already knowing the question.

"Holly is back at home," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, Piper."

She didn't want to come say goodbye to me.

"Okay," she said.

Bill sighed, tears welling in his eyes as he hugged his niece again. She returned it, burying her furry face in his shoulder.

"I love you, Pipes," he whispered.

"I love you too."

Nearby, the door to Maddie's room slowly opened with an eerie creaky. The Latina girl turned to see her parents standing in the doorway, their faces expressionless. Just one look at them and Maddie's heart seemed to harden, her eyes narrowing.

"Came to say goodbye, huh?" she spat, a bitter edge to her tone. "Or just to tell me I'm a sinner again? Well, newsflash, I don't care if it's a sin. It's who I am!"

Neither of her parents responded. Instead, they looked at each other quizzically. Her mother nodded, and the two of them walked toward their daughter. Maddie tensed as they approached, coming to a stop in front of her. Her mother bent down to her level, her eyes locking with her daughter's.

"Come home to us, Maddie," she said softly.

She turned on her heel and left the room wordlessly, her husband following suit.

And just like that, they were gone, leaving a shocked teenage girl with wide eyes behind them.

***

Both Sarina and Donatello sat alone in their rooms, eyes dull and moods downcast. Neither of them had families to wish them goodbye and good luck, or to greet them and hug and cheer for them should they survive the Games. Donatello's eyes were fixed on the cold stone floor. His room was more like a prison cell than an actual room, given the limited space, gray walls and stone floors, and the feeling of imprisonment it gave him. The chilly air inside swirled around him, making him shiver. Goosebumps popped up on his olive-colored skin. Loneliness gripped his heart tightly, a feeling he never enjoyed whenever it came.

"Sarina?" he called, his voice soft and cautious. "Are you there? Can you hear me?"

"Yes," came the equally quiet reply.

A little pang of delight at his friend's voice made Donatello feel warmer than he had before. He scooted closer to the wall, leaning his head against it and ignoring the cold that immediately seeped into his skin.

"So...this is it," he whispered. "We'll be on a train heading to the Capitol in a few minutes."

"I hate this," the cyborg girl said, her tone edged with sorrow. "Them taking us from our home and forcing us to fight. It isn't right."

He heard a tiny sniffle over from her room, and not a moment later his own eyes started to gleam with tears.

"Me too, Sari," he murmured. "Me too."

The sound of heavy footsteps sounded outside his door as two Peacekeepers opened it, gesturing for him to come.

"Time to go," one of them growled in a gruff voice.

Donatello obeyed, getting to his feet shakily and walking out of the room with them. Ahead of him, Sarina was being escorted out with two more of the white-uniformed soldiers. The dark hallway was briefly illuminated with bright blue as the cyborg's eyes flashed nervously. The same nervousness made Donnie feel light-headed as they headed for the rain station.

Saki help us all, he prayed, closing his eyes.

***

Hazel's father practically tackled his daughter the moment he entered her tiny room. He pulled Hazel close to him, sobbing as tears rolled down his dark-skinned cheeks.

"Oh, Hazel," he wailed. "I've already lost your mother! I can't loose you too! Oh, my poor baby girl..."

Tears stung Hazel's striking green eyes as she hugged her father back tightly, sniffling into his shoulder. Timothy stood in the doorway, constantly wiping his eyes as more and more tears escaped from them. In his hand, he gripped Winston's leash like it was the only thing keeping him from floating away. The huge old dog sat on the stone floor with his tongue lolling out, unaware of the sadness in the air. Hazel pulled away from her father gently, and Timothy approached her hesitantly, taking Winston with him. Hazel knelt to her dog's level, ruffling his thick, fluffy brown-and-white fur like she'd done so many times before.

"Hey, Winston," she murmured, scratching his silky brown ears. "I'm going away, and I might not come back. I need you to keep being a good boy for me, okay?"

In response, Winston licked her cheek, covering her face in slobber. Hazel couldn't resist a smile as she wiped it away, running a hand over her dog's soft fur one final time. She stood back up and found herself staring into Timothy's sad brown eyes.

"I'll miss you, Hazel," he whispered.

The copper-skinned girl lunged forward, closing her friend up in a hug as tears poured down both their faces.

"I'll miss you too," she replied. "Be strong for me."

"I will. Promise you'll try to win?"

Hazel paused, her stomach lurching at the thought of willingly killing the other Tributes forced into the Games.

"I'll try," she promised anyway.

In the room beside them, Penelope was wrapped in her parent's arms, her scaly shoulders shaking with sobs. Her father rubbed comforting circles on her back, while her mother pressed kiss after kiss on her daughter's forehead. Penelope buried her face in her mother's shoulder, her long tail deciding to hold still and not trip her up for once.

"Oh, Penelope," her father whispered. "My poor Penelope. I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay, Dad, it's okay," the lizard mutant replied, pulling away from her mother. "I'm going try to win, for you. I promise."

"Be safe, Penny," her mother told her, kissing her forehead once more. "We love you."

"I love you, too," Penelope's voice cracked with grief as she buried her face back into her mother's shoulder.

The three of them held each other and sobbed for what seemed like forever, until the Peacekeepers arrived at the door.