I didn't cry when I was reaped.

The announcer, all dressed in her absurd Capitol paraphernalia, said Lua. My eyes stung, red with unshed tears, but I didn't cry. 

Liza, bless her little six-year-old heart, did. She clung to our mother's leg, pointing to me, too young to understand the concept of these Games but mourning anyway. 

District Three is an odd district. We're in the middle of everything--smashed between two Districts that just keep on churning out careers--and yet we are nothing of the sort.

I didn't cry during the tribute parade, either. There was a girl from Twelve, Vidi, I think, who did. Her light hair was tied up into a fancy updo and her face was stained around the corners with dark ash, but tears tracked down her cheeks. 

When we reached the training center, once those terrible individual sessions were over and all twelve Districts joined together to chat before we were released in a murderous frenzy, I approached her.

"Hi," I said, waving slightly. She was just a bit older than me, I think, so thirteen, maybe. She smiled back, and yet her eyes were still a bit glassy. I resolved to get rid of that, to make her laugh. 

"I'm Lua. What's your name?" I asked, as if I didn't already know. She indulged me, and when she spoke, her voice was soft and quiet, like how I'd imagine a dandelion would talk. 

"Vidi," was all she said. She looks terrified, I thought. About as terrified as I felt, and yet, in contrast to her, I didn't show it, afraid of seeming weak.

"It's nice to meet you, Vidi. What're you doing?" I sat next to her, folding my legs together and leaning against the cold metal wall. 

"Practicing my knots," she whispered, barely managing to meet my gaze. 

It wasn't much of an answer, not giving me much to go off of. My gaze flickered over to the red-headed girl also practicing her knots, chatting with a brown-haired boy. I didn't know much of relationships, of course, most of my knowledge coming from the books I'd been forced to read in school, but it looked like they might've been flirting. 

The older girl caught my eye, glancing from me to Vidi, and moved our way, walking in long, confident strides. I thought she must've been the bravest girl in the world--who else would have been able to keep up that sort of confidence in a situation like that?  

"Hey, I'm Taura," she said with a smile that I gratefully returned.

"I'm Lua, and this is Vidi," I introduced. Vidi noticeably avoided the older girl's gaze, which seemed to gravitate towards her. 

She scrutinized us closely, eyes narrowing dangerously, but her smile stuck. "Either of you good with weapons?"

"My dad taught me to shoot," I said, hoping it could be helpful in some way. It was true--although not completely. I'd shot his gun a few times, but I was nowhere close to good at it. 

Vidi hesitated, which seemed to be very on-brand for her. "I... I'm good with herbs, I guess. I can cook."

Taura snapped her fingers, as if Vidi's talent was of any use in the Games. I was grateful for her small lie, because it brought a smile to the blonde girl's face. 

"Cooking! That's great. You two wanna team up with me and Wyatt over there? We could use two more allies."

Vidi's face lit up, and in her expression I recognized the same hope I was trying desperately to feel. "Really?"

"Yeah," Taura said enthusiastically, waving Wyatt over. They were both taller than me, although probably only a few years older. Less, in Vidi's case. Neither seemed very intimidating in the moment--at least, no more than any of the other tributes. 

"Okay." Taura sat down beside me, sitting criss-cross and folding her hands in her lap. 

"Nice to meet you," Wyatt smiled, hesitant to sit but eventually doing so. "Vidi and Lua, right?"

"Right," I answered, notably taking the lead in the conversation, over Vidi. I resolved to be a bit quieter, in the future.

Another thing I noticed was Wyatt's remembrance of our names--unless he'd been listening when we told Taura, which I didn't think he had, he'd remembered both of our names just from brief introduction he hadn't even seen in person. 

"So," Taura said with a sly grin I'd soon come to recognize as one she wore often, and we all leaned our heads in as she began to talk, something I'd later discover she loved to do. 

***

I didn't quite understand Taura until she visited me, the night before the Games. Rap rap rap went her knuckles on the door to my small Capitol apartment, and swish went the door as I opened it carefully, smiling at the sight of her.

"Can I come in?"

I nodded, and she did. My room was sparse, including a bed, bathroom, and two small chairs I thought were particularly comfy. Taura took my favorite but I was fine with that, settling for the other. 

"I wanted to talk to you," she started, hands folding together in her lap. My gaze jumped up from those to her shining green eyes, which in my mind showed years of experience and wisdom. In truth, Taura was fourteen, nowhere near the all-knowing grown-up I'd imagined her as.

"Okay," I said slowly, carefully. "About what?"

"The Games." Her lips pursed, and I frowned, because what else would she have wanted to talk to me about? I had meant what inside the Games, what particular facet she deemed dangerous enough to speak to me alone about, that she couldn't've said days ago, in the group training sessions. 

I didn't say any of that, because I was shy (although not to nearly the same level as Vidi), and because I respected her. I didn't want to find her bad side, didn't want to watch her eyes narrow in my direction, grip tightening on the knives I'd seen her throw many times, precision creasing lines into her face. 

Eventually, Taura continued for me. "You know why me and Wyatt allied with you two."

I didn't. "What?"

She shifted in her seat, and I wondered if this was supposed to be awkward.

"It wasn't because we thought you'd be assets--or just her, really."

My brow creased. "Yeah, I assumed."

Her eyebrows raised. "You're a smart girl, Lua."

"Thanks." My voice was monotone, my eyes scanning her face just a bit more thoroughly, searching for some sort of emotion I hadn't even thought to look for before. 

"So you know why we chose Vidi."

"'Cause she was my friend," I said, newborn confidence spawning from Taura's seemingly changed demeanor. Her smile didn't even falter. 

"Well, yeah. But also... she's an easy target, y'know? Easier than me or Wyatt, or you, really. Could save our asses, if we ever get into that sorta situation."

My gaze deepened. "You're trying to sacrifice her? Use her as a human shield?"

Taura raised her hands in mock surrender. "No, Lua! Of course not. God, do I really seem like the type of girl to do that? Nah, Vidi's just another part of our plan--a safe one, I promise! She'd be good at the whole 'sad girl' act, has the face for it. She'll convince our enemies we're all evil and murderous, and while they're distracted, we'll knock 'em out. See? Perfectly safe."

I nodded slowly. "Okay," I said, not truly believing her, feeling betrayed by someone I'd put so much admiration and respect onto. "I should sleep now."

She stood, taking my hint. "You're right--gotta stay well-rested, can't be nodding off tomorrow." Taura moved over towards the door, opening it for herself and stepping out the threshold, hesitating only to glance back at me one last time. "Goodnight, Lua."

"Goodnight," I whispered, the door already closed, Taura's footsteps descending down the hall. The walls were thin there, I'd found, and you could hear everything going on elsewhere. Maybe it should've conveyed a sense of poverty, or a feeling of never being alone, but it didn't. Instead, it was just another thing that added to my already-mounting terror. 

I moved over to my small window, staring out of it. The window didn't open, of course, but it was thin, and I could hear voices trailing out from the roof above me. 

I ignored them, and went straight to bed. It was true: I needed all the rest I could get. 

***

"Lua!" she screamed as the sword slashed through her middle, twisting until she collapsed to the ground, red staining her perfect blonde hair. Behind her appeared the grinning face of that damned career from one--Vulcan. The picture of evil. 

"Vidi!" I screamed right back, but Taura's strong hand was already latched onto my shoulder, Wyatt's soon gripping my waist as they dragged me off into the forest, Vidi's blood sinking into the ground before us.

"She's dead," I murmured into my knees, arms curled around my legs as I leaned against a tree, Taura stitching up a wound in Wyatt's side. She glanced my way, and was that pity tracing her features?

"There was nothing you could do," she said before turning back to Wyatt. I took a note of how she didn't say 'we' that time, when usually she was eager to combine our entire group in mistakes that could very well be the death of us. But when it was her holding me back, her moving away from Vidi's dying body, everything was my fault. 

I grit my teeth, but didn't argue. Taura wasn't worth fighting against.

***

I woke in a cold sweat, panting as I sat straight up, glancing around as if danger was near. 

It wasn't. I was sitting inside the hollow Taura had claimed as our home base, surrounded by the two people I relied on for my continuous survival. 

Wyatt was still asleep, Taura packing her things into a bag, probably trying to be as silent as possible. I stared at her with wide eyes as she stopped and looked towards me, a small smile painting her face.

"Hey, Lua," she whispered, and I took the hint that we were being quiet.

"What are you doing?"

She glanced around, as if a threat was near. I mirrored her actions, suddenly nervous. 

Taura bade me closer with a gesture of her hand, and, obediently, I did, letting her whisper in my ear. "There's two careers out here, hunting. I'm gonna make them go away."

She gave me a look, as if judging my personality, and leaned in to whisper again. "Wanna come?"

Everything in me told me to say no. "Yeah, sure."

And so we went--quietly, as Taura reminded me every ten seconds. I understood this fine enough: if I was loud, if I broke a stick or whispered at a higher volume, it could mean my death. I was twelve, but I wasn't stupid.

Eventually, Taura extended an arm to stop me in my tracks, and I held my breath as we watched two tributes, ones I barely recognized, stop in the middle of a little clearing. 

They laid on the ground, staring up at the sky as the anthem began to play. I peeked through a small break in the trees, a small pain jolting through my heart as Vidi's face streaked across the starry night. 

The girl from One stood, and I was slightly proud of the similarities between our haircuts, almost glad that I had something in common with this brave, confident girl. 

She pressed her axe to the other girl's throat, and that feeling disappeared. 

The axe dug in to her throat and the girl choked, eyes going wide as she clutched at her neck, kicking the other girl away from her. The murderous girl rose and kept at her, until she stumbled, falling to the ground. 

Her murderer wasted no time in pinning her, axe rising up for one final strike. 

"Taura," I whispered urgently, tugging on her sleeve. I knew I'd get a lecture after this, a stern talking-to about how dangerous it was to make so much noise, but I didn't care. "She's going to die."

"I know," Taura bit back, not glancing my way.

"Save her," I begged. From there we couldn't see the brown-haired girl's face, only the back of her head, but I could see the darker-haired girl's expression just fine, and it was nothing short of cruel. The kind of evil you'd normally only see in those dark sorts of fairytales they don't like to keep in the libraries. 

Taura, seeing my expression, grudgingly obliged. She threw, her arm swinging through the air gracefully, a small metal shape flying through the air, aimed at the darker-haired girl's head.

With a whoosh and then a thunk, the girl was dead. 

***

okay so this doesn't rly count as a real chapter but if it did, it'd be the longest for sure! it's 2161 words, which i justified by the fact that it spans a lottt more time than one of the normal chapters.

i'm really proud of this chapter, and how i voiced lua. hope you enjoyed! <3