District 3 Female: Rosella Van Carter

The greatest of treasures were only embedded deep in the heart of stories. This was something Rosella knew through glancing at the pages of her favourite books in which she would occasionally seek comfort for her entire life. Every single word, printed black in differing fonts against the stark white pages, always had this way of entrancing her, aiding her in envisioning the world where her favourite characters dwelled in, where they sought the greatest of adventures...her books were like treasure troves, always welcoming her to embark on a new expedition, or relive the moments of glory from the old tales she had once read.

She could hardly dare to believe that this year's Hunger Games had granted her greatest wish—to physically explore those treasure troves, even if only for a moment. It was in the wintry world of Narnia where she wrote her first chapter; and now it was in this little charming home she suddenly found herself in, with treasures of various kinds piled around her in various heaps, where she knew her next challenge awaited her. She glanced back briefly at the wardrobe which she had come from, which continued to rattle violently, and wasted no time in bolting out the room. Through the long winding tunnel she ran, not stopping once for breath despite the protests in her throat until she reached a round dark green door. Taking a deep breath, she shoved it open, tumbling out of the tunnel into bright dazzling sunlight.

"Where am I?" Rosella wondered aloud, hungrily gulping in as much oxygen as she could as she surveyed her surroundings. This definitely wasn't Narnia. In fact, in place of the snow which had once blanketed the ground, a tapestry of fresh green grass gently swayed around her ankles in the summer breeze. Her eyes alighted on a giant tree just at the bottom of a gentle slope, and she squinted; there, she spotted a little table with food piled high on fancy platters, enough to seat around 30 guests. The place was well-lit with a string of little party lights of various bright colours woven through the trees, and somewhere nearby she saw a roughly painted banner bearing the words Happy Birthday, Bilbo Baggins.

"Bilbo Baggins..." She let the name roll off her tongue gently, frowning slightly as she glanced at the blue book in her hands, the title imprinted on it in silver: The Fellowship of the Rings.

She must be in Bag End, then, in the Shire.

She carefully began to descend down the slope towards the empty party, following the winding dirt road until she reached her destination. Almost instantly she frowned; only 18 spots at the table seemed to be in good condition, while the rest were charred so badly they could easily crumble under the lightest of pressure. The food was also left untouched. To top it all off, there was no one present. She felt a flicker of dread course through her system—something discomforting that made her clench her fists. Was she supposed to be here? What was going on?

"Hello! How fares you today, my lady?"

A voice from below suddenly caught her attention. She glanced down at a wizened little man with curly grey hair who was bouncing on the balls of his surprisingly bare feet in excitement, the twinkle in his eyes betraying no signs of his true age. He didn't look too bad for an old Hobbit, Rosella thought, and she bowed low to him in respect.

"Hello," she greeted him. "May I ask what the occasion is for such fancy decorations?"

The Hobbit chuckled. "My dear, you've come just in time for my eleventy-first birthday party!"

"Wait...a birthday party?"

"Yes, yes! Now come! Make yourself comfortable!" the Hobbit cried, taking Rosella by the hand and leading her to a little wooden stool just close by the tree. Rosella beamed at him in thanks, but before she could sit the Hobbit held out his hand.

"I request that you hand me your weapons as well."

Rosella nodded again as she unclipped her sword from her belt, took out the dagger Syne dropped back in Narnia which she stowed in her backpack, and handed them to him without hesitation. "Oh, and I do have one more thing for you," she added, taking out the red package which she picked up at the bloodbath. It would have to do for his birthday gift.

The Hobbit chuckled as he took the package from Rosella's hands, slowly opening it to reveal a little diamond vial filled with amber liquid tied with a long brown string. Rosella gasped slightly as she recognized it; it was the gift Lucy Pevensie got from Father Christmas in the last book, which she used to heal the wounded after the Great War in Narnia.

"You recognize this?" he asked her gently.

Rosella nodded slowly, mortified at the fact she made a sound at all. "Yes. But you keep it, sir. It's your birthday gift, after all."

The Hobbit nodded as he tucked her present away in his pocket. "Thank you very much. And what is your name, dear?"

"Rosella Van Carter, sir," she introduced herself. "And you are...?"

"Bilbo Baggins of Bag End," he stated proudly, holding out a hand to her. "I do hope you enjoy the party."

Rosella nodded as she accepted his handshake. "I hope so too."

Soon, the other tributes began to arrive, going through the same procedure of giving up their weapons and being lead to a decent chair around the table. As everyone settled down, she noticed that she was seated—rather uncomfortably—between Kolya from the Capitol and Ashlyn Roxen of District 6. She nodded at them briefly before staring down at her plate, filled with seasoned brisket and mashed potatoes and a succotash of corn and peas and beans tossed in light olive oil. Glancing around, she noticed everyone digging in, and so she tentatively took a bite out of the brisket, the spicy and sweet flavours from the sauce enlivening her taste buds in a lively dance and the tender meat gently coating over her tongue before she had the sense to chew.

"Hey," she heard Ashlyn call out to her from her right. "Rosella, right?"

Rosella nodded as she faced her. "Yeah. You're...Ashlyn."

Ashlyn bobbed her head in agreement. "Don't you think this is a wonderful gathering so far?"

"I'm just surprised that the Gamemakers are giving us this chance to fill up on food," Rosella simply commented, her spoon set beside the mashed potatoes in her plate. "I remember in previous Games they wouldn't be so forgiving with such things. They would only help at the most desperate of times."

"It's nice for a change, actually. Best for us to fill ourselves before whatever comes next."

"Mm."

Rosella nodded again as she went back to her food and drink, being quite conscientious with her manners with every bite that disappeared into her mouth. Ashlyn's words mulled through her mind with each chew, and she couldn't help but wonder why the Gamemakers would specifically bring her and the other tributes here, in the middle of a birthday party, to eat their fill whilst being forced to talk to each other to match the lightness in the atmosphere. It seemed strange for everyone to be interacting on an equal level without trying to kill one another. But Rosella knew that in a banquet, a feast which didn't really call for a free-for-all, people had to be friendly in some way or another. A banquet wouldn't be a banquet without ease.

And so she decided to enjoy herself and her company as best she could, making light conversation with tributes around her. It was not until dessert, just as she was finishing her piece of birthday cake—a fluffy vanilla layer cake filled with assorted fresh fruits—when she finally lashed out, and all because of something that her other seat mate, Kolya, blurted out.

"It's a shame we could only get one slice."

As harmless as it sounded, it was rather infuriating. She rounded on the boy staring at his empty plate in disappointment, her furious glare piercing through him like a laser. "So you'd rather complain about the scarce amount of delicacies over your chances of survival, right?" she demanded him softly.

"Well, I beg your pardon, little miss know-it-all," Kolya snapped at her. "I'm from the Capitol; I know what luxuries to expect."

"So what exactly is it that you're implying?" Rosella demanded. "Consider the fact that none of us actually have the luxury to demand for delicacies, something you in the Capitol could afford. We're poorer than you, and we rarely go to parties like this. You think it's funny to make a statement like this? Who would benefit from that, anyway?"

Before Kolya could respond, Rosella locked her hands around his throat, gripping him tight as he began to gasp like a fish out of the water, his face slowly paling from lack of oxygen.

"You push the wrong buttons, you live your last day on earth," Rosella muttered. "Do I make myself clear?"

Kolya didn't have the chance to respond. The moment Rosella released him, he crumpled to the floor beside her, lying forever motionless on the ground.

The rest of the tributes stared at Rosella speechlessly, their mouths agape. There was a mixture of awe and hatred reflected in each tributes' wide eyes, but Rosella didn't care. She did what she had to do in the case of this boy offending not only her, but everyone else who had come from somewhere that was not the Capitol. They should be thankful, she thought; after all, she practically saved them from further humiliation, especially at the hands of someone so ignorant and stupid.

"Is everything alright there?" Bilbo called out unexpectedly from afar.

Rosella nodded as she kicked Kolya's body under the table, forcing herself to smile brightly despite the guilt stirring within her chest. "Yes sir. Thank you."

Bilbo chuckled as he went about the table clearing the plates away. Once he came across Kolya's plate, he frowned. "Wasn't a boy here sitting here just before?"

"Yes. He, uh...he just left," Rosella lied smoothly, praying that she didn't come off suspicious. Luckily, he seemed to believe her as he picked up her plates and Ashlyn's as well, going all around the table until the last piece of silverware was taken away.

Ignoring all the other tributes who grumbled as they stood from their seats (except for Esther, she noticed, who was given a throne to sit in unlike everyone else), Rosella went over to help Bilbo wash all the dishes by the clear sparkling river located just a little ways away from the party.

"Thank you very much for the feast," Rosella told him with a smile, dunking her hands in the cool refreshing water. "It was very satisfying."

"It was no trouble, Rosella," Bilbo assured her. "I had hosted parties for greater crowds before, so preparing this for you was a piece of cake."

"I see." Rosella nodded thoughtfully as she finished washing the last plate, drying it well before handing it to him.

"Thank you for helping out, Rosella," the old Hobbit said. "Speaking of which, I do have something for you."

From the inner folds of his tunic he withdrew a ring—a simple old-fashioned gold ring with some sort of foreign inscription deeply etched in the metal band. Tied to the ring was a piece of parchment with only five words written on it in an elegant script.

Take me for eternal power.

Now where had she heard that before? Rosella frowned as she recalled the White Witch--Queen Jadis--back in Narnia offering her something similar to this. She remembered the tale of the One Ring, the same one that Bilbo held in his hand. Once long ago, a man, now referred to as Gollum, had murdered his brother to take the power of the ring for himself. The corruption of the ring's magic over time made everyone doubt the ring's true purpose, for it turned people inexplicably towards the dark side. Taking the ring would only put her in greater danger. After all, this ring was the one people had been searching for many generations to permanently destroy—to stop its dark magic once and for all.

So she shook her head. "Thank you, Bilbo. I appreciate it, but...I have a feeling you'll need it more than I."

This seemed to disappoint Bilbo slightly, but he simply nodded. "I understand. You're a good girl, Rosella—you've got a great journey ahead of you. I sincerely hope you'll return from your quest alive."

"Don't worry, Bilbo. I know I will," Rosella assured him with a light laugh.

Bilbo smiled and stood up, walking towards another tree where a huge bag rested near its trunk. He withdrew Rosella's weapons from it and handed them to her, along with a black book with red letters on the cover.

"I have been instructed to give this to you too," he told her. "I bid you a safe and happy journey, wherever the path of life may lead you."

"Thank you. I wish you every success as well," Rosella murmured, bowing to the Hobbit before walking away from the river. She wasted no time in opening the book to its first page.

There was a new adventure already waiting for her.

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District 5 Female: Esther Tehnos

USED AUTOMATIC NINE.

  Esther stepped into the world of the Hobbits, sharing faked-jolly conversation with tributes around her. When she was presented with her ring, a diamond glittering with the golden rays of the sun, she refused it. For, curses were always weaved into blessings, hidden until they struck.   

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District 7 Female: Aspen Kinsley

Aspen Kinsley feared as she dared.

She was a girl of defiance, but also a young bird who was afraid all the same. Every moment inside the arena was spent in fear of what was around the corner. Each second dragged on in time, and as time passed, the iron bars of her prison only grew stronger. The size of the space shrunk, but Aspen did not. Her wings were still imprisoned inside her back with nowhere to roam free, and nowhere to soar the winds of possibility. She was trapped, and she knew she would forever be. But she dared as much as she feared, and that meant continuing on anyway for the sake of a victory.

Victory.

Perhaps that was the reason why she tried. It coaxed her forward, like a hypnotist's chain. It gave her something to look forward to, a goal to accomplish. It was the reason why she wasn't dead yet. She knew that every day began with the break of dawn, even if the day was filled with blood and gore. It would always end with the bright shine of the moon, casting its glow upon the land below. She had a future to look forward to, a shimmering future of victory. And victory always came power, and with power, Aspen could reach her true potential.

Even though she did not like the silence which had fallen upon her surroundings, Aspen continued forward. Keeping the book she had found in the wardrobe secured, she fell into step, exiting the room. It was as if she was leaving a palace of ice and was entering a world of sunshine. The temperatures rocketed, but she didn't take a moment to enjoy the warmth.

She preferred the cold.

The feeling of blades of ice on her skin gave her a sense of comfort, and she found solace in the way the imaginary knives of freezing iron dragged across her skin. But she tried to ignore the fact that this wasn't her strong suit as she examined her surroundings. After all, the more difficult the challenges, the more valuable the victory.

Aspen's surroundings burst with emerald green, and the blue which colored the sky was bright. Clouds danced across the sky like wisps of white amidst the blue, like the foam of the waves mixing with the blue of the water of the sea. The sun cast its glimmering glow across the flourishing grass, and the gold of its rays settled upon the lively hues of the vivid colors. She glanced behind her as she realized that the door she had come through was circular on this side. It was inside of hill, almost as if someone lived inside of it.

It was all so strange.

Walking forward, Aspen stepped forward on the winding path of dirt in front of her. She followed it as it descended down the hill, her eyes darting around her with each step in caution. When she reached the bottom, she glanced up at the tall tree in front of her. Its trunk was huge in width, displaying its old age and wisdom. Its branches spread out overhead like a canopy, creating a large area of cool shade. They swayed slightly in the gentle breeze, dancing to the soft but beautiful music of nature. It stood high, like it was reaching for the joyous sky of blue above. An abundant array of leaves gave the tree a final touch, showing off with a lush green glow.

Continuing down the path, Aspen saw a number of glorious lights hanging in celebration and adorning the bark of trees. Tables sat on the sides, filled with all types of food. Just a little ways off was a large banner on which "Happy Birthday Bilbo Baggins" was written in bright lettering. It was a rather glorious place bursting with color and celebration, but it was missing something, or rather someone. There was no sign of life; there were no people.

All was silent.

Aspen closed her eyes as her heart sped, and she tried to control her breathing. She was not her sister; she would not fall prey to silence's reign. She would rule over it with her power, the power she was sure to get after her victory. And finding victory meant holding power over others. It meant finding the weaknesses of others and using it to their advantage. Lost in her own thoughts of boosting her own self esteem, she didn't notice the short man who had approached her.

"Miss? Excuse me, miss," Aspen's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a lot of curly hair. Looking down, she realized that the short man's feet were rather large, much more than normal. Tightly gripping the small knife she had found in the snowy place of wonder she had been in before, she took a step back. "I'll have to take that away from you. Protocol," he said.

Aspen's thoughts wandered to the possibility of encountering other tributes. They'd easily be able to kill her without her knife, but if she didn't give it up, she was sure the gamemakers would not approve. They wouldn't be so kind afterwards. Reluctantly, she released her grip on the handle as she twirled the blade dangerously in between her fingertips. Like the blades on ice, a dancer's skates, they spun with grace. It was almost as elegant as a swan's wings. Using her fingers to stop the rotation, she hesitantly handed the knife to the man. He slipped into the folds of his clothes before nodding. "Follow me."

It was serene, too much for Aspen's liking.

The peace that seemed to be everywhere she looked fueled her hatred, but she did not waste any time before following the man. She definitely didn't want any angry gamemakers on her tail. The man led her to a seat, one of the eighteen which surrounded a large table, before walking away. Probably to escort yet another tribute. Glancing down, Aspen noticed a small stack of notecards on the rather hard wood of her chair. Picking them up, she read through the questions which were written in a neat and fancy penmanship.

Esther Tehnos- What do you think your brother will feel if you don't make it home?

Ashlyn Roxen- Don't you think your mother's death is your fault? How do you live with yourself after such a crime?

There were a number of questions for different tributes, and Aspen knew that this was an advantage. It was a gift from the Capitol, a sponsor, and she knew she wouldn't let them down. This was the perfect present because it would help find the weaknesses of the tributes around her. If you knew your enemy's weaknesses, you could easily emerge victorious. Once Aspen found her victory, she would be able to hold so much more power. After all, that was the reason she was here.

As Aspen lost herself in her thoughts, she didn't notice as the tributes spilled into the area like a ink, taking their own seats in front of their plate of food. Only when the girl from Five sat down next to her did she wake from all the possibilities of her imagination.

"Aspen Kinsley, District Seven, isn't it?" The girl spoke in a rather joyful tone. Aspen nodded cautiously; this girl was smarter than she had given her credit for.

"Esther, I believe?" Aspen responded, leaving her plate untouched. She didn't feel too hungry right then. The girl gave her a bright smile as she nodded.

"Yes!" Esther paused before continuing. "I do suppose we should be conversing now, so shall we?" Aspen gave yet another careful nod. This girl seemed to be a bit too happy, especially for these Games.

"I'll ask a question then," Esther paused as if to be deep in concentration. "Do you have any siblings back home?" The question was so simple it surprised Aspen.

"I have a brother back home, and well, I had a sister." It came as a surprise to Aspen that she didn't feel anything stir inside of her at her own words. Had she truly not loved her sister? She had thought she had.

But Aspen really didn't know what to think of herself anymore.

"Oh, I'm so very sorry. I didn't mean to- nevermind. I have a brother as well," Esther responded. Aspen nodded as she remembered the note cards. This was the perfect opportunity!

"Tell me about him. What do you think he'll feel if you don't make it back home?" Aspen asked. Esther glanced away, to the sky. Her eyes seemed to glaze over slightly as if she was entering a different world. They shone brighter, but with a type of sorrow weaved within them

"He'll hate me forever, and I'll never ever forgive myself," Esther whispered. Her voice was soft and almost inaudible, and her eyes looked pained. She felt true emotion, and as Aspen stared into her soft caramel-colored eyes, she saw the sibling love Esther felt for her brother. To break it would be such a sin. As Aspen saw the grief in the girl's eyes, she knew that she'd never be able to kill anyone who felt so much. It hurt her to even think about it.

Aspen felt something, a pang at her heart.

She left Esther at that, glancing to her other side at the boy who had sat down when she been in conversation with the girl who loved her brother dearly. She dropped the note cards on the ground, and she didn't bother to watch the paper scatter across the dirt. They didn't help, they only made it worse. Instead, she used her own words to talk to the boy. She spoke politely in their conversation and she even laughed. Her laugh hadn't been a fake one.

Asking the questions to the tributes didn't give Aspen more power like she thought it would. It made her feel something inside of her, a small stir of an emotion she hadn't felt in a while. She didn't know what it was, but she did know that the way the others had spoken made her realize just how much it hurt. She felt their pain, and she didn't like it. With all that in mind, one question rose to the top, fluttering with the delicacy of a butterfly inside of her.

If power brings all this pain, is power what I truly want?

When a ring of gold was presented to her along with a note, she didn't bother to read it. She knew exactly what the gamemakers were doing. They were trying to give her power; they were trying to give her a victory. She didn't want any of it; she didn't care about it at all.

Power brought pain, and pain was what Aspen Kinsley didn't want.

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District 11 Male: Shadow Thantoes Morte 

My feet calmly took me forward... Ever forward through a small pathway leading toward the faint gleam of light. Where have they taken us now? I stared down at the black book gripped tightly in my hand. I felt the soft leather cover and brought it to my gray eyes inspecting it. My thumb graced over the gold title. Lord of The Rings, huh. Quiet an interesting book. I gingerly opened the novel looking over its pages. They were a thick glossy substance, I loved the feelings of books. While it was rare for such a low district like mine to ever posses such an amenity occasionally my hands rapped themselves around a water damaged tattered piece of literary masterpiece.My eyes fell upon one particular page and they shifted though it stopping at one certain line: ''I thought up an ending for my book. 'And he lives happily ever after, till the end of his days.'""I wonder if I'll be able to survive and find that happy ever after," I mumbled faintly under my breath.A circular yellowish-gray door came into view. I gripped the small sliver handle feeling the coolness of the metal as I haltingly turned it bringing me to face to face with open air and clear skies. I brought my body through the circular passageway and came into contact with the calming breeze and soft sunlight shinning over head. My eyes surveyed the area examine what our next location possessed and the hopes of finding a tribute one might bring to a swift demise. The area seems quiet barren of any life besides the soft grass covering the ground. A small tan gravel path jutted out from where I was standing leading me forward on a descending trajectory. Taking the initiative that other tributes ahead of me may have taken this route my feet gradually started to bring themselves forward. Hehe follow the tan gravel rode. Just like Dorothy.As my feet continue walk along the path of suddenly makes an almost u-shape. The curve in the road taking me on a further descent down, down, down, to the hill's bottom. In front of me stood a humongous conifer rising high into the sky. The immensity of the tree gave off a air. Nature always has such beauty and majesty. I admired the evergreen for some minutes until I stood right in front of it gracing my finger tips over the hefty trunk.My eyes shift around beholding the sight of festivities. Lights draped around the pathway in varying shades of color. In the distance blueish-gray tables and chairs all placed in a line forming an eating area with plates in front of each chair. A meal rested on each plate full of scrumptious looking delicacies. I drew near to the feast a sign over-head with big black letters against a white background written in cursive spelling, "Happy Birthday Bilbo Baggins!" Silence filled the air as my feet slowly trudged along the gravel floor. An eeriness filled the place. If this is a party... Why is there no one here? The chairs were all still neatly placed in front of their meals, each meal remains untouched and steam rising from each signifying each was still warm. One.. Two.. Three... Eighteen chairs in all. Originally there had been more six chairs laying in ruins at the far end. What happened to cause the devastation?A delicate touch to my shoulder turned me around to a little creature resembling that of a human but not the same. A hobbit. His feet large and covered in dark brown curls. His hair matched that of feet being long unkept mess of brown curls. He raised his hand beckoning me to follow a warm soft smile on his peach lips. I followed him vigilantly the hilt of my Ax still gripped tightly around my long boney pale fingers. He glanced at the weapon and turned around facing me. A frown formed, and he reached his hand out, "Weapons are not allowed in the shire Shadow Morte. All weapons will be confiscated." I looked at him dryly taking in the words that spilled from his lips. You're doing this just to take away my security aren't you. With a sigh I released my grip from the Ax handing it to the shorter man. He smiled turning around and continuing in his ginger walk to the table. I followed and soon found myself sitting alone at the far end. I was sitting alone in front of a plate of mouthwatering food. My fingers curled themselves around a silver fork and it slowly began to rise from the cedar table. A mess of block locks and sharp never filled blue eyes came walking up to me. My gray eyes met the ice orbs locked within his skull and he smirked at me. His small boney frame planted itself next to me on the uncomfortable chairs. The shorter male glanced over the meal situated in front of him and breathed in the heavenly aroma. A look of satisfaction appeared on his agile face and his hand slowly reached for the plate situated in front of him. Six, this may be the Hunger Games but we don't have to act like animals whenever we find ourselves around food.His hands rapped themselves around the lean meat places on the corner of his plate. He slurped up the tender meat and gulped it down in one fell swoop. I rolled my eyes at his bad dinner table manners. Boys like this give men like me a bad name. Unhurriedly I pick up my fork and take a bite of the scrumptious well done steak on my plate. How did they know I love stake? The tantalizing flavor sent spoke waves through my mouth and a smile crept its way to my lips the warm saliva of my tongue running along them. My fork sunk into the meat and my knife slowly started to carve out another slab of deliciousness. My eyes roved around the festivities and the chairs slowly had begun to fill with the people I so wanted to chuck my knife into. The annoying Hobbits words echoed through my Brian stem and prevented me from acting on my desires, "'Weapons are not allowed in the shire Shadow Morte. All weapons will be confiscated.'" Don't go putting yourself in danger Shadow, you can easily kill these corpses later.Before my gray orbs could return to my meal two pinnacles of elegance, the females, were brought to the other side of me and the animal devouring his food like a lion finally finding prey in the wild savanna.The older, and taller of the two girls seemed like quite a beauty, dark blue eyes long brownish red locks cascading down her thing but lean body. Her pale cheeks a cute rosy tint with freaked dotting them. A red streak of dried blood ran across her cheek showing off the battle scars already experienced by the young women. Yet the misfortune of the situation we found ourselves in a sense of happiness, even pleasure was evident in her eyes and warm smile. Nine might have provided a worthy tribute this year, at least one pleasurable for the Capitol to watch die.Next to her stood a much shorter and younger female. Is she even old enough to be in these Games? She looked like a eight or nine year old. So small and so fragile, bones that could be crushed to dust particles in one fell swoop. A fragile smile disappeared entirely from her face replaced by a fearfully expression and stepping closer to the older boy standing next to her. Bright green eyes stared into the teens eyes and he starred back whispering something. After inaudible words were uttered to one another, the young Capitol sweet heart timidly made her way to the empty seat next to the one Elize now sat in. Her friend was then led away to a different seat leaving the girl with us alone and hugging herself tight. Tears started to brim against her lids.I gave her a small smile but all she could do to keep herself from crying proved to be staring fixated at the dirt ground. Her small feet paddled against the dirt and soon found her plasters in another uncomfortable chair. She shifted slightly and her green eyes examined the table. "Hey little one!" I uttered quietly.She looked up at me with an uncertain gaze, "H-hi."Eliza smirked and pushes Nadia off the chair making the girl fall. Nadia blushed and climbed back on to her chair. I eyed the older female, "Why would you do that?"She changed her smirk to a warm smile and made her face look entirely innocent, "I did nothing wrong. I'm just messing around with the Capitol female, she was the one to fall on her own."I rolled my eyes and turned back to my food taking another bite, "Maybe you should go back to your food before I pop you in the mouth."Her smile faded, and she looked down at her food without another word. The little twelve-year-old looked up slightly meeting my eyes and smiled weakly mouthing a slow thank you. Devin looked at the two of us blue orbs shifting from one to the other and the first words I liked read since interviews spilled from his lips, "Why don't you two either eat or go make out with each other." I raised the middle finger under the table and looked away from Nadia. Bitch you are at the top of my list for who I kill now. Devin I will have your heart on a stick. I looked at the young girl one more time and smiled softly as we both looked back down at our individual plates. After the food was cleaned from my plate and my stomach felt like it was about to burst a soft tap on my shoulder sent me whirling around to find only thin air. What the fuck was that? Am I feeling things? A bewildered expression formed on my face and I turned back around to my empty plate. Well I guess no longer empty. A beautiful gold ring lay in the middle of the plate. A small note attached to the ring by a blue string. I tugged the note free and looked over the note carefully and throughly. In big bold letters spelled the words written on the paper read, "If You Take The Ring, you will relieve it's benefits, addiction, and most consequential disadvantage- the ring in unpredictable. Don't take it and you will stay the same."Hmmm a truly dangerous ring. I shifted the shiny metal back and often between my fingertips staring at it. Do I really want to have something that could bring me harm? I already have eighteen tributes that are sat on doing that. Gray eyes took in the beauty of the gold giving off a need to take the ring that coursed through my veins. But, it says it has benefits. I looked up at the hobbit standing behind Nadia and a smirk laced his hairy face. Another test... I sat the ring down and wrapped my arms around each other in a crossed stance. I'm not taking the confounded ring. It's gonna come back and bite me in the butt.