“So, after that incredibly clever stunt by Otto from District 7, we’re down to the final eight, which means we get to meet the families of all the tributes! I always love this part, personally. We get a sense of how the kids became the way they are from their parents and siblings. Now, whose families do you think will be most interesting, Venus?”

 “Well, Claudius. I think our District 7 tributes this year are simply fascinating. I’d love to see what sort backgrounds Otto and Riley come from. And Elianna too. How did she get so shy? Perhaps her parents are introverts too?”

 “There’s only one way to find out, I guess. Tune in later for the interview sessions with me, Claudius Templesmith, and my lovely assistant, Venus Swift!”

 There was applause from the live studio as I switched back to watching Riley. Otto had left the rest of the Career pack, clearly deciding that to be alone was a better option for him, especially as they were down to the final eight. The way things were working out, it was going to be a very short set of games, but most likely action packed for the audience. Milo was doing well, able to walk around now without Riley’s help. Elianna had come out of her shell a little, laughing along with the other two as they huddled together for warmth.

 “I think maybe we should move from here,” Elianna said seriously that day “We’re low on water supplies. We need to find a source.”

 “That makes sense,” Riley said “Are you up for it, Milo?”

 “Me? I’m ready for anything,” he said with a grin.

 “Great. Should we move now?” Riley asked, addressing Elianna.

 “Now is as good a time as any. Come on.”

 They set off walking in the early evening, and I spent the whole time panicking over whether they might cross paths with other tributes. I knew Otto wasn’t far from them, and after seeing him get both Summer and Cassia killed at once, I didn’t doubt he could take on the three of them. Especially as Riley was reckless and Milo still weak. It was late night when they reached something unusual. There was a tree, much larger than the others, with more sturdy branches and a thicker trunk. Riley ran over to it, touching it carefully. Though it bore no leaves and was black as soot, there was something intriguing about the tree.

 “I wanna stop here for a while,” Riley declared. The finger she’d touched the tree with came back covered in black.

 “Are you sure? It’s kind of creepy.”

 “It’s interesting,” Riley corrected “I want to do some investigation.”

 “Alright,” Elianna said, shrugging the bag off her back and dumping it on the floor wearily “I’m gonna find some water, OK? If there is any nearby. Maybe I can hunt too.”

 “OK, sure,” Riley said, hugging her quickly “Stay safe.”

 Elianna buried her face in Riley’s hair, smiling. There was something maternal about the way she held Riley, as though she was her own flesh and blood “I will,” she whispered, before scurrying off into the woods with her bow and arrow.

 “Why are you so interested in the tree?” Milo asked. Riley had her nose pressed to the trunk, sniffing it.

 “Because there’s something about it. I like things that are out of the ordinary, and this happens to be one of them.” Quick as a flash, she scrambled up the tree, crawling along a branch and snapping a small twig from the end of it. She ran it through her fingers, and the black of it stained her skin.

 “It’s like…hmm…I dunno…maybe we’re near District 13,” she mumbled to herself.

 “What makes you say that?” Milo asked. Riley didn’t answer straight off, tucking her legs over the branch and hanging upside down from it like a bat.

 “The toxic bombs wiped out the whole District, didn’t they? Maybe that’s why the trees are barren. And covered in this black stuff,” she said, rubbing it between her fingers. Her hair almost touched the floor as she hung, and Milo grinned at her.

 “You have that black stuff on your nose,” he said, reaching to wipe it. Riley grinned mischievously and wiped her hands on Milo’s face.

 “So do you, it seems,” she teased. She sat back up, dangling her legs and looking out at the pitch black sky. Fishing in her pocket, she brought out her lighter, flicking it on. It was a habit she’d got into since arriving in the arena. I think she was not only glad for the break it gave her from the dark, but fascinated by the flame. She ran her dirt stained fingers over the flame, playing with the fire as Milo wiped the black stuff off his face.

 “Come and sit with me,” she said. Milo clambered up the tree trunk and sidled up next to Riley. She rested her head on his shoulder and I watched him put an arm around her. I grinned to myself.

 “Ahh, young love,” Antonia said, flopping beside me on my bed with a bowl of soup in her hand and a ribbon tied in her hair. She’d just finished collecting sponsors for the day “If only they weren’t in an arena which is impossible to escape without one of them dying.”

 “Ever the optimist, Antonia.”

 “Well it’s true,” she said with a shrug. Milo was rubbing circles in Riley’s back comfortingly.

 “What do you miss most about home?” Milo asked her.

 “I miss my family. I imagine them at home now, watching me. And it makes me feel better, somehow. Knowing that Jordan…Flora…Maia and Max…they’re all waiting for me to come home. And then Arrian and Antonia…they’re helping collect sponsors, I know they are.”

 “You consider them your family?” Milo asked.

 “They’re as much family as my real brothers and sisters,” Riley said. I felt warm and Antonia smiled as she sipped at her soup.

 “What do you miss?” Riley asked.

 “Everything. I miss my family too. But at the same time, if I hadn’t come to the Capitol…” He trailed off, taking a deep breath and moving a strand of hair from Riley’s face “I wouldn’t have met you.”

 Riley didn’t seem to have anything to say, and I chuckled, amused that she was unable to handle Milo’s romantic gestures. Feeling as though I was invading their privacy, though half of Panem was watching them, I switched the channel back to the family interviews. I’d switched it on just in time to see Elianna’s family arriving on the stage. Leading them was a large bald man with a moustache and a hard face, his tall, thin wife following behind him as they walked onto the stage. Tagging along a few metres behind was a young boy with tears streaming down his face as he followed miserably. The small group of observers applauded as Venus shook hands with all members of the family.

 “So tell us. You’re from District 4. What work do you do there?”

 The father answered in a series of grunts and shrugs, the mother using a high pitched voice and elaborate movements as she told Venus that they worked on fishing boats. The boy stayed silent, other than his mournful snuffles. If I looked closely, I swore I could see a bruise on his face under all the stage makeup.

 “I don’t like them,” Antonia commented bluntly. “He’s too sombre, she’s too fake and the kid is so distressed, I’d adopt him right now if I could, just to get him away from them. It’s no wonder Elianna is such a mess, is it?”

 I chewed my lip as a squeaky peal of laughter came from the mouth of Elianna’s mother. I wondered what things were like for Elianna and her brother at home. Behind the fake smiles of the mother and the cold responses of the father, there was something wrong with that family. As they left the stage, I made a mental note to find out more when the Games were over.

 Milo’s family was very large. Aside from his parents, he had five siblings, all with hair as red as his own. The eldest, a girl the same age as Milo, looked very similar to him, and I discovered that they were in fact twins. Milo’s mother was a large, portly woman, and so it surprised me to see tears streaming down her cheeks.

 “We just want our baby to get home,” she said, wiping her eyes “He holds us all together. He works so hard, helps us all out. We can’t live without him.”

 “Now that wasn’t fake,” Antonia said quietly. We watched Milo’s family for a few more minutes before they left the stage, Milo’s father comforting his mother. Then it was Riley’s family taking to the stage, all four of her siblings clinging to one another. The eldest, Jordan, was dark and handsome, his jaw lined with stubble. None of them looked like Riley, really, but it was nice to get an image of what her family looked like. They sat on the couch, Jordan in between the two girls and Max propped on his knee.

 “It’s lovely to meet you!” Venus said, shaking Jordan’s hand and waving friendlily at the children.

 “And you,” Jordan replied politely, his voice low and gruff. After quick introductions, Venus began with the questions.

 “So tell us. How are things at home without Riley?”

 “Not good, really. We miss her a lot. But everyone in the District has been really supportive, helping us continue without her, you know? I just hope that she can come home,” Jordan said.

 “We have this tradition in the District too. There is a huge tree near the Mayor’s house, and every year, people take ribbons and tie them to the branches. It’s a sort of symbol of hope. We chose red ribbon. It reminds us of her hair and her fiery heart. The tree is filled with ribbons now,” Maia said.

 “That’s a lovely gesture,” Venus said, patting Maia’s knee with a smile.

 “But there’s nobody to tell bedtime stories anymore,” Max whispered, his thumb lodged in his mouth. Silence filled the air for a moment, the audience struck by the young boy’s sentence, his voice bursting with emotion.

 “What sort stories did she tell you, Max?” Venus asked softly.

 “She told us stories about dragons and mermaids and brave knights, set in imaginary worlds. She made  it really real, and she had different voices for all the characters. And she would always tell Maia that she was the magical fairy of them all. She’d say that Flora was the most beautiful mermaid, and Jordan the handsomest prince in the land. And then she’d always promise me that I was the bravest knight in all the kingdoms. But I don’t believe that.”

 “Why not?”

 “Because…because Riley is the bravest knight,” Max whispered. My eyes stung with tears and Antonia sniffed beside me. I couldn’t bear to watch any longer, switching the screen back to Riley and Milo. Antonia stood up, untying her ribbon from her hair as she made her way onto my balcony. I followed her outside and she tied the ribbon onto the railings. Capitol people in the streets were watching the interview, and stared at us as we made our own gesture of hope. Antonia’s ribbon blew in the wind as she took my hand.

 “Come  home Riley,” we whispered in unison “Come home.”

Sugar butties, this chapter is awful. I'll make sure to edit it more when I have the time. But I hope you like it anyway! I've decided I won't be entering this into the Watty Awards, simply because I don't believe I will finish it in time, and fanfiction is the most popular genre, so I doubt I'd have a chance. But I will be entering Stripes, my dystopian story, as long as I finish it on time. If you get the chance, please check it out and let me know what you think! Love you all <3