━━･❪ 🌸 ❫ ･━━

It was funny how different Caelum and Theron's approaches were. Theron, dressed in a multicolored glimmering vest, impressed the crowd immediately, spinning once on his heels before plopping down on the interviewee's seat. He spurred the audience on with smooth words, contagious smiles and witty jokes that made even the other tributes start chuckling. He was a fan favorite, no doubt about it. Perhaps the most well-liked from the non-Career districts by far.

Caelum was considerably more mellow, unable to keep himself from fidgeting with the giant white rose blooming from his chest pocket. He responded with answers that were real and unarmed, tugging at heartstrings as the amiable bookworm who'd been thrust into a world of bloodshed and violence. Even Daphne felt compelled to hug him senseless after that.

After the interviews were over, thank goodness, Daphne felt an urgent need to get out of her dress. Wash her face clean of the suffocating layers of makeup and just feel normal once more in her soon-to-be-ended life. She rushed back up to the Tribute Tower and into her room so fast that the others probably thought she'd drank too much water earlier.

As she stood in the overly luxurious shower, something bitter crept into the pits of her stomach. The interviews were the last event before the Games actually started. And now, the interviews were over. Tomorrow, she'll be in the arena.

The shower water seemed to go cold as she buried her face into her hands. Tonight could possibly be her last. Definitely her last sleeping in a nice bed, on relatively peaceful terms with her fellow tributes.

She forced herself to swallow dinner after she finished halfheartedly washing up, the food that she'd come to enjoy now feeling dry and tasteless in her throat. First thing in the morning tomorrow, the tributes would be getting ready to enter the arena. The mentors and escorts would be gone, up at the Games Headquarters.

Daphne excused herself from the dinner table early, unable to stomach another bite. She stumbled back into her room, then promptly vomited on the lush carpet before her. An Avox hurried inside, alerted probably by her hurling noises, and the mess was gone within minutes.

Daphne sat on the floor, back against the bed, and stared at the wall for who knows how long.

The door opened gently after a while. Soft footsteps padded into the room. She didn't have to look to know that it was Theia.

Theia took a seat beside Daphne on the ground, holding two cups of steaming, sweet smelling liquid. She offered Daphne one, which she numbly accepted. Daphne glanced down at the cup, warm against her skin, then at Theia. "Is this hot chocolate?"

Theia nodded with a smile, then took a sip. Daphne followed suit, savoring the way it burned her throat on the way down. They'd had hot chocolate occasionally at home, whenever they'd get lucky at the market. She remembered cold winter nights with Esther, Rourke and Aedon, sitting by the fire with the sweet drinks, laughing about anything and everything. It had been just Esther, Rourke and Daphne since five years ago. Now, it would just be Esther and Rourke.

"Thank you," Daphne said, her voice barely a hoarse whisper.

"Of course," Theia replied gently, and they sat and sipped their cups in silence for a good amount of time. Eventually, Theia reached out and wrapped Daphne in a hug. It took all Daphne's willpower not to break down and sob against her.

"I'm so proud of you, Daphne." She said softly. "And I know he is too. Believe in yourself, do not lose hope. You can do this, and just remember, I'm with you every step of the way. So is he, so are your family. It's been an honor to be your mentor, Daphne."

"Thank you," Daphne repeated over and over. "Thank you for everything."

Theia had to leave soon to make some last minute preparations for her trip to the Headquarters. As she was exiting the room, she turned back, her brown eyes brimming with pride. "Do not lose hope," she said, and that was the last Daphne saw of her.

A little while later, Daphne found herself riding the elevator. The glass doors slid open, and a warm breeze swept inside. She stepped out onto the rooftop, where a small garden resided, bursting with flowers of all shapes and sizes.

The flowers weren't what she came up here for. She craned her head back, a small smile spreading across her face at the sight of hundreds of stars peppering the night sky. Immediately, she picked out several constellations, and it was like she could breathe a bit more easily. The ache in her chest eased the slightest bit.

It was nothing like the hill back home, where she had an unobscured view of the galaxy above. Here, city lights drowned out a good amount of lesser stars, and the noise of cars and people down below didn't quite have the same tranquil atmosphere. But it was the best she could do, and she just wanted to see the stars one last time before all hell broke loose.

Daphne did a double take when she realized she wasn't entirely alone up on the roof. A lithe figure was standing by the railing at the edge, gazing out at the city below.

She approached him, her footsteps near silent on the tiled floor. His forest green eyes lit with mild surprise as she stood beside him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Daphne said, gesturing to the view of the city, of the stars.

"In a sick sort of way." Caelum muttered. His gaze was fixed on the festive pedestrians down below. "How can they be so happy? So happy when we're... here?"

I don't know. The ghost of the words were on Daphne's tongue, but instead, she leaned ever so slightly closer. She lifted her attention from the people below back up to the night sky, watching the stars twinkle and gleam, peeking through despite the darkness. Caelum must've noticed her watching the sky, for he too tipped his head back.

"Did you know you were named after a constellation?" Daphne said after a bit. "Caelum; the chisel. The eighth faintest pattern in the sky."

A low chuckle escaped from his lips. "I did, actually. My parents were planning to name me Orion, the mighty hunter. I never knew why they changed it to the chisel."

"You chisel away at people's defenses." Daphne said, half joking. You chipped away at my heart and found a way in, and you've been there ever since.

"Hopefully that'll be good starting tomorrow." He replied wryly. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Time stretched on before he spoke again.

"Daphne, I'm sorry."

Her gaze turned from the stars to his face. There was sincerity in his voice, tinged with something like regret. Her heart began to pound.

"For what?"

"You know what."

With that, he turned away, heading back towards the elevator. Daphne watched him go, wondering if she should ask him to stay. The words were lodged in her throat. Instead, as the elevator doors were closing, she said, "Good luck, Caelum."

Through the glass, his lips formed the shape of words.

You too.

She stayed up on the roof for a while after that, losing herself in the stars. A single teardrop trickled down her cheek.

***

The sharp pain of the needle pulled Daphne briefly out of the numbness she'd been in the entire morning. She was on the hovercraft, heading for the arena, the place where she would ultimately meet her gruesome, painful end. And now, they've just injected her with a tracker so the Capital would know her exact whereabouts when that end came.

The ride was only about half an hour, the windows covered to keep the location of the arena secret. Daphne never actually understood the point of that. What were they afraid of? The one tribute who makes it out alive to return and burn the place down?

Daphne had been so clocked out this morning she could barely stomach breakfast, though she forced food down her throat since she needed all the energy she could get. Everything tasted like gravel.

Down in the catacombs beneath the arena, Marv was assisting Daphne with final preparations. Daphne cleaned herself, and Marv helped put her hair in a half-up style so that the locks would still fall over her shoulders, but not obscure her field of vision.

Marv then helped Daphne into her arena outfit. It was the same for all tributes, different every year. She found herself in a fitted gray long-sleeve, a black leather vest on top of it, and dark pants secured with a belt and flexible, sturdy boots.

It was almost time. Daphne turned to Marv, her stylist's violet eyes glimmering with bittersweet pride. This was the woman who had made Daphne an angel on a chariot, giving a rose to the boy beside her. She made Daphne a living embodiment of the night sky, a sister dress to her brother's suit. She made Daphne a méihuā, a beacon of hope to come in the Games.

Daphne hugged her tight. "Thank you, Marv."

Marv's gentle hands squeezed her one last time. "May the odds be ever in your favor, Daphne." She released her, then touched the plum blossom hanging around Daphne's neck. Marv took Daphne's hands, folding her fingers over the pendant.

It was time for the launch. As Daphne stepped into the clear cylinder, the doors sliding shut and plunging her into a strange sort of quiet, her entire essence seemed to be shaking. Her hands still clutched her pendant.

Hope. Xīwàng.

I can do this. For Aedon.

For Mom. For Dad. For Barley. For Lysa and Tobe and everyone I left behind.

The cylinder began to rise. Daphne locked eyes with Marv until her stylist was out of sight, and she was plunged into darkness for the next few heartbeats.

The sunlight blinded Daphne as she arose in the arena, and it took her eyes a second before they adjusted. A cool breeze brushed against her cheek. Her heart thudded like a drum in her ears.

Something fierce replaced the terror in her veins. It hummed and buzzed, ceasing her shaking. She lifted her chin high, releasing her pendant and squaring her shoulders.

Whatever was to come, she would give the damn Gamemakers proof that they would not take her hope away. She would charge towards whatever challenge they threw at her, guns blazing and screaming for war.

Let the Games begin.

━━･❪ 🌸 ❫ ･━━

A/N: WASSUP GUYS!! We've reached the end of Part 1.... hehe things are boutta get interesting now that the Games have started

Anyways my school year has started so I'm switching my posting schedule to just Saturdays and Sundays, since Friday mornings I am now gonna be dying in spanish class instead of being able to post new chapters

but yeah thanks for sticking with me this far! Part 2 coming right up >:D