I slowly rise up from bed and make my way to the living room, where Octavia is waiting for me. She hands me a piece of paper. I raise my eyebrow.

"The tribute names.", Octavia says. "I thought you might want to know them."
"Oh, thanks.", I reply.
I read the list, with Octavia's cursive handwriting:

𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟣 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝒯𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒞𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓉
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟣 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝒪𝓅𝒶𝓁 𝒜𝓇𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟤 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝒮𝒸𝓎𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝑜𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝓈
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟤 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝒢𝓁𝒶𝒹𝒾𝒶 𝒮𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟥 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝒟𝒶𝓉𝒶𝓃 𝐼𝓃𝑔𝓇𝒾𝒹
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟥 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝒮𝑜𝒻𝒾𝒶 𝒪𝓁𝓈𝑒𝓃
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟦 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝒞𝑜𝓃𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝒞𝑜𝒽𝑒𝓃
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟦 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝑀𝒶𝑔𝓈 𝐹𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒶𝑔𝒶𝓃
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟧 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝐸𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝑀𝒶𝓅𝓁𝑒
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟧 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝐿𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓉𝒶 𝒢𝓇𝒶𝓎
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟨 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝒮𝓉𝑒𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓇 𝐻𝒶𝓌𝓀
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟨 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝑅𝒶𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝓈𝑒
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟩 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝐵𝒾𝓇𝒸𝒽 𝒲𝒾𝓁𝓀𝒾𝓃𝓈
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟩 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝒞𝒶𝓇𝒹𝒶𝓂𝑜𝓃 𝒫𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓉𝓇𝑜
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟪 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝑅𝒶𝓎𝑜𝓃 𝒜𝓇𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓇
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟪 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝒞𝒽𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑜𝓃 𝑀𝒾𝓃𝓉𝓏
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟫 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝐸𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓇 𝒜𝒹𝓁𝑒𝓇
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟫 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝒜𝓂𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓉𝒽 𝒪𝓇𝓁𝑜
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟣𝟢 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃 𝒮𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟣𝟢 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝒞𝒽𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒹𝑔𝑒𝓇
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟣𝟣 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝒮𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑜𝓅 𝐵𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓃
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟣𝟣 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝐵𝑒𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝑀𝒶𝓎𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓁𝑒
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟣𝟤 (𝐵𝑜𝓎) 𝒮𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓌 𝒯𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓂𝒾𝓈
𝒟𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓉 𝟣𝟤 (𝒢𝒾𝓇𝓁) 𝒱𝒾𝑜𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝐿𝒾𝑔𝓃𝒶

Suddenly, it seems like a lot more than 24 people I need to kill. Now I know all their names. How am I supposed to take away everyone of these people's life? It's not fair. None of this is fair. I have family back home, they have family back home too.

"Octavia?"
"Yes, darling?"
"How am I supposed to kill these people?", I ask, through salty tears.
"Oh lovely, it will be okay.", she says, as she hugs me tightly.
I wipe the tears off my face. "You-you're right, I shouldn't be crying like this."
"Shall we watch the reapings?"
I nod. "We can see who we are up against."

All of the tributes look so much better than me. The boy from 1, Tourmaline, looks like he could crack his skull with just the bump of his fist. And the girl from 2, Gladia, is so effortlessly graceful and beautiful. No doubt she'll win over the sponsors. I also see myself on the screen. I look oddly calm for a girl who just volunteered. Maybe it'll help my public image? But the worst and scariest thing is a small 12-year-old from District 7 being reaped. Cardamon. She's around the same age as Asherah and Pearl. What would happen if one of them got reaped? I couldn't imagine what she's going through right now, the girl from 7. I make a mental note to try and ally with her. All the other tributes look a bit intimidating except for a random few, like Lanita Gray and Berry Mayapple. Still, they look beautiful. Unlike me. With my brown wavy hair and my gray eyes. I look like some type of curse in 4. How can I make the Capitol love me?

"Well, who would you like as an ally?", Octavia asks. "So I can arrange it with the other escorts."
I shrug. "Definitely Cardamon. Maybe her district partner too. Oh, and also both from 11. Also Concher."
Octavia seems a little worried about my choices but she just nods assentfully.
"What's wrong?", I question.
"It's just... they look weak. Bony."
"So you'd rather me be with one of those people from 1 or 2, who would stab me whenever they get the chance?"
Octavia sighs in disappointment. "Honey, I'm not saying that."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I-"

Suddenly, Concher walks in, well more of a stumble.
"Hi, sunshine.", he says.
"Hi Concher.", I reply. "Do you wanna see the reapings?"
"Nah, babe. I already watched."
"Don't call me that."
"Fine."
An awkward silence settles the room, but thankfully Octavia is straight to the point.
"Well, Concher, who would you like as an ally?"
Concher raises an eyebrow. "Both from 1 and 2. They can fight. And sunshine here."
"What's your strategy, Concher?", I ask.
He sits down on the dining table and spins a glass of water around and around. "Well, first I'll kill off the weak ones. Like those little girls from 7 and 8. 10, 11, and 12 look like easy prey too.
"Prey?", I implore. "PREY?"
"Yes, sunshine. PREY."
"Why are you viewing these people as prey? They have family and friends back home. They're just like us."
"Well, all is fair in love and war."
"Really Concher? Are you that sick?". All of a sudden, a strong stench enters my nose.
"You've been DRINKING?"
Concher rolls his eyes. "Look, sunshine. No big deal. Do it all the time."
"You're not even old enough."
"Sorry, MOM."

Honestly, I'm just so fed up with this game of cat and mouse, so I storm off into my room. Like I did on the train. It's like a pattern. Concher flirts, I get angry and run off. Well, he better start taking this seriously. It's a game of life and death. Also, I don't think 1 or 2 would be good allies. I don't know how to tell this to Concher. Because I bet, the minute we close our eyelids, they'll stab us through the heart and we'll be done with. I guess I like an underdog. 7 and 11. But who knows, maybe they'll betray me too. But something in Cardamon's eyes or in Soursop's stance, shows me that they are good people. That they know that we're not enemies. That we only have one enemy. And that is the Capitol, the cruel human beings who torture us and send our children to fight to a bloody death.