lindsey morgan as...
Zoya Butterfield

District Five wasn't a district that had many victors. Up until the 73rd Annual Hunger Game, they'd only had two from the past. A man who won years, and years, and years ago, and a girl who'd won just a few years before. That's why when Zoya Butterfield, a weak girl who worked as a mechanic and sold rings made from old scrap, was reaped, they didn't expect a win that year.

In all honesty, Zoya didn't expect to win either. And maybe she didn't, actually. Maybe she just survived physically, when in reality she was haunted and torchured mentally every day. Was it worth it in the end? The simple and less complex answer would be no, it wasn't worth surviving the arena just to live in luxury the rest of your life.

But that was before Zoya Butterfield had met Peeta Melladk. After that, everything before felt worth it in the end.

When Zoya was in the capital before she was sent to the games, she's been good at kissing up to people. Not that she expected to survive, but she wanted to die with a stab to the heart rather then starvation or dehydration. Getting sponsored made sure she would be fed enough, wouldn't lack nutrients for the time she'd been there. With a winning smile and a sob story of her own, she'd managed to win everyone over.

Almost everyone, that was.

Haymitch Abernathy saw straight through Zoyas innocent girl act. He saw the manipulation in her eyes, the fake sadness in her tone. He'd done it himself, seen so many others do it, he knew it too well. When he confronted her about her, smelling of expensive booze and stumbling on his feet, he'd realized how similar Zoya was to himself.

Getting close to a tribute was the worst thing any sponsor or mentor could ever do. Yet, Haymitch had done it anyways because he didn't just see Zoya as the weak, sixteen year old from District Five, he saw the same person he use to see looking in the mirror. Not to mention District Five didn't have the best mentors out there, mostly no one expected that district to win considering it had only happened twice before. Benedict Carnell was a asshole who didn't care to help Zoya, and Rosalind Fendez was still recovering from her victory win from the years before.

Haymitch was Zoyas best bet that year.

He'd sent her as many sponsors as he could. Different medicine to fight off infection, herbs, soups, matches, water. Anything he could manage, he sent to her in hopes she'd get her ass out of the cave she'd snuck into and kill someone. But Zoya didn't, she stayed put up until only six tributes were left. Collecting all her sponsors, keeping them clean and perfect, making sure the parachute wouldn't become damaged. No one knew what the girl was planning, that was until it happened and took everyone by surprise.

Zoya was clever, her mind was a lot more advanced then what she ever received credit for. So, her and six other victors left came down and she knew it was her time to act. Outside of the cave Zoya lived in, there'd been a Nightlock bush. Zoya collected as many as she could, taking shelter again.

In the medicine she'd been sent, she mixed nightlock berries in until it just appeared to be a different color. She'd done the same for the soup she didn't touch. Then came when she spread the berry juice around the lid of the bottle of water, and finally used her last gift, she melted down the berries to dip the bread in so it appeared to have a nice purple glaze.

She's stayed near her cave, waiting for the wind to pick up before sending the deadly gifts off, all with Haymitches notes on the inside to trick the tributes into thinking they'd been actual gifts. It was clever, never seen before, earning her a hell of a lot of credit and fans in the capital. They rooted for her after that, the shock of how someone could think of such a thing making Zoya number one on their favorites list.

And the best part, the tricked gifts worked. The final, a boy from District One, and a girl from District four, was the only other tributes aside from her. The game makers released mutes to drive Zoya to the girl from four, where she was strung up and tortured. Zoya managed to kick the knife from the girls hand, using her legs to kick her in the face until she hit the ground, giving Zoya enough time to smash her face in with her boot. It broke her, it mentally killed her to see it over and over again in her head.

Two left, fire spreading through the arena, aside from the snow covered cornucopia, were they started in the first place. Zephyr was his name, a boy not too much older then her and had volunteered. He attacked her head on, trying to stab her with the machete he had. Zoya was pinned to the ground, her hands pushing against his face as her nightlock covered hands grazed his lips.

Neither realized what happened at first until he had his knife rose about her head, ready to plung her skull in when the poison finally hit, killing him immediately as he fell down on top of her. That's what had stuck to Zoya, feeling the weight of someone she'd killed laid on top of her and the blood and brains from another on her boot, all while she was being congratulated and praised over the speaker. She's managed to kill six tributes in just a day, taking her crown back at the capital and rewarded all the money she'd ever need for herself and her family.

Though that hadn't lasted long when Snow killed Zoyas only living family, her father, when she refused to have her body sold to people willing to pay to sleep with her. Zoyas mother had died years before, becoming sick and their lack of money to heal her. She'd been left with no one after her fathers death, the pain and hatred all she had to live for. She'd had Haymitch, of course, but she'd only ever see him on the weekends and victors tours. Everything would have been different until Rosalind managed to go to the victor village and discuss the pain of the games with her. She's been Zoyas only family, becoming the only one Zoya truly cared about in district five.

Then she's met Finnick Odair, who became her best friend in a blink of a eye due to their shared train ride to the capital, were they'd both have to do as they were told or have someone they love back home murdered. Through Finnick, Zoya had met Annie and Joanna. Three was such a small number, yet she'd felt like she maybe had something to live for.

A year later, when the 74th Annual Hunger Games came around, Zoya was a mentor to a red haired girl from District 5. With Haymitch so close, and Zoya still having a glisten of himself shining from her, she's met the District 12 victors and managed to stay around them rather then her own district. Zoya managed to provide as much help as she could, though after her act last year, it wasn't likely either of them could pull off the same blood bath she had.

Katniss was hard to crack, someone that took Zoya a while to get through to. But deep down, with Haymitch being a drunk mentor with no advice, Katniss trusted Zoya and was thankful she not only took care of her victors, but went out of her way to repay District 12 for what Haymitch had done for her the year prior. But Peeta, Peeta was a different story. Unlike Katniss, he managed to bond with Zoya nearly immediately and win her over.

Like Haymitch had her, Zoya got too close to the District 12 boy. So close that she did everything in her power to keep him safe in the arena, mimicking Haymitches actions with the many gifts and constant observation. That was the hard part about bonding with tributes, knowing you'd go through the pain of watching them die or being on edge for the days to come. But Peeta Mellark was the last person that deserved to die in the arena, and Zoya made sure to get him home to her.

•

kylie speaks

oh how i'm so excited
and obsessed with this
entire storyline already!

i feel like this book is 100%
gonna flop and not do very
good but i'm so excited i don't
think i can really bring myself
to care.