THE DISTRICT 4 MENTORS AND TRIBUTES, as well as Pandora were sprawled out on the couches of the living room, awaiting the announcement of the training scores. The mentors were curious, eager to see how their tributes had done in training. On the other hand, Haven and Spencer were being eaten alive by nerves, this score could make or break them.

The screen flashed, and the Panem anthem played before Caesar Flickerman appeared.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen across Panem!" he said with his signature hearty chuckle. "I've got something very special for you tonight: the training scores from our tributes' private sessions with the Gamemakers. How exciting!"

"Yeah, the number that defines if I'm worthy enough for sponsors to send me stuff to keep me alive. Real exciting." Haven muttered under her breath so only Spencer could her hear next to him. He let out a small laugh, inconspicuous enough for everyone else not to notice.

"First up, from District 1, Ellis Parker with a score of ten." His photo appeared on the screen, his score only reinforcing his tough looking demeanor. "Impressive. Let's see if one of you can beat it." Chlöe remarked. The girl from one, Rosalie scored a nine, as well as Gavin, the boy from two. His partner, Daphney also scored an impressive ten. The tributes from 3 appeared a bit weaker, and their average scores reflected that.

"Moving onto District 4." Caesar continued, everyone shifting forward in their seats. "Spencer Cade, with another score of ten!" Everyone cheered to congratulate Spencer, and Sebastian gave him a hearty slap on the back.

"And District 4's female tribute, Haven Cleary with a score of..." Caesar paused briefly, a stunned look on his face. "Oh shit. I managed to get the first 1 in history." The blonde thought to herself.

Caesar resumed. "A score of eleven."
Haven's mouth dropped in shock. The group erupted into applause, clearly ecstatic about her performance. "The princess has some firepower, am I right?" Collin exclaimed, giving the girl a high five. She turned to Spencer, congratulating him, which he returned, but Haven still noticed a twinkle of jealousy present in his eyes.

The rest of the tributes got lower scores, with a few good ones thrown in the mix. Reeve scored an eight, and Roxy a seven, which was impressive considering they didn't come from Career districts.

"Alright, everyone off to bed!" Pandora chirped. "Tomorrow is a big, big day, you have to be up bright and early to prepare for your interview with Caesar Flickerman!"

➸

"Alright darling, I think I'm done." Theta said to her tribute as she snapped the lid on a tube of coral lipstick. Haven was grateful that her prep team had delegated makeup duties to her stylist that day, she wasn't sure if she could handle their backhanded compliments. "It looks great Theta, thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet, wait until you see the dress I made." She winked, picking up the black bag that contained Haven's dress for the interview. She instructed Haven to close her eyes, which she did as Theta guided her to step into the dress. The stylist zipped the dress, before spinning the girl around to face the mirror. Haven's eyes glimmered in awe of the stunning dress. The top of the dress was slim fitting, and covered in tons of tiny, white seashells. The skirt of the dress billowed out, each layer a different shade of blue, the cascading fabric mimicking the appearance of the ocean.

"It's perfect. You've outdone yourself." The blonde said, pulling her stylist into a hug. "You know, what really makes a dress shine is the person wearing it." Theta smiled, running her hand along the flowing skirt.

Haven soon found herself in a room behind the stage, where the 24 tributes and their mentors were gathered. Mallory pulled her two tributes aside, away from the crowd. "This is it you guys. The last chance to impress the sponsors before the games start. You both scored extemely high in training, so you have their attention. Just make sure you keep it. Be your most charming selves, got it?" Haven and Spencer nodded, before returning into the line of tributes awaiting their turn.

"Everyone, let's give a warm welcome to Rosalie Briggs, from District 1!" Haven heard Caesar call from the stage. She heard bits and pieces of the first few interviews, but she was too focused on her sudden influx of nerves to pay attention.

"Up next, we have District 4's lovely Haven Cleary!" Caesar announced. Haven took a deep breath, smoothing her skirt before ascending up the stairs to the stage. Caesar reached out and grabbed Haven's hand, guiding her to one of the plush velvet chairs.

"Miss Cleary, it is a pleasure to have you here with us tonight. Isn't it folks?" "Well the pleasure is all mine Caesar." Haven responded, smiling at the audience.

"So sweet! Don't you just love her?" he chuckled. "Now, you received the highest score in training, an impressive 11. Care to give us any hints?" "Silly Caesar! You know I can't give away all my secrets. You'll just have to wait and see." She winked at the audience, creating a reaction of applause.

"Ah! I love that, so mysterious Miss. Cleary. Now, tell me, is there anything waiting for you back in District 4?" Haven nodded. "My family, they're my rock and they mean the absolute world to me. Mom, Dad, Ashlyn, and Sawyer I know you're watching this. I love you guys so much." A tear slipped out of her eye, and Caesar handed her his handkerchief, which she gladly accepted, drying her eyes before she continued. "I'm going to do everything I can to make it back to you guys, but if something happens, just know I love you."

Caesar dried his own tears before speaking again. "My, you've turned me into a wreck. I wish you the best of luck in the games. Everyone give it up for Haven Cleary, District 4!" The blonde gave a little wave to the crowd, before walking off the stage to wait for Spencer. He joked around with Caesar for a minute.

"Spencer, you also scored very highly in the private sessions. Tell me, do you feel ready for tomorrow?" "I think I'm prepared as I can be Caesar. I'm prepared to fight and do whatever it takes. I'm ready to do this."

"Confident! I like it. Be sure to look out for him in the arena folks!" Caesar exclaimed. "We've got quite the duo from District 4 this year, what do you think of your partner, Miss Cleary?" "I don't think she's definitely not to be underestimated, and I think we would've been friends in any other circumstance." Haven's lips curled up into a soft smile, surprised by how kindly he spoke of her. "That's sadly all the time we have folks. Let's give a round of applause for Spencer Cade!"

Spencer walked off the stage to where Haven, and now Pandora, were waiting for him. "Thanks for saying that, it was nice of you to talk me up." "It's the truth." He smiled, and in that moment, she felt like she was speaking with a friend, not her competition.

Upon entering the apartment, they found their mentors standing all around holding crystal glasses of champagne. An avox handed a glass to each of the three newcomers. "Alright. Cheers to our fabulous tributes. You two are truly exceptional, and we wish you the best of luck in the Games. And don't forget, we'll be there cheering you on and getting sponsors the entire time." Garrett said, raising his glass in the air. "To Haven and Spencer!" Mallory called, before everyone clinked their glasses together and drank the bubbling liquid.

For a brief moment, Haven forgot that she was going into the arena tomorrow. She was simply celebrating with the group of people who had become some of her closest friends within the past few days.
They all sat around for a while longer, finishing their drinks and enjoying each other's company, ignoring the giant elephant in the room that was the Games.

"Okay, some logistics for tomorrow." Collin spoke, shifting the subject from the cheerful, carefree conversation. "In the morning, both of your stylists are going to meet you here, and then take the hovercraft to the arena with you. Myself, Pandora, and the other mentors will already be meeting with potential sponsors, so we'll say goodbye to you both now."

A wave of sadness washed over the blonde girl. She'd only known these people for a few days, but she already felt like she could trust them with her life, which essentially she was. Sebastian was closest to her, and he gave her a hug, patting her on the back. "You got this kid." Chlöe went over to her next. "Remember when I said training wasn't the time to show off? Tomorrow is the time, give them your best show." she whispered in the girl's ear as she hugged her.

"Good luck tomorrow, don't let the fear get to you girl." Mallory said to the blonde, her hands on her shoulders. She gave the Cleary girl a tight squeeze, and quietly whispered, "I'm rooting for you Haven." Haven nodded back at her, tears starting to spill out of her eyes. "Princess! Don't cry, you'll get frown lines and we cannot have that." Haven laughed. "I'm going to miss your jokes in the arena, Collin." He leaned in and cupped his hand to her ear, whispering. "Don't worry, I'll have plenty of time to think of jokes for when you get out of there." Haven smiled. "Thanks Collin." she said, giving him a hug too.

She glanced around and noticed that Finnick was absent, he must have slipped off and went to bed earlier when everyone was celebrating. The blonde was slightly disappointed she didn't get a chance to say goodbye to one of her mentors. "Now I think you two have had plenty of excitement tonight. Go to sleep, you've got a lot coming for you tomorrow." Pandora said, giving the two tributes a side hug.

Haven walked into her room, stripping off the gorgeous dress Theta made her, draping it over a chair. The blonde turned on the shower, standing under the steaming water for a few minutes. She scrubbed the glitter out of her hair and wiped off every trace of makeup before stepping out of the water and wrapping herself in a fluffy towel. She brushed through her hair and put on a pair of silk pajamas, before getting into bed.

The Cleary girl tossed and turned for over an hour, attempting to sleep, but her mind was racing, the fear of the Games plaguing her mind. After trying, and failing, to fall asleep for a few more minutes, Haven decided to get up and walk into the kitchen. She asked the avox in there for a cup of tea, which she took in her hands, walking over to sit on the large windowsill overlooking the city.

Below on the street, masses of the colorful Capitol citizens were partying in the streets. Haven could faintly hear the upbeat music, as she stared down at the tiny colorful specs. They were all celebrating. They had nothing to fear, no loved ones that they were praying made it out alive. They weren't being sent into an arena, fighting to be the lone survivor. She wanted to hate them, but she knew they were naïve, and didn't know any better. She hated Snow for putting her in this situation.

In that moment, Haven vowed to herself that she would do whatever it took to live. She would not accept being another death, used for the entertainment of Snow and his brainless followers.

The blonde wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there when she heard the dot of the apartment swing open. A pair of footsteps quietly shuffled into the apartment, and Haven turned her head to see Finnick standing there. "Hey, what are you doing out so late?" she asked. "Nothing you need to worry about. Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be awake." he said, walking over to sit next to the girl.

Haven tilted her head, noticing his face was damp with tears. "Are you alright? What's wrong?" Finnick sighed. "I can't tell you." he said dipping his head, the pain in his voice clear. "C'mon. There's a 23/24 chance that I'm going to be dead in the next two weeks. And if I happen to make it out, I won't tell." He shook his head. "Once you win. You're not really free, Snow controls your life, so don't ever piss him off. I clearly made that mistake." Tears spilled out of his eyes, and the blonde wrapped her tiny hands around his large ones. "I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice sincere. "No, no I'm sorry. I shouldn't be burdening you with this the night before the games. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be resting?"

The blonde sighed. "I tried, believe me. But it's not easy to relax when I know I'm going to be trapped in an arena with 23 people who are trying to kill me tomorrow." "I remember the night before my Games like it was yesterday. I was just as nervous as you, but I'm here now aren't I?" She nodded. "Good luck tomorrow Haven." The two stood up, and he gave the shorter girl a hug. "I hope you live to keep my secret." he whispered in her ear, before pulling away, smirking at her before they parted into their rooms.

// author's note
a) this chapter made me emo, the goodbyes made me go 🥺🥺 b) haven is a queen. i love her sm
this is the last chapter before the games, get ready to see everyone in action.
thank you so much if you're reading this! i'd love if you left comments/voted
thank you <3
- a