#ttwstarters

[pixel-del]

Things felt right again. At least for the moment. It never lasted long, but it was a nice outlet.

Pixel fingered through the bills in her hand, only a little bit of cash, but enough to make her feel like she’d done enough. Back home in Three, a steal like this meant enough snacks to last her for two weeks (before her victory, that was), provided she could keep them hidden from her siblings. Even though she now had enough snack money to last the rest of her life plus some, it was less about the money than it was the thrill of the steal. 

Some things hadn’t changed, and though Pixel knew she should have felt bad for stealing from a sponsor, she smiled with satisfaction as she slipped the bills into her pocket. The guy hadn’t even listened when she’d tried to make a case for her tributes. So what if she was five years younger than the next oldest mentor? She had just as many tributes to help out as Cashmere or Enobaria did.

Pixel entered a viewing room, hoping for a little bit of alone time to recover from the pain of mingling, and noticed someone else had made it to the room before she had. 

“Oh, sorry,” she said as she backed up. “I’ll leave you alone if you want.” // @ttwstarters

[thresh-okonjo]

The Eleven kids were doomed this year, and Thresh had to hold himself back from cooping himself up in his room again.

Both Cassia and Cain had been fighters the year before, as gentle as they presented themselves as, and when they’d made it through the bloodbath alive Thresh had forced himself to take initiative and leave the suite. It was now settling in that this would have to be the case every year. An inactive mentor was a mentor who brought home dead bodies.

So upon exiting the train, Thresh did not immediately dart away from the cameras, into the Tower, and up to the Eleven suite. He stayed, remaining uncomfortable as he waved with half-smiles to the cameras, trying to give his tributes a little bit of the spotlight. They were more of interest than he was, so once they’d caught a bit of the limelight, he took a couple of steps backwards.

“Almost,” he muttered to himself. “A few more minutes and then you can go.”

He hadn’t realized someone else probably overheard him until he turned his head to see the figure next to him. // @ttwstarters

[dxltas]

“I don’t eat pork.”

It was a sentence she’d said over and over as a kid until the neighbors and her friends got it. Nobody had ever really understood her family’s traditions and the meaning behind their eating habits (and in truth, many of the stories and literature explaining that had been lost to time as well), but she hadn’t had to explain it in years. Now this Avox stood in front of her with bacon-wrapped dates, Capitolites mingling about telling her how she must try it. Her own escort wouldn’t leave her alone about trying the food that she’d been raised to avoid.

So Joule decided to turn around and walk away.

The atrium of the Tower that Joule would now have to call home was expansive, with avoxes and Capitolites scurrying about as if the tributes’ entries into the building were some kind of reception. She didn’t know if everyone had arrived yet, and she’d lost her mentors as soon as she’d exited the train (those camera flashes were overwhelming, to say the least), so Joule didn’t know who was standing behind her when she turned to leave.

“Oh, sorry,” she said absentmindedly. “Don’t mind me.” // @ttwstarters

[adrianafontaine]

Adriana knew she should not be happy to be at the party, it seemed most people were not pleased to be there, but after months of rehab she was happy for the reprieve. The biggest plus? She did not have to have her crutches, only her knee brace. All her hard work was finally paying off.

“The weather really is perfect, isn’t it?” Adriana asked the person that had come to stand beside her, because she didn’t know what else to say. Between people doing interviews, mingling with their friends, she kind of felt a little out of place. She just needed to get to know people, that was all.

Meet people. She could do that.

@ttwstarters

[fellvasile-blog]

“What a shit show.”

The remark had earned Fell a few glances and glares in his direction, but he remained where he stood at the back of the viewing room, arms crossed in front of himself. Two was having another shitty year in the Bloodbath, despite the fact that the kids were Academy trained. Must have gone soft in their lessons. Fell watched as Nike had been beaten to a near bloody pulp, and Leon wasn’t fairing much better himself. It was a mess.

He kept his back leaned against the wall. He intended to stick it through and watch the full Bloodbath despite the disappointing display. Someone had slipped into the room and he glanced over at them, “You didn’t miss much yet.”

@ttwstarters

[kitty-bites]

Calico was still getting the hang of being not only a mother but basically a single mother with a very demanding job since her boyfriend was of no use when it came to caring for their infant. She had lucked out in having a pretty uneventful night the previous night and so she was more rested than most days as she rounded the corner and entered a viewing room only to realize it was already occupied. “Sorry, I didn’t know this room was taken. Do you mind if I join you? I don’t want to miss the Games starting while trying to find an empty room.”

[reed-macphee]

Reed sat in the viewing room after he had gotten his umpteenth drink that day. Reed hadn’t been able to sleep, not after the conversation he and Cassia had had. He couldn’t forget the feeling of the young girl, his own blood,’s arms wrapped around him the previous night. Part of him didn’t want to forget the feeling of the hug, not when it was possibly his last from her, but part of him wanted to forget everything. But Reed knew he couldn’t do that. He needed to be there for Cassia, and Cain, and to do everything in his power to get one of them preferably Cassia out. He anxiously rubbed his hand over his face as he waited to see what arena awaited the tributes. Soon the man made appearance of a mall appeared. It could have been worse. He watched the camera panned around each tribute’s face as the clock counted down. “May the odds be ever in your favor, Sis.” He said softly as the horn blared.