SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH, I'D GOTTEN TO KNOW FELIX QUITE well on our walk over here to the Zoo where we'd meet our tributes for the first time. 

Although listening to Felix ramble about different things did help soothe my nerves and take my mind off of what is unfortunately my reality. 

"So, do you know anything about your tribute yet?" he asks me, paying his full avid attention to me as he waits for me to respond. 

I, however, am staring straight at my heels with each step I take. I don't know whether I should tell him the truth or not. I don't know if I want him to know I'm from the districts--or that I was once best friends with my tribute--as there's always that thought lingering in the back of my head, the one that screams for me not to trust anyone. But for some reason, I ignore it. "She was my best friend when we were younger." 

I don't have to see his face to know that it contorts in confusion. But then in the corner of my eye, I can see his face light up with recognition and he nods. "Right. I forgot you were from District 2." 

Now, my brows are the ones furrowing. My head shoots up to meet his gaze. "You knew I was from District 2?" 

He smiles, nodding. 

I feel a swarm of warmth deep in my belly as my smile grows so wide that I have to turn away and shake it off. I feel silly that something so little like someone remembering something about me is enough to make me feel giddy and important. 

The gravel beneath me switches to cement and I look up to see that we're now at the Zoo. 

The warmth in my stomach soon twists into knots of pure nerves and I feel like I might throw up. 

Felix and I go our separate ways and I'm now forced to gather myself before facing the girl I once called my best friend--whom I haven't seen in six years. 

Almost every classmate of mine is here, meeting their tributes for the first time. Thankfully, Sejanus and Coriolanus are nowhere in sight--allowing me to reach into my purse for the wrapped-up sandwich I grabbed for Mia. I don't want Coriolanus seeing that I took his advice; that I listened to him. 

My eyes scan the zoo, hoping I'll recognise Mia when my eyes land on her. 

In the corner, leaning against a tree, sits a girl in a dirtied white dress and a long white bow tying part of her hair back. She's twirling what appears to be a dandelion through her fingers, appearing to be bored out of her mind--hell, I would be too. She still has the same dark curls I was always envious of. 

"Mia!" I call out, trying to get her attention. "Mia!" 

Her head flies up to follow my voice, and when her eyes meet mine, I can see the recognition light on her face. She rises from the ground, wiping off the dirt and ruin from her behind before jogging toward me. 

She's taller than me now--by a good four or five inches--and it reminds me of when we were younger and I'd tease her over how much smaller she had been compared to me. 

She finally reaches me and the small smile on my face fades as my eyes scan the cut on her eyebrow. My hand reaches out to feel around it, examining it. "Jesus, what happened?" 

She shakes it off. "One of the girls got me on the ride over here. I was defending her." She turns and points to the girl in the floral dress sitting on a rock next to the other District 12 tribute. The girl was now known as the songbird after her performance on Reaping Day; and had already been a hit. Especially after the shit Coriolanus pulled yesterday morning. 

"Uhm... which one hit you?" I question, genuinely curious to see just how big an enemy Mia has now made. 

She nods toward an angry girl with short cut red hair--who has already formed an alliance around four others; Festus' tribute. 

Great. 

I nod, and while I'm still trying to analyze the girl Mia referenced to, trying to weigh different strategies in my mind, Mia is eyeing the handkerchief in my hand. "Did you have something for me?" 

Her voice pulls me out of my thoughts and I realize that I haven't yet given her the reason I'm here--food. 

I unwrap the blue cloth from around the sandwich and hand it to her. "It's grilled cheese, I think." 

She smiles, taking it gently from my hand. "I haven't eaten in days." 

A ball of sympathy and guilt forms in my stomach as I look at her. Somehow, she's still smiling and showing kindness when she's likely to die in just a few days. 

"So what's it like being in the Capitol? Better than the districts?" She asks me with a playful grin  as she bites into the sandwich. 

I try to smile, but I think it views more so as sad because Mia's eyes are now laced with sympathy. "Complicated." 

Complicated feels like the best and only word to describe what my life has been like inside the capitol. 

She nods. "So, are you my mentor?" She gives a little shake of her shoulders as a giggle escapes her lips. "Your friend told us we all got a mentor, but that he just wanted a head start." 

My brows knit together. "My friend?" 

"The tall blonde one," she swallows down another bite. "he pulled the girl that was hitting me off." 

I hum, considering the information that's being given to me, then my eyes fall back on the gaping red blood smeared across her brow. "She got you pretty good." I admit with a sigh. "I'll bring you some bandages tomorrow. So it doesn't get infected." 

She nods. "Thank you." 

Mia finishes her sandwich and when she does I watch as her eyes lighten at the sight of something--or someone--else. 

I follow her gaze and see Coriolanus and Sejanus walking down the road, causing me to let out a huff. 

"Your brother is doing this with you too?" 

"Yeah." 

Mia gets back on her feet and her hand grabs onto the bar as she leans over to next to Lucy Gray, smiling at Coriolanus. "Thanks again for saving me earlier." 

Coriolanus gives her a smile and nod. "Of course." 

I fight the urge to roll my eyes--he's hardly done anything but it sets me off and I want to yell. 

My jaw is clenched as Mia returns to standing in front of me but Coriolanus' smile has transformed into a smirk as he looks down on me, as if he's expecting a thank you from me--or a prize of gratitude. Or maybe he's just trying to brag that he saved my tribute and I didn't. 

"You don't seem to like him very much." Mia quips. 

I scoff. "Is it that obvious?"

She lets out another quiet giggle, and I want to join in on the laugh but I can't, I have to utilize my time and begin sharing strategies with her. 

"You should ally with someone." I say. 

"Hmm?" 

"Someone... weak--that isn't going to last long." I'm honestly just voicing the sputtering thoughts in my head but what I'm saying is true if she wants to survive. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"You--" I begin to speak but am interrupted by the sound of glass breaking followed by a scream. I'm quick to stand as I follow the sound, tracing me to my left--where Arachne is struggling to fight off her tribute, who is now holding her at her neck. 

Before my mind can even comprehend what's going on, I rush to help Arachne--my hands fly to her waist, where I attempt to pull her backward but the tribute breaks the glass bottle in hand once more, the glass shards going everywhere and I go to shield my face while trying to pull Arachne out of the girl's grasp but instead lose my balance and slip backward. 

The next thing I see is the bottle jamming into Arachne's throat as she begins to fall down. Coriolanus is quick to grab her and ease her to the ground gently but I'm frozen in shock, unable to even move. 

Arachne is gasping for a breathe and Coriolanus is begging for help but when I'm about to--shots are being fired. Peacekeepers approach closer, shooting at the tributes, killing Arachne's tribute. 

I'm trembling as my elbows struggle to keep my weight up on the ground any longer, tears blurring my vision as I audibly gasp at the sight of what's just happened. 

The two peacekeepers sling their guns to the side and pull Coriolanus off of Arachne, and Sejanus comes to my aid to help lift me off the ground but my eyes are fixated on my classmate who has just died.