Delaine Ford, 15

Hazel's #1 Female Pick

In the fifteenth year of her life, Delaine Ford woke up feeling off.

She couldn't explain it, but things felt different. Maybe it was a new laundry detergent used to clean her sheets, or perhaps it was the fact they were starting the fifteenth year of training today, but something felt weird, and Delaine was growing more and more frustrated she couldn't put her finger on it.

I need to dance it out. She thought to herself as she throws her feet over her bed and stumbles to the exit of the room. She begins to start standing on her toes and dropping down to the floor on the balls of her feet over and over as she walks down the hall.

"You're up early," Arturo said, walking by her waving.

"Good morning, Arturo-"

Delaine stopped moving and then turned around and watched her brother saunter down the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen. Her brain began to hurt, and her vision became fuzzy as she gripped the wall for support. Yes, at this moment, Delaine knew something was wrong.

She remembered visions of Christmas where her siblings would open presents. She remembered group birthdays and school dances, but with each one, she struggled to put Arturo in the picture. It was as if he was a bad photoshop job in each of them. Like he didn't belong there.

Delaine had never been the kind of girl to express her opinions or thoughts outwardly. Instead, she was always the kind to take a breath and inwardly focus on the problem. This was not something that Delaine wanted to be open about.

She walked into the dance studio and smiled as she saw her face in the reflection of the mirror that lined the wall. She stood on her toes and stretched her leg up in the air. She then brought her leg back down and bent into a Pirouette.

"If you want to nail the pirouette, you're going to have to extend. Point your toe."

Delaine fell onto the ground and grabbed her head. The voice she heard in her head was not hers, but a man's. Almost as if it was a memory, but she couldn't recognize who the voice was, no matter how hard she tried to think about it.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Cortana said as she came into the room and hopped on the elliptical. "You doing a new dance routine, or do I need to call mom cause you need medical help?"

"I," said Delaine as she snapped back into reality. "I don't know I was just stretching, and then I started daydreaming," she lied, quickly shaking her head. She stood up in front of the mirror, once again placing her foot on the bar and bending her knee.

"Point your toe."

"Delaine?" Cortana was off the elliptical and standing next to her sister in concern. "I know we aren't the closest, but something is very clearly bothering you, and you're starting to make me a bit worried."

"I.." Delaine stopped and paused for a moment. Did she want to confide in Cortana about what she was feeling so off about? If she were to bring someone else into the fold, what would that mean for her? Is this something that she can get into bigger trouble with? Or what if she's having a psychotic break?

All of these thoughts coursed through Delaine's head as Cortana walked to the door of the indoor gym and closed it. She turned back to Delaine and walked over quickly, whispering in hushed tones. "Something seems off.," she said. "Not just with you, but I woke up this morning, and the world just felt different. I don't know if the others are experiencing it, or even if you are, but I think you are, and you're not hiding it well."

Cortana was whispering so low that it was hard for Delaine to hear her, but Cortana motioned her head to the corner of the room by the exit, and Delaine saw the camera that was in every main hall of the house. The producers can't miss any of the drama for their reality show.

Delaine blinked, surprised at her sister. They were never the type of girls who sat there and shared their secrets or even talked about what was bothering them. Both girls were more loners than talkers.

"I saw Arturo this morning, and my vision went fuzzy. And it's like I can recall memories of him and who he is, but I can't make them feel...real? Like they feel like someone messed with my head." Delaine whispered as her heart pounded in her chest.

Cortana grabbed Delaine and made her flinch as her sister's placed her hands on her shoulders. "SAME.," she whispered harshly.

The two girls stood there silently as they processed what they just talked about, and Delaine wondered what this meant. Is Arturo okay? Is he even their brother? Delaine shook her head because none of that matters. What matters is that someone wanted them to think that he was their brother.

And if someone was going through the trouble of making this happen, then Delaine figured she better fall in line. "We'll talk later," she told Cortana. "It's not safe to do so here."

Ruben Ashven, 18

Hazel's #1 Male Pick

Ruben Ashven was heartbroken.

It was only a week until they go into the Hunger Games, and only a day since Darcy Hanning took his heart out of his chest and stomped on it. But she didn't stop there. She drove over it with an 18-wheeler. Fed it to fishes, and then tried to rebuild it after they regurgitated.

But the damage was done, and the strong-willed boy was depressed. He was so depressed that his brothers and some of his cousins felt the need to take him out. He wished they would have let him stay in his room. He was perfectly content eating popcorn in his underwear and occasionally texting Darcy to see how she was, but his brothers were having none of it.

"It's not even like she was that hot, bro," said Rudi as he placed his arms behind his brother and pushed him forward. "You can do so much better, and I bet you can find a hottie on the dance floor tonight!"

The arrived at the entrance to the nightclub that they had been going to since they were fifteen years old. It was illegal for them to be there technically, but you can do anything you want in the Capitol when you're famous, and boy did the tribute's know about their fame.

"Miles!" screamed Rudi as he shook hands with the bouncer, not bothering to stop walking. "I'll tip you before we leave, big guy!"

The club was scattered with neon lights. Girl's in sparkly dresses, and guys with have buttoned shirts littered the dancefloor as the tributes made their way to the VIP section.

"Oh my god, dude," Rudi whispered as he clapped Arturo on the back. His quiet brother lightly smirked as they walked up the stairs. "Look at all the hotties they have here tonight!"

Ruben was unimpressed. Because at the end of the day, none of these girls were Darcy. Ruben hated to admit, but he felt alive when he was with the girl. Like nothing was impossible for him in the grand scheme of things. Darcy was the wind beneath his wings, but now his wind was gone, and he was free-falling into the ground.

"You're not allowed to frown in a place like this!" Hadrian said, clapping his cousin on the back. He flagged the waitress down, and she brought a tray of shots over to the table. "To a fun night with the boys!"

"To the boys!" Rudi screamed.

The two downed their shots and then walked over to the table next to them were a couple of girls were staring them down. Ruben nodded at Arturo as he scanned the dancefloor on the common area of the club.

"I'm sorry you're so upset," Arturo said.

"Me too-" Ruben paused as he saw a group of their female cousins dancing on the floor. In the very center, dancing with another guy was Darcy. She was dancing as if they were never a thing. With each touch, Ruben saw between the random and the love his life his heart burned.

How could she?

He got up from the table, and Arturo tried to stop him, but Ruben shrugged him off as he stomped down the stairs toward the dance floor. Cupid was the first of the tribute's to see him when she ran over to him and put her hand on his chest, lightly pushing him back. "No, not tonight, Ruby," she said gently. "Let her have tonight-"

Ruben pushed Cupid out of the way and grabbed Darcy by her arm as he pulled her off the dance floor. She called out his name, but Ruben continued to walk as she struggled to get her arm free. "Ruben! What the hell!"

"How can you just sit there and act like we weren't a thing, Darce?" Ruben asked her bluntly. "You're out here bumping and grinding on guys like you didn't just get out of a four-year relationship? Did I mean nothing to you, Darcy?!"

"Of course you meant something to me, Ruben!" she yelled back at him.

Bystanders in the club were starting to gather around the feuding celebrities, and Darcy grabbed Ruben's arm and led him to the hallway that led to the bathrooms. She turned to him in a huff and then hit the wall. "Of course, you meant something to me, Ruben! We were together since we were fourteen years old; I'm not a monster."

"Then how can you-"

"Ruben! We are going into the Hunger Games in a week!" Darcy screamed. "They gave us a week. One single week to live our lives however we wanted, and I refuse to waste it arguing. We are going to have to kill each other in a week, Ruben! And if you're okay with it hurting worse, then yay for you, but that's not something I can put myself through."

She began to walk away, and Ruben grabbed her arm again, spinning her around to face him. Their lips collided, and for a brief moment, Ruben felt fireworks explode as she ran her fingers through his hair, and he wrapped his hands around her waist. It was like a fairytale.

But not every fairytale ends with a happily ever after, and Ruben was only reminded of that as Darcy pulled away from his kiss and pushed him away. "Ruben, we can't."

"But you obviously want to."

The girl frowned, because even if she wouldn't say it, Ruben knew it was the truth. She ran her hand on his face and kissed him one last time and brought him into a tight embrace. "Ruben, yes, I do," she whispered into his ear. "But it's time. This can't be a thing anymore." She walked back into the club leaving Ruben by himself in the hallway.

Ruben punched the wall and let out a scream as his heart filled with rage. "We'll see." was all he managed to say as he stormed out the emergency exit at the end of the wall. "I'll prove to her that we belong together."

Well, here was the opening to Hazel's house! What did you think of Delaine and Ruben? I can't believe we only have five more introductions before we are finally done and able to begin the real *fun*. I finally finished plotting the story in its entire subplot ending, AND I have mapped out certain training chapters to completion.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Caleb