August "Gus" Robbins

I laughed at the idea of my siblings being like animals. “I’d say I’m probably the wildest one out of all of them, they’re a little bit more calm!” I’d been fidgeting with that same strand of hair for a while, staying knelt down in one spot was grating on my attention span. “It does! Some big, huge, ones and some little tiny ones too! One year there were big wolves and another had big coyotes and even bears.”

I nodded. “Too bad! Animals are cool. That Victor from Ten always has a service dog with her, we don’t have a lot back in Two. Some people have cats or dogs but we don’t. Nine kids is enough without a pet running around!”

I don't know about any of the victors but she must be pretty nice is she has animals with her all the time. "I bet some of your siblings are like animals themselves." I said with a  laugh. "Sometimes I wish we had more animals. Does the arena usually have animals in it?"

"Your momma is a smart lady," I say.  I almost wish that my mother was that kind, but I ignore the thought and focus on August.  "And don’t ever forget that, okay?" I advise.  "There are lots of people out there who aren’t kind but once you show them kindness, they’ll be happier and nicer people from it," I smile.  "There just isn’t enough kindness in the world."

My lips curl into a bit of a frown when Kyera mentions there aren't nice people out there. Everyone I've ever met has been nice! "My momma is the smartest lady in the whole district I think! She's taught me so much. I think everyone is nice if you just give them a chance."

I smiled. “But that’s all the room you need! We don’t have any barns in Two, do you have animals in your barn? Or just hay?” A country life was not one for me, but again, I was always curious about other people’s lifestyles.

"Uhh not really. It's mostly to store stuff, hay, tools, though we have a few chickens and my neighbour has a goat. We get wild bunnies in our fields though, those are my favourite! What kind of animals live in Two?"

I nodded. “We have plenty of rooms! All of us have our own. They’re pretty small but that’s okay. And we have lots of property for extensions.” Not to mention with everyone going to the Games the rooms would empty every few years to make room for the next ones.

"That’s okay! They’re heavy anyways. Some of the weapons are hard to lift." I smiled. "Good question. Well, we don’t get to do as much survival things, like making fires or learning how to find food in the wild. And I don’t get to swim much. We can never know everything, there’s always more to learn or more skills to master. That’s the best part about training!" 

"Wooooow." I was speechless at how big her house was. Not even the mayor's house was that big! "We only have a room for Momma and Poppa and a little room upstairs for me. Our barn is pretty big though, we could fit a lot of people in that."

His confidence in getting to go visit my family was strange: he couldn’t visit my family, I’d be the one living. But I brushed it off a little. Whatever, right? He was just hopeful. “Maybe!” I added. “There’s never a dull moment in our house. And my mother told me she’s expecting twins, so I’ll have ten brothers and sisters soon!” 

I loved the enthusiasm he showed and I was already excited to show him how to do a few things. “You’ll get to! We have three whole days to learn everything we want! I don’t know if they have any sickles, you’ll have to wait and find out tomorrow. If there are, then you’ll have to be the one to teach me!” 

"Twins? I know a pair of twins. Their names are- I guess it doesn't matter. Do you guys even have enough rooms to fit everyone? I can't imagine a house big enough for ten kids!" 

Three whole days sounded amazing and I hoped North could show me a lot of stuff. "I didn't get to use sickles too much. Most kids don't really work the fields until fourteen. What do you want to learn about North since you seem to know everything already. Do you even need to train?" To her the questions might sound stupid but I really was curious. 

I nodded. “That’s the plan! We’ve all trained so hard that we’ll have so much fun when we all get our turn. We’ll all be there someday.” I daydreamed often about being a big family of Victors living all together in the fanciest apartments the Capitol had to offer. 

Life must be so different in Two that they're allowed to volunteer like that. I wish Nine was like that too. "That sounds like so much fun. Maybe I can visit some time and meet Power!" If he was even half as nice as North was I knew we'd be best friends.

I giggled as she teased me about how good she was. For the first time I noticed her arms were pretty muscle-y. Different than the thin girls at home. Maybe she really was good at all this stuff. "That'd be so cool! I want to learn it all! You're so lucky to get to learn this stuff at home, the closest thing like that we have at home are the sickles and we can't keep those. They get counted and locked up at the end of the night." I didn't really know why but I always just did it. 

I nod.  “Yea, I just met her earlier.  She’s really nice, and I like her a lot” I add.  I giggle and flush a bit at his compliment.  “You’re very sweet, August.  You’re very nice, too!” I tell him, though he probably already knew that.

I give Kyera a shy smile, nodding as she talks about Nessa. "Well I just try to treat people nice. Momma says to treat others nicely even if they don't treat you nicely. You never know why they could be sad or angry." So far all the people here had been super nice. I hope everyone was like this.

Shaking my head, I chuckled just a little. “No, just my family. My father likes those names. He thinks they sound like strong names, and he wants us to be big and strong to come here.” I nodded. “It is different! Sometimes the tributes from other Districts have funny names, I think. But I like my name, and I like your name too!” 

I wrinkled my forehead thinking over what she'd said. "Does that mean all of your siblings are gonna be playing? Jeez are you all gonna live in the Capitol together too?" I imagined North and all her siblings buying a big mansion in the Capitol and all of them living together. It sounded super fun. 

"You’re Nessa’s partner, right?" I ask.  "I actually just met her."

"You know Nessa? I just  met her yesterday but she's really pretty and nice just like you! I told her she's a great partner and I'm lucky to have her. Do you like Nessa?" My big eyes look to Kyera expectantly. She had to like Nessa they were both really nice.

I laughed, I’d gotten that joke before but never with the honest innocence of this kid. “I do have siblings but they’re not named East, South, and West,” I admitted. “I have eight of them. Jet, Ruby, Power, Cross, Blade, Ranger, Quarry, and Shimmer. Power is your age, I think, actually. Do you have any brothers or sisters back home?” 

"Does everyone from your district have such funny names?" I wrinkled my nose a little. "I don't mean that in a bad way North is a nice name. Just different from names in Nine I guess." 

I giggled at her comment and poked her in the tummy. "Don't eat it silly it's made out of foam!" I wonder if I can get any of those yummy cheese buns Momma buys sometimes here..

There, his eyes bright and cheeks blushing, was the single most adorable little boy I’d ever seen in my entire life. Seriously, like I have brothers, but honestly? Jet’s the only one who could maybe even get a girl. The rest are super weird looking in their pre-teen phase. But this one was adorable. And he thinks I’m pretty. “Thank you! You know, flattery will get you everywhere, little man!” I cooed, crouching down to meet his height. He was quiet for a moment, seeming almost startled, and then he started talking. And talking.  

Fumbling for her outstretched hand I give it a little shake before bowing like I had with Kyera. First impressions are the most important Momma says. "North? Do you have siblings? Are they named South, East, and West?" I blurt before I can stop myself. 

I quickly realize that it’s the small boy everyone’s been talking about.  His costume, albeit tacky, works perfectly for him as it only enhances his cuteness.  But I’m immediately struck by how much he reminds me of my sister.