{flying upside down} misfit toys.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.
all that happens now
is not some glorious accident
.:.:.:.:.:.:.

It was never easy for a tribute to leave his or her home and be shipped off to an alien city, full of bright lights, busy streets, and exotic people looking forward to seeing you fight to the death on live television in just a matter of days. It wasn't easy, putting on a happy face for the cameras when all you really wanted to do was burst into tears or scream at the top of your lungs. Contestants in the Hunger Games had it pretty hard, no matter who you were - Sapphire Ross, however, was fairly certain she was correct in assuming that she had it harder than most of the others. For one, she was following in the footsteps of her older, much more competent sister, who had won the 56th Games just three years before. And for another, that sister, who, as her mentor, basically had her life in her hands, hated her.

It had been two full days since the Reaping, and Sapphire and Topaz hadn't made up yet, nor had they taken any significant steps in the direction of doing so. Mostly, they'd simply ignored each other - on the train ride, during opening ceremonies, and every meal in which they'd been forced to eat together since. The only time they'd ever even looked at each other was just before the Opening Ceremonies, when Kaiser the stylist had pulled them both aside and insisted that even though he could clearly see they weren't speaking to each other for whatever reason, they better keep up a sisterly facade for the cameras or so help him, he would send Sapphire out on her chariot naked. Topaz hadn't seemed bothered by this at first - what did it matter to her whether or not her sister was mortally embarrassed? - but then Kaiser had whispered something to her through clenched teeth that Saph didn't catch, causing her jaw to drop indignantly. But she didn't dare protest whatever he'd said, so it was settled - they would be playing nice every time there was a camera around.

While dressing his newest charge, Kaiser had realized fast that he wasn't dealing with Topaz anymore, nothing close. Sapphire wasn't tough like her sister. She wasn't as sociable, wasn't as fun-loving, and was definitely not as into style as Tope was, which was Kaiser's primary concern. Saph assumed that Tope had been a privilege to dress as a tribute; always enthusiastic, eager to show off her body, not afraid to express her opinion on things. Basically, the complete opposite of Saph, who, when adorned in an absolutely dazzling silver jeweled dress, had simply declared, "It's nice," with a quick nod and a forced smile. Even the sheen of sparkles Kaiser had applied to her entire body hadn't prompted any oohs or aahs; she'd simply stood still as stone and let the somewhat put-out stylist make her over however he wanted. The seventeen-year-old supposed he had expected more from a Ross. And here Saph was, disappointing him, just as she disappointed everybody else. She wondered how long it would take the rest of the Capitol to see that she wasn't going to live up to expectations.

If she hadn't been so used to things like this, Saph would've been offended by the stylist's lack of interest in her. She had underestimated the bond between Topaz and Kaiser, victor and stylist, but it was there; though they bickered often, it was blatantly obvious that they'd been through a lot together, and he was probably one of the few people Tope trusted. When around Sapphire, he was distant, detached, rarely speaking at all. She was fine with this, for she wasn't particularly a talker herself, but it would've been nice if he'd shown at least some compassion for her. At mealtimes, he spoke only to Topaz, leaving Saph to stare down into her food while trying to be polite and answer Carmel's small talk inquiries.

The Opening Ceremonies had brought back to light an issue she faced all the time and that she knew she'd have to face in the Games sooner or later. Everywhere she went, she wasn't Sapphire; she was Topaz's sister. The idea that she had her own identity was laughable; she was 'that younger Ross girl', the 'sister of the victor'. That was really all she was known for, living in her sister's shadow. They all talked about her that way, and it was even worse since Tope had volunteered for her three years ago. No one knew Sapphire Ross, the intelligent, soft-spoken scholar; they knew Sapphire, sister of the victor of the 56th Hunger Games. When would she be able to break away?

Well, I'll start now, she thought determinedly, as she rode the elevator down with her district partner - a big, hulking Career male she'd hardly even spoken to since the Reaping - to the training gym, where she'd spend the most of the next three days trying desperately to pick up skills that would ensure her survival, even though she wouldn't survive. Ensure her success for a little while, anyway. Before someone ran a sword through her heart or slit her throat or something.

She would learn the stations she wanted to learn, not the ones Topaz would advise. Besides, some of these looked interesting - first aid, tying knots, making fires. Without a doubt, Tope had spent her entire training time over at the combat stations - blades, probably, as the redhead was absolutely lethal with a sword in her hand and she definitely would've wanted to show off - and had completely ignored much of the survival stations Sapphire had her eye on. And she would've also advised Sapphire to do the same, had she been doing her duty as a mentor as she was supposed to. But Saph knew she couldn't handle weapons with skill and finesse like Tope, not at all, and she wasn't keen on making a fool of herself in front of the other tributes this early in the Game. No, best to save that for later, when she was running for her life away from the Cornucopia. Now, she would focus on the skills that would give her her best chance in there, and combat wasn't included in those.

The edible and medicinal plants station caught her eye immediately, and she was surprised to realize that she recognized a lot of them; books in the vast library in her family's mansion detailed the properties of many of them, and she'd found it particularly interesting. They also learned a bit about them in science and ecology classes at school, as they were Hunger Games related and One was all about training up its tributes; Sapphire had paid particularly close attention during that lesson. She didn't need to learn more about plants now; maybe later, if she had extra time. For now, she would find something else to practice...like fires. Firemaking would be a useful skill to learn.

There were a few more people at firemaking, a thin, teal-eyed girl she remembered as the Twelve female, and the District Three male, easily recognizable because of the conspicuous red streaks in his shoulder-length brown hair. Sapphire paid them no mind until the trainer gave them a box of matches and instructed them to start a fire together. The District One female's eyes widened just a bit; she didn't like the prospect of interacting with people who would be trying to kill her in just days, but she assumed starting a fire would be easier with others. They'd get it done faster, at least, so she could move on to something else. Scattering some twigs in a little square on the ground, Saph crouched down over the beginnings of their fire, determined, as always, not to speak unless one of the others spoke to her.