As soon as Lucretia says those last words, Miguel, Connor, and I are torn apart by peacekeepers and thrown into separate rooms to say our goodbyes.
I stumble into a room at the end of the hall and the door is slammed and locked behind me. My legs wobble and give out, leaving me to sink to the floor, leaning against a red velvet covered bench against the opposite wall. I bite my lip to keep from crying. I don't want to show off my weakness to all of Panem.
Suddenly the door is thrown open, revealing Julia. Tears are streaming down her face like mad and she doesn't even bother to wipe them away, knowing that knew ones would soon replace them. I stand shakily.
"Oh, Emma..." She closes the space between us and throws her arms around my neck. "I...can't believe...this..."
"I know..." I choke out.
"Y-you and C-Connor both..."
I nod vigorously against her hair. "I know Jules..."
Suddenly she pulls back. "We don't have much time. But promise me something, Emma."
"Anything."
She unclasps the locket that she wears around her neck and holds it out to me. Julia drops it into my palm and then gently closes my fingers around it. "Wear this for me. Into the arena. Please."
I nod again, swallowing thickly.
The door opens and a peacekeeper announces that her time is up. She throws her arms around me once more, and then detaches herself. "Goodbye, Emma."
"Goodbye, Julia."
"Oh, and one more thing!"
"Yes?"
The peacekeeper takes her arm but she resists. "Promise me you'll try to win! For Connor and me both! Please!"
"I will!"
She resists the peacekeeper more, but she's losing.
"Promise me, Emma!"
"I promise, Julia!"
And with that, she's gone, and the door slams again, leaving me alone once more.
I open my palm to reveal the locket Julia left me with. With shaking hands I undo the latch on the side, opening it up to reveal pictures or her, Connor, and I. My best friends. Carefully, I reach up behind my neck and do up the clasp. Closing my hand around the heart, I sigh.
My next visitor is a little bit unexpected.
Connor's mom.
"Mrs. Dilleen?" I half gasp.
"I know I don't have much time," she slurs, face dripping with tears. She must've just came from visiting her son. "But I had to say something to you."
"Please," I say. "Go ahead."
"For as long as I can remember, you have been best friends with my son. I don't think I can remember a time when he wasn't friends with you."
I smile a little.
"You are his closest friend, and practically family. And now that you are both in the games, I don't know what to do. As far as I'm concerned, you are my other daughter."
I bite my lip, fighting tears.
"So if I could ask you, just one thing."
"Of course." I mumble.
"Stay together."
"What?"
"Stay together," she repeats. "You and Connor and Miguel. Try, and fight, and win. A lot of tributes just give up. Please don't let yourself or your brother, or my son, quit."
"I won't. I promise."
"Thank you," she mumbles, swiping at her eyes.
I just nod. It's all I can do.
We sit in silence until the peacekeeper comes to take her away.
"Goodbye, Emma," she calls. "Remember your promise!"
"Bye, Mrs. Dilleen! I-"
The door slams, cutting me off.
"-will."
All I have time to do is run my hand over my face, and then my next, and probably last visitors, barge into the room.
My family.
"Mom! Dad! Liz, Lilith!" I gasp, running up to them all. I give them each a hug, but Lilith clings to me.
"Save Miguel, please Emma..." She mumbles.
She wants me to save her twin. Well of course I will try to save my brother. Why wouldn't I?
"Of course, Lilith. I love him too."
She just nods into the fabric of my dress.
I bend down and plant a kiss on her forehead, brushing a price of her dirty blonde hair out of her face. She's the only blonde in the family, save for my dad.
"You're gunna try, right sis?"
I look down at Elizabeth, who's staring at me with wide eyes.
"Of course I'm going to try! I couldn't just sit back at let myself die! Have you met me! I'm too stubborn..."
To my satisfaction, that results to the smallest laugh from my family. Well at least that's something.
"You can win this, sweetie," my dad chimes in.
"I dunno Dad..."
"Yes, you can. You can hunt, you can throw knives, you can climb...you can do a lot of things..."
I lean into his shoulder. "But hunting isn't killing people dad. It's not the same thing."
He kisses my temple. "I know, sweetheart, I know. But you can still win this. Win this for us, for Connor's family, for Julia."
I nod, fighting tears once more. "I'm going to miss you all...I love you."
"We love you too..." Comes an echo from my entire family.
Then we all hug. We hug, all of us together, until it is time for them to go. As the peacekeeper comes in to take them away, my mother pulls me into an embrace and presses a kiss to my forehead.
"Mom...?"
"You can do this, honey. We believe in you."
"Thanks mom." I take her hand and squeeze it. "I love you."
She squeezes my hand back in a loving gesture. "I love you too, Emma. Goodbye."
And with that, she turns her back and starts to leave the room. At the last second she turns back around to stare at me. "Oh, and Emma, promise me that you will protect Miguel! Take care of him!"
"I will! I promise, mom!"
And then the door slams one final time, and I'm alone once more.
I sit in silence for what feels like ages. I sigh, and wipe away one stray tear that manages to escape my left eye and fall down my face.
Finally, the door opens, but this time it's only a peacekeep that stares back at me.
"It's time to go miss."
I stand up off of the velvet stool, running my hand over the soft fabric. I dust myself off with shaking hands. There is only one thing that I can manage to think as I leave my last shred of safety and privacy behind in that one lonely room inside of the Justice building.
Too many promises.