- MANY YEARS LATER -

"Ugh, here we go again."

"Why couldn't they wait until a commercial break or something?"

"Your obsession with these cartoons is getting to be too much. It's all you talk about these days."

"It's not a cartoon, it's anime. There's a big difference! And I'm not obsessed, I just don't want to miss any important information," he reasoned, sitting back in a rickety old chair. "It's not like the Capitol has any new stuff to share anyway. It's always the same nonsense."

The other sighed, "Being on the brink of war is nonsense to you, huh?"

"Hey, my dad works up there and if he knew anything, he'd tell me," he smirked confidently.

"Yeah, he'd totally tell his blabbermouth son vital Capitol information. Of course," the other rolled his eyes.

"Guys, can you stop? I'm trying to listen," a third voice came from the couch.

A blonde woman on the static-filled screen was rambling on about the usual weekly threats from members of other country's Capitols. This time the Northern Capitol was claiming that the Eastern Capitol was withholding vital information. In reality, they were all just trigger happy individuals who, in his opinion, had no idea what they were doing. They were all pointing fingers at one another, screaming threats and making accusations that didn't seem to have much evidence. The population was exhausted by it all, and it seemed those in the Capitol were constantly on edge. Fear was a powerful thing.

"The world is going insane," he mumbled. The others hummed in agreement.

Abruptly, the television screen went black, the power in the apartment flickering on and off only to eventually give up.

"NO! My show!" he cried, running towards the TV. He frantically pressed various buttons in an effort to restore the old thing, but to no avail.

"Asher, you need a new TV. This thing is complete trash!"

The young man sprawled out on the couch groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Then buy me one, Capitol Official's son."

"He's kinda got you there," the other chuckled.

"I don't wanna hear anything from you," he snarled, giving up on the old machine.

"Yeah, Jackson you're a Capitol boy too. Where's my TV?" Asher laughed.

"Oh I know exactly where it is, you can find it wayyy up your -"

"Hey, both of you shut it. It's about time we get moving anyway. The girls are going to be waiting for us."

"If the anime hadn't been shut off, they would have been waiting anyways," Jackson mumbled, stretching as he rose from his seat on the floor.

"Do we really have to do this?" Asher nearly whined, turning to place his feet on the floor, "Why do they need us to go shop with them?"

"Yes, we do. Hannah said she would buy us all dinner afterward! A little shopping beforehand won't kill us."

"You'll do anything for food, huh?"

"Damn right," he laughed, adjusting his shirt as he walked towards the door.

"Why are we always getting dragged into Will's plans?" Asher muttered, grabbing his keys.

Jackson patted him on the shoulder, "I often wonder the same thing."

Being sure to lock the door behind him, Asher and the others left his apartment. The building was old, but large and home to many. Most of the windows on the lower floors were either cracked or broken, and brick was beginning to crumble away on the corners of the large walls. The power had a tendency to dip in and out on occasion, and the AC was pretty temperamental during the summer.

The metal stairs screeched noisily as they traveled downward, causing Jackson to flinch and Will to plug his ears, but Asher wasn't phased. It had been his home since he moved out at sixteen, so despite its flaws, he was very attached to the place. Not that he had the means to move regardless. Living on a Class Three income doesn't provide much extra spending money.

Walking through a few back alleys, they made their way to the central portion of the village. It was lively, loud with chattering voices and music. The street was lit with string lights containing a gold hue, producing a warm glow along all the cobblestone pathways. Summer was likely the time of year when people were the most social or festive.

They carefully weaved their way through the crowd, doing their best to stick together as they searched for their destination, Asher, and Jackson following Will blindly. Bodies warmed by the summer night air brushed against him, causing sweat to drop down his neck. He looked up to the open, starless night sky, struggling to keep his claustrophobia bottled inside his chest.

"Asher, stop pushing!" Will snapped.

"It's not me!" he protested, "it's all these damn people!"

"We just had to go shopping," Jackson grumbled after tripping over debris someone had dropped.

"Guys!" a feminine voice called, grabbing their attention. A redhead waved to them, just barely able to peek over the crowd a few yards away.

"Thank god you're taller than other girls!" Will chuckled as the three of them forced their way over, "we probably never would have found you two."

Hannah blushed. "Stop pointing out my height all the time!" she fussed, crossing her arms.

"Well it's not like you could have asked Maggie to flag us down, she's so small!"

A short, pale girl beside Hannah quirked a dark eyebrow at him, putting a hand on her hip.

Jackson clutched Will's arm. "Hey, just a suggestion, but don't comment on a girl's weight OR height," he whispered.

"Good call," he muttered back, leaning nervously away from the fuming ginger.

"So, where are we headed?" Asher piped up, causing the girls to instantly switch gears. The boys sighed in relief.

Hannah clapped her hands together excitedly, "Well, there are plenty of sales going on this weekend, and I just got some spending money from my parents. Plus we haven't spent much time at the market this summer, so we're overdue."

"Capitol girl," Maggie coughed beside her. Asher grinned, trying to contain his laughter.

"Hey, this Capitol girl is buying everyone dinner so be thankful," she smirked, flicking her friend on the nose.

"Let's get this over with already. Lead the way," Jackson said, gesturing to the ever-growing crowd surrounding them. Hannah and Maggie eagerly linked arms and took off, leaving the boys behind, struggling to catch up.

Asher adored the village of Lorhaven with every fiber of his being. Sure, it was run down, the people were poor, and the roads weren't paved. There wasn't much to do and the buildings were incredibly shabby, but the people didn't prioritize owning lavish things like jewelry or shoes; in fact, many walked the paths without them.

The people they wove through, trying their best not to knock anyone over, were genuine. There was not a single person you could approach who wouldn't be willing to help you if you needed it. Who wouldn't welcome you into their home should you be lost or without a place to go. Living on Class Three land, the lowest level of every nation, was no easy life. Everyone, even children once of age worked. They worked for their families, what they desired, their homes, and especially the Capitol.

They were the true backbone of the world, believe it or not. They supplied the materials everyone needed. They were the real reason those above them lived in magnificently constructed buildings, had superior clothing and toys, or other luxury items. No one on Class Three land knew how to make those things, but they knew where and how to get the materials needed, and by doing so that's how they made a living.

Nothing came easy here. The folks that roamed the walkways have known heartache and sorrow, starvation and thirst, exhaustion, and pain. Even still, the compassion in their hearts had never faltered.

Asher liked to think it was hard-coded into their DNA to be this way, but he knew better. He knew that the most genuine people were those that go without because they knew how to be grateful. They knew low points that those residing above them, in Class Two and Class One land, were ignorant to. Those people were not nearly as genuine, and it showed in each step they took.

By the time they sat down at a restaurant the guys felt dead. However, Maggie and Hannah still had the stamina to chatter on about the day with great enthusiasm. They had been dragged around relentlessly, continuously asked what their opinion was on things they couldn't care less about, or even tell the difference between. Asher tried to be as helpful as possible, while Will made snarky comments, and Jackson tried to keep Hannah from killing him, while Asher and Maggie would try to conceal their laughter.

Days like these were far less common than they used to be. With their training and Asher working, they had barely seen one another. Just a few weeks ago, his friends had passed the written exam for the Trials. Since then, they had been allowed to drop their jobs and focus entirely on training.

Since Asher wasn't participating, he threw himself into work, picking up a new, busier job in an attempt to further occupy himself. He did his best to absorb the elation he felt when interacting with his friends, because he knew in just a short time they would be gone.

A hand came down on his shoulder abruptly, jarring him from his thoughts.

"How have you been spending your time lately, Asher?" Will asked loudly, trying to speak over the crowd.

"What do you mean?"

"We've all been so busy, this is the first time the whole group has caught up in a while. So, what have you been up to?" Maggie chimed in.

Looking around the table, he realized that they were all looking him intently, awaiting his response. They were all asking about him because he was the odd one out. Their lives were all so similar, and he was different, but in a boring way. There was nothing, in particular, he was preparing for, he wasn't headstrong about a goal for his future, he didn't have a plan at all. He lived day by day and dealt with things moment by moment.

"I got a new job, it's more time consuming, but I earn more money now. I help out at the docks unloading ships and stuff. It's nothing big, but it passes the time," he shrugged.

"That's wonderful!" Maggie beamed.

"You hear that, guys?" Will's large hand squeezed Asher's shoulder harshly, "It's nothing big, just passes time for him! What a way to live!" He laughed.

"Will, knock it off," Jackson warned.

"Why? We all know that after we leave for the Trials, and then make it up to the Capitol and join the Garrick, he won't have anyone. I mean, let's be serious for once about this," he continued, adjusting himself in the booth to lean down onto the table. "We were never going to be able to get him to consider joining the program, he always just claimed he was toying with the idea just to get us off his back, because," he sunk down farther, forcing them all to lean in so they could hear him, "he has no balls!" he whispered harshly, then burst into a fit of laughter.

Everyone groaned and sat up, rolling their eyes.

"You're being a drunken idiot," Jackson groaned. He was right, Asher could smell the alcohol on his breath. Will was a talker when sober, but drunk he somehow managed to be ten times worse.

"Why, Asher? Why don't you have any guts? Huh?" Will pressed.

"We've all had this conversation many times, let's move on," Asher insisted.

"Yeah Will, back off," Maggie said.

"Shhh, shhh," he tried hushing her by holding up a finger, causing her to scowl at him from across the table.

"I just want to know why Asher doesn't love us!"

"What?" Jackson deadpanned.

"Why, Asher?" Will continued to whine.

"Someone control him please," Maggie begged.

"Just stop already," Asher mumbled.

"He's fine!" Hannah defended Will, "it's poorly worded, but a fair question!"

"He's drunk and being a jerk for no reason!" Maggie snapped.

"No, he isn't!" Hannah hissed.

"He so is! Look at him! If you lit a match within a foot of him, he'd burst into flames!"

"Guys..." Asher growled.

"Tell me why, Asher," Will said in a more serious tone, turning to face him in his seat.

"Everyone needs to calm down right now, people are starting to stare," Jackson urged.

"He needs to go home, look at him!"

"No, he doesn't, he's fine!

Asher smashed clenched fists onto the table, successfully quieting the chaos by startling everyone other than Will, who just stared with hazy eyes that were dull but amused.

"I... "Asher hesitated, staring at his calloused hands, "I know what I'm doing. The reality is that even if I started going to school and training when you all did, I still wouldn't be good enough and I would die in that Trial," he said resolutely.

"I'm not like you guys" he continued, "Sure, according to Will I might be a bit more capable than I think, but I know my place. It's here, in this village, and the biggest indicator of that is that I have zero doubts about how the Trial would end. I always have, and always will trust my gut," he emphasized, being sure to lock eyes with each of his friends.

"Me against a fully capable Drazok like Will and Hannah? I'm too weak. Someone from the Viarro Family? Like I would really be able to stand against that," he said sarcastically, trying to ignore the anxious sensation surging in his stomach.

"What about someone from the Skatar Family?" he continued, "They would mess with me so badly, I don't know if I'd ever escape whatever mental state they put me in! My nightmares are severe enough already," he joked, making Maggie smile, and the others laugh.

"Not going with you guys doesn't mean I don't care about you, or that I won't miss you. I'm just trying to be logical. I mean, what if I did cast away my doubts and join? I would attempt the Trial, die, and never be able to speak to you again. At least by staying here, I know I will be able to communicate with you all. Unless you forget about me," he joked.

"You just don't like Capitol people," Will mumbled, turning away from Asher to down the rest of his drink.

"I don't like people who are inconsiderate and dismissive of others, people who lack respect and put too much thought into social status," Asher shrugged, "and nine times out of ten, Capitol people think that way. Why would I want to surround myself with that?"

"We came from the Capitol, and we aren't like that!" Hannah protested.

"Yeah, but you all came down here when you were young," Maggie reasoned. "You have seen first hand how hard things can get for people like me and Asher. You're different than the others though. You tried to understand our lives instead of continuing to mock us and look down on us like the others from your class."

"On top of that, most Capitol kids get sent to Class Two for their schooling and training, and the people there are a lot like the Capitol residents since they have more interaction with them," Asher chimed in.

"Good ol' poor folks keepin' it real!" Will smirked, causing Hannah to reach across the table and snatch his drink away. He glared at her in response but made no attempt to retrieve it.

With the tension dying down, the group fell back into their usual flow of banter and laughter. Will backed off, stooping down to a drunken, mumbling mess to the point where none of them could clearly understand anything he said.