Chapter 1 The Tempest
Sebastian rose out of bed that morning in rather good spirits as he considered the good fortune that life had granted to him. After all he had everything a person could want, wealth, power, and comfort, or as much comfort as you could have, living in the districts. Then he remembered and the smile left his face. Today was Reaping Day, and not just any Reaping Day. No, this was a Quarter Quell, and the Capitol, to remind the districts that rebellion will affect all people, opened the Games to everyone. Everyone, from the lowest rag seller to the mayor, his brother Alonso, had their name in once. No tesserae. No volunteers. Sebastian shuddered a little when he thought that the day could end in his death sentence and that all the power he had acquired by being brother to the mayor would all be for nothing.
He ate breakfast with his brother and his brother's advisors. His brother was a good ruler, at least from Sebastian's point of view. Alonso governed more or less fairly, though he was willing to turn a blind eye to many of Sebastian's misdemeanors, and spent most of his time with his son, Ferdinand. Ferdinand was alright, but very naive and had dated or been turned down by half the girls in their district. Next to Ferdinand was Gonzalo. If there was one person who got on Sebastian's nerves, it was Gonzalo. He was long-winded, overly cheerful, and always tried to look on the bright side of life and to convert others to that viewpoint as well. Not only that, he could be annoyingly quick-witted and had often thwarted many of Sebastian's schemes. Next to him were Adrian and Francisco, who pretty much blindly agreed with whoever seemed to be winning the argument of the day. Trinculo and Stephano, the two servants were lying in bed with massive hangovers, as they had spent last night getting exceedingly drunk to forget about Reaping Day. "Who was he trying to kid?, Sebastian thought, "Those two don't need a reason to get drunk." And then there was Antonio. Antonio had been Sebastian's partner in crime ever since he had gained power.
The atmosphere was tense, as all of them realized that today, they could be sent to their deaths. Only Antonio seemed relaxed as he mocked those around him for their terror. Sebastian admired Antonio for his bravery and was able to forget his fear for a time, and join in the mockery. Antonio and Sebastian had been friends for a long time. They both had sharp senses of humor, usually at the expense of others, an insatiable urge for power, and a complete lack of morals. However, Antonio was definitely the more ruthless one. He had even exiled his own brother to a remote corner of the district to gain his place in power. Sebastian was more laid-back and content to manipulate his position as brother of the mayor to his own advantage.
Finally, the time for the Reaping came. Their party walked toward the town square, and for the first time since he was a child, Sebastian felt terrified of what came next. No, more terrified even, than those times. In his youth, he had never really had a chance of getting picked. He had never needed to take tesserae, and there was always some Peacekeeper he could bribe to have his name be removed.
The name for the girls was drawn first, as was the custom. The tribute chosen was a young girl, around the age of 15, with long, red hair that waved in the wind. Her name was Miranda. When she was called she went up to the stage, and looked around at the sea of faces. However, there was something peculiar about her expression. Instead, of the look of terror that the faces of tributes usually wore as their death sentence was called, she looked around in amazement and wonder.
Sebastian looked at her and thought that she looked familiar, but he couldn't place her face. Antonio turned to him and muttered, "Bet you she lasts five minutes in the Games." "Nah", said Sebastian scornfully, "Look at her face, she'll barely last three." He looked over at the rest of the lords. Ferdinand was staring at the girl, totally lovestruck. Sebastian shook his head as he looked at Ferdinand. He had clearly fallen for the girl, whose lifespan had been reduced to days. Suddenly, he realized that the girl, Miranda he remembered, resembled Antonio slightly. He turned to ask Antonio if he noticed the resemblance as well, but his attention was drawn by something much more drastic. The escort was unfolding the sheet of paper that she had drawn from the glass bowl and read off the name. It was his. Sebastian, taken aback and almost in shock, stumbled backward. Antonio grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. "Get up there", he whispered in a low voice to his friend, "Prove to them you're not weak." Sebastian walked up to the podium, trying to appear in control, but he was sure that everyone in the crowd could see him shaking with fear. He shook hands with the girl who smiled at him shyly. "Did she even know that she had been given what amounted to a death sentence?",he thought and then it hit him. So had he.
As he looked around on the platform, he silently bid goodbye to the sights that he would probably never see again, at the faces that would witness his death, Sebastian felt tears sting his eyes. He ducked into the visitors room and waited to see who would come inside. "No matter what happens", he thought to himself, "I must not appear weak." Suddenly Antonio walked in and sat down next to him. "This is perfect", Antonio said, " If you become Victor, you'll have power, influence and can easily become the mayor." "That's a pretty big if", Sebastian said jokingly to his friend, though a listener would notice that his voice shook, "And besides, we already have a mayor." "Not for long. If I kill him, and probably Gonzalo too, and you come back covered in glory, you could easily become the next mayor." Sebastian thought about it. Come to think of it, that plan would probably work. True, it wasn't morally right, but would conscience even trouble him that much? He remembered that Antonio had done the same to his own brother, and mentioned that to him. "Yes, I exiled my brother and would have killed him, had not that fool Gonzalo intervened", Antonio said, "And look at my. Look at the rich clothes I'm wearing and the power I have. As for conscience, it has never troubled me." "I'll do it. I'll win and then when I come home…" "When you come home, you will be the most powerful in the district, and I will be at your side", Antonio said. "When I'm mayor, you won't have to pay any taxes", joked Sebastian. Antonio smiled. "Just make sure you win." "I will", promised Sebastian, as he stepped onto the train that would carry him to victory, or to his grave.