Iris POV

Waking up in a cold sweat was routine now that the games are over. Over? They were never really over. It was something that stuck with you for the rest of your life. Every year they would throw it back in your face; pushing you onto a train and making you lead more children to their deaths. Waking up in a cold sweat was just a routine.

I had never had much sleep to begin with anyway. Since I was young I had struggled to stay asleep for very long. The cogs in my head were always turning. I had always kept to myself, never finding it easy to relate to others or to speak to people in any casual fashion. So for most of the time I had spent as a child, going into my teens, I spent alone.

Wiping the sweat off of my forehead, I swung my legs over the side of my bed. I rubbed my eyes and squinted into the darkness, trying to get my eyes to adjust. It was pretty early. The first rays of sunlight were starting to peak over the horizon. It was nearing the end of winter now. In a few weeks all the children of District 5 would gather outside the justice building and wait with bated breath for their names to be called.

Mentoring those kids was never easy. I'm still a kid myself. At the age of nineteen it has been 3 years since my 'victory'. I had refused to stay in the Victor's Village in District 5 along with the only other surviving victor, and my mentor. Alas, Joff had developed an alcohol problem. I chose to live in the house my parents had lived in before the 'accident'. My mom and dad had both died in a fire that broke out in the power plant during my games. Apparently President Snow didn't think I was enough of a crowd pleaser.

As the day went on, there was talk of an announcement that was going to be aired later that day concerning the Quarter Quell. The last Quarter Quell required double the amount of tributes from each district. God only knows what they'll think of this year.

Come 5pm, all the televisions in the District switched on and President Snow appeared. There was some usual babble about the reason for the Games. Same shit every year. "And now we honour our third Quarter Quell," says the president. An envelope is presented to him. He opens it, pulling out a small square of paper. "On the Seventy-Fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors."

My blood ran cold and surged through my body. District 5 had only two living victors. I was going back into the arena.

The information had settled into my system before the television switched itself off, in the same fashion as it had come on. Logic and calm headedness were my strengths. "Panicking now won't change anything." I mumbled to myself. I wonder if Joff had a bottle to spare.

Johanna POV

My blood started to boil. How the fuck would they have know 75 years ago that there would be a male and female victor from each district to decide that this Quarter Quell would work? This is a political scheme to dampen the uprisings that Snow was trying to keep secret from everyone. That Girl Without Brains in District 12 must have really pissed the Capitol off.

Storming out of my house, I grabbed my axe and swung at the nearest tree I could find. The anger burned through me and my muscles were starting to strain against the effort. My axe slid out of my hands and I fell to my knees, digging my hands into the dirt.

"You could do it again you know." A voice came from behind me. I grabbed my axe and turned, poised to strike. Blight stood a few feet away, leaning against a tree. I relaxed and exhaled, tired from my outburst. "Do what exactly?" I asked, standing up and dusting myself off. I looked at him with the same hard exterior I used against everyone. "Win the Games." He replied. I sighed and started walking towards my house.

"It's not impossible." He said, following as I walked. "Leave me alone, Blight. We both know they don't intend for any of us to come out alive. They'll play with an advantage to one of the less defiant victors; the ones that didn't fight the Capitol and Snow." Snow had murdered my family after I won my Games because I didn't want to whore myself to the adoring people of the Capitol. After my Victory tour, I had returned home to District 7 to find my house in flames with my family inside it.

"We've all managed to weasel a win from them. If you hold your own and be careful you could make it." The sun was starting to go down. The orange was brilliant against the different shades of blue, creating a beautiful setting behind the forests surrounding the District. The beauty in everything has been lost on those who were forced to kill others in an attempt to survive. Now they were taking everything away again by forcing us back into the arena. "Either way we're both going in." I said trying to sound apathetic. I was terrified.

When I lay down to sleep that night, the only dreams that came were the faces of the people I had murdered in an attempt to live peacefully one day. Maybe my imminent death will finally bring some peace.

The next day, Blight and I had agreed to start training. We sparred with one another, strengthened our muscles and tried to condition our bodies. I didn't have the advantage of playing the weakling card like I had in my Games anymore. Everyone knew I was a force to be reckoned with. I had managed to win my games through tears and feigned weakness.

I had spent most of the time hiding away from the other tributes so they could do most of the dirty work. When it was down to only me and a career pack of four tributes, I had made my dramatic change and killed off all four in a vicious assault. The people of the Capitol went nuts for this sudden change of events and I earned my place as a victor.

Snapping out of my nostalgia, I narrowly evaded a blow from Blight's axe. "What the fuck, Blight?" I yelled at him. "You aren't supposed to try and kill me before the games have even started." He chuckled and called for a break. We both plopped onto the ground, glistening with sweat and panting from the training. "How are we gonna make it through this?" I asked, hoping his many years of mentoring will give me some insight. He let out a deep sigh. "We won't, Johanna. Not all of us."