"Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. When we suffer, we survive."
―Cassandra Clare,City of Heavenly Fire
No one would have thought that after over seventy-six years of tension followed by civil war that Panem would ever see peace.
After the spark that ignited the districts to fight for freedom from the Hunger Games came a war like nothing the country had ever seen before. For seven years the districts fought tooth and nail against their overbearing Capitol. Countless lives were lost, entire districts were wiped out by bombings, and the country as a whole suffered through every second of the brutal war.
In the final days of the war the Capitol was brought to its knees. One final raid from the sky forced the President to make a choice to continue the war and risk being overtaken entirely, or to give in to the districts' requests. The President called for a committee of district rebels to meet with him in the Capitol to create what would hence forth be known as the Treaty of Exemption.
The Treaty of Exemption stated that each district would no longer be forced to send children as tributes to the Hunger Games. It gave each district the freedom to control its own resources, and trade peacefully between one another and the Capitol. The monthly quotas that each district must deliver to the Capitol were cut in half, allowing them to grow their own wealth while still having the comfort of protection under the Capitol.
Along with the Treaty of Exemption, a new district was formed. District Zero was created in the patch of dead land where districts Ten, Eleven, and Twelve had once stood. Criminals were deported out of other districts and the Capitol and sent to live in this new district. District Zero was built as a prison camp to keep the rest of Panem safe from crime as well as punish the guilty for their crimes. If all living parents in a family were deemed guilty, all children under the age of sixteen would be deported to District Zero as well.
It was agreed by most parties that the Hunger Games would still take place each year, but that only District Zero would be required to provide tributes. Twenty young tributes would be chosen at random each year to compete against three of the Capitol's finest fighters. If the fighters, later nicknamed Gladiators, eliminated all tributes they would be victorious and showered in fame and riches beyond what even dreams could paint for them. If a tribute was able to kill one of the Gladiators, they could be immediately released from the arena and have their record wiped allowing them to re-enter society. If all three Gladiators were killed, the remaining tributes would fight amongst one another and the last tribute standing would also be released.
As the years went by the majority of Panem flourished under the new treaty. By the next century, only in District Zero was it possible to experience extreme poverty or hunger. With every advance that the rest of Panem made, District Zero only seemed to suffer. It became ridden with horrible amounts of violence, crime, and disease. Body counts were high, not just from violence but also due to the harshness with which the prisoner were treated.
District Zero was broken down into sectors labelled A-J, with prisoners being randomly assigned a barrack upon arrival along with their families. The ten sectors are surrounded on three sides by electric fence, with the fourth side exposed to a massive garbage dump. The industry of District Zero revolves around sifting through the nation's junk for valuables in order for them to be repurposed. Many of the prisoners who are not able to get work in the kitchens or processing plants spent most of their day in the dump hoping to find something they can sell.
District Zero is heavily guarded at all times by Peacekeepers, who were directed by sector wardens. Though guidelines had been issued to protect the prisoners, the strictness with which they were followed dissolved within months of the district's creation. The prisoners were tough and even the Peacekeepers came to fear them in masses. Though they were originally placed in the district to protect against crime, their uniforms only provided them with respect in the light hours. Under the mask of darkness the prisoners fought back against their unfair treatment, often with dire consequences for all involved.
Children and grandchildren of the original criminals could only escape if by the age of twenty they retained a perfect record. Very few were able to achieve this, and populations continued to rise. Barracks were overpopulated, food was scarce, and no one seemed to care. They were prisoners, hardly human, so what could they expect to be given from the people that had trapped them there in the first place?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
A/N: Here it is, my new project that I have mentioned to a few of you now. First and foremost I would like to thank blendedblues for helping me work out a lot of the kinks in this universe. You're a peach!
Now, onto the important stuff. I am looking for twenty amazing tributes from District Zero to enter the 220th Hunger Games against my three Capitol gladiators. I am NOT accepting submissions for the gladiators, ONLY for the District Zero tributes.
Some important things to keep in mind if you choose to submit;
- Tributes can either be children/grandchildren/etc of criminals or criminals themselves (born in District Zero or deported from another district). It is more likely for them to be in the first category, however.
- Regular age restraints apply (12-18 years of age).
- District Zero is very poor, all of it. There are no princesses here (at least no rich ones).
- This is the 220th Hunger Games, so no war stories please.
- I don't want any sort of trained tribute. None. Nada. Nope.
- District Zero is ridden with crime, terror, and poverty, so make them fit there or maybe tell me why they don't fit there. I don't mind a few petty criminals, just make sure there is more to them than that. I don't want a bunch of murder stories, there is going to be enough murder in this story I can assure you.
- Districts Ten, Eleven, and Twelve no longer exist in this verse.
- There are no volunteers in this verse.
The form will be on my profile. The deadline is Wednesday May 27th, 2015 at 11:59 EST.
I am looking forward to seeing what everyone is going to come up with, it's sure to be an exciting journey and I hope you all enjoy it.
And finally, welcome to All Eyes!