Third Quarter Quell
Chapter One
President Snow stood watching the finale of the 74th annual Hunger Games, where that criminal Seneca Crane allowed both champions from District 12 to win when they were the only people left standing. He grimaced as Katniss and Peeta held up their hands on the screen.
"They think they can defy me, do they? Well, I'll show them. Crater!"
A man with a long thin beard entered the room. "Yes, sir?"
"I want you to have the cryogenerated werewolves from the early twenty-first century brought to life. And get Maggie to blow the horn."
"The vampire horn?" Crater asked, shakingly.
"No, the umpire horn to call forth the great baseball players of history. Yes, the vampire horn."
"Where shall they be summoned?"
"In the Wagdazle Lab."
"Right, sir," Crater said, saluting. Then he left the room.
The white-haired man smiled. "Let's see how you buffoons—you underdogs as Seneca Crane calls you deal with the paranormal lint he greatest Hunger Games event ever, the seventy fifth annual celebration."
President Snow entered the Wagdazle Lab have an hour later. The werewolves and vampires were all there.
"How many of you are Moroi or dhampirs?" President Snow asked the vampires.
"I am a Moroi," said a female vampire. "This is my best friend's ex, Dmitri. He was a Strigoi for a little while once. But he's back to normal. Well, as normal as a dhampir that was once a Strigoi can be."
"I would have preferred an actual Strigoi," President Snow said, lamentably. "But I know how hard it is to get them involved in this. They don't listen to the horn, and they might end up killing everyone that's here."
"A vampire kill a werewolf? Yeah, right," said one of the latter gang.
The president approached him. "And who might you be?"
"Sam Uley, the leader of the Quileute tribe."
"Consider yourself lucky that no Strigoi would answer the horn, young man. You will have enough chances to be killed by a vampire without one of that sort coming at you."
Sam Uley wanted to spit in the old man's face, but as he had just been unfrozen from being cryogenerated for, however long it had been, he decided against his first impulse.
President Snow approached the center. "I have gathered you all today to welcome you to the 75th annual Hunger Games. It will be your duty in this contest to fight to the death, and you will tackle anyone that gets in your way."
"You expect me to fight…Edward? You're crazy!" said one of the vampires.
"You will do as I command," President Snow said. "I summoned you forth with the vampire horn."
The vampire girl in question ran forth and struck him across the face. "You didn't summon us. Your secretary did."
"That's telling him, Bella!" said Alice.
President Snow's face was bleeding where Bella had slapped him, and one the vampires was rushing forward to bite him, but a strong vampire held him back. "No, Jasper. Control yourself."
Dmitri joined the strong vampire in holding Jasper back while the woman who blew the horn brought a bandage to cover President Snow's cheek.
"Thank you, Maggie," the old man said. "You're a doll."
She stepped away and he started speaking again as if nothing had happened. "Really, I do not care whether you kill each other or not. There are returning champions from last year's Hunger Games and I want them dead. It will be your job to see to it that is done. If they die, I will have the Hunger Games end early and the rest of you can go home without damage. Or any more damage, I should say."
"Why not just have us go to where they are and kill them there?" one of the werewolves asked.
"Because I want it to look honorable," President Snow said. "lf they are killed in the games, people won't think much of it. But if they are murdered in their beds, there will be mutiny."
"Are these champions vampires or werewolves?" someone asked.
"They are neither," said the President. "They are human."
"They'll be a piece of cake, then," said a short female vampire.
"And who are you, young lady?" President Snow asked.
"Name's Jane. And I like to see people squirm."
"Just like one of the Tributes from Districts 1, 2 and 4," the president said, mist in his eyes.
"Um, President Snow, isn't this supposed to be the year of the Third Quarter Quell?" Crater asked.
:"Why, I suppose it is," the old man said, stroking is beard. He had not forgptten but liked it when other people remembered things like this.
"Our vampire/werewolf pull is not enough.:"
"In that case, there is only one thing to do," President Snow said, a malicious smile on his face. "Bring out the mutants."
