Tessa's gray eyes widened as the clear plastic door shut between her and the dreary gray room. She looked up through her tube, staring at a black ceiling until it slid open, and her capsule began to rise. Tessa could hardly remember how she arrived here.

Will had promised her portaling would be the safest way to travel to Idris, but something had gone terribly wrong. The moment she stepped into the hazy door-less void, she was tugged in a hundred different directions. She could feel her stomach churn and her mind spin until she felt a tug on her arm and she awoke in a place she later learned was called the Capitol.

A woman aided in her feedings and dressings, but Tessa could not seem to pull a note from the woman's mouth. She had been held captive for days, her meals coming in like clockwork, but no visitors but the silent woman. When a man named Cinna came into her room the day before, she finally was able to receive some answers.

Cinna sewed a loose clasp on her jacket, and she could smell the sweet smell of cinnamon come off his dark brown/black hair. He was much too close to her , his tanned hands grazing her stomach every time he turned the needle.

"You're much too close Cinna," Tessa said, attempting to level her voice. As she pushed her brown curls out of her face, she could see Cinna's lips turn into a smirk, the gold glitter on his eyes gleaming just a bit brighter as his head turned up to her. He twisted a small knot at the end and tugged. The clasp was secured.

"All done, Tessa." Cinna rose from his knees and crossed his arms in front of him as he eyed her clothes. Tessa squirmed every time he used her first name, but she hadn't corrected him. She was afraid to. "Any questions?"

"What is this for?" She pulled at the pants that were too tight for her liking, and the buttons along the jacket. She could Change and hopefully thwart him or gain Cinna's trust, but she did not want to put herself into immediate danger, especially to reveal something so personal to someone she didn't know. Cinna shook his head, murmuring something along the lines that he couldn't say anything. Truly, she just wanted to know one thing.

"Are James and William ok?" Tessa had referred to their full names, afraid any type of close familiarity would harm them in some way. Tessa had enough of Mortmain torturing her and then her brother, Nate, she could hardly live with herself if something happened to either Jem or Will. Jem wasn't even supposed to come through the portal with her and Will. She saw him come through right as she stepped in. His hand barely brushed her own before they toppled into the confusing mess. Again, Cinna shook his head.

When Tessa's view cleared the top of the clear cylinder she was in, she could see similarly dressed men and women around her, standing on similar risers. They wore the same dark, close fitting pants, with pockets lined on the side and a heavy jacket, with a strange cushioned fabric lined on the inside. Jessamine would have a fit. The colors were that of dirt and mud, two things Jessamine would say were never in style.

A loud voice interrupted her thoughts: "Let the 76th Hunger Games begin!"

Tessa watched as the people jumped off their pedestals and headed to the center of the field, where things lay strewn across the ground around a dark cornucopia. Tessa could see the sheen of a steel, the glint of a bow, and other items. She watched horrifically as a woman only a couple feet in front of her cut the throat of a man before grabbing the pack he held and running off into a nearby ditch.

"Tessa! Tessa!"

Tessa knew the voice calling her, and she searched frantically for those blue eyes. She hadn't left her stand, but she could see far in the sky a clock, counting backward. It was on five.

Not wanting to wait til it reached zero, Tessa jumped down, collapsing on a young woman. They rolled down a small hill, and Tessa felt her elbow collide with the girl's face.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" Tessa reached for the girl's nose, which had begun to drip blood. The girl pushed her hand away, frantically grabbing at the arrows she had dropped during the fall. Tessa reached for two near her and handed them to the girl. The girl looked up at her with her slate gray eyes, her dark brown hair curling at her olive toned temples.

"Katniss! Lets go!" A man pulled Katniss to her feet, brushing away at the dirt that masked her cheek. Looking between Tessa and the man, she put her other hand out to Tessa.

Tessa reached out, and they all ran. Farther than Tessa had ever run in her life, not that she had a use for running back home in New York. It was only recently during her trainings did she accustom her body to agility and speed. Tessa followed, but froze when she realized she didn't see Will behind her. Didn't he see her fall?

"Will! I need to go back!" Tessa turned back towards the field, unsure how many twists and turns would get her back, back to him. But where was Jem?

Katniss pulled on her arm. "No, you don't. They'll find you." Her eyes were fierce for a young woman, a characteristic Tessa didn't have the pleasure of coming across very often.

"Who's 'they'?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer, but the sky boomed with the sounds of thunder. One after another. Tessa watched the boy count silently to himself. His gold hair shaded his eyes, and she could see the strands that were lightened from the sun.

"Peeta...how many?" Katniss asked.

"Nine," he replied. Katniss' face sunk a bit.

"Nine what?" Tessa stood between the two as they gazed at each other before Katniss answered her.

"People. Dead."

Tessa's hands flew to her mouth to cover her gasp. Yes, she saw the other fighting each other once they were freed from the clear capsule, but had they really killed one another? Leaves crunched behind her and Katniss had her bow and arrow out before Tessa could even respond.

Will stepped out into a patch of sunlight that escaped between the tree branches. His blue eyes shown brightly under his black ruffled hair, and his jacket hung limply in his hands. She could see the shirt he wore clinging to his chest in sweat and Tessa lunged toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck, inhaling his scent. Last she saw him he promised her Idris would be the most memorable place of her life.

"Oh Will, where are we? Where did the portal take us?"

Will smoothed the loose strands of Tessa's hair before pulling away from her. Tessa could feel her heart crack just a little bit, as it did every time Will let her go.

"The Hunger Games, Panem? What district are you from?" Peeta and Katniss came up next to them, darting their eyes between Will and Tessa.

"London... by way bread and circuses I suppose." Will winked at Tessa, his eyes glittering in the sunlight.

"Shush Will, this is hardly the time to quote Juvenal." But Tessa couldn't keep her lips from curving upwards into a smirk.

"Well before we get into introductions, lets look for somewhere to stay while the sun is still out," Peeta said.

Katniss had already abandoned everyone and was walking forward. Peeta had managed to describe the Hunger Games to Will and Tessa during the walk. Twelve districts forced to send their children to fight to the death. All to show superiority, to show who was in charge.

"But we're not part of a district," Will repeated again to Peeta. The two fought back and forth, attempting to figure who was right and wrong. Katniss hadn't said anything to Tessa, and Tessa felt incredibly alone as she brushed the sweat and dirt that had accumulated on her face. The sun had begun to go down, and the sky above the treetops had melted into a lovely orange marmalade color.

When Tessa had attempted to explain the portal through which they came, Peeta went off on some topic about tracker jackers and delusions.

"We're not delusional!" Tessa shrilled. The night had gotten late, and the constant questioning had her mind grow tired. She was ready to slap Peeta in the face when she found her eyes caught on a floating light. It drew slowly closer, but it didn't float like that of a firefly. Tessa could remember catching fireflies with Nate when they were young, always wishing to keep the fireflies through the night to light their rooms, but Aunt Harriet always told them they needed to release the flies so they could light up the world of others.

"Will, what's..."

But Will had his seraph blade ready in hand. The light stopped about 15 strides away.

Will yelled and his seraph blade lit up, the metal glowing like it had sat on hot coals before that moment. Will's wrist flicked back, and he readied himself to throw it.

"Expelliarmus!"

Will's seraph blade flew from his hand to the side, the glowing metal now lost in the brush of the trees. Tessa could hear Will curse at himself, but she could only concentrate on the girl in front of her. The girl was fair skinned, her auburn hair reminded her of the days when Tessa could not manage the frizz of London rain (thankfully Sophie had a balm for that). She held a twig in front of her, aiming it at Will.

"I don't play fetch very well you know," he threatened.

"I could kill you, you know." The girl's voice was shaky as she shoved the stick closer to Will, and she spoke with an accent similar to his.

"But you won't," he said and nodded behind her.

The girl turned around, and Katniss stood there, bow and arrow in place, aimed at the girl's skull. Katniss motioned for the girl to drop the stick.

"I won't." The girl stiffened in place and raised the stick, no, wand, at Katniss.

It was a female stand off. Tessa couldn't imagine who would move first, because to see two women threatening each other was, unheard of to her. Katniss was fiercer than the girl, her hands steady on the bow and arrow. The girl had her wand pointed at Katniss, but you could see the nervousness rack through her body.

"Please stop! This isn't right!" Tessa bolted out between them, Will missing her arm by a mere couple inches. The girl looked surprised and stepped back, and Peeta put an arm on Katniss. "We can't go around killing people because some...game maker told us to!"

"There's no other way out Tessa," Peeta said. His voice remained her so much of Jem's, soothing and airy. He could say the sky was purple and she would believe him.

"You're simple minded, there's always a way out." Will positioned himself against a tree, playing with his witchlight stone in his hand. The light casted out was dim, but enough for everyone to see each other.

"You don't think we've tried? Three times Will, three. The first time was hell," Katniss paused, thinking of the small dark girl, Rue, from District 11. "The second time...I didn't know there was an escape. I thought we freed ourselves. But we're back..again." Her voice cracked, and she dropped her bow to the ground as Peeta's arms wrapped around her. Tessa ached for Will to reach towards her, but she knew he wouldn't.

"Where are we?" the girl with the wand asked. She was about Tessa's height, with wide dark brown eyes, and light skin that looked tan from the sun. She was petite like Tessa, but all her features looked more pronounced, stronger, as if she had been through much more than she could put into words.

Peeta volunteered to give her the history lesson. Her name was Hermione, and she was from London as well. Although, once Will and Hermione began to chat, it became apparent they weren't from the same London they thought.

"1878?!" Hermione gasped. The group had settled in a low valley, covered on top by vines and moss. The air was hot and muggy, and Tessa had removed her jacket after feeling faint. Her body felt bare without the weight of a dress and a corset. The shirt they all wore was dark green, and clung to their skin when they sweat.

"By the Angel if I have to repeat myself again..."Will muttered.

"Its just not possible, unless.." Hermione pulled at her neck, but her hands came up empty. "My chain!"

Tessa's eyes widened and she immediately went for her neck, only to find both her clockwork angel and Jem's gift gone. Tessa grabbed at her jacket and searched the pockets, almost ripping it apart before Will grabbed her hands.

"No Will! Stop! My angel! Jem!" Tears flowed freely from her eyes for the first time today. All her frustrations bubbled over and she hunched her back over, burying her face into her hands.

"Shh..its ok." Will sat next to Tessa on the small log, their legs touching. His arms circled her body, and she could feel her heart shatter once more at the closeness of his body to hers. She clung to his shirt, almost hiccuping her cries. She could smell the sweat off his skin, mixing with his natural fresh scent.

Katniss watched the two with shadowed eyes. She didn't know what to tell them. Hermione had looked at her earlier for answers, but this was not something Katniss knew about. Katniss remembered telling her sister,Prim, she would win for her before her first games, but that was ages ago. That was before Katniss was the mockingjay, before Prim died, before she killed Coin.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," said Hermione, "but I think we have a problem." She pointed up, and above them were the monkey mutants Peeta and Katniss battled during their second games. They sat silently above on the moss, drool dripping from their sharp teeth.

The clouds drifted above them, the moon shining through, igniting the fear in the group's eyes as they watched the monkeys howl and descend into their valley.