Games Return Chapter 1, a hunger games fanfic

"Games Return"

Chapter One

By Brian Grove

Brian at rescueddoggies dot com

Disclaimer – As I'm British and male, it may come as no surprise that I don't own Hunger Games.

This is a sequel to Vengeance Games, but you do not need to have read that story to understand it.

An experienced beta would be welcome.

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I am Tatiana Everdene. I want to start my story with a short history lesson. For seventy-five years, as punishment for a previous rebellion, a boy and a girl from each of the twelve Districts were picked (we call it reaped) and sent to the Capitol to train for a few days, and then to an arena to fight to the death with the children from the other Districts. They were known as tributes and twenty-four went in, one came out alive. It was the biggest show of the year.

One year, a girl, Katniss Everdene, volunteered to take her younger sister's place and went on to become one of the victors. She became known as The Mockingjay. She had then been taken to the hidden District Thirteen which everyone thought had been destroyed and led the rebellion against the Capitol and won.

In the final battle of the war, the President Coin of District Thirteen, scared of Katniss' influence, had arranged the murder of Primrose Everdene, the younger sister whose place Katnis had taken. For that, Katniss killed President Coin.

As revenge for all the children killed in the previous Hunger Games, the Districts decided to hold one last games, this time using children from the Capitol. They called them, the Justice Games.

Ariana, she was my older sister, and I, were grandchildren of the previous tyrant, President Snow, of the Capitol, so we were put into the Justice Games. Somehow I was the one who survived and was adopted by Katniss Everdene, even though I was twelve and she was only eighteen. Because she had won the trust of both the Capitol and the Districts, she was asked to become president even though she had only just had her eighteenth birthday.

THREE YEARS LATER

I was ill in bed with the flu, really annoyed as it meant that I had missed the best school trip of the year, to the new surface city of District Thirteen. I was bored out of my mind, switching from channel to channel.

"Reports are coming in of a tragic accident in District Thirteen. During a schoolchildren's tour of the newly rebuilt surface city, one of the tour transit vehicles came off the rails and burned in a tunnel. None of the nearly one thousand children in the other forty transit vehicles were hurt, but it is believe that the transit vehicle involved in the accident contained family members of the mayors of many of the districts, among other children."

It hit me like a hammer. I should have been on that transit and I probably knew at least half of those who had been killed. It seems that I have escaped death again.

One hour later...

"Reports are coming in of a major explosion in the center of District Twelve. Early reports say that some radioactivity has been detected though where this is from is as yet unknown. There are also unconfirmed reports that the transit accident in District Thirteen was actually a similar explosion."

Four hours later...

"Sources close to the President have confirmed that the timed explosions in each of the Districts and in the Capitol all had elements of radioactivity, though the amount of radioactivity is said to be low. We cross now live to President Everdeen."

Mom, as I have come to call her, looked exhausted. "I will read a short statement. After that I will briefly take questions. Between 1600 hours and 2100 hours this evening a series of explosions took place in the center of each of the Districts and in the center of the Capitol. Due to the selected locations and the timing of the explosions, in most cases there were few casualties and no fatalities as far as we know at this time. We believe that we are under attack, as yet we do not know who by, or why. Due to some radioactivity in each of the bomb sites, we ask people to stay away from them for the time being. They are presently being searched thoroughly by trained personal equipped with anti radiation suits. The one tragic exception to the no fatalities announcement was the attack in District Thirteen which has resulted in the deaths of family members of the mayors of all the Districts as well as dozen other children, believed to be from the Capitol and two teachers who were accompanying them. I will take questions."

"Why do you think whoever did this took so much trouble to ensure no fatalities in the other Districts or the Capitol, yet killed so many children in District Thirteen?"

"I don't know."

"Are you in contact with the Mayors of the Districts?"

"Yes. While obviously each of them has their own family tragedy to deal with, they are keeping in touch with senior investigators in each District and here in the Capitol. My office is liaising with them, but we are leaving the investigation to the professionals."

"Is it true that your own adopted daughter would have been on that transit vehicle if you hadn't kept her home from the school trip?"

"Yes, my daughter would probably have been in the same vehicle."

"Why did you keep your adopted daughter home, Madam President?" This guy was really bugging me. Why do they always have to say 'adopted daughter' instead of just 'daughter'? I think everyone knows by now that mom adopted me. What difference does it make?

"My daughter has the flu and that is why I kept her home."

"So she was too ill to travel?"

Is he trying to suggest that mom deliberately kept me away because she knew something was going to happen?

"No," Mom admitted, "not really. In fact she wanted to go. But I knew they'd spend most of the three days either in a confined train or in fairly confined spaces as most of District Thirteen is still underground and I didn't think it was fair to give her germs to all the other children."

"You must be very glad you made that decision."

"Yes, I am."

"Your daughter seems to make a habit of escaping with her life when others around her die."

What was wrong with this guy?

"If you are referring to the Games she was forced to participate in, then I'd have to agree and I'm very glad she did. I wish that others had been so lucky and I am sending my sincere condolences to my personal friends, the mayors of the Districts and the Capitol. If there are no more, questions, I'd really like to go home and see my daughter as I am sure that she is as upset as I am that many of her friends have been killed today. Thank you all for coming."

The next morning Mom received a phone call and burst out crying. "I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do, let me know. Of course, take whatever time you need."

"What's happened, Mom?"

"That was Una."

Una was Rue's mother. Rue was the friend who died in Mom's arms in the first of her games. Una and the rest of the family had come to live with us in the Capitol train when Mom was asked to be President.

Well, the first year, we lived on a train going from place to place, but it proved to be an impractical "mobile capitol" so mom reluctantly agreed to move into the palace in the Capitol. Una and her family came with us, but Una chose to have her own house close by, rather than live in the Presidential palace.

"Two of the children killed in District Thirteen were hers."

"Which?"

"The twins. Lau and Tag"

I burst into tears. Since they'd come to the Capitol, Rue's little brothers and sisters had become like my own brothers and sisters. Tag was twelve years old, and he was sweet as anything and far too pretty to be a boy. Lau was his twin sister, but she was born disabled and walked, rather unsteadily, with an artificial leg. It didn't stop her being mischievous though. And now they were both dead. Poor Una.

"Mom, I'm going round to see Una and the kids,"

"You're still not that well. You should be resting."

"Are you going round to her?"

"You know I can't today. I'll send someone."

"Send someone? She needs her friends, not some stranger."

"What do you want from me? We've had bombs all over the place, I have a responsibility."

"Go be President, mom," I said cruelly. "I'll look after Una."

I left my mom crying and ran all the way to Una's house.

The door was opened by one of the younger kids. "Mom! It's Tatty!"

Tatty! Ariana's nickname for me was Tat, but Jeff, who we met in the Hunger Games always insisted on calling me Tatty. Afterward dad picked up on it and called me Tatty whenever he wanted to tease me. Of course, it didn't take long until all the kids called me Tatty too. If Jeff wasn't already dead, I'd kill him. Okay. Not funny.

Una was sitting in a chair, looking at the television, but not really looking.

"Una?"

She didn't react.

"Una?" I said again, more loudly.

"Tat?" she looked at me with eyes that were hollow. Apart from Mom, Una was almost the only person close to us who called me Tat and not Tatty.

"I'm so sorry, Una."

She tried to push herself out of the chair. "I should get you some tea."

"I'll make it," I said, glad to leave the room full of such sadness for a few minutes.

Ben, the youngest boy followed me to the kitchen. Like the others, he'd been crying. "Mom says Tag and Lau aren't coming home. She says they're dead."

"That's right, Ben," I said, struggling not to cry.

"Why don't they want to come home?" he asked.

"They would if they could," I explained.

"Then why don't they?"

How do you explain death to someone who doesn't understand what it is?

"Something happened and they were hurt."

"So they make them better and then they can come home."

"They tried, Ben. But they were too badly hurt."

He looked as though he was thinking about that.

I stayed with Una and the kids all day. Una tried to help make the lunch, but spent twenty minutes cutting away at one potato without even realising it.

Later that day at six o´clock all our television screens went blank. A few seconds later the face of the mayor of District Thirteen appeared on the screen. He looked frightened. "This is Rolan Hawe, mayor of District Thirteen. I now hand you over to President Coin of District Thirteen."

President? I thought. What's going on?

"Thank you, Rolan. And to anyone who is wondering, yes, I am related to the previous President Coin of District Thirteen. I am her nephew. At approximately midday yesterday, the nuclear arsenals of the Capitol were put out of action permanently. The only remaining nuclear power is District Thirteen. We are now your new Capitol. The previous Capitol will now be designated District Zero."

I wondered if mom was watching this. Silly thought. Of course she was.

"Yesterday we detonated a number of explosive devices, one in each of the Districts, including District Zero. A small radioactive trace was added to each explosion to demonstrate our power. There is a far bigger nuclear device hidden within each District, enough to destroy most or all of the District at the push of one of these buttons."

He held up a small control panel.

"If any attempt is made to approach or disarm the devices, that device will be set off. If any action is taken against us, then I will destroy one District, picked at random."

He looked far too happy about the thought of destroying thousands of people. I decided he was crazy.

"But now I have some good news to bring. There were no fatalities in the bombing in District Thirteen yesterday as it was faked."

I saw the first flicker of hope in Una's eyes, but it quickly faded.

"I have one son or daughter between the ages of twelve and eighteen of each District mayor. When the District mayor did not have children in that age range, I am holding a grandchild or closest other relation within that age range. Districts three and five each had two children within that age range. The eldest of each of them are now safely on their way home leaving me with one tribute from each of the twelve districts."

The moment he mentioned the age range a horrible thought had gone through me. When he said the word Tribute, it pretty much confirmed it. Una and I looked at each other. She'd obviously made the connection too.

"I also hold twelve tributes picked at complete random from the children sent by our old enemy, the Capitol. In two week's time we will remind you of our total power over you by holding our own version of the Hunger Games. As before, they will then be held once a year. Good Evening and may the odds be ever in your favor."

"Not again," she gasped.

"I'm so sorry, Una."

Ben piped up. "Are Lau and Tag still dead?"

I was a coward. I left without answering him. "No, Ben," I wanted to say, "They aren't dead. But they will be soon and you'll be able to watch it all on television."

When I got home, Dad just looked hollow. "Is Mom home yet?" I asked him.

"Still working, trying to find out if there's anything they can do. She said not to wait up."

"Poor Mom," I said.

He nodded.

Of course we did wait up. Mum got home late that night and collapsed crying into Dad's arms. I didn't bother asking if they'd found a way to stop Coin. Seeing me, she asked, "How's Una?"

I shook my head. "Bad. She's... It's almost like she's not there if you know what I mean."

She nodded, not quite all there herself.

"Mom, about the things I said this morning..."

"It's all right."

"I'm sorry. I just made it harder on you."

"Come here, darling." She drew me into the hug between her and Dad. "One of the hardest things about being President is not always being able to put those close to me first when they need me."

"We understand, Mom. We know it's not that we're less important, just, sometimes, less urgent."

Mom smiled. "When did my little Tatty grow up?" she teased, as she never normally calls me Tatty, it's always Tat or Tatiana.

"About three years ago," I replied solemnly.

For a minute we just held each other, the three of us, safe in each others arms, all the troubles of Panem a world away.

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It had been announced all day. Mom would be making a Presidential speech at six in the evening. I'd persuaded her to let me go with her to support her, just to be in the studio.

"Silence in the Studio... We're live in 5... 4... 3... 2..."

"This is President Everdene. Investigators in each of the Districts have confirmed the existence of the nuclear devices, sufficiently large to destroy a city, within the central area of each of our Districts, including here in the Capitol. After consulting with the leaders in each of the Districts, we have decided that we have no choice if we wish to ensure the safety of the majority of our citizens. I therefore resign as President with immediate effect and hand the Presidency over to President Coin. The official seal of office will be sent by train leaving at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. When it arrives in his possession a little over twenty seven hours later, President Coin will officially be your President."

She paused.

"My thoughts tonight are with the families of all of the tributes. Your children are going to have to do terrible things to each other to survive. I know this better than anyone. To the families of the children who will be killed, I ask, however hard it is, try not to hate the child who kills your son or daughter and don't let these awful games divide us against each other. It is not their fault and I can tell you from experience that the faces of those you are forced to kill in the games never leave your thoughts and the blood is never cleaned from your hands. The surviving child will live with unbearable guilt for the rest of their lives, for something about which they had no choice. They are innocent and will remain so."

She took a deep breath.

"I thank you all for placing your trust in this young girl three years ago and the love you have all shown, both to me and to my family. On behalf of myself, as well as Peeta and Tatiana, we love you all."

I could see mom was struggling to hold it together. Dad had been round with Una today, offering what comfort he could, but mom had spent all day with advisers trying to find a way out of this. Now I was going to make it a whole lot worse for her.

I walked in front of the cameras. Mom looked bewildered. "I am a citizen of District Zero and I have something to say."

Mom now looked frightened and was signaling to the staff to get me out of there, so I turned to her. "Mom. If you have any respect for me at all, let me speak."

Taken aback at the slightly harsh tone in my words, she nodded and the staff who had been ready to intercept me drew back. I turned my back to the camera and undid the button-up dress I was wearing, slipping it off my shoulders. I'd chosen my smallest bikini for this. Although it covered me quite adequately at the front, at the back it was just strings.

"On my back are tattooed the names of all the victims who were murdered in the games during my lifetime. Near the bottom you will see the name Rue. She was a twelve year-old girl who died in the seventy-fourth games." I had decided not to add that further down you could see the name Ariana Everdene, my sister, who died in the so-called Justice Games, which I had survived. As a living memorial to the murdered, I felt it only right to add the names of the twenty-nine who died in those games after I won.

I turned around. "President Coin. Two of the children you are holding right now, as random citizens of District Zero, though they were actually born in District Eleven, are the baby brother and sister of Rue, twins, just twelve years old, the same age she was when she was murdered in the games. The girl, Lau, walks with an artificial leg, and even does that with difficulty. To send her into the games isn't a game, it is simple murder. She would not get out of the first bloodbath alive. I beg you to show humanity and mercy and not make this mother who has already lost one little girl to the games, lose another two small children."

My mother looked relieved that all I was doing was making a humanitarian plea. I knew that was about to change.

"I am Tatania Everdene, previously Tatania Snow. I am a citizen of District Zero, both by residence now and by birth. I am the surviving granddaughter of your aunt's greatest enemy and the adopted daughter of the girl who killed her. I am fifteen years old and eligible. According to the rules of the Hunger Games, in place of Lau, I volunteer as a tribute for District Zero."

I heard an anquished "No!" followed by a crash as a chair fell to the floor. Ex-President Katniss Everdene, the Mockingjay, had fainted.

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Author's notes...

Please review.

Brian

THE STORY SO FAR

Chapter 1

The games return and Tatiana volunteers.