The head trainer for the 54th Hunger Games looked reluctantly over the list of tributes for this year. He hated training kids to their doom but he had nowhere else to go.
Tyler Vosren had been a trainer of the Hunger Games for only 15 years. Compared to some of the other trainers he was just a pup but he was still old enough to be sick of the Games and his job.
When he was younger he'd thought about taking a job in one of the prep teams or as an escort; but he'd always been fascinated by the training instead. He liked the idea of learning to fight without having to live in the Districts.
Finally, when he was 19, he was accepted onto the training team for the 39th Hunger Games. He taught the sword fighting station and it was invariably popular every year no matter what the arena would turn out to be.
The year he turned 20 he was still new to training but the last year had gone well. Two of the tributes he'd trained every day ended up in an epic sword fight on top of a cliff dropping off onto a rocky shore. They'd countered each other blow for blow until finally one of them used a technique he'd taught them; they feinted an attack before head butting their opponent. Normally it just disoriented their opponent but on the edge of the cliff it slammed them over the edge onto the rocks.
He'd been celebrated that year, he was invited to all of the best parties and had a massive pay rise.
At 20 years old and attractive he'd let it get to his head.
He was cocky for the next year's Games and over confident of his training.
Along came Teryl Green, District 8's golden girl. She was fascinated by his station and even more so with him. She spent all of her training at his station, practising and practising over and over again. He flirted back and enjoyed her company while it lasted. Finally, on the last day, she slashed him across the face and he stabbed her in the hand.
She hated him for it.
While he'd been enjoying her attention he'd let his ego get too big for him so when she beat him he stabbed her back. The surgeons fixed her hand but the Head Gamemaker didn't let them fix his face.
But that wasn't the only damage done.
He tried to visit her but she slammed the door in his face. He sponsored her, he did everything he could to help her.
Finally, he killed her.
Not directly, he didn't kill her through any physical means. She was a brilliant fighter and she picked off around half a dozen other tributes. The problem was, when it became really important, she'd spent all her time at the sword fighting station.
She tried a berry at random but before she ate it she glared at the camera and said, 'F*** you Tyler.'
It wasn't poisonous but she only ate that type of berry from then on.
By the last few days she was delirious with hunger and possibly some type of slow acting poison in the berries.
Finally she was fighting a boy from District 2 with a broadsword. She was almost totally mad by now, obsessed with killing and violence. It made Tyler want to go into the arena himself, even if it meant killing her, to free the trapped part of her that was still sane, crying to be released from her insane prison.
The fight was once again impressive but Tyler felt no pride. They fought and tackled each other to the ground. Teryl was about to deal the killing blow when her hand spasmed right where he'd stabbed her.
The District 2 boy stabbed her in the throat and went on to win the Games.
Tyler knew that it must have been on the part of the Gamemakers if they repaired her hand only to have it screw up at exactly the wrong time.
He knew it but part of him didn't believe it and that part was enough.
They didn't demote him or dock his pay. They just left him with the scar and the memory, brought back every time he saw the District 2 victor. Tyler Vosren was broken and they had won but he still blamed himself.
The Gamemakers had seen what he didn't see himself; that he had fallen for her.
And they won.
Tribute List:
District 1 Male: Felix Hailstorm
District 1 Female: Aglaeca Grenier
District 2 Male: Calvin Emil
District 2 Female: Fleur Valentine Beahr
District 3 Male: Lucas Wre
District 3 Female: Florence "Flo" Wren
District 4 Male: Felix Haas
District 4 Female: Summer Ciel
District 5 Male: Apollo Crete
District 5 Female: Josephine "Joey" Cox
District 6 Male: Wolfgang Ardenne
District 6 Female: Taryn Byers
District 7 Male: Sean Dorsin
District 7 Female: Kaya Lambert
District 8 Male: Blaze Valentine
District 8 Female: Piper Lyonz
District 9 Male: Ahab Bronson
District 9 Female: Kristy Greene
District 10 Male: Matthew "Matt" Hanson
District 10 Female: Scarlett Lavington
District 11 Male: Denver Radisson
District 11 Female: Millie Sun Mallard
District 12 Male: Wesley "Wes" Faulkner
District 12 Female: Ivy Laurel
WolfRida.