I have kind of fudged the order/details of some of these events leading uo to the games, A - because I want to keep it interesting and B - because I don't want it to just be a rehash of the actual book. So I know things are slightly different! Some of the HG characters are introduced here but we wont hear any more about the other tributes until chapter 4.

Thanks for the support so far

Liz xxx

Chapter 2 - The Flash Of Cameras

As soon as we were hustled off the stage I was thrown into a sea of disruption. Suddenly I was the centre of attention – people were pulling me this way and that way, asking me questions, telling me things that I couldn't understand or process. It took all my courage to place each foot forwards until I reached the car that would take me to the station. Tina had to be loaded in before me so I stopped by the door and looked around to see tens of faces, all gawping at me.

"Wow. They made a splash this year."

"That girl won't make it past the first ten minutes."

"The boy looks better though."

"When will I get to see my family?" The words suddenly came out of my mouth. I tried to remember the last thing I had said before this moment, but my brain couldn't think back that far. The people around me suddenly stopped talking and looked at me with shocked eyes.

"Get in the car please." Another voice sounded beside me, this time one of the guards. I went to speak again but he pushed my head down and forced me into the back seat.

Once I was inside he buckled my seatbelt – something I was perfectly capable of doing but figured was best not to try and stop. As the door was shut I looked forward to see a driver and asked him the same question.

"When will I get to see my family?"

"It's best if you don't ask questions now boy-" The driver replied, not even remembering my name.

"-When will I get to see my family?"

"I can't answer tha-"

"When will I get to see my family?" Tina lay slumped beside me – I wished she were awake to try and help. The driver seemed to be getting a little irate with me, to be honest I was being dramatic but I couldn't stop the words from spilling out of my mouth. Thankfully though another guard got into the front seat and shut us both up.

"Quiet you lot. Everything will be answered on the train."

As the engine started up I sat back in my seat, satisfied for the moment, but still not quite back in reality. Had this all really happened? We began to move away and I looked at the back of the stage. I'd never seen it from this angle – I suppose nobody really wanted to either. What was going on behind it now? What were people saying? What was my mother saying? To my horror I realised I hadn't even seen her reaction to my selection. I had seen Stacey's of course – that alone was enough to make me sick. I couldn't imagine what the sight of mother would have brought on.

Tina stirred in her seat beside me. I went to place a comforting hand on her hair and suddenly wondered if we were being watched right now. Cameras had captured my every moment during the reaping – every breath, every potential tear – but I'd managed to keep it together. Maybe now they were tracking my breakdown to the station. I wouldn't let it show. I wouldn't let them see what this moment meant to me. That my certain death was now imminent in the space of a few weeks. I would stay strong. Placing my hovering hand on the top of Tina's head I stroked her hair gently and stared forward, gritting my teeth and showing that I would not back down.

When we arrived at the station the amount of people was shocking. There were almost as many as at the reaping. I was a little scared to leave the car, but once we stopped was hoisted out by another guard and pushed towards the station entrance. People were shouting and screaming my name. I felt rough hands pawing at my arms and clothes, pushed away by the angry guards but still visible in my peripheral vision.

"Sam how do you feel?"

"Sam are you scared?"

"Good luck Sam!" I stared straight forward, not responding to any of their words. Once we entered the building the hubbub died down but I could still hear the noise of the frantic people outside. It was like we were celebrities now. We were celebrities.

Remembering the words of the guard in the car I turned to him as we were lead forward towards some huge steps.

"Will I get to see my family now?" The guard looked at me like I was annoying him – a stupid boy with insignificant questions – but he nodded his head sharply.

"Yes."

We were lead up the steps to two small rooms and I was pushed into one of them, Tina the other. She had begun to regain full consciousness now and when we were separated suddenly clung onto my hand and began to fight – as if I were the last hope she had. I shook my head and tried to comfort her but eventually we were wrenched apart and I heard the sound of her wailing through the door.

As the door shut behind me I surveyed the room. Small and sparsely furnished – this room looked like it was designed only for the reunion of families and friends before the Games. There was only a small wooden bench situated on one side and the windows were locked and barred. I walked over and peered through it to understand why. They didn't want us to jump.

Suddenly the door opened. I jumped out of my skin and spun around, only to come face to face with Mother, Stevie and Stacey. Stevie immediately jumped out of Mother's arms and rushed over, throwing his arms around me and clinging on tight as I pressed my face to his shoulder.

"Sammy!" He cried, sounding like he had no idea what was going on. I felt tears prick in my eyes but forced them to stay away, I didn't want to show any weakness to the cameras later.

"Stevie it's ok, I'm here." I babbled softly in reply, stroking my brother's back and wishing it was in fact, ok. Stevie held onto me for a considerable time before finally letting me go and looking into my eyes. He seemed like he had been crying and a crust of snot had formed around his nose. I laughed and brushed it away with the edge of my sleeve.

"You don't need to cry." I said comfortingly.

"Why did they take you?" He asked. The words stabbed in my heart but I ignored the pain.

"I'm going to play a big boy game." I said, trying to reign in my emotions as I spoke. "I'll be back soon." The words suddenly sent a large sob spilling out of Mother's mouth – immediately I put down Stevie and walked over to her. Whatever act she'd been trying to put on for her children had now disappeared – she looked tired and devastated. Wrapping my arms round her I let her cry into my shoulder whilst desperately biting my own lip to stop the tears from flowing. When the sobbing had finally stopped Mother clutched hold of my hands and squeezed them tight.

"You have to fight." She said, her whole body shaking as she spoke. "Even if you don't want to, you have to fight. You have to survive."

"I will mother," I replied, not knowing if what she was saying was actually possible or not, given the situation, "I promise you I will." Feeling her begin to sob again I held her close and then looked over my shoulder to see the hollow shell of Stacey staring back at me.

Her eyes were sunken and her hair seemed to have turned a couple of shades darker. Her posture was slumped in defeat and she looked on the verge of collapse. Suddenly worried I patted mother's shoulder and got her to stand aside. Walking over I watched as my sister made no attempt to say anything – show any other emotion other than dead despair.

"Stacey?" I asked, not sure of how to phrase the question. Stacey didn't reply, still frozen in her zombie-like state. What had happened to the girl that fought? The girl that had no fear. A small part of me had always thought that Stacey would fare well in the arena, that her intelligence and determination would carry her through, Now I realised that, like Brody Weston, it had all been an act. She was as terrified of the Games as I was.

"Stacey it's going to be ok." I whispered. Closing my arms around her cold body, I felt like I was hugging a corpse. "I'll do this for you, for everyone in District 12. I'll make it through." Suddenly hands gripped around me. Stacey didn't say anything but she didn't need to – the fierceness of her hold was enough.

"I love you too." I whispered, loud enough so only she would hear. "I love you all." I said as we finally broke away. Stacey still gripped tightly onto my hand and I didn't let go, didn't want to. Mother had gathered Stevie in her arms again and they were both looking at me like it would be the last time we would meet.

"Don't worry, you'll see me every day, on TV." I tried to joke, but the words sounded hollow and meaningless. Silence descended across the room and the suddenly the doors opened again.

"Time's up." As if the words of the guard had suddenly triggered something inside of her, Stacey suddenly clung to me again her voice creating short sharp sounds.

"No!" She cried "No! You can't take him! SAM!" As the guard began to wrestle with her I pushed him aside, hissing, then procuring her hands gently from my arms as she wailed and screamed, rather like Tina had.

"Ssssh, Stacey." I said, trying to calm her down, but also trying to stop the rage of anger that had begun to course through me over seeing her like this. My strong, defiant sister reduced to a quivering wreck through something none of us had control over. "I love you Stacey, I love you…" When her hands were free the guard took hold of her. Stacey began to kick and bite but I smiled weakly at her like nothing was happening.

"I'll see you soon Stacey." I said, lifting my hand up. "And Stevie, and Mother."

"I'm sorry!" Stacey wailed as she was dragged out of the door, mother giving my hand one final squeeze as she passed me behind her. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

The door clanged shut and I suddenly found myself standing alone in the cold, small room. For a second, it was like everything had frozen again like at the reaping. Then, without warning, huge silent sobs began to overcome me. It was like someone had cut off my air circulation – I dropped to the floor and grabbed hold of my neck, my throat suddenly closing as I gasped for breath. When that didn't work I fell to my hands and knees and scraped my nails along the hard stone floor, still unable to make any sound. My heart seemed to pump inside my head – my insides screaming but my mouth producing only hyperventilating gasps. Then, for the first time in a while, my body finally gave into what I was feeling and I passed out on the floor.

I didn't have any more visitors. I had possibly expected Mike to come, but he was probably too preoccupied with Tina to really care about me. I didn't mind. My family had been the only ones I had cared about and anyone that had come would only have seen me passed out on the floor anyway. Thankfully I was awoken by the sound of the door opening by the guards – they simply thought I had fallen to the floor in anguish and my moment of weakness was kept secret.

As I was herded towards the train I saw Tina in even more of a worse state than before. She had had to be knocked out again and her body looked wrecked from all the exhaustion of fighting. Three guards were carrying her and none of them looked too happy about doing it. I was amazed I hadn't heard any of her encounters with family or friends and then realised I had either been too out of it to notice, or the closing of the doors had brought upon some amazing soundproofing, designed to keep the tributes unaware of their partners grief.

When we reached the carriage I realised that with Tina unconscious it would be up to me to lead the press angle. Of course the sight of my friends limp and lifeless body would bring in viewers and cause scandal, but the people wanted to see a walking, talking tribute. Well – I didn't plan on doing much of the latter but I would smile and wave and act like this was nothing out of the ordinary. As I approached the crowds again I ignored the flurry of similar questions to the ones I had received before outside of the building.

"Are you scared Sam?"

"How long do you think you are going to last?"

"What was it like to see your family for the last time?" That one cut deep. I shot the reporter an angry glare, before being hustled into the carriage and having the door shut behind me. I knew that face would probably be on the cover of hundreds of newspapers – 'Tribute Sam's angry temper' – but I didn't care. They could talk about me all they wanted, but they had no right to involve my family.

Once we had walked down the hallway of the carriage I realised this structure was much bigger than it looked on TV. The train to the Capitol only came in on special occasions, and though people craned their necks to see what was inside the inner parts of it had never been discovered. Now I was here.