Author's Note

I do not own the Hunger Games.

District Two Male, Maximus Darkstone

A year ago, if someone asked Maximus what he wanted most in life, he would have said 'to follow in his siblings' footsteps.'

A week ago, if someone asked Maximus what he wanted most in life, he would have said 'to win the Hunger Games.'

Four days ago, if someone asked Maximus what he wanted most in life, he would have said 'to be chosen for the Hunger Games.'

Three days ago he met Valkyrie.

Maximus would be the first person in the world to admit he'd never had a great relationship with his siblings. Jasper preferred his own company, and Grayson and Jeana…

Well, to be fair, Grayson and Jeana were just flat out weird.

But Valkyrie, sweet, bubbly Valkyrie who volunteered half for her sister, half because she just didn't want to get crushed in the brawl, was like the little sister he had never had. She was the first twelve year old tribute Two had had in a hundred and twenty seven years, only semi-trained and semi-prepared. Would he rather have had Anastasia or Faustina here with him, yes, but only because Valkyrie would then be safe at home.

He knocked on Jasper's door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Jasper's walls were covered in drawings. It was like that back home too. Some Maximus recognised, dead tributes and old mutts, others were unfamiliar. Jasper was sat at his desk. "What you need?"

"Some advice."

"Grayson's your mentor."

"I can't talk to Grayson about this."

Jasper grunted. "Girl problems?"

"No, it's-"

"Boy problems?"

"No! It's just- In your Games, in your group of tributes, were there any that you thought would be a more worthy Victor?"

Jasper's head snapped up. "You didn't want me to win?"

"No! No, it's not that! It's- Well, it's Valkyrie."

"Ah, so it is a girl problem."

"Yeah. But not like that, I don't look at her like that."

"If you're worried you won't be able to kill her, don't be. You never know what's going to happen in the arena."

Maximus nodded. "I know. But it's not exactly that either. Valkyrie… She shouldn't even be here, she's just a kid, but she's so brave and strong, and has so much to live for if she became Victor. Me, I just volunteered to keep the honour of the family name."

Jasper turned the page of his notebook and started a new picture. "We're the third generation of Darkstone Victors."

"I know that. But that only means we don't really need another Victor, do we? And Valkyrie… She doesn't deserve to die."

"Do you want to die?" Jasper asked.

"Not really."

"You want to live, she has to die."

"I know that. But she doesn't deserve to. She should be Victor, not me."

"Would you die for her?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you better make your mind up."

Maximus sighed. "You were meant to be helping me feel better."

"Oh, is that what you came here for? I thought you wanted advice."

"I did, but… Can you promise me something, at least? If it comes down to between me and her, make sure they pick her."

Jasper smiled. "That shouldn't be hard. Grayson and Jeana already favour her."

"What?"

"They already favour her." Jasper shrugged. "First time I've seen them actually like someone since they won their Games."

"So even they think she would be a better Victor than me?"

Jasper ripped the page from his notebook. "Who knows what those two think?"

"Yeah. Thanks Jas. Good talk. Very motivating."

"Mm." Jasper handed the paper to him.

Maximus left the room feeling no better. He might be closer in age to Jasper but they had still never been close.

If only he met Valkyrie sooner!

Some of his family's vast fortune could have helped her family massively.

Valkyrie appeared from her room. "Ready to go down to training?"

He stared at her. "Er, no, actually. V- Can I call you V? Valkyrie's going to be a mouthful to shout in the arena."

She grinned. "Only if I can call you Max."

"Deal. I need to talk to you."

District Ten Female, Sierra Prime (12)

She joined her new friend Oliver and their other friends for breakfast in the canteen. Gwen, who was like her teacher, kept telling her they weren't her friends, but she was wrong. Oliver was great, he was lots of fun. Maizie was nice too, but she didn't like to joke around like Oliver. Zinnia was stricter, like a really young mummy, but that was okay. Gadge was her age, but he talked like a grown up, and Data was one of those friends who probably wouldn't be your friend if it wasn't for someone else, in this case Gadge.

Sierra had read and watched everything she could on the Hunger Games while she was on the train, but she still felt behind all the others. If her parents had told her maybe she could have done something but it was too late now.

Zinnia started organising them immediately. "This is the last day of training, so we need to make the most of it. Focus on your best strengths and weaknesses. Oliver, I know you hate doing it in front of the others, but you need to work on the balance activities more. Data, you need to get up there as well, and try to find a weapon. Sierra, Gadge, Maizie, keep going on your survival stations."

Tomorrow they had a time where they could show off what they had learnt, and then they got to go on TV! Sierra was looking forward to that.

She went with Gadge to the foraging station. It was easy but he didn't think so.

"I don't know how you remember all this," he complained.

"It's easy. My mummy taught me."

"Why?"

"Extra food."

After that she moved onto trap building with Maizie. Maizie said they could use the traps for food and the teacher said they could use them against other tributes. Sierra didn't like either of those ideas.

The boy from Eight joined them at the medical station, where the teacher showed them how to stitch wounds and strap up injured limbs. Sierra hoped she would never need to. She would do anything to be back at home again. All she wanted to do was cuddle up with Angus and forget about all of this.

They went down to the lower floor to find Zinnia at the climbing wall with Oliver and the boy from Five.

"This is Isaac."

Sierra beamed. "Nice to meet you!"

Isaac went off with the boy from Eight.

"He wants to talk to him, but he's asked if they can join our alliance," Zinnia said. Maizie pulled a face.

"There'd be a lot of us."

"There'd be safety in numbers," Zinnia replied with a glance at Colby, who was pounding a glowing orange figure in the club simulator. Sierra shuddered. She kept having nightmares about him.

"We should talk to Gadge and Data," Maizie said.

After talking it over with Gadge and Data, they decided to put it to the vote. Zinnia, Oliver, and Sierra said yes. Data and Maizie said no. Gadge hesitated. Data frowned. "Say no. We don't need this alliance getting any bigger."

Zinna scowled at her. "Two can play that game. Say yes. It's two less tributes trying to kill us, and two more tributes on our side against the Careers and the District Ten boy."

Gadge closed his eyes. "Sorry." He voted yes.

District Five Male, Isaac Watt (14)

Calico was hesitant at first. "How do we know they won't just turn on us?"

"They won't. Have you actually seen who's in that alliance? It's all the underdogs, like us. Think, in a bigger group there's more support and more supplies."

"And more strain. More people who could stab us in the back."

"Can you imagine that little girl from Ten stabbing us in the back? I don't think she even knows what the Games are. Pretty sure she still sleeps with a teddy bear."

"That just makes her dead weight!"

"She'll probably die in the bloodbath, we won't have to deal with her for very long. And if she doesn't, the sponsors will love her and we'll profit. The audience loves power alliances like theirs."

"You think so?"

"I know so. All that girl has to do is look cute and they will shower her with gifts. Look at our tribute from last year. She got to the top twelve because she was adorable and the sponsors loved her."

Calico nodded. "Okay."

At last they were in agreement and took their decision over to Zinnia.

"There's room for you here if you want it," she said. Isaac smiled.

"We're in."

They shook hands. He had gone from an alliance of two to an alliance of eight, and suddenly he felt much better about his chances. Most of those in this alliance wouldn't survive the bloodbath anyway, hopefully he would be left with Calico, Zinnia, the girl from Nine and maybe the boy from Three. They were all pretty strong tributes. The Hunger Games were as much about luck and appearances as they were skill, and Isaac had some practise in playing to an audience. His parade costume hadn't done him any favours, but so long as he scored decently at training he should be able to make a joke out of it at the interview.

Zinnia introduced them to the others. The girl from Ten hugged him. "I'm so glad you don't want to kill us."

Isaac patted her awkwardly on the head. "Me too I guess."

He didn't really want to kill anyone, but for him to live they had to die. He would probably be one of the dead ones, but his mum asked him to fight, so fight he would.

District Four Female, Astoria Achoda (18)

"Forget the others!" Maximus roared. "We need to go after the boy from Ten!"

Diamond scowled. "But then there'll be a load of tributes to chase down! We should take out the weaklings, let him get weakened by the arena, and then take him out!"

"It'll be easier to pick off weaker tributes than it will him!"

"The arena will wear him down, he'll be weaker and hungrier!"

Astoria yawned and tied off Valkyrie's plait. This argument had been going on for half an hour now.

"There you go kiddo. All done."

Valkyrie beamed and sprang to her feet to check it out in the nearest mirror. The District One apartment had plenty of those.

"Thank you so much! It looks so pretty! Can you do my hair like this before we go into the arena?"

"Sure, why not?" She glanced at Orion. "Are they done yet? I'm starving."

"You musclebound brainless moron!"

"Nope, not yet."

"Oh, this coming from the girl with more looks than brains!"

Astoria sighed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm off to get some food."

"You- You-"

"I'll join you in that sister-mine."

Lucian shook his head. "I better stay and make sure they don't start another fight."

Valkyrie glanced between them and Maximus. "I should stay with Maximus."

"See you later then."

Most of the other tributes were already in the canteen. Astoria filled her plate. The girl from Eleven passed her at the buffet, patting her bum and slipping something into her pocket as she went. "Looking good Four."

Astoria smirked. "Always."

She and Orion took seats where the Careers had sat the last two days. "What do you think the decision will be?"

Orion shrugged. "I don't care what the decision is. I know who I'm targeting in the bloodbath."

"You're too good to me brother-mine."

The other Careers came down fifteen minutes later and filled their plates.

"So what's the verdict?" Astoria asked. Diamond scowled and glared at her plate.

"We're going after the boy from Ten," Maximus said. Diamond scowled harder.

"He's the biggest threat of all the tributes. We need to take him out, fast, and it'll be easier when we're all at our strongest."

Astoria glanced across the hall at the monster from Ten. She didn't like the idea of fighting him, but the thought of running into him in the arena wasn't great either. "Sounds good."