This took a little less time than I'd thought to write, so I figured I'd update before the new year! We're one step closer to the Games now, but first some scores :D As usual, QQ is at the bottom of the chapter!

Also, for those who get confused by a few things: Sim's pronouns fluctuate with their nickname, which is why he's referred to as a he and Sim as opposed to a they and Simi. "Mx." is a gender-neutral title that's read as "Mux", which is why Lola uses it for Sim as opposed to Mr. or something similar. Hope that helps with anything!


28 - The Dead Man's Switch

Simoleon Serif, 17, C-District 4

"Sim, you okay in there?"

He finishes washing his face with a sigh. "Yeah."

Adrianne walks away from his door, and at the very least it's a comfort to be on his own for once. He really doesn't want Adrianne to see him like this—all broken down and shaking again, just like when he'd been reaped. She'd think less of him, probably wonder if it's really worth respecting his pronouns…

At least, that's what the irrational side to him thinks. Adrianne's proved over and over that she wants the best for Sim. She started an alliance for his sake, taught the other District kids about his identity for his sake. Hell, Sim knows how to stay afloat thanks to Adrianne. All the irrationality nipping at him, worrying him, won't take those facts away.

But it still worries him. Sim pats his face with the towel and hangs it neatly back up on its rung. He knows he hasn't done the best job showing his abilities (understatement of the century, he thinks wryly) and there's very little chance he'll come out with anything higher than a two for his score. He doubts he'll even survive the bloodbath, though voicing this is difficult. Adrianne is bubbly and reassuring, but there's always a limit to how much he can believe her when she says she'll keep him alive.

It's why he has to decide his sabotage before today ends. It's why he has to take a stand, if only for Adrianne's sake.

He at least doesn't look like he's been crying when he comes out of his room. Adrianne and Melvin wait for him on the couch, waving him over with obvious enthusiasm. Put on a smile, Sim. A smile will make everything better.

"No matter what they announce," Melvin starts, scooting over to let Sim take a seat, "I'm proud of you both for doing your best."

The guilt wells up even more in his stomach. Sim didn't do his best. He barely even got to the point of picking what his best could potentially be.

"Same here," Adrianne agrees. "I mean, we've got some really nice allies and we all know how to swim a little, so we're at least prepared!"

He wishes he could just say he'd tanked his private session. It'd make the disappointment when they find out easier to handle. But Sim remains tight-lipped as the TV flickers to life, Lola Amos's smiling face greeting all of Panem with pep and vigour.

"Good evening, Panem!" she cheers. The dress she's wearing is a beautiful shade of green. Sim wouldn't mind trying something in the same shade. "I'm Lola Amos, your lovely host for the Hunger Games, and we have a very special scoring announcement today! As we all know, half of the tributes this year are some of our very own Capitol children!"

The crowd off-camera claps. Lola looks pleased by the response. "After a long week of training we have our results, and I'm honoured to be the one to share them with you all. Shall we begin?"

"Just remember not to let One and Two's scores put you off," Melvin adds last-minute. It's a reassurance that Sim feels is a little too late on its delivery.

"Starting with District One, we have Miss Valentina Teagan with a score of… Nine! Give her a round of applause, everyone!" The crowd claps and cheers. Of course the girl with the career helping her does just as well as them. Sim would feel jealous if he wasn't already crestfallen over the sheer difference in their efforts. "Her District partner, Mr. Altan Knight, has been given a score of… Ten!"

Crowley lets out a long groan behind them. Sim doesn't look over his shoulder at the man, but Adrianne at least asks him what's wrong.

"Four probably won't get many sponsors this year with an opening score like that to compete with," the sullen man states matter-of-factly. "I'd say it was nice knowing you both, but I'm not a liar."

"Harsh," Melvin hisses.

"Moving on to District Two! I can't be the only one excited, right?" The crowd hollers. There's even a few wolf whistles. "We'll start with Miss Cetronia Livius, who was given a lovely score of eleven! Congratulations, Cetronia! And for her Capitol partner, Mr. Wystan Warwick, we have a score of eight!"

"Higher than the career," Adrianne notes, "and lower than the C-District."

"They must be good…" Sim curls in on himself on the couch, bringing his feet onto the cushions beneath him. "We might not make it if they go for us…"

"We'll figure something out!" Adrianne's smile makes him want to believe her. It also makes the guilt in his chest grow larger and larger, becoming almost unbearable.

The crowd takes a while to settle after Two's announcement, but soon enough Lola is given enough silence to move on to Three.

"For District Three, we have Miss Daphne Petharaph with a score of… Five! I'm sure you did your best, Daphne! As for her Capitol partner, Mr. Nikostratos Farrington, we have a score of eight!"

Even District Three did better than him. Sim feels like he might throw up.

"On to District Four's tributes! First is our lovely Miss Adrianne Evans, who netted a score of nine! My word!"

She did so well. Sim can't even breathe as he listens to Melvin congratulate Adrianne, the cheers too horrific to listen to.

"And her District partner, Mx. Simoleon Serif, earned a score of…" Lola's face sags. "Oh… Simoleon scored a one…"

The floodgates open again before Adrianne can even question how he'd gotten such a low score. Even the crowd is lamenting Sim's score, pitying him, and it hurts to listen to. Poor Simoleon. Did something happen to them? Are they alright? Sim just shakes his head. He's the farthest from alright. He's a failure and a burden and pathetic

"Breathe, Sim," Adrianne whispers. She rubs a hand up and down his back, but doesn't pull him into a hug quite yet. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Except it's not. Sim's going to die and Adrianne will be left all alone, and it'll be all his fault for not doing better in his private session. Who would want to sponsor someone with a score of one? Who would give such an underwhelming score a chance of winning? He shakes his head and wipes his eyes. It's never going to be okay.

Sim just reaches for the remote and assaults the volume controls, turning the TV up loud enough that even the floors above and below might hear it. Someone else had to have done as poorly as him, he reasons. If he can find out that much, he'll be able to handle it better.

"Moving on…" Lola clears her throat and brings back her peppy attitude. It's almost like her grieving over Sim's score had been fake, what with how quickly she bounces back to her previous attitude. "District Five! First up we have Miss Quatra X, who earned a score of six! And Mr. Tooru Ikeda, who's earned a score of… Three!"

His chest hurts. Tooru was the one who'd blacked out while using a training dummy. He'd gotten a better score than Sim? Sim shakes his head, ignoring the soothing words from his mentor and ally as the next District is brought up. There are still plenty more tributes to go, he reminds himself.

"On to District Six, and we have Miss Morganite Gardierre with a score of… Seven!" His resolve crumbles ever so slightly at the score. The vomit girl is doing better than him. "Her District partner, Mr. Finnegan Styx…"

He can't believe he's thinking this, but he hopes the boy who'd broken his leg tanks just as badly as he had.

"A neat little score of five, it seems!"

He mumbles, "I'm going to die."

"You won't!" Adrianne insists. "I'll protect you, Sim! Scores don't mean anything in the Hunger Games—look at some of the victors who got low scores and still won!"

Sim looks blankly up at the TV as District Seven is brought up. "I'm going to die," he repeats, just as hollow as the first time.

"Next up is District Seven, with our first tribute being Miss Phyllis Hamilton! She's earned herself a score of ten! Congratulations, Phyllis! Her partner from the Capitol, Mr. Cyber Tronovsky, has been given a score of… three!"

Melvin wrestles the remote from Sim's hands and tries to turn the TV down. A knock at the door, which is soon answered by Crowley, proves just how much of a disturbance Sim had made. He really is hopeless…

"On to District Eight, we have Miss Chambray Hemingway with a score of—" Lola's face turns into a mask of horror and astonishment. "What? You're joking! TWELVE!?"

It's not an act or anything; Lola is actually shocked at the score, and it'd be a lie to say everyone in the District Four lounge wasn't. Adrianne actually jumps off the couch with a start while Melvin's jaw practically drops to the floor. Sim just stares in awe at the picture of the blonde on the screen, at the avoidant gaze she holds beyond the camera.

"What did she do?" Sim whispers. Neither his partner nor his mentor answer. "Adrianne… What did she…"

"I'm not…" Adrianne shakes her head, never once taking her eyes away from the screen. "I don't…"

Melvin seems to be the only one who can form a sentence out of the three of them. He mutes the TV, turning on the closed captions as Lola continues to gawk at the score. "Don't talk to her," Melvin wheezes. "That's a targeting score. I know I said it helps to ally with who you feel comfortable with, but do not approach District Eight's tributes. Please," he adds, and there's no mistaking the desperation in his voice. Melvin genuinely wants Sim and Adrianne to survive this Quell. It brings a little hope to his heart—that someone, even if it's not a rich Capitolite, will offer whatever they can outside the arena to keep Sim safe. With Adrianne's confidence added in, maybe he might have a chance…

Luxor's name flashes in the captions, and Melvin quickly unmutes the TV. "...Aricunai, who's earned a score of five. Ahem… Moving on to District Nine!

"First up is Miss Oryza Belfast, who's earned herself a lovely score of six! And her partner from the Capitol, Mr. Epsilon Church, has emerged with a score of ten! Good show, Mr. Church!"

He volunteered. Of course he gets a high score. He probably trained for the unlikely event that the Capitol became involved in the Hunger Games. It makes Sim mourn the days he'd lost just hiding away in his room, too scared to leave for anything other than therapy.

"On to District Ten! First is Miss Octavia Faye, who's earnedOh, for heaven's sake." Lola lifts a hand to her ear, and it's clear she's addressing her prep team behind the scenes. "Two of them? There wasn't a typo, was there? No? My God…" She looks back to the camera and clears her throat. "Miss Faye has earned twelve points, it would seem! And her partner, Mr. Gossamer Wormwood, has walked away with eight points!"

Melvin sucks in a deep breath. "Chambray and Octavia must have done something to really piss them off," he says. Crowley decides to join the conversation then, apparently deigning to give them words of wisdom that he'd previously elected to keep to himself. Sim has yet to find out how to handle his stage fright, let alone what angle he should approach for his interview.

"Octavia's the daughter of someone wanted by the Capitol," Crowley explains. "It was all the rage when we escorts met up after the reapings. Poor Rosso won't be moving up the Districts this year…"

"What's Octavia got to do with it?" Adrianne asks. She's got a sour look on her face, like she can't quite figure out why Octavia's parent has anything to do with her. "It's not like she committed the crime herself."

"One can never be too certain with rebels," Crowley says with a shrug. "For all we know, Isabelle Eulane is walking Octavia through the Games in secret."

Sim shivers. Rebels are still a thing? He thought it all died down after the Dark Days, when District Thirteen was eradicated as an example to everyone else who dared oppose the Capitol. How is it all still a thing a hundred years later?

He shakes his head. One problem at a time, Sim! He should be worrying about how he'll do in the Games, not some impossible rebellion!

"District Eleven," Lola goes on, clearing her throat again. "First up is Miss Avita Clements-McMillan, who's earned a score of… four! Her partner, Mr. Jareth Vilna, has earned a two!"

Sim clicks his tongue. Jareth did better than him, and the boy hadn't even shown an affinity to many of the stations. He wonders if Jareth even has an alliance with anyone. Adrianne hasn't spoken to him yet, and no one else was with him… Maybe he'd join up with them if Sim asked?

"Finally, District Twelve! First is Miss Florence Fontana, who's earned a score of… one!"

His heart leaps. Someone else scored as badly as him! He's not doomed from the get-go!

"As for her partner, Mr. Cole Aish, we have a score of two! There we have it, folks! The official scores for the Fourth Quarter Quell! I know some of you like to gamble money on these kids, so I'm happy to inform you that betting opens tonight after the interviews come to a close! Remember to gamble responsibly!"

Melvin switches off the TV.

"Well," he breathes. Adrianne and Sim look up to him. The tears aren't dripping from his eyes as much, the streaks on his cheeks drying up. Sim hopes he can keep himself calm enough to sit through an interview. "This doesn't change anything. You guys still have your alliance and each other, and that's more than most tributes have. I know it isn't much, but I believe in you two."

He smiles at them. Sim musters a weak smile back, which is soon wiped from his face as Melvin and Adrianne sweep him up into a hug. He stands back up at his full height, no longer melting into the floor like the mess he'd been five minutes earlier, and returns the embrace with his mind slightly more at ease. Melvin won with allies who'd done poorly. Melvin had even done poorly himself, and he's still here.

He's still not confident in his chances, but he thinks he might have an idea of what to do about his sabotage.

When Adrianne and Melvin pull back, finally giving him room to breathe, Sim coughs almost out of embarrassment. "I think I might have an idea for what to do with my, um… My sabotage."

"You do?" Melvin looks at him with his brows raised.

"Yeah. You mind if I go and log it now…?"

Melvin gestures to the door, more than happy to let Sim go. Adrianne wishes him luck, and as a final farewell she yells after him that she'll see him for their interviews. Sim waves over his shoulder at her. The moment the door closes behind him, he lets his shoulders sag and his breath wheeze out of him.

They won't be happy when they find out what he's going to do with his sabotage.

The elevator ride is silent, barely even any music accompanying the view of the Capitol he's presented with. Sim's always been aware of how large it truly is, how congested it is, but being so far away from it all feels almost soothing. He's on the outside looking in, comfortably far enough that he doesn't have to worry about everyone else around him.

At least until the door opens at the District One floor.

Valentina Teagan walks in with a polite greeting. She remarks that they're headed in the same direction when she sees the tenth floor's light turned on, and from there it becomes an awkward silence that drains Sim of his emotional energy. If agoraphobia didn't knock him down all the time, anxiety and introversion would do the job in its place.

The elevator dings, and the two exit without a word. Valentina's the one who takes the lead, knocking on Head Gamemaker Nero's office door. Sim just hangs behind a few paces, hands crossed in front of his chest as he shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot. The door opens, Malvolia Nero's tired face the first thing that greets them, and soon both teens are invited into the office.

"What can I help you two with?" Malvolia asks slowly. Valentina clears her throat, casting an uneasy glance to Sim.

"You don't mind if I say my sabotage in front of you?" she asks. It's a very considerate question, though he thinks she should be more concerned about Sim telling anyone else about it. Regardless, he shakes his head and lets her continue. "Right. I've decided to sabotage one of the tributes by hijacking all of their sponsor gear. I actually wrote down the name for you—" Valentina reaches into the pocket of her pants, pulling out a folded piece of paper for Malvolia's eyes. Sim can barely get a peek at it, and he hopes that it isn't one of his allies' names.

"Alright," Malvolia says. She pulls her tablet out of her drawer and begins tapping away at its screen, and then her attention drops to Sim. "And you?"

"M—My sabotage…" His throat practically closes up. Valentina, nice as she is, pats him on the shoulder. It's not as soft as Adrianne's comfort, but it does hold genuine kindness and support behind it. "I want to, um… I want whoever… kills me… I want them to die as well…"

"Oh?" Malvolia sets down the tablet, intrigued by the request. "How do you suggest I do that?"

He swallows the ever growing lump in his throat. He'd really been hoping she'd figure it out herself. "M—Maybe… U—Um… Overload the… tracker… chip…"

Malvolia looks him up and down, her wry smile growing. She picks up her tablet again and taps at its screen just as fast as she had with Valentina's request, though she makes certain to add as she does so, "It would be a very slow and painful death if that happened. You're fine with that?"

Please, let the conversation end. "Yes," he chokes.

"Alright. If that's all, you two are dismissed."

When they leave the room, two other tributes are waiting behind the door. The first is Luxor Aricunai, chewing his thumbnail with a look of concentration on his face; the other is Morganite Gardierre, whose focus is mainly on her nightgown as she waits for Malvolia to call them in.

Sim and Valentina enter the elevator just as Luxor and Morganite enter. He can't help wondering just what sabotages they'll request. He can't help wondering if they'll target him with them.

He can't help wondering what Adrianne will think when she finds out about what he's done and learned tonight.


Alright, that's the scores done! I'll bet some of you were happy to learn more about some of the sabotages, so I might make the QQ related to it!

QQ #23: Who do you think Val's going to hijack sponsorship goodies from?

Up next is part one of the interviews (RIP MIK), which will give us a POV from Knight and Morganite! I'll see you guys then, and I hope you all have a great New Year!