This chapter jumps around a bit, sorry about that, but I really wanted to develop the Gamemakers sub-plot here, and get some Capitol opinions on the tributes. But then I felt bad that I didn't have anything from the tributes point of views so I pretty much completely rewrote the whole thing, so basically this isn't my best work, I'm not overly happy with the chapter as a whole to be honest the only part I actually like is Lya's point of view... anyway, hope you enjoy this, and now we are officially halfway through the reapings!

The Gamemakers

His finger hovered over the trigger. Just one little flick and it could all be over, for him at least. The tributes, the games, the lives he had to destroy, it would all simply cease to be his problem. Clem knew he didn't deserve the easy way out, he had asked for this job, he wanted the power and so he had to deal with the consequences that came with it. But that didn't make it any easier, not in the slightest.

His finger began to shake, edging closer and closer, the man preparing himself for what was to come. He never thought he would ever be in this position, Clem loved living, he loved the little thrills of life and the unexpected turns. All the pain was worth the highs, even if they were few and far between. But this, this was too far. The pain he would cause so many families, the things he would have to do, he wasn't sure he could come through it.

"Clem? Clem where are you?" Her voice echoed through the icy quietness of the building, snapping Clem out of his trance.

The head gamemaker dropped the gun, stuffing it into a drawer and moving back to his desk before Mox could enter the room. "Shit, shit, shit." He ran his hands through his hair before slamming his palms down on the table. Well, Mox had ruined that one, there was no way he was pulling the trigger tonight. Who was he trying to kid? Clem was a class A coward. There was no way he was firing that gun at all. The unknowns of the afterlife scared him, even more than the atrocities he would have to commit in the world of the living.

The woman entered the office, and Clem immediately straightened his back, their eyes meeting. "Mox, I thought you had left already?" He stood up, welcoming the woman into his arms.

"The reaping is about to start, I wouldn't have made it home in time. And besides," She kissed the man firmly on the lips, her hands gravitating up his shirt. "I knew you would be here alone, thought we might as well watch it together." She pulled away, taking Clem's hand and guiding him towards the sofa in the corner of the room, settling down with her hands resting on his thigh.

In all honesty, Clem had had no plans to watch the District Six reaping, or any or the reapings for that matter. Watching the father-daughter duo from Two be picked had affected him in ways he couldn't describe, witnessing anything else like that might just break him. He didn't want to know anything about the tributes before he had to manipulate them and bring about their deaths. He couldn't exactly tell that to Mox though, could he? He'd already let on more about his nerves than he had wanted to, he wasn't ready to reveal all just yet.

The Capitol anthem began to blare out, snapping Clem's head upwards, detracting his attention from the fear and anxiety swirling in his mind. All he could do now, was pray that the tributes wouldn't pull too much on his heart strings.

"What did you think of the District Four pair?" Mox spoke over the entrance of the District Six escort, they all knew the speech she was going to give: talk about atonement, go over the rules, wish then a happy hunger games, all the usual bullshit. "They're different, I'm sure you have a lot of plans for them in that crazy head of yours." She tapped his forehead, kissing him once more.

"Yeah, they're interesting." Clem lied. He had absolutely no idea what they were like. He didn't know their names, their ages, their backstory, he hadn't even seen a photo of them. He thought the brief answer would suffice, but he should know Mox better by now, she wanted more. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was a test, to make sure he had been keeping up to date with his homework, a test that he would inevitably fail. "The girl is sure to stir things up. She seems unusual." Clem elaborated, or at least tried to, hoping his vagueness would be okay.

The phrase saved by the bell had never felt more fitting for Clem, just as soon as he was about to get a lecture from Mox, the escort of the screen plunged her hands into the bowl, condemning the first person from the district.

Lya

Lya had always been brought up knowing that death was an inevitability. She hadn't had truths sugar coated or been spoon fed bullshit as a child. She knew that people were born, they lived their lives, and they died. That was just the way it was. It was a fact she had accepted as easily as the sky being blue.

Not only was death something Lya knew would occur, but she knew it would come at a young age. She wasn't exactly leading the life that a usual 21 year old would, she had brushed with death on more than one occasion, and she sure she would again. That was the price she paid for doing what she loved. The girl was a guinea pig of sorts, but by no means had she been pressured into it. As the daughter of a genius, inventor father, Lya often found herself testing cars for the Capitol, going at speeds that were unimaginable for the average citizens. There were no boundaries, when Lya was behind the wheel, she would do anything, and she loved every single second of it. So, Lya knew that death would happen sooner, rather than later for her, she just assumed that it would occur behind the wheel.

"And your female tribute is," The escort's voice cut through Lya's thoughts, her head spinning with nerves and anxiety, and dare she think it, a touch of excitement. "Lya Chapman."

Oh. Okay. That was her name. They had called her name. Lya stepped forward, clenching her fist at her side as she walked towards the stage, her heart racing despite the calm exterior she presented.

This would be new, not exactly the young death that Lya had expected or wanted, but nevertheless, she was happy she knew what was coming. That wasn't to say she wouldn't try to win. Lya was not one to give up or quit or be intimidated by the competition. She was used to the adrenaline and rush of a situation, and she would not let that get the better of her at any point, in fact, it helped her thrive, it gave her power and ambition, fueling her to act. Lya had no fear of the games, what scared her more was herself. She wasn't afraid to kill or hurt or fight to win. No, what frightened her the most was how far she was willing to go to ensure she was the one that came home.

If there was one thing Leah loved, it was a thrill. And these games would surely be one.

Gamemakers

"Oh my God." Mox stuttered, folding her hands behind her head, her eyes fixed on the screen. "I know her. Look at her arm, she's that miracle girl."

Clem watched the way her Mox's attention was captured, his eyes following hers to notice the new tributes arm, or rather, lack of it. It was metalic, robotic almost, and Clem recognised the design almost straight away. "Capitol medicine," He breathed out, looking instantly to Mox for consolidation. "She's a Capitol girl? What's she doing in District Six?"

Mox didn't need encouragement to go on, she knew all about this family and this girl, and could barely contain her excitement with their luck. "Roger Chapman, Clem. Does that name mean anything to you?" She was met with a blank look, shaking her head at the man's cluelessness. "Chapman Cars, he makes motors for the Capitol, he's like one of the most advanced inventors there is. And you, Sir," She slapped her hand against Clem's chest, "You have his daughter in your games."

Clem knew he should be more excited, this would be a sure fire way to gain more viewers, he could do something truly wonderful with this stroke of luck. Yet all he felt was dread, the connection Mox had made between the man and his daughter reminded him that all these tributes had families, they weren't just pawns, they were humans, with lives and loved ones, all of which Clem was ruining.

"That doesn't explain why she has a robotic arm." He pondered, removing the insecurities and fear he felt from his mind.

"That's why she's a miracle. She's supposed to be dead. Three years ago she was in an accident testing one of her dad's cars, she broke almost every bone in her body and lost her arms. She was in the hospital in the Capitol for weeks, she was never supposed to come out, but she did, and they fixed her up with that." She motioned to the metal, glaring against the sun as the girl made her way onto the stage. "God, Clem you are so lucky, there's no way anyone can top this." Mox whispered, resting her head against the Gamemakers shoulder as the reapings continued.

The camera panned across the crowd, and Clem began to take it all in. There were thousands of people in this district alone, all scared and anxious, clinging onto each other, lovers staring across, sharing a glance that they thought might be their last. Any one of these people could be reaped, and Clem had to appreciate just how lucky he was. He lived a sheltered Capitol life, none of this, the reapings, the games, the constant fear of death, would ever be a problem for him. He lived a life that the districts could only dream of, and he was willing to risk all that for a spot of empathy he felt for the tributes. Hatred was the only word Clem could use to describe himself. Clem had a chance to make a name for himself, to be one of the most well known and esteemed man in the whole of the Capitol, this was all he had ever wanted and yet, it didn't feel the way he had expected it to. His whole life the only battle he had been fighting was the one to get to the top, Clem had never considered the toll it would have on him when he finally got there.

Ezra

Being reaped wasn't Ezra's biggest shock of the day. No, that was standing in front of him right now in the Justice Building. He reached out, pressing his hand against his wife's stomach, feeling emotion prick at the back of his throat.

"How long have you known?" He removed his hand from Sigrid's belly, letting it hang at his side, feeling more crushed than he ever had before.

"Since this morning." She replied solemnly, cursing herself for telling her husband before he left, most likely forever. "I wanted to wait until the reaping was over, and we could go home and celebrate. It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Sigrid was right, it wasn't supposed to be like this, but this was the way it was. Ezra couldn't deny the hurt that built within him, he was leaving his wife, a woman he loved more than anything, and his children, one of whom he would never even see alive. More than anything, though, Ezra felt guilty. He knew the outcome of the reaping wasn't his fault, but he would be the one to leave his children, leave Sigrid to explain to them why daddy was never coming home.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry." His voice cracked, as he used every piece of strength he had to keep himself together. If this was the last time he saw his wife, he didn't want her last memory to be of him, crying, breaking down. No, he needed to be the strong and powerful man that she had married. "Sigrid, I save people. I'm a doctor, my life is dedicated to making people better. And now they're telling me that I have to kill them? How the hell can they expect me to do that?" Keeping it cool wasn't exactly going the way he had planned, the more and more he thought about the realities of the games, the more panicked and on edge he got. This really was the worst case scenario.

"Listen to me." Sigrid grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly. "You don't do this for yourself, Ezra, you don't think about yourself or your duties or what you can or can't do. You think about me, and Hannah and this baby, you think about what you're leaving behind, and everything you've got to return to. And you go out there and win these fucking games." She wrapped her fist around her husband's collar, pulling him in and kissing him firmly on the lips. "You win it for us, and all the things we fought through to get here. This is just another one of those challenges, and we always win."

Gamemakers

"I already see some potential careers." Mox smiled, rubbing her hands together. "The District One and Five girls, and Ezra. I like that dynamic, they could be very interesting. What do you think?" She was careful not to be too forward, after all, Clem was more powerful than her, and could end her career in a second. But equally, seeing the running of these games was more important to Mox than any relationship or loyalties ever would be, she was making sure the Capitol got the Quell they deserved, even if it meant taking down one of the best in the process.

"Yeah, it'll be interesting, I'm sure." Clem spoke complacently, having assumed that he was out of the woods for today. He couldn't think about the games, or the plans, or the careers, all he could focus on was the way Ezra had grasped that woman's hand, and looked into her eyes. He was broken, and Clem would only add to that.

"You haven't watched them, have you?" Mox turned to the side, pulling her hand away from Clem once the reaping bowls had been rolled off the stage, the tributes disappearing into the darkness of the Justice Building. "Unbelievable, Clem, you are our head gamemaker, this is ridiculous. You haven't watched any of them have you?" She shot up, walking straight out of the room, noticing the way Clem shut down the TV almost as soon as the door slammed shut.

She walked down the corridor, with speed, almost crashing into Lyric Chamberlain, the Capitol's Minister for the Hunger Games, the only man with power over Clem.

"Sir, I'm so sorry." She whispered, regaining her breath. "But it's worse than we thought, much worse."

"Worse?" Mr Chamberlain took a step backwards, keeping his distance from Mox, a woman who he wasn't completely sure could be trusted. She was passionate about the games, and making sure they ran smoothly, but she was equally as passionate about her own progression in the Capitol, and Chamberlain wasn't sure which angle she was playing here. "What can be worse than a head gamemaker who doesn't want to kill his own tributes?"

Mox took a deep breath, tipping back on her heels and folding her arms over her chest. "Sir, he hasn't been watching the reapings. He has no idea who the tributes are."

Okay, so it could get worse, Chamberlain thought to himself, retreating to his office without another word. "How the fuck are we suposed to have a games, with a gamemaker who doesn't know the fucking tributes?"

This was probably as bad as it could get. By now, the plans for the games should be in full swing, he should be finding out about the tributes, their weaknesses and strengths, formulating an area that both enhanced and destroyed them. Instead, they had absolutely nothing, and for the first time in his 25 years of managing the games, Chamberlain was scared.

Once again, thank you so much for your reviews, honestly it means so much that people are engaged and enjoying my little SYOT. I haven't written in years, and it feels so good to finally be doing what I love again, and to know that people are liking it to, just feels me with so much happiness. I'm currently formulating some sort of sponsoring thing, where reviews equate to points that you can use to help your tributes but I'm not entirely sure how that's going to work yet.

Goodbye for now, friends, I hope to be back on Sunday with another chapter... that's not necessarily a reaping...