Disclaimer:

I do not own the Hunger Games book series. It is the property of Suzanne Collins and the publisher Scholastic Press. The movies are owned by Lionsgate and other associated producers and creators. I am simply a humble fan, writing this for the enjoyment of other fans. Please support the official release.

Arena - Day 1

Temperance Oto

Capitol Citizen

When the Capitol finally came into view, it took her breath away. She had seen it on T.V. every year, but to view it in person was completely different. The sun was just starting to light up the sky, illuminating the greatest city in human history. If one believed the Capitol propaganda.

More than the view, she was relieved. It had taken days for the train to be repaired, and finally was able to move. They had been stuck on the rails, while a team from Six had come to fix the damage. They were the lucky citizens who were able to secure jobs as train engineers that allowed them to live outside Six for as long as they worked, though under constant guard.

That left her with a lot more free time than she'd otherwise have. Maximus thought the best way to pass the time was to watch as much of the games as they could, which made her stomach turn. She might be living in the Capitol now, but she was a Six, born and bred. She had little love for the games.

"Miss Oto," Maximus called. She sighed and reluctantly turned her head away from the Capitol. The old man was sitting at the same dining table they always ate him, empty plates in front of him. "We will shortly be arriving, so we had best have our story straight. You do remember it, right?"

When she nodded, he smiled. "Please, recite it for me."

"I was born in Mayfield," she started. Until a few days ago, Temperance hadn't known the Capitol was ringed by small villages in the mountains, where the rich or old often lived. Mayfield itself was a special closed-off village, where only retired government officials and their families could live. Most of the population of the Capitol wasn't allowed within the small village. The residents of the village didn't have to worry about money or food; everything was taken care of. Due to its closed-off nature, it was common for the few district born citizens who were granted Capitol citizenship, to claim to be born there. "My father finally agreed to let me go live with my uncle in the city."

Temperance wondered just how many people in the city were like her. District citizens that have, for one reason or another, been given Capitol citizenship. She still hadn't learned the reason. When she asked him, Maximus didn't know either. The Capitol citizen who was sponsoring her immigration would explain everything.

Maximus nodded. "From now on, that has been your life until now. If anyone is to ever ask, that is what you must tell you. If you admit you are district born, you could be executed. Or worse."

That was the last thing Temperance wanted. Now that she finally had a real chance to get ahead in life. Back home she had been dating the mayor's son for the status it had given here, but here? As a Capitol citizen? She could do so much more. Maybe even become president someday.

Two white-clad officers were waiting for her when the train pulled in. Maximus had explained that Peacekeepers would look different to those that she was familiar with. The ones in front of her certainly were.

"Miss Oto? A car is waiting for you," the lead women said. "Your sponsor is eager to meet you. He's a very busy man, so let's not keep him."

The group of Peacekeepers escorted her across the station platform, right up to a sleek black car. It reminded her of the car the tributes were put in to be driven to the station. Only it looked much more expensive.

The woman held the door open for her, and Temperance slipped inside. She couldn't stop the look of surprise from crossing her face when she found herself looking at a very old man. She had seen him on T.V. but couldn't remember his name.

"Temperance Oto?" He asked, smiling when she nodded. "I am Honorius Hale. It's very nice to meet you."

"Uh... You too, sir."

The old man smiled. He reached his hand out towards her. Temperance shook it. "For now on, you're Temperance Hale. My niece. My older brother has retired to Mayfield, and as far as anyone in the Capitol is concerned, you're his daughter. Come to live in the big city with her uncle."

Temperance nodded. She had already ghad the speech given to he4.

"So, you're my sponsor?" She asked. He nodded. "Can I ask why?"

Why would he want to sponsor her? He must have been someone rich and or powerful to bring her to the Capitol. She was the niece of a Victor, sure, but other than that? She couldn't see a reason.

Honorius Hale was silent for a moment as the car started. He only spoke once they were on the road. "You wouldn't know it, but I've only had one child. My dear daughter Proserpina. She died shortly after the Second Quarter Quell. Not only was she about your age, but she looked exactly like you."

Whatever she had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. She was brought to the Capitol because she looked like the daughter of a rich old Capitol citizen?

"As I'm sure you know, religion is... Frowned upon in our country," Honorius started carefully. That was an understatement. Being openly religious was a good way to ensure the Capitol makes your life miserable. "My family, though long since dead, were always secretly religious. I couldn't tell you what they practiced. At the time I bought the party line. After seeing you though? I think they might be onto something."

Did this old man think she was his daughter returned to him? If he did, he was crazy. Insane.

A crazy, insane man who had the power, money, and connections to have her removed from District 6, and given Capitol citizenship. He had taken her from the only place she had even known.

Neptune Odair

District 4 Male Tribute

When the eight cannons fired, he felt like throwing up. As the rest of his alliance went around counting supplies, he couldn't get the image of the two kids he killed out of his head. It had taken only a second for his spears to end there life, and now he could never take it back. He was a murder. He had blood on his hands.

Was this how Finnick always felt? How did he live with himself, knowing he killed other human beings? The boy and girl he killed weren't fish. They were people, with hopes and dreams and loved ones waiting for them at home. Loved ones who were never going to see them again because he killed them. And if he managed to get back home, Neptune knew he'd never leave this arena. Not really. He'd come back there every night.

"Odair!" Gleam called. Neptune was thankful his back was to his allies. It gave him a moment to rearrange his face into the cocky look he had learned from Finnick.

"Yeah, Delmas?" He called, swaggering his way back over to the others. He made sure he didn't look at his other allies, keeping his focus on their leader. In his hand was a golden trident, similar to the one Finnick won his game with.

"Catch," he said, tossing it at him. Neptune grabbed it out of the air, the familiar weight comforting in his hand. Staring at the trident, all he needed was a net and the Capitol would love him even more. "Margaret, Ryker, what's our situation on food?"

"We easily have enough for a month. Maybe a couple of months if we ration," Margaret said. She and Ryker had pulled all of the food into the Cornucopia, leaving the weapons at the mouth. Normally there were other supplies, but this year there had only weapons and food.

"So, what happens now?" Neptune asked, resting his trident on his shoulder. "We have to move away so the Capitol can collect the bodies, right?"

"Right indeed," Gleam agreed. He pointed at Ryker. "You'll stay here. Guard our supplies. There are a few tributes in the forest, and I don't want them sneaking back here and stealing our food. Or poisoning it. Make sure you get far enough away so they can collect the bodies," he ordered.

Gleam turned to look at him. "Neptune, you and Margaret will go out into the forest. I saw Twelve and Six run that way. Go take care of them. Me, Helene and Cassandra will hunt in the palace. I want at least two more kills before the day is over."

There were some years the alliance murdered their way through thirteen or more tributes. He must want to get the kill count up quickly. And given the look of that black scythe, he might just do it.

Rye Mellark

District 12 Male Tribute

Running through the open doors of the palace, he found himself in the most luxurious room he had ever seen. Even those on the train and the training center. The room was as large as the Justice Building at home. The walls and floors were white marble. Three gold doors (one in front of him, and one at either side) were open, leading into more hallways. Three crystal staircases were positioned at each corner of the room.

On the walls were two large paintings of President Snow and the Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee. Smaller paints of other Gamemakers and government Ministers dotted around the walls.

Rance didn't stop running, moving through the gold door in front of them. Rye sprinted after her, running down a hallway full tapestries. The hallways lead them to three more always, which Rance randomly picked one. That hallway leads them to more hallways, some with doors that lead to rooms or other hallways.

When Rance finally stopped running, leaning against the wall and slowly falling to the floor, Rye was breathing more heavily than he ever remembered breathing before.

"All you alright?" He managed to get out. Rance looked at him and appeared to try talking, but all she got out was gasps of breaths.

The ground was covered in a large red carpet, so thick that Rye couldn't feel the ground. No paintings or tapestries hung on the wall, instead, there were white marble columns. On top of them were either small marble statues (appearing to be decorated in gold and a type of purple fabric he had never seen before) and crystal bowls of fruit.

He grabbed one of the bowls and sat down next to Rance. Three green apples, two small vines of grabs, and four yellow bananas filled the bowl. He was about to open a banana when he remembered the lecture of poisoned plants from the survival stations.

"I think the food is safe to eat," Rance muttered breathlessly.

"What makes you say that?" Rye asked.

"I watched a lot of the games after I was reaped. From all the games I've watched which have been inside a building, ninety percent of the time it has been safe," she explained.

Rye frowned. "And the other ten percent?"

"It ranges from death to paralysis," she answered bluntly.

"Great," Rye muttered, staring at the banana in his head.

"The odds are in our favor," she answered.

The odds are never in our favor, Rye thought, not daring to say that aloud. He peeled the banana and took a bite. He had only had the fruit a few times, mostly at Peeta's house, but this banana didn't taste any different.

"I think you're right," he answered, hoping they didn't die in there sleep.

He passed her two of the apples and two bananas, taking the rest himself.

"What do you think that is?" She asked, halfway through her apple.

"The tapestry?" Rye clarified.

"Tapestry? What's that?" She asked.

Rye cursed himself. It made sense she might not know what they were. Rye had the luck of being related to Peeta, and getting books from him from the Capitol. She was related to a Victor as well, but that didn't mean she actually went out of her way to read. What exactly did people in District 3 do for fun?

As Rye started to explain, he wondered if there was a chance they'd be able to find some water.

Wren Hyde

District 10 Male Tribute

"What's life like in District 10?" Sequoya asked, heaving the knife over her right shoulder.

Wren had followed Sequoya into the palace, though the large marble room, up a crystal staircase and into the endless maze-like hallways. They had been easily walking for over an hour or two, and this was the first time she spoke.

"Why do you want to know?" Wren asked, frowning at the strange question.

Sequoya shrugged. "Something to pass the time."

Wren figured it couldn't hurt. If anything, the Gamemaker's wouldn't broadcast the conversation. "The district is pretty scattered. We have seven settlements, each built around a ranch or bio-slap."

"Why would Ten have bio-labs?"

Wren shrugged. "They do work with embryo's, I think. I've never actually been to one of the labs. Settlement Sigma services two horse ranches."

"Sigma? There are more than one settlement?"

Wren nodded. "Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Zeta, Iota, Xi, Sigma, and Tau. Each settlement works on different parts of the industry."

"So what do you do at a horse ranch?" Sequoya asked.

"We breed horses. Raise them. We sell them off to wealthy Capitol citizens. Sometimes we get special orders from the districts. The horse bread for the Hunger Games comes from the ranch I work at," Wren told her. He loved the ranch. It was his favorite place in all of District 10. He had been to each settlement, but as far as he was concerned, nothing beats laying down in the grass fields. Watching the majestic animals while he drew? It was the closest thing he could get to peace in Panem. He had gone so far as to work out a deal with one of the ranch hands for him to take all the old, unimportant papers.

"Special orders from the districts?"

Wren shook his head. "I don't know too much about those orders. I might help with the paperwork, but the older ranchers keep the information close to their chests. As far as I can figure, some people in the districts can afford horses."

"Probably a mayor," Sequoya muttered. "Seven's mayor makes more money than anyone else in the district. Who isn't a Victor."

Wren nodded. "So what's Seven like?"

Sequoya shrugged. "We're pretty spread out as well, though not quite as much as you are. There are five towns, with Redwood being the central authority in the district. Work crews get transported out into the forest, and where cut down trees."

"How do you turn trees into paper?" Wren asked.

"They're taken to a treatment plant. Then they'll go to one of the paper factories," Sequoya answered. "Tell me more about the ranch you work at."

"What else do you want to know?" Wren asked.

Maisie Rosale

District 9 Female Tribute

She never liked watching the games at home. She never could stop herself from crying when a tribute died on screen. Maisie thought watching the games was hell. But having lived through the bloodbath? Seeing it in person, even from a distance as she run? That was much worse than watching it on a holoscreen.

Seeing the blood and death in person had shaken her to her core. If it came down to it, she didn't know if she would be able to kill another tribute. None of them had done anything to her. She had no conflict with any of them. Would she defend herself? Yes. She wouldn't let someone else kill her. Would she kill them? She'd like to think she wouldn't. A fee Victor's won not with violence, but by running and hiding. Though no Victor in seventy four years have won without killing, at least one person.

"Do you smell that?" Wallace asked. She was about to ask him what he meant when the smell of food hit her. She looked at him and Romeo for a moment before the two sprinted down the side hallway. It came to a dead-end, with two doors on either side of the wall.

Maisie followed the smell to the door on the right and threw it open. A grin split her face. The room was about as large as the kitchen in her house back in Victor's Village. A single round table was positioned right in the middle. Littered on the table was a plate full of garlic and mushrooms roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and a bowl of a thick stew. Smaller plates and cups were placed around the edges of the table. Two large pitches of orange juice were placed right by the plate of chicken. As Maisie got closer, she could see ice floating in the juice.

Romeo followed her in, while Wallace opened the door on the opposite wall.

"You don't think they'd throw out a feast like this to poison it, do you?" Romeo asked, staring longingly at the chicken. Maisie, who had been about to pull up a plate, paused. In the Hunger Games, things were rarely as easy as this. Could the Gamemaker's have put out this feast to lurk in some unsuspecting tribute? She wouldn't put it past them, but she didn't see a reason why they would put out a poisoned feast this early. It was only the first day. The bloodbath would have satisfied the blood thirty views, for at least today. Did they want to reduce the tributes so quickly?

"The other room is a bedroom. I think we should camp out there," Wallace said, walking back into the room. He moved past her and Romeo, right up to the table. Without any hesitation, Wallace ripped a leg one of the chicken legs right off, taking a bite. Without giving it any thought, he pulled a cup closer to him and poured the orange juice into it.

Wallace looked back at them, swallowing his food. "What? I'm hungry."

Maisie laughed. It seemed like such a Wallace thing to do.

"You know, I'm hungry too," Romeo said aloud. "What do you say we grab a plate, Maisie?"

"I say let's get to it," she agreed.

Nelly Conway

District 12 Female Tribute

The forest was creepy enough when the sun was all the way in the sky. It was worse as the light started to creep away. The trees appeared at odd angles, twisting branches connected to each other. It looked nothing like the woods beyond the fence back in Twelve.

Her companion wasn't much help. Until they ran from the Cornucopia, she had never spoken to the Kia. Her skin was yellowing and started to sag off her bodies. Her wide eyes stared dead ahead, and a few hours into walking she started to shake. Nelly had allied with the girl because she didn't want to be alone here. She knew something was in this forest; it was the Hunger Games. But the more time that passed, the more she started to see the girl as dead weight.

Nelly thought about abandoning her, but she didn't want to be alone in the forest.

She discovered that the forest was full of small caves built into the ground. They had to watch their steps to avoid accidentally falling into the stone caves, which became harder and harder as it became darker. Nelly's stomach growled, but she did her best to ignore it. She had grown up in the Seam, where hunger was ever-present. She should be used to it, but after spending a week in the Capitol... It was hard.

The horror of the forest revealed itself after nightfall. The sun had completely gone down, the stars blazing white against the dark sky. Soon enough the anthem would play and she'd be able to see who had died when suddenly a bat fluttered down from a nearby tree. She had seen bats around her home enough to be familiar with the small animals, but she was surprised when it landed on her shoulder. Nelly had just started to reach out and touch it when the bat opened its mouth, revealing two long fangs. It sank its fangs into her throat, pain shooting through her body. Yelling, she grabbed the mutt (what else could it be?) and ripped it off her body. Its red eyes remained on her as she threw it.

Kia looked back at her, and a sweet smile crossed her lips. "That's a lovely sad of red," she said, pointing at the blood flowing from her neck. Nelly was just about to tell her if she liked the color so much, she should look for the bat when movement caught her attention. Nelly slowly looked up and spotted the more bats. Lining all of the trees around them. The mutts red eyes bore into them, and Nelly felt a rush of energy burst through her.

She didn't have time to warn Kia before the bats swarmed, biting every inch of flesh they would find. Her screams were drowned out by the sound of the bat's wings. All the girl could see was the small black bodies. Kia had completely disappeared.

When Nelly tripped into the cave, she thought she was a goner. No matter how many bats she hit, more took their place. They followed her as she ran. Strangely the mutts didn't follow her into the cave. They perched at its threat hold, the red eyes glaring inside.

Nelly didn't know why the bats stopped, but she was thankful. She could barely see her body in the pale moonlight, but she didn't miss her body full of bleeding bite marks. She huddled up against the back of the cave, wrapping her arms around her legs.

When the anthem finally blared, the bats scattered, allowing her to see the sky. The boy from Five was shown first, followed by the girl. Nelly whimpered when Kia's face appeared in the sky, her large eyes staring down at them. The boy from Seven replaced her, followed by both from Eight, the girl from Ten, and both from Eleven. The seal of Panem replaced the faces, and the anthem ended.

Rowan Holstein

Victor of the Sixtieth Hunger Games

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the main broadcast playing out before him. District 10 had one tribute alive and well, which was more than he could ask for. He had mentored the boy with the crippled foot last year and was surprised by how far he made it. In the Seventy-Third games, they had lost both tributes on the first day.

Rowan looked over at Baron, watching the boy he had pulled out of the arena. Baron didn't take his eyes off his brother's screen, and Rowan knew he wasn't about to. His brother was fighting for his life, and Rowan doubted he would be able to drag his boy away from his screen for anything short of eating or sleeping.

He sighed, standing up. On the screen, the two tributes from District 4 were running back to the courtyard, being chased by a swarm of vampire bats. It was unfortunate for them that the gate had closed once night had fallen. According to the Gamemakers, it wasn't going to be opened until daybreak. If those two wanted to escape the bats, they'd better find themselves a cave to hold up in.

"I'm going to go see Johanna," Rowan said. Baron nodded without looking up. The fiery girl from Seven couldn't be doing too well right now. The very last member of her family had just been killed by her best Finnick Odair younger brother. The same member had only been spared death because he lived on the other side of Seven. That distance didn't save him from being reaped.

Finnick and Johanna were close, and Rowan could only imagine what Neptune killing Ash could have done to that friendship. Though knowing Johanna, he doubted she would let the Hunger Games ruin her friendship with the playboy of Panem. That would let the Capitol win.

As he closed the door behind him, Rowan knew he would have to call his cousin. He wasn't close to her, but her daughter had died on his watch. She deserved to hear it from him.

Author's Note:

I hope you have enjoyed the eleventh chapter!

We have our first death after that bloodbath. Kia was submitted as a bloodbath tribute, but I had enough none claimed spots. So I killed her later in the later. We actually have two more spared bloodbathers that will be dying soon, so keep an eye out. I know everyone reads these things for the deaths ;)

For the crystal bowls of fruit, picture the bowel full of Nightlock in the Hunger Games movie.