District Three's Mac Dalton's POV:

The first death I had ever actually seen was that of Pexey Bones' father on the eve of the last hunger games. I'd seen death in the games before of course and I knew they hung people from time to time in the square but Mr Bones' corpse was the first one I'd seen in the flesh. I'll never forget it as he swung from that rope kicking and chocking till all the life was gone from his bulged out eyes while his tongue hung limp from his mouth.

That was the day I'd first met Huxley, not that I knew his name till much later on; "Disgusting isn't it" the older boy had muttered, probably noticing my shocked face.

"He was a traitor" I reply deadpan "he deserved it"

"You keep thinking that" the boy replies, I span around to see his face and he's already gone.

Two weeks later and the games were over, Pexey and Fuse were dead and our assembly line had a new employee. Bolt had told me to show him the ropes but he seemed pretty confident without my instruction, it was as if he'd seen the new projector plans before the rest of us, he seemed to intuitively know where stuff went. Over lunch I asked him why he was with us grunts when he seemed to be far more intelligent than the rest of us.

"I just know that design" he replied quietly "I knew the designer"

"That was Fuse's last design though" I remember "Did you know him?"

"Yeah I knew him, he was my best friend" the boy had snapped back before staring at the table.

I hadn't really thought much about the effect the games had on people before that day, yeah our tributes nearly always died, yeah the families would of course be devastated but for the rest of us life went on as normal. But here sat in front of me was a still living proof of how much the games and the capitol sucked.

"The games suck bro" I said sympathetically and Battery had laughed not a happy laugh but a cold unforgiving one.

It wasn't till the day the Victory Tour came to town that Battery mentioned Fuse and the games again, we'd stood and cheered for a bubbly and excited Amethyst Swift. After she had gone Battery had took me over to meet Fuse's family.

"Hey I saw you the day they hung Bones" said Huxley looking at me.

"I'm sorry I don't remember..." I begin before recognising his voice.

"I try not to hang around in one place to long after I say certain things" he says with a shrug "Pa says I'll get in trouble is I do" he smiles mischievously.

"It was sick what they did to that family" I blurt out "reaping the daughter and killing the father" I look over to where a woman is talking quietly to Mrs Bones.

"Battery's family are keeping an eye on her aren't you Bat"

"Yea my Mom's over there with her now" he replies and I take another glance at the woman talking to Mrs Bones taking in that its Battery's Mom.

"Say Mac you free this evening?" I'm asked by Huxley

"Yeah" I replied not knowing I was sealing my fate forever.

"Where do you keep disappearing off to at night?" my brother Lynx had asked as his head peeped over his book

"Just out" I reply as I fight into my coat, "what does it matter to you?"

"You're always so secretive" he sighs "mom and dad notice it too you know?"

"Yeah well they're not a nosey as you obviously"

"I'm not asking you to do this lightly" Huxley said "I know it's a big ask and you have every right to say no but we're running out of options here"

"I'll do it Huxley"

It was all these memories and more that flooded back to me the moment I volunteered for the games.

District Three's Tek Kilo's POV:

I groan and scratch my head, why wouldn't this stupid radio just work. I'd replaced the busted transmitters with the best ones I could find, cleaned all the muck from the speaker, double then triple checked every wire connection. I poke the tuner and wiggle the amplifier, still nothing. After a moment of thought I look at the large solar battery that was supposed to be powering it and I decide it must have been really bust when I'd pulled it from the dump. Pulling it off and chucking it in my spares pile I rummage around till I find a small and only slightly rusty old fashioned zinc one and crossing my fingers clip it into place.

A loud clang of music blasts through the speakers and into my little attic room and I break into a grin as an excited voice that reminds me of Elvio Bumble our Hunger Games escort bursts into my room. "hey hey boys and girls that was CL with their hit single 'How Many Times?'. Now I think we all know the answer to that one" he laughs manically and I frown, must be a capitol thing, I should probably turn it off now, but I'm intrigued.

"Now we have one more song an old one from the one and only Glitta Darling before I pass over to Felix with the latest Victor gossip. It's 'Red and Gold' up first though, take it away Glitta." I'd heard Red and Gold a thousand times growing up, it's one of the few capitol songs they let us listen too as it's so damn patriotic. Irritated I pull out the battery and can suddenly hear a knocking on my door.

"Tek, Tek" my stepbrother Net is calling though my locked door "what was that noise?" I open my eyes wide and shove some of spare parts over the little radio.

"Nothing" I cry

"Sounded like Bumble" he laughs "come one anyway you're wanted downstairs"

"What for?" I say, I'd done nothing wrong lately had I, for what possible reason father and Cachen would want to see me.

"For dinner" he sighs.

"I'm good" I never eat with my family, I often eat their food but having to sit and be ignored, or worse begin told I should be more like one of Cachen's friends daughters is the opposite of fun.

"It's a good dinner" he says "very special your father bought a whole chicken"

"A whole one!" I exclaim "but why"

"It's a birthday dinner."

"Whose?"

"Mine!" I stand up and throw open my door to my grinning step brother.

"I'm so sorry" I stammer "Happy Birthday I suppose" I say with a small smile, I have an idea turning around I grab the newly working radio "This is for you" I tell him.

"But you've been working on it for months I can't" he protests

"Yeah and now it works and is boring again" I say "please keep it and listen to Bumble all you want"

"Thank you little sis" he says giving me a big hug "come on please save me from having to deal with my mother alone"

I reluctantly agree and after Net leaves the radio in his room we walk downstairs and into the lion's den.

"At last" Cachen cries "my chicken is going cold here"

"Tek was just giving me my birthday present mother" Net says sitting down and digging into the cold chicken I look over to my father deep in one of his business reports and freeze for a moment.

"Sit down you stupid girl" Cachen snaps and I jump into my seat and take a small bread roll from the basket before nibbling on it slowly. "Don't chew with your mouth open Net" his mother scolds "you'll never find a wife eating like a pig"

"A wife" laughs Net "I'm good Mom"

"You're Eighteen now, a man, in a week you'll have your last reaping and then I want to help you find a suitable match"

A week I think, it couldn't only be a week to the reaping, had time really gone that fast this year, no wonder I'd forgotten Net's birthday with that day around the corner. I feel my stomach drop and my appetite for my bread disappears. As I was panicking Net was arguing with his mother "A suitable match" he'd laughed "What is this, the Dark Days?"

"Urtel and I were thinking the Monroe girl" she continues "the red head she's very pretty don't you think?"

"No"

"Urtel back me up here" she says looking over to my father, he looks up from his report "If the boy doesn't like her then leave it Cachen" he says before glancing my way. "Hello Tek didn't see you there my girl, how's school?"

"Alright" I mutter

"And you're friends erm.. erm..." he waves his hand as if he expects me to fill his gaps in knowledge.

"That girl doesn't have any friends except my useless son here" Cachen laughs.

"You should get some friends" my father suggests "Friends can be useful"

"Thanks for that advice father" I mutter as I turn back to my bread roll, deciding that if I was gonna be stuck here I may as well eat something I grab a couple of small pieces of chicken to go with it.

"People would be more likely to talk to you if you did something with your hair" Cachen tells me "move it away from your eyes so your face can be seen. Wear some makeup too, and smile more often."

I scowl "I'm good honest"

"You kids never listen to me" she sighs eating a few small mouthfuls of her food "Urtel did I tell you I ran into Hana at the market today she was sporting a new nail polish, oh it was a beautiful shade of pink straight from One."

"How much?" asks father and then the two of them begin to argue about needing pretty things versus needing money for food and shelter. Eventually I can't take it anymore and leaving only a crumb of my original bread I stand up and leave the table. As expected no-one calls after me and I manage to slide on my shoes and leave the house without any comments from the dinner table.

Breathing in the cool air I enjoy the silence of our street, it's one of the few with proper houses in the district reserved for factory managers like father and their families and miles better than the apartments that fill up the rest of the district. Of course living here means that travelling to anywhere vaguely interesting meant a long walk though un-lit streets, I hated it.

I move quickly keeping my head down not wanting to be seen by any bored peacekeepers that may be patrolling. Footsteps come up behind me so I speed up, but so does my follower, crap, I think as I break into a run.

"Tek" calls Net "please wait for me"

I spin around "Don't creep up on me like that"

"I was barely creeping" he protests "I had to run and I'm full of chicken too"

"You didn't have to follow me"

"Yeah I did, Mom started to talk about the Monroe girl again."

"Oh" we continue to walk in silence.

"Where are we going then?" Net asks eventually

"To the dump" I respond "I just gave away my most recent project so I want to get a new one started."

"Another Bumble radio?"

"No something bigger I think. Something like a computer."

A/N: Hey guys, here's an early District Three for you to enjoy Tek is by Naomi Tachi and Mac is mine – Mac is the only tribute I've added to the list this time which is cool as you all gave me so many good tributes. As usual I promise he won't win I just need him to kick some storylines into gear. The next chapter may be a bit of a wait as I've started a new job so need to figure writing time into my new schedule.

Bonus question: 'How Many Times?" answer it correctly and you're tribute will be guaranteed a survival of the bloodbath!

Edit: Corrected Net's name from Nut and corrected Cachen's name.