Roman Ferling's POV:

Fifteenth place, the feeling is good, the feeling is secure. I like security and I like to know that things will go my way. I switch of my console and check the time, only three hours to go until the big show. The ratings will probably be frozen about now, let the people in the last few places know for sure if they're in the games before it begins.

Scanning through the list I see mostly the same names as last year but with a couple of new faces, one young kid made it to eleventh and twenty one, twenty three and twenty four are all first timers. They won't make it far; they like me will probably bloodbath it on their first try. But second tries, second tries are the ones where people usually make it, maybe even to the top five. Oh the thought of being up there with the greats is so thrilling to me. Fame, money, everything I've ever wanted.

Or maybe not, maybe as Helia my older sister says I need to calm down and focus on more normal things, like paying more attention to our parents and how we can improve our standing in our community. She's a little obsessed with the whole thing after we finally moved into the Gold sector when Dad got his promotion. But she doesn't seem to get that what she does with her socialising and partying, I can do by gaming.

It didn't take much to convince my parents to join me at the show, they're happy no matter what I do. Even though they don't really understand the games and how they work, they're there for me no matter what. But they won't be home for a few hours to get ready and until then I decide to take Helia's advice that she gave me a few weeks back and 'get the frick out of this dark room' after all I'll be firmly planted to my chair for the next week or so as I play.

I slip my glasses on so I can see further than my screen and pull on a thin leather jacket, it's not exactly as 'capitol' as any of Helia's stuff but I've always liked it. As I stand at my bedroom door I debate turning around, playing one last game for practice, but no I need to see the sun at least once this month. With a final push I leave my room and head through the corridor that separates it from the outside world. Has it always been so long?

"Are you going out dear?" I stop and deflate a little. My mom's head has appeared around the corner of her room, her hair is up in curlers and her make-up is half done.

"Thought you'd be at work Mom."

"Got the afternoon off love, wanted to get ready for tonight"

"Oh right, I was just going out, for some fresh air."

"Okay lovely, just be back in time for the show" she smiles as if this wasn't something I already knew.

"Of course" I respond before slipping out of the front door, standing in the stark white corridor of our new apartment block I'm slightly disorientated. I know that back in Silk should I have gone three doors to my right I'd have bumped into fellow gamer Krous and his family, then another door up from there was Mr Granger who I'd often go visit when my family was driving me nuts. These doors though, I don't know who or what lies behind them, they're all strangers to me are my neighbours and I don't like that.

Walking towards the elevator at the end of the corridor I think back to when Dad had first told me we we're moving. Of course Helia was thrilled, we may only have been moving up to Gold but to her it was like being given one of the penthouse apartments of Ruby. I was less keen.

"But will there even be any other kids" I'd protested "Everyone who lives in Gold always looks so serious."

"Since when have you wanted to see other kids Specs" Helia had chuckled as my parents had assured me that though there were slightly less larger families in Gold that there would of course be other children. I hadn't seen any yet, though I honestly hadn't looked.

I arrive at the ground floor and look out onto our new street; we only live a few blocks away from the Government sector now and as I sit on a bench in the small park at the base of my new home I start to watch the government workers coming to and from work. I like watching people it's how I do so consistently in the games, by staying observant and biding my time. I let my mind wander now, imagine I'm still playing and I've got a stiff hunting knife in my hand. Most of these wobbling business and government men pose zero challenge; I could tempt them towards me with the promise of food and then slice their flesh as they are distracted.

"Hey you're in my spot" The voice of an irritated young girl distracts me from the images of death in my mind.

"It's just a bench" I say without looking up "It's not like it's got your name on it."

"Well actually..." she laughs "It kind of does" I look up in confusion at the girl; she looks about my age with long gold hair that falls in perfect curls to her waist.

"Huh" I say as she points to the back of the bench it had one of those in memoriam tags screwed into its back 'In Memory of April Jewel de Lira, She loved this place. 975 – 1081.'

"I'm sorry about your death" I say smarmily "What's it like being a ghost?"

"Shut up" she says "That was my Great Grandma, but I'm named after her so it's my bench okay"

"Okay" I laugh standing up "Enjoy your bench, I've got somewhere to be anyway."

I stand up and head back to my door, so much for trying to brave the big wide open world. I think I'll stick to my games and my tributes for a while longer.

A/N: Thanks to RealFiction for Roman, hope you liked him. I've created another OC who I'll introduce for the next chapter and then if there's still no more submissions I'll get going with the games.

I thought I'd put a quick note here about the sectors that I keep half mentioning, I see the capitol split into classes, geographically and socially. So where you stand in society (through your work or social standing) links to where you live. Ruby is the top, where most of the pro gamers live as well as the best of the best in other professions, celebrities, top politicians etc. Opal is just bellow – It's mostly for artistic people, entertainers and stylists (though the best of those live in Ruby). Gold is bellow that – mostly Government officials live here. Silk is the lowest, populated by shop owners and those who do other low status jobs (though the Avoxes do the worst of them). There are other non-residential sectors too – The Capitol Mall is one, The Game centre is another, The entertainment district (with bars, restaurants and gambling houses etc) is the next and the Government takes up the final sector.