The Hunger Games

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to the creators of Vampire Diaries.

Couple: Bonnie/Damon

Rating: M

Chapter Two

Walking In Her Shadow

'Our Namesake, We Honor,

We Swore That We'd Never Say Never.'

'Tap. Tap. Tap.'

The middle-aged woman with bright yellow fluffy hair tapped her fingers against the microphone. Her eyelashes were nearly three inches long and they too were bright yellow. Her dress was a short yellow dress with large luminous colorful flowers all over it. She was the escort for District 1. She was the woman who was going to seal Damon's fate.

Today was the day he would find out if he was going to be a part of the hunger games, or if he was going to live his life in shame like his father had.

"Welcome everyone!" She sang loudly, her lips curling up into a smile. "Happy hunger games! And may the odds be in your favor!"

Damon cast his eyes around at the other hopefuls. They were all wearing eager smiles and excited eyes as they waited impatiently for the escort to call their names. But, she wouldn't be calling their names. This was his year. She was going to call his name and he was going to compete in the games. He was going to win the games for his district. For his family.

He glanced over at Stefan who was standing in the younger age group. His brother smiled at him and mouthed the words, "Good luck, old man."

"First, let's start with a little film from the Capitol!" The woman in yellow said, her voice high.

Blue eyes landed on the large monitor in the center of the district. He watched the familiar images dance along the screen. Damon and Stefan had watched the movie hundreds of times growing up. Their father was constantly showing it to them in order to remind them of why they were fighting for their district. To remind them that it was an honor to fight in the hunger games. That it was a privilege.

"Isn't that film truly inspiring?" The woman asked as the short film came to an end.

Damon refocused his attention on the escort and his heart started to pound loudly in his ears. He was so anxious. This was his last chance. If she didn't call his name then he would be forced to forever live out his days in District 1 as a disgrace.

"Now, the time has come, for us to select one young man and woman for the honor of representing District 1, in the 75th annual hunger games!"

The wait was torture.

He just wanted to hear his name.

"Let's start with." She paused to make the moment more suspenseful, even though they all knew that it was protocol to announce the woman first. All the men standing in the crowd hoped that just once they would change the rules and announce the man first. "Ladies first!"

The woman skipped across the stage toward the glass ball that held the names of possible female tributes. She dipped her fingers playfully into the ball and she gently traced her fingertips through the pieces of paper. Not picking one right away. People from the Capitol loved their dramatics. Finally, she picked up one of the pieces of paper and she quickly started to unfold it.

She didn't announce the lucky young woman right away though.

Again, she paused for dramatics.

Damon groaned out and threw his head back, internally cursing the woman for taking so damn long.

"Caroline Forbes!"

The young blonde screamed out excitedly when the escort called her name. She had a wide toothy smile on her face and her blue eyes were filled with glee as she rushed through the crowd and up the stairs of the stage. All of the women who didn't get chosen were groaning and grumbling about it.

Caroline had never felt so proud in her life. Standing on that stage, with the District 1 escort clapping for her, knowing that so many other tributes wanted to be in her shoes, it was the best day of her life. She was finally going to get the opportunity to follow in her mother's footsteps. Liz Forbes was one of the many people from their district that had won the games. If she won, then not only would she make her mother proud, she would finally get to see her again.

'Ugh. I don't even know if I wanna go if I have to be partnered up with Barbie.' Damon thought with a disgusted look on his face. He and Caroline had never really gotten along. Back in the day, when she was dating Stefan, all that Damon and her did was fight constantly.

"And now, for the boys!"

Any thoughts of not wanting to go diminished the minute that the woman walked toward the glass ball filled with the names of male tributes. He could deal with being teamed up with Caroline if it meant that he got to compete in the games. In the end, only one of them would survive anyway. And that was going to be him.

She reached inside and ran her long yellow fingernails along the pieces of paper, searching for just the right one.

Damon felt like his heart was going to burst through his chest as he watched her slowly sift through the pieces of paper. He glanced over at Stefan who looked just as anxious.

The escort coughed to clear her throat.

"Damon Salvatore!"

He forgot how to breathe for a second as he repeated the words over in his head. 'Damon Salvatore. She said my name? I'm in the games? I'm the tribute?' The other candidates were groaning about not being picked, but he could distinctively hear Stefan cheering for him. In the distance he could hear his mother and father screaming, "That's my boy!"

They were all so proud of him.

He was going to the hunger games.

"He seems to be a bit shocked!" The escort said with a high-pitched laugh. "Come on up here, Damon!"

Damon made his way through the crowd, approaching the stage. His hands were shaking and he felt dizzy with excitement. He still couldn't believe that she had called his name. He moved to stand next to Caroline as the woman with yellow hair applauded him.

"Chance of a lifetime and I get stuck with you." Caroline said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.

"I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, Blondie."

'I Live With This Curse, I Walk In Her Shadow,

My Heart Is Breaking.'

Dazzle.

That was their escort's name.

Coming from District 11, Bonnie found the name to be a bit strange. She found everything about her to be a bit strange actually. Her blue hair curled up and towered at least a foot over her head. Her eyelashes were long and had little jewels at the end of each of them. She had sapphires embedded permanently into the skin of her face and her voice was so high.

She knew that everyone in the Capitol dressed and spoke just like she did.

When she watched the hunger games in the past, she saw the speakers and the television hosts and they always had the most outrageous outfits and hair. It was like a competition. They were always trying to be the most unique and the most beautiful according to the standards of their society. 'I guess that's what happens when people don't have to work... They find other ways to entertain themselves, like vanity and watching innocent people die.'

"Let me go and get your mentor!" Dazzle said with a smile. "You two take a seat and eat up! You can eat as much as you want! I'm sure that you are both famished." The way that she said the word 'famished' was extremely judgmental. People in the Capitol looked down on people from District 11. Even though, without them, they would all die.

'Yeah, we're famished because you guys take all of our food.' Bonnie thought bitterly to herself.

She hated the Capitol. She hated them for taking away her little sister. She hated them for treating them like they were lesser humans.

Despite being annoyed by the judgement she heard in Dazzle's voice, as she sat down at the table, she found herself realizing just how hungry she truly was. The table was covered with all sorts of foods and drinks that looked absolutely delicious. They were foods that she had only heard about. Foods that you would never be able to find in District 11.

'Doughnuts... I always wanted to try a doughnut.'

Her emerald eyes landed on one doughnut in particular. It had chocolate frosting on it and there were tons of sprinkles all over the top. Just looking at it caused her stomach to growl violently and her mouth to water. But, there was a part of her that felt guilty for thinking about eating the food while her family was at home starving to death.

Marcel was eagerly filling his mouth with a wide assortment of foods.

He hadn't eaten so good in his entire life and he planned to enjoy every minute.

Bonnie looked at all of the beautiful silverware and the china. It made her think about the mixed assortment of dishes her family had collected back home. She could save her pay every week of her life and never have enough money to afford the expensive china the Capitol was using. 'I wish I could just send this food back to my family. This would last a year back home...'

"You aren't going to win the games if you don't eat up." Marcel said with a charming smile. He couldn't blame her for not wanting to take "handouts" from the people that condemned them to District 11, but pride wasn't important right now. Survival was important. They needed the energy.

"I just feel kind of selfish." Bonnie admitted.

Her entire life was spent sacrificing herself for the people she loved. She didn't understand the concept of fighting for herself. She didn't understand the concept of doing what was best for her, and only her.

"Hate to break it to you, Bonnie. But, the only choice you have any longer is to be selfish. Unless you want to die." Marcel could see the hurt flash across her beautiful face and he knew that she was thinking about her little sister and what happened to her. Still, the reality of the situation was that if they wanted to survive they would have to be selfish. They would have to kill innocent people that didn't deserve to die.

"Sorry. But, it's the truth." He added. Reaching out, he picked up the doughnut that the younger woman was staring at hungrily, and he handed it to her. "Now, eat up."

Bonnie took the doughnut from him and she lifted it to her full lips. Just the smell alone was enough to cause her to salivate. When she sunk her teeth into the delicious treat, she let out a hum. It was quite possibly the best thing she had ever tasted in her entire life.

"Good, huh?" Marcel asked, stuffing more food into his mouth.

It was good.

Dazzle walked back into their train car with a handsome middle-aged man on her arm. She was touching his arm and staring up at him with flirtatious eyes. It was evident that she had a crush on him. He didn't seem to realize or care though as he focused his dark eyes on them. Bonnie noticed that he had a large scar that traveled along his cheek and down over his throat.

She had heard stories about him. People called him, Elijah-Massacre-Mikaelson.

Rumor had it, he killed seven people in cold blood in the 63rd hunger games. He was from District 1. 'I thought our mentor was supposed to be someone that won the games from our district?'

"Bonnie and Marcel, I am pleased to introduce you to your mentor Elijah Mikaelson." Dazzle smiled up at him, but he didn't even look at her. "Normally we wouldn't give such an honorable victor to District 11, but seeing as there were no other survivors from your district that won the games, we had no choice."

Her words stung.

She didn't even realize how harsh she was being.

"He will be there the entire time, at your disposal." She turned to face them now. "You are free to ask him any questions you have about the games."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Elijah's British accent and proper posture made it difficult to believe that he had killed seven people in the arena. The sorrow in his brown eyes when he looked at them told Bonnie that he was a good man. That he pitied them for their position. And that meant a lot coming from someone in District 1.

'Rue was killed by a man in District 1...'

This made her instantly resent Elijah. Even though she knew he had nothing to do with her sister's death.

"I will let you all get to know each other!" Dazzle said to the three of them. Then she turned her blue eyes back to Elijah and she ran her hand down his arm as she told him, "Holler at me when it is time for their stylists."

"Will do, Dazzle." He stated simply.

The British man pulled out a chair and took a seat across from the two of them. He knew how the Capitol treated people from District 11 and he felt sorry for them. Everyone was rooting against them. At one point he had felt the exact same way. But, after winning, he had been humbled. He found out an important lesson in life. Money didn't make a man.

"Do the two of you have any questions about the games?" Elijah asked, pouring a cup of tea.

"When does the killing begin?" Marcel asked in a sarcastic tone of voice. He wasn't excited about getting into the arena.

"You joke." He said, sipping gracefully on the tea. "But, you have no idea what you are in for." His brown eyes landed on Marcel's and it felt like he was staring directly into his soul. "Once you kill a man, you will never be the same again."

Bonnie looked over at her friend and she watched the smile fall from his lips. The reality of the situation was starting to sink in for him. They were going to be thrown into an arena and forced to fight to stay alive.

They would be forced to kill people.

"But, I digress." Elijah said with a small humorous smile. He hadn't meant to frighten them. "Seeing as you have been chosen, you have no other choice but to compete in the games. And it is my job to insure you stay alive for as long as possible." He took another sip of his tea. "That being said, I have two words of advice for you. Sponsors and survival."

"What's a sponsor?" Bonnie wondered with a furrowed brow. She sort of had an idea about what it was, but she wasn't sure on all of the details.

"A sponsor is someone that helps you along the way during your time in the arena. They provide you with gifts. Whether that be medicine, weapons, or other supplies that you might need." He told them. "Having sponsors is a very important part of the games. Without them, you will undoubtedly die."

"And how exactly are we supposed to get these sponsors?" Marcel asked.

"There are many factors that play into someone sponsoring you." Elijah explained. "First impressions are very important to the Capitol. They want to see what you are made of. They want you to be charismatic. They want you to be strong. And if you can't be those things, then you lie about being those things." He smiled.

Bonnie was quickly starting to understand.

Not only was what happened in the arena a game, what happened outside of it was a game as well. The Capitol would be watching everything they did on television screens and dissecting their personalities. If they liked what they saw, then they would sponsor them. If they didn't, they would leave them to die.

"Force a smile. Be sociable. Feed the people a sob story. And most importantly, dress to impress." Elijah said. "Which will be most difficult for the two of you, because District 11 is provided the smallest budget for hair and wardrobe from the Capitol."

"This whole thing sounds completely shallow." Bonnie stated pointedly.

"That's exactly what it is." He agreed.

"You also mentioned survival. What tips do you have for that?" Marcel wondered. Survival was what was most important to him. He wanted to survive, but more than anything he wanted to make sure that Bonnie survived. She didn't deserve to be thrown into the games after everything that had happened over the last year. It wasn't fair. She had to live.

"I do not wish to be rude, but seeing as you both are from District 11, am I wrong to assume that you do not have much experience with weaponry?"

Bonnie shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Marcel. Neither of them were particularly skilled in any weapons. Throwing knives had become a hobby of hers, but she had never practiced for the games. From the age of five to ten in District 11, kids were forced to climb the trees and pick the fruit from the orchard, so both of them were skilled climbers. But, that was all.

"Not really..."

"Then for the two of you, the main focus is going to be sizing up the competition." Elijah told them. "I suggest that during training you pay close attention to what everyone's strengths and weaknesses are. You need to know how to use the limited skill set you have in order to take them down."

"Whoa!" Bonnie said as she spotted the Capitol through the window of the train. She had never seen anything like it in her entire life. There were ships flying around in the sky. The buildings towered high up into the clouds. It was absolutely astonishing. Marcel was leaning over her shoulder and peering out at the beautiful scenery. He too was impressed. They had spent all their lives in poverty. The nicest house in District 11 was a two story home.

"Just like everyone that resides within, The Capitol is far prettier on the outside than inside." Elijah warned.

'So, Tell Me Why You're Surprised We Are Livid,

When We See The Ghosts We Will Become.'

The last ten hours had been the longest hours of Bonnie's life.

She had spent four of them sitting in a chair while a man with a pink curly mustache worked on her hair. He had pulled and tangled it until it felt like her scalp was on fire. And the end result was what appeared to be large twisting vines on top of her head. He had sprayed her hair with bright green hair dye that he said would wash out when she showered.

After that, the wardrobe people had taken a toll on her.

They placed a crown of sticks on her head and they put her in a colorful green dress that popped out magnificently against her caramel skin. Her green eyes were illuminated with long green lashes and eye shadow. And her lips were painted green as well.

When Bonnie looked into the mirror she thought she looked completely ridiculous.

But, everyone had been complimenting her and Marcel on their looks as they headed through the Capitol. They said that they loved her hair, and they loved how her eyes matched her outfit. She didn't feel as ridiculous being immersed in a sea of people dressed similarly to her. She saw one man that had a unicorn horn surgically placed between his eyes and a tail stitched to his back.

Bonnie felt anxious as they walked through the crowd of people toward the large building where they would get on their chariots.

This would be the first time that they met the other tributes.

This would be the first time that the entire Capitol saw them. 'I really hope they like me. I could use as many sponsors as possible...'

Marcel could tell that the young woman was growing more and more nervous by the second, so he reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a small reassuring squeeze. He was telling her that he was by her side and that he wasn't going anywhere. She was grateful for the contact and her full lips twisted up into a small smile as she met his eyes. He too was wearing bright green eye shadow and it made her laugh a little.

"This way you two." Elijah told them, leading them into the large room where the other tributes were waiting.

It was customary that the two tributes for each district ride into the training center via chariots. District 1 being the first to enter and District 12 being the last. This would be the first time that the population of the Capitol would see them and they had to make a good first impression if they wanted to be sponsored.

Bonnie immediately started to size up the competition as she looked around the room. All of the people from the other districts were dressed up just as extravagantly as they were. They were all sticking together with their partners.

That was when she noticed two people standing about ten feet away wearing gaudy pink outfits with the words District 1 embroidered into them. Instantly her stomach started to flip and she grew angry. She knew that they weren't the same people who had killed her little sister, but just knowing that they were from the same district, that they probably cheered on the man who killed Rue, was enough to make her hate them.

She looked up and she saw that the girl's pink hair was wild and all over the place. She had pink eye shadow on and her face was actually speckled with diamonds. People in District 1 were known for making the diamonds for the Capitol, so it made sense that they would wear them.

Bonnie hated to admit it, but the man standing next to her was very handsome.

'Minus all of the makeup...'

He had piercing blue eyes and a devious smirk that told Bonnie he was no good. She could tell by the look on his face that he was excited to be a part of the games and that he was looking to kill. His dark hair was slicked back and his face was speckled with diamonds just like his partner. Along with his bright pink tunic and pants, he was wearing a cape.

"So, that's District 1?" She asked, turning to face Marcel.

"That's them alright." He said. He noticed that Bonnie's jaw was clenched tightly and her muscles were tense and he shook his head sadly. He knew that she associated District 1 with Rue's death. Everyone in District 11 did. "They aren't the same people, Bonnie."

"They're all the same." She insisted. "They are all pampered assholes that think they are better than everyone else."

"I can't argue with you there." He smirked.

"Ugh!" Damon groaned dramatically as he stared over at his partner. "Did you have to pick pink?" His face scrunched up in disgust. Damon Salvatore didn't care for colors. He usually wore a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, and his leather jacket. He knew that they would have to pick a color to represent their team and that he would have to dress up. That was the only way they would win the games. But, did it have to be pink?

"Pink looks good on me." Caroline insisted with her hands on her hips. When the stylist asked them what they wanted to do, he hadn't had much input aside from sarcastic jokes, so she had taken control of the situation. She knew what she wanted. She had planned for this day for years.

"I hate to break it to you-"

Before he could finish the sentence she was glaring at him. "-Shut up, Damon!"

His lips were curled up into a playful smirk as he raised his hands defensively. She knew what he was going to say. He was going to say that nothing looked good on her. Or something similar.

Caroline returned her attention to the other tributes. As she looked at them, she was not only confident that they were strong enough to beat them, she was confident that their outfits were superior in every way. They were the cutest pair there. Even if she was stuck with Damon.

Damon leant down and whispered hotly against her ear, "I can't wait to kill you."

She scoffed and turned to look at him and he waggled his brow at her. "As if you could!" She pushed him. "God, I can't believe I'm stuck with you of all people. You are such an asshole!"

"I know." His blue eyes widened.

Suddenly, Damon was distracted from their conversation as his eyes landed on the beautiful young woman from District 11. Normally, he wouldn't look twice at someone from such a poor district. There was no chance that he could possibly have a relationship with her. But, still, she was absolutely stunning. The green of her dress popped against her beautiful caramel skin, and it brought out the green in her eyes. His eyes ran along her exposed toned thighs and he licked over his lips.

'It wouldn't hurt to have a little fun...'

"Who's that?" He asked Caroline curiously.

"I don't know her name, but she's from District 11." The way the blonde said the words sounded like, 'She's from District 11, she doesn't matter.'

"She is smokin'." Damon stated suggestively.

Caroline knit her brows together and turned to look at her partner like he was crazy. How could he think someone from District 11 was hot? "She's poor." When that didn't stop him from ogling the girl, she added, "She probably works on a farm or something."

"So, she doesn't mind getting a little dirty." He teased.

"Gross."

Damon rolled his eyes at her. "Calm your pretty little bottle-blonde head, I said she was hot, not that I wanted to marry her."

Caroline's blue eyes widened as he called her a bottle-blonde. She was, but she didn't like to admit it. Raising her finger she spoke in an over-dramatic tone of voice, "First of all, I am NOT a bottle-blonde." He flashed her a disbelieving look. "I'm not!" After defending her hair, her lips curled up into a deceptive smirk and she looked over at the District 11 tribute, "Second of all, maybe you should put that overactive libido to good use."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that you seduce her and we use that to our advantage in the arena." She waggled her brow. "If she trusts you then it will be even easier to pick her off."

'You Remind Me Of The Rain In July,

And The Gloom I Felt For A Year.'

Author's Note :

Oh my gosh! Thank you all so very much for all of your wonderful encouragement and reviews! Y'all really do keep me writing! So, here is another chapter! I hope that you enjoy it! :)) I'm just excited that other people are interested in this idea, because I am really loving writing it! Anyhow, how did y'all like this chapter? How do you feel about Damon right now? Thoughts on Caroline? What about Marcel and Bonnie? And I know there wasn't much this chapter but there will be a whole lot next chapter, but how did y'all like the Bamon!? Do you think Damon will seduce Bonnie for the game like Caroline suggested?

I took all of your thoughts into consideration and I promise some Bonnie/Marcel moments and some Rue/Bonnie flashbacks are coming up! Also we will see a bit into both Damon and Bonnie's pasts as the story progresses!

Thank you all so much for reading! I love you guys so much!

-Tracy Cook-