Disclaimer: I own nothing except the two OCs that appear in this chapter.

District 9: Lewis Brinde

You could always see the stars in District 9.

Lewis Brinde was laying on his back in the middle of a field, surrounded by grain. There was a small clearing in the field that Lewis always went to at night. He'd leave his house every night, not bothering to tell anyone where he was going. Why should he? No one to tell.

The owner had threatened to get him arrested once, back before his pain began. Lewis couldn't have agreed more. He deserved to be locked up, for what he did. He couldn't help but wonder if, he hadn't been chosen, if the farmer would have followed up on this threat. Of course he didn't bother Lewis now though. Knowing what he did to get where he was.

Knowing who he'd killed.

Lewis sighed, still looking at the stars. The patterns with the twinkling lights distracted Lewis of the past, of what he did. Lewis scratched his purple hair, wondering if he'd ever be accepted into the stars. The concept was appealing to him, considering he had always been a dreamer. Would he be accepted to live above consciousness? To watch above this world?

It all comes crashing down when he realizes who'd be up there with him.

Lewis shook his head, sitting up. He couldn't be remembering that. Not the Before. Not the During. He needed to focus on the After, this life. He reached into his purple suit, searching for the inner pocket. He found it and pulled out a gold pocket watch, checking the time. Midnight. Was he really out that long?

Lewis stood, placing the pocket watch back into his pocket. He was wearing a fancy purple shirt with a pink bowtie and matching purple pants. Lewis trudged on the path to home with his feet bare. No point for shoes. They only slowed him down. Back then, and now.

He couldn't help himself to think back to eight years before, in the During part of his life. He was lost in a deep cavern, what the Gamemakers after referred to as the catacombs. The rocks and skulls kept tripping his feet, his shoes too big and cumbersome. He had discarded them on the third day, not ever regretting it.

He should have kept those shoes.

The path Lewis was on came to an end. He had reached his home in Victor's Village. He was one of the five Victors still alive in District 9, three of them coming from games coming from the ninetieth to now, including himself. 9 had been spared from death for three years out of eight. Lewis wished that he wasn't one of them.

He never had a problem with the games in Before. He always found them as a source of entertainment during a world of unwanted boredom. It was the During that had ruined his perspective. The horror, the terror. The murder.

Gem.

No, none of that, Lewis thought angrily to himself. He wouldn't betray himself. He promised to stay in the After. Never go back to that memory. Ever. But Lewis, as he entered his home, couldn't help but look at the stars one last time, wondering which of them were the people he killed.

District 2: Gabor Insine

The Quell was almost twenty-three years ago.

Gabor is forty years old now.

Her scream haunts him still.

He was in the final two of the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games. That was a tricky year. The rule that year was that there was no Cornocorpia, no forest, nothing. It was one huge plain. No hiding spots, no weapons. Just your own two fists and a set of teeth.

Gabor would be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed strangling everyone. It was fitting. He was mentally insane, after all. He was the embodiment of insanity. The one who walked down the paths of insanity. The Wanderer of Insanity, if you would.

Gabor loved the screams he heard. Each and every one. He'd laugh at their terror, grin widely at their pain, even howl in pleasure at their agony. Every life, all sixteen of them, made him happier, satisfied him to his core, made him stronger.

Except her's.

Her name? Gabor was surprised he even remembered it. Rachel. She was a redhead, like him. Heck, she was even from the same District as he was. He remembered her quite well. Small, thin, weak. A perfect prey. One best saved for his last course of bloodshed. It was the one thing that kept him going. The promise he made to himself for her extremely pleasurable death.

Gabor was surprised she had even lasted that long. It took him three days to kill the first fifteen. The rest were killed by other Tributes, much to the displeasure of Gabor. One the fourth day, it was her and him. It was raining when they fought. She was crying, he was laughing. Despite previous thoughts, she was a good fighter. Gabor had to give her credit, lasting as long as she did. But she wouldn't last another day. Her death was his to take.

Then she screamed.

He had managed, with his strength, to break her legs. He was enjoying the fact that soon, he could have the pleasure of slowly killing her, keeping her alive as he slowly ripped out organ after organ. He was saving her for this honor. This final sacrifice. He was about to go find a rock to cut her open when her scream pierced his ears. It was loud, filled with agony, pain, terror, disbelief. But the one thing that made him shiver, that made him suffocate her instead, that made him lose his nerve for the only time was none of that.

It was her giggle amongst the scream.

Gabor had only one nightmare, repeating every night since his Quell. It wasn't of Tributes killing him, or them begging for mercy as he killed them. Those dreams he pleasantly enjoyed. No, his only nightmare was that of Rachel, giggling as Gabor cut her open and removed her organs. And, as he went to remove her heart, she whispered in a far away voice, "You make me feel… sane."

BN: Ok, so, I posted the first chapter of this story, and I realized that it might not get me enough attention. So, I decided to write this before Summer Break. Hopefully this brings in a few more readers. Also, I still need Tributes. My current count is… zero. The submission form is on my profile. I'm taking them all summer, mostly because I will not be available most of the summer. So, if you have a Tribute you wish to send, feel free to send me via PM.

Now that that's done, meet Lewis and Gabor, the protagonist and antagonist outside of the Games. You will see these guys often, every few chapters at most. You'll learn a bit about them as the story goes on. Oh, and Gabor was in the replacement 75th Hunger Games, which the rule was mentioned in the chapter that there was no cornucopia, and Lewis was in the 90th Hunger Games. Just thought I clarify.

So, what did you think? Like it? Hate it? Eh? Tell me about it over review. (Which might get you early Sponsor Points. Hint hint, wink wink.)