Author's Note

I do not own the Hunger Games.

And here we are with the second half of ENTRANCE!

Etheria Arquette, 17

She hadn't expected it to be so loud.

The workers were doing their best to calm the players in the waiting room, but excitement was in the air and their attempts weren't very successful.

Etheria glanced at those about her. Many were her age, or thereabouts, but there were a handful of younger ones, in particular a boy and a girl with matching dark hair and stern features that might have been siblings, who looked all of maybe twelve. The boy looked eager, but the girl looked almost afraid.

"You look nervous," Etheria said.

The boy jumped slightly, and then glanced at the girl. "Oh, yeah. Don't mind her. She's been like this all morning."

Excited for The Game? No doubt. Everyone else was. Or maybe she just didn't like speaking to Etheria. No one else did.

"We shouldn't be here, Zephyr," said the girl. Oh, so they'd snuck out from wherever they were meant to be.

"It's her first time," he said, as though that explained it.

Etheria grinned. "Mine too! I've heard so much about this!"

The girl looked up at her. "You should beware."

Was… that a threat? But why wouldn't it be?

"Beware? Of what?" she asked.

Zephyr batted the girl's arm. "Celeste, you're being weird again."

There was an ease in their interaction that made Etheria's heart ache. Zephyr looked exasperated, but he clearly cared for the girl – Celeste – and something about that hurt. She had been about their age… It wasn't fair. She wanted what they had.

"I don't like it here," said Celeste.

Seemed a little unfair for her to take the position from someone else that might then. Spots were limited, especially in this smaller centre. Etheria had assumed all the players would be fans like her. Everyone wanted to have a go at the Hunger Games, right?

"Players, please begin coming through to the changing rooms!" called the worker at the door. "You will be given your Game suit on entrance. No pushing now, or you'll be removed from The Game! There are plenty on standby!"

"Are you sure she should enter?" she asked Zephyr. "If there are players on standby…"

"We were here for our tickets. Besides, she needs to have some fun for once."

"I guess I'll see you two in the arena then."

Silverie Erilea Amarendaje

There were a lot of people coming through today, though many of them were whisked away before Silverie could get a good headcount.

"Does anyone know what this special event actually is?" asked a girl with long green hair.

"Who cares?" replied the one next to her as they were handed their Game suits and pointed to the changing rooms. "I know I'm going to win it."

The first one snorted with laughter. "I hope you can come through on that, because that's what I'm here to watch."

"It's got to be one of the quells," said another girl with soft amber eyes. "I hope it's the Twenty Fifth, I'd like to see how they translate that one."

"How would they ever translate that?" countered a boy with blue hair and a faded fake tattoo down his jaw. "If it's any quell, it'll be the Third."

"Don't be ridiculous!" scorned another boy. "They're obviously going to run an early arena. Vintage style, you know?"

"You really think this Game is going to be that special?" asked another girl, this one with a soft tan and blonde hair.

"Oh, it will be!" said one of the workers, shoving a Game suit into her arms. "Go on through!"

Silverie didn't have to wait much longer to receive their own Game suit. They stepped aside to wait for Emeria and the two entered together, Silverie's hair glowing under the neon blue lights.

Marcellina Arnoult, 16

The Game Suit was made of some fine, supple material, with weird bubbles on the inside. Marcellina shuddered as she slipped a hand into it. "And you're sure we have to wear this?"

"If you want to play The Game, yes Miss," replied the worker.

Calpurnia wrinkled her nose. "But we can wear it over our clothes, right?"

A pair of blonde boys nearby whooped with laughter.

"Newbies!" said one of them.

Calpurnia turned red. "You're first on my list!"

Marcellina caught her arm. "Calpurnia, you'll get us thrown out." She held up her suit. "What do I do with this?"

The worker sighed. "Once you're in a stall, remove all clothing except your underwear and don the Game Suit. The boots are built into your pod, but don't worry, it won't cut or tear so that you hurt your feet in the changing stalls or pod room. Once you have changed, pick a locker on the right side of the room to store your belongings, with the exceptions of your identification card and your ticket. There is a pocket in the suit for them here." He lifted one leg of the suit to indicate the pocket. "Is everything clear?"

"And you're sure we can't just wear our clothes?" Calpurnia asked.

Marcellina smiled. "Don't we want the full experience?" She turned away from the worker. "Come on, let's go get changed. We don't want to be the last into our pods."

Hortensia Chrysalis, 18

The blue light glowed above her as she entered the pod room, reflecting from her Game suit. It was a near duplicate of the one she would wear in the Game, except this one had no blue nodes to mark her armour. Hortensia checked her ticket again as she hurried down the main aisle. Pod C3. End aisle.

She showed her ticket to the worker there and he showed her down to her pod.

"Do you need assistance setting things up?" asked the worker.

"No thanks. I've done this before."

"Very good."

She scanned her card and tucked it back into the provided pocket before climbing into her pod. It hummed around her. She secured her feet in the internal boots and pulled the glasses on.

Everyone underestimated the sneaky, quiet ones.

Time to win this special.

Apollo Gilmore, 17

They got three pods in a row this time round. Apollo grinned as he thrust his ticket into the slot and pulled out his identification card for the reader.

Apollo Gilmore. Is this the name you go by? asked the machine. He clicked yes, and selected his pronouns before stepping into the pod and positioning his legs in the cold stirrups. Last time he'd been across the way from his siblings, and it had proved to be terrible luck.

They were some of the best at the new Games Simulator. Originally designed to help tributes train, some genius had realised its true potential and quickly turned it into a game. To make things even more realistic, it was only opened to those aged twelve to eighteen, putting it in fantastic demand. There were three games centres, with the big one in the centre running the game six times a day, but the two smaller ones only running twice. Though apparently there was some special on today; there were definitely more than twenty four players here. Maybe they were secretly expanding. The game was a cash cow, they might as well rake it in while they could.

Apollo pulled the mask and goggles down over his face. It pixelated the room and turned the garish blue light a normal shade.

The worker appeared at his side to guide his hands into the gloves. "The emergency release is here." He pulled his hand down to where the lever stuck out by his right leg. "If you feel like you're in any state of emergency, please do pull it."

Apollo laughed. "I've never pulled it yet."

The worker patted his arm. "Then I wish you all the best." He stepped back and clicked the button to close the pod. "May the odds be ever in your favour."

Luminescence Sterling, 17

The pod hummed as the system began to prepare itself, and the nodules warmed against Luminescence's temples. He clenched his hands inside the gloves. The Gilmores had beaten them out in the last two games and seemed to think that made them superior.

Well.

They'd see who was superior now, wouldn't they?

The familiar sharp setting pierced him, and then he was in a hot, muggy street. The scent of salt hung in the air, and the buzz of voices flayed about him, reciting their programmed speel about out being reaping day. Flags flapped above the shops, branded with the symbol of District Four.

Not bad. Four normally got some decent sponsors. It could give him a leg up, especially if the Gilmores had ended up in a lower District. Harley grinned and began to follow the large posters directing him towards the town square. They were colourful things, this time round, with vivid, neon colours.

"I hope we'll get some volunteers this year round," said a blonde woman to his right.

"Oh, I'm sure you will," said Luminescence, though her electronic eyes looked straight past him. She wasn't programmed to reply. Those who ended up in Career Districts were expected to volunteer, just like the real tributes in the Districts. The simulated crowd was scripted to inform players of that as they approached the square. He'd learned that during his first time round in District One.

There were only a few simple turns before he reached the square. The District locations weren't filled out with very much, since players usually only spent a few short minutes there before being whisked away to play the train scenes. Luminescence stepped into line behind two automated boys with wavy blonde hair. Short line this time, that was nice. Two more lined up behind him.

He was at the desk in no time, and the worker at the desk said his automated lines before taking Luminescence's hand.

"Luminescence Sterling. Please proceed to the Seventeens' sector."

He nodded and stepped through into the square. On the television broadcasts it was usually busier, but here there were maybe fifty kids in each corral, some with the same face. Luminescence made his way into the one with the sign for seventeen year old boys looming over it.

Here he went again.

They were going to win this time.