Author's Note

I do not own The Hunger Games.

Maximillian Marcus Badonde, 18

"Player Twenty Eight: Maximillian Marcus Badone. Welcome to your Private Sessions. For this part of The Game, you must choose one of your skills from training and complete a related challenge."

"Archery."

The electronic trainer indicated three buttons, each one marked with a symbol for the training stations he'd chosen. "Please choose a skill."

Maximillian sighed and slammed his hand down on the button displaying an arrow. "Archery."

"Are you sure you would like to choose this skill?"

"Yes. I'm going with archery."

"Please continue to the testing chamber."

For crying out loud, when did they get to the actual game? Why was there so much run up? Maximillian stepped past the trainer and stomped through the glowing doorward into the testing chamber.

Marcellina Arnoult, 16

What would Calpurnia do? Weaponry, probably. But the obstacle course might be more impressive. And easier to pass. Marcellina pressed the button.

"Are you sure you would like to choose this skill?" asked the trainer.

Marcellina hit the confirmation button.

"Please continue to the testing chamber."

Marcellina did so. The glowing door led through to a room similar to the training rooms, except it only held an obstacle course, expanded from the one she'd run before.

"To pass this challenge, you must complete the obstacle course. The less time it takes you, the higher your score. For each failure, time will be added to your results."

Okay, she could do that. Marcellina found her position on the start line as her heart thumped in her chest. A large counter glowing above the course ticked down from twelve. As it hit zero, a horn rang and she rushed forward to the first part of the course, a balance beam.

How could Lysandra have found this so difficult?

Hortensia Chrysalis, 17

She slotted the last piece of wood into place to complete the trap and jumped back to click the button and bring the tes mannequin forward. The programmed figure lumbered forward. It was about her own side, featureless and genderless, wearing a blank Game suit. As it stepped into the trap, the sides snapped shut around its leg and sunk into the ground, taking much of the mannequin's foot with it.

"Take that!" she crowed.

Electronic applause echoed around her.

Private Session Challenge Complete! flashed before her eyes.

"Thank you for participating in this challenge," declared her trainer. "Please continue to the waiting room."

"Thank you for your consideration." Hortensia looked up at the camera that would be showing all this to the livestream. "And you're welcome for the show." She winked. "So long as you don't tell my competition." She stepped around the trainer and let herself out.

There were only a few other players already scattered out here. She must be one of the first ones to finish.

Hortensia glanced about the waiting hall and found the District Nine seats, settling on one of them.

Now for more waiting. Sometimes she really wished she could just skip through this part to the arena.

Luminita Summerfield, 17

How much did trap working earn people in the private sessions? Luminita didn't know enough about how everything was programmed in this Game. It felt like she did well enough at her challenge though. She got most pieces of the trap in the right place, and it trapped the mannequins well enough.

She stepped through the glowing doorway that had appeared at the end of the testing room and found herself in a large hall, similar to the one they had been in after the chariots, except this one had four lines of chairs facing a large screen. Sorcha and the group of allies she had begun to put together were gathered at the back of them. As Luminita started towards her, a familiar girl brushed past her shoulder.

"You shouldn't listen to it," she said as she passed.

No wonder that girl seemed to be on her own.

Luminita dropped into the empty seat in front of Sorcha. "So what are we doing now?"

"Waiting for the scores, obviously."

"Obviously."

That would be the next part of the Hunger Games. It made sense. Luminita just wished the part where she watched her sister eat her words would come soon.