Author's Note

I do not own The Hunger Games.

I've currently got a lot of chapters stockpiled, which means I've decided to merge what were originally two chapters here.

So here we goooo~

Vivaldi Perlman, 16

The computerised crowd was still screaming as Vivaldi left the stage, and sponsor points racked up at the side of his vision, the blue number climbing higher and higher. He must have done well.

Thorin broke away from his alliance to stride over as soon as Vivaldi ducked through the glowing blue door into what looked like a waiting room. He caught Vivaldi's arms and shook him gently before pulling him against his chest. Vivaldi wriggled free to grin up at him. "Did you see me out there? I got so many sponsor points!"

He still wasn't entirely sure what do do with them, but from what he'd seen and heard of how the Game worked, it was to be spent once he was in the arena. Like real sponsorship, except he got to choose what he received.

Thorin clasped his shoulders, and Vivaldi's stomach flipped a butterfly. Damn he looked so good in that suit.

"Vivaldi," Thorin said, and there was a strangely desperate edge in his voice. "Listen to me. I can't tell you exactly what's happening here, but this is your last chance before everything begins. Please, just… drop out. Pull your emergency lever, can you feel it on the right? I'll see you on the other side in a few hours and explain everything."

Vivaldi laughed nervously. "And miss this, after I've come all the way through this… pre-Game preparation stuff?"

He'd never realised The Game went into such detail to match the events of the real Hunger Games. He'd always kind assumed that the glimpses of the Districts and the parades were just promotional material to entice people into the system and that when one actually played, they'd be entering straight into the arena. In a way, this design was a lot more fun, although some of the other players looked bored.

"It's what's best for you," Thorin said.

Vivaldi pulled back and folded his arms. "Don't you think maybe I know what's best for me?"

Thorin gave him a bitter smile. "Not right now you don't."

He looked down at his feet. "Do you really think that little of me? You're meant to be my boyfriend."

Thorin put a hand on his shoulder. "And that's why I'm telling you this. I'm trying to protect you, Vivaldi. There's stuff you don't know, stuff I can't tell you. Just… call out."

"No." Vivaldi raised his head and squared his stance. "I'm going to do this, and I'm going to prove you wrong. You'll see."

Sorcha Summerfield, 17

"Well," Sorcha said as the last kid to be interviewed crept from the stage. "I think that went pretty well."

No small amount of sponsor points had poured in for her during the interview, leaving her with a total of sixty seven. She ought to be able to get her hands on some decent supplies after the bloodbath for that.

"Excuse me," Luminita muttered, detaching herself from the alliance and wandering away through the crowd.

Calpurnia frowned after her. "I hope she's not going to do that in the arena."

"She won't." Sorcha shrugged. "If she even makes it out of the bloodbath."

There were forty seven others to compete against, and Luminita wasn't exactly the sportiest or most competitive. Sorcha would laugh if she went down so early and had to watch Sorcha do so much better.

"She's not going to slow us down, is she?" asked Calpurnia.

Sorcha grumbled and waved her hand. "Probably, but what does it matter? She won't make it far." She looked across the hall, where Luminita was now speaking with a pastor of dark haired players. The girl smiled, said something, and pointed at Sorcha. Luminita stepped back, shook her head, and must have replied before she returned to their little group.

"What was that about?" Sorcha asked.

"That was Celeste." Luminita ran her hands down her dress. "She says you're going to die."

Apollo Gilmore, 17

His performance during the interview had boosted the misfortune of being sorted into Nine, and Apollo now had a nice sum of sponsor points. Later in the game he could cash those in for food. Especially since the Fiftieth was all poison from what he remembered. The three of them would need all the food they could earn themselves to keep their hunger and strength metres up.

He found Artemis and Ares waiting at the other side of the socialisation room, along with Wonder, who must have joined them after her own interview finished.

"Anything interesting happening?"

"Just chilling," replied Ares.

"You'd think they'd cut these sections from the game," grumbled Artemis, twisting a lock of her pink hair around her fingers.

"It's for the experience," replied Apollo.

"Fuck the experience."

Artemis's gaze wandered across the room. "I know who I'd like to fuck."

Ares cleared his throat. Apollo turned to follow Artemis's line of sight. "One of the Sterling clones? Seriously?"

She shrugged. "Can't deny they're hot."

Wonder laughed. "True that!"

Apollo's face burned with indignation. "They're our opponents!"

"I can still admire." Artemis lounged back against the wall. "So, how much you got?"

"Seventy one. You?"

She grinned. "Eighty six."

He raised a hand to high five her. "Nice! Ares?"

He winced. "Sixty eight."

Apollo shrugged. "Not bad."

"Fifty nine," said Wonder, which was a considerable drop, but still something. Altogether, the four of them had enough points to last them a while, barring no emergencies.

"Tributes of the Second Quarter Quell!" boomed the speaker. Good; the interviews must have ended at last. "Please prepare for transport to the arena!"

Apollo flashed his siblings an easy smile. "Well, I guess I'll see you on the other side."

Marcellina Arnoult, 16

"So we're all clear on the plan?" Sorcha asked, tucking a lock of her yellow hair behind her ear. Her interview costume looked good, but her hairstyle seemed to be irritating her now.

Luminita groaned and dragged a hand across her eyes. "We're all clear. We don't need to keep burning through this."

Calpurnia grinned, glancing round the hall. "I am so ready for this to finally get started."

Marcellina tugged at the hem of her pink dress, flicking it up. "I dunno, I've quite enjoyed this part." She spun a neat circle. "Do you think I could get a dress like this commissioned?"

"Probably," Calpurnia replied.

Marcellina grinned. "I think I'll get one. As a momento. Dad will pay."

"Tributes of the Second Quarter Quell! Please prepare for transport to the arena!" declared the speaker.

"Well, here we go!" said Sorcha.

The world blurred and went dark for a moment, and then Marcellina was in a grey, empty room with a large, glowing tube at one end and a clothes rack at the other. It felt deafeningly silent after the noise of the waiting room.

The speaker in the corner crackled. "Players, please prepare for the arena."

Marcellina steadied herself and stepped over to the clothes rack.

Now The Game was really about to begin.

Luminescence Sterling, 17

Luminescence held his breath for the scene transition as the game moved his location to the launch room under the arena. It was a plain, simple, grey space, with a single strip light down the centre of the room. A rack with a black jumpsuit stood against the wall on the right side.

"Players, please prepare for the arena," said the announcer.

Luminescence picked up the jumpsuit and held it against himself for the outfit change. "Clothes change," he said.

It never came.

Luminescence frowned and flipped the garment over to make sure it was the right way round. "Clothes change."

Nothing."

"Attention tributes!" boomed the speaker. "Please change into your provided arena jumpsuits and enter your tube."

"Clothes change," Luminescence said again.

Nothing.

"Fuck," he muttered.

A glitch? Must be. During the quell – perhaps an issue with so many players in the same Game. And all these rooms were broadcasted to the audience, which would certainly be large for this special.

Well, they were about to get a show.

He removed his interview outfit as slowly and sensually as he could, pooling it at his feet. Once bare, he pulled on the familiar jumpsuit, slotting his feet into the inbuilt, high, thick boots that he'd never had to actively put on like this before. He rolled the trousers up his legs and over his crotch before working it over his chest. Damn, he could see why The Game normally did this automatically. This thing so insanely difficult to get on manually. At last, with his arms secured in the sleeves, he fixed the collar about his neck and waited for the nodes to light up.

They flickered blue, then dark, and then blue again.

Luminescence flicked one. "Games check. Is this pod working correctly?"

The system was silent.

Luminescence closed his eyes, but rather than his pod, like he should see, all he saw was darkness. "Games check. I think there's an issue with my pod."

"Attention tributes. Please change and enter your tubes."

"Yeah, but I– I think there's something wrong with my pod here! I think something's glitching!"

"Attention tributes. Please change and enter your tubes."

Luminescence glanced at his tube. If he didn't enter, he'd just be bumped from the game, right?

But then the Gilmores would win, on what could be their only chance to get one over them. And during this Quell special.

Well, glitchy pod or no, he wasn't about to let that happen. He sighed and stepped over to the tube. "Well, okay. If you're sure."

"Please enter your tubes."

Tubes. Were other players having trouble too?

Luminescence shrugged and stepped into his tube. It hummed and sealed closed behind him.

And then the world was on fire.