Author's Note
I do not own The Hunger Games.
Iridescence Sterling, 17
They seemed to have lost the dead, and all had gone quiet at the last boom of a cannon.
Iridescence felt queasy.
It was probably just whatever was wrong with her, but it burned in her chest like fire, churning inside her.
She wanted to empty the contents of her stomach into the jewel coloured bushes.
Ares squeezed her arm. "You need to stop?"
"No," she mumbled as stars flashed behind her eyes. She'd come so far. She couldn't stop now.
Ahead of them, the trees were beginning to thin again, and more light was pouring through. Surely they couldn't have gone all the way across the arena? Did that mean they'd just come round in a circle? Iridescence groaned at the thought.
"I think we lost the zombies," Ares said, glancing over his shoulder.
"Great." Iridescence reached back to her quiver, counting through the arrows there. Four left. Damn.
"We could change direction," he said.
Iridescence stared through the trees. So far they'd only meet Wonder and run into few other players. She was glad for that, she probably wouldn't have been able to fight.
"No," she replied.
There were only twenty three of them left now. It was about time they took out another player. If The Game mechanics remained similar to their usual, then either they'd be forced into soon or have another mutt sent after them to liven things up.
And Iridescence wasn't sure she could outrun another mutt attack.
Ares adjusted his grip on his axe. "Let's go on then then."
As they continued to kick their way through the trees, something nearby made an odd crackling sound. But not like branches. Like electronic.
The two of them froze in place, listening a little longer. The sound was coming from somewhere close - almost directly behind her! Iridescence spun round with her bow in hand, but found nothing.
"I think it's your bag," Ares said.
They sat down so she could dig through the contents of their bag, Finzi coming up with their mysterious sponsor gift. Where the little device had been quiet before, it was now croaking with noise and a few snatches of distorted voices.
"It's… a phone?" Ares said warily.
"Maybe?" Iridescence lifted it to her ear. There seemed to be a jumble of different voices on the other end, all young, none certain.
And then she caught a voice that made her heart sour, leaping in her chest.
"Luminescence? Please speak to me."
Phoenix.
Iridescence held her breath, listening in hopes of hearing her voice again, but it never came.
"I think it's the other players," she whispered.
"Can they hear us?"
She tapped the… thingy. "Uh, hello? Other players?"
Nothing.
"I don't think they can hear us."
"Turn it down for now. We don't want it drawing attention to us."
Iridescence spun the dials until it went quiet and stuffed the thingy back into her bag. "Let's keep going."
They continued to walk until the trees thinned out enough for it to be an easy walk. From there the trees lessened until they were on crisp, emerald green grass.
And then Iridescence knew where they were.
Laughter rose up in her.
Ares turned to her, frowning. "What is it?"
"You don't see it? We've come round in a circle!"
"What?"
"This is the cornucopia!"
Ares frowned and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "Oh, you're right!" He hefted the axe. "Do you think any of the alliances have set up there?"
"I don't know."
There weren't really any careers in these simulated Games, but it was common enough for larger alliances to claim the cornucopia. Though in the chaos of this Game including forty eight players and the panic of the announcement before the bloodbath, Iridescence wasn't sure anyone would have stayed.
Ares grinned. "Time to find out."
Marcellina Arnoult, 16
Her heart was breaking in her chest.
Calpurnia had been her best friend for years. She had been… well, Calpurnia's only real friend. She had a habit of pushing everyone else away.
(calpurnia was dead now)
Calpurnia was dead.
Marcaellina had stayed with Emeria, because she didn't really know where else to know. Calpurnia was the one that brought her into this Game; Calpurnia had been the bold one, the brave one.
(calpurnia was dead now)
Calpurnia was dead.
The two of them had been separated from the rest of their alliance. Marcellina hated that. They might have been too large of a group with a goal she still didn't quite understand, but at least they'd been aiming for something.
Calpurnia had hated it, but Calpurnia was dead now.
Calpurnia was dead.
Emeria slowed her run to a jog, her boots continuing to crunch through the blackened grass. The fog swirled around them.
At last they found themselves approaching a white stone house, half-hidden by the dog and the black grass beginning to grow taller around it.
"There," Emeria said, pointing it out.
"Haven't all the ones we've found so far been locked?" Marcellina asked.
"That one isn't. Look, the door's open."
Marcellina's heart jumped in her chest. "But that means other players might be in there!"
Emeria sighed and rolled her eyes. "And it also means it might be different from the others. Or broken. Or has power-ups in there. Come on."
Marcellina hesitated, but what other options did she have?
Calpurnia was dead.
She had to stay with Marcellina.
The two of them broke into a jog again, and they soon reached the building. Emeria notched an arrow to her bow, holding it in front of herself as she edged closer to the door. Marcellina clutched two of her throwing knives. She only had a few left, and Emeria was nearly out of arrows.
Emeria's footsteps were loud on the stone leading up to the building, and she darted forward to peer inside.
"Nothing," she said.
Marcellina sighed in relief. Emeria lowered her bow and slipped inside. Marcellina followed. The space inside was a single room, maybe ten feet by ten, white stone, with a black patch in the centre as though someone had been burning something. Emeria checked it with one hand. "Cold. Whoever was camping out here is probably long gone."
"Should we close the door?" Marcellina asked.
Emeria frowned. "If we can, I guess."
They tried, putting their shoulders and backs against it, but they couldn't get it all the way closed, so eventually left it only mostly closed.
Marcellina collapsed in the corner of the little room and wrapped her arms around her knees. It was then that the tears came, burning her eyes and rushing down her cheeks.
Calpurnia was her best friend.
Calpurnia was dead.
Luminescence Sterling, 17
The dead things down below dragged Radiance away and he couldn't move, couldn't scream, couldn't breathe; his chest was toughening around his lungs, choking the air from him, suffocating him, squeezing the life out of him-
"Luminescence?" A hand on his arm. Radiance? No. Radiance was-
Was-
Radiance couldn't be.
He couldn't be.
He couldn't be.
Luminescence opened his mouth, but all that came out was a weak croaking sound.
Radiance.
His brother, his mirror image.
He was meant to live.
They were all meant to live.
Small arms wrapped around his chest. "Come on, you need to come away from the edge."
Luminescence tried to find a response but only found nothing.
Phoenix dragged him away from the edge of the roof and up to a higher section, where Etheria and a twiglike pretty boy were already sitting.
"I… need… help… Radiance," Luminescence said weakly.
Phoenix tightened her grip on him. "We can't help Radiance. He's already gone."
Luminescence shook his head. "No. He… can't be."
Because Radiance was his reflection and he was still breathing, which meant Radiance must be too.
He had to be.
He had to be.
"Luminescence?" Phoenix said weakly.
Luminescence shook his head. "Where's Iridescence?"
Iridescence would understand. Iridescence would know how he felt. She wasn't his reflection, but she was the link between them, their flesh and blood.
Phoenix frowned. "She's not with you?"
Luminescence's heart broke a little more as he shook his head. "We thought she was with you."
Phoenix's mouth formed a round 'o.' "No," she whispered.
Which meant Iridescence was out there somewhere on her own. Struggling, suffering.
Luminescence patted down his jumpsuit and the roof around him, looking for his compass. He didn't find it.
"Where's the compass?" he asked.
Phoenix frowned. "What compass?"
"Oh, it was a sponsor gift. It led us to you," replied Etheria.
Phoenix shook her head. "I don't see anything here. You must have dropped it."
"But I need it! I need to find Iridescence!"
"Luminescence, it's gone. You must have dropped it."
They had to be wrong.
This couldn't be happening.
Phoenix squeezed his arm. "We'll find her. But we'll just have to do it without this compass thing of yours."
Zephyr Almon, 13
The dead players had shuffled around at the base of the cornucopia for far too long for comfort before wandering away. Still, he couldn't relax. His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears.
"Will they come back?" Luminita asked.
"How would I know?" he snapped, but when he turned to face her, he found her looking at Celeste.
"Who can know the actions of the dead?" she replied.
Zephyr frowned. "You mean you can't… fortune tell for them?"
Celeste gave him a very odd look. "They're dead, Zephyr."
"Well yeah, but I thought…" He shook his head. "Never mind."
"We better wait a bit to make sure they don't circle round and come back," Luminita said.
Celeste pointed somewhere back the way they had come. "We need to go that way. That's where the fire bird is."
"Great." Zephyr folded his arms over his knees. "I'm glad we've established that."
Celeste had been there almost every day of his life, with the exception of the few times their parents had let him stay at a friend's. She'd never been… well, normal. Most of his life Zephyr had been sure she loved her damn dolls far more than him. But he also trusted her when she spoke. Whether or not everything seemed clear, somehow, Celeste's words were always true.
"Then we should go," Celeste said, shuffling towards the edge of the cornucopia.
Luminita groaned. "Look, I know I've got sucked into all this, but could we maybe be a little less single minded?"
"She's always like this," Zephyr replied, catching the collar of Celeste's jumpsuit. She was just led by whatever it was she saw, going where it took her.
"Wonderful. I'm allying with a pair of lunatics."
Zephyr balled his free hand. "She doesn't like it when you call her that."
"I'm sorry-"
Something crunched at the other side of the clearing.
All of them, even Celeste, froze.
Zephyr reached for his knife. "Who is that?"
An arrow flew from beyond the treeline, embedding itself into the metal body of the cornucopia. Luminita stared at it. "Well, it's not more zombies. I don't think they shoot arrows."
"What do we do?"
Did they have time to climb down? Luminita might, and maybe Celeste, but Zephyr was too small to manage it by himself and would only slow them down by needing their help.
"I don't-"
"It's okay," said Celeste, sliding down from the cornucopia. It was a long drop, and she landed heavily, her armour ticking down a node. She stumbled to her feet. "They're friends."
A boy emerged from the trees, wielding a large battle axe. Zephyr muttered and curse and attempted to scramble down after her, but his fear stopped him from simply dropping the way she had. "Celeste, I don't think that's a friend."
There was a girl as well, he could see, hidden in the treeline and holding a bow.
"We have goals that align." Celeste smiled at the boy. "And he doesn't have it in him to kill us." She sat down in front of the cornucopia, folding her arms over her knees.
The boy continued to charge at her, his axe held high. Luminita yelled and slid down the side of the cornucopia, rushing towards Celeste. "Wait!"
And the boy-
Waited.
Celeste smiled. "He doesn't want to be a bad person."
Luminita frowned at her. "I thought you said you only read fortunes?"
"I do."
Zephyr sighed. She must have seen something in the way this boy died that she'd extrapolated to tell her he was safe. He kicked his legs against the side of the cornucopia. "Er… Could someone get me down?"
Luminita hesitated, looking between him and the boy with the axe, who had now lowered the weapon. Then, at last, she headed over to him and helped him to the ground. He hurried over to Celeste. "This was a stupid risk to take."
She laughed. "He won't hurt us, Zephyr. We should ally."
"What is it with you two and allying with everyone and anyone you've only just met?" Luminita grumbled.
"Who are you three?" asked the boy.
Zephyr held his hand out. "I'm Zephyr Almon. This is my sister, Celeste."
A kind of broken understanding crossed the boy's face. "She's your sister?"
"Yes."
The boy sighed and slung his axe back over his back before taking his hand. "I'm Ares Gilmore."
"Nice to meet you."
There had been other Gilmores that entered the arena, Zephyr remembered. And a boy that appeared in the sky-
"Was that your brother that died the other day?" he asked.
Ares flinched. The girl with him ventured forward from the treeline. "What's going on?"
"They're- friends, Iridescence," Ares replied.
The girl, Iridescence, looked wary, but eventually ventured forward to join them. It was an odd, uncomfortable way to form an alliance, but then the start of their alliance with Emeria and Silverie hadn't gone much differently.
Zephyr wondered where Emeria was now. He hoped she was alright.
"I'm sorry," Celeste said once Iridescence joined them.
Iridescence frowned. "Sorry for what?"
"Oh. You don't know yet."
"Know what?"
"I'm sorry. Sometimes she's like this," Zephyr caught Celeste's arm and squeezed it, begging her to stop being bizarre.
Luminita turned on her. "You said our goals align. What's that meant to mean?"
"We want the same thing."
Zephyr sighed and looked at Ares. "What have you been trying to do?"
He glanced at Iridescence. "We- Ah- Find our families."
Zephyr rubbed his head. "And I'm guessing one of you is related to our Firebird."
"Firebird?" muttered Ares, but Iridescence brightened slightly.
"You- You mean Phoenix?"
"Phoenix?" Zephyr echoed.
Luminita nodded. "The phoenix. A firebird."
Iridescence looked between them. She was a tall girl, with pale silvery hair and ice blue eyes. "What do you want with Phoenix?"
Celeste smiled. "She knows the way out."
Andreas Amandiel, 18
The mutts finally stopped chasing them when they reached the train tracks and the arena began to darken. Marquis rubbed at his neck. "Fucking mutts. Who puts fucking zombies an an arena?"
"The Gamemakers of the Seventy Fifth," Andreas replied. Though those mutts hadn't looked like these, of course. The ones in the real arena had been repurposed and labgrown, so they hadn't borne the faces of the dead.
Though Andreas had no doubt that the District tributes would still have been just as terrified of the things.
"Bastards," Marquis spat.
Andreas sighed and glanced at the land on the other side of the tracks. They were sunk about ten feet into the ground, an easy enough climb, and it looked to be all trees and woodland, bright even in the quickly fading light. "We should cross over."
"What?"
"To the other side," Andreas replied. Fuck, why was he always having to explain things to idiots.
"What for?"
"Lower possibility of zombie mutts, easier to hide in the trees. Just mind out for the poison."
"What about the train?"
Andreas stopped to look either way up and down the track. "I don't think it's coming. Come on."
Climbing was never one of his favoured activities. He preferred to keep his head down and stay out of the physical activities such as this. But this was an easy enough climb, little more than a scramble to the bottom. From there, he dragged himself back up on the other side.
They set up camp just inside the treeline, where they'd be mostly out of sight but would still be able to keep watch for any other players that might come following along the tracks.
Andreas had just finished establishing his shelter when the beeping of a sponsor gift met his ears. He grinned. Their own access to the sponsor shop might be down, but it seemed the audience could still attend to their needs.
A large box floated down from above and landed between them. On top of it was the District One seal, stamped into the white metal of the box.
"For me," Andreas said, though of course he would be sharing it with Marquis, to keep his loyalty in hand.
He touched the large button in the centre. The edges of the box folded back and slid downwards into the sides of the box.
The first thing that got them was the stench.
It stank.
Like something had crawled into the box and died - but it couldn't have done, because everything in this Game was computer-generated. Which meant this was deliberate.
Marquis groaned and covered his mouth and nose with his hand. "Ugh. If that's for you, I don't think your sponsor likes you."
"Something's obviously wrong," Andreas grumbled, peering at the contents of the box. Food - or at least it might want have been. The dried pork was crawling with maggots, the bread had gone black, and the fruit was rotting.
"Great. Very funny."
Even worse, they'd have to move it. Even if they just shoved it onto the tracks it would still stink and attract animals.
They gathered up the ruined food and carried it a good fifteen minutes into the trees, dumping it there and covering it with leaves. By the time they got back to camp, the sky was turning silver and they sat down to watch the faces in the sky.
His stomach rumbled.
This was going to be a long night.