these weird intro chapters are kinda,,,, really,,,, fun.

Thomas Ampett, District Five, 54

August 114 ADD. One week after the finale of the 114th Annual Hunger Games

His baby was never supposed to be reaped. The youngest of his flock was supposed to have the life anyone in Five could ask for. She was kind, funny, smart - so many more adjectives that he had rehearsed over and over, just in case she never came back home.

But she had.

His daughter had outlived twenty-seven other tributes and had been crowned Victor. Axis was District Five's first Victor since the restart of the Hunger Games; she would, as she should, be heralded for years to come. People would remember her name. Deserved too - for she captured the hearts of the Capitol and gave them the show they desired.

Thomas could lie and say he was disgusted by what she had done in the arena - deny that it had been his daughter and not someone else in her place. He wouldn't, however, because he was proud. His Axis had promised him she'd survive and she had done that.

Her winning had brought him out of the house for the first time since the reaping. Appearances made by the Ampett family had been sporadic since Axis had been reaped. As it was every year, the families never wanted the attention life had given them and so, instead, they locked themselves away so they could emerge strong later.

The Ampett family had been prepared to do that; Synthette wove a blanket that recounted Axis' life and her older brothers Pulse and Webber worked out ways to commemorate her in their futures. Thomas himself had wrote the speeches he'd have to give, one at her funeral and the other when he'd meet the Victor in half a year's time. All was for naught, however, because they were lucky. They got the joy of Axis coming home.

They got to smile - and smile they did.

"A credit to our District!"

"That'll teach the Careers to underestimate us!"

All what was said to him was nothing but positive, nothing but happy. District Five had long since moved passed caring how brutal a victory one of their tributes had; they simply wanted them to come back home. That was why people cheered throughout Five when Axis stabbed the girl from Nine again and again.

Thomas had been proud then and, as he was showered in praises for his daughter's show, he felt nothing but pride.

Synthette Ampett, District Five, 53

August 114 ADD. One week after the finale of the 114th Annual Hunger Games

Synthette felt guilty for being full of immeasurable joy. As much as relief bubbled away within her, guilt and imagined resentment pricked at her heart.

She made a point to not look over at Harley. Half because Vixor had looked all too similar to her but, also, because her child had to die for Axis to come home.

When they were younger, the two had discussed their children going into the arena together and coming out as the first set of dual Victors. Why they had imagined it back then, Synthette never knew. Perhaps being so close to being a favourite of the Capitol had tainted some of Five's younger generations once. Then, of course, the dual Victors happened and nearly burnt Panem to a crisp. How foolish they had all been.

In any case, neither of them expected their old, naïve childhood dreams to come true.

Nor did they expect that, as one of their children came home smiling brightly for the cameras, one would be tucked away in a small box. That was something the Capitol had always done - why send two trains to the same district to carry the living and the dead? So, as it were, as Axis Ampett's parents got to feel the warmth of her body and reassure her with sweet little nothings, Vixor Wyre's parents could only struggle to see his cold, rigid corpse.

"She made us proud." Harley's voice sliced through the silence that had settled in the Justice Building like a sharp blade. As customary, the train wasn't due for another hour so the families of the tributes enjoyed refreshments courtesy of the mayor just before. Their husbands had left them alone, leaving Synthette and Harley to sit quietly together. "She deserves to be our first Victor."

Synthette hummed in approval, looking down at her teacup. She stirred it gently, not wanting to create too much noise.

The other woman let the silence settle again before clearing her throat. "We don't need to sit like this, Synth."

"Like what?" Synthette properly looked at Harley for the first time. She had expected to see the stains of tears that had been shed night after night or, even, a look of guilt and anger that she got to have a child that came back home alive. Instead, Harley looked at ease - peaceful.

"Like I hate you that Axis gets to come home." Her words were straight to the point, unafraid of the truth they held. "Vixor was never going to survive. For crying out loud, he was going to die either way - a knife to the heart was mercy."

Synthette winced at the truth behind her friend's words. Vixor Wyre had been born with a medical condition nobody could name but, more importantly, that nobody could cure. He had survived infancy by some miracle but Harley and her husband had been told early that he would one day perish to his disease. When was unknown but a painful death was promised.

"Keepers Harley, that's dark."

"It's the truth - we all know it is," Harley said with a sigh, placing down her cup. She reached over the table and held one of Synthette's hands in her own. "I couldn't ask for more than fourteenth."

"I'm sorry." Synthette's words were on instinct, something so many had said before to the parents of deceased tributes and would continue to say until the end of time. "I wish it hadn't been him - for everyone's sake."

"He's safe now," Harley shrugged as she got up and ushered Synthette to the window. They had a good view of the railway and would see the train coming in. "He's in our memories, carefree and untouchable. Now, please, let's talk about happier things, yes? We can talk about Vixor another time - a better time."

And so, Synthette and Harley spoke about the happier parts of the Games. They talked about Axis winning and how Five would be proud; they talked about how her face would light up to see them all. They spoke nothing but genuine words that had some happiness interlaced with every syllable.

They even held hands as the train rode in, Harley joining in giving Axis a welcome home hug.

For a while, Synthette forgot about the realities both faced with their children. As she would go home and have her daughter back, Harley would go to the Justice Building once more and see her son again. As Axis laughed, smiled and breathed, Vixor would sleep still and silent. Guilt soon ate at her again.

...

"I'm a murderer." Axis' words could scarcely be heard between her choked sobs. She buried her face into her mother's side like she had done when she was younger. Axis returning home had been jovial and filled with laughter and love - jokes being made at her expense of the big mansion she had by right. As the jokes had trailed away, the laughter fizzing behind them, the more brutal reality of a surviving Axis reared it's head.

Just like they used to, Synthette's hands wove themselves in and out of her daughter's hair. "You did what you needed to do," Her voice was a soft coo, the will of comfort laced into every word. "You are a Victor. You did what you had to do to survive."

"I see them when I close my eyes at night," Axis spoke like she hadn't heard her mother's affirmations; her mother's refusal to accept her daughter as anything other than brave. "I killed them. I... I'm disgusting."

Synthette cupped Axis' head in her hands, thumbs moving to rub the tears away. "You did what was needed," She repeated, voice soft but firm. "Countless Victors have killed for fun and feel nothing. You killed to survive. Do not let it eat at you because believe you me, had the girl from One been in your place, you'd be but another name."

The older woman's expression softened when she saw that Axis, though still sniffling and blinking back tears, took in some of her words. Axis had a funny way of showing the drive behind everything she did through how her eyes took in the world around them. It had been hard to track at first but, now, Synthette could guess what her daughter was thinking.

"I cannot pretend to know what being a Victor is like," She continued, offering her daughter a soft smile. Reassuring too, she hoped. "But I do know that the Capitol is in love with you. If you can, use their facilities to make yourself feel as peaceful as you can - just like they used you for their entertainment."

Synthette paused for a second, hands running through her daughter's hair with ease. "Now get some sleep - I've heard your schoolmates are planning a big surprise for you."

Cornelie Davidson, District Nine, 36.

August 114 ADD. Three days after the finale of the 114th Annual Hunger Games

I promise I won't let anyone hurt you. My little butterfly - the spark of hope this world needs.

Cornelie never realised she could remember so far back with such clarity. She had thought those feelings of relief, comfort and then instant love at birth had been lost to the fleeting nature of time.

Hearing her daughter's primal, desperate screams for her specifically had snatched them back as if her mind knew that clinging onto anything and everything was a necessity. Any shred of Chrysalis being alive was wanted - needed.

Cornelie knew deep down that Chrysalis would never comeback home; she had resigned herself to that as soon as she saw the train pull away from the station. Her girl was too soft and delicate for the Games - too underdone in her process of finding herself to charm the people of the Capitol. She was too exploitable for the Games.

"Bloodbathed, that's what'll happen," She had said to herself as soon as she had returned home, pushing past the piercing stares of those who felt pity for her. "Horrific but best for her."

Her eldest daughter surprised her alongside everyone else. She had secured herself a six as a training score and had survived the Bloodbath. Then she survived the ruthless culling courtesy of the Career pack and then the devastating attack on her own alliance. Her Chrysalis made it all the way to the top two, so close Cornelie was sure she could taste the victory.

But then...

Cornelie supposed it was nice of the girl from Five to spare her daughter's face - it made looking at her corpse easier.

The small wooden box was nondescript and nothing special to look at. In fact, the only thing it did do was make Cornelie realise just how small her daughter had been. Inside, enrobed in a plain white dress, was her daughter. Although the fabric was opaque and nicer than anything the Davidsons had in their home, Cornelie could see where her daughter had been stabbed. It was all, of course, in her head but that didn't stop her from counting them. One... two... three...

She counted twenty-five places where her daughter had been massacred. For whatever mercy the girl from Five had given her face, Chrysalis' body had not been treated with such kindness. Cornelie didn't know why she was shocked - she had watched it happen.

She had listened to those painful screams.

Chrysalis looked safe now. Very much dead, painfully so, but safe. Nobody could hurt her any longer - Cornelie guessed there was something comforting to be found in that thought, just not at that moment.

All Cornelie could hope for, and she was sure Chrysalis had thought the same at one point, was that the sacrifice of one daughter was enough to protect the other.

That was a nice, comforting thought.

To be honest, this intro chapter is just a little more worldbuilding for Axis (and Chrysalis!); I'm not sure how much more we'll see of her in this SYOT beyond the generic mentor stuff but it's always nice to develop them.

Submissions are still open, so please do submit! There is no deadline, however I'll likely implement one whenever I either get impatient or we have roughly half submitted!

Thank you all to those who have submitted already or shown interest in submitting, and to Nell and Poppy for the reviews! They keep an old bitch like me going.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!