Author's Note

I do not own The Hunger Games.

Enki Saguaro, 17

His face…

Those eyes…

Enki wanted to play it cool, to smile and flick his hair and pretend he was unaffected by any of this…

But he couldn't.

He'd known Vivaldi was alive before him, with love in his eyes–

Vivaldi smacked him.

Enki yelled and stumbled back. "What was that for?"

"Taunting me into this death match and then not allying with me!"

Enki rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, that."

Vivaldi folded his arms. There was a look out anger on his face nose that "Yeah. That."

"Vivaldi…"

"I don't even know if I want to see you right now." Vivaldi's face turned red with his anger and misery, fat tears filling his eyes. "I don't understand any of it."

The little boy with him frowned, looking up at Thorin as though he wanted to say something. Then he shook his head and scuttled behind Vivaldi again.

Enki smiled. "Look at you playing big brother."

Vivaldi scowled. "Maybe I wouldn't have to if you and your allies hadn't murdered his sister!"

Enki sighed and glanced over his shoulder. Captain Storm would send Maiya and Tabitha after him, he was sure of that. Unless she chose to simply electrocute him in his pod. Whatever happened, this was betrayal, and there would be consequences.

"It's not that simple." Enki rubbed his head and took a step forward.

Vivaldi stepped back. "Vivaldi… Please. Just… hear me out."

The younger boy tugged at Vivaldi's arm and muttered something. Vivaldi frowned. "No! He– He…"

"He helped murder Celeste," muttered the younger boy.

"It– Maybe it wasn't like that! It could have been an accident!" Vivaldi looked up at Enki with pleading eyes. "Please say it was an accident."

Enki sighed. "I… Celeste was one of the girls that…"

"Exploded. Yeah," Vivaldi muttered.

"That wasn't me." Enki shook his head. "It wasn't us. It wasn't… anything that was meant to happen. I don't know what happened. Maybe their pods malfunctioned."

"Malfunctioned the moment they touched?" asked the smaller boy.

"I… No, you're right on that. But I don't know what caused it. I just promise, it was nothing to do with us."

Vivaldi stared up at him. "Then what was to do with you?"

Enki pointed at a group of gravestones. "Let's sit down. I can explain it all."

And, while it might be madness, revealing everything to however many people were watching (unless Captain Storm had muted him) he did.

He explained how he'd been sent to the Capital to assimilate, that he was never meant to be here making friends. Vivaldi had been an accident – a good accident, but still an accident. He was meant to just be fitting in and practicing at the Game. Vivaldi looked more and more distressed the more he spoke, twisting his hands together in his lap. Enki kept himself calm and explained how the hijacking had worked, followed by the plan to send his team in to kill the Capital kids. That was why he'd warned Vivaldi not to enter and tried to make him quiet before the arena.

"I was trying to protect you," he said as he finished.

"Protect me? You came here to kill me!"

"Well, not you specifically. I thought…" Enki sighed and shook his head. "I thought all Capital kids deserved it. But the truth is, you showed me they don't." He laid his hand over Vivaldi. "District and Capital, we're not so different on the inside."

"Look out!" shouted the smaller boy, and slammed into Vivaldi's chest. Enki reached for his knife, for a moment thinking he might be attacking him, and then an axe came flying from behind them, scraping over the smaller boy's back and taking his remaining armour point.

Enki sprang to his feet, snatching his whip from his belt, and spun to face his teammates.

Former teammates.

Whatever they were to him now.

Ares Gilmore, 15

They had decided that the best way to set up their plan would be to return to the cornucopia and trap that area. It was likely the District alliance would return there eventually, a large chunk of supplies were still there and it was an obvious place for other players to head towards.

It had only been a few hours, and Iridescence had collapsed twice. They had hoped she was getting stronger, somehow recovering from whatever this was, but clearly her days of strengthening had been a passing phase.

"Do you know what's causing this?" asked Etheria.

"If we did, I wouldn't be sat here on the ground trying to catch my breath," grumbled Iridescence.

Etheria winced. "I– sorry, I just thought… maybe when you eat something? Drink something? Lean over?"

"Whatever they've done to our pods just doesn't agree with me," Iridescence replied.

Ares had begun to wonder if her pod had been damaged when she entered it. He'd played from a damaged pod once; it had continually flickered his vision between that of the pod and the arena of The Game. Then perhaps when the hijackers did whatever it was they did to make this version too realistic, the problem had… what, fried Iridescence's brain? Damaged it? That would explain the seizures.

"Oh," Etheria mumbled.

"Issss fine," Iridescence groaned.

"You really don't look well."

"Just give me a few minutes. I just need to sit down," Iridescence snapped back, though her eyes rolled and her voice trembled.

Ares sighed and settled at her side, taking her hand. If this hadn't happened to her, would they still have formed an alliance? Almost certainly not. Ares could admit that he'd seen her in the bloodbath, seen her looking like hell, and seen the decision he had to make. Iridescence might not have been his friend, but she was a person he knew that he couldn't let die.

"We can get out of here," he said.

Iridescence let out a weak laugh. "Ares, we're never getting out of here. We're all going to die." She flashed him a terrible grin. "That's why we're gonna fuck some shit up, remember?" She patted his leg. "We've got nothing left to live for and no future to protect."

He was fifteen. He should have a future to protect.

Apollo and Artemis had been seventeen–

"Then get up," he said, and his voice sounded stronger than he felt. "We need to keep moving."

Iridescence smiled and took his hand.

Andreas Amandiel, 18

Luminescence might be somewhat stunned by the death of his (dead) sister, but he was smarter than Marquis had been. And experienced at The Game. Not exactly what Andreas had wanted for an ally.

But what choice did he have? With that last cannon, there were only fourteen of them left. He wasn't going to find someone perfect.

So Luminescence it was.

And hey, if they found his (living) sister, hopefully Andreas could manipulate the situation between them and take both siblings out at once.

It was a plan, the best plan he had right now.

Fuck, how he almost wished he'd gone with his usual strategy and stayed away from any allies.

Though then he'd be dead at the hand of those District kids. If he hadn't had Marquis to sacrifice…

All this proved one thing though. There was violence in the heart of the Capital just as much as there was violence in the heart of the Districts. They could hide under all their glitz and glamour, but a little bit of a push and look at what their glittering Capital children became.

Monsters.

Underneath everything, they were all monsters.

Luminescence froze and raised his spear. Andreas drew his fighting fans from his belt before whispering to him, "Other players?"

"Up ahead."

Andreas nodded, scanning the arena until he found them. Three of them, huddled around a group of gravestones.

"Let's get them separated then," Andreas whispered. Three on two, but he'd taken three on two yesterday. He could do it again. "One each, and then one to handle together."

Teamwork, everyone liked the idea of teamwork. Never the actual teamwork though, that was too much like actual work.

Luminescence nodded, but he was still giving the other players a suspicious look. Andreas took a step, intending to loop round and sneak up on them, but Luminescence didn't move.

"What is it now?" Andreas hissed.

"That's Etheria." Luminescence pointed out the only one of the three standing, a tall, slender girl with bleached blonde hair.

"And? We need to live, Luminescence."

Appeal to the survival instinct. Everyone had one; everyone would buckle.

"She's my ally."

"Not any more. Remember your sister."

The living one or the dead one, what did it matter, so long as it reached his emotions.

"My sister might be with her," Luminescence replied, lowering his spears and stepping out to stride towards the other allies. Andreas groaned. This was why he'd chosen Marquis as his ally. He'd been too dumb to be independent.

"What are you doing?" he snapped.

"I'm approaching her," Luminescence replied.

"I'll… circle round and get behind them then."

"You do that. Just… don't attack unless I give a signal."

Andreas nodded, though he had his suspicions as to how this was going to go. And if he was right, this was going to be even easier than he thought. An alliance of five with only fourteen of them in the arena was far too big. He could draw their trust and split them apart from the inside.

Sure enough, Luminescence greeted 'Etheria' with a smile and a hug. She then dragged him over to the two with her, and he sank to the ground beside them, wrapping another of them in a tight hug.

Once they were all done hugging and laughing, Luminescence towards Andreas. "Andreas? You wanna join us?"

He smiled and stood from his position behind the gravestones, hurrying towards them. 'Etheria' picked up her oversized warhammer, eyeing him warily.

"It's alright. Andreas helped me out with the infected players at the cornucopia. He's an ally."

The other girl, who could only be Luminescence's sister, smiled. "Then it's nice to meet you, Andreas."

He smiled. "The pleasure's all mine."

Finally, something was going his way.

Marcellina Arnoult, 16

Emeria never slowed, nor showed any sign of calming down. She walked with confidence, her bow in hand, her gaze scanning the arena around them.

Marcellina wondered if staying with her was the right thing to do.

They had both lost people, they had both come this far, but they didn't really know each other. And while Emeria had seemed kind and bubbly when they first met, now she was grim and angry.

Marcellina had tried a few times to talk her out of this plan, but Emeria had refused to listen, eventually resulting in one last discussion where she told Marcellina to leave if she didn't like it.

Now, they were walking in a cold silence.

Marcellina wished Calpurnia was here. She would have known what to do. She looked down at her throwing knives and tried to imagine actually stabbing someone with them. Actually killing someone.

Killing Zephyr.

"I don't think this is a good idea," she said.

Emeria turned to her. "I told you–"

"No, listen to me! If we die in here, we really die. Those District kids are hunting us down. We're not animals. We don't have to do like the District scum. Even if Celeste…"

Emeria looked angry at the mention of her, and Marcellina hurriedly continued.

"... was… Celeste, that doesn't mean she was wrong. We have to work together."

Emeria sighed. "Marcellina, working together is what got Silverie killed. Working together is what got Calpurnia killed. Working together won't get us anything except more pain."

"Well, I– I think you're wrong. At times like this, we need to express kindness."

Emeria… stopped. Tears formed in her eyes. She looked down at the bow in her hands.

"Marcellina… I want to be kind. I thought I was a good person. I make my friends laugh. That's me."

"Then you understand?"

"No. Because you're being so naive! I also want to live! And kindness won't get us out of this arena."

Marcellina stared at her. Everything warred inside her. She should never have listened to Calpurnia and entered this accused arena.

"Do you think we can? Get out alive?"

Emeria turned away. "I don't know."

She should have listened to her dad. He'd told her not to play.

Emeria looked down at her bow. "You know what I do know?"

"What's that?"

"I am going to find that traitor Zephyr and put an arrow through his head."