District 2 female – Dania Khatib, 18

"Come on... hold it, hold it... yes, Dania! You held it for a minute! Two hundred and thirty pounds! After that, you'll just have to be chosen as the tribute!"

"Well, it still depends on what the twist of the Quarter Quell is," I said, dropping the deadlift to the ground and wiping some sweat from my face. "Plus, two thirty is nothing compared to what that other guy was doing. He was lifting over five hundred pounds."

"Yes, but look at the size of that guy, Dania," said my friend, Evelyn. She, my other two friends, Alexandra, Leporis, and me, were all training at the academy together. Since the Quarter Quell twist was to be announced the next morning, almost everyone who attended the academy was there, all hopeful to be the lucky tribute to win the first Quarter Quell.

"I'm going up ten pounds," I said. "Alexandra, fetch me more weights to put on here."

Alexandra nodded, then went over to the other side of the training room and came back holding two five-pound rings to add to what I had been deadlifting.

Once the extra ten pounds were on, I knelt down and gripped the bar, then pulled it up. it was heavier than I had anticipated, and the muscles in my arms clenched up, my eyes widening with the pain.

I dropped it to the floor without thinking, and it crashed loudly, causing every head to turn. I felt my face heat and I clenched my fists as they began to laugh.

"Oi! This is the winner of the first Quarter Quell you're laughing at, here!" I cried out, then turned back to the bar.

"Maybe you should take a break?" Leporis suggested to me, but I lifted my hand.

"How could you suggest that?" I snapped. "The twist is being announced tomorrow. I must win."

"Alright, well, don't push yourself too hard..." said Leporis.

"I'm not," I said, bending down and gripping the bar again. I mustn't have been trying hard enough. I could do better than that, I know I could. Just, in front of all these people, I was doing terribly. I needed to get better.

Everyone else headed home around an hour later, including my friends, but I stayed back, sweating. Eventually, the supervisor approached me telling me I needed to go.

"Did you ever go into the Hunger Games?" I asked him, my teeth gritted.

"No," he said. "The first Hunger Games happened when I was seventeen before the Career Academy was a thing. So for the first and second Hunger Games, the only ones I was eligible to be reaped for, I didn't get in because it was purely on chance."

"Then you don't understand how determined I am," I snapped at him. "Let me stay, don't be pathetic."

"Dania, you know I can't do that," he said, crossing his arms. "Put the weights down and pack up."

"No," I said. "I have to be the best."

"Dania," said the trainer. "Let me tell you something. If this year hadn't been a Quarter Quell, where I don't have the power to choose the best tributes to represent District 2, I would have selected you."

I dropped the bar and looked up at him. He was a tall man, and I was just average height, so he seemed to tower over me.

"Really?" I said.

"Yes," he said. "And, you could still go into the Quarter Quell. Be the winner of the first Quarter Quell. But if the twist is something like only male tributes can be selected, then there's nothing I can do. I've said the same to Quintus."

"Fine," I said, standing up. "And if you want me to leave so badly, you can pack up."

At that, I spun away from him, fast enough that the messy bun at the top of my head loosened a little from the movement.

"You're back late," said my mother as her way of greeting me when I walked into our house. "Why's that?"

"I was training," I said.

"I thought the academy closed at six?" my dad asked.

"Yes, but since it's a Quarter Quell this year, today could have been my last chance to prove myself to the trainer," I said. "He said if it wasn't a Quarter Quell, I definitely would have been the tribute. But... if the Quell is something he can't get me into, I won't be going in."

"At least he's trying," said my mum, and I felt my fists clench.

"But he's not trying hard enough! If he really thought I was good enough, then he would do everything in his power to get me into the Quell. Does he not care about me... I mean, the district?"

"He's just a trainer of the Careers Academy, Dania," said my dad. "He doesn't have that much power. Anyway, your dinner is going cold. You might want to eat it before it gets any colder."

I sat down sharply, and pulled the bowl towards me, stuffing some into my mouth.

"Don't look down on him, Dania," said my mum. "He's trying his best. And he clearly thinks you're a well-trained Career, he did let you stay back three hours past closing time, after all."

"But it's not good enough," I said, my voice strained.

For the next few hours, I trained in my room, going through various exercises to improve my strength, speed, and endurance. I did push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and lunges, using whatever objects I could find in my room to add resistance to my workouts. I worked out until late into the night, my muscles aching and my body covered in sweat.

As I lay in bed, trying to fall asleep, my mind kept racing with thoughts of the Quarter Quell. What would the twist be? Would it be something that favoured my strengths or my weaknesses? I knew that I couldn't predict the twist, but I also couldn't afford to be caught off guard.

The next morning, I woke up early and immediately checked the news to see if the twist had been announced. To my disappointment, there was still no news. I got dressed and went for my early morning training session at the Academy, where I met my friends.

"Any news on the twist?" I asked eagerly.

"No, not yet," replied Alexandra. "But I heard that they're going to announce it soon."

We trained until the sun had well and truly risen, trying to keep our minds off the looming announcement. But as the hours passed, our nerves grew increasingly frayed. Finally, in the afternoon, the announcement came.

"Greetings to all citizens of Panem," he said. "I am pleased to announce that as this is the twenty-fifth Hunger Games, it will be our first Quarter Quell. The twist to this year's Quell is that instead of the tributes being reaped out by chance, a male and female tribute will be voted in by their own district, to remind you that you chose to rebel against the Capitol and have a war twenty-five years ago. The voting for all Districts will open in twenty-four hours' time, and close three days after that. May the odds be ever in your favour."

OK... I could work with that. If I truly was talented enough, I would be voted in to represent the district. Or, they would vote in people they wanted to get rid of, and if that was the case, I wasn't so bad that I'd be voted in.

There was only a matter of time before I discovered the truth.

District 2 male – Quintus Grimm, 18

I breathed in sharply and pushed my knife forward, towards my training partner. He held his own knife and turned it horizontally to stop my knife from coming any closer to him.

I didn't know why I was versing this guy, who was only sixteen years old. He wouldn't be the tribute to represent District 2, it would be someone who was eighteen, who'd been training for much longer than he was.

So, wouldn't it make sense for me to fight against another guy who would possibly be the Career going into the 25th Hunger Games?

But, that was the problem. It was the 25th Hunger Games.

At the end of the 24th Hunger Games, the head gamekeeper announced that every 25 years there would be a special Hunger Games called the Quarter Quell. This meant that there would be a twist to the reaping.

The problem with this was that, even if it would be an absolute honour to be the tribute who represented District 2 and won the first Quarter Quell, the twist could not be in my favour.

I pulled the knife away from the other guy's knife, causing him to fall forward from the lack of my pushing back. I then slipped behind him and stabbed the knife in the small gap between the side of his torso and his left arm.

"Well done, Quintus," said the trainer. My opponent and I nodded to each other, then walked to the back of the line.

"Good job, mate," he said to me. "You know, there's a rumour going around that you'll be the tribute this year. I can't wait until it's my turn."

I nodded, unsure of what else to do.

"You've been really good at this from the start, you know," he continued. "I mean, a lot of people are rooting for the super aggressive guys, but I think you're smarter and have a better chance to win. A lot of people think you're weird, but as for me... I've always looked up to you."

I nodded again.

"What time is it?" he asked, gesturing to my watch. I lifted it up so he could see. It was quarter to six, almost time for us all to go home. "Well, we won't get another turn I suppose. I reckon I'll just head home."

When I didn't respond, he just grabbed his stuff, waved, and then left. I sighed. Why was he trying to talk to me? Sure, I was a great career, but I didn't need admirers.

I stayed until the instructor told us all to go, then packed my bag and headed home. I hadn't seen Dawn all day, and I needed to spend time with her.

As I opened the door to my house, I heard her bark, and then the loud, fast padding of her paws as she bounded towards me. My face split into a smile as I knelt down and put out my arms to embrace Dawn, my beautiful German Shepard.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me as I realized that the twist for the Quarter Quell would be announced tomorrow. What could it be? Would it give me an advantage or put me at a disadvantage? I tried not to dwell on it too much and focused on spending time with Dawn.

We played fetch in the backyard for a while, and then I decided to take her for a walk around the neighbourhood. As we strolled through the streets, I couldn't help but notice the tension in the air. Everyone was on edge, knowing that the twist for the Quarter Quell would be announced soon.

I decided to head back home and prepare for the worst. I took out my weapons and practiced some more, trying to come up with new strategies that might give me an edge. But my mind kept drifting to the twist and what it might mean for me.

As the sun began to set, I fed Dawn and then settled down to eat my own dinner. But I couldn't bring myself to eat much, my stomach was in knots. I went to bed early, hoping to get some rest before the announcement in the morning.

My mum made me breakfast the next morning, but I couldn't eat much of it. My mind was too preoccupied with the twist that would be announced later that day. I tried to distract myself by going for a run with Dawn, but even that didn't help much.

As I walked back into the house, I saw that the television was already on. The announcer was discussing the upcoming Quarter Quell and the possible twists that could be implemented.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I sat down on the couch and watched as the President walked onto the stage. He looked stern and serious, which only added to my nerves.

"Welcome, citizens of Panem," he began. "As you know, this year is the Quarter Quell, and as promised, there will be a twist to the reaping."

I leaned forward in my seat, pressing my fingers to my mouth, ready for whatever it could possibly be. Would it suit me? Or would it be something horrible like that only really little kids could be reaped?

"Greetings to all citizens of Panem," he said. "I am pleased to announce that as this is the twenty-fifth Hunger Games, it will be our first Quarter Quell."

Oh, get on with it, I thought to myself, as Dawn padded over to me and jumped onto my lap. I stroked her ears as the President droned on about the reasoning for the twist.

"The twist to this year's Quell is that instead of the tributes being reaped out by chance, a male and female tribute will be voted in by their own district, to remind you that you chose to rebel against the Capitol and have a war twenty-five years ago. The voting for all Districts will open in twenty-four hours' time, and close three days after that. May the odds be ever in your favour."

Perfect. If the trainer really thought I should be the tribute, then I would be voted in.

Thankyou to LC-it-gets-better-alt-account for Dania and fiona11303 for Quintus. What did you all think of these two?

ALSO, you may have noticed that for the most part, I am uploading a chapter every Tuesday (or Monday, depending on your timezone). I'm going away over Easter and will miss a few Tuesdays, so I will try to get the remaining three introduction chapters out before I go, so there may be a few random uploads :)