Author's Note: We're back with the volunteer tributes and even they aren't as blind as they were made out to be.
….
The Ninety-Fifth Annual Hunger Games: Felix Clemens, District Two (18)
Felix could tell that Panem was falling apart. Only the stability and routine of the Institute shielded him from the ongoing tensions, almost a year on from the riot in Eight. Mason, his mentor, told him to keep his head down. Lyme and Brutus would deal with whatever was happening on the outside. His job as the soon-to-be volunteer was to keep his head down and get ready to be the best he could be. Mason's job as a mentor was to help him get there and return home.
They worked in a silo. Quietly and competently getting on with the job. Their strategy was to remain low-key. Felix would spar with Mason, practice in the water, and occasionally fight Paulus or Diana. Mason had picked only those he could trust to keep quiet. One moment spent with Antigone and Felix's prowess would be revealed to everyone.
The final selection challenges were imminent, and they planned to surprise everyone. Felix was already the number one male candidate, but he had been holding back. In the final tasks, before tribute selection was confirmed, Felix was going to show everyone just how good he was.
He was good too and Felix knew his mentor was delighted. Mason had told him about his previous mentoring attempts in the Capitol but now, he knew it was their time. Like Felix, Mason had worked under the radar for years in the Institute. He honed his skills as an instructor and mentor before picking his moment to select the boy he knew would be the very best.
Felix knew he was not Brutus or Paulus in his stature or fighting style. But that did not mean he wasn't strong. He lifted increasing weights week after week and threw further and harder with each training session. He was fast but his accuracy was the best Mason had seen in years. He was going to get the job done.
The hardest part for Felix was going to be the publicity element. He did not easily suit the aggressive warrior trope that District Two tributes were cast. He was calm, pleasant and easy-going. He was not a show-off or one to brag, he just got on with the job at hand, no questions asked. Playing the Games with the arrogance of a District One boy was not going to work either.
An angle closer to the one adopted by Four's tributes would probably work best but it was not in Felix's nature to be someone he was not. He would need some help when it came to the interviews. Mason was talking about exuding quiet confidence and an aura of mystery but that sounded like more work than the Games for Felix.
He got through selection easily and soon found himself on his way to the Capitol accompanied by a very confident Mason and supported by Lyme who seemed equally sure of his victory. Felix was joined as a tribute by Ember's girl, pitting their mentors, close friends and allies in every other circumstance, against each other.
By the time he arrived, Felix just wanted to reach the arena and get the job done. He had no patience with playing for the cameras. The Capitol and the rest of Panem would see what he could do and who he was as soon as he got a sword in his hands.
He got through the parade but all he had to do was look strong and wave. That wasn't too much of an ask. Training was easy too. He made friends with the other volunteers and moved around the gym effortlessly. Felix thought he saw some envious glances from the other tributes, so he decided it was a job well done. He had done what mattered to him.
Unfortunately, what mattered to Felix was not the same as what mattered to District Two's escort. He had to endure hours of coaching and work to find his 'angle' and practice answering pointless, shallow interview questions. When he remarked that he was so good, that the Capitol would keep him alive regardless of his interview technique, his escort recoiled in horror and almost refused to continue working with him.
Mason managed to calm her down despite finding his tribute's comments hilarious. So, Felix had to continue enduring her lecture on the importance of publicity.
Eventually, they settled on Mason's initial suggestion of 'mysterious' and Felix thought all their time had been wasted. He could have been sparring with Mason, Malachite or Paulus instead of the tortuous discussions about how he wanted to be presented to the Capitol. Felix knew how he would be presented when he found a sword, so he didn't think it mattered too much.
But it turned out that 'mysterious' worked for him. He didn't have to say much and allowed Lucretius Flickerman to talk through most of his allocated two minutes. He alluded to supposed secret capabilities, kept the Capitol guessing and told them to look forward to seeing him at his best.
….
His best was what they got. Felix was clinical in his approach to the bloodbath. In what was becoming a tradition for Two's strongest tributes, he found himself on District Four territory, an island arena. But he put that to the back of his mind. He ran across the sand to the Cornucopia, knowing only the Fours could beat him, but that did not matter. They were allied. If they tried to turn on him, he would kill them.
But that was not necessary. Felix got hold of a sword in his dominant hand and stored a second in a belt he picked up alongside it. He turned, found the boy from Seven and killed him before he could respond. He found the girl from Nine and killed her, immediately ensuring they would have no surprise back-to-back victory as his district partner had found the boy. The girl from Eleven was next before Felix decided he had done enough to make him the front-runner.
He went to explore the Cornucopia and picked what he could for himself whilst his allies were distracted. Felix watched as the bloodbath ended before gathering his allies around him. His district partner gave him a quizzical look, but he just shrugged. He had done enough and there wasn't a scratch on him. One's girl was tending to a wound whilst the others looked in various states of disarray. They had done nothing to dampen his spirits or the quiet confidence he had spoken about with Mason.
The arena quickly changed into the opposite of the paradise they saw when they were lifted in on their pedestals. The air turned cool, and Felix noticed how quickly Four's tributes reacted and ushered them under the cover of the Cornucopia. He was going to have to use them as a cue to gauge how to respond to the arena. Seconds after they had taken cover, a torrential downpour began and did not let up until after the first night's cannons had ended.
Felix killed his fourth tribute not long after that when the pack decided to hunt and stumbled on the boy from Twelve. His district partner gave him another quizzical look and Felix knew he would have to watch out for her. He had given ninety-five per cent in the selection process but now she had discovered the extra gear he had built and switched on the moment the gong sounded.
They were caught out by the weather the next morning. They had turned back at the direction of Four's girl who sensed another shift in the atmosphere, but it was too late. Strong winds swept across the island and the volunteers had to cling onto nearby trees to remain grounded.
Holding on through the winds damaged the girl from One's already injured arm and she started to complain. So, Two's girl killed her, much to the shock of their allies. Felix knew instantly he was correct in his estimation of her. She had sensed his plan and tried to go the extra mile, relying on the shock factor that Felix had decided against. It was clear she had no qualms about backstabbing an ally without thought. Felix would have to apply the same logic when dealing with her.
But it wasn't the right time. One's boy retaliated to try to avenge his district partner and Felix knew where his loyalties had to lie. He jumped to his district partner's side and neither knew which one of them managed the fatal blow.
Four's boy was also killed in the chaos and his district partner had fled, not wanting to be alone with the pair from Two.
"That was chaos!" Felix laughed.
"Can't let you have all the fun," she replied, instantly confirming her motives.
It would become an uneasy alliance, fated to fail before long. She was paranoid and Felix knew not to trust her for one second. The volunteer alliance had ended on the second day and Felix had to adapt quickly. It was not what he had planned but it had happened, and he could not be distracted.
He refused to sleep that night, not trusting that his district partner wouldn't murder him in his sleep. He thought about getting it done himself but decided against it. She was sleeping lightly and would be fully awake in no time. For most of the night, he thought she was pretending to sleep to try to lull him into a false sense of security, tempting him into action. But Felix was not going to give in so early.
They were a united alliance the following day. The weather had turned unbearably hot, but they worked together to ensure they shared resources and spent time in the shade before moving on. Both tributes knew that their sleep deprivation combined with sunstroke was something to avoid.
Their search for other tributes was fruitless. The weather grew hotter and the sun stronger and Felix and his district partner had to abandon their search. They took shelter in a particularly shaded patch and waited until evening started to draw in before making their way back to the Cornucopia. They were rewarded with water and a meal each on their return.
Another sleepless night followed with neither trusting the other not to turn on them as they slept. There was no excitement in the morning either, only another hunt for tributes which bore no results. They did not even see another tribute until they saw what Felix thought to be Four's girl running further into the island in the direction of the tallest trees. He felt the blade of his district partner's sword touch his back and she laughed, making it clear that she could catch him off guard.
But Felix decided they had bigger problems. Four's tributes had been right about the previous weather changes when they were allied, and Felix had no reason not to trust the girl's instincts. He began to retreat but his ally wanted to push forward. But their disagreement was short-lived when the ground started to shake beneath them. Through the trees, Felix could see the sealine receding and decided this was enough to make himself scarce. This time, his district partner followed him.
He carried on running in the direction he saw Four's girl moving and looked for higher ground, deciding that was a sensible approach. Next, he scanned the area for signs of his former ally before realising that she had climbed the highest, sturdiest-looking tree she could find. Felix decided on the second tallest and gave his ally the option to join him. She did.
They waited in the trees and felt the air around them shift, just as it had done before previous dramatic changes in the weather. Felix was relieved he trusted his (and his former ally's) instincts the second he saw a huge wave sweep across where they were previously standing and flood the entire island ground.
Four cannons sounded. There was no way the tidal wave could have been beaten by anyone still on the ground as it moved in. Felix was not surprised that the arena had made its mark but soon realised that only six tributes were left, and it was only the third day. He had sight of two of his remaining rivals and knew he would have to act soon. He did not doubt that his district partner was having the same thoughts.
But they would not be able to act immediately. The entire island appeared to be flooded and they would have to wait until the waterline receded.
"Why didn't you just let me run into it?"
"Because you didn't come here to be killed by an arena," Felix replied.
"I didn't come here to be killed by you either."
"Fair point. But what would you rather, be killed by me or the arena?"
"You. But we both know that's not happening."
Felix didn't reply. They would have to agree to disagree.
The pair from Two wanted to put distance between themselves and the girl from Four. A confrontation between the two was inevitable but they wanted it to be a clean fight with no interference or any other tribute trying to take advantage when they were distracted. Once the water had dried up, they made their way back in the direction of the Cornucopia, not particularly caring that they found another tribute trying to take advantage of the quiet. He was soon dispatched once Two's volunteers realised.
The cannon fired but neither tribute could decide who delivered the decisive hit. The arena's evening drew on, as did their argument. It was petty and not what Felix had intended to deliver but they were both sleep-deprived and hot as the temperatures in the arena climbed again.
Everyone knew what the argument would lead up to and when it seemed inevitable for Two's pair, they acknowledged each other as a worthy opponent and drew their swords. Ultimately, it did not matter who killed the intruder at the Cornucopia. He was simply an excuse to kickstart the inevitable.
Felix knew Mason would be unsettled and that it was a risk. But tensions would spill over and become destructive if he remained in his district partner's company much longer. He just needed to come through this fight, his biggest yet, with injuries that could be managed through to the end.
The fight was true to District Two. A match of skills and swordsmanship. It was a long, drawn-out battle, with both taking several blows before drawing blood from their opponent. But Felix knew he had that final gear his district partner appeared not to have. He was stronger, faster and better with the swords they favoured. Once he drew the second sword from his belt, it was over. His district partner was worn down and exposed. Felix ended the fight with a final blow to her neck and her cannon sounded.
In the manner typical of the Institute, Felix raised his fist to his chest and tapped it twice before bowing his head to his fallen opponent before withdrawing to allow her body to be collected.
Once he returned to the Cornucopia, Mason showered him with sponsorship gifts. He received salve and painkillers followed by food and water. He breathed in the silence. The arena was quiet, and his mind was too. The tactics of dealing with his district partner were over and he could sleep soundly.
He was left to sleep until partway through the following morning when an announcement caught his attention. A feast was to take place, in the tradition of Games past with items each tribute needed presented at the Cornucopia. But with only four tributes left, the feast was being used as a tool to bring about the finale.
Felix laughed to himself. It was as if the Capitol was handing him the victory. He saw no need to move so simply waited for the announcement signalling the start of the feast. Everyone would have to face him if they wanted what they needed. The Cornucopia was his territory.
He took his parcel the second it was presented. He had been provided with a shield. Felix assumed it would be suitable to deflect the Four girl's spears. He initially thought about making his presence known and standing across the front of the table, daring his foes to face him. But he realised that would detract anybody from attempting to cross the ground to meet him.
Instead, he ducked into one of the sides of Cornucopia and waited, ready to surprise the remaining tributes. He figured Four's girl would already know where he was and would have the sense to wait it out. The other tributes would have to take their chances or the Gamemakers would force them into his path. There was no escaping him and no point in waiting for the inevitable. Felix welcomed the final challenge.
To his surprise, the girl from Five and the boy from Eight reached the table at the same time. They too knew what was happening and turned on each other. Felix only had to stand and watch from the shadows.
It was nothing like the trained, skilled fights he saw at the Institute so watching their battle was a new experience for Felix. It was messy and he found himself analysing each tribute's moves and thinking how they should have responded. Both tributes were inexperienced fighters which only prolonged their battle. Felix knew the Capitol would love it, so he remained in the shadows watching and waiting to take on the winner of this first fight of the finale.
Eventually, Five's girl managed to strike a lethal blow on Eight's boy as he tried to regroup and fight back. The girl was surprised to be the one left standing and even more so when she saw Felix emerge from the Cornucopia.
He congratulated her and allowed her to make the first move against him. He dodged it easily but let the girl move again. Once he had worn her down, Felix struck back and made quick work of the girl given she was already injured.
Towards the end of the fight with Five's girl, he knew Four's girl was creeping towards the Cornucopia. He let her, wanting them to take each other on with the benefit of the gifts that had been left to them.
He was not surprised to find his final opponent waiting for him after Five's cannon fired. She had been given armour and Felix quickly looked her up and down to establish where she was least protected.
They congratulated each other on being the final two, promised an honourable fight and joked about the early demise of their alliance. Neither was surprised to meet the other. Felix was the best fighter and Four's girl had the best understanding of the arena.
They started quickly, knowing that with her armour and Felix's shield, it could become a drawn-out affair. Felix immediately ran in close to put her spears out of reach and dodged the blows with her knife with his shield. He struck with one of his swords but only met the armour. He was going to have to think of something else.
Four's girl tried to use the spear as a staff to knock Felix off guard, but he deflected once more. Each move she tried was blocked. Whenever she tried to find herself in a longer range, Felix charged forward. He could wear her down and render her weapon of choice ineffective, but he could not strike a successful blow as she was so well protected.
Eventually, Felix managed to strike at the joint where the armour was weakest, rendering his opponent's throwing arm weaker. She changed to her other hand, ran back and tried to reach her throwing distance. She managed to graze Felix's arm, but it served as only a momentary distraction.
Felix threw the spear out of reach and charged again, this time trying to use his shield as a weapon, hitting his opponent in the face where she was less protected. The girl stumbled back, and Felix hit again. She managed to strike his thigh with a knife as she was thrown off balance. Felix winced, tried to ignore the bleeding and resolved to deal with her as quickly as he could.
He tried to weave his sword around the armour and managed to cut into a weak point near the girl's collarbone. Her chest plate started to loosen so Felix attacked again and managed to leave her exposed. The girl's frustration grew so she threw a knife into his shoulder, but Felix carried on. He hit her on the head again with the shield and when she was off balance, drew his sword into her chest and waited until the cannon fired.
….
Being a victor was nothing like what Felix expected. The Capitol wanted the Games over quickly and the victors back in their districts. Felix's victory events were short and perfunctory. They were hurried home with less fanfare than usual.
He returned to a divided Victors' Village. The unity presented to him at the Institute did not follow through into the victors' private lives. Malachite had returned home stressed, wanting to speak to Lyme at length and alone. When he returned, he was insistent that Mason spoke to their mentor too, but Mason claimed to be too busy with Felix.
Felix knew his mentor was busy. They were working together on his recovery and reintegration into district life. Mason was rightly committed. But Felix could not help but feel like his recovery was being used as a shield for Mason's thoughts. His mentor was often quiet when they were alone and hated hearing of the growing discontent in District Two.
Felix was intrigued to see how everything would play out. Something had gone very wrong. Lyme and Brutus were committed to the Institute with a fervour that seemed to surprise the others. They were determined to protect their candidates and instil loyalty to the district that had crept into Felix's tuition but was not a standout feature.
Enobaria kept disappearing and would reappear days later, unkempt and dishevelled. Her return would be followed by rumours of isolated fighting in different corners of Two. She would spend hours in conversation with Lyme during the night when they thought that nobody would notice. But Felix couldn't sleep so he realised what was happening.
Marcus and Malachite were spending hours together and Paulus, now an established victor of twenty years appeared unsettled. Diana appeared affected too. It soon became clear that their classmates at the Institute, peacekeepers with almost twenty years' service and carrying out their final contracted years at home, were to be deployed once more. Peacekeeper leadership was leaving the district, and their best were being put on the line again.
Felix tentatively returned to the Institute and carried out his publicity duties with the quiet confidence he had kept up. Mason had been trying to instil a relaxed attitude into him, so he could appear as at ease as he had in the arena. But Felix knew his life had changed and nothing was as he expected.
He saw through the Capitol immediately. Beneath the shine of the Games was a system that was falling apart. He could tell how nervous everyone was from the second he woke up. He came home and nothing was as he expected and everything he was being asked to do seemed futile.
He had no idea how to manage this. Mason told him that would be his job as a mentor but that he also had no idea. They were going to have to speak to Lyme and Felix knew they would likely hear some harsh truths from his mentor's mentor. Felix and Mason had locked themselves into preparations for the Games and tried to shut the outside world out. Their plan had worked. Felix had come home. But now they were living in a world neither of them was prepared for.
Everything was changing and Felix knew he was going to have to change with it. Only this time, he did not have the confidence he felt when entering the arena. He had been thrown into another set of games, but these were games he did not know how to play.