Author's Note

I do not own the Hunger Games.

Iridescence Sterling, 17

Her head still felt foggy as she woke, her eyes sticky and her brain iced over. Iridescence groaned and stretched out. She ached all over, the worst of it centered at the base of her skull and behind her eyes.

Ares was dozing in the chair beside her, though his eyes snapped open at her movement. Not asleep on watch then. Just resting.

"I'll take over," she whispered, rolling her shoulders and sliding to her feet. "You should get some sleep too."

She'd suffered a seizure, outside the arena, which was a worry that was eating at her, but Ares had been shot. He'd lost blood and would need to rest, as well as recover his strength.

Ares grumbled, pushing himself up. "How you feeling?"

"Stiff. Sore." She rubbed her head. The room smelled like toast and burned eggs. Iridescence frowned. "Who's cooking?"

"Phoenix and Vivaldi. Might be some left if you ask them."

"Our parents never came home?"

Ares looked about the room as though he expected to find her mom hiding under a cabinet. "No, I guess not…"

Iridescence switched on her comm and selected her mom's number. It beeped only once before the red 'occupied' triangle appeared on screen. She frowned and pulled up her dad's number. Same result. Made sense, they would be together. Wherever they were…

"Where's Phoenix?"

"Back room with Vivaldi, I think."

She nodded. "You get some better rest. I'll take over watching."

"You sure?"

"You need to sleep too." She waited until he laid back again to hurry through to the back room. Phoenix and Vivaldi were laid on the floor, one of her heavy medical tomes between them.

Phoenix looked up as she entered. "Oh. Morning. How are you feeling?"

"Woozy still. What are you doing?"

"Treatment for bullet wounds," Phoenix explained.

"Right."

Made sense. Phoenix had found some comfort in medical knowledge since the simulation.

"Have you heard from mom or dad?" she asked.

Phoenix frowned. "They never came home?"

"No. And I can't get hold of them."

Phoenix switched on her comm and tried calling them, receiving the same result as Iridescence. "Is that what you got?"

"Yeah."

"You don't think something's happened to them?"

Iridescence sighed and shook her head. "I don't know."

Vivaldi switched on his comm and tried his own parents, with no success. "No answer here, either."

"Shit." Iridescence ran her hands through her hair, fighting to think through the fog still clouding her brain. "See if you can get hold of the others and ask if they're okay. I'm gonna… check on the Gilmores, I guess."

Ares's parents hated her, but if she was right, she wouldn't get a reply anyway.

Marcellina Arnoult, 16

When she woke, her room felt too quiet. She rubbed her eyes and tried to place the heavy stillness, but nothing came to mind. Calpurnia wasn't–

Because Calpurnia was still dead. Marcellina rolled from the bed and ran a hand through her hair. Her door was closed and her room felt too dark. She never closed her door all the way now. She liked to leave it slightly open so her dad could check in on her during the night.

She nudged the door open. Beyond, the apartment was dark and far too cold. Marcellina frowned, backing up into her room. She needed a weapon before she could go out there.

Her comm beeped from her nightstand. She snatched it and checked the caller. Vivaldi. Marcellina fixed it to her wrist as she selected the green answer button.

"Hey, what's up?" she whispered.

Vivaldi's face appeared on the holoscreen, pastel streaks painted through his hair. Must have been done last night. It suited him.

"Why are we whispering?" he replied.

"I don't know. But all the lights are out at mine and it's so creepy."

"Can you call your parents?"

"What for?"

"Just call them!"

Marcellina crept back towards her door and twisted the handle. Vivaldi hissed. "No–! Just– call then. On your comm."

"On my comm? What for? They're only…"

"Just do it."

Marcellina minimised his hall and pulled up her dad's contact, dialling the number. It flashed green for a bare moment before declaring the line to be unavailable.

"He's not available," she said, selecting her mom's number. Same result. "Where are they? What's happened? Do you know?"

"Same thing from ours," said Vivaldi.

Marcellina looked at the door. Stupid her, she'd not even locked it when she left it. "You don't think…"

"I don't know."

She hunted around her room, but found nothing she could use as a weapon. Her dad had refused to let her keep anything like that in her room for fear she might injure herself while half-asleep.

"Is there another way out?" asked Vivaldi.

Marcellina shook her head. "Too far up."

There was nothing outside her window but a twelve story drop.

"I could call Thorin…"

"No, it's okay." She found a large perfume bottle on her dressing table. An old present from Calpurnia. "I can do this."

She opened the door to the cold silence again and crept out. A breeze met her. She shivered, tiptoeing down the hallway. It felt empty, but maybe someone was waiting around the next corner.

She found the hallway light and flipped them on. She felt better once she could see the hallway was empty. From there, she continued to her parents' room. The door was open, swinging back and forth. Marcellina peered around it. Empty, their bed still made, as though they'd never been there.

"They're not in their room," she whispered, turning and retreating to the main room. That too, was empty.

"Okay. Can you come to Iridescence's place? That's where we're trying to meet."

"Let me just get dressed," she replied, returning to her own room and locking the door. "Can you stay on the line?"

"Sure."

She removed her comm and pointed it at the door, dressing as quickly as she could before snatching up the comm again. "I'm ready to go."

"Be careful," Vivaldi said.

Marcellina sneaked from her room and out to the entrance. The door was swinging open, knocking against the door every short minute.

"Someone's definitely been here," she whispered as she peered out at the apartment balcony beyond. She could see nothing suspicious, but her heart was still pounding.

Marcellina closed the door, locked it behind her, and rushed for the stairs.

Something was very wrong here.