Author's Note
I do not own the Hunger Games.
The Capitol
Vivaldi Perlman, 16
Vivaldi woke before Phoenix and dug his sketchbook from his bag to begin scribbling the images he'd seen in his dreams. They were meant to be beautiful, but all too soon they became violent and bloody, with harsh, cold lines and dark corners.
Vivaldi's eyes burned with tears. He rolled back onto his back and dragged his hand across his face. From what the President had said, today was the day. Forty-eight children would be stolen from their homes and families across the Districts and transported to the Punishment Arena.
And then the real punishment would begin.
Why hadn't anyone just asked them before they started all this? They could have told them they didn't want it! Vivaldi was just so sick of people talking and making his decisions for him.
Phoenix stirred in her bed above him. She looked even wilder in her pyjamas and with her hair wild and tangled. "You awake?" she whispered.
"Yeah."
"You sleep?"
"A little."
Phoenix swung her legs from the bed. "You want breakfast?"
She made them eggs on toast, and they sat on the floor of her living space, where it was safer, to eat. Iridescence and Ares appeared from her room to join them. Vivaldi frowned at Ares. "When did you get here?"
"In the night."
"I didn't hear you come in."
Ares grinned. "Window."
"Oh."
That seemed risky; the Sterlings' apartment was six floors from the ground and three from the nearest bridge. Vivaldi had had enoudfxfcgh risking his neck for his lifetime. But then Ares had been a thrillseeker before the Simulation Hacking, from what he understood.
Iridescence brought them both their own plates of food and they flopped on the floor alongside them.
"So." Ares pushed egg around his plate. "Today's the day."
Ares Gilmore, 15
Six months ago, if someone had told him he'd one day be eating breakfast with the Sterling sisters on the floor of their sitting room, Ares would have laughed in their face.
Well, look at him now.
"Have you heard anything from any of the others?" Phoenix asked.
Ares dug his phone from his pocket to check their group chats. There was still two, one with them and Thorin, the other with them and Andreas. Andreas knew about Thorin now, but they still didn't trust him not to spill, or use it to blackmail them, so they'd not give him anything in writing.
"Luminita says she's with Zephyr at his. He's being weird again, no surprise there."
"What is with that kid?" muttered Iridescence.
"And Marcellina says her dad's taking her and Emeria to the graveyard. Nothing from Andreas, no surprise there."
For all they knew, the moment they'd parted the day before, he could have gone straight to the authorities. Though Ares suspected peacekeepers would have come to them by then.
"Oh look," said Iridescence, holding up her own cellphone. "Kids broke into RedRain last night. Tried to set up their own Game. Place has been locked down."
Vivaldi frowned. "Who would want to do that?"
Ares shrugged. "You and Phoenix were weird, but The Game Simulator was popular with a lot of teens. I wouldn't want to play again, but the kids that live next door keep whining about the shutdown." He turned back to his phone.
Iridescence touched his arm. "Do they… blame you for the shutdown?"
He nodded. "But it needed to be done. Nothing else to be done."
Kids had died.
His siblings had died.
Just like these District kids were going to die.
"We can protest at the launch of this thing," said Iridescence.
Then her face did a very strange expression, as though her eyes had gone blank.
"Iridescence?" asked Phoenix.
Ares had seen her do that before.
But not in real life.
In the arena.
Even as he watched, she crumpled forward and hit the ground. Her eyes rolled. Her fingers twitched. Ares scrambled to her side. "Call an ambulance."
Luminita Summerfield, 17
Zephyr's house was… kinda sad.
There was nothing of Celeste in the main living area, no photographs, no belongings, no… nothing. At Luminita's own home, Sorcha was still everywhere. No matter where she turned, she saw her sister, in the pictures, in the marks on the walls, in the pool and the trophies on the shelves.
In Zephyr's house, everything of Celeste's had been dumped in her room and left. Luminita wouldn't tell them how to grieve, but it seemed odd.
Then again, Zephyr was odd. And Celeste had been… Celeste.
Zephyr wore no facepaint today, but he had found a mask from somewhere, a fine purple thing that covered his eyes and nose and flared out at the side like wings. Being Zephyr, he had also promptly altered it to cover the eye-holes with black fabric.
"Have you thought about not wearing the blindfolds any more?" Luminita asked.
Zephyr touched his mask. "I need it,"
"I know; I just…" Luminita shook her head, "Never mind."
"You all think I'm crazy."
"Maybe not crazy. Just…" Luminita winced. There really was no nice way of wording it, was there? "Just different. And of all people, I wouldn't tell you to fit in, but you could make yourself… a little less noticeable."
Luminita had been the invisible child. It had given her freedom. But Zephyr was just so… identifiable. He drew attention to himself just by existing.
"I want to be noticeable. People need to listen. If blood continues spilling, everyone will die."
Luminita gazed at the city through the window. "Did Celeste show you that?"
"No. I've seen it. In my dreams."
Luminita sighed. Six months ago, if someone had told her she was going to believe in magic, she'd probably have made something to depict how insane that was.
Now…
"Do you know how much of that is true?"
"It's all true. People just don't see it."
Luminita's phone beeped. She pulled it from her pocket. "Vivaldi."
"I don't think you need to come, but you shouldn't hear from the news. Iridescence collapsed. We're at the hospital, she's being taken for head scans."
Zephyr grabbed Luminita's wrist and pulled the phone closer to him. "You mustn't let the beaver man give her lithium."
"Sure, great, thanks, Zephyr."
"Be careful of him. He's a snake dressed like a beaver."
"Send her our best," said Luminita.
Zephyr shook his head. "Tell her not to trust the beaver!"
The call ended.
Zephyr looked at Luminita. "We need to go to the hospital."