Chapter 1: The 15th Hunger Games
Chapter Text
The Tributes:
District 1
Julietta Levante: Age 13. Reaped and terrified. Julietta is blonde-haired and green-eyed, and is absolutely dwarfed by her district partner. Julietta is the youngest tribute to be reaped from District 1. She has to be torn away violently from her hysterical parents and her 15-year-old sister Opal.
Amaze Toloun: Age 18. Unexpectedly volunteers for 15-year-old Vineyard Lots, making him the second-ever volunteer from District 1. Amaze is the son of a retired Peacekeeper, who trained his son in combat in the hopes that he would become a Peacekeeper himself. Amaze, after witnessing the wealth heaped on Districts 4, 10, 8, and 7 over the last four years as a result of their victors, decided to use his skills to hopefully win similar wealth for his District in the Games. Amaze is tall, broad-shouldered, and handsome, with dark brown hair and the green eyes common to his District. Amaze is seen off by his father, Flynn, and his brother Sheen, who is three years younger.
Amaze is mentored by Platinum Shine, who won the 5th Games after displaying surprising natural skill with a sword.
Julietta is mentored by Luxe St. James, who won the 2nd Games by avoiding attention and then desperately hitting his last opponent in the head with a rock. Luxe is also noteworthy for coming from one of the wealthiest families in District 1. Luxe is displeased to be dragged out of seclusion for the third year in a row, and horrified to be mentoring such a young girl.
District 2
Cassia Clay: Age 16. Volunteers, making her the second girl from District 2 to do so. She replaces Sandstone Quarry, a 14-year-old. Cassia has been trained for two years, and has a lean and hungry look about her. She is seen off by her mother and her two little brothers, 13-year-old Mason and 6-year-old Pike.
Varro Alexander: Age 17. Volunteers for 15-year-old Domitius Prince, making him the 5th male volunteer from District 2. Varro has been trained for three years, but was in street fights before that. Like his partner, he has a raw, aggressive look about him. Varro is seen off by his older sister, Mara (19), and his little sister Bianca (8). Their parents had been killed in a quarry accident when Varro was twelve.
Cassia is mentored by Valkyrie Stevens, who won the 3rd Games by faking her own death and then hitting her last opponent in the head with an axe. She has trained Cassia for the past two years.
Varro is mentored by Ahenobarbus Romero, who won the first-ever Games over the bodies of 15 tributes. Ahenobarbus has trained Varro brutally over the past three years, and expects him to win.
District 3
Ada Enomoto: Reaped at 14. Ada is the last surviving member of her family. All of her other relatives were executed after the First Rebellion as suspected Rebels. Ada was in the top 5% of her class at school before being reaped---which was an inevitably, since her name was placed in the bowl 100 times for every year she was eligible, in addition to the yearly entries and any tesserae she might take out
Isaac Jenkins: Reaped at 15. Isaac has wild hair and mismatched clothes, and reacts to his reaping with a sort of quite bewilderment. Isaac’s father and two younger sisters, 10-year-old Virginia and 6-year-old Missy, are devastated. The school debate team is equally upset---Isaac was one of their best players.
Since District 3 has no Victor, the tributes are left with no official mentor.
District 4
Oceania Odell: Volunteers at 17, after 3 years of training. She takes the place of 14-year-old Naia Toole. Oceania worked on the same boat as Mags Flanagan before Mags was reaped for and won the 11th Games, since the boat was captained by Oceania's father, Skipper. Oceania is seen off by her father, her mother, and her 6 siblings. Oceania is the first female volunteer from District 4.
Pontus Port: Volunteers at 18 after 2 years of training, taking the place of 12-year-old Fisher Lewis. Even by the standards of District 4, Pontus is a very strong swimmer---the best in his village, in fact. Pontus is also excellent with a spear after years of fishing. Pontus is seen off by his mother and brother Tobias (14). Pontus is the second male volunteer from District 4 (the first was a boy who volunteered to save his brother in the 6th Games).
Oceania is mentored by Mags Flanagan, who won the 11th Games and trained both her and Pontus.
Pontus is mentored by Tide Okeith, who won the 9th Games and assisted in his training.
District 5
Protia Low: Protia is reaped at 16. She is eerily calm when her name is called, and there is a clever gleam in her eyes. Protia was orphaned by an influenza epidemic when she was 4, and has no close relatives.
Nuke Notion: Nuke is reaped at 13 years old and has to be dragged onstage in tears. Nuke was on the basketball team at his school and is mourned by his parents and three-year-old sister Nikola.
Decimus Calderon, the District 2 victor who won the 6th Games, is randomly assigned to mentor Nuke and Protia, but does not meet them until they arrive in the Capitol.
District 6
Maria Flura: Maria is reaped at 16. She is the only child of a wealthy doctor who treats Peacekeepers and the mayor’s family, and her reaping comes as a shock to the district, who assumed she was untouchable with only a few slips in the reaping bowl. Maria does not have to be forced onstage, but she sobs quietly once she is there and is clearly terrified. Maria’s father tries and fails to buy her way out of the Games. Her mother goes into hysterics. Her boyfriend Lucas nearly punches a Peacekeeper before another boy restrains him.
Jay Garrick: Jay is reaped at 17. Everyone in District 6 had expected him to be reaped earlier. As the son of a suspected, dead rebel, his name was put in the bowl 100 times every year he was eligible for the reaping, in addition to the yearly entries and any tesserae he might take out. Jay lives in one of the worst neighborhoods in District 6, and has spent his childhood dodging morphling dealers and working part-time as a courier to make ends meet, and was also on the track team at school. Jay is mourned by his mother, Paulina, and his girlfriend, Joan Williams--and is noticeably not mourned by Arthur Willams, Joan's father, a retired Peacekeeper from District 6 who sided with the Capitol in the First Rebellion and conquered the District for them.
Since District 6 has no victor, they do not have an official mentor.
District 7
Stalk Pathway: Stalk is reaped at 15. She is quiet and does not panic when her name is called. She tells her three younger sisters to behave for their parents, and reassures her mother that she does not regret taking tesserae to feed the family.
Redwood Kant: Redwood is reaped at 17. Like many boys in District 7, he is a lumberjack, but he is still rather thin and not especially physically impressive. Redwood is mourned by his father and his sister Aspen (15), as well as by his lumberjack crew, who respected his ability to spit tobacco.
Stalk is mentored by Vera Sandalwood, who is only 18 and won the 14th Games last year with camouflage and knives.
Redwood is mentored by Jules Elmer, who won the 7th Games with luck and an axe. Jules has high hopes for Redwood, who at least knows how to swing an axe.
District 8
Violet Brown: Violet is reaped at 16. She is obviously underfed, with dark brown hair and blue eyes that seem too large for her face. Violet is an orphan; her family were executed as known rebels, and she was the lone survivor. As with Ada from District 3 and Jay from District 6, her name was placed in the reaping bowl 100 times for every year she was eligible in addition to the yearly entries and any tesserae she might take out, so she knew this was coming. Violet accepts her fate with a quiet grace. She is mourned by her teachers, who know she has a knack for science.
Retter Turn: Retter is reaped at 17, and is handsome---but also noticeably missing his left hand, which he was born without. Retter is mourned by his parents and his 4 younger siblings. There is also some muttering that someone rigged the reaping to send him in, since it is well-known that his parents had forbidden him to take tesserae.
Both Retter and Violet are mentored by Woof Barton, who won the 13th Games with his street smarts and fist fighting skills.
District 9
Amber Dale: Amber is reaped at 14, much to the despair of everyone who knows her. She has asthma, and has only barely survived up to this point because of the scrupulosity of her parents, aunts, and uncles. Amber tries to keep a brave face when she is reaped anyway. She is mourned by her parents, 10 siblings, and dozens of extended family members.
Sower Till: Sower is reaped at 16, and is the fourth child reaped to be the child of known or suspected rebels. As with the other cases, his name was put in the bowl 100 times every year he was eligible for the reaping, in addition to the yearly entries and any tesserae he might take out. Sower knew that he would eventually be reaped, and is bitterly resigned when his name is called. Sower is mourned by his cousin Letitia (19).
Sower and Amber are both mentored by Wheaton Vale, who won the 4th Games with a sickle and was the first tribute to ever volunteer.
District 10
Ducktail Merry: Ducktail is reaped at 14. She is a sweet, awkward girl, and she trips as she makes her way to the stage. Then she bursts into tears. Ducktail is mourned by her parents and two sisters, as well as by the rest of her farming town.
Butcher Bellwether: Butcher is reaped at 16, and is one of the most physically impressive tributes District 10 has had. Butcher is stunned when his name is called, but maintains his composure. Butcher is mourned by his widowed mother and four brothers (two older, two younger). Butcher was also on the school wrestling team.
Ducktail and Butcher are both mentored by Bovina Martinez, who won the 12th Games with a cleaver. She is hopeful about Butcher’s chances.
District 11
Appleblossom Dims: Appleblossom is reaped at 12, to the fury of the District. When her name is called, it kicks off a riot that is only quelled when the Peacekeepers start executing people. Appleblossom is horrified by the violence. She is mourned by her mother and five siblings (4 older brothers and one 5-year-old sister).
Youngman: Youngman is reaped at 18, and only has a last name recorded. He was orphaned at 7 and has survived on his own ever since. Youngman is also the tallest tribute in this year’s Games, at 6’4”--and he immediately promises Appleblossom that he will protect her if he can.
The District 11 tributes have no official mentor, since Orchus, who won the 8th Games, was executed immediately after his victory for defying the Capitol.
District 12
Daisy Chains: Daisy is reaped at 14. She is from the Seam, is skinny and malnourished, and took out tesserae for her whole family. She is mourned by her father and four little brothers. Her mother was killed in a mine collapse last year.
Fraser Sae: Fraser is reaped at 16, and is also from the Seam. He has been working in the mines for three years and already seems sick. Fraser is mourned by his mother and sister Clarabelle (14).
The District 12 tributes have no official mentor, since Lucy Grey Baird, who won the 10th Games, disappeared shortly after her victory.
Trip to the Capitol
At this point, the Games are still more punishment than spectacle. The tributes are taken to the Capitol in a rather barren train car, in chains. Most of the Capitol escorts hate their tributes, and Districts 3, 5, 6, 11, and 12 have no mentors to accompany their tributes.
Most of the tributes are distressed by the chains, but none more so than Maria from District 6, who comes from a wealthy family and is used to being treated with some level of respect. Her district partner, Jay, who is very used to being mistreated, does his best to calm her down. The Peacekeepers note with some surprise that his kindness also extends to everyone else---including them. One of them even eventually agrees to unchain Maria after a few hours when Jay requests it.
Youngman from District 11 repeats his promise of protection to Appleblossom.
Fraser from District 12 makes a similar promise to his partner Daisy.
Amaze from District 1 tells Julietta that he will not kill her, but that he cannot afford to protect her either.
Arrival in the Capitol
When the tributes arrive at the train station, they are met with a moderately sized crowd.
Amaze, Varro, Cassia, Oceania, and Pontus immediately attract attention based on their volunteer status and healthy, trained appearance.
Julietta, Nuke, Amber, and Appleblossom receive token sympathy for their youth and/or illness.
Youngman attracts attention due to his sheer size.
Maria is an immediate crowd favorite due to her nice clothes---she seems the most “Capitol” of the tributes.
But Jay, her partner, steals the show with his kindness. He helps Maria out of their train car, asks Capitol citizens in the crowd their names, tries to cheer up Nuke, is respectful to the on-duty Peacekeepers, and then offers to help any tributes who are smaller or younger than himself into the van that will take them to their next stop.
The Zoo
The tributes are housed in the old Capitol zoo, at Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul's way-too-cheerful insistence. She is deliberately calling back to the 10th Games just to frustrate 23-year-old junior Gamemaker Coriolanus Snow. “Such a lovely way to celebrate the fifth anniversary of your success, Coryo!”
This year, the tributes from the different districts each have separate cages, to prevent any tributes from attacking each other before the Games, and they are consistently fed, at Snow’s insistence. Snow wanted to ensure that the Capitol audience receives a good show, and that is more likely to happen if all the tributes are alive to make it to the arena.
The district mentors are not impressed by the way their tributes are housed, but have no say in the matter.
Amaze and Julietta are housed in the old bear exhibit. Amaze does push-ups and climbs up the artificial cliff not to show off, but to keep in shape. Julietta mostly sobs---but her novelty as a 13-year-old female tribute from District 1 means that Capitol citizens shower her with food. Platinum capitalizes on Amaze’s status as a victor to pull in a few sponsors. Luxe, Julietta’s mentor, mostly tries to calm her down, but also earns a sponsorship pledge for Julietta from a sentimental old Capitol woman.
Varro and Cassia are housed where the lions were kept. The implication is lost on no one. Both of them spar with each other and do their level best to ignore the whispers from the guests about “those vicious District animals”. Ahenobarbus and Valkyrie provide critiques of their technique and mostly ignore the crowds.
Ada and Isaac are housed where the zebras were kept. Ada helps Isaac walk through the periodic table to keep calm. As the child of rebels, Ada is treated particularly poorly by the Capitol guests, a few of whom throw trash at her. The Peacekeepers only intervene when someone pulls out a rock.
Oceania and Pontus are housed in the penguin exhibit, which still has water in it. Pontus inadvertently entertains the audience by showing off his swimming skills. Outside, Mags and Tide butter up potential sponsors. Oceania has dozens by noon thanks to Mags’ efforts.
Nuke and Protia are housed in the turtle exhibit. Nuke sobs violently and receives a sandwich from a Capitol child. Protia calmly scans the zoo and seems to be observing everything. The few Capitol guests who stop by are unnerved but intrigued. Tiberius, the District 2 victor who was randomly assigned to mentor them, reluctantly arrives and introduces himself to them. Nuke cries harder at the sight of the terrifying victor, but Protia starts asking questions about weapons, about potential weaknesses in the other tributes, and about traps she could set in the arena. Decimus still wants his own District to win, but he is impressed enough by Protia to start offering her advice.
Protia is clearly protective of Nuke in her own quiet way, but is clearly coldly dismissive of all the other tributes. Volumnia Gaul is intrigued by her coldness and clever mind. She has the potential to be a real danger in the arena--perfect for supporting her thesis about human nature.
Jay and Maria are housed in the exhibit to the left of Varro and Cassia, which housed tigers. Maria is quietly distressed by her circumstances, but maintains her composure. Capitol guests adore her fine clothes and polite manners---even Coriolanus’ formidable Grandma’am expresses a bit of sympathy for her. Jay continues to charm the crowds just by being himself. He is polite but not timid with the Peacekeepers, very supportive of his vulnerable district partner, and, when he hears the crowd sneering at the District 2 tributes for being "animals", he actually quietly defends them, much to the surprise of Cassia, Varro, and their mentors. Jay also protects the District 9 tributes who are in the exhibit to his right, asking the crowds who throw trash at Sower to target him instead, since he is older and also the son of a rebel, and doing his best to encourage Amber.
Coriolanus Snow and Volumina Gaul, who have been keeping tabs on the situation, have opposite reactions to Jay. Snow is very pleased with Jay, believing that his kindness will be extremely marketable and draw in a large audience. Gaul is disgusted. The Games are supposed to demonstrate the worst in humanity, and this 17-year-old gutter boy is instead demonstrating the best of it. It is a threat to her thesis about humanity---and one she wants to eliminate.
Redwood and Stalk are housed in what was once the red panda exhibit. Stalk is slender enough to scale the bamboo trees, which she does, more to avoid the gawking crowds than anything else. Redwood talks strategy with his mentor, Jules Elmer. Vera Sandalwood, who won last year, utilizes her fame as the most recent victor to sign a few sponsors for Stalk.
Violet and Retter are housed in the old wolf exhibit. Violet is pretty and dignified enough to avoid being targeted for her position as the child of known rebels, but she doesn't receive much sympathy from the crowds. Retter's missing arm allows their mentor, Woof, to sign a few sponsors for him.
Amber and Sower are housed to the left of the District 6 tributes in what was once the cheetah exhibit. Sower is jeered by the crowds for his status as the child of rebels, and only the interference of Jay keeps him from being tormented more extensively. Amber is quiet and scared, and is terrified of having an asthma attack. Wheaton Vale, their mentor, provides arena advice for Sower---run away as quickly as possible and avoid attention---and manages to sign a few pity sponsors for Amber.
Ducktail and Butcher are housed in the old camel exhibit. Ducktail is timid at first, but quickly warms up to the crowds and is soon receiving lots of food and even a few sponsorship pledges. Butcher does pushups and shows off his strength, which allows their mentor Bovina to pull in some sponsors for him as well. She advises Butcher to run for a weapon if he can, and tells Ducktail to run away from the initial melee.
Youngman and Appleblossom are housed in what used to be the elephant pen. Appleblossom, as the youngest tribute of the year, receives an apple and a blanket from the Capitol audience. Youngman stands over her protectively and quietly watches the crowd.
Fraser and Daisy are housed in the monkey exhibit, as per the explicit instructions of Volumina Gaul. While they do not understand the reference being made---their families were too poor for televisions during the 10th Games---Coriolanus Snow definitely does. Annoyed, he confronts Gaul about it, and, predictably, she is unmoved. “At least you aren't in the cage with them this year.” In the cage, Fraser reiterates his promise to protect Daisy if he can. The crowd mostly ignores them both.
Training
Training for the tributes was held in the Peacekeeper barracks on the day after the tributes arrived in the Capitol. The tributes are marched to the barracks in chains, then presented with a few weapons and some very primitive survival tools by the Peacekeepers, who provide basic instructions in how to use them. Pontus and Oceania pick up spears and use them with practiced ease. Varro and Amaze both have some skill with swords. Cassia knows how to use knives---and Protia from District 5, despite a lack of formal training, also displays a surprising aptitude for them. Youngman from District 11 is incredibly strong. Stalk from District 7, Ducktail from District 10, and Sower from District 9 all excel at survival skills. Jay from District 6 is incredibly fast and agile, and also makes a point of encouraging and teaching the smallest and weakest tributes. Butcher from District 10 displays a knack for hand-to-hand combat and actually knocks a Peacekeeper to the floor. Redwood from District 7 can swing an axe. Most of the other tributes are frightened and clumsy in most areas, and are ignored by the Peacekeepers.
Mags, Tide, Platinum, Ahenobarbus, Valkyrie, and Decimus decide that Oceania, Pontus, Cassia, Varro, Amaze, and Protia should ally to eliminate the weaker tributes early. Similar alliances had been made in the 10th, 12th, and 14th Games, and had been effective. This alliance also draws in more sponsors for all six tributes.
Scores
The scores are a relatively new concept, introduced by Coriolanus Snow two years prior as a way to increase betting and viewership.
District 1
Amaze scores an 8.
Julietta scores a 3.
District 2
Varro scores a 9.
Cassia scores an 8.
District 3
Ada scores a 5.
Isaac scores a 4.
District 4
Oceania scores a 9.
Pontus scores a 7.
District 5
Protia scores an 8.
Nuke scores a 2.
District 6
Jay scores a 7.
Maria scores a 4.
District 7
Stalk scores a 5.
Redwood scores a 6.
District 8
Violet scores a 4.
Retter scores a 3 (his missing hand biased the Peacekeepers and Gamemakers against him.)
District 9
Amber scores a 2.
Sower scores a 6.
District 10
Ducktail scores a 4.
Butcher scores a 6.
District 11
Appleblossom scores a 2.
Youngman scores a 7.
District 12
Daisy scores a 3.
Fraser scores a 4.
Interviews
Lucky Flickerman hosts interviews with the tributes two hours after the scores are announced.
Julietta, tiny and adorable in the lacy pink dress she had been reaped in, wins the sympathy of the audience without even really trying. Since she is from District 1, she reminds the audience of a Capitol child, and her mentor, Luxe, is soon inundated with sponsorship pledges from mothers and the elderly.
Amaze explains how his Peacekeeper father taught him the importance of loyalty to the Capitol---and how to fight. Several serious betters sponsor him when he expertly explains his sword technique. Coriolanus Snow notes him as useful for propaganda purposes.
Varro mostly talks about his strength and skill with weapons. Unlike Amaze, he does not mention training specifically, since Ahenobarbus does not have the excuse that he was initially being prepared to be a Peacekeeper, but he leaves no doubt that he is ready and able to kill. Some members of the audience are excited by him, but many dismiss him as a barbarian or an animal. Nevertheless, the more bloodthirsty members of the audience line up to sponsor him---as do many serious betters.
Cassia speaks of her courage and unyielding resolve, and presents herself as a survivor. Many serious betters sponsor her, but the causal audience dismisses her in the same way they dismissed Varro---as a cold-hearted district savage.
Ada does not attend the interviews, since District 3 has no official mentor and no one to encourage her to do so.
Isaac does attend, but barely makes it through two questions before his nerves completely hijack the interview. Lucky makes a few awful jokes about it, which only makes the situation worse.
Oceania primarily focuses on her close relationship with Mags. “We're like sisters.” The Capitol loves Mags, so they eat this up. Oceania's sponsorship numbers skyrocket.
Pontus describes his incredible swimming abilities, his ability to hold his breath for two and a half minutes, and his skill with a spear. As with Cassia and Varro, he is a favorite of serious betters, but unlike them, he also appeals to the casual audience.
Protia is clever, calculating, and cold. She speaks of doing whatever is necessary to win, describes a few potential traps she could set, and unnerves the audience a bit---but the more bloodthirsty Capitol citizens and the serious betters are very intrigued, and Decimus signs a number of sponsors for her---more than any District 5 tribute in the history of the Games.
Nuke cries through the whole interview. Two old ladies and a little boy sponsor him.
Maria charms the audience with her fine clothes, polite manners, and intelligence. A few Capitol citizens even petition for her to be released from the Games and replaced with someone less civilized. She is a heavy favorite with upper-class sponsors and the educate--but no one believes she will win.
Jay steals the show with his good looks, kindness, and All-Panem-boy-next-door attitude. More of the audience signs up to sponsor him than any other tribute, much to the bewilderment of his Capitol escort, who had dismissed the boy as gutter trash.
Stalk is quiet and only says a few sentences, mostly about surviving in the woods. The casual audience is bored by her, much to the frustration of Vera, her mentor.
Redwood discusses his family and his work crew and makes sure the audience knows he can use an axe. The performance nets him a few sponsors.
Violet and her quiet, dignified beauty make the audience mostly forget that she was the child of rebels. Woof even pulls in a handful of sponsors after she says that she plans to meet her end with courage and equanimity.
Retter is handsome enough to earn sponsors for his looks alone, even with his missing hand. In his interviews, he speaks of how he works full shifts in District 8 in spite of his apparent handicap.
Amber has an asthma attack on stage and is rushed to the hospital on Snow’s orders. (Gaul tries to have her left to die but is overruled because the President wants all 24 tributes to make it to the Games.) This earns her a few more pity sponsorships.
Sower is clearly displeased with the audience, but does quietly mention that he knows how to live off the land. The audience boos him and one person in the audience throws a tomato--which ends up hitting Lucky instead.
Ducktail, the District 10 girl, is bubbly, ditzy, and friendly. The audience likes her, and District 10 mentor Bovina signs dozens of sponsorships from rich Capitol children who want to spend their allowance money on the “funny farmer girl who smiles”.
Butcher, the District 10 boy, talks about how he is not only the best wrestler in his school but was strong enough to lift a cow out of a ditch. The audience is impressed; Bovina pulls in sponsors.
Appleblossom comes onstage in her battered overalls and bare feet---and charms the audience with her tiny size and love of small animals.
Youngman, with no mentor, flatly refuses to show up.
Daisy speaks about ten words in the whole interview. Lucky pokes fun at her with tasteless jokes.
Fraser immediately defends his district partner to the crowd. This earns him a few sponsors and the enmity of Lucky, who calls Gaul and insists the boy be launched next to one of the killers in the arena.
The Arena
The arena for the Fifteenth Hunger Games was a massive barley field, surrounded by a deciduous forest. There is no Cornucopia yet. The supplies are simply scattered around the field where the tributes are launched.
The Bloodbath
Jay dashes for the supplies and makes it to the center in 10.5 seconds, grabs a huge backpack of supplies, and vanishes into the woods almost before the proto-Careers even leave their platforms. Jay does not quite know his own speed. He expects Maria to join him quickly, but she does not---and is horrified when he realizes that he may have accidentally left her to die, since he is too far away from the field to be sure how to return to it.
Back near the supplies, the proto-Careers are grabbing weapons. Amaze gets a sword. Oceania and Pontus take spears. Varro takes a mace, although he is not 100% sure if he can actually use it effectively--he was trained on swords, but Amaze took the only one. Cassia takes two knives. Protia from 5 snatches up a pair of sais. She does not know what they are, but she likes how they look. Ten seconds later, she claims the first kill---Fraser from District 12, who was deliberately launched next to her.
Sower grabs a small bag near his feet and disappears far into the barley field. Youngman runs in further, claims a bag of supplies and a sickle, fights off Oceania--injuring her arm in the process---finds his terrified district partner, Appleblossom, and disappears with her into the same field.
Amber is killed by Protia when her asthma kicks in and she doubles over, coughing. Nuke is quickly dispatched by Varro while Protia is killing Amber. Protia is upset when she turns around and sees his little body collapsing to the ground. For all her ruthlessness, she did not want her district partner to be killed---especially by her ally.
Julietta escapes with a very small bag of supplies because her district partner Amaze lets her run off without a word. She disappears into the forest.
The girl from District 7, Stalk, grabs a small bag of supplies and a pocketknife and disappears into the woods. Her older district partner, Redwood, tries for an axe and is killed by Pontus.
Cassia kills Maria with a knife after she trips while trying to flee.
Oceania kills Retter from 8 when sees her injury and tries to steal her spear. Varro and Amaze kill Isaac and Ada from 3 while they try to collect supplies. Protia kills Violet from 8 with a quick thrust of her sais.
Two minutes after killing Maria, Cassia finds and kills Daisy from 12, who was stunned by Frasers death and waited too long to run.
The boy from District 10, Butcher, tries to tackle Varro, and is killed for his trouble. Ducktail, his partner, grabs a water bottle and a package of crackers and escapes into the grain field.
The Bloodbath ends with the proto-Career pack in control of the remaining supplies. They stack them up to make them more defensible---and then Protia calls out Varro for killing her district partner.
"Nuke was 13. No threat. And you killed him."
"I had to. And I didn't see you hesitate when you murdered that kid with asthma."
"She wasn't one of our partners."
Cassia interrupts.
"You two can kill each other over it later---after we finish off the others. For now, put it behind you."
Varro and Protia comply, reluctantly, but everyone in the audience can tell that they are still furious with each other.
On the other side of the supplies, Pontus bandages the wound Oceania received in her fight with Youngman.
The proto-Career pack spends the rest of the day gathering and organizing supplies and planning their hunting pattern for the next day.
The remaining tributes either hide themselves or continue moving towards the edge of the arena. Jay, as the fastest tribute, makes it the furthest. He spends the whole day apologizing to Maria for accidentally leaving her behind.
There are no cannons to signify deaths, and jo faces appear in the sky when night falls. Those practices have not yet been implemented. As a result, most of the surviving tributes have no idea how many tributes are still alive.
The proto-Career pack knows that 11 tributes died in the Bloodbath, since they killed them, but do not know that no other tributes died in the remainder of the first day.
Protia is the last of the proto-Career pack to fall asleep. She stares out into the forest.
"Nuke is gone. And so is my obligation. Now, the gloves come off," she murmured.
The Fallen: Day 1
Isaac (D3 M): Killed by Varro (D2 M)
Ada (D3 F): Killed by Amaze (D1 M)
Nuke (D5 M): Killed by Varro (D2 M)
Maria (D6 F): Killed by Cassia (D2 F)
Redwood (D7 M): Killed by Pontus (D4 M)
Retter (D8 M): Killed by Oceania (D4 F)
Violet (D8 F): Killed by Protia (D5 F)
Amber (D9 F): Killed by Protia (D5 F)
Butcher (D10 M): Killed by Varro (D2 M)
Fraser (D12 M): Killed by Protia (D5 F)
Daisy (D12 F): Killed by Cassia (D2 F)
Districts 3, 8, and 12 have been eliminated.
Day 2
At 7:16 AM, Stalk runs into Julietta. Julietta initially panics, but calms down when Stalk offers her some berries she foraged and proposes an alliance. Stalk knows how to survive in the woods, and Julietta is popular in the Capitol and will likely receive a lot of sponsorship gifts. Julietta eagerly agrees to the alliance.
At 9:45 AM, Jay reaches the edge of the arena, receives a compass as a sponsor gift, and turns around in the hopes of finding Maria, since he has no way of knowing she is dead.
At 4:25 PM, the proto-Careers track down and kill the unfortunate Sower, who was hiding in the barley field. Cassia makes the kill with her knife.
The Fallen: Day 2
Sower (D9 M): Killed by Cassia (D2 F).
District 9 is eliminated.
Day 3
At 10:34 AM, Jay finds Julietta and Stalk and offers to ally himself with them. Since both girls remember his compassion from their training session, they quickly agree. The Capitol audience is becoming very emotionally invested in this little alliance, and Snow is pleased. Jay is excellent for PR and for increasing viewership of the Games, especially amongst parents, young children, and the middle class Capitol citizens.
Volumnia Gaul is displeased. Jay is violating her thesis about human nature.
At 5:46 PM, the proto-Careers find Ducktail, from District 10, hiding in the barley fields. Protia kills her with her sais before Pontus can throw his spear, and seems to enjoy it a little too much.
"The squeak she made almost sounded like a quack."
The Fallen: Day 3
Ducktail (D10 F): Killed by Protia (D5 F).
District 10 is eliminated.
Day 4:
At 11:35 AM, the proto-Careers track down Youngman. (Appleblossom is hidden away in the thickest part of the field.) Youngman puts up a very good fight with his sickle, but is ultimately taken down by Varro and Amaze as a pair.
At 1:14 PM, the proto-Careers find Appleblossom, but are divided on how to deal with the 12-year-old. Oceania and Amaze want to let her go. Pontus, Varro, and Cassia agree, since Appleblossom is no threat and will likely die on her own anyway.
But while they are coming to this decision, Protia kills the little girl with a quick stab of her sai.
"I want to get home, and I do not care how I get there."
Gaul is practically doing a happy dance in the Gamemakers’ control center. Protia is proof of her belief that humanity will descend into savagery when cornered. Snow is frustrated, since the brutal death of a helpless 12-year-old decreased ratings.
The Fallen: Day 4
Youngman (D11 M): Killed by Verro (D2 M) and Amaze (D1 M).
Appleblossom (D11 F): Killed by Protia (D5 F).
District 11 is eliminated.
Day 5
The proto-Careers venture into the woods. Jay notes their arrival, carefully hides himself, Stalk, and Julietta, and then starts to mess with the supplies of the proto-Careers. Already fractured, they start to argue and blame each other. Only the knowledge that they have not killed all the competition keeps them together.
Stalk is wryly amused by Jay and his clever scheme.
"You're an evil mastermind. Keep it up."
Julietta is relieved that the proto-Careers are distracted.
Snow is pleased by Jay’s strategy. It played well with the audience and increased ratings. Gaul is annoyed by it. Jay is using too much cleverness and not nearly enough brutality.
Day 6
At 12:22 PM, Jay steals more supplies from the proto-Careers, further fracturing the pack, who blame one another for the thefts.
At 12:45 PM, Protia sneaks off into the woods while the rest of the pack argues, sets some basic traps, and comes back without being noticed.
Day 7
At 6:46 AM, Julietta unwisely wanders off, trying to find water to be helpful to the alliance she has made with Stalk and Jay. At 8:22 AM, she falls into Protia’s spike-pit trap, breaks her leg, is non-fatally impaled, and starts shrieking in pain. Jay and Stalk search desperately for her for two hours, and arrive on the scene at 9:40---just in time to see Protia stab Julietta with her sais. The kill is quick--but the torture in the trap lasted hours. Jay and Stalk are devastated by the death of their young ally.
In the Gamemakers’ control center, Gaul is giddy with excitement. She loved the pit trap, and now is determined to have Protia crowned victor. Snow is disgusted. Blind sadism, directed at small children, does not play well with the audience.
The Fallen: Day 7
Julietta (D1 F): Killed by Protia (D5 F).
Day 8
At 5:45 AM, Jay steals more supplies from the proto-Career pack, and also leaves a message for Amaze, who was Julietta's district partner and saved her life in the Bloodbath by allowing her to flee.
"Julietta is dead. And Protia knows why."
Protia refuses to explain when the rest of the pack interrogates her about the note.
Amaze is devastated to learn that his district partner is dead.
This further fractures the already shaky unity of the pack.
At 2:24 PM, Gaul, who hates Jay for refusing to comply with her narrative of human nature, unleashes her latest mutt---an unspeakably horrible mixture of a deer and a bear---on Jay and Stalk.
Jay manages to survive. Stalk--in spite of Jay’s best efforts--does not. Jay is devastated.
Gaul is pleased with her work.
"My precious baby did well. Don't you think so, Coriolanus?
Snow is also pleased, but for a different reason. Jay's loyalty to his allies has been received very well by the audience. When he mourns the death of Stalk, viewership increases by 20%.
The Fallen: Day 8
Stalk (D7 F): Killed by Gaul's "precious baby".
District 7 is eliminated.
Day 9
At 5:15 AM, Jay steals as many supplies from the proto-Careers as he can, destroys them, leaves another message about Julietta, and then conceals himself near their camp.
"Protia created a spike trap, and killed Julietta after she fell into it---but only after letting her suffer. She was 13. She never had a chance."
When the proto-Careers come back from their fruitless hunt, they find their supplies ransacked---and the second note. When Amaze reads it, he is furious---and as he demands to know if the note is true, the proto-Career pack violently turns on itself.
As soon as he sees Protia reach for her sais, Jay flees the scene.
Protia kills Oceania, who was already wounded from her previous battle with Youngman, and Cassia, who was too close to Protia and reacted too slowly when she exploded into violence.
Varro kills Pontus, out of the belief that he poses the most dangerous physical threat after a brief but heated battle--and is then stabbed from behind and killed by Protia.
Amaze and Protia then battle one another, and, while Protia seriously wounds him, Amaze ultimately kills Protia when he drives his sword through her neck.
"That was for Julietta!"
The Fallen: Day 9
Oceania (D4 F): Killed by Protia (D5 F).
Cassia (D2 F): Killed by Protia (D5 F).
Pontus (D4 M): Killed by Verro (D2 M).
Varro (D2 M): Killed by Protia (D5 F).
Protia (D5 F): Killed by Amaze (D1 M).
Day 11
At 10:14 AM, Amaze dies from the wounds inflicted two days prior by Protia. Jay is declared the Victor of the 15th Annual Hunger Games--a feat he achieved without a single direct kill.
The Fallen: Day 11
Amaze (D1 M): Bled out from untreated wounds inflicted by Protia (D5 F).
The Victor: 17-year-old Jay Garrick, from District 6.
The Immediate Aftermath
Gaul is decidedly annoyed. Jay winning without directly taking a single life, and after trying to defend two younger and weaker tributes, undermines her premise that people are selfish and will always resort to violence when cornered.
Snow is pleased. The Capitol audience is enamored with Jay, and the fight he engineered on Day 9 was a phenomenal ratings success.
Jay is horrified. While he may not have directly killed anyone, he feels morally responsible for the deaths of the proto-Career pack, and intense survivor's guilt for having failed to save Maria, Julietta, and Stalk.
The Capitol press immediately nicknames Jay the New Mercury, in reference to his incredible 10.5 second dash to and away from the supplies in the opening bloodbath.
In his victory interview with Lucky Flickerman, Jay is clearly haunted by his experiences and spends most of his time praising his allies. Any time Lucky tries to praise him directly, he deflects and credits his allies, luck, or his supporters in the Capitol.
The audience interprets this as admirable humility, and Jay becomes more popular than ever.
The Victor
As the first ever victor from District 6, Jay receives a hero's welcome when he returns home to District 6 from the Capitol. Because of his victory, the whole district will receive a steady supply of food for the entire year---and the reminder of this marks the first time Jay feels his victory accomplished something worthwhile.
Jay takes up whittling as soon as he is settled into his enormous house in the Victor's Village with his mother Pauline. A few weeks later, he also starts charitable work in District 6, using his resources to provide for the many people in the District who are struggling. This, naturally, makes him even more popular in his district.
6 months later, Jay is forced to go on his Victory Tour---and, in the process, pulls off a remarkable feat: being received well in all 12 districts. Jay speaks well of all the fallen tributes, is openly and sincerely sympathetic to their families, and is kind and respectful to everyone.
The Victory Tour is capped off by Jay's marriage to his sweetheart, Joan Williams, which is held in the Capitol, and is attended by hundreds of Capitol citizens. Joan's father, Arthur, who still despises Jay and views him as a rebel's brat, reluctantly attends because the Capitol is hosting the wedding, but quietly refuses to walk his daughter down the aisle. President Ravinstill, eager to capitalize off a popular victor, escorts Joan down the aisle in his place.
Junior Gamemaker Coriolanus Snow provides an elegant toast to the new bride and groom.
Volumnia Gual burns her invitation and refuses to attend the wedding.
The Underground
Four months after his marriage, Jay started privately communicating with Mags Flanagan from District 4 and Bovina Martinez from District 10 about ways to protect as many people as possible from the predations of the Capitol.
Because he was so popular, beloved, and outwardly content, no one---not even Coriolanus Snow---suspected that Jay would involve himself in subversive activities, which allowed him to operate with considerable freedom. Joan, his wife, eagerly supported him as soon as she found out what he was doing.
Mercury had been a trickster as well as a speedster. The New Mercury would live up to that legacy---and eventually help to topple the Capitol.
Chapter 2: The 17th Annual Hunger Games
Chapter Text
The Tributes
District 1
Glitter Bronson, age 18, surprises the district when she volunteers for 15-year-old Topaz Clare. She is the first female volunteer in the history of District 1, and has been trained by victor Platinum Shine for the last three years. She is mourned by her parents and her older brother Tourmaline (19), who did not know that she planned to volunteer. Glitter had seen the way that other Districts had been showered with food after a tribute from their district won, and she wanted to do the same for her District, which had not had a victor since the Capitol had implemented the policy of rewarding the district of the victorious tribute.
Sheen Toloun, age 17, volunteers for 13-year-old Brass Tone, and is the third male volunteer from his district---but is not nearly as enthusiastic as Glitter. Sheen's older brother Amaze had volunteered for and died in the 15th Games, which devasted Sheen. But their father Flynn, an ex-Peacekeeper, insisted that Sheen also had to train and volunteer, both to honor his brother's “noble sacrifice” and to bring glory to District 1.
Glitter is mentored by Platinum Shine, who won the 5th Games and had trained her when she showed up on his doorstep and clandestinely requested that he teach her to use weapons.
Sheen is mentored by Luxe St. James, who won the 2nd Games and is increasingly distressed by the volunteer culture that is developing in District 1.
District 2
Valeria Domain, age 17, volunteers for 14-year-old Lexia More. She has been trained for four years by victor Valkyrie Stevens, and makes her way to the stage with utter confidence and more than a hint of fury. Valeria is seen off by her two brothers, Jovian (18) and Maximus (14). Her abusive father, Plinius, is furious at her for volunteering, since it means he loses a year of tesserae from her.
Rockwell Steppe, age 15, is reaped, and no one volunteers for him. The boy Ahenobarbus had been training to volunteer, Claudius, was killed in a rockslide that destroyed his entire town two months before the Games, leaving no time to find a replacement. Rockwell is tall and strong for his age, since he has been working in the quarries for two years, and he puts on a brave front, but he is secretly terrified. Rockwell is mourned by his parents and his 10-year-old sister Themis.
Valeria is mentored by Valkyrie Stevens (33), who won the 3rd Games and trained Valeria out of a belief that her rough upbringing could be used to mold her into an effective tribute.
Rockwell is mentored by Ahenobarbus Romero (35), who won the first-ever Games and is not impressed with the boy who is representing District 2 in the stead of the now-dead Claudius.
District 3
Dotty Seo, age 12, is reaped. She is obviously terrified but keeps a smile on her face as she makes her way to the stage. Dotty is small for her age, and well-loved for her off-beat sense of humor and clever wit. She is mourned by her parents, 2 older sisters, and 2 younger brothers.
Tech Okada, also age 12, is reaped, and bursts into tears immediately. Unlike Dotty, he has to be dragged onstage, but like Dotty, he is small for his age. Tech is mourned by his grandparents and his little sister Circ, who is 8.
Both Dotty and Tech are mentored by the brilliant Gates Grandam (17), who won the 16th Games last year by weaponizing the arena itself. He is painfully aware that the Capitol arranged for both his tributes to be twelve-year-olds in order to punish him for the way he won.
District 4
Lagoon Miyazaki, age 18, volunteers for 16-year-old Miranda Storm. She has been trained for the past five years by Mags Flanagan and is both beautiful and deadly. Lagoon also clearly has family ties to District 3; her parents moved from District 3 to District 4 for administrative reasons shortly before the First Rebellion. She is seen off by her parents and her two brothers, Beach (14) and Sand (11).
Seagrass O’Connor, age 17, volunteers for 13-year-old Flounder Bass. Seagrass has been trained for the past three years by Tide Okeith and Mags Flanagan, and he and Lagoon are very loyal to one another. Seagrass is seen off by his mother and 4 older sisters.
Lagoon is mentored by the legendary Mags Flanagan (23), who won the 11th Games and has carefully overseen her training.
Seagrass is mentored by Tide Okeith (27), who won the 9th Games and is immensely proud of his trainee.
District 5
Binnie Mallory, age 14, is reaped. She is an orphan from a Community Home and weighs maybe 85 pounds. She is fascinated with history and genealogy, but has no useful skills for the arena. She is forced onstage in tears. She is mourned by her friends from the Home, who admired her ability to track down their relatives.
Watt Powers, age 15, is reaped, and also has to be forced onstage. Watt is known for his ability to juggle and balance a book on his nose. Watt is mourned by his mother, older brother, and his two little sisters.
Since District 5 has no victors, the two tributes have no official mentor.
District 6
Cloudy Daze, age 17, is reaped. She is already addicted to cloudpowder and morphling, as are her parents and older brother. The whole family is so trapped in their addictions that none of them really react when she is pulled onstage by the Peacekeepers.
Rev Thomas, age 14, is reaped. Like Cloudy, he is from the morphling ghettos. Unlike Cloudy, he is not addicted to drugs, although his parents are. Rev works after school as an assistant train repairman. Rev is mourned by his three little brothers, one little sister, and his coworkers.
Both Cloudy and Rev are mentored by Jay Garrick (19), who won the 15th Games and is determined to do everything he can to keep his tributes safe, happy, and---if possible-alive.
District 7
Bark Merrit, age 13, is reaped. Bark is terrified when his name is called--and then both relieved and upset when his older sister Branches volunteers to enter the arena with him to protect him. Bark is mourned by his father and his little sister Tonya (7).
Branches Merrit, age 17, volunteers to protect Bark, also saving the life of 15-year-old Jessi Mason in the process. She works as a lumberjack and knows how to use an axe. Branches is mourned by her father, her little sister Tonya, and her coworkers. Branches is also the first female volunteer from District 7.
Bark is mentored by Jules Elmer (28), who won the 7th Games and is relieved that his 13-year-old tribute will have a protector in the arena.
Branches is mentored by Vera Sandalwood (19), who won the 14th Games and thinks Branches has a real chance of winning the Games.
District 8
Rose Canton, age 16, is reaped. She is the sweet, gentle daughter of well-off florists from District 8. The family sells to the mayor, district officials, and Peacekeepers, and is blindsided when Rose, who only has five slips in the reaping bowl, has her name called. Rose makes her way to the stage in numb shock. She is mourned by her parents and her little brother Denim (10).
Richard Swift, age 16, is also reaped. When his name is read, it produces confusion in the crowd. Almost no one recognizes the name or the dark-haired, pale-skinned boy who makes his way to the stage. Eventually, someone in the crowd identifies him as the son of a family that was killed mysteriously shortly after the end of the First Rebellion. Richard became a pickpocket at 5 and started earning extra money as a terrific embroiderer at 9. No one knows where he lives or how he survives--including his teachers, who are puzzled by his affinity for literature.
Both Rose and Richard are mentored by Woof Barton (22), who won the 13th Games with his hand-to-hand fighting skills. Woof is dismayed by Rose, who is obviously fragile, and utterly bewildered by Richard, who seems more like a ghost than a boy.
District 9
Ceres Meal, age 15, is reaped. She is famous in her tiny town for taking care of her blind mother, 2 little brothers, and 3 little sisters. Their father walked out on them soon after the youngest sibling, Proserpina (2 years old) was born. Ceres is mourned by her family and town, who admire her work ethic.
Rye Summers, age 13, is reaped as well. Rye is tall for his age, but thin, and mostly known for being a practical jokester. Rye even cracks a joke on the stage to mask his terror. Rye is mourned by his father and older sister Waverly (16).
Rye and Ceres are mentored by Wheaton Vale (30), who won the 4th Games and is already quietly mourning both of his likable but almost certainly doomed tributes.
District 10
Lamb Calaveras, age 14, is reaped. She is thin and slight, but is known for her ability to avoid trouble---and since her family is hated by the Peacekeepers, she has to use this ability often. She is mourned by her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and 10 siblings.
Beef Terrence, age 18, is also reaped. He is a well-built ranch hand who hates his first name, loves to cook, and has a good sense of humor. Beef is mourned by his parents, his married sister, his brother-in-law, and his niece, Anna (3).
Both Lamb and Beef are mentored by Bovina Martinez (23), who won the 12th Games with a cleaver and is actually optimistic about the prospects of both her tributes this year.
District 11
Cherry LaBeau, 18, is reaped---and immediately makes an impression on everyone. She is 6’1”, strong from years of field work, beautiful, and carries herself like a queen. She quietly tells her mother and two sisters not to cry in front of the cameras, and when she says she will come home, everyone in the district believes it.
Seed Link, 14, is also reaped. Seed is well-known for being scrappy and good in a fight despite his small size, and once fought off a Peacekeeper who whipped his father. Seed is mourned by his father, mother, and two little brothers.
The District 11 tributes have no official mentor, since Orchus, who won the 8th Games, was executed immediately after his victory for defying the Capitol--but Decimus Calderon (28), the District 2 victor who won the 6th Games, is randomly assigned to mentor District 11 this year, and is also forced to travel to District 11 and ride to the Capitol with the tributes.
District 12
Heather Callow, 16, is reaped. She is from the Seam and is known for being a gambler, just like the rest of her family. She puts on a brave front when her name was called, and even smokes a cigarette onstage. She is mourned by her two older brothers, both of whom were well-known for running the black-market gambling scene.
Cole Baker, 14, is reaped. Cole is part of the Merchant class and is the son of the town blacksmith. The district is surprised when his name is called, because children from the Merchant class are reaped infrequently. Cole is clearly nervous when he is dragged onstage, but does not cry---mainly because he does not want Heather to laugh at him. Cole is mourned by his parents and little brother Andy (10).
The District 12 tributes have no official mentor, since Lucy Grey Baird, who won the 10th Games, disappeared shortly after her victory.
Trip to the Capitol
The tributes are taken to the Capitol in separate barren train cars, in chains. Most of the Capitol escorts hate their tributes, and Districts 5, 11, and 12 have no mentors to accompany them or protect them from the Peacekeepers.
In the District 1 car, Sheen thinks about how his brother must have been crazy to volunteer for chains and public death, and how he is even crazier for doing the same. But his father is craziest of all. He pushed them both to this. His mentor, Platinum, sympathizes. The younger Peacekeepers flirt with the 18-year-old, beautiful Glitter. Her mentor, Luxe, tries to warn her off from this, but she thinks it's harmless and will even give her an edge in the Games.
In the car for District 2, Valeria is chained down tightly, since she seems like an obvious threat. When Valkyrie and Ahenobarbus insist that she is, in fact, a trained solider and not a wild animal, one of the Peacekeepers responds by breaking protocol and chaining both of them as well. The fact that they are victors is irrelevant to him, and, indeed, he seems to relish the excuse to put them in their place.
Valkyrie quietly seethes, but decides to pick her battles and accepts the chains. Ahenobarbus, the first-ever victor, who fought for the Capitol in the First Rebellion as a teenager and won his Games more as a solider than as a scared tribute, does not. But he is not armed, is chained, and is outnumbered. As soon as he attacks the first Peacekeeper, he is swarmed and beaten down by the rest, leaving him with a black eye, a broken wrist, and several broken ribs--though several of the Peacekeepers do end up with injuries of their own.
The first Peacekeeper sneers. “You're not a soldier, Ahenobarbus. You're a mad dog---and murdering a lot of other dogs 16 years ago doesn't change that.”
Ahenobarbus sneers, knowing that the Peacekeeper wouldn't have the nerve to speak to him that way if he wasn't chained down, outnumbered, and injured.
Valkyrie whispers to him to pretend to be submissive. They can fight back later, especially since the Capitol crowds will be furious to learn that the first-ever victor was chained and beaten by a low-level Peacekeeper.
But Ahenobarbus is too proud for that, and feels insulted. Both he and his family fought for the Capitol and President Ravinstill, and he refuses to bow to a random 19-year-old Capitol citizen who was forced into the service when they took on too much debt.
When he airs his grievances, and spits in the face of the Peacekeeper, the man responds by pulling a gun on Valeria.
“Get on your knees and apologize, or I'll shoot her in the head. We just left District 2. We can turn around and reap a 12-year-old to replace her.”
Seething, Ahenobarbus complies.
And, just to drive the point home, the Peacekeeper forces Ahenobarbus to act as his servant for the rest of the train ride, with the ever-present threat of harming one or both of the tributes keeping him reluctantly in line.
Valeria spends the ride in numb shock. She knew she was risking her life by volunteering, but was not expecting her life to be casually used as a weapon against her mentors.
Rockwell is quietly terrified by the whole situation---especially the fact that even the vicious and terrifying Ahenobarbus can be reduced to a chained, beaten prisoner.
In the District 3 car, no one is chained. Not Dotty, not Tech, and certainly not the wheelchair-bound Gates, who had been crippled after his victory on the orders of President Ravinstill. Tech sobs for the entire ride to the Capitol; Dotty asks endless questions and is indulged by the Peacekeepers, who find her cute.
In District 4, Lagoon and Seagrass are chained lightly because of regulations, but are otherwise treated with respect. Their mentors, Mags and Tide, are definitely not chained and are treated like noble heroes. The Peacekeepers ask for Mags' autograph and talk about fishing with Tide like he's an older brother.
In the District 5 car, Binny and Watt are not chained, since they are not threats, and largely ignored. Two of the Peacekeepers are mildly entertained by Watt's juggling skills.
In the District 6 car, Cloudy is chained, since she is an addict, but Rev is not. Jay Garrick, a phenomenally popular victor, is treated with respect and admiration by the Peacekeepers and gets the chains removed from Cloudy in less than five minutes. He spends the rest of the trip trying to encourage and comfort his tributes---and is just as kind to the Peacekeepers.
In the District 7 car, Branches is chained, but Bark is not. The Peacekeepers are polite but distant with mentors Jules and Vera. Vera talks strategy with Branches; Jules jokes with Bark. The Peacekeepers are interested in the sibling story and Branches' status as a volunteer.
In the District 8 car, Richard and Rose are both chained. Rose, who is timid and from a well-off family by District 8 standards, weakly thanks the Peacekeeper who chains her and shoves her into a seat. Richard quietly accepts the chains and unnerves the Peacekeepers with his stare. Woof, their mentor, tries to protest the chains but is threatened to be chained himself if he makes a fuss. Halfway through the train ride, Richard picks his cuffs and is free for the rest of the ride.
In District 9, neither tribute is chained. The oldest Peacekeeper respects Ceres' work ethic; the younger ones like Rye's jokes. Mentor Wheaton Vale is largely ignored in favor of his more interesting-seeming tributes and quietly mourns both.
In District 10, the Peacekeepers are friendly with Beef and even with Lamb--her family have a reputation as troublemakers, but she does not. Neither is chained. Bovina, their mentor, is treated with respect, and gives useful advice to both tributes.
In District 11, Cherry basically rules the car in spite of being chained. She commands authority, even at 18. Seed takes advantage of this to pick his own cuffs and mess with the Peacekeepers. Decimus, their forcibly assigned District 2 mentor, is chained as well, to his annoyance. He wants his own District to win, and certainly does not want to be chained up in a train car with two brats from District11--but even he is impressed by Cherry.
In District 12, the tributes are not chained. Coal is not seen as a threat, and the Peacekeepers can't gamble with Heather if she is chained up. Heather, whose family had access to a TV during the 10th Games due to their gambling money, watched Lucy Gray's victory at age 9 and informs the curious Peacekeepers all about it.
Arrival in the Capitol
When the tributes arrive in the Capitol, Glitter, Sheen, Seagrass, Lagoon, Valeria, and Branches receive Capitol attention as volunteers--especially Glitter and Branches, who are the first female volunteers from their districts.
Dotty, Tech, and Bark get some sympathy as the youngest 3 tributes.
Cherry and Seed are instantly memorable--Cherry in particular earns attention with her towering height and immense dignity.
Richard's eerie elusiveness also earns him notice.
On the mentor front, Mags and Jay are swarmed by crowds. They are arguably the two most popular victors, and it shows. Bovina and Tide also receive attention from the Capitol audience.
Gates is treated with pity for his "unfortunate accident", as the Capitol public believes he was crippled in a train crash. Wheaton, Vera, and Jules are treated with quiet respect.
Decimus is shocked by the look of dazed horror on Valkyrie's face, and even more surprised by the state Ahenobarbus is in--beaten and with broken ribs he's trying to hide.
The Old Capitol School
Chapter 3: The 21st Annual Hunger Games
Chapter Text
For the 21st, the Capitol decided to attempt to replicate the spooky atmosphere of the 17th deliberately. Unlike most of the early Games, which were not particularly re-watchable in the eyes of the Capitol public, Capitol audiences loved re-watching Richard Swift hunt and kill from the shadows and leave quotes like a literary ghost. Coriolanus Snow, always desirous of making the Games more marketable, decided to see if the tone Richard unexpectedly created could be deliberately replicated from the start.
Dr. Volumnia Gaul did not particularly care about the popularity of the Games, but loved the horror theme idea, because it gave her an excuse to be even more horrible than usual.
Enter: Dr. Jonathan Crane. Dr. Crane was 60 years old at the time of the 21st and had extensive experience studying fear. Crane was, publicly, a respected psychologist who served the Capitol elite. Few knew about his darker past. Crane had worked with Dr. Volumnia Gaul in the War Department, helping develop tactics of psychological warfare during the First Rebellion from the shadows. Crane had created his fear toxin during the rebellion and tested it on rebel POWs and Avoxes. Now it was complete, and kept in storage by the Capitol as a potential weapon.
Dr. Crane was terribly excited by the prospect of being allowed to test his fear toxin on a new set of test subjects.
The nature of the arena was kept very secret. Snow didn't want to ruin the effect of the arena by spoiling it (and also didn't want to scare off volunteers from 1, 2, and 4). Gaul wanted everyone to be taken by surprise by her horrors. And Dr. Crane wanted to ensure all of his "subjects" went in blind to ensure uniformity of results.
T he Tributes
The Career system in 1 was still in its infancy. The female tribute for the 21st was Mirabel Dumont, an 18-year-old volunteer who had been funneled into the brand-new training institute because she was poor and had a reputation as a brawler. (The institute had been designed by the Great Houses of District 1 to train the poor to volunteer so that their heirs would be spared the reapings). The boy from 1 was Flicker Mantell, a 16-year-old orphan who was basically forced to volunteer because he was strong, handsome, and uncannily talented with a knife.
In District 2, the tributes were the products of Boudicca's Academy. The boy, 18-year-old Pendragon Capelli, was the son of a wealthy quarry owner and had been trained to fence since he was 7. His two years at the Academy had polished his skills. The girl, 18-year-old Bellona Bertram, was the daughter of a retired Peacekeeper and had been trained by her mother since 8. The Academy had polished her as well.
In District 3, the male tribute was 17-year-old Clifford DeVoe, who was wildly acknowledged as brilliant, and who had an interest in the law. The female tribute, 13-year-old Celsius Lo, was something of a pack rat and exceptionally talented at finding useful objects.
In District 4, both tributes volunteered.
The male tribute was 18-year-old Bruce Wayne, who had been orphaned ten years earlier when his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, had been executed for defying the Capitol. While the family had been wealthy ship and factory owners in 4, the Capitol confiscated the wealth after their death.
Bruce had subsequently been cared for by Mags Flanagan, and had been a part of 4's Career training program (which was more like an extracurricular activity than an institution, but had been active since the 15th). He was very well-trained and very intelligent.
The female tribute was 17-year-old Selina Kyle, who had been born into poverty. Her father had been an unsuccessful, drunken fisherman. Her mother committed suicide when she was seven, and her father drank himself to death when she was eight. Selina became a thief to support herself, her sister Maggie, and her brother Kyle. She was discovered by Tide Okeith when she tried to steal from his house in the Victor's Village and subsequently also became a part of the training program.
Selina was also highly trained.
In District 5, the female tribute was a 14-year-old named Current Perry, who had always struggled with anxiety and who had a panic attack when she was reaped. The boy, 15-year-old Edward Nygma, loved riddles and wordplay, and was extremely intelligent. He also weighed maybe 85 pounds.
In District 6, the tributes were 16-year-old Tonya Tracks, who had worked for the morphling gangs in 6 out of desperation and had seen some truly horrific things as a result, and 15-year-old Miles Standard, who jumped trains for thrills.
In District 7, the male tribute, Isaac Bowin, was 16 years old and from the District's very small upper class. He played the violin and was very talented at it. The female tribute, Eloise Murphy, was 12, worked in the paper mills, and was terrified of nature.
Neither was the expected District 7 lumberjack.
In District 8, the female tribute was 15-year-old Chartreuse Flynn, who was deaf and loved reading old books about Robin Hood. The male tribute was 17-year-old Oswald Cobblepot, who didn't look like much besides a chubby rich kid. But in actuality, he was the scion of one of the few successful crime families in District 8, and his family had made a fortune off of selling black market fabrics and dealing drugs.
In District 9, the male tribute was 17-year-old Planter Fieldspur, who was bashful and sweet and bone-thin. The female tribute was 15-year-old Pamela Isley, an undeniable beauty and a brilliant student.
In District 10, the male tribute was 12-year-old Lazaro Valdez, who only spoke Spanish. The female tribute, 16-year-old Carmen Delacruz, volunteered to save her 13-year-old sister. Luckily for Lazaro, she spoke Spanish and English.
In District 11, the female tribute was 17-year-old Harriet Grimke, who was doubly unusual. First, she was the daughter of one of the wealthy but despised overseers of 11. Second, she was known for having run away from her father to work like everyone else at 12, and, after being dragged back, for using her influence to try to improve life for everyone else. Everyone was sure her reaping had been fixed by the Mayor of 11.
The male tribute was the towering 18-year-old Waylon Jones, who had an unusual and severe skin condition that made him look slightly reptilian. He had been used as a sideshow attraction in the District and was rather bitter at the world that treated him as a monster.
In District 12, the female tribute was 17-year-old Forget-Me-Not Thorpe, who was only the second Merchant child to be reaped from 12. Her parents ran the shoemaker shop. The male tribute was 14-year-old Holden Abernathy (the older cousin of Haymitch Abernathy's mother, Willamae, who was 6 when he was reaped), a Seam boy with legendary bad luck
Valkyire Stevens was forcibly assigned to mentor District 5. Decimus Calderon was forcibly assigned to mentor District 12. Both were from 2. Decimus had been mentoring outer district kids for 10 years, and had produced 1 Victor (Wren Larissa). Ahenobarbus and Boudicca mentored the District 2 tributes.
Dr. Crane asked for, and received, as much personal information on the tributes as possible.
Snow used the same information to market the tributes.
The mentors were not thrilled by the surprise use of extremely personal information to advertise their tributes. Normally, the tributes could control what information was revealed to the audience to some extent. Not this year.
Jay Garrick was especially horrified.
Trip to the Capitol
The tributes were transported to the Capitol in passenger cars that were uncomfortable but a step up from the old cattle cars with seats awkwardly installed. None of the tributes were chained.
Crane also insisted that the Peacekeepers in each car take extensive notes on the tributes and their mentors. The Peacekeepers did...reluctantly.
In the District 1 car, Platinum, and Silk were mostly unaware of Crane and his reputation. Luxe had heard rumors, but did not have any concrete information. The other two mentors were unconcerned about “some head doctor.” Mirabel was similarly unconcerned. But Flicker worried.
In the District 2 car, Boudicca provided the Peacekeepers, and, by extension, Crane, more information than even they needed. Ahenobarbus was livid. So were Pendragon and Bellona. Ahenobarbus was especially angry because he knew exactly who Crane really was. He had been on the frontlines when the Capitol had unleashed a prototype of the toxins and had been caught in the blast with his unit. A third of his soldiers had died.
In the District 3 car, while Gates had little solid information to work with, he was sure that there was something seriously wrong, and told both tributes to feed false information to the Peacekeepers, which they did.
In the District 4 car, Tide Okeith and Mags were worried. They had heard rumors about Dr. Crane, and Bruce and Selina both had a lot of psychological vulnerabilities.
In the District 5 car, Valkyrie knew a bit about Crane and his reputation, but not as much as Ahenobarbus. She told her tributes to keep a low profile. Edward...was not very skilled at this.
In the District 6 car, Jay knew nothing about Crane, but foiled his plans by kindness. Since he was such a compassionate mentor, his tributes were notably at ease on the ride to the Capitol.
In the District 7 car, Jules and Vera were taciturn and told their tributes to model this approach. It failed.
In the District 8 car, Richard Swift managed to distract the Peacekeepers by hijacking the train ride with endless literary quotes. Oswald lied his head off.
In the District 9 car, Pamela watered the wilting flowers on the train. Wheaton, who had heard whispers of Crane, was nervous---and unfortunately passed this nervousness on to Planter.
In the District 10 car, Lazaro, Bovina, and Carmen spoke entirely in Spanish. The Peacekeepers could not take notes.
In the District 11 car, Wren did not know about Crane. But she hated the Capitol and Peacekeepers, and so did both tributes. They formed a very effective wall of silence.
In the District 12 car, Decimus threatened to hit the Peacekeepers if they did not stop asking stupid questions. This actually worked. The two District 12 tributes did not know what to make of their District 2 mentor.
Arrival in the Capitol
When the tributes arrived in the Capitol, the Careers from 1, 2, and 4 received a lot of attention from the crowds, as did Carmen from 10 (since she had volunteered). People cooed over Lazaro, Celsius, and Eloise. Edward prompted everyone he met with riddles. Waylon was an immediate sensation for all the worst reasons, as was Harriet.
The Asylum
The tributes and their mentors were housed in an old abandoned mental hospital, which was unpleasantly eerie for everyone involved. Some Capitol audience members loved this. The more squeamish audience members did not. Snow had tried repeatedly to veto this idea, but had been overruled.
Every District had its own room. Or cell, as the case may be. In District 1, no one was pleased. Luxe St. James, from luxury and wealth, hated his supposed quarters. Platinum and Silk had been born poor, so were less concerned about the state of the accommodations, but were creeped out by the atmosphere. Flicker and Mirabel had also been born into poverty, but did not like the sterile hospital room. Flicker in particular was spooked.
Ahenobarbus, Boudicca, Pendragon, and Bellona did not mind the sparse accommodations. The Academy was much the same. But Ahenobarbus very much minded the hospital setting. None of them were insane. Boudicca, of course, sanctified the whole situation.
In District 3, Clifford found an old medical textbook. Celsius, Clifford, and Gates poured over it with much interest. They barely seemed to notice the cell.
In District 4, Mags, Tide, and Selina were all displeased by the spooky cell they had been locked in, and even more displeased by the hydrotherapy setup in said cell---because District 4 and water, ha ha. Bruce, whose parents had been locked up in and experimented on for months in a Capitol psychiatric ward prior to their execution, was horrified.
District 5, the power/electricity district, was housed in a cell that contained equipment for electroshock therapy. Valkyrie (from 2) was not especially amused by the horrible joke. Current had a panic attack. Edward nervously spun off more riddles.
In District 6, Jay and his two tributes were literally surrounded by needles. Their room had been used for insulin shock therapy, which was, of course, a twisted jab at the addiction problems in District 6. Jay was horrified and did his best to keep Miles and Tonya from panic.
District 7 was locked in the old mess hall. As such, Isaac, Vera, Eloise, and Jules actually were only mildly unnerved.
In District 8, Richard, Woof, Oswald, and Chartreuse were locked in a room full of straitjackets. Richard was not impressed by the lazy symbolism, but actually sort of enjoyed the eerie setting overall. Charetreuse was horrified. Oswald was not particularly bothered---“so long as I don't have to be in one, they're just rags.” Woof wished Richard would stop quoting Lovecraft and Poe.
In District 9, Wheaton actually tried to punch a Peacekeeper when he and his tributes were locked in the morgue (most of the patients at the hospital had died of starvation). Pamela looked ill. Planter vomited.
In District 10, Bovina, Lopez, and Carmen escaped the most horrible confinement. They were locked up in the old admissions office, primarily because a subset of the Capitol audience really wanted to coo over Lopez without all the other creepy stuff. (This was also why District 7 had been housed in the mess hall. Eloise was cute.) As such, they were mostly okay.
District 11 was housed in the old lobotomy room. The subtext was basically text. All 3 were horrified.
In District 12, the tributes were housed in the crematorium, where dead bodies had been burned. It was....horrible. Even Decimus was sick.
Needless to say, very few tributes or mentors slept very well.
The Capitol audience was split. The sadists and the horror fans loved the setup. The rest of the audience...visited Districts 7 and 10, if at all, and complained about how the old hospital was too spooky. Parents complained that their kids could not see the tributes because of the setting.
Crane took notes on the audience responses and was pleased. Snow was not pleased. This is bad PR, he said. We look like psychopaths, he said. Gaul cackled and said that she wished they could do this every year.
Snow was quickly wishing he had never suggested an intentional horror arena. He had wanted elegant gothic horror, not public reminders of how the Capitol had used the mental health system as a method of control and torture.
Training Day 1:
The tributes were taken to the Peacekeeper barracks for the first day of training. All the tributes were relieved to leave the hospital. Flicker was skilled with a knife. Mirabel used a broadsword. Pendragon used a mace. Bellona used an axe. Bruce was skilled with throwing stars. Selina used a whip. Edward....asked everyone riddles. Isaac brought his violin. Current had another panic attack. Celsius and Clifford worked on traps and survival skills. Tonya was scary in hand-to-hand and with a switchblade. Miles was exceptionally agile. Chartreuse was excellent at detecting patterns. Oswald surprised everyone with his rapier skills. Pamela swept the edible plants station. Waylon Jones lifted 200 pounds easily.
While the tributes were training, the mentors were stuck in the creepy hospital. Richard wandered the halls and spooked everyone, including Capitol visitors, and signed more sponsors than everyone else combined. Jay was at a disadvantage. The compassionate sponsors he usually played off of refused to visit the hospital. Richard aside, the fact that the hospital drew the sadistic crowd was unfortunate for most of the mentors. Districts 7 and 10 received sponsors because their rooms drew the normal crowds.
At 6:30, the tributes were returned to their cells. At 7:00, tributes and mentors were fed well (but appetites were...somewhat limited for obvious reasons). Unfortunately, Crane decided that this was too pleasant, so at around 11:30 PM, he started to amp up the horror by providing everyone with helpful recordings of the history of the hospital in question. (Districts 10 and 7 were exempt, by the insistence of Snow).
The District 1 crew was uniformly horrified. Flicker actually broke down and cried. Mirabel punched a wall. Luxe vomited. Platinum and Silk teamed up to destroy the radio.
Ahenobarbus was decidedly creeped out, as were the two tributes. Boudicca sanctified the whole affair.
Clifford and Celsius...took notes and intellectualized the process.
Bruce was nearly catatonic. Selina was practically climbing the walls in agitation. Mags tried to calm both with little success. Tide had a flashback to the death of his cousin from drowning.
Current had another panic attack. Edward had one too.
Jay protected both Miles and Tonya as best he could, and actually talked a Peacekeeper into shutting off the recording after only 3 minutes.
Richard took the horror in stride and quoted Poe and Lovecraft. Oswald was mostly unbothered---too bad for those poor suckers, but they are not me. Chartreuse could not hear the recordings and was thus fine. Woof was unsettled.
Pamela vomited. So did Planter. Wheaton broke the speaker.
Waylon, oddly, handled the horrible information better than most, since he was used to mistreatment.
In District 12, Decimus started to threaten Crane to shut off the stupid recordings, then eventually smashed the speaker too. Holden laughed hysterically. Forget-Me-Not sobbed.
Districts 7 and 10....actually slept peacefully, insulated from the screams by the walls.
Training Day 2:
The tributes were even more thrilled to be out of the hospital. No one was as impressive as they had been on Day 1---except from the tributes from 6, 7, 8, and 10.
Richard was rolling in sponsors. So were Jules and Vera from 7 and Bovina from 10. Jay pulled in sponsors who were impressed with Tonya. No one else had much luck.
Snow was furious. This was a PR disaster. Parents were mad.
The tributes reluctantly returned to their cells at 6:30 and were well-fed at 7:30. Crane pulled out his impressive horrible recordings backlog once more at 11:30. The good news was: no more creepy asylum information. The bad news was: these recordings were from the Games and other traumatic experiences of the mentors. 7 and 10 were spared (per Snow).
Ahenobarbus had the worst of it, since he had a ton of trauma to draw from (experiences as a soldier, his Games, his mistreatment in the 17th). Districts 5 and 12 were stuck with the trauma of Valkyrie and Decimus.
Training Day 3:
Only 4 hours of training. Oswald now looked more impressive than any of the Careers. Clifford was a bit scary with his traps. Celsius was competent. Lazaro and Carmen were impressive in survival skills. Harriet was too. Waylon was still very intimidating and very strong.
Scores:
Flicker scored a 6 (and normally would have scored a 9). Mirabel scored a 7 (and normally would have scored a 9).
Pendragon scored an 8 (when he normally would have scored a 10). Bellona scored a 7 (when she normally would have scored a 9).
Clifford scored a 7. Celsius scored a 5.
Selina pulled herself together and scored a 10. Bruce scored a 5 (he would have been an 11 under normal circumstances).
Edward surprised everyone by scoring a 6. Current scored a 2.
Tonya scored a 7. Miles scored a 6.
Isaac scored a 5. Eloise scored a 3. Oswald scored a 9.
Chartreuse scored a 6. Planter scored a 2.
Pamela scored a 5 (she could have scored a 7 if she had been less rattled).
Lopez scored a 5. Carmen scored a 6.
Waylon scored an 8. Harriet scored a 5.
Holden scored a 3. Forget-Me-Not scored a 2.
Night 3:
On night 3, everyone got to sleep....except for District 4. Crane, in his infinite creepy curiosity, decided to play recordings of the so-called treatment of Thomas and Martha Wayne. The mentors were furious. Selina was furious. Bruce was beyond horrified. Most of the audience was bewildered as to why Crane had focused on one tribute. Crane would have used other recordings for other tributes if he had had them, but he did not.
Volumnia Gaul was delighted. Snow was not.
The Capitol audience had also learned WAY too much about the psychiatric history of the old hospital.
Interview Day:
On day 4, the tributes were prepped for the interviews by their mentors and then dressed by their stylists. Or, in the case of District 2, they were preached at by Boudicca and watched Ahenobarbus relive all of his trauma that had been recently brought out into the open.
Lucky Flickerman was still hosting the interviews and was completely unprepared for Crane and the horror show he had foisted upon both the tributes and the audience. And he was even more unprepared for the very weird fear-related questions Crane had insisted he add to every interview.
Flicker was a nervous wreck, and the questions from Crane did not help. The boy never even mentioned his knife skills.
Mirabel pointedly refused to answer the Crane questions and talked about her axe skills.
Pendragon tried to talk about duty and war, but kept getting sidetracked by the questions about fear (and Ahenobarbus).
Bellona said that her mace was scarier than any of the questions.
Celsius positioned herself effectively as a clever pack rat.
Clifford talked traps and legal precedents, and how he could use his lawyerly skills to outsmart the field.
Selina was a firecracker of fury and the audience responded well to her.
Bruce was...still mostly catatonic, and actually burst into tears when Lucky asked the Crane-mandated question about his parents.
Current, astonishingly, held her own and said that she already knew fear intimately. The arena would not scare her more than her own mind.
Edward rattled off dozens of riddles with confidence and turned the fear questions into riddles.
Tonya talked about her scrappiness and her knife skills, to much effect.
Miles boasted of his fearlessness and his speed.
Isaac played his violin. Eloise sang a little song and was adorable.
Oswald quoted literature and left no doubts that he would kill if cornered.
Chartreuse talked about her pattern recognition skills and excellent vision.
Pamela quietly talked about her brilliance in botany and seemed more confident than before.
Planter smiled nervously and actually seemed cute.
Carmen won the audience over with her story about her sister and her survival instincts.
Lazaro joked that he would be the bravest cowboy in the arena.
Waylon scared the audience with his presence alone.
Harriet pleaded for better treatment for the workers of 11 and, when asked, said that her father scared her most.
Holden somehow found his nerve and joked about his curse.
Even Forget-Me-Not was able to talk about her family, even if she did cry in response to the questions about fear.
Crane took extensive notes. Snow was annoyed by the bad PR and the upset parents.
That evening, the tributes were returned to the hospital. The next day, they would be sent into the arena. Normally, this would be a source of dread---and it was, but after the creepy hospital, some of the tributes believed the arena could not be worse. Crane pulled out his tapes once more. This time, instead of the nightmare fuel, he actually played relaxing music.
The Arena
The tributes were usually launched as a group, in front of the supplies. This year, at the insistence of Crane, all of the tributes were launched with only their District partner, separate from all the other tributes. All of them had supplies provided to them. The tributes were bewildered. The mentors were more bewildered.
Even more bizarrely, the arena was....lovely, actually. It was an incredibly beautiful place, filled with plenty of beautiful creeks, a lovely blue lake, a forest full of lush trees, an orchard, a field of grain, gently rolling green hills, and even a charming little empty town.
As the tribute pairs wandered the arena with their supplies, the mentors and tributes alike were surprised to find that a) the water was not poisonous, and was safe to drink, b) the food was not poisonous, and c) the animals were not mutts, and in fact seemed to be either friendly or disinterested in them.
Day 2: Oswald Cobblepot ambushed Flicker and killed him, then escaped back to Chartreuse with more supplies and a better sword. Mirabel, who had been off to fetch food, was furious when she found her partner dead. Bellona and Pendragon found and killed Planter from 9. Pamela, horrified, barely escaped into the woods. Isaac distracted Eloise from her fear of the woods with his violin. Selina tried to shake Bruce out of his stupor, to little effect. Waylon and Harriet wandered the fields and wondered if this was a joke. Carmen and Lazaro holed up in the town, which was a bit eerie due to its emptiness but otherwise pleasant. Tonya and Miles set up camp near a stream. Celsius and Clifford set up traps.
Day 3: The arena was still paradisical. Oswald stalked the pair from 2 as they looked for tributes, and stabbed Pendragon in the back when he and Bellona were distracted with the pair from 12. Oswald escaped successfully. Pendragon died. Bellona killed Forget-Me-Not, but Holden escaped. Mirabel found Celsius and Clifford, and killed Celsius---only to wander into the trap set by the pair from 3 earlier. District 1 was the first district to be eliminated, and its mentors were not happy. The other tributes continued to do well. Selina even shook Bruce out of his stupor.
Day 4: The arena was still paradisical. Snow was questioning his sanity. Oswald and Chartreuse found the District 6 pair and proposed an alliance. Tonya and Miles accept. Oswald and Tonya both had underworld experience and knew how to kill. Tonya did not want to kill anyone, but knew that the Careers were a serious threat. Selina and Bruce decided to swim rather than hunt, since the weather is nice. Holden somehow avoided a trap set by Clifford. Bellona found and eliminated Carmen and Lazaro with relative ease.
Day 5: The arena was still paradise. Snow was beyond confused. So were the mentors. Holden ran into Harriet and Waylon. Waylon nearly killed him in a panic before Harriet talked him down. Then they allied. Isaac and Eloise were found by Bellona, who cut down Eloise and nearly cut down Isaac before the latter hit her in the head with his violin and knocked her out long enough to escape. Isaac was devastated. Selina and Bruce continued to swim.
Night 5: Oswald and Tonya killed Bellona in her sleep. Tonya was a bit shaken. Oswald was not.
Day 6: The arena was still paradisical. Unfortunately, Harriet wandered into one of Clifford's traps and was killed. Waylon and Holden were horrified. Everyone else held steady.
Day 7: The arena still seemed paradisical....but Miles was killed at 10:30 AM when he rushed into an elaborate trap set not by Clifford, but by 15-year-old Edward Nygma. The boy had been more clever than anyone realized. Holden collapsed from poison at 11:45, shortly after he and Waylon stopped to eat in the woods. Pamela Isley had made her fist move. She had been aiming for Waylon, and had missed her target.
Night 7: Crane started to reveal the true nature of his aeena. The empty town started to echo with the sound of voices familiar to the tributes. The animals started to stare. And in the lake, Bruce and Selina swore they saw the reflections of their parents. Oswald and Tonya, meanwhile, found Clifford and killed him in his sleep---they had assumed he had set the trap that killed Miles.
Day 8: Bruce and Selina convinced themselves that last night was a fluke. Pamela tried to poison Waylon, and instead poisoned Chartreuse when she ate the food the 6 and 8 pairs stole from Waylon. Oswald was noticeably shaken for the first time---Chartreuse was his partner. Isaac, haunted by the eerie music that he kept hearing, wandered into another one of the traps set by Edward and died.
Night 8: The voices from the town became creepier and more direct. Oswald and Tonya debated killing Waylon but decided not to when they realized he was awake (they assumed Waylon poisoned some of his food intentionally to kill one of them). An hour later, Waylon faced---and killed--mocking reptilian mutts with humanoid forms. The point was not lost on him, and he ripped them to pieces. Pamela was unraveling. She had now killed two victims she was not trying to kill--and worse, their voices were echoing around her in the woods. Bruce and Selina saw their parents in the lake once more and decided to move camp to someplace less haunted.
Day 9: The forest and its trees became darker and more treacherous. Pamela was still haunted by voices. Bruce and Selina made it to the town, which looked more dilapidated now than it did two days back, and set up camp there. Waylon was haunted by jeering mockery---until he snapped a small tree in two with his bare hands. Then he heard screams. Edward and his partner, Current, were still allied. Edward was now on a trap-making roll and rattling off nervous riddles compulsively. Current was....surprisingly unbothered by the whispers. She knew fear. She had lived with it her whole life.
Night 9: Bruce and Selina immediately regretted the decision to set up camp in the town, because they were hit with voices everywhere. Bruce looked out the window---and saw his parents outside. Selina slammed the windows shut and barricaded all possible entrances. Bruce slipped back into catatonia. Taylor and Oswald found Waylon and killed him in his sleep.
Day 10: Bruce's mental state was not improved when he saw a perfect replica of his old home suddenly standing in the middle of the town. Selina pulled him out of the town and into the fields. Pamela was still haunted by the voices and her own conscience. Tonya was shaken by similar voices and her conscience. Oswald was unsettled by the voice of Chartreuse but otherwise kept it together. Edward continued to build traps and killed a dozen creepy mutts that unsettled him deeply. Current stayed calm.
Night 10: Oswald and Tonya found and killed Pamela, who was not an obvious threat, but was in the way of home for both. Tonya was unsettled. Oswald was businesslike. The voices echoed around them both.
Bruce heard the voices of his parents everywhere---and kept wandering back in the direction of the town. Selina stopped him.
Edward built even more traps. Current was clearly nervous, but stayed calm.
Day 11: All the water in the arena turned black and tepid. A monstrous creature rose out of the lake and stood sentinel over it. The woods continued to darken. The town, which Bruce wandered back to, now contained a replica of the mental hospital as well as his old home. Selina pulled him away, but barely. Edward built more traps and caught more mutts. Current remained calm and actually calmed Edward down as well. Tonya was pursued by the voices of the dead. Oswald stayed collected and actually defeated a mutt with the faces of both Miles and Chartreuse, though he vomited immediately afterward. Tonya ran off screaming. Oswald shrugged and decided the alliance had served its purpose.
Night 11: Bruce and Selina were pushed back into the town when the lake expanded and the lake monster came nearer to them. When they arrived, Bruce wandered into the replica of his old house...and was forced to relive the day his parents were arrested. Selina, for her part, battled off hideous mutts outside---and only barely made it inside in time to stop Bruce from trying to jump out a window.
Day 12: The forest continued to twist. Tonya wandered into a trap set by Edward and was killed---not by the trap, but by Oswald himself. Nothing personal---just business. Current kept herself and Edward calm. Bruce saved Selina from a mutt that had been designed to look and act exactly like her abusive father--but more murderous. Selina was shaken, but relieved to see him act more like himself.
Night 12: Bruce was drawn to the town once more. Selina followed him in reluctance, and he entered the hospital...where he saw, for the first time, exactly what had happened to his parents. Selina vomited repeatedly. Bruce was horrified to the point that he stopped speaking entirely....but he did not try to kill himself this time.
Day 13: Oswald was lost in the woods and chased by mockery. Edward trapped and killed even more mutts. Current stayed calm. Bruce and Selina were faced with a hideous bat mutt, which they killed.
Night 13: The streams filled with blood. Oswald was unnerved by this. Current remained calm. Edward built a rain-catcher that worked. More mutts died in his trap. Bruce saw his parents once more. This time, they told him that they would live once more if he killed Selina. Selina readied her whip, just in case, but talked to him carefully. Bruce shook his head silently and killed the mutts that looked like his parents before sobbing.
Day 14: The field became a nest of twisted thorns and vines. Oswald was not pleased by the horror of it all---and only narrowly escaped from a pack of penguin mutts, which should not have been scary but were. Edward built more traps and killed more mutts. Current stayed calm. Bruce and Selina tried to leave the town, but were trapped inside when a gate appeared.
Night 14: Selina and Bruce were trapped inside the hospital, where they were forced to hear all the recordings that Crane had provided for the Districts before the start of the Games. Bruce and Selina survived only because of their alliance with one another. And in the field of vines, Crane unleashed his own avatar: the Scarecrow. It did not do much that night, but its visage was ominous.
Day 15: Oswald found Current, injured her badly, and was about to kill her when the Scarecrow released fear toxin from its body. Oswald panicked and ran directly into a trap set by Edward, which killed him. Current died an hour later, still calm, and told Edward to win for her. Edward nodded. Meanwhile, Bruce and Selina were still trapped in the town, where they faced hideous parodies of their own mentors.
Needless to say, the mentors themselves were having a rather terrible time. Ahenobarbus had just had his trauma replayed in front of the entire country again. Jay was devastated. Mags and Tide were horrified for Bruce and Selina. Valkyrie....mainly could not believe that Edward was still alive.
Night 15: The Scarecrow drove Edward to the town and into the hospital...where Bruce and Selina promptly adopted him. Edward started to build new traps.
Day 16: The Scarecrow wandered the arena. The three tributes battled more horrible mentor mutts...only half of which were real. The other half were hallucinations induced by the fear toxin.
The Capitol audience had nightmares. The mentors were not pleased by the mentor mutts (except Decimus, who found his oddly hilarious, and Richard, whose mutt had basically just been him).
Night 16: Bruce died saving Edward and Selina from the Scarecrow, which finally attacked directly.
Day 17: The Scarecrow returned. Selina battled it fiercely. Edward set up trap after trap after trap. And then the fear toxin drove Selina into one of the traps, and she died.
The Victor:
Edward Nygma, 15, became the Victor of the 21st, the first-ever Victor from District 5, and the youngest Victor in history. He had killed 5 (if one counted Tonya and Selina as his kills, which the Capitol did in spite of the fact that the former had technically been killed by Oswald after being caught in the trap made by Edward.)
Valkyrie was stunned at her totally unexpected new Victor.
The Victory Ceremony had to be delayed by a week and a half, since Edward was in a terrible state, mentally speaking.
Crane declared the experiment a tremendous success. Snow was horrified. Only about 10% of the audience had watched by the end.
Crane was never allowed near the Games after the 21st. No one had watched. Families had been furious. It had looked terrible, and Snow refused to have a repeat. From this point forward, Gaul would do the creepy stuff on her own.
Edward compulsively muttered riddles for the entirety of the Victory Ceremony (especially the recap of the Games).
The Capitol nicknamed Edward the Riddler.
Edward went home to a deeply puzzled District 5, who were happy to finally have a victor and horrified by the state of said victor. No one in 5 hated him. The boy had not killed his District partner, and he had not hunted others in the traditional sense. But he had been odd before he was reaped, and was downright bizarre after he won.
The Victory Tour was an awkward experience for everyone involved. It was awkward for Valkyrie, who now had to tour the country with a boy from another District. It was awkward for Edward, who was still traumatized and not particularly socially adept. And it was awkward for the Districts he visited.
Edward had directly killed tributes from 6, 7, and 8. In 8, this was tempered by the awareness that Oswald had killed Current and would have killed Edward too. In 6, Edward had killed Miles and had set up the situation that had allowed Tonya to be killed, but Jay kept the worst of the heat away. In District 4, Edward had technically killed Selina, but everyone knew that it was really the Capitol that had caused her death. But since both Bruce and Selina had been beloved, this did not help much.
Edward chose crossword puzzles as his victor talent. This did not inspire the Capitol audience.
There was only one detail that everyone overlooked: Edward really was a genius.
The Aftermath
Edward actually brought home his first Victor, 17-year-old Emrys Avery, only five years later. Emrys had used his technical skills to burn the arena down around him, which eliminated all of his remaining opponents.
Of all the Victors except Emrys, Edward was most fond of Gates Grandam, and then, after they won, of Beetee Latier (won the 34th) and Wiress Okamoto (won the 49th).
Edward also quickly became involved in the early stage of the Rebellion, and was a brilliant codebreaker and hacker. Unfortunately, the exposure to the fear toxin from his arena, combined with the stress of mentoring, took a serious toll on his body. Edward died in the year of the 52nd at 46, which left District 5 with only 1 victor---Emrys Avery.
dillonmania on Chapter 2 Tue 19 Aug 2025 06:03AM UTC
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dillonmania on Chapter 3 Fri 05 Sep 2025 04:44AM UTC
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