User blog:LightStone123/327th Annual Hunger Games (All-Stars)

Welcome everyone to my sixth ever Hunger Games! In my last games, The 326th Annual Hunger Games, Charce Firre from District 12 and created by WiressFan21 was crowned victor. These Games have a special twist added to them as well, which is heavily inspired by Cloveismywife's own Vengeance Games. (which I suggest you read if you haven't already. I personally find the Games to be the very best on the wiki)

Introduction
Because of the Capitol's desire for Games with an extra flair, President Striker has decided that the 327th Hunger Games, despite not being a Quell, will have a very special twist of their own. This year, 28 tributes from five of the highest rated and most liked Hunger Games will be revived and will compete along with 28 brand new tributes. To add to this exciting announcement, the President has decided to allow the citizens of the Capitol the opportunity to vote for the All-Star  tributes they wish to see compete.

Rules
1: There will be fifty-six Tributes, 28 tributes who competed in my former Games and 28 new tributes.

2: You may have up to three Tributes (not counting All-Star tributes)

3: Each Tribute has $500 in sponsor money for their mentor (creator) to use as they see fit.

4: I will write Reapings, Group Training, and of course the actual Games

5: I will not accept any Tributes that have been in my previous Games (that's what the All-Stars' are for)

6: Reservations last exactly 48 hours

7: The Capitol is a Career district in my Games

8: Tribute Form: (for new tributes)

Name:

District:

Gender:

Age:

Personality:

Back-story:

Height:

Appearance:

Weapon(s):

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Fear(s):

Bloodbath Strategy:

Alliance: (can be filled out later)

Training Strategy: (how they will behave in training)

Choosing All-Stars
1: There will be three factors that will decide who will compete again. First of which is votes. I'll explain how it works below.

Each user can vote for one tribute per slot, and de-vote one tribute per slot. (Example: You can only vote for 1 D1 male and de-vote one D1 male) A devote means that you DO NOT want that tribute, and one vote will be taken away from them instead. (Example: Vote: Edmund Everton, De-Vote: Marico Redge Edmund would be at one, Marcio at -1) Oh, and keep in mind that former Victors will not be competing. They will however, be mentoring, in fact, they will be the only mentors and featured prominently.

Here is the vote template: (Just copy and paste this in the comments and bold which tribute you are voting for, and italicize the tribute you are de-voting.)

The five Games are...

http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:LightStone123/The_300th_Annual_Hunger_Games:

http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:LightStone123/301st_Annual_Hunger_Games

http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:LightStone123/302nd_Annual_Hunger_Games

http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:LightStone123/325th_Annual_Hunger_Games

http://thehungergames.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:LightStone123/326th_Annual_Hunger_Games

Start copy and pasting HERE:

District 1 Male: Elvis Alexander (300), Dragon Lord (301), Cole Harrison (325), Karma Blood (325), & Warwickite Jewelly (326)

District 1 Female: Astrid Bellia (300), Diamond Coman (301), Raven Armor (302), Skylar Windbreeze (325), Artemis Grace (325), & Kate Willis (326)

District 2 Male: Johnny Clarke (300), Damian Weatherby (301), Drewsiff Bloodwonky (302), Yuki Kokyu (325), Hatch Scright (325), & Jeffrey Killheart (326)

District 2 Female: Bethany Clarke (300), Pansy Costello (301), Onyx Eboni (302), Chloe Black (325), Teresa Silver (325), & Ella Massey (326)

District 3 Male: Noah Everest (300), Courage Blitz (302), Elecc Commission (325), Chip Parks (325), & Rebel Groots (326)

District 3 Female: Di Thorn (300), Bethunia Underium (301), Syren Song (302), Elecctronny Watson (325), Vision Faith (325), & Watt Chargy (326)

District 4 Male: Flick Rivers (300th), Cody Freshwater (301st), Trident Bekke (302nd), Giller McFish (325th), Wayne Defleckt (325th), & Ryan Marine (326th)

District 4 Female: Kaylay Netter (300) Wari Oceani (301), Swatty Lakeside (302), Nymph Mere (325), Fressa Saltie (325), & Seafoam Majesty (326)

District 5 Male: Trenton Powers (300), Watt Powers (301), Tameo Arghus (302), Kodai Hitogoroshi (325), Sebastian Hive (325), & Philo Ventus (326)

District 5 Female: Allie Costigan (300), Swift Twirpshkin (301), Trick Treat (302), Allana Darkbloom (325), & Bonnie Cougar (326)

District 6 Male: Cosmo Fyngelli (300), Xavier Woods (301), Illegal Drugs (302), Zak Slaughter (325), Wolbert Toonico (325), & Train McBridge (326)

District 6 Female: Belladonna Saware (300), Luna Fern (301) Bluffy Silvestein (302), Mimic Slaughter (325), Eleith Lightstorm (325), & Blondie Genesis (326)

District 7 Male: Ransom Overman (301), Wocky Oak (302), Shade Spectrus (325), & Frade Spectrus (326)

District 7 Female: May-Ann Hunter (300), Nastya Gushkin (301st), Willow Firethorn (302nd), Maple Leavestruck (325th), Chumps Harvaria (325th), & Voolia Kelopi (326th)

District 8 Male: Nick Kobarg (300), Josef Wilder (301), Dome Citadel (302), Jax Griffin (325), Tot Tenham (325), & Yuri Collins (326)

District 8 Female: Coco Joansi (300), Cashmere Prada (301), Freya Prada (302), Galina Von Dover (325), Catalina Tweed (325), & Odessa Garnetstone (326)

District 9 Male: Eli Dawn (300), Mark Haulk (301), Hunther Hayes (302), Jake Price (325), Folly Rover (325), & Tito Granso (326)

District 9 Female: Plasma Perimen (300), Perrie Grain (301), Varina Tapora (302), Layla Twozone (325), & Vera Luchabra (326)

District 10 Male: Morolith Dmitry (300), Bronco Bagwell (301), Vlad Rockford (302), Alec Cohen (325), Kwarts Diodin (325), & Alex Lexys (326)

District 10 Female: Gracie King (300), Seeker Amaryllis (301), Ellis Blackberry (302), Alecia Cohen (325), Vivan Incomstanti (325) & Cassie Lexys (326)

District 11 Male: Wess Cornstob (300th), Darker Horrfi (301st), Shimdt Raspberry (302nd), Trent Korey (325th), Seez Croppley (325th), & Zippy Oakster (326th)

District 11 Female: Mondi Bakerman (300), Flow’r Raspberry (301), Rasp Southern (302), Flora Sapsling (325), Eva Destiny (325) & Flippy Twinmind (326)

District 12 Male: Gogh Lizta (300), Exolian Dynamite (301), Knight Castle (302), Jack Cayman (325), & Julian (325)

District 12 Female: Amaryllis Silvermoon (300), Regina Victorious (301), Mina Ebony (302), Salem Calla (325), Thalia Combe (325) & Steammie Pic (326)

District 13 Male: Ice Hunts (301), Aeron Ashkyn (302), Harley Swoop (325), & Douglas Biles (326) District 13 Female: Saidy Dauntless (301), Kiara Mitchell (302), Violetta Nobel (325), Piper Quinn (325) & Jenessa Whitten (326)

Capitol Male: Ramon Constancy (301), Avian Monte (302), Josool Wiranda (325), Dexter Malon (325), & Olympic Oblado (326)

Capitol Female: Shervert Wonkalandia (301), Cassandra Oracion (301), Flawra Moonshadow (325), Amelia Puregold (325), Isolde Blair (326)

Stop copy and pasting HERE:

2: The other factors in deciding who will be selected is  1: My personal preference. Basically, If I like the tribute it has a better chance of getting in. and 2: Detail. If a tribute wasn't very detailed or interesting the first time it competed, it likely won't get in this time.

3. After all the votes and de-votes are counted (I will allow a week for voting), I will pick the tributes using the other categories as well.

3. Please do not pick tributes because you are friends with their creator, etc. Pick the tribute you find most interesting due to backstory, you liked reading about them etc.. It would probably be a good idea to read my past Games if you haven't already. Oh, and of course, you can vote for your own tributes.

4. In case the tributes have creators who are no longer active, I will assign people to mentor those tributes. So don't not vote for a tribute because their creator isn't active.

5: Don't worry. I'll make sure that the amount of tributes people have is even. Example, one person won't have like five All-Stars.

Alliances
Careers: Dragon (1), Astrid (1), Glique (1), Austin (1), Hatch (2), Julius (2), Jerica (2), Swatty (4), Zia (4), Ryan (4), Evelyn (8), Kingsley (13)

Anti-Careers: Kodai (5), Blade (6), Shade (7), Jake (9), Daisy (11), Soot (12), & Rio (12)

District 3 & 4 Alliance: Annabeth (3) & Percy (4)

District 3, 10, 12 Alliance: Watt (3), Varina (9), Bella (10), & Exolian (12)

District 6, 13 Alliance: Alissa (6), Train (6), Ice (13), & Celia (PENDING)

District 7 & 8 Alliance: Woody (5), Willow (7), Dome (8), & Cashmere (8)

Rufus' Gang: Ella (2), Marcia (7), Rufus (8), Vlad (10) & Vivan (PENDING)

District 9 Alliance: Hunter (9) & Alicia (9)

District 10, 11, 13 Alliance: Twix (10), Gloom (11), & Piper (13)

District 11 Alliance: Darker (11) & Mondi (11)

Capitol Alliance: Ramon (C), Dusk (C), Dawn (C)

Loners: Courage (3), Trick (5), Mimic (6), Hybrid (7)

Undecided: Wario (3), Augusta (5), Amaryllis (12), & Cassandra (C)

District One: Topaz Grace
Voices drift through my open bedroom window making their way under my covers and into my ears. Though I live in the Victor Village and apart from most of the other District, they’re so excited and loud that I can still hear them.

I roll myself out of bed and with a loud sigh go and get myself dressed. Today is Reaping day but not the normal kind. At this Reaping not only will two kids from each District be reaped but also tributes from past Games. This applies to the Games I won, the 302nd and four others. Including the 325th where my daughter, Artemis, competed in and was eventually killed. I finish buttoning my shirt and pull out a fancy new jacket before slowly making my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. My wife and son have already left for the Reapings and I’m left alone with my thoughts.

Artemis…She always had this thought of grandeur. Thinking that she had to win her own Hunger Games to live up to my standard. Despite me telling her that she didn’t need to do that, that she already proved herself to her family she insisted on volunteering and I relented. I thought she would do well. I thought she had a shot of coming out as Victor. I was wrong.

There were three arenas in her Games but she didn’t even make it out of her first. She took an arrow to the face. Her mother, her brother, and me all grieved and mourned her loss. She was gone. Gone from this life for good…. until now. Now she has the opportunity to be revived and compete in the Hunger Games once again. And if she were to win…She’d come home to her family.

I exit my home climb into my car and move down the street, heading to the special address that I was given last night. I know that the Victors from the five selected Games will be mentors, the only mentors, so I presume that this has something to do with the other Victors.

When I arrive at the building I quickly exit my vehicle and enter into a plain non-descript room. Several chairs are lined up beside the wall and two doublewide doors are across from them.

People sit in the chairs and I recognize them immediately as the other Victors. I take my place in a chair between Edmund Everton, the hairy victor from the 300th Games and Marcio Redge the Victor of the 301st Games and is right now has his hands clasped over his face. Everyone remains quiet and I’m wondering what we’re going to do when the doublewide doors fly open and three men walk into the room. Their purple robes mark them as Gamemakers.

“Hello Victors,” the man in the middle says as they come to a halt. He smiles in what I presume he finds to be pleasant way but to me looks more like a grimace. “I am Vitas Tarquinus, Head Gamemaker. These two fine gentlemen beside me are Mortimer Blair and Saturn Martinus, two senior Gamemakers” We murmur greetings and he nods before continuing briskly.

“As you all know, this year along with the usual two tributes from each District, there will be two tributes from each District that has previously competed in one of your Games,” he gives us each a look over before continuing. “You eight will be the only mentors this year. Along with mentoring the tributes from your own Districts’ you will be mentoring tributes from another District as well. Understand?” We all nod. We understand. “Good. Now before we head off for the Reaping…Saturn has some last words to say to you” He steps to the side and the man named Saturn takes his place.

“The revived tributes will be travelling with us on the train from District to District. On this trip none of you are allowed to hurt one another. You cannot hurt them and they will not hurt you. We will have Peacekeepers present to prevent any sort of altercation. Understand?” I hate how they’re speaking to us like we’re children. Like we’re too stupid to understand. I don’t tell them this though and instead just nod along with the others as the three men lead us through the doublewide doors and into the area behind the stage.

“Wait here until you’re called,” Vitas tells us as him and the others head up the steps onto the stage. “And don’t go anywhere”

We watch them disappear from sight and then I turn to examine the other victors more thoroughly.

Edmund and Marcio are both pacing back and forth occasionally pausing to say something to one another before continuing. Edmund looks healthy and fit but his face is distant and his eyes cold. It almost looks as if he’s lost in his own mind right now. Marcio, on the other hand, is a wreck. His arms are shaking, he’s all sweaty, and he’s mumbling to himself. I know what it is. In his Games, he fell in love with a girl named Bethunia Underium and the two of them survived until the end where she was killed. He hasn’t loved anyone since and now he’s faced with the prospect of his love being revived…

I slowly shake my head and turn away as thoughts of Artemis fill my mind. I don’t want to worry right now and turn to look at the five newer and younger Victors. Mist Scorchil, the boy who lead the Anti-Careers in the 325th Games is sitting on crate talking to Missy Randos another victor from the 325th Games. She was a surprise victor. I had written her off at the reaping and had never thought she would survive.

Then there’s Acheron Bane. He’s a complete mystery. I’ve never heard him utter a single word. Like ever. Not even in interviews or anything. He just sits there silently, his eerie purple eyes taking everything in. The other victor from the 325th Games, Hazel Dyer, is standing silently, dressed in an elaborate and expensive looking dress. Of all of us Victors here, she is by far the Capitols favorite. And finally, Charce Firre, the Victor from last year’s Games. He’s staring at Hazel blankly and seems, like Edmund, to be lost in his thoughts.

“Topaz Grace!” The sudden sound of my name being called breaks me out from my own thoughts and I quickly jog out onto the stage where the crowd erupts into applause for me. I smile to them as my eyes look through the crowd and see something new. A large platform is set up in the middle of the crowd and a curtain blocks my view of what is on it but I know instinctively the revived tributes are behind there. Artemis…

Puffy Heglow, the escort of District 1, continues calling the Victors names and one by one they take their place on the stage. I keep my eyes fixed on the curtain and don’t pay any attention to the speech that Puffy is giving. Only when she mentions the All-Stars do I begin listening.

“Now let’s see the wonderful District 1 tributes who have a chance at being revived!” The curtain drops and I can now see the platform. As I had expected all of the tributes from district 1 are inside, behind a chain link fence and chained to the wall, my eyes past over all of them until they land on Artemis, who sits near the back, staring back at me. I feel a tear slide down my cheek. My baby girl… Not dead like the last time I saw her, but alive and well. “But before we reveal which two All-Stars will be competing in this year’s Games,” Puffy speaks again. “We shall find out who the new tributes will be!” she offers a wide smile. “Are there any volunteers for the boys?” Immediately several boys shout out but one voice is louder then the rest and Puffy selects him to come up to the stage. He’s a muscular boy with blonde hair and green eyes and I recognize him as Austin Aitken, a boy who I taught at the Training Academy in a special class. He’s a brilliant fighter and I already know he will be one of the Capitols’ favorite newcomers.

After he says his name Puffy asks for girl volunteers and choose a girl to come up. It’s a blonde haired girl who I don’t recognize.

“What’s your name?” Puffy asks.

“Glique Dumofitz,” the girl answers and takes her place beside Austin as Puffy claps her hands excitedly.

“District 1 please give these two fine tributes a round of applause!” The crowd goes wild for the pair and its several minutes before they calm down enough for Puffy to continue. “And now…we will find out which male and female from the previous Games will be competing!” Somehow the crowd manages to scream and cheer even louder as Puffy pulls a small envelope out which I stare at intensely. On that small slip of paper is two names. I can only hope that one of them is Artemis Grace…Please…

Puffy slowly begins to pry the envelope open and the entire square goes silent as she slides the paper out. I find myself holding my breath. Please be Artemis…Please….

“And that two tributes, voted in by the great citizens of the Capitol are…Dragon Lord and Astrid Bellia!”

No! I look at Artemis in the cell and she smiles at me and shakes her head slowly. Peacekeepers open the door into the cell and unchain Astrid and Dragon and lead them up towards the stage. I’m staring in shock and my mind can’t process any thoughts and I just watch blankly. Puffy repeats their names to the crowd and after they cheer their hearts out the chains on the other tributes in the box, including Artemis, slide off.

What’s happening? Do…do the tributes not selected get to go free? Return to their families? The tributes in the cell look just as confused as I do. They keep looking around in anticipation for something. One of them, a tall boy with blonde hair who I think was from the 300th Games, begins to move when suddenly the floor beneath them gives away. They all give shouts of surprise as they begin to fall and their scream echoes back up to us.

What the hell just happened?! I spin around in shock and look at Vitas who is smiling calmly at where the tributes have just disappeared.

“What did you do to them?!” I scream at him but the cheers from the crowd drowns me out and Puffy begins to end the reaping and Peacekeepers pull me and the other escorts off of the stage. We head straight for the train station and as soon as we are on and away from the noise of the crowd I charge straight for Vitas who has sat himself down on a plush armchair.

“Where are they?! Where’s Artemis?!”

He looks up at me with a bemused expression and smiles innocently. “Who?”

“MY DAUGHTER! Where is she?!”

“Oh. Her.” He waves his hand nonchalantly in the air. “I don’t know”

“You…. you DON’T KNOW? How can you NOT KNOW?!” My body shakes in frustration and anger and I have to keep myself from jumping on this arrogant asshole and ripping him apart. “Where is she?! Tell me NOW!”

“You know what Mr. Grace?” he says pulling himself out of the armchair and backing away from me. “I don’t quite believe that I like your attitude. Now, if you were to ask a tad kinder…”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This…this man…no… this monster is toying with my emotions. I can’t let him. I have to calm down. I let out a deep, long sigh and as speak as calmly as possible.

“Where…is…Artemis?”

He smiles at me and I have to resist the urge to punch him in the face. “Well, now that you asked ever so kindly I will tell you where they are,” As he steps back I notice that all of the other people in the room, the other Victors and the four reaped tributes, are watching him with interest. Vitas smiles at them all then speaks.

“Honestly? I don’t know where they are”

Silence. I stare at him blankly, trying to gauge if he’s telling the truth or lying again. Before I can decide which one I think it is, he continues. “I am not privy to that knowledge. The revived tributes that were not Reaped may be alive but then again they may not be. Who knows? I don’t.”

I feel myself begin to shake. My hands curl into fists and my breathing is rapid. That little…. I turn and push past the group of gaping people and blast towards a room. Edmund moves to go after me but I slam the door shut between us and lock it behind me. Artemis…. where are you? I’m in a bedroom and drop myself on the bed and clasp my hands over my face. Artemis…oh Artemis…my beloved daughter….

District Two: Edmund Everton
I take a seat on one of the many sofas on the train. We’re nearing District Two and Topaz still hasn’t returned. All of us are very quiet. No one speaks. Not even the new tributes, Austin and Glique. I don’t know what everyone else is thinking about, but I cannot stop watching the revived tributes, Dragon and Astrid.

Dragon’s arms and legs are chained and he has two Peacekeepers on him at all times. This seems like a drastic thing but he has a history of violence and bloodshed. At the Reaping for his own Hunger Games he snapped the neck of a boy who had tried to volunteer for him. Obviously the Capitol doesn’t want him snapping any more necks until the Games start.

And Astrid…she was from my Games and I killed her. I put an axe into her head and ended her life but now…the Gamemakers and the Capitol have done something that no one should ever do. They have tampered with how the world works. They have brought her back to life.

As I watch her now, sitting on a stool and throwing me the occasional dirty look, I can’t help but wonder if she’s truly alive. Her body is alive certainly and so is her mind and memory. But her spirit? Surely there is no way the Capitol could have returned that…. is there? This and other philosophical thoughts have been floating through my head since I learned about the revivals. I was never much one for this type of thinking before I competed in the Games, but once I won and went through that ordeal things changed.

I let out the rare sigh and run my large hand through my thick hair. I need to stop thinking like this…at least for today. I’ll drive myself insane otherwise.

“You okay?”

Surprised I look up to see Mist Scorchil, the other victor from District 7, sitting himself down onto the couch beside me. Unlike the other Victors, I see him more then once a year. We both live in the same Victors Village after all. But I never really spoke with the boy before.

“I’m fine. Better then Topaz for sure”

Mist nods his head slowly. “Yeah…this twist…I can’t decide how I feel about it. On one hand, my friends may be revived and given another shot at living…on the other hand, I have to watch people grieve over losing their loved ones again. And maybe my friends won’t even come back to life…”

I nod though I cannot completely emphasize with him. In my Games I had no friends or allies with the exception of May-Ann. But I would not feel bad for her if she was not revived. It is not because I am cruel or heartless but because I do not want her to have to live through the Games again and on the oft chance she would survive…it has been twenty-seven years since her death and who knows what she would even be returning to…

“I have a friend in District Two,” Mist comments quietly looking down at his shoes. “Yuki Kokyu. He was a Career, but he was meant to join up with me and the other Anti’s later in the Games. He died in the Bloodbath.”

I don’t say anything. I do not want to tell Mist this but the odds of his friend being revived are very slim. District Two is a barbarian District filled with blood mongering beast people. The Capitol will select the evilest and cruelest tribute from the District. Like how District 1 had Dragon revived. I’m sickened even looking at that boy. He is not human and should be put down immediately. I would do it myself if I were allowed.

“Not all Careers are bad,” Mist murmurs almost like he knows what I am thinking. “Some are good people. Like Yuki”

“Yes,” I agree with him softly. “Not all are bad. But most are.” We don’t say anymore and I fall silent, thinking about how I have the task of mentoring the tributes from this District. I wonder why they chose me for this District. Is it because they knew I would be a drastic change from their normal mentors? Maybe. I close my eyes and take a long rest before the intercom informs us that we have now reached District Two’s station. Topaz emerges from his room, his eyes bloodshot and his face wet. Obviously he was weeping. Peacekeepers escort us Victors and the three Gamemakers off of the train. The four tributes do not come with. They will remain on the train.

It is a quick journey to the District clearing and the stage. Like before the escort, Errol Flinch, calls our names one by one and presents us before the crowd. None of us are well liked by District Two and the best reaction we get is most of the crowd cheering for Topaz.

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Errol shouts once the introductory speech is finished. “Let’s find out who are new tributes will be!” The barbaric crowd goes nuts for this and he begins to make his way towards the two bowls when a girl in the audience shouts out.

“I VOLUNTEER!”

Errol motions for the girl to join us on stage and she does so confidently, striding out to the center of the stage and tossing her hair like she’s someone important. I hate people like that.

“Your name?” Errol asks.

“Jerica Straddler!”

The crowd lets out a loud cheer that seems slightly louder then usual. Maybe the spectacle of the Games has gotten them more excited then normally.

“And now our male tribute!” Errol looks out into the crowd. “Any volunteers?” Yes. A boy in the audience shouts out and takes to the stage. He’s a tall and muscular looking boy with messy hazel hair and eyes. He has a serious glare on his face and is probably attempting to look intimidating, something he appears to be exceeding at. Despite this he seems less…brutal then most boys in District Two. He seems softer and gentler. I guess you could say he was less masculine too. Errol asks for his name and he answers.

“Julius Paris”

“Nice, nice. Let’s hear it for these two outstanding tributes!” Errol plays to the crowd and I notice for the first time the All-Stars above the crowd in a similar cell as before. The pair from my Games, Bethany and Johnny Clarke, are in there but I had almost no interaction with the two of them. The crowd finishes applauding for Jerica and Julius and Errol opens up his envelope. “And the two District Two tributes who will be competing in the Games are…Hatch Scright and Ella Massey!”

The chains slide off of the two tributes and they ecstatically climb onto the stage. I don’t really remember much about Hatch but Ella was in last year’s Games and finished fourth, getting crushed by a pile of bricks just as she thought she had the Games wrapped up. I glance at Mist and see him watching his friend Yuki. Then the floor drops and he disappears, even their screams of falling can’t be heard because of the loud cheers of the crowd.

The Reapings end and soon enough we’re all loading ourselves back onto the train. The four tributes from District One are not present. They have been moved to another part of the train. We’ve just barely sat down when Ella growls loudly and points directly at Charce.

“You got lucky. I should have been Victor!” He seems taken back by the anger in her voice and doesn’t say anything and only leans back in his chair. “I got robbed! If it weren’t for that pile of bricks I would so have killed Doug, Frade and you!” She begins to stalk towards him but Peacekeepers intervene and before she can even say another word they whisk her out of the room. She’s not wrong. When she had Doug and Frade on the ground at her mercy I had thought she would be the one to emerge as Victor as well. But things change in an instant in the Games and in this case a pile of bricks changed everything.

“Which one of you sad slobs is our mentor?”

I look up and see the new tribute girl, Jerica, standing up with her hands on her hips and glaring around the room. I raise my hand slowly and she scoffs haughtily before letting out a nasty laugh.

“You? The hairy ape that won like a million years ago? Yeah right!” I narrow my eyes at the girl as she tosses her ginger locks over her shoulder. “I mean, seriously. What can you teach us? How to eat a banana? Don’t make me laugh!” I don’t say anything. The best way to deal with britches is by being silent and acting like they’re not there. They hate when people ignore them.

“I guess the gorilla doesn’t know how to speak,” she sneers before sitting back down and pulling a magazine up over her face. I don’t want to help her win. That’s a mentor’s job, but I don’t want to. Someone like that doesn’t deserve my help.

“What’s that?”

I glance over towards Hazel whose sitting down next to the new boy tribute, Julius, who was playing with a golden locket. When he sees her he hastily stuffs it into his front pocket.

“It’s nothing…just a gift…”

“Ooh! I love gifts. Who is it from? Someone special?”

“Uh…kinda. Yeah”

“Really? Who?”

“Hazel!”

Missy sternly pull her away and over towards the corner of the room. I’m just close enough to hear her fiercely whispering.

“Don’t you have a brain? Obviously he doesn’t want to talk about it! He’s going into the Hunger Games for crying out loud!”

Hazel rolls her eyes disdainfully. “Please. He volunteered. He’s not some crybaby weakling. He knows what he’s doing” Missy begins to reply but I tune myself out of the conversation. It doesn’t interest me. I close my eyes and try to get some rest before we arrive at the next District.