Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One

I hold the small piece of paper in my hands and stare at it, because I really cant believe what I am seeing. Printed on the paper are the words Girl Tribute: and Boy Tribute:

I can feel my hands getting sweaty, my body is visibly trembling and I swear you could see my heart beating. Its like I'm in a trance until someones voice breaks me free " Hurry hurry! The reaping is tomorrow and we need the votes!" says our district escort, Charon, with his stupid Capitol accent.

I roll my eyes in disgust, how can he be so cheerful about it?

I look back at the paper and shakily breath out. I slowly shake my head as I think to myself

...I...I cant do this...

Suddenly everybody starts handing their papers to the front, and without another thought I do too. I hand my empty paper to the boy in front of me and sigh with relief, but I'm still shaking. Charon collects all the papers just as the bell rings, signaling the school day is over. As people get up to go home Charon says " Don't forget about the reaping tomorrow! And May the odds be ever in your favor!". I roll my eyes again, how could we forget?

I guess I should tell you about myself, my name is Odette Bloodwell and I am sixteen years old. Im nothing like anyone here in District Twelve. Besides the mayor, my family is one of the richest families in the district. I'm not exactly sure what my parents do, but it must earn us a lot of money. I also dont look like anyone else, at all. While most people here have tall, strong builds, I'm only 5'4 and very petite. While most people here have tan skin and dark hair, I'm super pale and my hair is so blonde its almost white. I got made fun of alot for my hair, while the adults would look at it and say " How stunning!" the children would point and laugh.

Walking home from school, I run my hand across the cold metal and what should be electrified but never is fence. I longingly gaze at the forest beyond it and how it seems to go on forever. " It would be so cool... just for a bit, to see what the forest was like, to escape this world, just for a bit." I know some kids who do go beyond the fence, to hunt for their meals. I pity them, I really do, but at least they have friends, and family that's close. So what if I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day? My stomach may be full, but my heart is an empty wasteland. My parents are almost never home. They leave early in the morning, So I eat breakfast alone. Apparently because I have money I must be stuck up, therefore I have no friends and nobody sits with me at lunch.

I walk up the steps to our house and walk inside. "...Hello?", No answer. Oh, did I mention I usually eat dinner alone too? Id rather be unsure of my next meal, and have friends and close family, than... live the life i'm living now. I sit alone as I eat and sulk up to bed. My parents will be home tomorrow, of course it has to be the worst day of the year. I flop on my bed and before I drift off one more thought crosses my mind "...Tomorrow will be interesting"

"Ew, why am I up so early?" I think. Its 6:00 AM, the reaping isn't until 10:00. Trudging downstairs, PLOT TWIST...Just kidding, nobody's home. Sighing I pull some random fruit out of the fridge and without even looking, bite into it. An explosion of sour floods my mouth and the flavor numbs my taste buds. Heaving I realize I bit out of a lemon, yuck. Carefully pulling out an apple I try again. As I sit all alone, a thought crosses my mind. There is always something I wanted to do... I look at the clock, 6:15, perfect. I quickly run upstairs to change into the most earthy thing I could find, which isnt much.. ( Oh by the way I make the outfits on Polyvore, I will try to post links on my profile but if all else fails, My profile name is Phoenixrider). I head out the door in the direction of the fence.

It's reasonably warm out for mid October. The sun is starting to rise, "Maybe ill just catch the sun rise!". Finally reaching the fence, I take a deep breath and climb through the loose part. It feels odd, looking at everything on the other side of the fence, turning around I stop in my tracks. The golden sun is rising over the orange cream sickle colored sky. As if the sky was freshly painted in beautiful ,faint strokes. The clouds are dark pink, almost violet, and mixed with the crimson red, bright yellow and faint orange leaves of the trees, it's a glorious symphony of color that takes my breath away. Before I can stop myself I whisper "Wow". I allow the tears to just flow. "I wish i could just stand here forever". Suddenly my mind snaps back and I realize the danger im in. "What im doing is dangerous, illegal , punishable by death, and here I am standing out in the open! I must be more careful!" I quickly make my way into the forest.

Its like another planet under the tress. So different from what im always used to. Its sensory overload. So many sounds, the birds singing their melodies, squirrels scurrying up the trees, crunching of the leaves as I walk along. Leaves are constantly falling off the trees, making it rain vibrant color, painting the earth around me. Before I can be stopped, I start to laugh. " This is wonderful!". My heart is content here.

I extend my hand to catch I falling leaf, it gently lands, only the size of my palm. The fragile leaf is deep crimson and bright yellow. I put it in my hair, behind my ear. Leaning against an old oak, my hand softly rests against the old,textured bark. If this tree could talk, it would be very wise, have many stories, many wise words...closing my eyes I take a deep breath in. Suddenly, the distinct sound of a branch snapping, Crack! My eyes fly open as I become alert to my surroundings. About thirty feet in front of me is a tall human figure facing the other direction. I can't clearly make out his features, only that its a man. Holding my breath, backing away slowly " I just need to calmly back away and..."

RIINNG! The bells of the justice building ring, reminding the district the reaping is only an hour away. "Shit! 9:00 already?!". The sound of branches snapping gets closer behind me, as I realize he heard it too. As he starts sprinting towards me, I take off. My brain screams at my legs to run faster. The world is a blur around me. Finally I'm out of the woods. The fence only thirty feet away...Twenty feet...Ten feet...five... Panicking, I quickly struggle to get through the fence. Once I'm through, I turn for one last look. The man is just standing there...Watching...

Barreling through the door, I turn to lock it and slump of the floor. My heart is thundering in my ears. Finally after a minute, I stand up, to see my parents concerned faces. "Where on earth where you young lady?! We were worried sick! and only half an hour..." "Sorry mom! I just went for a jog and I'm going upstairs to change!" I say before Dashing upstairs without another word.

The dress my mother laid out for me is beautiful. A soft green dress with light pink accents (this one is on polyvore) pink flats with my grandmothers jewelry. Looking in the mirror I realize the leaf is still in my hair. Laughing, the leaf is placed on my bedside table. "May I come in?" my mother says. Giving permission, my mother enters and places her hand over her mouth, "you look..so beautiful." she walks over to braid my hair in a updo. When she's done, the last bell rings out, telling us its time.

We walk with a grievous silence, as if we are going to a funeral. Well, we pretty much are. In the twenty-five years of the hunger games we have had no victors. Being picked as tribute in district Twelve is basically a death sentence.

When we arrive to the ginormous, but dull Justice Building, we all line up. Once they have accounted for me, I'm herded with other kids my age like sheep into a big crowd. After a bit, Charon and some other important people walk on stage. "Welcome, welcome! Happy Hunger Games! Before we get started we have a special message, sent all the way from the Capitol!" He steps away from the microphone and a very handsome man appears on the screen. Tall and very well-built, his black hair slicked back, with just a bit of stubble. If it were anyone else, I would probably be drooling, but this man is a monster, he's the reason we are all here, President Snow.

He gives a brief speech on the war that led to the hunger games, and how "courageous" we are for sacrificing ourselves for our country, as if we choose too. He finishes his speech with that dumb saying. "May the odds be ever in your favor". The screen goes black and Charon sprightly steps back up to the microphone. "All right boys and girls! Nows the time we've all been waiting for!" "Yeah, waiting to get over with." i think to myself. " Its time to reveal the Boy and Girl tributes that YOU voted for! Cross your finger everybody!" The emotionless mayor steps up holding a silver tray with one blue and one pink envelope on it. "Laddies first!" He delicately picks up the envelope and starts to open it. I have no reason to be nervous,not for me anyway. I pity the poor people who get picked. I close my eyes

Time slows down as he unfolds the paper, and reads the name,

My name.

Please review if you like it! If not, tell me what I should fix. Im open to any criticism. Anything I can do to be better! :)

As I said before, I have Polyvore account with some of the outfits she will be wearing. I ill try my best to get them on my profile but if not, my account name is Phoenixrider.

Chapter Text

Chapter Two

Time slowed as Charon picked up the pink envelope and gently tore it open. Everything went black as I slowly shut my eyes.

"Odette Bloodwell!"

Everything stopped. The earth stopped spinning, the birds stopped singing, and my blood went frigid.

My heart dropped, it freefell all the way to the ground and hit it with a splat! As my eyes fly open, and I realize...this is real.

All eyes are on me, people move out of the way, forming a path up to the stage. " Come on dear, its alright!" Charon says unreassuringly. My body will not respond.

Two peace keepers come and half guide half shove me up to the stage. The crowd is one big blurry glob. The tears must be coming, but I cannot tell other than my sight. Charon walks up to me, puts his hand on my shoulder, leans in and smiles, " Congratulations dear" he says with a nod and walks back over to the silver tray and picks up the lone blue envelope.

Wiping the hot tears away, I get a chance to actually look at the crowd. The look of shame was painted on most of their faces, some even had their heads down. Charon tears open the blue envelope and says the name into the microphone. "Orion Hevlen!" The sea of boys part and walking up to the stage is my exact opposite. He's tall, tan, dark brown hair, and he's got muscles. He walks up to the stage unemotionally and accepts the congrats from Charon. "Please give a big round of applause to the District Twelve tributes, you chose , of the Twenty Fifth Hunger Games, Odette and Orion!".

The crowd hesitantly claps. " Go on you two, shake hands!" Charon says. Turning toward the boy, I reach my shaking hand out toward him. He quickly reaches out to take my hand in his. We shake and before he lets go he gives my hand a squeeze. A small sense of reassurance washes over me as I gaze into his big chocolate eyes. Charon takes both of us and leads us into the Justice Building.

My head is in my hands when my parents burst through the door. Mother runs to me and hugs me with a strong grip. "Oh my baby, my poor baby!" she cries as she strokes my hair. Father has his hands behind his back, brow furrowed as he paces the length of the room. Mother breaks from her crying and yells " Those bastards! how could they?! What did you ever do to them?!". Wiping my eyes I respond, "Why do they hate me?" Father stops his pacing and says something for the first time " They don't hate you, Odette." He turns and looks me straight in the eyes "They envy you". Letting his words sink in, I ask " What do I do?" Mother takes my head in her hands " You. Win. That is what you will do. You will try, and you will survive and you will win. You will show them what you are made of." The guards open the door and come in " Times up". After one last hug from my mother, she says, " I love you, we will see you soon", as they are escorted out.

Orion and I say silently beside each other on the luxurious capitol train for a while until Charon came into the train car with another man behind him. " Orion, Odette, meet Onyx" (I SWEAR I don't have an obsession with names that start with O! It just happened! lol)

" Hey guys, how are ya doin?" he says nonchalantly as he shakes our hands. He's pretty average, mid 50s, about 5'11 light brown hair with a growing beard, but he's very muscular.

" He took time out of his busy schedule to come all the way from the Capitol to mentor you guys." Charon says. Before I can help it my jaw drops. Onyx gives me a puzzled look, " Is something wrong?". "N-no, you just look...so normal to be coming from the Capitol!" Most people I have seen from the Capitol look like extraterrestrials, he also lacks the silly accent. Charon gives me a shocked look, while Onyx throws his head back with laughter. " I like you Odette!" he says and pats me on the back. Charon look relieved. " Oh my I almost forgot! The replays of the reapings and on, why don't we watch?". With a sigh I follow everybody into the living area. We plop down onto the Purple velvet couch and Charon turns on the TV...projection...thing.

We made it just in time to see the District one reapings. The girl is a short blonde named Pearl. Although her height, she's got muscles.
The boy is tall and muscular with dark hair combed to a point. His eyes are as Black as coal, his name is Deimos. For District Two, both the boy and girl are tall and lanky with fiery red hair, brother and sister, Helix and Aelia. The reaping continues without anything interesting, except I notice something throughout all the tributes.

The District kids Choose tributes that are the most capable of winning for the district, so why was I chosen? I am in no way capable of winning for District Twelve. I was lost in thought, until the District Eleven reapings. The girl chosen, Marcella, dark skin, tall and lean. She puts on a menacing face as she walks up to the stage. The boy is picked, the camera goes to him, and my blood goes cold. He's got to be 6'5, with tree trunks for arms, Talc. He's got dark skin, dark hair. He appears to be talking to himself as his eyes nervously dart back and forth. They announce his name again and he snaps out of it and walks up to the stage. I cant quite put my finger on it, but something seems off about him, but now its time for District Twelve. I start to shake, because I know once people see me, they with laugh. Orion notices and gently places his hand on my knee, " Its ok" he mouths and looks back at the screen. Taking a deep breath I prepare to see myself on national television.

I'm sorry this one is really short! the next one will be longer!

I have to admit, I'm having ALOT of fun writing and developing these new characters! more fun than I thought I would. and I'm happy to say there will be more character development in the future, especially with a District Eleven boy who has a disturbing secret... (ohhh the suspense!)

If you enjoy my story, please favorite, follow and review! I'm completely open to any reviews, if you like it, tell me why, if you wanna tell me something I should improve on, that's fine too! And I promise the next chapter will be longer! Until next time!

~Maddy

Chapter Text

Charon appears on the screen, he says a couple of words then lifts the pink envelope and starts to open it.

It all happens a lot faster than I remember it. He takes the pink slip of paper and reads my name into the microphone. The camera finds me easily as the girls move away to form a path to the stage. I'm immediately embarrassed as the camera zooms in on me. All the other tributes walked onto the stage emotionless, or even excitedly...then there's me. There I stand, like a lump on a log, crying. Shamefully, I put my head down, knowing i'll be the laughing stock of the games. Tears threaten to emerge, but they are forced back. Before I know it, its over. Now its back to the Claudius Show, him and the head game maker now will discuss the reaping and tributes.

" Now that the children of the districts had a chance to choose their tributes, it should be interesting seeing the districts toughest kids go head to head! Do you think they did a good job picking the tributes?" Claudius says to the game maker. " I thought they were doing great! Up until District Twelve...". My head shoots up and my stomach drops. " It seems they chose beauty over brawn with the girl tribute! She seemed surprised too! You'd think they'd do a better job picking someone that could win for the district!". The tears I forced back minutes before were now streaming down my face. Anger, sadness, embarrassment all wash over me. Immediately, I stand and start stomping out of the train car when Orion stood and grabbed my arm " Odette wait!" he says. I shake his arm off and stomp back to my room.

Slamming and locking the door to my bathroom, I collapse into a heap on the cold tile floor

. " How could they? Sit up on the stage and laugh at me...I never wanted this!"

The thought just brings more tears . " All the other tributes...they are laughing at me too... and they will be laughing as they kill me in the arena in a week." Rushing to the toilet, I open the lid and start to dry heave. After about five minutes, I calm down enough to move away from the toilet and just lie on the floor and sob. I let my flushed cheek touch the cold floor, and it actually helps calm me. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. " Leave me alone!" I scream and start sobbing again. They must have got one of the avoxes to unlock the door because it then opens and someone walks in. Sitting up and turning to the door Orion and Charon stand at the door with somber faces while Onyx walks to me and kneels down beside me. " Odette..." he says as he places a hand on my shoulder. Before he can say anymore I say through my sobbing

" How am I supposed to try with everyone laughing at me?! I knew I didn't have a chance before, but now...why should I even try?". Onyx immediately brings me into a tight hug. He looks up at Charon and Orion "Can we have a moment alone?". They nod and slowly make their way out of the room. " Odette, listen to me. For the time being you need to be deaf. You need to block out all the words and names they call you, just for the time being." Taking a break from sobbing I muster " How am I supposed to stand my ground when everyone wants to bury me beneath it?". He sighs " Odette, right now, you are the underdog of the group, but that's not a complete disadvantage". "How?! How is it not a complete disadvantage?!" I cry . He stops and looks me in the eyes " We grew up learning to cheer on the underdog because we see ourselves in them. All those poor, hungry people in the districts will look at you, you are at a disadvantage, but you need to keep your head up if you want to make an impact on people, and trust me, you will. Please, promise me, you will stand your ground and ignore everybody else". I nod " I promise".

Onyx walks out of Odette's room and quietly shuts the door. Charon stands outside the door, waiting. "How is she?" he asks. "She's better. I think she's strong enough to take what they say about her, but I still worry" Onyx says. " I wish we could tell her... you know? Why she's really here...". Charon sighs " As sad as it is, she should have known the Capitol does not take lightly to such things...". After a heavy silence, Onyx speaks " Where's Orion?". "He's already eaten and is in his room". "Alright, well lets just call it a night, after everything that happened, I don't think food is on her mind". They both say goodnight and head to their rooms.

The next morning doesn't come quickly, since I was sobbing half the night. Sunshine filled the luxurious room. At first I don't remember a thing, but the moment my head lifts off the pillow, everything comes rushing back. The reaping, everyone laughing at me, what Onyx said to me last night... I want to cry again, but remembering what Onyx said... I need to be strong, crying wont help me in my situation.

Dragging my body out of bed I comb through my hair, throw on some clothes and head out to the dining car. Everybody else is already there, chatting casually and laughing. Once they notice me at the door they go silent. " Good morning Odette, why don't you take a seat, you must be hungry since you didn't eat dinner" Onyx says. I nod and slowly make my way to the table and sit. Filling my plate with the colorful array of food I ask " What were you guys talking about?". Charon says " Hm? Oh! We were discussing what will happen once we arrive at the Capitol, when we get there, you and Orion will be taken to the underground area to get prepped for the tribute parades. You will then meet your stylists". "Our stylists?" I ask. "They will design your outfits for the parade and the interview". I nod, then ask " When will we arrive at the Capitol?". Orion suddenly stands and looks out the window before he says " Now, we're here".

We are immediately led out of the train underground into the "Spa Area". There are quotations because it was not a relaxing experience whatsoever, I feel more violated then relaxed. They ripped every hair on my body besides the hair on my head out with wax, or they plucked them, then Scrubbed about three layers of skin off. After an hour of violation they led me to a room and made me stand there in just a towel. I began to protest but they quickly left. Soon, the door opened again, an attractive young black woman enters. She wears a tight pink dress and black high heels. She wears little makeup, but has jem implants on her right shoulder. "Hello Odette. My name is Lysithia, I will be your stylist". "Hello" I say meekly. "You must be uncomfortable, I understand, but I must ask you to remove your towel, so I can get a better idea of your body type". Sighing, I let the towel drop. Lysithia circles me for about a minute, then hands me a thin robe and we sit and chat. "Well Odette, I must say, you are very beautiful" all I can muster is a "thanks". An avox arrives with a tray of colorful, exotic drinks.

" Oh, no thank you, I can't" Lysithia says " How about you Odette?" the tray leans toward me. I take one and thank her. "Oh, does this have alcohol in it?" I ask. The avox nods. Hell, why not? I take a sip and am surprised how good it tastes, being my first taste of alcohol. "Why can't you drink?" I ask. "Well, I just have to be careful..." she says as her hands fall to her stomach. "Oh, your pregnant!" I say and smile, I've always wanted a family of my own."Well, I don't know yet. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to find out". she says and her face turns somber. "I was told I could never have children, but that doesn't stop me from trying". Smiling, I say "That's really great, that you still have hope. Do you want a boy or a girl?". She smiles " I really don't care, I'll love them no matter boy or girl. One, just one. That's all I ask for, because I know whoever they are, they will make a great impact on Panem" she says and wipes a tear. "Whew! Anyway back to you! Tonight is the tribute parade, and for your costumes, you will be coal miners". I nod trying to disguise my disappointment. "You don't have to hide it, I know your not happy about it" with a laugh. But, trust me, it will be very different from other years. Now that I got a better look at you, I know what I want to do. Follow me".

I know this chapter was kinda boring, im sorry! It will get a lot more interesting from here on!

and by the way, so I don't get in trouble, two of the quotes, one from Odette and one from Onyx are from the Poem "Pork chop" by Shane Kyczan with the To this day project.

Also Lysithia is on Polyvore. Just look up Phoenixrider on polyvore and it will be up.

Once again, please review , favorite and follow if you like the story! The reviews really make me feel good and fuel my passion to write and keep going with the story!

Till next time!

~Maddy

Chapter Text

"Well, what do you think?" Lysithia asks. I barely hear her as I'm trying to recognize myself in the mirror. I'm dressed as a sexy coal miner with heavy black eyeliner, eye shadow, extra long eyelashes and crimson lipstick. I'm wearing a gray tube top, with tight black shorts , suspenders, knee high lace up boots, and of course, a helmet. To add extra sex appeal, I have dusty black handprints on my torso, thighs , back and chest. " Its... defiantly a lot different from anything I've ever worn...". Orion and his stylist enter the room and as he sees me, his eyes go wide. He's wearing a slightly modified version of my costume. He's completely shirtless, letting his tan, toned chest show. Like me, he's wearing black shorts and suspenders, he has handprints on his chest and back. His hair is messed up, but in a sexy way, and his helmet is slightly crooked. His face suddenly turns a deep shade of scarlet as he quickly turns away. My face feels hot, so I'm probably blushing too. Charon enters and exclaims " Oh my! You two look fabulous!". He gives our stylists a pat on the back " Well done! Oh no! Look at the time! We are almost running late! Lets head down awhile shall we?" He offers me his arm, and I take it. We all pile into the elevator and make our way down.

The chariot room is full of chatter and stylists rushing around putting the finishing touches on their tributes. We quietly stand next to our ginormous chariot. Every chariot is designed to match their district, even the horses match. The horses for District One are pure white, while ours are as black as coal. I turn around to see Onyx running up to us. "Hey guys! Glad I caught up to you! Just wanted to give you advise on the parade. It might be really scary at first, seeing all those people looking at you.." " Wait, how many people are out there?" I ask. " About 100,000 people". Swallowing hard I nod trying to hide my nervousness. " Now, it will be scary to see all those people out there, screaming your name, but you cant just stand there like a deer in headlights. Be friendly, smile, wave, blow kisses, things like that, ya know? Gets people on your side". We both nod and climb onto the chariot.

"Hey..." I say to Orion " Yeah, what's up?" He asks. Taking a deep breath " Are you nervous?". Slightly shaking his head " Not really, you?". " Uhhh, no! Just wondering...". He might have believed me, if my voice hadn't cracked near the end. He throws me a sideways smile " Everything will be fine, trust me". Suddenly the enormous doors open. The once muffled chatter of the Capitol citizens turns into deafening cheering. The chariots leave one by one, District One...District Two...District Three...a single drop of sweat runs down my neck...District Six...District Seven...District Eight. Somehow with all the screaming and the blaring music I hear my name. Turning around I see Charon , Lysithia and Onyx waving. Giving me a thumbs up he mouths " You got this". District Ten...District Eleven...Its show time.

Everything all at once puts me in shock, the blaring music, the bright lights, the citizens screaming our names. Once we come out, the girls screams get louder, and the guys whistle and whoop "It must be these costumes. What are Mother and Father thinking right now? If I ever tried to wear something like this back home, they would kill me!". The simple thought causes me to smile, then giggle. Suddenly, the fear is gone. Looking up to the crowd I blow a kiss, which makes the crowd go wild! Its like I'm in another world, a strange bizarre world, with strange bizarre people...all screaming my name. They throw flowers and gifts into the runway. A man on my left throws a red rose. I catch it and put it in my teeth with a wink. Soon enough the chariots come to a halt in front of the podium. I take out rose from my mouth and hold it in my hand. All the citizens suddenly fall silent. Somehow standing proudly at the podium, is the one and only, the man of my nightmares , President Snow.

A young man, only 25, President Cornelius Snow took over for his father as president three years ago. Although very handsome, he is the reason we are all here,and that by next week 23 of us will be dead, I will be dead. He clears his throat and speaks into the microphone "Tributes! We welcome you! We thank you, for your courage, and brave sacrifice for our country. To celebrate 25 years of The Hunger Games, it was decided the children of the districts would choose their tributes, to give each District an advantage, and I can honestly say, they did an amazing job!" The crowd screams and clapping as I roll my eyes. He says a couple more "Words of wisdom" and ends it with " May the odds be ever in your favor!". The crowd goes wild for a last time, then its over.

We hop off the chariot as Charion, our stylists and Onyx excitedly run up. " You guys were fabulous! Odette you did excellent getting the crowd going!" Charon exclaims. "He's absolutely right, for a split second you looked scared, but you broke through it, and I'm proud of you!" Onyx says with a big smile. "Now!" Charon says and claps his hands "Who's hungry?".

We all get out of the elevator into our luxurious room. Since we are District 12 we get the penthouse at the very top. " Why don't you two change, and join us for dinner?" we nod and make our way to our rooms. After changing out of our costumes, we make our way to the table. " Ah there you two are! Grab a plate and eat up!" Charon says gesturing to the table piled high with food. Well, he doesn't have to tell me twice! As I shovel food into my mouth, Onyx sits up and speaks " Starting tomorrow for the next five days, you will go and train with the rest of the tributes". He must of noticed that as he said that I swallowed hard, its just that, the thought of seeing them in person, seeing them laugh at me at my face, scares me. "Now this is no reason to be scared, they cant and wont lay a finger on you in the training center, that's a promise" he says with a serious look. " No...but they can laugh" I say holding back tears. The atmosphere suddenly turns somber. " Just remember what I told you, you need to be deaf, pay no attention to them". I nod and push my plate away "I'm done" I say as I get up and head to my room for the night.

I'm sorry this chapter not only took a while but is short! now that we are really getting into the story it will get a lot more interesting!

To make up for the short chapter, ill tell you a story:

I actually thought of the idea for this story while I was in math class. Don't ask me what we were learning because I wouldn't understand it anyway ( I'm TERRIBLE at math! Always was, always will be) I was zoning out and thinking of other things and I started thinking about the hunger games. Im a person who usually remembers even the smallest detail from books, and I remembered when Katniss said they had two victors, but only Haymitch is still alive. Realizing Susan Collins never gave anymore details on the other victor, I started getting ideas! And whala! This story is born!

If you got this far into the story I love you! If you like the story please favorite, follow and review! Give me criticism! I wanna know what you like, or don't like!

Untill next time!

~Maddy

Chapter Text

Its dead silent as Orion and I descend underground to the training center. Taking deep breaths , I try to calm my nerves and stop shaking. Orion notices and puts his hand on my shoulder, because I'm not paying attention, it makes me jump. "Hey, easy." he says as he squeezes my shoulder " Everything will be fine, I promise. Just remember..." he removes his hand from my shoulder and plugs his ears with his fingers. Giggling I nod my head. Suddenly a thought hits me, getting too close to him could be dangerous, what if this is his plan? or is he just being truly nice? Does he just feel bad for me? I don't have anymore time to think about it, because the elevator doors open, revealing the room full of my enemies.

" In a few weeks, 23 of you will be dead, one of you will be alive..." A woman talks to all of us, but I don't hear a thing. Everyone looks a lot more threatening up close, especially the district 11 boy, Talc. He angrily whispers to himself, like he did at the reaping. The woman ends her monologue, and everyone walks away. Talc hits himself in the head twice before walking away. Taking a deep breath, I mentally run though what I should focus on the most and realize, I have no skills whatsoever, in any category. " Well I guess I should start with the most basic survival skills, like starting a fire, or identifying helpful plants" I think to myself. I make my way over to fire starter training. One of the trainers, a young Asian man greets me, and we get started. Turns out, I'm great at starting fires! With a stick some rope and bark, I can get a fire two minutes flat! Even the trainer is impressed.

Ten feet next to me is another tribute trying to start a fire " Dammit!" She says as she throws the sticks down and crosses her arms " This is harder than I thought!". She's around seventeen, probably 5'3 with dirty blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Crawling over to her i ask " Do you need help?". Her eyes widen " You would do that?" she asks somewhat shocked. " Sure, its pretty easy actually" I say and work with her for the next ten minutes until she gets it " Wow thanks a bunch! Hey, You're Odette aren't you? From District Twelve?". Sighing I nod " Yeah, that's me. You're from District Four right? What's your name?". She nods and then scrunches up her face in disgust " I kinda hate my name" "Come on tell me!" I press.

She sighs " Alright, but don't laugh, Its Calypso, but call me Cali. Anyway, I owe you one". " For what?" I ask. " For teaching he how to make fire! You could have just saved my life here! So, what do you need help on?" she asks. Thinking, I say " I'm not very good with identifying good or bad plants". " That's easy, follow me!". We get to the plant identifying area and get to work.

After an hour, I'm an expert on helpful and poisonous plants and berries, I also realize, she's really nice person. It might sound crazy, considering we are in the Hunger Games, but if we weren't, we would probably be best friends." You know, you're pretty cool girl Odette!" Cali says with a smile. " Thanks! You are too!" I say. Then I avert my eyes, and let my head droop. " Hey, what's the matter?" she asks. " Well, it's just kinds ironic. Back home I have no friends, now I come close to having one, and look where we are" I say as I shrug. " Yeah, this really sucks, but why don't you have any friends?" she asks. We decide to discuss it over something we both need help on, tree climbing. I tell her the details of my family life and how people tend to stay away from me while climbing through the branches of an actual tree growing in the training center. She listens very intently and only interrupts a couple of times to throw in things like " Oh my god!" or " That bitch!" or " That sucks ass". After an hour of tree climbing, we decide to give making traps a try. While we make traps, she tells me about her life. Her dad is a captain of boat and her mom fishes, they live right on the beach. Although shes one of the best fighters, she doesn't have many friends either. Twenty minutes later, I have three dinky rabbit traps, while she has five huge traps to catch people. " Wow , you're really good at making traps!" I exclaim. " Well, when I was eight, my parents started teaching me about fishing, nets, hooks and tridents". " You can throw tridents?!" "Yeah...you wanna see?" she asks. I nod my head excitedly.

We walk over to the weapon rack and she picks the biggest trident there. She stands about 20 feet away from a dummy, she takes a moment position herself, then she lets it fly! The trident lands perfectly in the dummy's chest. Deimos, Pearl , Helix and Aeila stand ten feet away, all looking very impressed. " Hey I think you made an impact on them" I say and nod my head in their direction. " Ehh, I don't care about them. Technically I'm a career, but its such bullshit". " Hey at least they like you..." I say and hang my head. " Hey, don't be so bummed, they're a bad group anyway, you know? Its best not to get rapped up in the careers". Suddenly, there is commotion on the other side of the training center.

Talc and another male tribute are shouting at one another. Talc's face turns red and twists with anger, it's almost too terrifying to watch. Talc then head-butts him, immediately knocking him unconscious. For some reason he is still shouting nonsense, he then proceeds him hit himself in the head a coupl times just before peacekeepers come and take him away. " Hey, is something wrong with him? He just acts really weird Sometimes" .Cali's face turns serious as she motions for me to come closer " They say he hears things...voices...inside his head. He also see things that aren't really there, hallucinations. He sees and hears them all he time, he never got the right medication for them, so they got really bad". The hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. " Hey, I'm just gonna throw this triton around for the remainder of today, so ill see you around". " yeah see ya" I say and walk away. "I should probably start learning a weapon, but which one? it can't be too big or heavy, maybe knives?" My thought is cut short, by a very familiar voice calling my name.

"Onyx!" I say excitedly and run up to him "What are you doing here?!". "Before I was your mentor I worked here as a trainer, I still do". "That's so awesome!". "So, need help with anything?" He asks. Sighing I say "well, I'm not really sure what weapon would be right for me...I don't have any muscles...". " Well you don't need muscles for every weapon, follow me"

" You need something light, something like..." ." Like knives?" I ask. " No, Pearl is very skilled with knives. You need something different, something unique, something like...this!" he says as he pulls a long thin tube off a rack and hands it to me. " Uhhh..." I say and give him a baffled look. He chuckles and says " It's a Blowgun. You put the dart in this end, blow into it, and it hits the other person and the poison kills them. The great thing about them is, the dart can land anywhere in the body and it's still deadly. Wanna give it a try?". I nod my head and he hands me three darts. Onyx shows me how to stand to have the best aim " Now remember, you probably aren't going to have this much time to get into position in the games, especially if you are being charged, just keep that in mind". Taking a deep breath, I blow as hard as I can into the blowgun. The dart sticks, but misses the dummy. " That's great Odette!" he exclaims. " How? I completely missed the dummy!" I say. " Yes you did, but you have enough air strength to shoot it that far, and that's a great start! Here, try again" he says. I put in the second dart, shoot it again and miss again. About twenty feet away, I notice the careers, scoffing and sneering with smirks on their faces. The sudden feeling of rage washes over me " Come on Odette, let's go..." he says and tries to lead me away. " No!" I say pushing his arm off me. Putting the last dart into the blowgun, I take position, take a deep breath and shoot it. The dart flies out, and lands right between the dummies eyes.

Deimos and Helix look at each other, then back at me, looking somewhat impressed. They nod and move away. Aelia and Pearl however squint their eyes, looking slightly envious. They then too walk away. Grinning from ear to ear I turn to Onyx. Thinking he would be happy for me too, I'm surprised to see him crossing his arms with a frown. " What's wrong, wasn't that good?" I ask. " Yes, it was perfect, but it's not good to show your strengths in front of them, now they know what to expect in the games and now that they know your good at this they will know to get armor to protect them from it". " I-Im sorry. I didn't realize... I just wanted to show them..." I say drifting off. He sighs and smiles " Hey, its alright. Just remember that in the future. Now, lets see if you can do that again" he says and hands me more darts.

After three hours of blowgun practice, I rarely miss the dummy. Before we know it, the day is over. We discuss the events of today at the dinner table. " So, how did training go today you two?" Charon asks. " Well, today I just focused on outdoor survival stuff, but tomorrow I'm working on weapons" Orion says. " Mhm, that's smart Orion! What about you Odette? How did you spend your day?". "Well, I worked on survival stuff as well, like making fires, climbing trees and identifying plants. Then I worked with Onyx a little". Orion suddenly chuckles " oh that's not all that happened, District Eleven boy had a breakdown and knocked another tribute out cold. Odette over here also made a new friend" Orion says with a sideways grin. " Oh really? Why don't you tell us about it Odette, was it a career? Are you guys allies?" Charon asks. " Well, it was Calypso, she's from District Four, so technically she's a career...but she wants nothing to do with them. I helped her make a fire and she helped me with good and bad plants, and we just got along really well, but we aren't allies. She wouldn't want to be allies with me..." I say.

" Well with the way you were those shooting darts near the end I'd be allies with you" Onyx says. " Oh! Your weapon is a blowgun, that's great! Its different too! It's important to be unique, good for you!" Charon says proudly. " What's your weapon of choice Orion?" Charon asks. "Well, back home, I worked in the mines a bit, so I got pretty good with a pickaxe. I figured if I'm good at it, I'll use it". I get goose bumps thinking about Orion driving a pickaxe through someone's skull. " I thought your parents were doctors?" I ask. He should have all the money he needs, there are many sick people in District Twelve. " Well, we still need money for supplies...not everyone can afford us..." he says and drifts off. " Well" Onyx says to break the tension " How about that fight, between Talc and the other tribute". " Yeah that was crazy! What's wrong with him anyway?" Orion asks.

Swallowing hard, I contemplate if telling them would be ok. " Well..." I say reluctantly. " Yes Odette, what is it?" Charon asks. Sighing I tell them " Calypso told me he hears voices...in his head, and he sees things too". Orion's eyes widen " Schizophrenia..." he whispers. " What's that?" Charon asks as he leans in. Orion sighs heavily " If he's having auditory and visual hallucination its most likely schizophrenia". " Well, he sounds like someone to avoid in the games" says Charon. Nodding, I push my plate away " I'm not hungry anymore" I say and go back to my room.

Its a very sleepless night.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Walking into the training center on the second day isn't near as nerve racking as it was yesterday. Orion and I immediately break off and head separate ways. Thinking about our relationship again, I suddenly stop dead in my tracks. Ten feet away is the District Eleven girl, Marcella, holding a seven foot scythe, a scythe. She takes a deep breath in, then out, then charges the dummy and cuts its head clean off. Standing it up aside her she turns and meets my eyes. Her menacing gaze makes my blood go cold. Swallowing hard, I turn on my heels and speed walk the hell out of there. Now on the other side of the training center, I can breath easy again. " I should find Onyx, he said I should try hitting a moving target today" I think as I look around trying to find him.

Suddenly I hear my name being called by a familiar voice, but its not Onyx. " Cali!" I say as she jogs up to my side. " Hey, did you see Grim Reaper over there? That's crazy!" she says slightly breathless. " Yeah, shes pretty threatening..." I say. " So, what are you up to today?" she asks. " Im going to focus on weapon training today" I say. " Cool, me too! Whats your weapon?". " Well, after we broke off yesterday, I found my mentor, Onyx, and he introduced me to blowguns".

I then told her what it is and how it works, also how I stood up to the careers " That's so awesome! Can I watch, just for a bit?" she asks. Taking a deep breath, I wonder if its a good idea. We're not even allies, is it a good idea to trust her? "Okay, you watch, just for a bit though, and make sure you keep a distance. I don't think Onyx would be happy having someone watch me...". She perks up and smile " Okay, cool!". Onyx is leaning up against the wall looking bored, he seems to be waiting for me. " Hey" I say walking up to him. He turns to me and smiles " Odette! Hello!". He hands me a blowgun and some darts and motions over toward the moving dummies " So...ready to give it a shot?" he asks. Nodding confidently I take the weapon and stand on the line. I turn slightly toward Cali casual standing thirty feet away. She gives me a thumbs up and I turn toward the dummy. " Lets see if you remember anything from yesterday. Ill let you take two shots having the dummy stand still, then you'll try having it move"

I nod again, quickly get into position, and shoot the first dart. It lands right in the middle of his chest. " That's good! But if you are being charged, it wont stop them dead in their tracks. Try hitting either the neck, head or over the heart". he says. Getting back into position I breath in, then out, and shoot it again. This time it lands in the middle of the dummy's neck. " Awesome! Alright, time to get things moving!" he says and moves toward a control box with levers and buttons. " Odette are you ready?" " Yes " I say confidently.

The dummy jerks forward, then slowly turns right and moves slowly " Now, you are walking and see a tribute, but he doesn't see you, take him out before he notices you" he says. Getting into position, I shoot the dart, and instead of hitting the dummy it whizzes past his face. " Uh Oh, he noticed you!". The dummy turns toward me and moves faster than I was expecting " EEK!" I squeal as it charges and stops right in front of me. The careers, who must have been watching from afar, laugh uncontrollably and mimic my squeal.

" HEY! Get lost!" Cali goes up and shoves Deimos. They look at her, then at me. Before they walk away they sneer one last time. Cali looks at me, smiles and gives me a thumbs up before she too walks away. After two hours, I can hit the the dummy while it moves slowly and when its charging me. He even made the dummy move in zigzags, I'm not the best at that, but its good practice anyway. " Hey, your doing great with the blowgun, but I also wanna introduce you to these" he says and hands me these oddly shapes knives " What kind of knives are these?" I asks bewildered.

" They are shurikens, they originated in japan. I want to see how good you are with these" he says. " But... but i thought i was doing good with the blowgun". " You are! You are doing fantastic! But its good to have a secondary weapon, in case they either don't have a blowgun in the games or you cant get to it". Agreeing I say " That's a good idea, how do I throw them?". for about twenty minutes he demonstrates different ways to throw them, then hands them to me " Here, give it a try. You already have lots of practice with aim, you just need to learn how to throw it". Stepping toward the dummy, I throw the shuriken, and miss. Huffing, I try again...and miss again. After 10 minutes of throwing and missing I finally hurl them to the ground " I'm sorry Onyx...I...I cant do it". " Odette..." he says with a look of slight disappointment " No , Onyx look, it was a good idea, but I cant do it. I'm sorry". I turn to walk away, and run straight into Pearl. " Watch where your going!" she says angrily and shoves me "So, the baby's going to give up and cry? Doesn't matter, we're still going to kill you. All the help in the world couldn't save you" Helix says getting up in my face.

" HEY!" Onyx voice booms, all the careers, including me, jump. He rushes up and gets in between us " Get out of here, all of you!". They all just stand there with wide eyes " NOW! " He screams. They all walk away, except Aelia " Just remember" she says and nods toward Onyx " He cant save you in the arena...". Getting into position, Cali catapults the trident. It lands in the center of the chest, for the tenth time. " Whoo! Alright, now to move on to..." She stops in mid thought as she sees the four careers moving toward her. She sighs and puts her hands on her hips " Well look what the cat dragged in" she says . " Can it, Calypso!" Pearl says with attitude, she lingers on the word Calypso.

Rolling her eyes and crossing her arms " What do you guys want" Cali says impatiently. Pearl begins to open her mouth, but Deimos puts his hand on her shoulder and steps forward " Look, I know we don't always get along..." " REALLY?" Cali says and draws out the word. All of a sudden, she understands " Ha! Oh I get it! You guys want me as an alli!". They stand there silently, which tells her she is correct.

" Well sorry to disappoint, but I have better things to do like getting home to my family" she says and turns to walk away " Well that's going to be impossible if you have Odette for an alli". She stops abruptly and turns around " What?". " You heard us, we know you want her as an alli and honestly, you need to reconsider if you want a chance to see your family again" Deimos says. " Its non of your business who I want to be allies with!" Cali says angrily. " Oh come on! Its obvious you only feel bad for her! She cant do anything without crying!" Aelia says as the rest of them laugh, except Deimos " Look, if we team up, we can easily outnumber her and take her out!" Deimos says seriously.

" Whats wrong, are you scared?" asks Pearl. " No, but you saw her with the blowgun, and what if she teams up with Orion?" he says. " Guys, look! Nothing you say can change my mind!" Cali says and walks away " You might want to go check on your crybaby!" Helix says. Cali once again stops dead in her tracks and turns around " Why?" she asks with a concerned look. " Well lets just say we had a talk with her, she ran crying with whats his face over that way" Helix says pointing behind him. Rage suddenly washes over Cali, "You guys are monsters" she says and dashes to the other end of the training center. The careers all turn toward another " Well so much for that..." Aelia says.

" Well.." says Deimos " If shes not an alli...then shes an enemy".

I barrel down a hall only meant for staff and come to a dead end " Get me out of here! Get me out I want to leave!" I scream as i pound on the wall " I...want...to...leave!" With one more pound to the wall, I collapse in a heap on the ground. Footsteps are coming closer " Odette!" I hear multiply people calling my name. Onyx and Cali run up and kneel beside me. "Cali what are you doing here?" I asks. " It doesn't matter...are you OK?" she asks.

I answer her by crying. She pulls me into a tight hug. " Excuse me, who are you?" Onyx asks Cali. " Oh, I'm Calypso!". " Well I think it would be best if you leave, I can take it from here" he says seriously. " But..." she tries to protest " Please, leave!" he says almost raising his voice. " Ill see you later" she whispers to me and walks away.

" Onyx why did you make her go?" I say through me sobbing. " Because you need to start thinking for yourself, you cant be getting close to people now! This isn't the time to be making friends! This is a game of kill or be killed!". He sighs and hugs me " I'm sorry, but you need to trust me, if you get too close, you'll both be heart broken in the end ". Finally calming down enough to talk I say " I want to give it another try, I shouldn't be wasting time crying". He looks slightly surprised " They were right, you cant protect me in the arena, I need to learn to protect myself!" I say confidently. He gives me a big grin and slaps me on the back " Alright, lets get to it then!" After an hour and lots of patience ( on my part) I can finally hit the target with a single shuriken.

" That was great Odette! Now, lets try it with more than one". Onyx says. " More than one? How does that work?". He shows me how to throw multiple shurikens at a time and then hands them to me. Lets just say, it doesn't go well, at all. " UggHH!" I say, starting to get frustrated again. " Don't get frustrated, you will get it, I know it!". Suddenly the bell goes off, signaling the end of the second day. " How, tomorrow im working on strength and agility! Then on the last day im going review everything!". " You will trust me!" he says. Swallowing hard I say " Hey Onyx, for the interview, can Orion and I be prepped separately?". He sighs " Of course, I completely understand" he says right before Orion walks up to us " Hey guys! Whatcha talking about?" He asks. " nothing" we both say simotameously. Dinner is uneventful, afterward we all go to our rooms for the night. I sit on my window ledge, softly singing a song I remember from my childhood.

Every night, when the sun goes in Every night,

when he sun goes in Every night, when the sun goes in

I hang down my head, and mournful cry.

I wish to The Lord, that train would come

I wish to The Lord, that train would come

I wish to The Lord, that train would come

And take me back, where I come from.

In her own room, sitting on her bed curled up in a ball, Pearl softly sings her own lullaby...

I'm coming home, I'm coming home

Tell the world i'm coming home

Let the rain wash away All the pain of yesterday

I know my kingdom awaits And they've forgiven my mistakes

I'm coming home, I'm coming home Tell the world I'm coming...

Whoo! another long chapter! Just saying, from here on shit will get CRAZZZZZZY! But unfortunately I have some bad news. For the first two weeks in august, I wont be able to post anything. I'm going to be SUUPPEERR busy! but I will try to write a little. If you enjoy the story PLEASE review, favorite and follow! Give me a review of why you like it, or what I should change! I want your criticism! The two songs are " Every night when the sun goes in" and " I'm coming home"

Until next time!

~Maddy

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

For the third day, I decided to work on my strength and agility. As I stand and wait in the line for the high monkey bars, Cali runs up to me " Hey girl! Giving the monkey bars a shot huh?" she says slightly breathless. I nod and look down at the ground " I'm sorry about yesterday. Onyx ...he just...". " Hey, don't sweat it, I understand why he did that. But, uh, hey I wanted to ask you something... do you want to b-" " Hey look over there!" I say cutting off her sentence. Walking though the doors of the training center are Talc and Marcella casually talking. Marcella says something and Talc chuckles. The reason I'm so shocked is because...he looks so normal! He's not whispering or hitting himself and he looks calm, handsome even.

" Yeah, they say now and then the hallucinations stop, and when they do he acts normal...even cries about his brothers and sisters" Cali says. Giving her a baffled look I ask" Why? What happened to them?". She motions for me to come close and whispers in my ear "When he was twelve he strangled them to death. When hes hallucinating, he doesn't show any sign of remorse". The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I realize why he was chosen for the games, he's a natural-born killer. Cali says" Anyway, back to my question, do you want t-". "Oh hey, it's my turn, I'll talk to you later ok?". She sighs and says " yeah, talk to you later, do great!" She says and gets in the back of he line.

Taking a deep breath, I look down at the trainer holding the timer. He nods and says "whenever you're ready". The monkey bars must be at least twelve feet off the ground. Taking one more deep breath, I go for it. "This actually isn't so hard!" I think to myself. Halfway across the monkey bars, my left hand slips "Ahh!". I scream as stomach drops. I quickly bring my hand back up. "It ok! Your doing great!" The trainer calls out to me. My heart pounds like a drum in my ears And my body shakes. " Come on you can do it!" The trainer calls out enthusiastically. Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I continue until I reach the end, where I fall to my knees. "Alright! 21 second, that's a new record!" The trainer calls out. Peal, who is next in line huffs " not for long!" She yells And begins climbing. Halfway through, exactly where I faltered, she slips and Falls, landing flat on her back. She chokes and gasps, struggling to get air. Trainers rush over and everyone goes silent, waiting to see what happens. after a couple of minutes she slowly rise to her feet and is led somewhere to sit. She avoids my gaze for the most part, but for a split second shoots me a look mixed with envy and anger. I should feel proud, but I don't.

I spend the rest of the day lifting weights and doing cardio. After we eat dinner I get up to go to my room when Onyx grabs my arm and leans close "Odette, meet me out here at 12:00" he whispers. Before I can question him, he turns around and goes back to his room. I wait until 12, and go to he main living area where Onyx is standing. "Follow me" he says and leads me to the elevator.

" What are we doing here?" I asks as we step into the dark training center. He turns on half of he lights and says " you'll see". He grabs five sets of three shurikens and hands one to me " You at going to be able to throw three of these by the end of the night" He says. Looking at him I ask " are we allowed to do this?". "Damn, you ask a lot of questions!". He gives me a slap on the back " Haha I'm kidding! Don't worry about it! Just remember how I told you to do it, and don't forget to breath!".

After ten minutes, I'm ready to give up. "Look, maybe just I'm not cut out for this. I can already throw one, isnt that good enough?". Onyx gives me a serious face " Good enough? Odette, you can never put boundaries on what you do, physiologically or physically". He sighs heavily " Odette, remember what I told you to do that night on the train?". I say " yeah, you told me to be deaf". " Good, good! Now, I need you to do the opposite". Taken aback, I say " The opposite?". "Yes, remember all the hurtful things they said about you, right now. Let all your emotions pour out". Nodding I softly sob, letting the hot tears flow down my face, remembering everything. " Alright, you're crying, so that means your sad, but there must be another emotion boiling up inside you right?" " Yes" I say breaking from my sobbing. " Now, how angry are you?" he asks. " Really angry" I say. " You don't sound it! Now tell me, how angry are you!?" he says raising his voice. " I'm angry!". " No you're not! HOW ANGRY ARE YOU!?". " I'M ANGRY!" I scream. " There! That's rage! Nostrils flaring, body's shaking!". I have to admit, I am pretty worked up. " Now, instead of remembering and feeling sad, feel angry, get angry!". Turning toward the dummy I place the shurikens in my hand " Imagine the person you hate most, the person you want dead. That person is that dummy". I nod once, get into position and throw all three of them, but only one lands. Onyx hands me another set " Come on, get angry! That's the person you hate! The careers are laughing at you now! Everybody is laughing! They say you can't do it! How do you feel about that!?". Heavily shaking I say through my clenched teeth " I'm. Angry.". The second set of shurikens miss too, Onyx raises his voice " Odette the careers are laughing at you! THE COUNTRY is laughing at you, remember!? REMEMBER?!" "YES!" I scream back and throw the third set, and miss. " That's the person you hate the most! That person has hurt you! NOW WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO BACK?!". " I'm going to kill him" I say in my head and with a scream I launch the fourth set of shurikens, and they all hit the dummy. Breathing a heavy sigh I smile, because...

I just killed President Snow.

Feeling faint, I lean against the wall and slide to the ground. Visibly shaking, I try to focus on my breathing. Onyx leans down next to me and wipes tears that I didn't even realize were there. " There it is, that raw passion I knew was inside you all along. Now that this fire inside of you is lit, you need to keep it burning, through out the entire game. The minute you give up, the fire will go out. In a couple of days, you are going to have to go on stage in front of the whole country. From this point on, instead of ignoring what people say, you need to take it and use it to fuel the fire inside you, prove them all wrong. He pulls me back up and hands me another set with a smile " Now, lets see if you can do it again".

After an hour, not only can I throw three shurikens simultaneously, but I can hit three targets at the same time. With this new feeling of inner strength, I have this sudden burst of energy. I jump up and down excitedly as I hit three dummies at the same time...again. " Haha alright! I think you're good! Why don't we head back up?" he says and pats me on the back as we make our way to the elevator. As we ascend to the penthouse he says " Hey Odette, do me a favor ok? Keep this quiet from everybody, alright?" I nod, understanding, but not truly realizing the danger he could be in if someone found out about this. We reach the penthouse and quietly part ways to our bedrooms. I plop on my bed and get under the covers, but sleep does not come.

I spent the last day in the training center reviewing everything I already learned, so its pretty uneventful, until Cali asks me a question. We are reviewing how to start a fire when she suddenly stops and says with a shaky voice. " H-hey Odette..." She rubs the back of her neck, as if she's wondering if she should go through with her question, but finally she takes a deep breath and spits it out " ...Do you wanna be allies?". Though I'm taken aback, a smile spreads across my face as I answer " Yeah, I do". Hearing my answer, she smiles too.

We discuss the scoring at the dinner table " Now," Onyx starts " Tomorrow they are going to score you based on what you do and how well you do it". " Alright, so we just give it all get got, that should be easy" Orion says with a mouth full of food. " Well, its up to you. You can do that and get a high score, or pretend to be not as good". " But why would someone do that?" Orion asks. " Well, you can do that to get a lower score, so people think "oh they are weak I don't have to worry about them" and then surprise them in the arena!". At that point I realize, that is what I want to do.

All of the tributes sit side by side as one by one they go into the training center. They are allowed up to ten minutes each. After about an hour, its just me and Orion. I must be visibly shaking, because Orion places his hand on my knee " Hey, you are going to do great in there". I chuckle and say " Well... no i'm not" I say and wink. " He smiles and says " Well, good luck with doing bad then!". Suddenly the robotic voice calls my name, I'm next. My eyes go wide and my body goes stiff. " Good luck" Orion says and lightly squeezes my knee before I get up. I walk to the door and look back to see Orion giving me a thumbs up. I nod turn around, and walk into the training center only to stop dead as I see who is sitting up there along with the Game makers, President Snow. Its then I realize, I have to give it all I got.

He smiles, but he has a serious look to his face, as if his smile is forced, painted on. " Hello my dear! You're Odette correct?" The head Gamemaker asks. I nod nervously " Alright dear you may start, good luck!". Swallowing hard I wonder where to start. I should just start from the beginning. I go over to the fire starting area and picked up the sticks and rope. After a minute and a half, I have a fire started. The gamemakers seem slightly impressed, while President Snow sits with a straight face. " Dear you have eight minutes left". the gamemaker says. Next I head to the high monkey bars, and beat my previous record.  

Taking a deep breath I head over to the weapons and grab the blowgun. I stand on the line, and wait for the dummy to move. The dummy jerks forward and come at me faster than Onyx ever made it. I raise the blowgun to my face and shoot three darts. Two land in the neck and one over the heart. ignoring the gamemakers I reach for the shurikens. " Five minutes!". There are eight dummies scattered about and when one lights up, I need to hit that one. Exhaling I hit the first one that lights up, and I hit the first five. Suddenly three of them light up at the same time, and I know what I have to do. I hold the last three shurikens in my right hand, and let them fly. They all hit dead center in the chest on all three dummies. The gamemakers all clap, and for the first time, President Snows face changes, he narrows his eyes and rubs his mouth as if deep in thought. " Alright dear you may leave!" the gamemakers says. I nod and turn to walk toward the elevator. I step in the elevator and just as the doors start to close, I get one more glimpse of President Snow. We lock eyes, and just before they shut, he gives me a malicious grin.

The elevator door opens to the penthouse. Onyx, Charon and Lysithia sit in the living room, they immediately sit up as I walk into the room " So, how'd it go?" Charon asks. I speed walk straight past them into my room.

Hours later there is a knock at the door " Odette, they are announcing the scores". Getting changed I walk out into the living room and sit right in between Orion and Onyx. The Claudius show starts and he begins to say the tributes scores. " Deimos, nine. Pearl, eight. Helix,eight. Aelia, seven". I begin to shake, the sweat runs down my neck. " Calypso, eight". " Getting nervous? Don't worry, I'm sure you did terrible!" Orion says to make me laugh. " Talc, ten.". "Damn, that's the highest one so far!" Onyx says. " Marcella, nine". " Alright, here we go..." Orion says. " Orion, eight". He exhales, relieved.

" Now, last but not least, Odette!". He picks up the envelope and opens it. I shut my eyes, not sure of what gamemakers actually thought of me, of what President Snow thought of me. Nobody here knows that I backed out of pretending to act terrible. " Now, Odettes score is... a ten!". " Oh my!" exclaims Charon. Everybody gasps in shock. " Well so much for doing bad!" Orion says " What happened to acting bad?". " Well, I was going to act bad but, I didn't know President Snow would be there and I got nervous...". " What are you talking about, he wasn't there for me" Orion says. " Yeah, hes not supposed to be there..." Onyx says. For some reason, I'm still shaking " So, what does that mean? That I did really well. Is that good or bad?". " Well, I don't know, why don't you get to bed" Onyx says. that sounds pretty good, so without saying anything else, I get up and go to my room.

After Orion is in his room Onyx, Lysithia and Charon sit in grievous silence. Finally Charon speaks up " Are you surprised?" he asks. Onyx shakes his head " No, not at all. He wanted to see her for himself, but he wasn't being generous when he gave her that score...". " No..." Charon says shaking his head.

" Hes putting a big target on her back" Lysithia says.

Yayyy another long chapter! I wanted to write a long one because I wont be able to publish anything for at least two weeks, then its back to school! :(

This chapter was kinda boring im sorry :((( But things will get very interesting form here...And whats up with President Snow and Odette?! ( You'll have to wait and see :) the truth shall be revealed very soon...)

Once again, If you like the story please review, favorite and follow! Give me criticism!

Until next time! Hopeful it wont be too long!

~Maddy

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 (The Truth will be revealed!)

Tonight is the tribute interviews. We have the day to prepare for them. I requested that Orion and I are trained separately, so for the first half of the day Onyx will work with me, then work with Orion. Right after breakfast we get to work. " So," Onyx says " You should go out there with an angle". " A what?" I asks confused. " You know, an angle, how you want to be remembered. You can go out there and make everybody laugh, or act tough, or act innocent. We just need to find out whats right for you". Thinking, I realize, I don't know whats right for me. I only make people laugh when I don't try or want to, I cant act tough, but with my training score, how will I act weak? Then it hits me like a brick wall, I know what my angle will be " The underdog" I say under my breath. The words seem to spill out before I have a chance to control it. " Hmm? What was that?" Onyx asks. Taking a deep breath and look him straight in the eyes "...The Underdog".

After a couple of hours preparing what I will say and answering potential questions, he hands me over to Lysithia who gets me dressed for the interview. As shes doing my makeup, a thought comes back to me " Oh! I totally forgot! You went to go find out if you were pregnant a couple days a go! So...?" I ask with a big smile. She frowns and shakes her head, and I understand. " Oh...I'm sorry...". " Don't be. I guess its just not meant to be" she says and I can see shes holding back tears. " You cant give up! You cant give up on the things you really want! If you want it bad enough, you'll get it" I tell her. She finally smiles and quietly says " Thank you, Odette. Just make sure to listen to your own advice in the arena. Alright, you're done!". I turn around, and gasp. She used very simple makeup, a wing with black eyeliner, red false eyelashes and red lips. My blonde hair is braided in an up-do, but the best part is the dress. A short silky red one shoulder dress With black high heels. The ruffles on the dress very closely resemble flames( This and Cali's outfit are on my Polyvore. I think I gave out the wrong info before so my Polyvore account name is just Phoenixrider without the 66) " Its...its beautiful...I'm beautiful". " Yes, you are." Lysithia says with a smile. Checking the time she says " We should get going".

We all stand in a line to the stage. Everyone has five minutes to win the crowd over. Most of the Careers use the tough angle...except Cali. She walks out confidently in a beautiful long flowing light blue gown with wavy hair. She jokes around and makes the crowd laugh. After her interview I zone out, until Talc walks out. Once again he looks so calm and collected, but at the end as he walks out and hits himself in the head, but keeps walking. " Alright, you're up" Onyx says to me. Swallowing hard I nod. My heart booms in my ears like a drum. " Alright, next up from District Twelve, the lovely Odette!" Claudius says and the crowd cheers. I look back at Onyx one last time and he gives me a thumbs up as he mouths " You got this". Turning around I take one step on stage, Its show time.

The crowd claps and cheers as I walk out on stage. Not only are there hundreds of people here live, but millions watching around the world. I walk toward Claudius and he offers me his hand. I take it and sit across from him. " So, you're the lovely Odette! How are you?". " I-Im fine" I say quietly with a small smile. "Damn it! why did I stutter?! It was a simple question!" I think to myself. " That's wonderful! So, what do you think about the Capitol?". Suddenly everything Onyx and I went over evaporated from my mind. For a split second I sit there frozen in terror, then...I say the first thing that comes to mind " Well its...different". I say with wide eyes. He looks somewhat surprised "Different? In what way?". " Well, nobody has green hair back home..." I say. Then something happens, the crowd starts to laugh and so does Claudius! " That must have been different for you! So whats your favorite thing about the Capitol?". The only thing I can think of is, nothing. But instead I say " As strange as they look, the people. Everyone I met so far was very kind!".

Claudius nods and, then changes the subject " I see. But I want to know more about something else, your training score". My heart skips a beat and I get goosebumps " So, can you tell us any details of what went down in the training center that night?" he says with a curious smile. " Well..." I say trying to find the right words "...I gave it all I got. That's pretty much it". The crowd claps and Claudius seems satisfied. "Now, our times almost up, but is there anything else you would like to tell Panem?". This is my chance, here goes... I take a deep breath and nod " Yes". " And what would you like to tell the people of Panem?". " I want to tell them...that its not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. The odds are against me in every way, but I wont back down. I have nothing to loose...and everything to gain". The crowd goes wild and gives me a standing ovation. That feeling of inner strength I first felt that night in the training center, washes over me. The flame that Onyx lit, grew into a raging fire. Claudius takes my hands and helps me stand " That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you! Everybody give one last round of applause to Odette!"

" That was AMAZING!" Charon wildly exclaims. He pulls out a sparkly purple handkerchief and dabbed his eyes. Onyx walks up with a smile from ear to ear. " He's absolutely right, you could not have done better. I'm really proud of you". My knees wobble and I lean on the wall to keep from falling. " Can...can I go back to my room?" I ask suddenly feeling exhausted. " Of course, you earned an early night in". I feel somewhat bad for missing Orion's interview, but I realize its for the best. Tomorrow morning, we will enter the games. From here on, he is an enemy.

Its two in the morning, and here I sit in the fetal position on my bed wide awake. I go back through the past week and a half in my head, all the people I've met. Orion, Talc, Cali...how will the alliance work? What if it ends up just the two of us? Then what? Nah, I'll be dead by then. No! I can't think like that! I need to keep thinking positive. Tomorrow, its do or die. That's my last thought before I drift off to sleep.

The next morning I'm not hungry but Charon insists i'll regret not eating later, so I force what I can down. After breakfast, I say my final goodbyes to Charon. I meet Lysithia, where she puts me in my arena outfit. a red tank top,jeans and knee-high boots. she gives me a Black jacket and informs me how its water proof and will keep my body heat in. Before I leave, I give her a hug, knowing It might be the last time I see her. I remind her to not give up on her dream, we bid each other farewell , and walk to the hovercraft filled with the other tributes.

They put a tracker inside each tributes arm right before we took off. As we make our way to the arena, I get nervous. What will the arena be like? It's the first Quarter Quell, so its going to be special, and by special, I mean terrible. Soon enough, we land and they all lead us underground to separate rooms to say goodbye to our mentors. I sit alone for a bit while Onyx goes to Orion first. Finally, the door opens and he walks in. " Onyx!" I say and jump up to greet him, but my excitement turns to shock. His eyes are severely bloodshot and a mix or sadness and seriousness are painted on his face "Onyx...?" I say. " Odette, listen to me" he grabs my shoulders and squeezes them " There is something you need to know before you go into the games. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I had to keep you safe...I'm so sorry..." he says and shakes. " Onyx, whats wrong?" I ask very confused, not knowing what he was about to tell me would forever change me. " Odette, listen. The reason you are here is not because you were voted in". Baffled I say " What do you mean, of course that's why i'm here! I must have done something to make everyone hate me, so they voted for me". Hes shakes his head " No, its not what you did, its what you didn't do". My mind races to try to decipher what hes saying " What I...didn't do?" I asks. It hits me, at that very moment, I realize. " No..." My eyes go wide as I shake my head in disbelief. " I'm so sorry Odette, Its true". " But...how did they know?...

How did they know that I didn't vote?"

" They have ways, Odette. You were not alone in that room that day. People saw you. They were going to be punished if they didn't tell. By refusing to vote, President Snow saw that as a rebellious act. Charon had no choice but to report it". As much as it makes sense, I couldn't believe it. " But...I...I didn't..."Odette, think about it. Why would President show up for your final training scores and give you a very high score? Instead of just simply killing you, he decided to do something different...". "So...everyone knew?" I ask. He nods "Charon, Lysithia, and I. Trust me Odette, it was for your safety, I couldn't just tell you right away, but I did want you to know before its too late".

Tears cascade down my face " Odette, President Snow is a vile man who was done vile things. You need to-" " Win" I say, cutting him off. " No. You need to resist. That fire inside of you, was not lit by me, it was lit when you refused to vote. You need to refuse to play his game. In his book, you will die, don't just prove him wrong, make a fool out of him.". His features blur from the tears, but I understand and nod. " Thirty second" a robotic voice says. He brings me into a tight embrace and I sob violently in his shoulder . He has taught me so much about myself and I don't want to do this without him. " Its ok Odette" he says. " Shhh don't cry. Dont let everyone see you cry". " Twenty seconds". Sniffling I nod and get myself under control. " Ten seconds". He lets go and I walk to the tube and stand inside. Suddenly the tube encloses me. I put my palm on the glass, staring back at Onyx as I let more tears fall. The tube begins to rise, and just in time I get one more glance at Onyx, who gives me a thumbs up " You got this".

I never saw him again.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

History was always my favorite subject, especially ancient history. History of what Panem used to be, North America. Someone in ancient history really stuck out to me, his name was Martin Luther King Jr. We learned about his " I have a dream" speech, but another one of his speeches really branded itself in my head.

It is only now at this very moment, as I stand in the Hunger Games, that I truly understand his words.

I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight

because  my conscience leaves me no other choice.

I rise up into a large open field. Lush green grass and wide open blue sky. The cornucopia sits in the middle, filled with food and weapons, but it all becomes blurry because the tears continue to stream down my face. "Don't just prove him wrong, make a fool out of him."

Make a fool out of him...

My body reacts before my mind does.

A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war

Very slowly, I lower myself and sit down on the metal plate, crossing my arms and legs, refusing to play.

This way of settling differences is not just.

Gasps are heard from some of the tributes, I feel all their eyes on me. Then, something totally unexpected happens, another tribute sits down. Looking over to my right, my heart skips a beat, Orion.

This business of burning human beings with napalm,

Suddenly another tribute to my left goes down, Cali. Then another, Marcella , and another, and another...

of filling our nations homes with orphans and widows,

Of injecting poisonous drugs of hate,

Into the veins of peoples normally humane,

Soon all that's left standing are the careers and Talc, looking around very confused.

Pearl is the first career to go down.

of sending men home from dark and bloody battle fields...

All the careers are down.

Physically handicapped

Last one to go is Talc.

and psychologically deranged,

Cannot be reconciled with

Wisdom

Justice

and Love...

The countdown hits zero and the gong goes off... but not a single muscle moves.

Cannot be reconciled with

Wisdom

Justice

and Love...

There is what seems like a long, ominous pause as I imagine the Gamemakers are frantically running around, not sure how to deal with this.

Cannot be reconciled with

Wisdom

Justice

and Love...

But they soon figure out a solution

Cannot be reconciled with

Wisdom

Justice

and Love

That's when the bombs go off