panem-plus

[panem-plus]

first hunger games | two

word count. 3005 warnings. mentions of blood, mentions of guns, violence, strong language last ↞ menu ↠ next

Mayor Sitle's palms sweat as he stands before his entire District, their blank, scared faces staring back at him hauntingly. Beside him stood his wife, smiling widely at the cameras as they zoomed closer onto the pair. High up on the small screen beside them, live from the Capitol Academy, Casca Highbottom gave the final words of his speech as they finalised their end of the ceremony.

"Now, live from District One. I hand it over to Mayor Raven Sitle." Highbottom's final words finally broke the man out of his jitters, smiling brightly as he approached the single microphone.

"Thank you, Dean Highbottom. And what a pleasure it is to be the first to present our esteemed tributes for the honour of representing their District in the Hunger Games." Sitle read from the teleprompter by his feet. "We'll start first with the girls."

He paused before he stepped away from the microphone, his eyes sweeping over the crowd before landing on his eldest, Harta. Her green eyes held tears in them as she held onto the hands of her sister and best friends, their thin hands all held tightly onto one another as they prayed their name was not called. Raven finally turned away from the crowd, walking across the stage to where the almost overflowing reaping ballot stood. His hands moved before his mind could and reached into the metal cage, plucking out a slip of paper deep from within the pile.

Mrs Sitle's smile faltered as she watched her husband pull the slip of paper out from the pile, her heart dropping into her chest as she knew he wasn't going ahead with their original plan. Instead, he was going with the much riskier second option. An option that would no doubt land with his head on a spike. Her eyes found her youngest in the crowd, sending her first real smile of the day as she found Silver was already staring straight back at her, her daisy chain still clutched in her hands.

"Now, the female representative for District One is..." Raven slowly unfurled the piece of paper, his heart stopping as he read the words before him.

Time stopped as he thought through his wife's plan once more, hoping and praying that they wouldn't be caught for what he was about to do.

"Crystal Jilmer." He smiled into the camera, gasps filling the audience as the fourteen-year-old broke down into tears.

Peacekeepers were already making their way through the crowd to grab her, dragging her by the pits of her arms up the stairs and throwing her into a standing position beside the Mayor. Her sobs filled the District Square as no one made a sound, besides the occasional sniffle or murmur from a few in the crowd. Raven huffed out a large gulp of air, calming himself as his hands shook by his sides before he reached to put the piece of paper into his pocket but his hand was blocked before it could even reach his side. He scrambled to try to get the paper out of the Commander's hands but it was too late, Commander Brookes' eyes were already on the open piece of paper, the writing clear as day; Harta Sitle.

"Your Mayor lies!" Brookes' voice boomed even without the microphone on him. "This poor girl is not your tribute, she was just a pawn in his games. The real tribute was Harta Sitle, the Mayor's eldest daughter!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd, all eyes turning to the two Sitle girls who watched their father in disbelief. Why would their father lie about who it was? Harta gulped as the eyes of her best friends stared daggers into her. Her mother's eyes met her in the crowd, tears already streaming down her cheeks as she knew there was no way to change Harta's fate. Silver buried herself in her sister's side, her tears soaking through the blue blouse Harta had borrowed from their mother.

"He is a traitor to our District! And he shall be punished as such." Brookes nodded his head to the two Peacekeepers on stage.

The two uniformed men dragged the Mayor to the front of the stage where poor little Crystal still stood shaking and forced him onto his knees before his District. They pressed the muzzle of their rifles before pulling the trigger without warning, his head falling to the edge of the stage before his body fell off it with a thud. Screams sounded throughout the crowd as the children scrambled to get away from the dead body. Two gunshots silenced the crowd and halted any movements out of fear of following his fate.

\\---//---||---\\---//

Back in the Academy, the screens went blank before the Mayor's head could hit the stage, students scrambling to cover their eyes before blood could be shed. Highbottom sighed as he hung his head in shame. Why hadn't he thought that something like this would've happened? President Ravinstill's stare burned a hole into the side of his head, alerting the short man to the fact that in this situation; Highbottom was in charge.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologise for what you have just seen." Highbottom pointed to the screens high above him. "This terrible rebellious act by a traitor to our nation is a clear example of why we need these Games. To remind the Districts that without the creation of this new society, there is only war, there is only pain."

"We will return after a short recess, we just need a few minutes to send out a message to the Districts." Highbottom clapped his hands, quickly shuffling into the office attached to the Hall.

"Highbottom! How the hell did this happen?" Ravinstill stormed into the room, towering over the Dean as he scrambled to type up a message to send to be sent to all of the Districts' Head Peacekeepers.

"The wife. She was the daughter of Commander Aspac from the War. She probably held rebellious views from what happened to her father." Doctor Gaul spoke from the corner, having slipped through the door silently.

"Tell Brookes to get the wife as well." Highbottom turned to the work who was scrambling to type out a message to be sent out to all of the Districts. "He can announce the male tribute himself."

"How long until we'll be back up and running?" Professor Click dropped the new script, that had been hastily typed up, onto the table.

"Twenty minutes max." Highbottom nodded his head, reading over the cards before he went back out.

"Good. We can't leave the Capitol citizens waiting too long or they'll grow bored." Ravinstill gave Highbottom a stern look, before walking back out into the Hall.

The Hall was bustling with noise as students continued to murmur amongst themselves, the graduating front rows the loudest among the bunch.

"I bet they're going to force his wife to do the rest of the ceremony. Did you see the smirk on the bitch's face before he read out the name?" Gennadius giggled, having already called out the Mayor's wife during the ceremony for her demeanour.

"Nah, I reckon they're gonna leave his body there and make the girl stand with him." Eutychius shook his head, remembering the camera panning over the crowd before and staying on a pair of blonde girls for a long time.

"You're both wrong." Dean Highbottom's voice made the group of students jump, their heads whipping to face where the man was stumbling up to the podium. "We will have the Head Peacekeeper, Commander Brookes, continue the ceremony for District One after its interruption. Mayor Sitle and his wife have been removed from The Square and are being held in the District's cells until it is over."

"Well, he can't exactly go anywhere can he?" Hevlius whispered, earning a giggle from the students around her.

"Are you quite done, Miss Falveri?" Hoghbottom's stern stare was enough of a warning to silence the students, the screens flickering above him even more so.

"Sorry, Professor." Hevlius bowed her head, scared that her words would ruin her career with the War Department she had lined up before graduation.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Citizens of Panem. I apologise for the disruption in our ceremony. But I am happy to confirm we are ready to continue." Highbottom clapped his hands, signalling to the cameraman to cut to the live feed of One.

He huffed as he sat down on the steps behind the podium, staring up at the screens as Mayor Sitle's daughter's face entered the screen. Her scared green eyes darted across the crowds as she was held forcibly by a Peacekeeper in her place by Commander Brookes. 

\\---//---||---\\---//

"Silence! The Capitol has said that we will continue with the ceremony once Mayor Sitle and his wife have been removed from The Square." Commander Brookes stared over the District that was now under his command. "I want everyone back in their places, now!"

There was a pause in the air before everyone scrambled to move back to their allotted spots in The Square. Harta lost her grip on her sister in the scramble to return to their places, falling to her knees as she was pushed by hands away from their owners. Her chin smacked into the floor, knocking her teeth into one another and sending a shockwave of pain into her jaw. Heavy grey boots landed in front of her as she struggled to her feet. Following the boots up to their face, she found the angry helmeted face of Peacekeeper Holt, the second-in-command of One. His hands launched the girl up to her feet, dragging her past her father's bleeding body and threw her up onto the platform where Crystal was still being consoled.

"Commander Brookes, please don't harm my mum. She didn't do anything." The blonde sobbed, practically begging the man whom she had known her entire life.

"It was her idea, kid." Brookes simply shrugged before walking up to the microphone to continue the Mayor's speech from before. "Now, the female representative for District One is, Harta Sitle."

No one clapped or even gasped as the girl's name was once again announced, all staring at the girl in either sympathy for her situation or anger at the privilege of her parents. Harta could feel tears streaming down her face before she could even begin to wipe them away, they just fell on their own, showing the raw fear the girl was feeling. Brookes cleared his throat awkwardly, shoving the slip of paper into his trouser pocket.

"Well, let's select the tribute from the boys." Brookes stopped before the ballot box, not even pausing before his hand was diving into the cage of names. "The male representative for District One is, Myron Danagal."

A mother's cries of anguish could be heard before the boy even moved from the crowd, her husband having to hold her up as their son was marched up onto the stage. His frighteningly thin frame swayed as he was shoved beside the Commander, his blue eyes searching for any sign of hope within the crowd. Harta reached out her hand to the terrified boy hoping to be a place of safety for the boy in their terror-filled situation. Myron snatched his hand away from the girl like he'd been burnt, finally turning away from the crowd, his fear turning to anger at the sight of the girl.

"I hope you're the first to die in the arena." He whispered, rage burning behind his eyes. "Crystal is my best friend. You selfish bitch."

Harta reeled back in shock. It felt like she'd been slapped in the face by the boy's words, not quite believing that anyone would blame her for her parent's actions.

"I-I'm sorry. I had nothing to do with it." Hart stuttered.

Her eyes found those of the blonde Jilmer girl still sobbing into her mother's arms at the back of the crowd, her mother's eyes glaring at her with a steely gaze. Harta couldn't believe that her District would turn their backs on her and resent her so much over something that she had no control over. 

"I present your tributes for the 1st Annual Hunger Games, Harta Sitle and Myron Danagal." Brookes was met with silence once more, sighing as he grabbed the pair and marched them through the doors of the Justice Building.

Harta lunged to look back to find her sister but it was too late, the doors slammed heavily behind the trio. Brookes continued to drag the pair away from their families and through the building towards the back door. She knew exactly which corridor he was leading them down, having walked down it multiple times with her father.

Tears streamed down her face once more as the images of her father's dead body falling limp to the floor flashed through her mind. Her mind went to her poor mother who had been hysterical as she was dragged alongside Raven towards the District's prison cells. How would she cope and raise Silver by herself? Would she even be allowed out of the cell to see Silver at all?

Myron's small feet struggled to keep up with the long strides of the Commander, stumbling over his feet so much that he was basically being carried by the man. He could still hear his mother's haunting screams as they made their way through the streets down towards the train station. As the sound grew quieter, he realised he would not get a final goodbye to his mother or father, or get to see his baby sister one last time. He wouldn't see his District ever again.

\\---//---||---\\---//

Birds squawked above the Square in Two as Carmela and Hunter stared down at their District, watching as smirks and smug looks were exchanged amongst the crowd. The Mayor himself could even be seen attempting to hide his joy at the future demise of the people who caused his own daughter's death. Carmela gulped nervously as she could feel the venomous eyes of Hunter stare a hole through the side of her head. The boy's hands had been restrained behind his back since he was brought into the Square that morning. 

"I present, your tributes for the First Annual Hunger Games, Carmela Gibbons and Hunter Voyage." Mayor Selman clapped as he presented the pair like an offering to their Gods.

Claps multiplied throughout the crowd, and few cheered as they were glad to be rid of the pair that had caused so much pain to the Mayor's family. Even children who had been classmates and acquaintances of the pair were clapping as they watched them be led off the stage by Peacekeepers. Their cheers could still be heard as they were directed towards the back of the Justice building and out of the doors. The train was already waiting for them, a few wood cargo carriages with their doors closed and Peacekeepers stationed at each one.

"Well, I guess my job here is done." Mayor Selman once again smirked at the pair. "Good luck in there, you'll need it."

They were pushed forward once more, the first carriage doors opening for them to enter, a brunette head peeking out as light was finally let in. His eyes widened at the sight of the much larger boy that was being marched towards him, hands handcuffed behind his back and three Peacekeepers having to hold him.

"I'll kill you, Gibbons. As soon as we get into that arena, you're the first one dead." Hunter hissed, the Peacekeepers behind him struggling to keep him in his place.

Carmela thrashed out of the arms of the Peacekeeper who was guiding her forward at the thought of being trapped in the wooden box with Hunter. She ran towards the second train car, ripping the door open to find a blonde girl curled up in the corner. Her eyes squinted as the light was finally let into the dark box she'd been stuck in for hours.

"Can I join you?" Carmela's small voice sounded as she was pushed forward again by the Peacekeeper from before into the cart.

"Not sure I have much of a choice really." The blonde grimaced, jumping as the door was slammed shut behind her. "Are we in Two?"

"Yeah, I think we're going to Three next. No idea why, it's on the other side of the Capitol. Be easier to go to Seven next." Carmela chuckled, trying to find some humour in their situation.

"Easier for them, I guess. Number order and all." The blonde shrugged, her movement only just caught by the brunette in the darkness. "I'm Harta."

"Carmela." She reached her hand out, hoping to find the girl's hand in the darkness. "Do you believe all they were saying about the Games? They can't really expect us to go in and start murdering each other for their entertainment, can they?”

"Well, seeing as my father was murdered in front of the entire of One for trying to rig the reaping, I'd say they're serious." Harta sniffed, her mind repeating her reaping once more in her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that had happened." Carmela finally slid to the floor of the wood box, feeling the train start to pull out of the station. "They didn't let us see your reaping ceremony."

"It's fine. He had it coming for thinking they could get away with it. Probably wasn't the first rebel-type thing they've done whilst he's been Mayor." Harta sighed, light finally starting to come through the gaps in the wood as they travelled through the land beyond Two outside of Panem.

"Guess our Mayors have something in common then." Carmela scoffed, catching the confused look on the blonde's face at her words. "He rigged it so both of us would be selected from Two. I don't know how, but he did."

"Why?" Harta asked, worried that she was trapped in the carriage with a mass murderer.

"It's a long story." Carmela could already tell she was going to have to tell the girl no matter what based on how she had already shuffled closer to her.

"Not like I'm gonna be going anywhere." Harta shrugged, eager to hear about life outside of her District.

Carmela chuckled along with her, already knowing what she was about to say to the girl from One would change how she looked at the tributes from Two.

next part

[panem-plus]

first hunger games | one

word count. 2815 warnings. mentions of blood, violence, guns, mentions of abuse, swears last ↞ menu ↠ next

Carmela could still hear the echoes of her mother's wails even as Peacekeepers had dragged her all the way from the square to their tiny house on the outskirts of the village. Her brothers' teary eyes had stared up at her in horror at the sounds, entirely lost in the situation of their new reality. Her father had been the Peacekeeper ordered to stay and watch their mother after the reaping, both out of fear for her life and out of a duty he had to his District.

The family of five sat silently in their living room, not even the sounds of the two boys who would normally be playing with their wooden figurines could break the silence. Her mother stood up slowly from her seat, shuffling towards the kitchen silently as she robotically began making dinner from the scraps that were left in the cupboards. Carmela could see the shake in her hands as she attempted to cut up a carrot to put into the stew she was making.

"Do you need a hand, darling?" Hartley called out to his wife, only receiving a small shake of her head in response.

He turned away from her to face Carmela with a sigh, ensuring that Freya was far enough in the kitchen to not hear what he was going to say.

"You're mother can't know what I'm about to tell you. I heard from some of the Peacekeepers on the way back. They're rigging the vote." Hartley said, Carmela flinching in preparation for the words he was going to speak next. "They're rigging it so it's you."

"What?" Carmela whispered, her heart dropping to her feet.

"There's not going to be a single name in there besides yours, the Mayor will make sure of it." Her father sniffed, the usually emotionless man tearing up at the idea of his eldest being dragged away from their home to her death.

"Can't you do something? Swap out the names for someone else's?" Carmela practically begged her father. "They can't do that. What would the President do if he found out?"

"He won't care. All he cares is that two kids are sent from each District to their slaughter." He sighed, turning his head to see the hauntingly pale face of his daughter. "I'm sorry, Kid. All I can do is help prepare you for whatever you will face."

Hartley stood from the sofa, patting his daughter firmly on the shoulder before retreating into the main bedroom. In his wake, he left behind the shaking-scared girl, whose eyes had completely lost focus as she stared far off into the distance imagining the many ways the Capitol could make her meet her demise. Would she be speared through the chest? Shot through the head? Have her neck slit open and left to bleed like an animal? All she knew was that there was little chance she would ever see her younger brothers once she was shipped off to her death.

She wiped a stray tear from her eyes as she spotted the two boys had made themselves comfortable on the only standing sofa in the room, attempting to read one of the books Mrs Hadley had dropped round for them. Carmela chuckled to herself, already hearing the muffled arguing as they both tried to be the one to hold the book and read to the other. She slipped in between the pair, placing the book, which she now noticed was a very old copy of Harry Potter, onto her lap and beginning to read from the top of the page. The two boys snuggled themselves into either side of her, their eyes already starting to drift shut before their light snores filled the silence of the house.

\\---//---||---\\---//

Harta giggled watching her mother and father chase each other through the fields behind their house, her younger sister sat beside her creating daisy chains and giggling alongside her. From the outside, the quartet seemed to not have a care for what had just been announced by the President only twenty minutes prior. But a keen eye would spot the dried tears painted across her mother's cheeks, the tremble in little Silver's hands as she tried, again and again, to thread the stems through one another, or how Harta herself was not even looking at her parents at all, but watching the sun shine over One for what could be her very last time.

All were affected by the announcement, bar one; Mayor Sitle. The man knew that his children would be safe, knowing very well that the Capitol would not want to anger the man who was in charge of their vast supply of Luxury goods by sending one of his precious daughters to their deaths. They wouldn't dare test the patience of such a powerful asset to their own wealth all for the entertainment of a few psychopaths high up in the Capitol. 

"Mum, did they really mean what they said in The Square today?" Silver finally broke the silence.

Their parents came to a pause in front of their daughters, unable to answer the question as they too did not know if what had been said was true.

"I'm gonna be honest, Silvy." Mrs Sitle knelt before her youngest. "I have no idea. Whatever happens tomorrow and the days after that is completely in the hands of The Capitol."

"But what if it's me or Harta?"The twelve-year-old pouted, fiddling with the daisy chain bracelet on her wrist.

"It won't be, my darlings. I promise you." She lied through her teeth, already knowing they would have no control over tomorrow's ceremony, the Head Peacekeeper demanding to have control over the whole thing up until the actual reaping.

She pressed a firm kiss to each of their foreheads, pushing back their matching blonde curls and cupping their cheeks. They were the spitting image of their father, even down to the matching mole under their left eye. The only way anyone could tell they were even her daughters was their eyes; forest green, like the woods that stretched across the edge of the District. Even the crinkle in their nose as they smiled and snuggled into her hands matched that of her husband's, two perfect replicas of the love of her life. She couldn't imagine how she would react if either were picked tomorrow for the Games, how she would have to put on a brave face for all the cameras that were no doubt going to be pointed directly at the family. All she knew was that she would fight tooth and nail to get them back from the depths of hell known as the Capitol, even committing acts of treason and rebellion to do so.

"Should we start heading back, dear?" Her husband knocked her out of her thoughts, pointing to the incoming grey clouds. "Don't want to be caught out here when those roll in."

"Of course. It's almost time for dinner anyways." She sniffed, accepting his hand to stand as the girls began packing up their blankets and raced each other to the back door of the house.

"We have to do something." Mrs Sitle shook her head, turning to face the glum look on her husband's face.

"Commander Brookes won't let anyone but his top Peackeepers anywhere near where they're keeping the name ballot boxes. There's no way we could possibly mess with them in any way without being hanged for treason."

"Then I guess we're being hanged 'cause I'm not just accepting that our daughters might be sent to their deaths and we would have done nothing about it." She turned sharply from her husband, a plan already forming in her head as the blond man ran to catch up with her.

"God, I hate that I love you so much." Mayor Sitle huffed as he caught up with her. "Fine. What's the plan?"

She only smirked up at her husband, already knowing her husband would agree to anything she suggested, no matter how treasonous. The Sitle family would not be torn apart by something as cruel as the Games, not if the Mayor had anything to do with it.

\\---//---||---\\---//

Hunter paced the length of his marble kitchen, his fingernails almost gone and bleeding from his insistent picking at them. His mother watched on in fear, already knowing the storm that was brewing in her son's mind. He was much like his father in that sense, not very quick to anger, but when the rage would finally tip over, no one was safe from it. It was what led them to move from their previous District to their new house in Two and why he was no longer in the picture.

"Hunter, why don't you sit down and eat something? Your food's going cold." Her fragile voice reached out to him.

"I'm not hungry." Hunter snapped, staring out the window as he could see the Gibbons boys playing in their back garden. "I'm going to go see Carmela."

"Maybe it isn't the best idea for you to see her, dear. You've heard what they've all been saying she did to poor Ver-" Mrs Voyage could barely finish her sentence before Hunter stormed over to slam his hands on the table in front of her.

"Don't you dare say that girl's name in front of me. She killed herself, Carmela had nothing to do with it." Hunter seethed at his mother, the vein in his forehead bulging with anger. "You should know better than to test me, mother."

Frida could only stiffly nod her head, scared if she moved too much she would receive a beating similar to the one last time she had mentioned the Mayor's daughter. Hunter stalked away from his mother in a huff, already knowing he was heading straight to the Gibbons's house whether she was going to accept it or not. The girl was his oldest and only friend in the District now that Vera was gone, there was nothing that would separate him from her. The door slammed so hard behind him as he stormed through it that the plaster from the ceiling cracked and fell to the floor slightly, covering his mother's home-cooked meal with the dust of the entire room and ruining all her hard work. Frida sighed as she pushed herself slowly up from the table, already moving towards their cupboard under the stairs where she knew the broom was after many occurrences of dinners and furniture being ruined from her son's anger. Looking out the window, she could see his figure storming up the hill towards town, frighteningly similar to the figure of his father.

As he passed the Justice Building on his way over to the other side of the town, he couldn't help but slip in through the back door, already knowing all the secret passageways from being best friends with his daughter. He smirked to himself when he found the spare key to the Mayor's office, the hiding place inside the bookcase in the corridor had not changed since Vera showed him it. Cracking the door open and hearing no noise from inside the room, Hunter welcomed himself inside, already knowing exactly which drawer to go into to find what he was looking for.

His hands shoved the bags of coins quickly into his pockets, filling them to the brim with stacks of notes and coins. As his hands began to come up bare, he finally looked into the drawer properly, spotting an envelope with the seal of his old district stamped onto the back. Curiosity got the better of the troubled teen and he was stuffing that into his pockets as well as the money.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, alerting Hunter to the presence of either the Mayor or his assistant; the only two people who would enter this wing of the Justice Building. Scrambling to close the drawer he had been rifling through, he launched himself under the wooden desk as the door to the room swung open and shut quickly.

"Commander Hadley, what exactly was so important that it couldn't wait until I was done with my dinner?" Mayor Selman sighed, leaning back against his desk.

"It's about your daughter, sir." Hadley took his helmet off, resting it beside the man.

"What about her?" Selman stiffened, ready to fight his Head Peacekeeper if he dared utter a bad word against his deceased daughter.

"The rumours aren't true, the Gibbons girl had nothing to do with her death. It was the boy, that District hopper." Hadley gruffed. "Hunter Voyage is his name."

Hunter stiffened under the desk after hearing his name, already knowing exactly what words were going to come out of the Commander's mouth. He couldn't hear any more of it, covering his hands over his ears as the Commander recounted what he had been told by an unknown source in the District, already knowing exactly who it had come from. His skin crawled at the words he could still hear muffled through his hands, ready to pounce if too much was said.

As their conversation came to a close, Hunter found himself itching to leap from under the desk. He knew exactly where he was headed as the pair retreated from the room, setting as he stormed back through the building the opposite way to where he had come from. Officer workers lept out of the way at the ball of anger that raged through the halls, not caring enough about who the boy was to stop him in fear for the wrath that would be sent their way. The front doors to the building slammed into the concrete behind it as he raced down the stone stairs, his destination already locked and in sight.

\\---//---||---\\---//

Pounding sounded on the Gibbons' front door, awakening the sleeping boys from their peaceful slumber on their sister's shoulder. Before the brunette could stand to answer the door, the doorknob was wiggling violently and the pounding continued; only louder this time.

"Carmela! Open the door! I need to speak to you!" A gruff voice boomed from the other side, Carmela's body going rigid with fear at the recognisable voice on the other side.

Her father came running back into the living room, his rifle at the ready at the commotion going on at his front door. His eyes immediately found those of his wife, nodding for her to move out of the kitchen and behind him, the kids following suit. 

"She's not here, Hunter! Go back home!" Hartley shouted back at the boy, inching closer to the door as the pounding continued.

"I know she's here, Hartley," Hunter shouted back, the door almost giving way with how violently he smashed his hand into it. "I know what you said, you bitch!"

"Papa, what's he talking about?" Carmela whispered to her father, curling her fists into the back of his shirt.

"It's not just your name they're rigging into the vote." Her father turned his head to look back at his daughter, already seeing the cogs turn in her head as she realised what he meant.

"You can't do this to me, Carmela! You can't take me down with you!" Hunter's voice sounded closer than it had before like he was in the room with them. "I'll kill you, Gibbons!"

Suddenly the commotion outside their front door stopped for a moment, like the calm before the storm. Hartley inched himself closer to the wooden door, looking through the small peephole only to be met with a barren street.

"He's gone?" Freya whimpered, the two boys cradled to her chest.

"I think s-" Grunts and the sound of a body striking the ground cut Hartley off, followed by the commanding voice of Mr Hadley, the head of the Peacekeepers in Two.

"Oh, thank god." Carmela sighed, leaning against the door to look out the curtained window.

Hunter was face down in the dirt, blood streaming from his mouth as three Peacekeepers struggled to handcuff him. Commander Hadley had his rifle pointed at the boy, shouting words that fell blank to Carmela's ears. His stony, grey eyes met hers, sending a shiver of fear once again down her spine. His thrashing became more violent, three more Peacekeepers having to put all their weight into holding down the manic teenager. Hadley's rifle struck the boy thrice in the head before he finally remained limp in their arms enough for him to be released by all but two of them.

"He's going to get himself killed." Hartley tutted as he joined his daughter at the window. "Or at least get a good beating out of this. Bloody well deserves it."

Carmela could only stiffly nod, not moving from the window until the, now handcuffed, boy was shoved into the back of the Peacekeepers' van and turned down the end of the road. She remained at the window until the sun disappeared from the sky, her face being lit by moonlight. Her mind continued racing with thoughts of the following day's ceremony. How was she supposed to be rigged into the games to fight for her death when she would already be murdered at the hands of her old best friend?

next part

[panem-plus]

panem+ | first hunger games

welcome to the archive for the first annual hunger games. watch as the tributes battle against all odds to become the first ever victor. includes behind the scenes information and interviews from family and friends of the tributes.

one two ... more to be added

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[panem-plus]

panem+ | 1st-10th games

1st games -> watch the first ever annual hunger games, where [REDACTED] becomes the first ever victor against all odds. 2nd games 3rd games 4th games 5th games 6th games 7th games 8th games 9th games 10th games -> all records for the 10th annual hunger games have been deleted, please stand by as we try to find any information on these games to add into our archive.

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[panem-plus]

panem+ | hunger games' inception

word count. 1,076 warnings. none

President Ravinstill watched on in glee at the crowds of citizens who stood before him, eyes lit up with excitement for what punishments the Academy had come up with for the districts. Beside him stood Casca Highbottom, creator of the ever-awaiting punishment, already itching to down the morphling bottle that sat heavy in his pocket. Pockets of scarlet stood out from the crowds of grey, the eye-catching Academy Red students ready to get through the announcement ceremony and get on with their graduation that was scheduled later that day. 

Ravinstill raised his hands as he stepped upon the stone pedestal, a hush falling over the buzzing crowd. He smirked before he started his speech, reeling in the power he held over his citizens. " Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Panem, I stand before you today on a momentous occasion in the history of Panem - the signing and declaration of the Treaty of Treason." 

He held the scroll beside him up for the crowd to see, the golden seal of Panem shining brightly back at them. "This document, with the hopes and aspirations of our great nation, signifies a turning point in our relationship with the districts and the dawn of a new era for Panem." 

"As we gather here to celebrate this historic accord, let us reflect upon the journey that brought us to this pivotal moment. The districts, once disparate entities, are now bound together by the threads of understanding and cooperation, woven into the fabric of a stronger Panem." Cheers rippled through the crowds at the words of victory and unity of the Capitol. "This Treaty will not only dictate the laws of peace within the districts but as a foundation for us to build a future defined by cooperation, understanding and mutual respect." 

Ravinstill paused before he carried on with his speech, turning to face the pair standing beside him; whilst Highbottom was already downing his second bottle of the morphling he had stowed in his pockets, Doctor Volumnia Gaul stood grinning. Her maddening eyes and crazed hair matched the eerily wide smile that took over her face, her striking eyes scanned the crowd before landing on the blues of President Ravinstill himself, sending a chill down the man's spine. 

"Today signifies a crucial juncture in the annals of our esteemed nation. As your President, it is both my duty and honour to declare the full details of the Treaty to my esteemed citizens." Ravinstill turned back towards the crowd. "And to announce these details, may I president to you, Casca Highbottom, creator of the Hunger Games, himself." 

Screams and roars of applause echoed through the packed academy hall, Casca stepping up to the podium with a slight stumble. The Capitol citizens knew of the vast intelligence and genius of the Academy graduate. 

"Citizens of Panem, The Hunger Games will not be merely a spectacle; they are a symbol of our collective will to survive and thrive in the face of adversity." Highbottom hand's already shook as the nineteen-year-old stood before his old classmates. "n these trying times, we must remember that it is the responsibility of each citizen to contribute to the prosperity of Panem. The Hunger Games embody this spirit by offering two brave representatives from each of our twelve districts to participate in a display of skill, cunning, and determination." 

Whispers travelled from person to person, as the Capitol tried to decipher where Highbottom's punishment was going; was it a survival-type show? were they to be brought in as performers to perform for them all? 

"These tributes shall be delivered to the custody of the Capitol. And then transferred into a public arena, where they will fight to the death until a lone victor remains. Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as, The Hunger Games." Casca stepped down from the podium almost as quickly as he had stepped up, already regretting his decision to agree to announce the games personably. 

Dr Gaul took his place with a skip in her step, gleefully giggling as she clapped her hands loudly in front of the mic creating a booming noise that silenced the crowd once more. 

"I am Doctor Volumnia Gaul, Head Gamemaker for the inaugural Hunger Games, and Head of the War Department and all its affiliated concerns. I stand before you to give a glimpse into the meticulously crafted games where the tributes will face their trials." Gaul continued to grin wildly. "Once reaped for the Games, these tributes will be shipped to the Capitol where they will be kept on display for you all to come and see. All twenty-four children will then be sent into the Capitol Arena where only one will remain victorious. Thank you, all." 

Gaul winked at the main camera that had zoomed in on her as she stepped backwards off of the podium and seemed to slip between the President and Highbottom back into the chair she had come from. A wave of uproar started in a corner of the room at Gaul's words, having been the first to announce that these tributes were to be reaped from children. 

"I understand that the concept of the Hunger Games may be met with mixed emotions but let us not forget the purpose behind this event." Ravinstill rushed to take over the microphone, scrapping the rest of his prepared speech in hopes of earning the trust of his citizens once more. "The Games are a reminder that, as a nation, we are bound together by a common destiny. Through this shared experience, we will forge stronger connections, solidify our unity, and ensure a brighter future for generations to come." 

Thinking on the spot, Ravinstill repeated the words he remembers his mother had said to his father before he left for the war. "May the odds be ever in your favour. And may these inaugural Hunger Games serve as a beacon of hope, a testament to the indomitable spirit of Panem. Let us stand together, shoulder to shoulder, as we witness history unfold before our eyes. May the victor emerge not only triumphant in the arena but also as a symbol of our collective strength. Thank you and may Panem endure forever." 

Fireworks burst into the sky, their lights coming through the floor to ceiling windows of the Academy Hall. Far away in the depths of the districts, mothers wailed and father screamed in anguish at the announcements of their child's possible death.

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Hunger Games' Inception

Watch the live announcement and inception of the Annual Hunger Games by President Ravinstill and Dean Casca Highbottom, creator of the Games himself here.

Games

Watch the full story of each year’s inception of the games from reaping to victory, including exclusive interviews with family and friends of the tributes and victors themselves.

1st-10th

11th-20th

21st-30th

31st-40th

41st-50th

51st-60th

61st-70th

71st-80th

Victors

We sat down with the victors after each of their games to get their full life story and their plans for their future outside of the hunger games. Updated information has been added to each interview during each inception of the games.

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

District 5

District 6

District 7

District 8

District 9

District 10

District 11

District 12