MEN WERE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DISGUSTING. Luna Geyser had come to that conclusion on her very first date with one. Now, as she went on more and more, the fact was just being proven more and more. Almost every man that she had met in her life sucked, and she had been considering the idea of never marrying fir a while.

"You're a lot prettier in person than on screen," the man across from her told her, clearly thinking that he was complimenting her.

It wasn't that she chose these dates. There were just powers beyond her control, and she knew that if she disobeyed or said some of the things that she wanted to say to some of the men, she risked her brother's life. So, she had to look nice, ride the train all the way to the Capitol, and smile at the creepy men before going back to their room and letting them do whatever they wanted. "Thank you."

"Makes me wonder if that Mason girl is really as ugly as she looks," he chuckled, referring to Johanna Mason, another Victor and a fairly close friend of Luna's.

She pursed her lips, wanting so badly to throw her drink in his face for saying rude things about her friend, but she couldn't. "I've met her. She's quite beautiful." It wasn't just men that were disgusting, and it wasn't all men. It was, however, all Capitol citizens.

"Hmm," he replied shortly. Then he lifted up the table cloth and looked underneath the table, causing Luna's eyes to widen as she crossed her legs, making sure he didn't get a glimpse of anything. However, he was looking a bit lower. He asked, "So, do you really not have a leg?"

"No, I just lost the use of my lower left leg," she corrected. She had explained this to far too many people. She did not lose her leg. She just had to wear ta brace all the time.

He tilted his head, dropping the table cloth and looking back up at her in question. "Why not just cut it off?"

"Because it's a lot easier and less risky to learn to walk with a brace instead of an entire prosthetic leg," she pointed out. At least then, she still had a leg and everything.

"See, I would get the prosthetic. It looks cooler," he told her before adding, "And sexier."

Sorry, my decision to keep my leg was not based on how sexy you would think it was, was what she wanted to say, but her fake smile just widened like he had given her the best advice in the world. "Maybe I should reconsider."

"Definitely. You ready to go?"

Luna got back on the train as soon as possible the next morning. When she arrived on the platform, she grabbed the trolley to her house. There, she stepped of and grinned when she saw her brother on his knees, pulling weeds out of the front yard. He stood up as she walked over to him, and she quickly embraced him, muttering, "God, I missed you."

"Have fun?" Lennox asked because she had told him that she had gone to the Capitol for a party and to see some of her Victor friends. She always made up lies like that whenever she had to go on a date because she knew the truth might kill him.

"Yep," she answered curtly. She knew that if she tried to make up details about the 'party', she would slip up and bring down the entire secret. She pulled away and patted him on the back. "I can go to the market this afternoon if you tell me what you want for dinner."

"Spaghetti, please," he told her excitedly, and she grinned. She had been making dinner for them since they were kids, and he was still as excited about it as ever, despite the fact that she was a crappy cook. He didn't know that, though, because he had never tasted Capitol food. He had nothing to compare it to. "Hurry home. The President's announcement is tonight."

She nodded, pretending like she had forgotten about that completely. The truth was, whenever the Hunger Games time arrived, the dates and times of every event were burned into her brain. "Oh, right."

"I know you don't like watching it, but it's the Quarter Quell," he responded. Both of them had distaste for the Games, but they both knew that this was something they had to see.

She offered a very small smile. "Yeah, I know. I'll be home." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before heading inside to get changed before she left.

While Luna was at the market, she went around the long way to the noodles because the boy who worked at the orange cart was really cute. The Games put things like boys and school into perspective, but she was still a teenage girl. As she passed, she lingered at the shop right beside him. She had nothing planned, but she liked the feeling of having a crush. It felt normal compared to everything else in her life.

"Hi, Luna." She looked up at the sound of her name, and the boy was staring at her with a smile.

She shifted positions so she was not in front of his cart, looking down at the oranges to hide her small blush. "Hey, Heath."

"There's a three-for-one sale, if you're interested," he informed her, gesturing to the sign beside him that said just that.

"Yeah, all right," she agreed, and she felt like a complete idiot, buying oranges that she did not need just to have an excuse to talk to the cute boy at the cart. She had almost broken her leg fighting for her life in an arena, and she was standing there, grinning like a moron. "Thank you so much."

As he handed her the oranges, he raised his eyebrows at her, a hopeful expression on his face. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," she confirmed, turning around with a smile on her face as she continued her shopping trip

《 ✽ 》

"LUNA, IT'S ON!" LENNOX CALLED FROM THE LIVING ROOM.

She sighed, knowing it was time to face the facts. She was about to lose her game of 'How Long Can I Go Without Seeing Snow's Stupid Wrinkly Face?". She scooped their dinner into two bowls, licking sauce off her fingers before bringing them over to where her brother was sat in front of the television, the Panem anthem playing.

She took a sip of her water as she leaned back. She asked him, "Are you sure you want to watch this?"

"If you want me to turn it off..." he trailed off. He assumed that she would want to know what the Quarter Quell was since she was going to have to Mentor, but the last thing he wanted was to upset her. He could easily just wait and watch it later or not watch it at all.

"No, it's fine," she replied, shaking her head. She wanted to know what she was in for this year and what kind of people she would be responsible for.. "Snow's face just makes me want to throw myself off the pier, that's all."

In the First Quarter Quell, the citizens of the districts had to vote on who would compete in the Hunger Games as a way of reminding the rebels that they were responsible for the Hunger Games, and it was their fault that their children died in the Games every year.

In the Second Quarter Quell, four tributes were chosen from each district instead of the usual two to remind the rebels that for each Capitol citizen killed, two rebels died. This put twice as many children in the arena at 48 tributes and thus made it twice as brutal.

"Let me just make a drink." She walked over to the cabinet where they kept a small collection of liquor and poured herself a glass of bourbon. She sat back down on the couch, and as soon as the old man appeared on the screen, she took a very large sip.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the 75th year of The Hunger Games. And it was written in the charter of The Games that every 25 years, there would be a Quarter Quell to keep fresh for each new generation the memory of those who died in the uprising against The Capitol. Each Quarter Quell is distinguished by Games of a special significance. And now on this, the 75th anniversary of our defeat of the rebellion, we celebrate the Third Quarter Quell."

Luna leaned forward, knowing that it was time for the twist. "As a reminder that even the strongest cannot overcome the power of The Capitol, on this, the 3rd Quarter Quell Games, the male and female Tributes are to be reaped from the existing pool of Victors in each district."

After those words, the world went quiet. Luna's heart dropped, and she just stared at the screen blankly. Lennox flew to his feet, shaking his head frantically. "No, no, no, no. He can't do that. He can't!"

"He's the President. He can do what he wants," she reminded him.

"It's okay," he said, but he was convincing himself more than he was convincing him. It wasn't like there was a one-in-a-hundred chance anymore. She was one of six. "There's five other female winners. It won't be you." When she didn't say anything, he just continued, "It won't. They can't put you back in. You're hurt."

She reached over to the table and grabbed her jacket before standing up and putting it on. She told Lennox, "I'm going out."

"Luna," he called after her, but she was already out the door.

She walked down the driveway, past the power plants and the shops, all the way across town to the pier overlooking the ocean. She stopped at the end of it and put her hands on the rail, staring out into the endless sea and taking deep breaths of the salty air so that she didn't throw up.

She came to a conclusion that she was going to have to accept sooner or later. It was better to expect the worst now than be disappointed by it at the Reaping.

She was going back into the arena.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

first chapter ayyyyy

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