Hunger Games: All-Stars

Chapter 2

Since these characters have already been introduced, they don't need their first POVs to be as long. That, and I have way more this time.

Chantal Ivingin POV

I was surprised when I opened my eyes after I died. In One, we thought more about a legacy than an afterlife. Whatever I expected, it didn't look like a sterile Capitol hospital room, and it wasn't wet and lukewarm like the tank I was lying in. And what was my old stylist Hollan doing here?

"What's going on?" I asked. Was Hollan dead too? Great, was he my guardian or something? I didn't know if I could stand that.

"Oh, you're awake! This is so exciting! You're going to be in the All-Stars Games!" Hollan said.

"What?" I asked. "What are you talking about?" I gripped the edge of the tub and hauled myself out.

"President Galba is holding a special Games where the best Tributes come back and fight again, and she picked you!" Hollan gushed.

"So I did die?" I asked.

"It's okay. Lots of Tributes die," Hollan said sympathetically. "This time you'll win."

I didn't know what to think. There were a million things to think. I was dead. Now I was back? How did they do that? Shoot, how long has it been? It was such a boggling series of thoughts and revelations I felt like I was going to faint. I felt my skin growing cold as I dripped and I realized I was stark naked.

"Can I have some clothes?"

Priscilla Piscot POV

"The Gamemakers got one nomination each, and the rest were voted on by the Capitol," Philomena explained.

"What the flying heck? They're going to make us die all over again?" I asked.

"Not all of you," Philomena said cheerfully. Does she use her head as a hat rack or what?

"Oh, how could I be so stupid? One of us will live! That makes everything better," I said. Philomena huffed.

"Maybe they should have picked someone else. You're supposed to be entertaining," she said.

"Whatever. Who else did they pick?" I asked as I threw up my hands.

"For One, there's Chantal, Hunter, Diamond, Rapture, Kazuo, and Miall," Philomena said. She was so casual I didn't catch on at first.

"Wait... Miall?" I asked. "Like, my brother?"

"Oh, that's right!" Philomena said. She perked up and flapped her hands. "Isn't that just wonderful?"

Miall's alive? I couldn't imagine it. Me being alive was weird enough, but my brother? I hadn't seen him in so long. It tore out my heart when I knew I was never going to see him again, and now I would. Philomena saw my face and look confused.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy?" she asked. I started to shake and tears spilled from my eyes.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Shouldn't you rest-"

"Where is he?!"

Miall Piscot POV

"Priscilla's here too?" I asked. Why? Why did she have to come too? I was supposed to be the Victor. Why did she always have to be better than me?

She died. I felt terrible when I realized it. All I could think about was petty pride and my sister was dead. But that didn't matter anymore. She was back, and I had to find her.

As it turned out,we found each other. As I was running down the hall to see her she was running to see me, and we stopped dead when we saw each other. Had I been gone that long? She looked so much older. No one else could smile like that, though. She looked like happiness itself as she ran to me.

"I love you," she said through tears.

"I'm sorry. I should have won. You wouldn't have come then," I said. We hugged so hard it was like we were trying to squeeze into one person.

"You didn't kill me. I should have had the guts to say no," she said.

"I should have lead the way," I said. We broke apart and gazed at each other, drinking in each others' presence.

"I wanted to bring you back. It didn't make any sense," Priscilla said. She looked over my shoulder and made a appalled face. I turned and saw a cameraman eagerly watching us.

"Excuse me," Priscilla said.

"Go on. This is gold," the man said.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. The man rolled his eyes.

"Shh, quit drawing attention to me! I'm showing the people the jealous, protective brother and his adorable little sister. Do you mind?" he said.

"Yes, we do mind. We're not your toys," Priscilla said.

"Why else would we bring you back? We could have chosen someone else," the man said. Priscilla looked about ready to punch him, so I stepped in.

"Just give us five minutes, okay? We'll be good little children after that," I said. The man grumpily shouldered his camera and we glared at him until he left. Even if death isn't certain, the Capitol is.

Diamond Kai POV

Before I could so much as notice the bear mutt was gone, a nurse informed me about the All-Stars Games and what it meant. There was so much to take in it all seemed far away, like I'd never really been dead at all. I was surprised that more than sadness or excitement, I just felt fear. Was the Capitol so powerful even death wasn't safe?

"How long have I been dead?" I asked at some point.

"Two years," the nurse answered.

"So there's been another Games? Was my brother in it? Did he win?" I asked. The nurse smiled.

"He's here to compete with you!" he said. My hopes shattered and I wanted to cry. Rapture died too? Not my little brother. I should have been there for him. If I had mentored him, he might have lived. It was all my fault. I brought him with me when I died.

"What's wrong?" the nurse asked. I didn't answer. I would have cried if I'd tried. More attendants came and poked around, checking my vitals and such. I let them have their way and criticized my every mistake in my Games.

"I suppose you'll want to see Rapture," an attendant said. I did want to see him, but I was ashamed.

"He's right in the next room," the man continued. He handed me a gown and I took my time putting it on. The question was, did he want to see me?

Rapture Kai POV

"You mean I get to go again?" I asked. Hyden raised his hand and I slapped it. "Sweet!"

"Maybe try not to die this time," Hyden said. I flipped him off. You die one time and you never hear the end of it.

I was thinking about new glorious adventures when my heart trembled. Something clicked, and I turned urgently to my mentor.

"Who else did they pick from One?" I asked. Hyden stroked his chin and looked dramatically into a corner.

"Hmmm... there's Priscilla, Chantel... Kazuo. Miall. Hunter. Oh, and one other person," he said.

"Who?!" I pleaded. I didn't want to hope. I couldn't bear to.

"Diamond Kai. Heard of her?" Hyden said. I threw on my gown and ran for the door.

"She's right next door," Hyden said just as I was about to start sprinting. I yanked the door open and ran inside. There she stood, resplendent in a hospital gown she was still pulling over her legs.

"Diamond! You're back!" I yelled. She waved.

"Hey. So are you," she said. I ran over and hugged her.

"Isn't it great! Now we fight together!" I said. She was stiff when I hugged her, but when I let go she smiled.

"You're not mad?" she asked.

"Why would I be mad?" I retorted.

"If I had won, maybe you wouldn't have died," she said.

"Who cares? I get to see you again," I said. It was like the Games were already won.

Kazuo Braun POV

There was so much pain I didn't want to open my eyes. It was gone, but I was afraid I'd open them to see Pray's face and her horrible bloody claws.

"I know you're awake," someone said. It wasn't Pray at all. It was a man. I cautiously opened one eye and saw Pray was nowhere in sight. I was in a room like back at the Capitol. The man looked like a doctor.

"Where's Pray?" I asked. The man looked over some papers.

"Mentoring the girls from Two, I suppose," he said. "You have a lot to catch up on."

I was speechless through the time it took to explain everything. Every emotion except one swirled inside me. After what Pray did, I never had to be scared again. I'd already experienced the worst.

"How did you do it?" I asked when I could finally speak.

"We just cloned you all. We already had your blood," the doctor explained.

"What about Farlan? Farlan Lionhardt?" I asked, barely stopping from using my best friend's real name. The doctor peered into the distance.

"I don't know. The list keeps changing," he said. I asked him about Ruby, too, but he hadn't even heard of her.

"Hey! You can't go yet," the doctor said when I stared to leave. I let him fuss and kept walking. I had to find my friend. Something happened to Silken in the Arena. It was like he lost his mind. Wherever he was, he was probably terrified and paranoid. I couldn't leave him alone.

Hunter Dubchen POV

I woke up in a hospital gown with Tillo looking down at me.

"You too? Who won?" I asked. Heaven sure had a strange waiting room.

"I did," she said.

"Then why are you dead?" I asked as I sat up.

"I'm not. Neither are you, anymore. There's a lot to explain," she said.

"What do you mean I'm alive? I bled out," I said. I remembered the very moment when life slipped away. It was an eerie thing to know.

"The Capitol isn't content to kill just once anymore. They gathered a bunch of us to do it again," Tillo said. She explained the Games, and more questions came up every moment.

"You won? You did it," I said. "What about the others?"

"Does it matter? They're gone," Tillo said. "I didn't kill any of them, though."

"Of course not," I said. If she'd had to I knew she would have, but I didn't have to say it. I started to launch another question, but Tillo spoke first.

"There's one other thing you should know," she said. "I have a son."

"Oh. Are you married, or was it with Felix?" I asked. Tillo smiled.

"I was raised to be a nun. It took all my grit to live one night in sin. You think I've had anyone else?" she asked. Slowly, I started to understand.

"Me?" I asked. Tillo nodded and opened the door to the room. A little boy walked in and stared at me.

"Felix, meet your father."

Some questions from the reviews:

1. There is still only one Victor for this Games. Multiple Victors was a separate idea.

2. As you may have guessed from this chapter, there are more than 24 Tributes. There are 55 counting a Two male I just got and didn't add to the list yet.

3. Niccolo Machiavelli was a philosopher who wrote The Prince, a handbook for despotism. That's the book Luperca was referring to and where the quote was from. There's also a reference in this chapter title, but not to The Prince.