The districts of Panem. Their first volunteers, and their last. The ones who got to choose, but they didn't really, because you can't choose this.

District Two is more Twelve than they would ever admit. They will not say when they're hurt. They fear cave-ins more than anything except treachery. When tragedies happen, they can do nothing but pick themselves up and get on with their lives. They know when to fight and when they have to roll over.

Dear Mom, Dad, Patina, Galena, Alaric, Lars, Antonia, and Antonia, your little new baby, what's her name, I don't remember I'm sorry, is it Porcia? And dear Mister Kernel, and Clawdie, and all the other pets.

Well...surprise!

I'm in the Capitol. Supposed to be sleeping, actually. Oops. I'll give this to an Avox to send it to you back home. I just wanted to explain, okay. I know it won't make you happier. I'm sorry.

They said volunteering instead of the tribeute was allowed. But it's only the Second Annul Hunger Games, so nobody did it yet. I'm in history now! That'll be neat, I guess. Antonia, you have to show me to your baby in the history books. What's her name? It starts with p. And it has a r. I definitely know that. Prunella?

It's about the shop. Dad, I wasn't supposed to know that you were losing all your money and the shop was going to go broke, but I did. Nobody wants to buy pets. They can't aford it. We just finished a war. All our dogs were going to starve, and our cats, and the fish and mice and Mister Kernel in the corner. Mister Kernel's feathers are already falling out. He doesn't say things back anymore. And you know the shop was seriously bad, I'm not overeacting, because Antonia's baby is doing really bad. She doesn't lift her head anymore. She doesn't look at stuff so much now. She's hungry and doesn't get her vitamins. I know you're all scared she'll grow up like me and you're right. She's such a good baby. She shouldn't ought to be stupid. I wish I remembered her name instead of Mister Kernel's name. I think it's Priscilla.

If I win none of us will ever be hungry or cold or stupid again.

I know what I have to do in the areana. I know I don't know a lot of things but I do know that. I'm going to kill twenty three people and then I'll get a crown and go home, like last year on the television. Our television's broke so you're watching it in the square with lots of other people, and they'll help you out too because they will feel so bad for you, and they'll give you little foods and things, like last year with Decius and Mara! I thought about everything, see?

I'm really strong. I can run fast if it's not over crumbly rocks or anything. I can throw things too. Don't worry about me. You will just have to cover your eyes when I kill somebody. Antonia, you shouldn't have Petronia see it at all. I don't want her to be scared. There's going to be a lot of blood and I'm scared about that too. I'll probaly have to cover my eyes when I kill somebody too!

Everything is going to be okay.

It's just fighting. I got the Wrestling Award Second Place when I was thirteen and it's still on my wall. It isn't even very hard to kill somebody, they told me. You have to be so careful with people. You can break their neck or push them off a high-up place. You can cut them in a lot of spots and they'll bleed until they're dead. They can eat the wrong thing or not eat enough and they just fall over dead themselves. And it's just twenty three of them. There were so many more in the war. This is going to be okay. I promise.

I love you. Mom and Dad, the shop will be okay now. Your hair is gray because you're worried about it, but you're not even fifty. Patina will get to marry the foreman's son Harker because she can buy a nice dress and make-up. And Galena can buy all the water color paint she wants. Alaric and Lars can get real bicicles to ride to school on and nobody will laugh at them or beat them up again. Antonia can take care of her baby, and send her to college and everything.

I love you. And it's going to be okay.

Goodbye, I love you.

From,

Theseus.

And keep this letter in the family, okay? It's a prievate thing, okay. Don't show it to anyone else. It's for you. I love you. PS.

And I just thought of something! For when I come home, I can teach other District Two kids how to do good in the other Annul Hunger Games. How to fight and stuff. I'll make them strong and know how to fight like me. And if I die somebody else can teach them for me. You'll have to tell them. But I'm not going to die. PS.

From Theseus Raine.

Prisca! It's Prisca. Antonia, your baby's name is Prisca. I remembered. If I can remember something so hard, I can win the Second Annul Hunger Games. It can't be so hard. I know how to kill people, from back in the war. Even kids again. PS.

Or Paria. Maybe it's Paria. But I can still do it. I'm not scared. I love you. PS.

From Theseus.

Dad, how's Clawdie doing? Is she okay? Is she happy? She was almost ready for her litter when I left. Did she birth them yet? If she did, name one of the kittens Elizabeth for me, okay? I really like that name. Thanks, Daddy.

District Two buries its fallen tributes on the top of its tallest eastern hill, where the sun rises. Victor or child, they greet the dawn.

Brutus turned the corner, hiking boots crunching gravel, and fiddled with his watch to start a five-minute break. The training centre was bigger around than a Capitol lady's tit, but he had seven laps left to go. Ain't no kid in training slacking off for the day. He wasn't about to himself. Set an example. He looked around cautiously before dumping his water over his head. Running fingers through bristly hair, enjoying the coolness that rinsed away his sweat, he froze.

The old man was on the bench up by the aspens. Not even watching him. Just stroking the cat on his lap.

The old man.

Brutus jogged over to be respectful-like, adjusting his soaked top with a mite of self-consciousness. "Morning, sir."

The man dragged his attention off the fat gray cat, peering through his cataracts. He could have gotten them fixed easier than anything, but he always said he didn't trust those fancy surgeons in the Capitol. "Eh? Well, yes, it is."

"I'm...sorry, sir? What is?"

Theseus smiled, cracked and content, into the sunrise. "Morning."

Brutus had to let himself smile too. Just a little.

"That's a nice cat, sir."

"Elizabeth, her name is. I got her waaaay back when I won my games. She's had piles of litters since then, I can tell you. But she's still alive! Just like me. Isn't that funny?"

Brutus twisted his mouth a few centimeters. It was more emotion than he was used to showing off, so he twisted it back. "That's great, sir."

Theseus squinted past the top of the Raine Centre for Physical Perfection, into the cloudless sky, somewhere past the sun. "There's a storm coming, you know that?"

"It looks pretty clear out there to me, sir."

"Oh, lad, that's not what I mean. But you look familiar. What's your name again?"

"Brutus, sir." Deadpan. "Brutus Heller. I'm somewhat famous."

"Really? Don't tell me- you must be that nice boy on the televisions who gives those makeup promotions. Yes, Brutus, that's what they called him. 'Hi, it's Brutus here, and you are going to look downright fierce today!' Eh?" Theseus' toothless attempt to lisp ended up splashing Brutus' shirt. "Or maybe Bruce, it was. Never mind. Maybe I'll remember sometime."

"That's all right, sir."

"Don't mention it."

"If you're worried about a storm, sir, I could take you back to your rooms. It can get mighty chilly out here in the rain."

"No, no." Theseus sat back, scratching Elizabeth gently between the ears. "It's the seventy-first annual Hunger Games, isn't it? No, seventy-fourth. It's almost on us, I can tell you. You saw that nice District Twelve girl, with the sister?"

Mouth twist that he was not going to hide, by damn. "Yessir. Upstart, that one."

"There's a storm coming. Mark you my words. And I wanna see it happen." He tilted his head, as if feeling raindrops. Turned back to Brutus. Something about the milky eyes twanged down his spine and came to rest somewhere around his stomach. "You'll be chasing that storm."

"If you say so, sir."

"I do, I do. And tell Barbarian that too. She'll be reaching for that lightning, all right."

"Barb- Enobaria, sir?"

"Mmmhmm. Tell her." He clutched Elizabeth close. Keeping her warm and safe from the flood Brutus couldn't see. "I won't be there to do it, you know."

"You're in good health for your age, sir. Everything's going to be just fine. Let me bring you inside."

"No, tell her! Promise me. On Elizabeth. Very important. And Mr. Kernel, and Clawdie. You have to."

"Okay. It's okay, sir. Whatever you want. I'll tell them about the storm."

And they buried him on the hilltop, in the highest place saved for him, where the flood wouldn't get his feet wet, he said, and so he could see the rainbow when it came.

Hey hey hey, sweetness and light: this should encourage someone, if I dare hope. I am broke on ideas, and would be more than delighted to receive future volunteers from you beautiful disasters. Reviews are great for that sort of thing, or PMs if you want to keep secrets from people poking around in there. No bigass form: just tell me what you think I need to know, and I'll do the rest. Thanks so much.

...I just want somebody to talk to me. :'(

Send in your ideas, I'll pick the ones with most potential/coolest, and I'll credit you when they show up! What could go wrong.