Disclaimer: The Hunger Games is not mine.
Note: Thank you to BamItsTyler and ZJB3 for Shyanne and Valion, respectively, and to Lazy Owl10 for Rufus.
District Five
Plan
Rufus Knox, 40
Victor of the 51st Hunger Games
His plan was already in motion.
Rufus paced back and forth in front of the screen as the reapings in District Four ended in a clamor of cheers and excitement. It was most of a plan, at least. Half a plan, certainly. Part of a plan. Enough to convince the others that he had a plan. Or at least that he was pretending to have a plan.
It certainly didn't seem like anyone else had one.
He had spent the morning watching the reapings. Most of the other Victors seemed content to go along with everything the Capitol was doing. A few had resorted to crying or running. Certainly nothing of any substance.
Even the tiny bit of a plan that he had was better than that.
Because he had no intention of going quietly. He had no doubt, of course, that it would be him going back into the Games. This whole Quell had been arranged to deal with Victors like him. Victors who wouldn't keep quiet, who wouldn't stay in their place, but who couldn't be summarily executed because they hadn't technically done anything wrong.
There was nothing wrong, after all, with writing a book. A series of memoirs. It had simply been his own memories of the Games – both his Games and his sister's Games. His sister, Barbara, whom he had been unable to save twenty-three years ago when she had been reaped the year following his own victory.
Maybe he deserved to go back in.
Rufus shook the thought from his head. No one deserved this. No one. That was the point. But the other Victors seemed content to sit back and take it. The ones who were going back into the Games were worried that any hint of rebellion might damage their chances of coming out alive again. And the ones who were safe from the Games were simply grateful they hadn't been picked.
And maybe he didn't have a plan. Maybe he didn't have some grand scheme to bring the Games to a halt and take down the Capitol. But he had a start of a plan.
And the start of a plan had always been good enough before.
Rufus nodded to himself and headed for the square, where, instead of taking their places onstage, he and his fellow Victors had spread themselves out through the crowd. It didn't take him long to spot Shyanne, completely surrounded by her fellow orphans, a few of whom now lived under her care in Victors' Village. She always seemed to have one or two of the younger ones following her around, and they trickled in and out of her house on a regular basis. Maybe District Five's youngest Victor was a bit eccentric, but she had become something of a celebrity among the less fortunate of the district.
A little closer to the stage stood Valion, together with his wife, his daughter and her husband, and his three grandchildren. The youngest – twins, Rufus was pretty sure – stood anxiously next to their grandfather, who reached down and gave them a reassuring hug. Rufus could almost hear the older man's voice. It's all right. Just a little while, and we can all go home.
It was a lie, of course. Only one of them would be going home today. Four of them would be going back to the Capitol – two as tributes, two as mentors.
It took Rufus a little while to spot Audric and Piper at the back of the crowd. Piper was propped up in her wheelchair, with Audric standing behind her, supporting her as she had always supported him. District Five's oldest Victors, the pair of them had won back-to-back Games and married only a few years later. But they'd never had any children, though they treated each of the other Victors as family. If either of them was reaped…
Rufus slipped his hand into Flora's as he took his place by his fiance's side, with his sister Zoe beside them. If Audric or Piper was reaped, it would be terrible. But no more terrible than it would be to tear Valion away from his grandchildren, or to take Shyanne from the orphans who had come to depend on her for their very lives. They all had people they would leave behind. People they loved.
Which had been the reasoning, of course, behind this part of the plan. The Victors in the other districts had been sitting onstage together, as they normally would at a reaping. The cameras – and therefore the audience in the Capitol – had been focused on them and their fellow Victors … not their families. The audience hadn't seen any other reactions.
This time, they would. They would see Audric and Piper holding each other close. They would see Valion's grandchildren. They would see Shyanne's fellow orphans. They would see Zoe and Flora standing beside him. If they were going to tear Victors away from their families, away from the lives they had fought to build for themselves, then they deserved to see what they were truly doing.
Rufus gave Flora's hand a gentle squeeze. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that their actions today would bring the Games to a halt – not yet, at least. No matter what they did now, it wouldn't be enough to stop the reaping.
But it was a start.
It was their way of saying that they wouldn't go quietly. That they were going back into the Games not as Victors, but as tributes. Tributes with lives, with families, with hopes and dreams and futures that had all been shattered in a moment. Maybe it was a little thing.
But it was something.
Rufus took a deep breath as District Five's escort, Marcia Loretti, approached the first reaping bowl, which held only two names. Shyanne or Piper. District Five's youngest Victor or its oldest. It wasn't fair. There was no good choice. No right answer.
Marcia seemed to take ages before choosing a slip of paper. Maybe she didn't want to make the choice, either. To condemn either of them to the Games again. Watching the other four reapings, Rufus could see the events were beginning to take their toll on the escorts. Even in the Career districts, the escorts seemed a bit reluctant. If some of that could rub off on the rest of the Capitol…
"Shyanne James!"
Rufus nodded a little. That made sense. If the Capitol had any say in the matter, which, of course, they did, Shyanne was the logical choice. Who wanted to see an old lady in a wheelchair in the Games when they could watch one of the most recent Victors? A girl who had won at the age of only twelve – the youngest ever by a month or so. From an outside standpoint, she was the better choice.
The children who surrounded her, of course, didn't seem to think so. Immediately, one of them stepped between Shyanne and the Peacekeepers who were making their way towards the teenager. One by one, the others followed his lead, forming a protective shield around Shyanne.
For a moment, the Peacekeepers simply stood there. Unsure. Maybe aware that they were, in fact, being watched by not only the district, but also by everyone in the Capitol. Could they really afford to be seen subduing a crowd of orphaned children? What would the audience think of that?
Rufus smiled a little. If nothing else, it had made them think twice. Maybe it would make some of the audience do the same.
After a moment, however, Shyanne gently moved a few of her protectors aside, making her way through the crowd with a hug here, a pat on the head there. Perfect. Nothing outrageous. Nothing outright rebellious. But enough for the audience to remember. Enough, maybe, to stand out. To make a difference.
Shyanne was still smiling as she took her place onstage. Her gaze was fixed on the children she had left, some of whom were still crying. Rufus nodded. Let them cry. And let the audience see it.
Somewhere along the line, they had lost that – the sadness of it all. The Capitol thrived on the spectacle, while the districts had become almost numb to the Games. Children were taken from their loved ones without tears, without any hint of remorse.
Not this time. Emotion was on their side. Shyanne had only returned form her Games seven years ago, and yet she'd had such a profound impact on the youngest of their district. The audience deserved to see that.
They deserved to see what they were doing.
Rufus braced himself as Marcia approached the second bowl. The bowl that contained his name, Valion's, and Audric's. Rufus gave Flora's hand another squeeze. What was the point? They all knew it was going to be him. They all knew…
"Valion Surge!"
What?
Rufus' gaze flew to where Valion stood near the stage, already disentangling himself from his three grandchildren. That wasn't right. It couldn't be. Ever since the Quell had been announced, he had been sure. He had been absolutely certain that it was going to be him. But it wasn't. He was safe. Unless…
Rufus bit his lip as Valion took the stage, trying not to look back. Trying to be strong, for his family's sake. Rufus' mind raced. He could save him. He could run up there right now, volunteer, and save Valion's life.
But that would mean going back into the Games.
He had thought he was prepared for that. He had been sure that his name would be called. So he had never given any thought to what he might be able to do – what he might be able to accomplish – as a mentor, instead. But now that he had the choice…
Rufus glanced around. At Audric and Piper. At Flora and Zoe. Back to Valion, who was already holding out his hand to Shyanne. Already resigned to his fate. Shyanne ignored his outstretched hand and threw her arms around her old mentor, instead. Valion returned the gesture gratefully.
Rufus shook his head. It was already done. They already made a better pair than he could have hoped. The orphan and the grandfather. They could tug at the Capitol's heartstrings better than anything he could have come up with on his own. All he had to do was let it happen…
And then it was over. The cameras were gone. One by one, people left the square, and Rufus, Audric, and Piper made their way to the stage, Audric wheeling Piper up the ramp in her wheelchair, both obviously relieved but trying not to show it for the Shyanne and Valion's sake.
"Rufus and I should mentor," Audric suggested before anyone else could object. Not that anyone was going to, of course. Piper was in no condition to mentor, and she had more than done her part years ago, bringing both Audric and Rufus home. They owed her this much, at least.
Rufus turned to Valion and Shyanne, waiting for either of them to choose. "Do either of you have a preference about…" Rufus started.
Shyanne shook her head. "It's not going to matter, silly. We're all going to be working together, anyways."
Rufus couldn't help smiling along. "I'll take you, then, if that's all right with Valion and Audric." Both of them nodded easily. Audric had been Valion's mentor the first time around. Maybe it only made sense…
No. None of it made sense. None of this was right. But it was the way things were – for now, at least. Valion and Shyanne were led off to the Justice building hand in hand. Zoe came to get Piper, offering to look after her until Audric returned. Finally, Audric and Rufus were alone onstage.
Only once they were alone did Audric clamp a hand firmly around Rufus' wrist, his grip surprisingly strong for someone his age. "Don't try it," he said firmly.
Rufus looked up, feigning surprise. "Try what?"
"Anything. This little show at the reaping was bad enough, but we all went along with it because it wouldn't technically do any harm – as long as the tributes themselves didn't resist. But this is where it stops – for all our sakes."
"For all our sakes," Rufus repeated. "That's easy for you to say. You're not going back into the Games again—"
"Neither are you," Audric pointed out. "You're safe, Rufus – as long as you don't do anything stupid. Zoe and Flora and Valion's grandchildren and the orphans Shyanne cares for – they're all safe. As long as everything goes as planned."
"As planned. You mean as long as everything goes according to the Capitol's plan."
"Yes, Rufus, that's exactly what I mean." Audric's grip tightened. "I don't like it any more than you do – and I guarantee Valion and Shyanne like it less – but this is the way things are. This is a fight we cannot win. And the sooner you learn that, accept it, and move on, the better."
Rufus clenched his teeth. He had hoped that Audric, of all people, would understand what he was trying to do. How could he just accept it? How could he stand by and do nothing while Valion and Shyanne…?
"Don't." Rufus' eyes met Audric's, and, for a moment, Rufus was facing a younger man. A tribute. The Victor of the eighteenth Hunger Games, whose traps, tricks, and backstabbing had earned him eleven kills – more than any other Victor, including the Careers. His youth was long gone, but the cunning was still there, hiding just behind his friendly smile and laughing eyes.
Rufus stared right back. He had hoped to have Audric as an ally. Instead, they were standing on opposite sides. How long would it be before…
Rufus forced a smile. "Of course not." Try and stop me.
Audric finally released Rufus from his grasp. "Good." I'll be watching you.
He would have to be careful.
Shyanne James, 19
Victor of the 68th Hunger Games
She hoped there was more to his plan.
Shyanne couldn't shake the thought from her head as one child after another took their turn coming to say goodbye. Some were crying. Some were trying to mirror her smile. A few were too young to really understand what was going on.
Sometimes she envied them. The younger ones. Unlike them, she knew exactly what was about to happen. Exactly what was waiting for them in the Capitol. Try as she might to avoid them, her memories of the Games were still fresh. There was no escaping them.
But maybe there was a way to escape the Games this time.
If Rufus did, in fact, have a plan. He certainly seemed to, but how much of that was an actual plan and how much was bluster, she wasn't quite sure. It was hard to tell with Rufus. Maybe it was a good thing he wasn't her district partner.
Instead, Valion was. Valion, her own mentor, who had brought her home safely once. Him, she was certain of. He would never have it in him to harm her. And he hadn't backed off when she had suggested that they all work together. Did that make them allies?
Shyanne shook the thought from her head. They didn't need to decide that yet. And, in any case, she would have to be a lot more careful with her allies this time. Her allies during the first Games – allies she had been sure she could trust – had decided she was slowing them down, and locked her in a room filling with hallucinogenic gas.
They had regretted it later.
Shyanne shuddered a little as she wrapped her arms around Connor, who had arrived last. "Take care of the others until I'm back," she insisted, a smile creeping back onto her face. At least Connor was safe. And the other children – the ones who would have been of reaping age – they were safe for another year.
It wasn't much, but it was something.
And something was enough. The thought of her friends, safe from the Hunger Games for another year. The hope that maybe – just maybe – Rufus had a plan for stopping this whole thing. The thought of having a district partner she could actually trust. For now, those thoughts were enough.
They were enough to hold onto.
Valion Surge, 53
Victor of the 39th Hunger Games
He hoped that was all Rufus had planned.
Valion wrapped his arms around his wife Margret as his daughter and her family huddled closer to the pair of them. He liked Rufus well enough, but he had never shared the younger Victor's rebellious streak. He had his family to think of.
A family who would surely suffer if he did anything but play along.
Valion swallowed hard, trying to bury the thought. But there was nothing he could do to escape it. Playing along meant killing.
He had killed during the Games, of course. But that was years ago. Before his daughter. Before his grandchildren. What would they say if he came home with more blood on his hands – blood that belonged to Victors who reminded him so much of them?
Victors like Shyanne.
Valion held his family even tighter. He couldn't do it. He was sure of that much, at least. He would never be able to harm her. He had been the one, after all, to bring Shyanne home, only seven years ago. How could the Capitol expect them to fight each other now?
How could they expect any of them to fight each other?
They would, of course. Thributes always did. Occasionally, one or two would refuse to fight. But the majority of them, when it came down to it, would fight once their lives were truly on the line. And the tributes this year – all of them had won once. All of them had killed. Well, most of them, at least. Barric…
Valion shook the thought from his head. Victors like Barric were the exception. And one or two of them wouldn't be enough to make a difference. Everyone in the Games this year had already made it through once, which, in almost every case, meant they had already proven they would fight and kill.
That was all the Capitol needed.
And he was one of them. Valion ruffled Bailey's hair fondly, painfully aware that he was among those giving the Capitol exactly what they wanted. But if fighting was what they wanted – and if fighting and killing would be enough to keep his family safe – then that was exactly what he would do.
There was no other choice.
"Just do what I do: Hold tight and pretend it's a plan."
