Disclaimer: The Hunger Games is not mine.

Note: Wednesday is part of the weekend, right...? Yeah, sorry about the wait. Updates should be fairly frequent from now on – especially once Born in Pain is completely wrapped up. (One more chapter to go there.) I'm counting this as my Camp NaNoWriMo project, which helped me get through the reapings pretty quickly last time.

Thank you to everyone who submitted. We've got a great batch of tributes this time around, and I'm really looking forward to getting started with them. I did end up accepting a few more than I'd originally planned to, but, to be honest, the following explanation of the numbers change makes more sense than what I'd originally intended, anyway. So forty-six tributes it is.

Even so, I did end up having to turn down quite a few tributes. My apologies for that, but there simply wasn't a way to work everyone in. If you're not sore and are looking for a place to submit the tributes I had to decline – or if you submitted more than one and are looking for something to do with the ones that I inevitably didn't accept – my brother, Greybeard mmmmmm3, has an open SYOT and is in need of tributes. So send a few his way! (There's a link on my profile.)

And now, without further ado, an explanation of the extra numbers...

Prologue, Part Two
Numbers

Tamika Ward
Head Gamemaker

"Twenty-two extra tributes."

Tamika repeated the news again, trying to make sense of it. "Why twenty-two, Mr. President?"

Silas leaned forward a little in his chair. "It's simple, really. Last year, there were twelve tributes who refused to fight – both from Three, Four, Six, and Eight, the girls from Seven, Nine, and Ten, and the boy from Eleven. So this year, in addition to the regular twenty-four tributes, those districts will send two replacements – of the same gender – for each of the tributes who participated in the rebellion."

Tamika did the math. "But that would be twenty-four."

Silas nodded. "Quite right. But the girl from three – Avery – she gave in. Changed her mind. She's a symbol to the districts that it's never too late to accept the Capitol's offer of forgiveness. She's already paid a steep price for her actions: the burden of having killed the others, the loss of her family. She doesn't need two more tributes to die in her name."

"That leaves Districts One, Two, Five, and Twelve untouched," Tamika pointed out.

"Indeed," Silas agreed. "They had no part in the rebellion. No need for them to pay the price."

"But won't they see it as a disadvantage – especially the Careers? Almost double the number of tributes, but only two for each of them. Not exactly good odds."

Silas smiled a little. "That's where you come in. I'm counting on you to keep the playing field level. And even if they were sending six tributes, like District Four, only one could win. More tributes only means that more will die – it doesn't really increase anyone's odds of winning."

"District Twelve will certainly be grateful." Tamika shook her head. "I always wondered what made them determined to fight. One and Two – well, they're Careers, and District Five's mentors have always been loyal. But Twelve – two thirteen-year-olds, surrounded by rebels, still insisting on fighting. That kind of courage … What inspired it?"

Silas nodded gravely. "Not courage. Desperation. Though maybe they're the same thing, in the end. I believe we have Brennan to thank for that. Not the sort of loyalty you'll see in One and Two, and he's certainly not the fanatic that Harakuise is. But he knows how the game is played. The year he won, you have to remember, was the year the entire Avdeyev family was executed following the son's death in the Games."

Tamika remembered. She'd only been a teenager at the time, but she remembered the executions. She remembered Brennan's victory. He'd never struck Tamika as particularly patriotic – most outer-district tributes weren't – but maybe Silas was right. Maybe desperation was a good substitute for loyalty, in a pinch. He certainly knew what happened to rebels in the Games, and would have told his tributes that their families' lives were at risk if they joined the rebels. "But surely the other mentors knew, too," Tamika insisted. "Surely they knew it wouldn't work."

"Of course they did," Silas agreed. "Most of them, at least. But some didn't care. Some tributes wouldn't listen, regardless of what their mentors said. Maybe a few mentors were even delusional enough to believe – or at least hope – that the rebels had a chance. But, whatever the combination of circumstances that led to it, District Twelve remained loyal. They followed the rules of the Games. And they'll be rewarded for it – or, at the very least, not punished for the actions of the others."

"As you wish, Mr. President. Is there anything else?"

Silas nodded. "Just one thing. Your plan for the arena – is it large enough to accommodate the additional tributes?"

Tamika smiled a little. A part of her had been hoping he would ask. Her arena idea wasn't her most ambitious or breathtaking – and it was a far cry from the previous year's Mount Olympus – but she was proud of it, nonetheless. After the events of the 41st Games, she reasoned, people needed security. Familiarity. Something a bit more traditional. Almost old-fashioned.

She just hoped the president would approve.

"I believe so, Mr. President," she answered respectfully. "Would you like to see?"

Silas grinned, and Tamika's apprehension seemed to melt away. The president looked almost like a small child about to open a brand new bag of toys. He practically leapt from his chair and was at her side in an instant, beaming proudly.

"Lead the way."

"What do these numbers mean? Please!"

Tribute List:

District One

Jamie Gloire, 18 (Alice Kingsleighs)
Inviticus Cassiano, 18 (Jael. Rice. 1)

District Two

Naella Sareen, 18 (Acereader55)
Septimus Drakon, 18 (SpaceAgeDino)

District Three

India Telle, 17 (stellaslomp)
Horatio Connors, 15 (Lt Fedora)
Aleron Blanchet, 15 (ImmyRose)
Evander Mercado, 16 (twistedservice)

District Four

Mavina Perrot, 17 (Cashmere67)
Imalia Grenier, 17 (Lupus Overkill)
Kendall Rios, 18 (SomeDays)
Brevin Tolett, 17 (LokiThisIsMadness)
Auster Maverick, 18 (IndigoStarling)
Jarlan DuMorne, 18 (Deuce Ex Machina)

District Five

Liana Kinney, 18 (bobothebear)
Zachary Travelle, 17 (Remus98)

District Six

Presley Delon, 13 (BamItsTyler)
Nadine Olliston, 14 (District11-Olive)
Cordelia Astier, 15 (Galahad Dragonbeam)
Paget Astier, 15 (mikitty bast)
Alexi Merista, 16 (Bigpapi1234)
Delvin Flynn, 18 (Lazy Owl)

District Seven

Fallon Ladris, 15 (Aileen's feather)
Ciere Renole, 17 (Call Me Fin)
Audra Trevaille, 18 (Jakey121)
Domingo Ibanez, 14 (Blue Eyes Arch Angel)

District Eight

Gadget Test, 16 (TomatoesfromMarco98)
Ivira Spielreyn, 16 (kopycat101)
Adelia Luciano, 16 (upsettomcat42)
Baylor Alanis, 14 (nevergone4ever)
Louis Soren, 14 (Emi96)
Jediah Bouvier, 15 (Greybeard mmmmmm3)

District Nine

Myrah Lanhart, 14 (The Lunar Lioness)
Melody Anson, 15 (kkfanatic22)
Sariya Charsley, 16 (Sunlight Comes Creeping In)
Thane Hayer, 17 (Aspect of One)

District Ten

Elizabet Brower, 15 (Khloe Grace)
Calantha Harlyn, 16 (blurry cornrow)
Indira Serren, 18 (Glimmer Icewood)
Beckett Furlan, 16 (komiking)

District Eleven

Elani Ingram, 14 (Burning Stars)
Pan Soya, 12 (DaughterofApollo7)
Philus Polaine, 13 (nuttmeg)
Shale Avenheim, 18 (MornieGalad Baggins)

District Twelve

Eleanor Marxs, 16 (Axe Smelling God)
Barry Zephir, 15 (Jalen Kun)