Disclaimer: The Hunger Games isn't mine.

Note: Thank you to bobothebear and Remus98 for Liana and Zachary, respectively.

District Five
Strings

Harakuise Swallot, 47
Victor of the 9th Hunger Games

"We'll be ready for them this time."

Harakuise hid a chuckle as he donned an offended expression. "I wasn't aware that we were unprepared last time."

Camden quickly backpedaled. "I didn't mean – of course the Capitol is always prepared. It's just that I would have—"

"—done things a bit differently," Harakuise finished for her, smiling fondly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Beside them, Jai winked. "Well, there's always room for improvement, wouldn't you say?"

Harakuise nodded over-emphatically. "Oh, absolutely. What would you have done differently, Camden?"

Camden flushed, thought for a moment, then answered. "I would have tried to keep at least one of the non-rebels alive. Having a rebel as a victor – it's embarrassing. It gives all of us a bad name."

Harakuise smiled a little. "Oh, I agree completely – or, at least, I would, if I considered Avery a rebel. The poor girl was young and impressionable, and she was swayed by her district partner. She paid the price for it, but she was never truly one of them. She was simply trying to survive – just like anyone else in the Games."

"And now she's a symbol," Jai agreed. "A symbol that it's never too late to accept the Capitol's offer of forgiveness – but that there will still be consequences."

"Consequences." Camden shook her head. "And yet the architect of the whole affair is still running free."

Harakuise's smile faded. He'd had the same discussion with President Grisom. "Misha is a loose end. But loose ends have a way of being tied up eventually. You have to remember, Camden, not many people in the districts are aware of his involvement in the rebellion. And it's better for everyone if it stays that way."

Jai nodded. "The idea of tributes rebelling in the Games, refusing to play by the rules – that's nothing new. Usually it's just one or two. This time it was more."

Harakuise nodded. "And as long as it's just the tributes – or as long as the districts believe it's just the tributes – then you can execute the families, scare the other would-be rebels back into submission, and life goes on as it normally would. But can you imagine how the districts would react if they knew that a Victor was behind the rebellion? The idea that a Victor could turn against Capitol that's provided for them…" He trailed off, letting that sink in.

"But Nicodemus—"

Harakuise waved a hand dismissively. "Nicodemus is no rebel. He acted rashly, yes. But he acted out of mercy – not defiance." He shook his head. "He has a weakness for children."

Jai snickered a little. "Says the man who took in a crying little boy whose sister had just died in the Games."

"And a little girl who lost her parents in a riot," Camden added.

A riot he was partly responsible for. A sister he had killed. But neither of them saw cause to mention that. Harakuise tightened his grip on Camden's shoulder and grasped Jai's hand in his. They had a point. He shared Nicodemus' weakness for children. If Harakuise had been in his position, instead, would he have acted any differently?

He honestly wasn't sure.

Fortunately, Jai came to his rescue. "Maybe Nicodemus isn't a rebel, but what about Misha?"

Harakuise flashed Jai a grateful smile before responding. "He'll be dealt with. Discreetly. Quietly. Better that the districts never make any connection between the rebellion and his death. The deaths of the rebels' families served as enough of a public deterrent. Misha can be dealt with privately."

It was better that way. That was the excuse that President Grisom had used, as well. The truth was far simpler. Whatever he had done, Misha was still a Victor. He deserved to be punished, yes, but he also deserved some measure of dignity, even in death. Given a choice between a humiliating, public execution and a quiet, private one, a Victor deserved the second. Misha deserved the second. Nicodemus…

Harakuise shook the thought from his head as he squeezed Camden's shoulder gently. "And, as our little girl so eloquently put it, we'll be ready next time. The districts might not make the connection, but the other Victors will. Once they realize there are consequences for rebelling – even for a Victor – it won't happen again."

Camden nodded. "Or, if it does, it'll happen without their approval."

"Exactly," Harakuise agreed. "So stop your fretting. Everything's under control. And if your volunteers are as ready as you say…"

Camden grinned. "Oh, they're ready."

Harakuise smirked. "No hesitation? No doubts? No last-minute concerns?"

Camden shook her head. "None."

He doubted that, of course. Anyone with half a brain would have at least a little reservation about volunteering for what would most likely be their deaths. Especially this year. He wasn't sure what Camden had said to convince them to go through with it, but it must have been good.

He knew both of the trainees, of course. He'd met Natalia a few times during training, usually accompanied by her sister. At sixteen, Natalia was the younger of the sisters, but Camden had assured him that she was the better option. And Harakuise was content to leave the decision up to her. Training was her world, and he wasn't about to interfere.

Zach, on the other hand, was a friend of the family, over for dinner at their house or training in their backyard more often than not. He and Camden had grown rather close over the course of his training, and Harakuise had sometimes caught himself hoping – for both their sakes – that she wouldn't be able to persuade him to volunteer. He was a good kid, and to lose him to the Games – for him to voluntarily risk his life – just seemed wrong.

Of course, that was how the Career system worked. It was new. It was different. And he would have to get used to it. But that didn't make it wrong. He'd had the same reservations about Camden volunteering – though he'd never told her so. But she had made it out alive. Maybe one of the others would, too.

He wasn't kidding himself, though. This year would be rough. He had watched the first four reapings out of curiosity. Districts One and Two had passed without incident – aside from a little disagreement over District Two's volunteer – but District Three had four tributes, and District Four had six.

Then, shortly after District Four's reaping had aired, he'd received a phone call from Nicodemus. A warning about the change and the extra tributes. There was no reason, of course, for him to expect that District Five would be called upon to supply extra tributes, and Harakuise knew better than to assume the warning was meant solely for him. Nicodemus was probably calling each of the Victors in turn.

Still, he appreciated the sentiment. After what had happened last year, Nicodemus could have chosen to simply bypass District Five out of spite. But spite wasn't really his style. He was no rebel. He hadn't deserved…

Stop it.

What was done was done. There was nothing he could do about it now. Nothing he could have done about it, anyway. He'd been on his way back to District Five after wrapping up some business in the Capitol when everything had gone wrong. First in District Six. Then in the Capitol, with the sudden death of President Snow. Silas had stepped in before things had gotten too out of hand, but, still…

He couldn't be everywhere.

"I'll see you in a few weeks, then." Jai's farewell shook Harakuise from his thoughts as they reached the square. Jai hugged Camden tightly and clapped Harakuise on the back. "I expect there to be three Victors coming back on that train, you hear?"

Harakuise smiled a little. Jai had said the same thing three years ago, before Camden's Games. And she had done it. She had come home. "We'll do our best," Harakuise agreed.

He and Camden took the stage together, to the delight of the crowd. They cheered once more when Tania and Sabine joined them. Tania looked away – the stage, the ground, her fellow Victors – anywhere but the crowd. But Sabine smiled warmly and even waved a little, flashing a smile at Camden before taking her place beside Harakuise. Harakuise smiled back. Sabine had been happy to relinquish her mentoring position after Camden's victory, but she still dropped by their house in Victors' Village practically every day.

Still part of the family.

District Five's escort, Roderick Kane, was all smiles as he joined them onstage. After the 26th Games, he'd been moved up from District Six, and had been quite content to stay in District Five ever since. There were more experienced Career districts, of course, but Roderick insisted there was something particularly fulfilling about seeing one blossom, seeing a loyal and well-deserving district finally come into its own.

The attitude was contagious; the crowd cheered after both the mayor's speech and Roderick's, then faded to respectful silence as he reached into the first reaping bowl. "Sienna Newell!"

"I volunteer!" cried two voices at once, and the crowd parted around both Camden's chosen volunteer, Natalia Kinney, and a girl Harakuise recognized as her older sister, Liana, in the eighteen-year-old section. Harakuise glanced at Camden. After District Two's reaping, he had wondered how she would handle it if something similar happened here.

But Camden didn't appear concerned. And, sure enough, after a moment of sorting it out among themselves, Natalia reluctantly returned to the crowd, allowing Liana to take her place onstage, grinning from ear to ear. This was her moment.

Harakuise eyed their new volunteer curiously. She was pale and willowy, with dark brown hair that hung to her shoulder blades. Her dress was simple and light grey, with a white ribbon around her waist. She was stick-thin and frail-looking, certainly not what most people would consider Career material.

But it was her eyes that caught his attention, as she gave Roderick a high five and followed it with a series of fist pumps. Her eyes were a bright blue. Expressive. Eager.

Hungry.

Harakuise glanced back at Camden, who was smiling with satisfaction. Harakuise grinned as a surge of pride swept through him. She had been expecting this. She had planned this.

And, of course, there was no harm done. No dreams crushed. Natalia could always volunteer next year. Which was probably why she had backed off so easily. She could afford to let her sister have her turn, her moment in the spotlight. She would get her own soon enough.

Harakuise gave Camden a nod. Well played. Camden responded with a casual shrug. She'd learned from the best.

"Denver Griffith!"

For a moment, there was silence. Nothing. For that brief moment, Harakuise thought – maybe even hoped – that Zach had decided to back out. But then, just as the fifteen-year-old section was beginning to stir, Zach stepped forward from the seventeen-year-old section. "I volunteer!"

The crowd parted instantly in relief, and he made his way to the stage, wearing a white shirt, black suit with a small blue rose tucked inside one of the pockets, and polished black shoes. He was well-tanned, with blonde hair and bright green eyes. Tall and muscular, he towered over his district partner as he took his place beside her. "Zachary Travelle," he announced, his voice calm but lacking most of the girl's enthusiasm.

Harakuise nodded. At least he had the good sense to be a little nervous. And the crowd was so relieved that someone had volunteered that they probably didn't even notice that he was sweating a little, that his hand was trembling ever so slightly as he shook Liana's. But Harakuise noticed. And so did Camden. But her smile never faded. She had been nervous, too. She had been wary. And it had kept her alive.

"I want Zach," Camden said firmly before the tributes had even left the stage. Zach smiled back, but Liana only glared. Camden shot Harakuise a look. Argue with me.

Harakuise crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. "I thought we agreed I would be working with Zach," he protested, even though they had agreed to no such thing. He had assumed from the start that she would want to mentor Zach. "You said—"

"That was when I thought Natalia was volunteering. I'm not working with someone I didn't choose to volunteer. I want Zach."

"Fine," Harakuise grumbled as the tributes were led away. "But I get first choice next year."

"You won't have to mentor next year when Zach comes back a Victor," Camden pointed out cheekily. Then, once the tributes were out of earshot, she practically burst out giggling. "Thanks."

"My pleasure. Which one were we motivating?"

Camden shrugged. "Both. Zach needs to know we're behind him. He needs the extra confidence. Liana needs to believe she's our second choice. Then she'll do everything she can to prove us wrong."

Simple. Elegant. Effective. "Nicely done."

Camden gave his shoulder a playful punch. "Learned from the master."

She had. And she had learned well. Well enough to make it through her own Games with both her skill and her wits. Well enough to manipulate two teenagers into volunteering for a fight to the death.

And, hopefully, well enough to bring one of them home.

Zachary Travelle, 17

He was supposed to do this.

Zach gave Amity a little wave as she, Argo, and their parents left. As the door closed, a smile finally found its way to Zach's face. He'd made the right choice. That much was clear now. He was meant to do this. He had always been meant to do this.

Silently, Zach fingered the golden ring that hung on a chain around his neck. His siblings' names were inscribed inside. Argo. Amity. And Roland.

Roland, the brother he had never known. The brother who had been killed in the riots following the 25th Games, before Zach was even born. Camden had lost her parents in the same riots, and it was that connection, that shared loss, that had brought them together. She had lost everything, and, yet, she had somehow moved past it, found meaning, and even gone on to win the Games. After her return to District Five, Zach had sought her out, hoping for advice.

He'd gotten much more than that.

Camden had always been there for him. She'd shared his grief over the family members they'd both lost to the rebels' riots. She'd praised him for having the courage to join one of District Five's openly pro-Capitol movements. She'd been shocked to learn that his best friend, Allison, had been killed at one of their demonstrations, killed by an angry rebel with a piece of piping.

He'd only been ten years old. He hadn't been able to do anything to save her. It was at that point that Camden suggested he start training – not necessarily for the Games, but to learn some basic fighting skills, in case he found himself in a similar position. She'd said it would help him heal – knowing that, next time, he would be able to defend himself and those he cared about.

And it had helped. At least a little. But her friendship, her support – that had helped more. She had been there for him. She had supported him. So when she had suggested that maybe he should volunteer for the Games, after all … How could he say no? After all she had done for him, how could he refuse now?

It had all been leading to this. Everything, from his brother's death to Allison's murder to his friendship with Camden, had all led him to this moment. This choice. And now he was sure.

He was meant to do this.

Liana Kinney, 18

She wasn't supposed to be here.

Liana smirked as Natalia entered the room. She had half-expected her sister to be fuming mad. This was supposed to be her day, after all. She had prepared for it. Trained for it. Camden had chosen her.

But Natalia didn't look upset at all. She simply looked confused. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to volunteer? I would've let you take my place. We could have saved all the drama."

Liana's eyebrows shot up. It had never occurred to her to simply ask her sister to step aside. "You would've done that for me? You were so proud when Camden chose you."

Natalia shrugged casually. "Of course I was. Who wouldn't be? But I have next year, or the year after, if I want. This was your last chance. I'm glad you took it." She smiled a little as she pressed a small, silver pendant into Liana's hand. "Not everyone's out to get you, you know. Try to remember that."

Liana nodded. Maybe she was right. But, in the Games, they would be. Everyone would be out to get her eventually. So wasn't it better to start thinking like that now?

Natalia drew her sister into a hug. "Just … just be careful."

Liana pulled away and took a step back. "You don't think I can do this, either."

"Of course I do," Natalia insisted. "It's just … Liana, only one person comes out alive. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't!" Liana was almost shouting. "I can do this!"

Natalia backed off. "Okay. Okay, you can do this. Just … save it for the arena, okay?"

Liana nodded. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. It just feels like … like no one thinks I can do this. Camden picked you, instead, and no one said a thing. Harakuise doesn't even want to be my mentor."

Natalia cocked an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"He said that, before we even left the stage. He wanted to mentor Zach."

Natalia smiled a little. "If you say so. But I saw his face when you volunteered. He was impressed. Even if you weren't his first choice, he'll warm up to you."

Liana shook her head. Of course he would. He was her mentor now – whether he liked it or not. And she wasn't going anywhere. This was all she'd wanted, ever since she and Natalia had started training. She wanted to do this. She was supposed to do this.

She was meant to do this.

"He came to you, manipulated you, pulled your strings like you were a puppet. And, as a result, choices you thought were made, were never really choices at all."